congregation

She urged the city to keep its faith-based proposal as originally proposed, because doing so would create “more opportunities for congregations to build housing, especially in high-resource communities.”

As the United States has become more progressive and secular — at the same time congregations are shrinking and aging — Christians have lost much of their cultural power, leaving many to feel under assault, Hankins said.

Smyth was a prominent barrister as well as a lay preacher - a member of the congregation who delivers sermons but is not ordained - who ran summer camps for young Christians.

It makes for a strange tone throughout the film, that the congregation is so horrified by kids who are clearly hungry and fending for themselves, so it’s hard to laugh at their high jinks.

I was “first lady” of a small country church congregation and I wanted more.