Russia’s Churches Screen 2018 FIFA World Cup
Christianity Today reports more than 400 evangelical Churches across Russia have opened their doors for sports lovers to view the month-long 2018 FIFA World Cup. The screenings sidestep the country’s evangelism ban and strict laws regarding missionary activities. Christians in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other host cities decided that if they couldn’t reach out, they would get World Cup fans to come to them. The 2018 FIFA World Cup is currently ongoing in Russia and will end with the final match on July 15th in Moscow. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. Read more about evangelism efforts during the games HERE.
Feed the Children Knows Hunger Doesn’t Take Summer Vacation
Feed the Children knows that in Oklahoma, 62 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches and when school is out of session, these children may struggle with food insecurity. That’s why the organization is kicking off its Summer Food and Education Program in communities around the U.S. to help fill nutrition gaps for children during the summer months. Feed The Children announced their plans to hold meal sites at libraries, parks, camps, churches, and schools in a press release late last month. The organization will provide hundreds of thousands of meals and give kids an opportunity to stay active and enjoy their summer. Ronnie, age 10, says being hungry in the summer isn’t as rare as you might think. “It just happens,” he said. “But when you don’t have any more food at home, there’s Feed the Children who helps out.” Read the full release HERE.
President of World Vision Thinks About Jesus on July 4th
Richard Stearns, President of internationally-renowned nonprofit World Vision, encourages Christians to think through the “hotly debated issues of our day” by asking “What would Jesus do?” in an opinion piece published by Fox News on July 4th. Stearns, who has visited over 60 countries around the globe, says, “Jesus didn’t care about politics; he cared about people” and describes how Christians can become a force for good in any country by choosing biblical correctness and following Christ rather than a particular political platform. Read the full article HERE.
All Churches with Employee Parking Hit by New Tax, Additional Filing Requirements
Churches and other historically tax-exempt organizations will now have to file federal and likely state income tax returns according to a recently unearthed provision in the newly instituted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that applies the federal income tax to parking benefits. “Tax practitioners who have evaluated Section 512(a) (7) generally believe that the result of this new provision is that tax‐exempt organizations that provide parking to their employees will be subject to unrelated business income tax on the cost of the parking provided. A nonprofit organization that simply allows its employees to park in a parking lot or garage that is part of the organization’s facilities will be subject to a tax on the cost of the parking provided,” the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability explained in a position statement included in a petition seeking to repeal the provision. Read more about the law and its impact HERE.
