The threat came as the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida reportedly confirmed its plans to host the controversial event on Sept. 11 to mark the ninth anniversary of terror attacks in the United States.

The letter posted on Aug. 31 threatened to blast the Church of North India’s 53-year-old Bethlehem Church situated in Bhopal, the state capital.

The church’s pastor Reverend Sanjay Solomon told ucanews.com on Sept. 8 that the letter said it would hold the church “responsible” if a Qur’an was burned.

“Don’t treat it as a mere threat,” it said according to the priest.

He said church authorities “immediately approached” the police for protection who have strengthen their presence in the area, the pastor said.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal, who heads the Catholic Church in the state, said anonymous letters are normally a “ploy” to create sectarian discord.

He said he will talk to leaders of the Muslim community to avoid confusion. He had already met Muslim leaders in the city soon after media first reported about the Qur’an burning plan early last month.

The archbishop said Christian groups condemn the plan because burning a Holy Book “is a serious crime that cannot be pardoned.”

Mazood Ahammad Khan, secretary of the co-ordination committee for Indian Muslims said the Qur’an burning plan “is a matter of serious concern for all of us and such an idea must be nipped in the bud.”

http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/09/08/church-threatened-over-qur%E2%80%99an-burning/

But a prosecutor said suspect Jose Feliciano, 64, of Easton, Pa. — who is charged with stabbing to death Rev. Edward Hinds of St. Patrick Church on Oct. 22 — was initially being held in a psychiatric ward at Morristown Memorial Hospital for security reasons.

The issue was raised by defense attorney Neill Hamilton, a public defender, during a status hearing in the case in Superior Court in Morristown. In July, Feliciano was ordered by a judge to have undergone a psychiatric exam by today, but that exam has not yet been conducted, Hamilton told Judge David Ironson.

Hinds’ body was found Oct. 23 after he failed to show up for morning Mass. He was stabbed 32 times in the head and chest.

Witnesses said Feliciano half-heartedly attempted to revive the priest after the discovery. The longtime church janitor became distraught and was taken to Morristown Memorial, where he remained under watch of detectives who charged him two days later, on Oct. 24.

At Morristown Memorial, Feliciano was held in a psychiatric ward, where Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Capt. Jeffrey Paul interviewed him on Oct. 24, Hamilton said. As part of the upcoming psychiatric exam, Hamilton said he will need to learn what medication, if any, Feliciano was on while he was in the psychiatric ward, whether it had been prescribed by a doctor and "whether it had any effect on his voluntary statement" to Paul.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor David Bruno replied that Feliciano initially "was in a psychiatric ward for security reasons," and became a psychiatric patient after expressing "suicidal ideations."

Bruno also said the prosecution has made a plea offer to Feliciano, to have him plead guilty to two counts of murder and first-degree robbery of Hinds’ cell phone, in exchange for dismissal of two weapons offenses, a hindering-apprehension charge and a "finding of aggravating factors" that was handed up in an indictment in January. Such a finding, that the murder was "outrageously wanton or vile," could lead to a stiffer sentence should Feliciano be convicted.

The case is expected to go to trial some time next year. The next status hearing in the case was set for Oct. 6.

Several issues are scheduled to be heard Oct. 18 to Oct. 21, including hearings on whether the prosecution can introduce at trial Feliciano’s statements to police and his prior criminal history, and a defense motion to suppress a "warrantless wiretap" that allowed police to trace Hinds’ cell phone to the area of Feliciano’s home in Easton, Pa.

Investigators at first received information on the location of Hinds’ cell phone from his wireless carrier, but without a warrant on an emergency basis as allowed under law. A judge later that day authorized the warrant.

The prosecution has filed papers saying the warrantless wiretap was legal and Feliciano had no expectation of privacy for a cell phone that he stole.

Regarding Feliciano’s prior criminal history, prosecutors last month filed court papers that revealed Feliciano’s claim that he attacked Hinds because the clergyman refused to end a four-year sexual affair. The motive offered by the longtime janitor at St. Patrick Church was countered by prosecutors, who wrote Hinds was preparing to fire his employee after learning of a 1988 arrest in Philadelphia for inappropriately touching a child.

