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Pope on COVID vaccines says health care a ‘moral obligation’

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis suggested Monday that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus was a “moral obligation” and denounced how people had been swayed by “baseless information” to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives during the pandemic. Francis used some of his strongest words yet calling for people to get vaccinated in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, an annual event in which he sets out the Vatican’s foreign policy goals for the year. Francis, 85, has generally shied away from speaking about vaccination as a “moral ...

Worship when you find yourself in times of trouble

Jahaziel told the people in verses 15-17, that God was going to deliver them; “You will not need to fight in this battle.” In verse 17 it says, “Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” The result was that Jehoshaphat and all Judah and Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. They reacted to the message from Jahaziel according to their faith in God. God said He would deliver them, that settled it, they believed it. Even in times of trouble and distress, our goal should be to have such a heart and mind that we are ready to ...

Religion briefs

Editor’s note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinel’s Religion section, contact Erin Thompson at (717) 248-6741 or by email at ethompson@lewistownsentinel.com. Items also may be faxed to (717) 248-3481 or sent to The Sentinel, 352 Sixth Street, Lewistown, PA 17044. Items should arrive to The Sentinel by Wednesday afternoon for publication in the Saturday edition. Submissions will be published as space allows. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. ¯¯¯ Ministry to support single moms BELLEVILLE — The Mifflin County Single Moms Care and Support ...

‘Go in peace’: Bellefonte church founded in 1800 holds last service

BELLEFONTE (AP) — A Pennsylvania church with a 221-year history held its final service and is scheduled to close at the end of the year because of declining membership and attendance. The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service on Christmas Eve after having welcomed generations of families over the course of more than two centuries. “There’s just such a love among this congregation. We’ve all known each other so long and we know each other’s foibles,” church elder Candace Dannaker told the ...

A surge of evangelicals in Spain fueled by Latin Americans

SALAMANCA, Spain (AP) — When Kent Albright, a Baptist pastor from the United States, arrived as a missionary to Spain in 1996, he was unprepared for the insults and threats, or the fines from the police for handing out Protestant leaflets on the streets of Salamanca. “Social animosity was big — they had never seen a Protestant in their life,” said Albright, recalling one woman who whispered, “Be thankful we don’t throw stones at you.” He couldn’t have imagined that 25 years later, he would be pastoring an evangelical congregation of 120 and count about two dozen other ...

Live life ‘day by day’

In my years of ministry I have noticed that the average Christian is being crucified between two thieves, the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. People just cannot seem to enjoy life today because they are being robbed by yesterday and tomorrow. So I think it would be good for all of us to learn to live “a day at a time.” Now, when you start living one day at a time — life becomes more exciting. It becomes more enriching, it is no longer dull, it is no longer filled with drudgery, and you will find yourself doing less complaining and griping about life and it’s ...