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The Islamic Society of Au­gusta’s new $3.8 million, 33,000-square-foot building is more than just a mosque.

“We see it as a bridge between the Muslim community and the community at large,” said Dr. Ahmad Gill, the president of the Islamic Society of Augusta. “We don’t want people to stand outside and say, ‘We don’t know what goes on behind those doors.’ Our doors and our hearts are open.”

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An Evans church has been paying down the layaway accounts of strangers this Christmas in a program they call “Layaway in a Manger.”

Nearly 50 members of Wesley United Methodist Church went to Kmart in West Town Shopping Center in recent days, paying $20 to $200 on layaway accounts of Christmas toys, said Michael Sosby, the manager of the Martinez store. Another 25 or more have paid accounts at Ruben’s Department Store in downtown Augusta.

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Forgot your checkbook at church? There’s an app for that.

A new smartphone application developed by Rev. Marty Baker of Stevens Creek Church in Martinez is gaining traction with churches across the country.

The app, called SecureGive Mobile after the company he and his wife, Patty, founded in Evans in 2005, is the first of its kind to be released in the Apple App Store.

The app allows parishioners to donate to their church from the convenience of their iPhone, iPad or Android phone.