What To Do With a Closed Church Building?

New Uses Can Breathe New Life Into Old Churches

David Briggs looks at new uses for closed churches in this week's full text article, linked above.

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Continuing the legacy of a building that for decades served as a spiritual beacon is important, particularly for people grieving the loss of their church, religious leaders say.

Members of a closed church consider it "sacred space given by their ancestors, and they'd like to see it continue as sacred space," said the Rev. Daniel Drew, who oversees local church mergers for the United Methodist Church.

Religion News Service: Products

Mormon Pitcher's Game Improved After Time Spent in a Different Uniform

RNS' Daniel Burke profiles Baltimore Orioles rookie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, a Mormon who gave up baseball to do missionary work in Spain, and is now back, and better than ever, in this week's full-text article, linked above.

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Guthrie didn't work out and lost 30 pounds in Spain. Still, when he returned to the states he was, somehow, a better pitcher. His fastballs were faster, his curveballs sharper and he had more control over where he threw the ball.

"It's really unexplainable, you know, in terms of maybe how the world would view it," Guthrie said. "I didn't run, I didn't lift weights. I didn't throw a ball. So, there's really no worldly explanation as to why I could come back and throw the ball as well as I did."

Elvis: The King of Gospel

Backup Singer Shares Elvis' More Tender Gospel Side


RNS' Michelle C. Rindels interviews former Elvis Presley backup singer Joe Moscheo, who has written the forthcoming book "The Gospel Side of Elvis," in this week's full text article, linked above.

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[Elvis'] gospel side is a rich one. Some of his first recordings were songs like "Softly and Tenderly (Jesus is Calling)." He won two Grammys for his gospel albums, "How Great Thou Art" and "He Touched Me," and according to John Styll, president of GMA, there is the simple "fact that he loved gospel music."