Drawing from over 1000 hours of content, CoroFaith: mFaith was designed to provide spiritual and religious continuity for individuals from a broad range of beliefs and traditions. Early adopters include professionals for use in the long-term care and aging-in-place communities and with patients in oncology settings. These include over 1000 long-term care communities, hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, home health companies, consumers and third party media distributors, supporting over 100,000 people per day.

Individuals can tap into their customized program through any mobile device, operating iOs 4.3 or higher. CoroFaith: mFaith is available in the iTunes Store. You can download and receive seven days for free and then the app is $9.99.

“Religious traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices sustain the human spirit. When we feel connected to shared communities of interest, life can be meaningful regardless of the circumstances we face,” says Dr. Carol Orsborn, Executive Director of CoroFaith. “Researchers cite the nurturing of spirit as a major contributor to an overall sense of gratitude, hope and well-being.”

Research affirms the professional wellness community’s conviction of the importance of providing spiritual and religious support to individuals in their care. For instance, recent studies show an inverse correlation between anxiety and religion in older persons, improvement in recall through meditation and an enhanced ability to cope with pain and illness.

CoroFaith content was curated by a respected team of religious and spiritual experts drawn from the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Catholic and Islamic communities. There are also offerings in the category of general spirituality.

Coro Health also announced that the company has rolled out a suite of therapeutic music and related content offerings targeted to additional segments of the healthcare community. These include: MusicFirst: Eldercare and MusicFirst: Alzheimer’s, MusicFirst: Oncology and soon to be released–MusicFirst: Expecting and MusicFirst: Calm Baby.

For more information, click here.

To download the app from the iTunes Store, click here.

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Dr. Jeynes continued by stating, “In thousands of public schools in the U.S. and Europe, defactualization is expanding exponentially. Parents and children alike are looking for environments in which facts still matter. Opinions count, but not to the place in which they change undeniable facts.” Dr. Jeynes shared the results of a meta-analysis he had undertaken that were published recently in the Peabody Journal of Education that indicated that students that attended religious schools performed at academic levels about 9-10 months ahead of their counterparts in both public charter schools and traditional public schools. The faith-based school advantage was between 7-8 months, even when the study controlled for a vast array of factors such as socioeconomic status, race, selectivity, parental involvement, and gender. Dr. Jeynes also presented evidence that he has spoken on at the White House and were published in the Journal of Negro Education, indicating that the achievement gap in 25% narrower at religious schools than it is in both types of public schools. Jeynes states, “Faith-based schools still believe that facts and objective knowledge are important and therefore they offer a rich alternative.”

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Research conducted on behalf of Thomas Nelson, Inc., found that nearly 40% of churched teens read their Bible outside of church less than once per week. The biggest challenge for many middle school teens is difficulty navigating the Bible, the research found. But teens do recognize the importance of reading Scripture. When they do read the Bible, they report that it’s because they want to know God better; to understand God’s plan for their life; and to learn how God expects them to act.

“Getting teens to connect with Scripture is an ongoing challenge for youth workers,” says Mark Oestreicher, the general editor of Ignite who has worked for three decades in youth ministry. “Even teens who feel the value of reading the Bible struggle with it.” Ignite is designed to help young teens engage with Scripture, making what may seem like an intimidating tome approachable and inviting. Further, Oestreicher points out, “It connects the macro themes of the Bible to issues in the real life of a typical teen.”

Most youth Bibles target older teens, ages sixteen and up. Ignite is especially for younger teens. It employs a lively, down-to-earth tone that anticipates their questions and challenges, without talking down to them. Several unique features help kids relate sacred wisdom to their real-world experiences, covering key life issues for teens such as identity, relationships, and more. It also includes introductions to each book of the Bible providing basic, need-to-know information in quick bites: what the book is about, who wrote it and when, why the contents of the book matter to the reader, and where to find key stories. Helpful “Find It Fast” indexes, and a dictionary with topical concordance, will help prevent kids from becoming frustrated as they try to find particular books of the Bible, verses or topics.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is a world leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. The publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson, is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in Plano, TX. For additional information, please visit www.thomasnelsoncorporate.com

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CARROLLTON, Texas – On June 23, the third annual International Widows’ Day will focus the world’s attention on one of its most rejected and abused groups. In many cities and rural villages in multiple countries, cultural and ancient religious beliefs still inflict extreme discrimination against widows. In many cases they are essentially banished from society.

Gospel for Asia is responding to these women and their children who are in need on International Widows’ Day and through ongoing ministries with celebrations of hope, gifts, training and meeting basic needs through compassion services.

“God sees the suffering of these widows who have been rejected,” said K. P. Yohannan, Gospel for Asia (GFA) founder and president. “He has put it in our hearts to reach out to them with his love and care.”

