Thursday, May 27, 2004
Dr. Kent Delivers Mark Commentary Manuscript
BMH Books is off and running again!
Last night Dr. Homer Kent, Jr. delivered to us the finished manuscript of a project he's been working on--the updated and expanded commentary on the book of Mark. He did a shorter,"lightweight" version some years ago, but this new version is meatier, has a chapter for each of the chapters in Mark, and will take its place beside his other fine commentaries.
Production will take about four months, if all goes well. Look for an announcement about BMH Books' new publishing arrangement with a large international publisher who will do our distribution and marketing for the manuscripts we acquire and develop. Soon you'll be hearing about additional books and products from BMH Books, and soon the BMH Books website will be updated with credit-card shopping cart, new graphics, and more.
WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT 'BLOGGING?'
As word of this blog spreads, I'm getting more questions about blogging, or the writing of weblogs.
Many Christians regularly check some of the more popular ones, such as Christianity Today, World Magazine, and Crosswalk.com. And of course, Washingtonienne (I'm not giving you THAT link!!!) has made unfortunate hot news this week through her blogging of her trysts in the Capitol.
Here are some statistics and figures to help get a handle on this communication tool. They come from a joint presentation by Steve Knight of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Kevin Hendricks.
I think the blog COULD--if enough folks think it's useful and access it regularly--replace Charlie Turner's popular 800 call-in newsline of many years back. The advantage to the blog, of course, is that it can be enriched so much with quick links to sites, materials, etc., which a phone newsline could never do. Let us know what you think--click "comments" at the bottom of any posts. Here is some of Steve and Kevin's material:
Significance of Blogs
(Kevin Hendricks)
1.) Numbers:
Between 2.5 and 8.8 million people write blogs (iMedia)
11% of Internet users report reading blogs—almost 14 million people (http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/reports.asp?Report=113&Section=ReportLevel2&Field=Level2ID&ID=956)
Younger Generation:
90 percent of those blogging are between 13 and 29.
51 percent are between 13 and 19
(New York Times, "My So Called Life" Jan. 11, 2004)
Traffic:
AndrewSullivan.com boasted 800,000 visits from 220,000 different people in 2002. That's well beyond the circulation of many magazines, also about the same unique visits the BGEA gets every month.
Instapundit.com grabs 2 million unique visits a month (and makes their stats available to the public)
2.) Blogs as Journalism
Andrew Sullivan: "Blogger is the Napster of Journalism" – it (and others Xanga, Live Journal , etc.) allows the average person to bypass the gatekeepers. Blogging is bringing a true sense of democracy to the Internet where everyone can have a voice.
Blogging driving mainstream media – Trent Lott and his comments supporting Strom Thurmond's segregationist campaign for president, the story was picked up by bloggers long before the mainstream media picked it up, they eventually followed suit.
Interconnectedness of bloggers can enable them to scoop mainstream media outlets (Andrew Sullivan in the 2000 election, The Command Post during the invasion of Iraq, Salam Pax in Iraq)
"Blogs are the best thing to happen to journalism in a long, long time," -Tom Regan, associate editor of csmonitor.com - they allow for cheap reader interaction and blogs depend on "real" journalists for their initial sources (journalists.org)
If anything, blogs are a threat to journalism's dominance, not its existence. Blogs challenge, correct, and shed light on journalists' stories. Bloggers are more like editors than journalists.
3.) Blogs for Business (Fast Company)
Macromedia used bloggers to supplement software support
Hundreds of Microsoft Employees blog
IBM, Verizon, Hartford Finanical Services
Many pitfalls, legal issues, but it's also a way to increase internal communication and customer interaction. (Seth Godin: "It's risky to be safe / safe to be risky")
4.) Blogs as Tools
Mitch Ratcliffe , pro blogger, claims that the tool of blogging will have a similar impact to the desktop publishing revolution in the 1980s and early 1990s that made it significantly easier to publish and resulted in an explosion of new magazines.
Author Trudy Schuett in an essay preparing for BloggerCon II said "The content delivery system known as the blog represents the future of the Internet." She called them "the next generation of web sites"
Blogs are essentially a poor man's database-driven web site (which can be pretty expensive to build and maintain), allowing anyone to have consistent, frequent, easy updates.
PRAYER UPDATES
Nancy Eshleman, for whom prayer was requested earlier, has had her surgery and was released from the hospital on Tuesday. Biopsy did show that the tumor was cancer, and so the chemo she was scheduled to start in a few weeks should attack the cancer both in her lungs and her brain. She says, "I feel well and am experiencing not only that 'peace that passes all understanding' but I feel so content."