Feliciano, 64, of Easton, Pa., had been a fugitive ever since.

Typically, prior "bad acts" are not permitted as evidence in criminal trials. But prosecutors wrote Feliciano’s past lies are at the heart of the Oct. 22 killing. Moreover, authorities have found no evidence of an affair between Feliciano and Hinds, 61.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/lawyer_for_man_accused_of_slay.html

Theron Lewis appeared Tuesday, Sept. 7, before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Frances E. McGee, who previously sentenced him to 28 years to life for the slaying of Isaac “Quan” Gibson.”

On Aug. 24, Lewis pleaded no contest to four counts of felonious assault, discharge of a firearm near a prohibited premise and being a felon in possession of a firearm. McGee gave Lewis five years for the offenses, to be served concurrently with his other sentence. However, the three years he must serve for the gun specifications will be consecutive to the other sentences.

Lewis, 25, also known as “T. Streets,” is identified by the sheriff’s office as a member of the Dayton View Hustlers, a gang anchored in the Dayton View neighborhood between Salem Avenue and James H. McGee Boulevard.

Lewis was convicted Oct. 30 of multiple felonies in the April 25, 2009 slaying of Gibson, 25, at a cookout in honor of homicide victim Thomas “Tom-Tom” Watson. Watson, 25, a leader of the Dayton View Hustlers, was shot in the face April 16 while playing on a basketball court at College Hill Park.

Gibson’s family maintains he is not a member of any gang, though police said he was a member of 100 Block Boyz.

Police arrested Lewis on May 12, 2009, one day after the attack at the St. Paul Global Outreach Ministries, 2050 Germantown St., where a gunman fired on mourners leaving a service for Raymond “Byrd” McDaniel. McDaniel was shot and killed May 4 outside the Western Manor apartments on North James H. McGee in what police called a robbery gone bad.

The gunman, wearing all black but later identified as Lewis, was targeting a close relative of McDaniel’s, according to police.

The gunman fired one shot, but missed his intended target and tried to fire at people in a car, which included children, according to witnesses and police. However, the gunman’s pistol jammed and wouldn’t fire.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/daytoncourts/entries/2010/09/08/dayton_a_man_already.html

Spartanburg County deputies said Wednesday that 48-year-old Crystal Faulk, of Chesnee, was charged with obtaining by false token greater than $10,000.

According to an incident report, the pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church in July and reported the theft.

The report said that Faulk used a church credit card to purchase items for her personal use. It said that Faulk also used a church checking account to pay for the purchases and that she wrote checks payable to herself.

Deputies said that the credit card Faulk was using was supposed to have been closed in 2005 and that the theft happened between 2004 and 2010.

Faulk was released on $20,000 bond after her arrest in August.

http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/24929319/detail.html

The center has been closed since August after a staff member, Benjamin Janicki, 19, was arrested on charges of molesting four young children while he worked as a pre-kindergarten aide in the school's summer program.

"We identified significant supervision issues that we felt endangered children," Liz McDonough, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Human Services.

The school has remedied those problems and will be on probation for six months, she said.

The school's executive director at the time of the alleged molestation, Candis Robinson, is no longer with the school and a search is under way to find her replacement, said Rich Condon, a staff member and acting school chief.

The school sent e-mails to parents from 125 families who were previously registered at the school, inviting them to return Monday, he said.

"We've e-mailed parents and asked them to RSVP," he said. "We're hoping for the best."

The 27-year-old school serves children from ages 2 1/2 to 12 and has a staff of about 15.

Janicki, a former student of the church school, was arrested Aug. 4 and had since been charged with assault on four children

He remains jailed on $500,000 bond.
 

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16024296

La Mutuelle d’Église de l’Inter-Ouest, the church’s insurance broker, filed a $3.8-million lawsuit against the city on Dec. 10, alleging there was not enough water pressure to fight the fire.

