In what some legal scholars were calling the most significant religion case in 20 years, the Supreme Court ruled today that a Lutheran school teacher was a “minister” who could not sue the church that fired her in 2005, Christianity Today reports. “The First Amendment provides, in part, that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the unanimous opinion.

TV station WFMZ in Philadelphia reports: A police sting operation has led to the arrest of a man accused of stealing from a church during Sunday services.

It grieves me to report the deaths of David C. Bell and his mother, Sue E. Bell, in a Jan. 7 car crash near Hornbeak in west Tennessee. David Bell, who lived in Forsythe, Ga., was a longtime member and song leader for my home congregation — the Thomaston Road Church of Christ in Macon, Ga. His mother was a church member in Union City, Tenn., near the site of the wreck.

Last December we blogged about Little Dresses for Africa, a nonprofit that sends dresses made from pillowcases to various African nations. Several Christian groups support the work, which was born at the Trenton Church of Christ in Michigan. NBC produced a “Making a Difference” segment in 2010 featuring the ministry, and recently the network produced an update on the work.

New on The Christian Chronicle’s website is a report on the earth’s population crossing the 7 billion mark. The historic total was reached while I was in Costa Rica at the 48th Pan American Lectureship, an annual meeting of Church of Christ members from the U.S., Latin America and around the globe

NiagraThisWeek.com reports on a team of Canadian Christians headed for Nicaragua early next year to dig water wells. The team includes members of the Tintern Church of Christ and the Beamsville Church of Christ, both in Ontario. One 16-year-old on the team is a student at Great Lakes Christian High School, associated with Churches of Christ.

The website of the Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif., has a story reported from Knoxville, Tenn., about Tennessee churches’ participation in “Corners of Your Field,” a benevolence effort of Knox Area Rescue Ministries. The story includes photos from the Farragut Church of Christ in Knoxville.

New on The Christian Chronicle’s website:
DUNCAN, S.C. - Southeastern Children’s Home cares for neglected and abused children on a 50-acre campus overlooking the Smoky Mountains.
Boys row out in a boat to catch bass and bream in a spring-fed pond. A beekeeper teaches girls how to cultivate honey.
The home’s residents ride horses as part of therapy and enjoy swing sets, basketball goals and a volleyball court.
As the Christian child-care agency meets physical needs, it fulfills a more important mission: sharing Jesus with children and families, executive director Robert Kimberly said.
“We’ve had eight …

A man is charged with stealing a woman’s purse during prayer at a Church of Christ because, he told police, he was smoking crack and ran out of money.

Assemble an all-star lineup of some of the most powerful, passionate preachers in Churches of Christ. Put these ministers on the same lectureship program, and give each 20 minutes to speak. You probably can guess what happens next.