Church life:

• Defrocked gay minister to appeal conviction by peers | A Methodist minister who was defrocked last month for declaring herself a lesbian said yesterday that she will appeal the decision through church courts. (Washington Post)
• Patriarch visits Astoria | His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I visited the community of St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria last Friday. (Western Queens Gazette, Queens, NY)
• Survey: one-third of Kentuckians 'unchurched' | A new survey commissioned by the Kentucky Baptist Convention shows that about one in three Kentucky adults are ''unchurched,'' meaning nearly 1 million residents have no meaningful connection to any of the thousands of churches in this Bible Belt state. (Associated Press)
• Two arrested in protest at Mass. church | Police arrested two parishioners who attempted a vigil to keep the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston from closing their 114-year-old parish, one of 83 churches slated to be shut down or consolidated by year's end. (Associated Press)

Dobson warns Senate on judicial nominees:

• Evangelical leader threatens to use his political muscle against some Democrats | James C. Dobson, the nation's most influential evangelical leader, is threatening to put six potentially vulnerable Democratic senators "in the 'bull's-eye' " if they block conservative appointments to the Supreme Court. (New York Times)
• Conservative warns senate on nominees | James Dobson, the conservative leader who used his radio program to call on millions of Christians to vote in the November election, warned in a letter that some senators "will be in the 'bull's-eye'" if they block President Bush's judicial nominees. (Associated Press)
• James Dobson threatens six senators | Evangelical leader James C. Dobson is threatening six Democratic senators if they block conservative appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court. (UPI)