The insurance company’s claim said Gatineau firefighters’ union president Stéphane Noël told the media there was not enough water for crews fighting the deliberately-set fire. Noël was suspended without pay for six months as a consequence of speaking out.

Ottawa fire crews that raced to help Gatineau firefighters control the blaze said they couldn’t be of much use because they had trouble finding enough water.

Damage to the church was estimated at between $17 million and $20 million, but it was insured for only $3.8 million.

The insurance company’s statement of claim said the damages it was seeking would have been substantially less if the water pressure had been adequate. The claim now also says the facts lead to the conclusion that the extent of the fire damage was due to the city’s negligence and imprudence.

“A key was offered to the firefighters, but they did not go inside, and we don’t know why,” said Jean Faullem, a lawyer for the church’s insurance company. “We are saying there was a lack of water, and, even when a key was offered to the firefighters they refused to go inside.”

Faullem said it would have been better to fight the fire inside the church because the fire was initially confined to a small room near the altar.

The insurance company’s allegations have not been proved in court.

Alain d’Entremont, a spokesman for the city, has refused to comment on the allegations because the case is before the courts.

Faullem said Gatineau had not yet filed a defence in the case, but had presented a motion to block legal action against the city because the insurance company failed to make a claim within 15 days of the fire.

Arguments on the motion are to be heard in Quebec Superior Court in Gatineau on Nov. 2.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Firefighters+wouldn+enter+church+insurer+says/3497416/story.html

The burglary happened at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 820 S. Penn St., between 2 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Friday, according to Muncie Police Capt. Mark Vollmar.

The burglar also stole a filing cabinet, a bronze elephant statue, a laptop and a computer printer.

The burglary report did not indicate a number of Bibles, but listed the loss instead in dollar figures.

Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 747-4867.

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20100907/BUSTED/100907021

Shocked former parishioners discovered smashed stained-glass windows, a destroyed pulpit and ripped-up hymn books when they visited St Saviour's Church, in Highfields, Leicester.

The building has not been used for worship for five years but church-goers had gone there on Sunday to collect memorial plaques dedicated to members of their family.

They believe trespassers have been regularly breaking into the building.

Former parishioner Gwen Smith, 70, and husband Roy, 72, from Ratby, visited the church on Sunday.

Mrs Smith, who was married at the church 50 years ago, said: "On entering the church, our hearts stopped.

"The vandals had been in and it was total sacrilege. It was unbelievable – heartbreaking."

She said the marble pulpit had been stripped of its brass fixings and left in pieces on the floor. White communion linen was torn on the floor of the vestry.

Dozens of used condoms and make-shift beds were also found in the aisles of the grade II-listed church.

Six volunteers who helped move the church's last remaining bell on Sunday to nearby Sacred Heart Church, in Mere Road, also saw the damage.

Karen Green, 39, from Humberstone, said: "It's sacrilege.

"Something needs to be done about these people who seem hell-bent on desecrating something precious to so many.

"This building has so much heritage – it was designed by the architect who designed St Pancras station – and needs to be preserved and looked after, not left to crumble."

Father John Lally, from Scared Heart Church, said: "It's very sad and very tragic.

"It's only recently that the trouble has occurred – in the past couple of weeks.

"Youngsters are breaking in and causing damage. They've started numerous fires. It's quite upsetting."

Andrew Granger Estate Agents, which manages the building, said the problems started about three-and-a-half weeks ago. But it said they had escalated to "daily break-ins".

Police officers are visiting the church daily and there are plans for extra security at the site.

Elizabeth Watson, from the estate agency, said: "We removed all the valuables, any silver or metals, people could strip and sell off and we're securing the building as best we can.

"It's a lovely old building and we're trying to find a future for it. We want to do the right thing for the building."

A police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of recent damage caused to St Saviour's Church in St Saviour's Road.

"The area is regularly patrolled by neighbourhood officers and police are in liaison with those responsible for the building to ensure it is properly secured."

