Religion

By Hazel Ford-- A local Citrus Heights church is participating in a fundraiser to “Support Our Sisters.” The church, New Love Ministries, is partnering with the Raising a Nation Foundation, a Bible-based nonprofit, to supply women in South Africa with much-needed bras...

By Nadezhda Otterstad-- Gennadiy Mokhnenko's unconventional and often-harrowing work in Ukraine was the focus of an R-rated 2016 Hollywood documentary-style film, "Almost Holy," whose executive producer directed The Thin Red Line. His controversial tactics of exposing alleged government corruption and "abducting" homeless orphans living on the streets of Ukraine earned him the titles of "vigilante" and "superhero."

Sentinel staff report-- Monday night began the first of a 55-night rotating shelter at area churches for homeless in Citrus Heights. Through Feb. 24, up to 20 homeless are able to grab a hot meal and warm place to stay thanks to the overnight hospitality of various congregations and numerous volunteers. The effort is part of an eight-week “Winter Sanctuary” program coordinated by the Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART), a local nonprofit made up of various public and private organizations, churches, and volunteers. The shelter program relies heavily on the involvement of area churches, with various congregations offering to host the homeless overnight for a week and additional volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other area ministries also offering staffing help. "We offer a hot meal, a dry place to sleep, and a to-go meal in an environment that helps [the homeless] connect to caring people and services to help them on a path out of homelessness," said Irene Hronicek, who serves on the board of HART and is helping coordinate this year's shelter. While at the shelter, she said homeless guests, as they are referred to by volunteers, will also be offered help from Alcoholics Anonymous, free health checkups from a mobile Elica Health Center van, domestic violence resources from A Community for Peace, and housing counseling and assistance by a homeless "navigator" from Sacramento Self-Help Housing who is funded by a grant from the City of Citrus Heights...

Looking for a church in town to visit this Christmas season? Citrus Heights is home to more than 30 churches and houses of worship, ranging from Baptist to Catholic to Methodist -- including four different Lutheran churches. ..

Jane Daly's business card says it all: "Banker by day, blogger by night." Well, not quite all -- she's not just a blogger, she's a professional speaker and an author who just took home two awards for her books last month. A Sacramento-area native, Daly moved to Citrus Heights in 1985 and raised her family in the Birdcage Heights neighborhood along with her husband Mike. Both her daughter and son were active in local basketball teams and her son was also on the Sunrise Sharks swim team...

At first glance, surveillance images released this week by Citrus Heights police appear to show a group of kids in a Sunday school room with a teacher. But with the church reporting stolen property and a time stamp on one image showing 1:50 a.m., Citrus Heights police confirmed the images show the burglary of a local church on Old Auburn Road -- involving an adult suspect and what appears to be several young children. "This burglary in particular is concerning to us because it looks like the suspect brought several juveniles with him, which put them in harms way," Lt. David Gutierrez told The Sentinel on Friday. "At least a couple of those children appear really young and likely weren't there for the purpose of burglarizing."

A pair of vacant homes with boarded up windows, peeling exterior paint, and an overgrown yard. The sight has plagued a heavily-trafficked section of Old Auburn Road near Sylvan Corners for too long, but things are changing since a local church purchased the homes in October of last year. "We're fixing things up," said Angel Nolasco, pastor of a Spanish-speaking Pentecostal church tucked behind the two homes, with access from Auburn Boulevard behind Gilberto's Tacos. Nolasco said his congregation has about 100 attendees on Sundays and members have been helping fix up the property for the past few months -- slowly hacking away overgrown vegetation and recently slapping a new coat of paint on one of the houses...