jriddle@thealpenanews.com
News Photo by Julie Riddle
Surrounded by upside-down chairs to promote social distancing, Pastors Karen and Greg Zurakowski discuss church traditions days before the Christian celebration of Easter at Grand Lake Community Chapel in Presque Isle on Wednesday.
ALPENA Last Easter, Rev. John Shipman stood on the bank of a river at sunrise, alone.
The pastor of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Alpena, Shipman had told his members to stay home on the Christian church’s holiest day of the year as the coronavirus rolled into Northeast Michigan.
Possibly the weirdest Easter ever, last April 12 was, for many in church circles, a day of longing for lilies and egg hunts, for trumpet blasts and hallelujahs and hearty handshakes.
Thursday, Apr. 1
Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St. ⢠Free with museum admission
Cameron Art Museum is displaying 100 new works from North Carolina artist Robert Johnson. Surreal land- and waterscapes showcase 41 N.C. state parks, and the differences in flora, fauna, and all the creatures inhabiting the areas.
Johnson spent a year traveling and sketching in the wild, capturing the mood of the environments. (Port City Daily interviewed the artist in February, which can be read here). As it turns out, the artist â whose love for the western part of the state is well-documented â said one of his favorite stops was at Carolina Beach State Park.
The Rev. Barbara Blom had the bad luck of joining a church during COVID-19. But she had the good luck that said church was the United Ministry of Aurora.
Blom, who became pastor of the church in May, told The Citizen that taking leadership of a congregation during a historically disruptive pandemic hasn t been as hard as one might think.
The congregation is small enough, and the ceilings high enough, that the church will be able to return to regular indoor services today, with masks and social distancing. And when the weather s nice again, it can return to outdoor services overlooking Cayuga Lake. The church embraced its scenic view last summer with concerts in its amphitheater, a presentation from the Cayuga Nation and more.
Church Treasurer Steals $150,000 From Parish, Spends It on Porn
On 3/11/21 at 8:47 AM EST
A Pennsylvania church treasurer stole more than $150,000 from the parish purse and spent most of it on a pornographic website, according to court records.
Glenn Yothers, 56, of Unity, took $150,606 from the accounts of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latrobe, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, according to court documents obtained by the
Pittsburgh
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Yothers, who had served as church treasurer for 12 years, made the transfers to his personal account between February 2015 and December 2019, state police confirmed. He spent most of the money on a website called Flirt For Free. It clearly was not a free service.