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News From Te Wire
HOT OFF THE CHRISTIAN NEWS WIRE
By Kelly Wise Valdes
9/11 Memorial On Te 20th Anniversary
New York will remember 9/11 during its 20th anniversary. The 2,983 names etched in bronze will once again ring out across the National September 11 Memorial Plaza—read aloud by family members, not prerecorded as they were last pandemic year—as the world pauses to recall the indescribable day nearly 20 years ago.
The 9/11 Tribute in Light—powerful spotlights recreating the skyscraping Twin Towers—has become a tradition. This year, it will be bolstered by Tributes in Lights, buildings across New York and the nation bathed in blue light, in solidarity to mark the lives lost 20 years ago. After the ceremony, the memorial will open to the general public, but the museum will be open for families only on the anniversary. For more information, visit www.911memorial.org.
Evangelist Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, is holding an eightcity God Loves You Tour that will bring prayer, live music and a life-changing message beginning on Sunday, September 19. Franklin is going through the heart of America to ofer people a message of God’s love, visiting cities along historic Route 66.
Following the opening night in Joliet, Illinois, the tour will continue across the U.S. with stops in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Flagstaf, Arizona; and San Bernardino, California. One of the most influential bands in Christian music history, Newsboys, is joining the tour, and they will perform live at each event. The festive, family-friendly tour is free, and everyone is invited to attend. To learn more about the Route 66 God Loves You Tour, visit godlovesyoutour. com.
Catholic YouTube Channel Now Featuring No. 1 Catholic Podcast
The Bible in a Year featuring Jef Cavins is now available on Ascension Presents, the largest Catholic YouTube channel in the world in English, with more than 550,000 subscribers and more than 77 million views.
With this development, the podcast also brings the Bible to those who need or prefer a visual option. Each YouTube episode features the full text, carefully edited with large, clear font.
The show saw explosive popularity, shooting to the number one position on the Apple Podcast chart in all categories within two days of its launch, ahead of successful, long-running shows from The New York Times and NPR. Midway through The Bible in a Year, Ascension reported 100 million cumulative downloads, making it the number one podcast in religion and spirituality. For more information, visit www.ascensionpress.com.
FSU’s Bobby Bowden Leaves Behind Christian Legacy
Bobby Bowden, a coaching legend, passed away on August 8 at the age of 91. His name is synonymous with success. He is the all-time winningest coach in Division I history, and he directed the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles to two national championships.
But Bowden’s defining moment in his life came before his coaching career even began, when he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ. And, unashamedly, Bowden has been using football at the stadium as a pulpit to witness to young men in his football program. Bowden’s legacy will continue to be celebrated in faith. It’s well known that Bowden enjoyed reading the Bible each morning. He also kept one on his ofce desk when he coached at FSU. Additionally, he routinely autographed photos with the John 3:16 inscription.
Bowden, who also shared his testimonial across the country during his speaking engagements, was long involved with sports ministry The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). The Bowden family asked, in lieu of flowers, for donations be made to the organization’s national headquarters in Kansas City. For more information about FCA, visit www.fca.org.
HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY FOOTBALL PREVIEW: SEFFNER CHRISTIANBy Nick Nahas
The 2021 Sefner Christian Academy Crusaders look to build of of their success the past two seasons in which they won their region and made Final Four appearances. For the second straight season, they ran into backto-back state champion Champagnat Catholic School in the semifinal. The team faced adversity in 2020, with several key players transferring to other schools before the season, but they were able to overcome that and make another playof run. The 2021 version of the Crusaders are a very young, inexperienced team with 16 seniors graduating from the 2020 squad and adding 10 transfers. The new roster comprises many talented underclassmen.
Head Coach Travis Puelo, who is entering his fifth season as the Crusaders’ head man, is happy with his team’s of-season participation in workouts, seven-on-seven tournaments and camps. Puelo and his coaching staf are ecstatic with the talent of his younger core players and said that they are reloading, not rebuilding, and have a chance to compete right now.
His team’s strength will be his offensive line, which returns two seniors and adds another senior transfer. Senior lineman Bryce Canterbury, Joseph Cowans and Bloomingdale transfer Lance Walker will anchor the ofensive line. Senior receiver/defensive back Jkobe Jones will be featured in every phase of the game, including special teams as a returner. Senior two-way player Ryan Longman will be featured in the ofensive spread attack as a tight end, both blocking and pass catching, and he will also play defensive end. Sophomore Terek Mccant and junior Shykeem Johnson will split carries as the primary ballcarriers in a run-heavy ofense. Senior receiver/safety Gerrald Morris will play key roles on ofense and defense.