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Vandals-desecrate-church/article-2611974-detail/article.html

Alan Barry, 72, warden at St Francis Feniscliffe Church in Witton, told how the inside of the St Francis Road premises was ‘like a lake’ after rainwater seeped in overnight.

Scrap metal thieves had ripped up and smashed 50 slates to get to the lead flashing and gulley soakers, which they had removed from the roof and walls, leaving the building exposed.

The Vicar’s vestry and choir vestry were worst hit, flooding both rooms and damaging expensive garments and pictures.

Mr Barry made the ‘upsetting’ discovery on Tuesday morning. Police believe those responsible struck sometime between 2.30pm on Monday and overnight into Tuesday.

Mr Barry said: “No-one has respect for churches anymore. Now they are just another way of making money.

“The damage this has done to our church far exceeds what they will have got for the lead.

“It seems the only way to go is to put up razor wire and CCTV, but on a church that is scandalous. It’ll look like a concentration camp.

“This is going to cost us a lot of money and it’s a constant battle to keep asking people for more and more donations.”

Mr Barry and fellow warden Joe Felipes spent 200 hours over the summer redecorating the neighbouring church hall after that was hit by vandals two months ago.

He added: “We are determined to move forward, but we seem to take two steps forward and four back with these constant problems."

Police have appealed for witnesses to contact 0845 1 253545.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/8376454.Anger_over_lead_thefts_at_Blackburn_church/

Christopher Talbert, 18, of Holt, and 19-year-old Mark Daniel Van Schmidt and 18-year-old Hollie Schumpert, both of the same address in Crestview, were charged, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Between early June and late July, they broke into First Baptist Church of Holt, Welcome Assembly of God Church in Crestview, Good Hope Baptist Church in Baker, New Ebenezer Baptist Church in Laurel Hill, Bethel Assembly of God in Laurel Hill and New Traveler’s Rest Church in Laurel Hill.

The three swiped electronic equipment, including music soundboards, amplifiers and speakers, along with fire extinguishers, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. They broke in through “excessive pulling or pushing” of doors.

While responding to the July 28 burglary at New Ebenezer Baptist Church, a deputy found an ATM receipt with Van Schmidt’s name on it, the release said. Church members identified Van Schmidt as someone who had attended services with a man named “Chris” the night before the break-in.

Some of the stolen items were thrown underneath a small bridge in Milligan and some were sold to a pawn shop in Covington, Ala., the release said. Lawmen recovered and returned most of the stolen property.

Van Schmidt was arrested Sept. 3, Schumpert was arrested Sept. 5 and Talbert was arrested Sept. 6.

Their charges include grand theft, burglary, criminal mischief at a church and preventing the extinguishment of fire.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/arrested-32655-county-north.html

"This is a hallowed place where a man was taken down in the prime of his life and he took a bullet for all of us, he made sure everybody was out of harm's way, and he took it for our congregation," said Marla Alberstein, who attended church Sunday.

47–year–old Kenneth Ward walked into the church last Sunday, asked for their leader, then shot and killed the bishop – 40–year–old Clay Sannar.

Visalia police later shot and killed Ward.

Ward's family members say he was mentally ill.

"The tears were flowing. Julie was here with all of her family and she talked to all of us," said Alberstein.

Sannar left behind a wife and six sons.

Julie Sannar brought her whole family to church and expressed her gratitude for the strong show of support they've received.

"She thanked us, she read a scripture of how death is not the end, and they will be together again as a family," said Susan Wilson, a member of the church.

For many in the congregation, this first gathering after the tragedy was emotionally overwhelming.

"It was a big step, I could see it in the youth, some of our young women witnessed the event. Bishop Sannar would have liked us to stay the course, and be strong in our faith," said Wilson.

Afterward, many members say they walked away from Sunday's service, re–invigorated in their faith and changed.

"We realize that life is precious, and each one of us are taking into account how we treat each other. We want to be kinder. We want to be more gracious. That's really the sentiment everyone was talking about," said Alberstein.

http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=13105789

Clay Sannar, a 42-year-old father of six boys, was doing administrative paperwork on Sunday between services when a man came in and asked for a leader of the congregation, said church official Ralph Jordan. The man was directed to Sannar and fatally shot him, said Colleen Mestas, the police chief in Visalia, southeast of Fresno in California's Central Valley.

