Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

World Religions News

Five Black churches each receive $1 million grants for historic preservation

(RNS) — Five historically Black churches have been awarded $1 million each from a grant program that aims to help preserve their assets and legacies and keep them vibrant for future generations.

The $5 million in grants, part of the Preserving Black Churches program of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, were announced on Monday (Jan. 19) to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The recipients, including churches from South Carolina to Los Angeles, will also be offered consultation services and technical expertise for stewardship planning and long-term asset management.

“These churches represent multifaceted legacies spanning critical moments in American history and culture,” said Brent Leggs, the fund’s executive director and strategic adviser to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in a statement. “Thanks to generous funding from … Lilly Endowment Inc. and our team’s strategic partnership, the Action Fund is ensuring that these historic churches can continue to exist as civic spaces of faith, education, beauty, and belonging for generations to come.”

The five grant recipients are:

  • First African Baptist Church in Beaufort, South Carolina, which has had an active congregation since 1863. Its members have included Robert Smalls, a Black congressman in the Reconstruction era who was known for escaping from slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship during the Civil War and achieving freedom for 16 others.

RELATED: Historic Black churches receive $8.5 million in preservation grants

  • Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, whose construction began in 1922. It became famous in 1955 for hosting the funeral of Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose lynching galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, whose current structure was dedicated in 1926. It has been the site of speeches by King and Malcolm X and conventions of the NAACP.
  • Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, whose building was dedicated in 1794. It is the birthplace of the AME denomination, founded by Richard Allen, and stands on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by Black Americans in the U.S.
  • Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama, whose current structure was built in 1908. It was the starting point of the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches in 1965.

RELATED: Dozens of Black churches receive total of $4 million for historic preservation

Original Source:

https://religionnews.com/2026/01/22/five-black-churches-each-receive-1-million-grants-for-historic-preservation/