protestant

A PowerPoint presentation packed with graphs showing the decline of religious observance in America filled the fellowship hall at Madison’s Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Saturday morning. “I take no joy in showing you any of these graphs,” said Eastern Illinois University political science professor Ryan Burge. “This is me.” For the past 17 years Burge has also been the pastor of an American Baptist Church in central Illinois, but it’s planning on closing this summer. “We had eight people in worship last Sunday,” he said. UPDATE ON THIS STORY APRIL 2nd STORY FROM THE RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: The last service…

It could be easy to miss, tucked in between the Trek Bicycle Shop and the Princeton Club, just across the street from East Towne Mall. There’s no big sign above the door. One clue that it’s not just another store front or office suite is the cascading wall of water sculpture just inside the front door. It’s symbolic, perhaps, of the cascade of prayers raining down upon Madison from within.It’s the Madison House of Prayer for All Nations, a non-denominational prayer and worship center, located at 1714 Eagan Road. It’s an outgrowth of a previous house of prayer formerly located…