International Widows’ Day was recognized by the United Nations in 2010 to bring world attention and action to the women who reap this injustice. Begun by the Loomba Foundation (www.theloombafoundation.org), the annual date is set as June 23, the day Loomba’s mother became a widow in 1954.

Age-old belief systems cast a lasting stigma, making victims of innocent women. In many world areas, regardless of the true cause of their husbands’ deaths, women are labeled responsible because of unknown sins they committed in a former life. Their punishment is loss of all property and possessions, complete exclusion from society and all religious life, and banishment from their own homes. Because they are considered bad luck, no one wants to have anything to do with them.

In some places, widows are required to wear only white clothes, the color of death, and observe strict fasts. Many also endure repeated beatings from ruthless landlords and angry family members.

Locked out of their homes and without source of income, many of these widows resort to digging through waste dumps for food and make their shelter from trash and rubble. Many fall prey to slavery and the sex trade. Suicide rates soar among these widows.

“In the midst of such injustice and poverty, there is yet hope,” said Yohannan. “Through the hands-on ministries of women missionaries, widows are regaining human dignity and understanding that there is a God who loves them.”

Gospel for Asia’s ongoing ministries include care for widows with leprosy and the “tiger widows,” those living in West Bengal, home to India’s largest Tiger Reserve and National Park. With an average of 50 male casualties every year from tiger attacks, West Bengal records the highest percentage of the 40 million widows throughout India. Gospel for Asia officially organized its ministry to widows there on June 23, 2011, the first official International Widows’ Day.

This year on June 23, GFA will be spreading hope and care to widows throughout India and surrounding countries through its Women’s Fellowships and on campuses of its women’s bible colleges. Special meals and worship services are planned. In some areas widows will receive piglets as a source of income, and in another, saris will be distributed.

According to GFA, giving colorful saris to widows not only meets a practical need, but also shows love and honor.

Through donations, lives of these rejected women in Southeast Asia can be altered drastically. Products such as sewing machines and small animals restore income, hope and dignity. GFA has inaugurated several centers where widows receive shelter, food, clothing, medical care, literacy training and home industry skills. Gifts will support these ministries and enable expansion of eight additional centers.

To make a life-changing donation, visit www.gfa.org/helpwidows.

“God’s Word calls us to visit widows in their distress and to care for them,” said Yohannan. “We cannot neglect those who are suffering through no fault of their own.”

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Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org) is a mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of Jesus across South Asia.

To schedule an interview with a Gospel for Asia official, contact Taun Cortado at 972-300-3120 or tauncortado@gfa.org.

Photo: Through Gospel for Asia, this widow went through a six-month tailoring class and received a sewing machine. She is now earning a living through her tailoring work.

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WINTER PARK, Fla.— Kairos Prison Ministry volunteers are saddened by the news that the beloved founder of the ministry, Tom Johnson, passed away Monday, June 10, 2013.

In the fall of 1976, at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, FL, Tom Johnson’s hard work became a reality when he and fellow Cursillista presented a three-day spiritual renewal retreat for inmates. From there, the program grew and within the next two years ministry volunteers, led by Johnson, were conducting Cursillo short courses in prisons in more than a half dozen states.

Johnson, joined by eight other men, known as the “Nine Old Men”, presented the three-day retreats inside the prisons. These nine men, from all different walks of life, worked together tirelessly to foster the spiritual needs of incarcerated men and later expanded the ministry to also minister to women, youth and their families.

Along with Johnson, the “Nine Old Men” included: Cleve Bell, John Caldwell, Dick Day, John Divito, Ted Glocker, Joe Gurtis, Clarence Hodges and Nils Schweizer.  They are responsible for the remarkable growth that the ministry has experienced over the past thirty-seven years.

By 1979, after realizing the need for more structure and organization to continue growth, the Kairos name was adopted and the ministry became an independent, non-profit, ecumenical, Christian organization.

Today, Kairos Prison Ministry International, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is comprised of over 30,000 volunteers and minister in 366 communities/institutions in 34 states. Internationally, Kairos is active in 9 countries: U.K., Canada, South Africa, Australia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Peru and ministers in 71 communities/institutions.

The need for this prison ministry program is great and Kairos is constantly expanding to assist the incarcerated and their loved ones, as well as reduce recidivism and lay the groundwork for success upon the inmate’s release.  All of this became a reality because of the Christian dedication, vision and compassion that Tom Johnson had for our incarcerated brothers and sisters and their families.

