A small group of students from the University of Colorado at Denver just spent last week-an alternative spring break- at Joy Junction Homeless Shelter, mixing with the residents and the staff.

The UC Denver Alternative Spring Break students were encouraged to work side-by-side with shelter staff.

Students also helped stock, and work with, Joy Junction’s mobile meal unit, the Lifeline of Hope. That experience was designed so students could see members of Albuquerque’s homeless population not living in a shelter environment.

Howard Dayton, Cofounder of Crown Financial Ministries announces the formation of a new financial ministry. Compass--Finances God's Way (www.compass1.org) was launched earlier this month. Dayton will serve as CEO of the new non-profit organization.

This marks the end of Dayton's tenure at Crown, an organization that he started in 1985 and later merged with Larry Burkett's Christian Financial Concepts, forming the world's largest financial ministry. During his 22 years serving as a full-time volunteer CEO, Crown taught nearly 50 million people worldwide how to handle money in a way which pleases God.

The economic recession delivered a hard blow to more churches this past year than at the start of the downturn, new research indicates.

Findings from a new survey show that 38 percent of churches reported a decline in giving in 2009. Only 29 percent reported the same the previous year.

"Churches today are in unchartered waters financially," said Brian Kluth, founder of Maximum Generosity, in a statement. "Multiple research projects last year documented the sharp decline in church giving and our research this year shows things have only gotten worse for a growing number of churches."

A group of black pastors is looking to spread biblical teaching and quash the prosperity gospel teachings that have been proliferating in their churches.

Lance Lewis, pastor of Christ Liberation Fellowship in Philadelphia, says the health and wealth gospel is as much a threat to the historic black church as theological liberalism was to the evangelical church in the early part of the 20th century, as reported by By Faith magazine.