The quarterback position is a little more of a question mark. Two underclassmen will compete to lead the team as signal caller. Sophomore Aaron Turner, who showed promise in the spring game win, will compete against freshman Jordan Magwood. Both are considered dual-threat QBs. Puelo and his team’s goals are to compete and win their region for a third straight season and move a step forward to the state championship game, while at the same time keeping the winning tradition alive. Puelo thinks the rapport he has with his coaching staf is second to none and said that is a big reason for his program’s success. His same staf has been together for multiple seasons—his defensive coordinator is now in his fifth season and his ofensive line coach/passing game coordinator is in his fourth season.
Puelo and his staf believe that the team can take the next step if they become more physical at the point of attack while building depth and limiting mental mistakes on the field in the big games. Their slogan is ‘Chasing greatness.’ He believes that his team has a chance to have the highest team GPA ever at Sefner Christian Academy as well. Look for the Crusaders to have another deep playof run.
SCHEDULE
8/27 vs. Northside Christian 9/3 vs. N. FL Education Institute 9/10 @Foundation Academy 9/24 @Orlando Christian Prep 10/1 vs. Cambridge Christian
10/8 @Carrollwood Day 10/15 @St. Petersburg Catholic 10/22 @St. Joseph Academy 10/29 vs. Cardinal Mooney 11/5 vs. Bradenton Christian ROSTER
# Name Pos. Gr.
2 Jkobe Jones WR, DB Sr. 4 Aaron Turner QB So. 5 Solomon Williams G, DT So. 6 Terek Mccant WR, RB So. 7 Evan Richelson RB, OLB Sr. 8 Shelton Gilyard WR, DB Jr. 9 Jordan Magwood QB Fr. 10 Ben McKeehan Fr. 11 Gerrald Morris WR, DE Sr. 12 Sean Harris WR, CB Sr. 14 Sawyer Fowler G, LB So. 15 Tyler Harrison WR, LB So. 16 Michael Collins K So. 18 Matthew Bryant WR, DB So. 20 Jude Mullen TE, LB So. 21 Evan Lucier K So. 22 Luke Bradford TE, DE Sr. 23 Jadian Borrer TE, DE Sr. 24 Shykeem Johnson RB, LB Jr. 29 Nick Fisher Fr. 32 Quentin Pope So. 33 Damari Styles Fr. 34 Mahki Cosby Fr. 37 Connor McNeal 42 Zach Helms 47 Malachi Gagnon 48 Martin Vorster So. 52 Malcolm Sams FB, LB Sr. 54 Brodie Bronson 56 Nicholas Walker 57 Dane Heynio 60 Donovan Strickland G, DT Jr. 67 Carlton WilliamsonG, DT Jr. 70 Benny Strickland G, DT So. 71 Joseph Cowans G, DT Sr. 72 Jackson Stewart So. 74 Billy Nofsinger G, DT So. 75 Bryce Canterbury C, DT Sr. 76 Lance Walker G Sr. 81 Maurice Flicker Jr. 82 Ryan Longman TE, LB Sr. 85 Max McColloch 88 Garrett Moyer Fr.
Matthew Valentino Jr. Victor Black TE, DE Sr.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
DID YOU KNOW? PATRON SAINTS FOR 50 STATES NEW YORK CITY, NY – ST. NICHOLAS
By Kelly Wise Valdes
Catholic believers pray for the intercession of the saints in heaven so that they may pray for us on our behalf. Saints are able to intercede on our behalf and ofer up to God the prayers of those on Earth. Patron saints are recognized as the heavenly advocates and special intercessors for many things, even states. If you want to ask for the special intercession on behalf of your state, do you know who to pray to?
With the recognition of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is only fitting to explore the patron saint of New York City—Saint Nicholas. Many people turned to their faith to endure that time in our nation, and collectively prayed for healing and understanding.
St. Nicholas was the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants. From 1916 until September 11, 2001, one of the Greek Orthodox churches named for
St. Nicholas sat in the shadow of the
World Trade Center on Cedar St. During construction of the World
Trade Center in the 1960s, the little church was an ever-present spiritual center, open to all. There are generations of New Yorkers who recall stopping at the church to light a candle, say a prayer or just sit quietly, but everything changed on 9/11. The church was completely destroyed in the collapse of the Two World Trade
Center tower during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Thankfully, no one was in the church when it was destroyed. To date, the church has not been rebuilt, although eforts are still continuing. Even as there were challenges to begin construction, in July of 2010, remains of an 18th-century ship were excavated on the very location of the former St. Nicholas Church. St. Nicholas is known throughout the world as the patron saint of those who sail the sea, and many took this as a sign that the church should be rebuilt.
Post 9/11, people continue to look to their faith and saints for comfort. St. Nicholas was recognized as a ‘confessor’—one who confessed Christ publicly in times of persecution, remaining faithful despite imprisonment, torture or exile. He was an example of a saint who was honored for the witness of his life. St. Nicholas was no doubt a witness to God’s work through carrying out God’s will and brings comfort in times of tragedy. For more information on rebuilding the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York City, visit www.stnicholaswtc.org.
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