Kairos Prison Ministry International is “Changing Hearts, Transforming Lives, Impacting the World” by taking the love, grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to incarcerated adults and youth and their families. From simple beginnings as a short course in Christianity inside a Florida prison in 1976, Kairos has grown into an international ministry serving more than 430 facilities in 10 countries. More than 30,000 volunteers give over three million hours of service each year.  To learn more about Kairos or to donate to its ministries, visit www.kpmi.org or call 800-298-2730.                                                               

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MENTOR OH – June 14, 2013 – Feeling beset by a weak global economy and off-shore competition that was eroding profit margins for Tecmark Corporation, product manager Chuck Stein asked God for a little divine intervention. He was seeking guidance for a new product line that would enable Tecmark to build additional markets – and help the company continue to provide opportunities for its employees and a good standard of living for their families.

Tecmark’s standard business-to-business product lines include controls for appliance manufacturers in various industries worldwide. Many of these components go into products that are marketed to and consumed by the housing industry, which has felt the brunt of the economic instability that the U.S. has endured during the past five years. A struggling economy and worldwide competition was proving to be a double whammy that plagued Tecmark and other American manufacturers.

Nearly three years ago, as he walked to his vehicle in the Tecmark parking lot, Stein stopped and prayed to God to send him an answer to the company’s predicament. Upon leaving the parking lot and driving about two blocks toward home, Stein’s – and Tecmark’s – prayers were answered. Stein said he envisioned a rotary style telephone embossed with the words Hotline To God. With tears streaming down his face, Stein, who admittedly is not an inventor or good at defining new technology, headed back to Tecmark and quickly sketched what he had just seen.

“I wasn’t really sure what this vision meant,” Stein said. “I didn’t know if Hotline To God was a product for Tecmark or a message directed to me. My intuition told me that God had answered my prayers. Hotline To God was to become a product for our company. I sure didn’t know all the pieces to the puzzle at the time. All I knew was it was consuming me.”

After further thought and prayer, Stein realized the Hotline To God telephone would contain inspirational Bible verses. After his own development, Stein was ready to share his vision for the product with his business partner. Several meetings and strategy sessions soon followed. Armed with a consultant and a national marketing survey, Tecmark decided to pursue Stein’s idea.

The result was the creation of The Hotline To God™ Store, a division of Tecmark Corporation, which manufactures inspirational audio products such as The Hotline To God, a replica telephone that plays 25 inspirational Bible verses; Story Stix, a unique series of hand-held, six-button children’s Biblical educational toys; and Talking Key Chains, six audio key chains, imprinted with a religious image, that each convey an inspirational passage.

The key chains can be customized for an individual church or business. Key chains are also being customized for recording artists to play their current hit songs. “As amazing as the story started out, the Lord kept clearing the path for us,” Stein said. “We checked to see if ‘Hotline To God’ was available as a trademark and it was.  We secured it and now own the copyright to the name.  Then again we should have known the Lord was totally backing this project. After all these are products to spread His word.”

The Hotline To God Store and its products came along at the perfect time for Tecmark. These new products demonstrate that any company, regardless of how long it has been in business, can successfully create and develop a new product and sales channels with no relation to its current core business.

About Tecmark Corporation and The Hotline To God Store

Hotline To God Store is a division of Tecmark Corporation in Mentor, Ohio. Tecmark Corporation has been in business since 1977 and its standard product lines include various control products sold to appliance manufacturers worldwide. The company employs about 70 workers.

For additional information contact Hotline To God at 877-483-3627, www.HotlineToGodStore.com

Photo Caption:

The Hotline To God Store’s inspirational audio products include the Hotline To God, a replica telephone that plays 25 inspirational Bible verses; Story Stix, a unique series of hand-held, six-button children’s Biblical educational toys; and audio key chains, imprinted with a religious image, that each convey an inspirational passage. www.HotlineToGodStore.com

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• Irish Reconciliation - The G8 economic summit begins shortly in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, scene of a sectarian bombing that killed eleven people in 1987—the work of the Irish Republican Army.  But, as David Tereshchuk reports, efforts to reconcile the Catholic and Protestant communities since then were sparked by the father of one of the victims, who declared at the time that the bombers should be forgiven, and that he would pray for them every night.

• Russell Moore - The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has long advocated for conservative values in the public square.  The denomination’s new national leader on matters of ethics and public policy, Russell Moore, shares those values, but has a different style from many previous Southern Baptist leaders.  Moore talks with managing editor Kim Lawton about how he hopes to set a tone of “kindness” and expand the slate of issues that Southern Baptists care about.

• The Ethics of Government Data Collection - Host Bob Abernethy talks with Michael Kessler, Associate Director of Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, about what religious and ethical traditions have to say about the government’s massive collection of electronic data.  How should we balance respect for privacy versus national security?

The post Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly – June 14 appeared first on Religion Press Release Services.

The Lifetree program in Delta is sponsored by Good News Jail and Prison Ministry’s Chaplain, Richard Jackman.

Lifetree Café is a national network of venues where people gather for conversation about life and faith in a casual coffeehouse-type setting. Lifetree Café addresses a broad range of diverse topics such as gun control, the rise of atheism, mental illness, science and religion, and meth addiction.

