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Worship

Spiritual and religious activities abound in South Central Kentucky, where residents and visitors can find houses of worship for all walks of life. Information about the variety of worship opportunities can be found in the articles below: More than Sunday Worship and Diversity in Faith, as well as by clicking on the related links listed in the right-hand navigation.

More than Sunday Worship

(as printed in the 2009 Bowling Green & South Central Kentucky Magazine)

Rather than waiting for people to come to them, area congregations are reaching beyond their front doors to touch the community through many different outreach programs.

Lil Angel’s Attic

Twice a year, Broadway United Methodist Church presents the Lil’ Angel’s Attic community consignment sale. Besides offering the community a great place to purchase gently used items for their children, Broadway United Methodist also uses proceeds from the sale to benefit the community.

During the spring 2008 sale, more than $100,000 in sales were made. Because it was a consignment sale, sellers were able to keep 70 percent of the proceeds, but 30 percent, minus expenses, was distributed to area service agencies. More than $25,000 was donated to 11 local family and children’s charities.

Hillvue Heights Expansion

Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green is building a new 62,000-square-foot facility that will house junior and senior high, preschool and children's ministries.

According to Executive Pastor Mark Hale, the new addition will feature a unique ICF (insulating concrete forms) design that is designed to sustain 200-mile-per-hour winds, making it an ideal storm shelter for the surrounding community.

The new building is scheduled to open in August 2009. The existing children's wing will then house the adult faith development program.

Angel Food Ministries

Bowling Green is blessed to have two sites that participate in the Angel Food Ministries program, with a number of supporting churches that also participate as host sites.

Angel Food Ministries is a nonprofit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and contributing to benevolent outreaches in communities throughout the United States. For a small fee, anyone is able to place an order for an Angel Food box. By buying food from first-rate suppliers at substantial volume discounts, Angel Food Ministries is able to provide families with approximately $65 worth of quality, nutritious food for just $30. Additional items, as well as specialty meat boxes, are also available for order.

For more information on Angel Food participants, visit www.angelfoodministries.com.

Historic Groundbreaking at Holy Spirit Catholic Church

With a worship community that has grown from about 200 families in 1970 to almost 1,000 families today, Holy Spirit Catholic Church is in the midst of a capital campaign to build a new church campus. The Holy Spirit family celebrated a major milestone in this campaign on September 10, 2008, when they broke ground for their new site. Bishop John J. McGrath, Sister Joseph Angela Boone, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman and Holy Spirit parishioner Doug Gorman, and nearly 300 others attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Holy Spirit's new 29-acre site at 4754 Smallhouse Road. Following a blessing ceremony by the Bishop, church members clad in red outlined the building site and turned the first shovels of dirt. As parishioner John Deeb, former chair of the Holy Spirit Pastoral Council, stated, "This move and the growth are necessary for the future of our church."

The new campus will consist of two buildings: one will house classrooms, offices and fellowship space, while the other will become the new church sanctuary. Once complete, the new campus will also include a piazza, St. Mary's Garden, and recreational facilities, including a soccer field and a baseball diamond.

"Our ultimate goal is to build the entire church campus," said Father W. Jerry Riney, pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. "Our financial goal is $2.5 million, which is very attainable for this parish. God has blessed us abundantly—beyond measure."

Bishop McGrath described the groundbreaking as a grand leap of faith.

Holy Spirit parish hopes to celebrate Easter 2010 at their new campus and the Advent season of 2010 in their new church.

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Diversity in Faith

As a truly diverse region that has become home for thousands of individuals from around the world, South Central Kentucky has welcomed a number of congregations of various faiths.

Am Shalom, the Jewish Congregation of Bowling Green, is located at 904 State Street. A member of the Union for Reform Judaism, it serves the population of South Central Kentucky and the northern portion of the Nashville Metropolitan Area.

Located at 2107 Old Louisville Road in Bowling Green, Hope in Messiah Congregation is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles and observes many Jewish traditions and holidays. Hope in Messiah is a regional congregation with members in Glasgow, Morgantown and Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

The Islamic Center of Bowling Green opened a new mosque at 2140 Morgantown Road in 2005. The Muslim population in Bowling Green has increased significantly over the past decade due to the immigration of Bosnians and Muslims from many different countries.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Bowling Green is located at 2033 Nashville Road. Its mission is "to be a caring community that encourages spiritual growth and actively works to improve our society and the environment."

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