Arnold Kriegbaum has been released from the hospital in Florida and is scheduled to move this weekend with his wife, Laura, to live with their daughter Karen near Indianapolis, Indiana.
Last night Dr. Homer Kent, Jr. delivered to us the finished manuscript of a project he's been working on--the updated and expanded commentary on the book of Mark. He did a shorter,"lightweight" version some years ago, but this new version is meatier, has a chapter for each of the chapters in Mark, and will take its place beside his other fine commentaries.
Production will take about four months, if all goes well. Look for an announcement about BMH Books' new publishing arrangement with a large international publisher who will do our distribution and marketing for the manuscripts we acquire and develop. Soon you'll be hearing about additional books and products from BMH Books, and soon the BMH Books website will be updated with credit-card shopping cart, new graphics, and more.
WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT 'BLOGGING?'
As word of this blog spreads, I'm getting more questions about blogging, or the writing of weblogs.
Many Christians regularly check some of the more popular ones, such as Christianity Today, World Magazine, and Crosswalk.com. And of course, Washingtonienne (I'm not giving you THAT link!!!) has made unfortunate hot news this week through her blogging of her trysts in the Capitol.
Here are some statistics and figures to help get a handle on this communication tool. They come from a joint presentation by Steve Knight of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Kevin Hendricks.
I think the blog COULD--if enough folks think it's useful and access it regularly--replace Charlie Turner's popular 800 call-in newsline of many years back. The advantage to the blog, of course, is that it can be enriched so much with quick links to sites, materials, etc., which a phone newsline could never do. Let us know what you think--click "comments" at the bottom of any posts. Here is some of Steve and Kevin's material:
Significance of Blogs
(Kevin Hendricks)
1.) Numbers:
Between 2.5 and 8.8 million people write blogs (iMedia)
11% of Internet users report reading blogs—almost 14 million people (http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/reports.asp?Report=113&Section=ReportLevel2&Field=Level2ID&ID=956)
Younger Generation:
90 percent of those blogging are between 13 and 29.
51 percent are between 13 and 19
(New York Times, "My So Called Life" Jan. 11, 2004)
Traffic:
AndrewSullivan.com boasted 800,000 visits from 220,000 different people in 2002. That's well beyond the circulation of many magazines, also about the same unique visits the BGEA gets every month.
Instapundit.com grabs 2 million unique visits a month (and makes their stats available to the public)
2.) Blogs as Journalism
Andrew Sullivan: "Blogger is the Napster of Journalism" – it (and others Xanga, Live Journal , etc.) allows the average person to bypass the gatekeepers. Blogging is bringing a true sense of democracy to the Internet where everyone can have a voice.
Blogging driving mainstream media – Trent Lott and his comments supporting Strom Thurmond's segregationist campaign for president, the story was picked up by bloggers long before the mainstream media picked it up, they eventually followed suit.
Interconnectedness of bloggers can enable them to scoop mainstream media outlets (Andrew Sullivan in the 2000 election, The Command Post during the invasion of Iraq, Salam Pax in Iraq)
"Blogs are the best thing to happen to journalism in a long, long time," -Tom Regan, associate editor of csmonitor.com - they allow for cheap reader interaction and blogs depend on "real" journalists for their initial sources (journalists.org)
If anything, blogs are a threat to journalism's dominance, not its existence. Blogs challenge, correct, and shed light on journalists' stories. Bloggers are more like editors than journalists.
3.) Blogs for Business (Fast Company)
Macromedia used bloggers to supplement software support
Hundreds of Microsoft Employees blog
IBM, Verizon, Hartford Finanical Services
Many pitfalls, legal issues, but it's also a way to increase internal communication and customer interaction. (Seth Godin: "It's risky to be safe / safe to be risky")
4.) Blogs as Tools
Mitch Ratcliffe , pro blogger, claims that the tool of blogging will have a similar impact to the desktop publishing revolution in the 1980s and early 1990s that made it significantly easier to publish and resulted in an explosion of new magazines.
Author Trudy Schuett in an essay preparing for BloggerCon II said "The content delivery system known as the blog represents the future of the Internet." She called them "the next generation of web sites"
Blogs are essentially a poor man's database-driven web site (which can be pretty expensive to build and maintain), allowing anyone to have consistent, frequent, easy updates.
PRAYER UPDATES
Nancy Eshleman, for whom prayer was requested earlier, has had her surgery and was released from the hospital on Tuesday. Biopsy did show that the tumor was cancer, and so the chemo she was scheduled to start in a few weeks should attack the cancer both in her lungs and her brain. She says, "I feel well and am experiencing not only that 'peace that passes all understanding' but I feel so content."