According to Chaplain Jackman, “There are two main benefits to offering the Lifetree program here. The first is that we’re able to minister residents’ spiritual needs in ways that we couldn’t during our typical worship services. The second benefit is that inmates are finding a unique opportunity to learn valuable life skills that will help them acclimate on the outside.”

Lifetree Café’s National Director, Craig Cable, recently participated in one of the sessions offered at the facility. According to Cable, “Several of the men shared with me that they’re hoping to find a Lifetree Café location when they get out so they can plug into the safe, encouraging, and nonjudgmental environment that Lifetree provides.”

Lifetree Café locations and times may be found at lifetreecafe.com.

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The CD’s heavenly sounds continue to mesmerize listeners

 Atlanta, GA, June 13, 2013 – ANGELS AND SAINTS AT EPHESUS from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles is No. 1 on Billboard magazine’s Classical Traditional Music Chart for the fifth straight week. The sacred CD from the Missouri-based nuns also earned the No. 11 spot on Billboard’s Overall Classical Music Chart.

ANGELS AND SAINTS AT EPHESUS once again topped a group of classical albums that includes Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album and Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection.

In addition to the CD, the album is available as a digital download for all devices at a variety of online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the iTunes Store.

“To have the music of the Benedictines of Mary topping Billboard’s Classical Traditional Chart is nothing short of miraculous,” said Monica Fitzgibbons, cofounder of De Montfort Music. “Their music is making its way into the hearts and homes of many who have repeatedly related experiences of peace and beauty resulting from time spent listening. What a gift the Sisters are to the world.”

De Montfort enlisted nine-time International Grammy® winning producer Christopher Alder, who hails from Germany, and two-time Grammy® winning engineer Mark Donahue to record and capture the Sisters in their contemplative environment singing all of ANGELS AND SAINTS AT EPHESUS.

The Sisters’ debut album, ADVENT AT EPHESUS, with De Montfort Music/Decca, remained on Billboard magazine’s Classical Traditional Music Chart this week, coming in at No. 10.

Please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276, or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications for more information or to schedule interviews.

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The Online School of Contemplative Prayer Series offers many ways to nurture an awareness of the sacred in daily life and is designed for those who want to begin or deepen a daily spiritual practice with the support of others.  Courses in this series are experiential and offer brief, weekly video lessons by senior Shalem staff, mid-week emails and the support of a virtual prayer group that uses a members-only, secure web page. Participants are encouraged to commit to a daily prayer practice of 20 minutes a day and access the e-course at their convenience, any time of day or night. Registration for the course, Scripture, Movement, Gratitude and Prayer for Others, is open now. Registration deadline is Wednesday, June 19th. Space is limited. www.shalem.org/index.php/shalem-programs/school-of-prayer

“In our 40th anniversary year, we are excited to bring Christian contemplative practices into the digital age and disseminate them to individuals who yearn for spiritual enrichment and support across borders and time zones, anywhere there is an internet connection,” said Leah Rampy, executive director of the Shalem Institute. These programs are part of Shalem’s ongoing initiative to develop courses in the contemplative tradition online. This course as well as another e-course in the series, Presence Through Body, Breath and Mind, will be offered again this fall.

Shalem Institute is the leading center for ecumenical spiritual formation in North America and around the world, with participants in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. The Shalem community continues the lineage of the Christian contemplative tradition and is part of what Rampy calls “the Spirit’s unceasing transformation of the world.” Its programs center on contemplative teaching and practices that open the mind and awaken the heart to the living Spirit. Many of the world’s foremost spiritual speakers and writers have been featured in Shalem programs including Cynthia Bourgeault, Thich Nhat Hanh, Richard Rohr, and Eckhart Tolle. www.shalem.org/index.php/shalem-programs

In October, Shalem will hold a global 40-Hour Contemplative Prayer Vigil, both live and online, to celebrate the past 40 years of its ministry, practice gratitude for the present moment and attend to the unfolding future. The vigil will offer people the opportunity to pray together worldwide and feel the collective strength and ripple effects of contemplative prayer for the sake of the world.

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The Online School of Contemplative Prayer Series

Title: Scripture, Movement, Gratitude and Prayer for Others  http://store.shalem.org/product_info.php?cPath=43&products_id=187

Dates: 6-week series: June 23 – July 28, 2013

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Time: Flexible; you will receive Sunday and Thursday e-mails, and estimated 20 minutes a day for daily practice.

Leader: Patience Robbins (with offerings by Shalem Staff)

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Title: Presence Through Body, Breath and Mind  www.shalem.org/index.php/shalem-programs/school-of-prayer#socp1

Dates: 6-week series: November 2013 (registration opens in October)

Leader: Carole Crumley (with offerings by Shalem Staff)

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