President in the pews: DC churches offer Biden options
Proximity to power is paramount, even when it comes to places of worship, and a president s public prayers tend to draw outsize attention. Author: Associated Press Updated: 2:39 PM EST December 19, 2020
His motorcade thunders around Delaware, snarling traffic. Everywhere he goes, a security team envelops him and a pack of journalists trails behind.
Yet President-elect Joe Biden enters his church, St. Joseph on the Brandywine, with startlingly little interruption.
Wearing a dark suit and medical mask, Biden slipped into a polished wooden pew near the back of the sanctuary for a recent Saturday evening Catholic Mass. He was one of only about 40 worshippers with attendance limited by the coronavirus pandemic. His row was empty except for a Secret Service agent sitting on the aisle and others stationed around the sanctuary. They had flak jackets under their dress clothes.
After turbulent 2020, faith in America faces more big issues
by David Crary And Elana Schor, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 18, 2020 10:30 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 18, 2020 at 10:44 am EDT
FILE - In this June 14, 2020 file photo, protesters gather on Hollywood Boulevard for a march organized by black members of the LGBTQ community, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Under Trump there have been some rollbacks in civil rights protections for LGBTQ people that Biden is vowing to restore and expand. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
For many religious denominations in the United States, there were two shared preoccupations in 2020 beyond the usual matters of faith: How to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and how to respond to tumultuous political events.
Cookies, hot cocoa, pick-me-up notes: Sparks of kindness
by Peter Orsi And Emily Leshner, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 16, 2020 11:32 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 16, 2020 at 11:42 am EDT
In this Nov. 20, 2020 photo, a bag containing pennies and a note encouraging passersby to make a wish is placed by Debbie McFarland near a fountain in Peachtree City, Georgia. McFarland is the founder of the Facebook group Sparks of Kindness, a community of people going out of their way to put a smile on the faces of others through small but touching good deeds. (Debbie McFarland via AP)
A tin of cookies is left on the running board of an ambulance outside a nursing home with a note for the emergency workers who operate it: “You’re AMAZING! Yes, you!”