After getting a lot of publicity for a controversial building code banning religious assembly at homes, the town of Gilbert, Ariz. is poised to rescind the code as soon as it can, according to The Arizona Republic.

The trouble started in November when a code compliance officer ordered pastor Joe Sutherland of the Oasis of Truth Church to stop hosting small church services at his home. The code, which was passed in 2006, states that “religious assembly uses are not permitted in single-family residential structures.”

The story garnered international attention when the Alliance Defense Fund, the religious legal organization, appealed the cease-and-desist order, calling the regulation unconstitutional.

According to Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, the town council wasn’t aware of the code until about six weeks ago, and have asked town officials to stop enforcing it until permanent changes could be made. However, the council is planning on expediting the process after a negative public reaction. [azcentral.com, 3/15/10]

QUOTE: "The audience was focused on her. She was not speaking as a teenager, but as an adult who was very sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God." —Bishop Darrell Gooden, describing the first time he heard Perri Costley, a 15-year-old girl, preach to his congregation. Gooden was so impressed that he invited Costley to speak at an international conference for more than 200 ministers. Gooden expects the teenager to make some errors as she grows, but wants to give her opportunities because he knows that “God is going to use her.” [ajc.com, 3/15/10]

Less than one-third of active churchgoers said they definitely plan on bringing an unchurched friend to an Easter service this year, according to a new study from the Barna Group. However, most said they would be open to inviting someone.

"We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that so many people are at least open to the idea of offering such invitations to their friends and family," said David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group. "One of the challenges to pastors and other church leaders is to find out what’s actually preventing them from following through on that willingness."

The study also looked at Americans’ views of Easter. Although most adults surveyed considered Easter a religious holiday, less than half (42 percent) directly linked the day to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Among those who don’t regularly attend church—the group that many churches target during Holy Week—the research showed that only 25 percent connect the holiday with Jesus’ resurrection.

Interestingly, those who view Easter as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection are no more likely to invite a friend to church than other religiously oriented Americans. [barna.org, 3/15/10]

An Assyrian pastor the Iranian government accused of "converting Muslims" is being tortured in prison and threatened with execution, sources close to the case said.

State Security agents on Feb. 2 arrested the Rev. Wilson Issavi, 65, shortly after he finished a house meeting at a friend's home in Isfahan. A city of more than 1.5 million people, Isfahan is located 208 miles south of Tehran.

According to Farsi Christian News Network, Issavi's wife, Medline Nazanin, recently visited her husband in prison, where she saw that he had obvious signs of torture and was in poor condition. Iranian intelligence officials told Nazanin that her husband might be executed for his alleged activities.

Issavi is the pastor of The Evangelical Church of Kermanshah in Isfahan, a 50-year-old church body affiliated with the Assemblies of God that caters to the local Assyrian population.

During the raid, State Security police detained everyone in the house, later releasing all but Issavi and the owner of the home. Security officials also seized personal property from the home. Typically in Christian arrests in Iran, security officials confiscate all documents, media materials, computers, and personal documentation.

Issavi is being held in an unmarked prison, according to FCNN.

Last month's arrest seems to be part of an anti-Christian sweep that is taking place across Isfahan. In addition to the politically motivated detentions and executions that have taken place after June's contested election and subsequent nation-wide political protests, it appears authorities are rounding up Christian leaders.