The Columbian

Churches & Religion

Study: Going to church may lead to longer life

May 28, 2016, 6:04am Churches & Religion

Religious services aren’t just good for your soul — they might be good for your health. Read story

Don and Cindy Bradley, caretakers at the Palestine Gardens, pose for a portrait on April 22 in Lucedale, Miss.

Step into tiny Holy Land in Mississippi

May 28, 2016, 6:02am Churches & Religion

Tucked away in George County is a miniature version of the Holy Land, lovingly maintained for more than 50 years. Read story

Baxter Jones sorts through canned goods Friday at Martha's Pantry, which was housed in the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Hazel Dell. The church was damaged by fire early Wednesday.

Hazel Dell church fire deals blow to food pantry

May 27, 2016, 8:28pm Churches & Religion

Vicki Smith doesn’t want to be around when most of the food at Martha’s Pantry gets thrown away. Read story

Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Young, left, briefs congregants of the Liberty Bible Church of the Nazarene in Salmon Creek on Thursday. The suspected arson was the second on a church in as many days.

Arson suspected in second Vancouver-area church fire

May 26, 2016, 11:00am Churches & Religion

A Vancouver-area church was damaged by fire Thursday in what investigators suspect is the second local church arson in just two days. Read story

Adrienne Strehlow, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, left, and Beth Sermet of the Islamic Society of Southwest Washington listen to speakers during the interfaith prayer breakfast Wednesday morning at Family of Christ Lutheran Church.

Being a good neighbor at annual interfaith prayer breakfast

May 25, 2016, 6:08pm Churches & Religion

What does it mean to be a neighbor? That was the central question of Wednesday’s interfaith prayer breakfast at Family of Christ Lutheran Church in Felida. Read story

Firefighters and onlookers gather at the First Congregational United Church of Christ after a fire damaged the building Wednesday morning in Hazel Dell.

Fire heavily damages Hazel Dell church

May 25, 2016, 10:15am Churches & Religion

Firefighters are still on the scene of a three-alarm blaze that heavily damaged a Hazel Dell church early this morning. Read story

Unity Sunday organizers hope to foster togetherness

May 21, 2016, 6:00am Churches & Religion

A communally made flower bouquet and a potluck are two highlights of Unity Sunday, a weekend event aimed at fostering togetherness in Clark County. The event at LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park in east Vancouver is in response to divisive national dialogue that has sometimes specifically targeted minorities, organizers said in… Read story

Dawn Eden Goldstein sits with her team during their Wild Wild West Trivia Night at University of St. Mary of the Lake on April 23 in Mundelein, Ill. Goldstein will be the first woman at the university earn a sacred theology doctorate.

Woman blazes path to train Catholic priests

May 21, 2016, 5:39am Churches & Religion

On the bucolic Mundelein campus that houses a theological university and the largest Roman Catholic seminary in the U.S., there are 220 men studying to be priests — plus one woman about to join a small cadre of female faithful blazing new paths. Read story

Providence Academy's 1966 graduates gather for a class photo Tuesday afternoon at the front entrance as part of their reunion. At left, the graduation photo for the Class of 1966, among the 50th anniversary reunion items.

Providence Academy’s Class of 1966 celebrates 50th reunion

May 17, 2016, 9:02pm Churches & Religion

Their celebration 50 years ago had something of a cloud hanging over it. The group was, as a baccalaureate speaker noted, “suffering an irreparable loss.” Read story