Then, someone called police and identified himself as the gunman. When police arrived at the church, they confronted the man and exchanged gunfire, said Mestas.

The gunman was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at nearby hospital, Mestas said. No police officers were injured.

The man, whose identity has not been released, did not seem to know Sannar and is not a member of the church, and no one at the church recognized him, said Jordan. Police have not disclosed details about a motive.

"We have several detectives out actively investigating this so we can come up with answers, especially for the family," said Mestas. "It's just tragic."

Sannar was the general manager of Soil Basics, a fertilizer company in Visalia, according to the company's website.

Other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation described Sannar as a well-loved family man. One of his sons is less than 6 months old.

"We're devastated," said Scott Henriksen, 47, a church member. "There's only one word: shocked. This is something that should not happen."

Henriksen told The Visalia Times-Delta that he had known Sannar for about 18 years, and he was "very good, hardworking. A great family man."

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/05/mormon-official-gunman-killed-in-calif-shootings/

Officers with the Marianna Police Department responded to the Refuge Tabernacle Church of God on Chipola Street Friday, in reference to the report of a suspicious male exiting the building.

When officers arrived, they discovered smoke coming from inside the building.

Marianna Fire Rescue responded to the scene and discovered three piles of items on fire inside the structure, according to a release from the police department.

The fires were extinguished and minimal damage was done to the building.
With the help of witnesses, the police located and detained a suspect in the investigation.

The suspect was positively identified and arrested, according to the release.

The suspect is a 17-year-old male and was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice detention facility in Bay County to await first appearance.

Marianna Fire Rescue, the State Fire Marshal, and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted in the investigation.

http://www2.jcfloridan.com/news/2010/sep/05/juvenile-arrested-church-arson-ar-790369/

RIA Novosti said Sunday that clerics at the St. Trinity church in a Moscow suburb discovered the theft after a service Saturday.

It said one of the icons contained fragments of relics of St. Sergiy of Radonezh.

The 14th-century Orthodox monk helped consolidate the Russian church in the time of Mongol rule and was later canonized as Moscow's patron saint.

Theft of icons from poorly guarded churches has become widespread since tens of thousands of churches reopened in Russia following the Soviet collapse.

The Russian Orthodox Church counts two-thirds of Russia's population of 142 million as members.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5igGKVf-XUWTkUGp7SfewwaBjFjJgD9I1O8M80

Edwin S. Bond Jr. was arrested Aug. 4 after a girl younger than 16 years old told police she was sexually assaulted the previous morning while helping with the school at First United Methodist Church, 201 W. North St.

At the hearing, Decatur police detective Jim Atkinson testified that the victim said she was raped at 9:45 a.m. Aug. 3 after Bond asked her to accompany him to an upstairs choir room.
After they entered the room, she lost sight of him.

When the victim went into a smaller room adjacent to the choir room to look for Bond, he closed the door that led back to the choir room, according to a sworn statement Atkinson wrote shortly after the incident. When the victim tried to open that door, she was unable to do so.

Bond then grabbed her by the arm, pulled her behind filing cabinets and forced her to the floor. The victim told police that Bond then raped her.

The victim said that Bond then told her, "You know you can't tell anyone."

Police officers investigating the incident found two drops of blood on the floor of the room where the victim said the rape occurred. The victim told police that was her blood, which wasthere as a result of the forced intercourse.

Bond is in the Macon County Jail on $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in circuit court Oct. 6 for a pretrial hearing.

At the time of his arrest, Bond was free on a $5,000 recognizance bond in connection with a previous charge of criminal sexual abuse. In that incident, for which Bond was arrested in June 2009, the victim was a 17-year-old girl. Bond is due in circuit court Monday for a status hearing in that case.

http://www.herald-review.com/news/local/article_25686368-260b-5a84-af0e-f5ba47786dcb.html