For 14 years, Deep Creek has set a giving goal to be met during VBS. In turn, pastor Mark Perko sets a challenge that he will complete upon the goal being met.
The ruling by Judge William L. Osteen came during a hearing held Monday, June 9, in U.S. Middle District Court that was further outlined by the judge in a 50-page memorandum opinion and order released Friday, June 20.
Today, what has become known as “Ride to Clyde” has grown from a $19,000 charity ride in 2016 to an initiative that raised a record $261,367 in 2025, the ride’s 10th anniversary.
Attorneys for The Summit Church filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Middle District Court of North Carolina in February, claiming that Chatham County officials violated provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a statement of interest in support of a lawsuit brought by The Summit Church against the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
The motion, filed Thursday, March 27, asks the U.S. Middle District Court to dismiss the lawsuit because attorneys for the county say the court lacks jurisdiction to hear and rule on the case.
“The love and support for ministry in Western North Carolina was obvious,” said Seth Brown, director of convention relations for North Carolina Baptists. “George and Megan Shinn really set the tone for the whole thing.”
A former Caldwell County pastor who was arrested in 2023 on charges of possessing child pornography has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervision after his release.
In a statement to the Biblical Recorder, The Summit Church said it filed the lawsuit to defend its constitutional rights, as well as the rights of other churches.
North Carolina Baptists distributed 8,324 coats while sharing the gospel in New York City over this past weekend. About 230 volunteers from 16 Baptist churches in the state and six South Carolina churches participated …