Arnold Kriegbaum has been released from the hospital in Florida and is scheduled to move this weekend with his wife, Laura, to live with their daughter Karen near Indianapolis, Indiana.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Postmodernism and the Emergent Church
My attention has been drawn lately to the "Emergent Church" and the movement within evangelicalism that calls itself "Postmodern."
I recently attended a panel discussion which included about eight leaders in this movement. I didn't catch the names of all of them, but Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, was the moderator of the panel. Pagitt is author of the just-published "Reimagining Spiritual Formation: A Week in the Life of an Experimental Church" published by Zondervan.
The panel also included Dan Kimball, pastor of Graceland in Santa Cruz, CA (affiliated with Santa Cruz Bible Church) and Ivy Beckwith, children's pastor at Colonial Church of Edina, MN, who has written a book entitled "Postmodern Children's Ministry." Kimball is author of what appears to be the current leading book on the movement, entitled "The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations" published by Zondervan.
They are all part of a group which can be found at www.emergentys.com. The panel was described as follows:
"America in the 21st Century can be described as both 'postmodern' and 'post-Christian.' New research from the Barna Group suggests that Americans in their 20s are significantly less likely than any other age group to attend church services, be committed to Christianity, or even read the Bible. The world is changing, and new wineskins may be needed if we are to receive new wine. Believers are experimenting with different ways of 'doing' church, seekikng new forms and structures to meet the culture's needs. The panel explores this emerging trend."
The entire three-hour discussion is available on two audio tapes, available for $6 each (plus shipping) from Sound Word Associates in Chesterton, IN (www.soundword.com or phone 219-548-0931). The tapes are identified as ep0401 and ep0402.
It's very difficult to quickly summarize what we were hearing, but the basic theme seemed to be that the era of postmodernism began about 2000, and the postmodern mind processes differently than the moderns (of which I am one) and must therefore be reached differently.
This is not necessarily a generational thing--there are plenty of postmoderns in their 50s and 60s and even 70s--it has more to do with how one thinks. Characteristics include an inclusivist philosophy that there are many ways to God, a lack of biblical knowledge (rendering much of our evangelical language forms unusable), a strong emphasis on community, and a strong emphasis on the arts including returns to uses of some more traditional worship aids such as crosses, stained glass, and more.
I would invite comment and discussion from those who are knowledgable or are learning about the emergent church. Additional references include a website for the emergent village posting information about conferences and bringing together voices for the emerging church, a website which updates topics discussed in Dan Kimball's book, and one entitled "The Ooze" which includes provocative articles about the emerging church and links to emerging churches in America and around the world.
I recently attended a panel discussion which included about eight leaders in this movement. I didn't catch the names of all of them, but Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, was the moderator of the panel. Pagitt is author of the just-published "Reimagining Spiritual Formation: A Week in the Life of an Experimental Church" published by Zondervan.
The panel also included Dan Kimball, pastor of Graceland in Santa Cruz, CA (affiliated with Santa Cruz Bible Church) and Ivy Beckwith, children's pastor at Colonial Church of Edina, MN, who has written a book entitled "Postmodern Children's Ministry." Kimball is author of what appears to be the current leading book on the movement, entitled "The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations" published by Zondervan.
They are all part of a group which can be found at www.emergentys.com. The panel was described as follows:
"America in the 21st Century can be described as both 'postmodern' and 'post-Christian.' New research from the Barna Group suggests that Americans in their 20s are significantly less likely than any other age group to attend church services, be committed to Christianity, or even read the Bible. The world is changing, and new wineskins may be needed if we are to receive new wine. Believers are experimenting with different ways of 'doing' church, seekikng new forms and structures to meet the culture's needs. The panel explores this emerging trend."
The entire three-hour discussion is available on two audio tapes, available for $6 each (plus shipping) from Sound Word Associates in Chesterton, IN (www.soundword.com or phone 219-548-0931). The tapes are identified as ep0401 and ep0402.
It's very difficult to quickly summarize what we were hearing, but the basic theme seemed to be that the era of postmodernism began about 2000, and the postmodern mind processes differently than the moderns (of which I am one) and must therefore be reached differently.
This is not necessarily a generational thing--there are plenty of postmoderns in their 50s and 60s and even 70s--it has more to do with how one thinks. Characteristics include an inclusivist philosophy that there are many ways to God, a lack of biblical knowledge (rendering much of our evangelical language forms unusable), a strong emphasis on community, and a strong emphasis on the arts including returns to uses of some more traditional worship aids such as crosses, stained glass, and more.
I would invite comment and discussion from those who are knowledgable or are learning about the emergent church. Additional references include a website for the emergent village posting information about conferences and bringing together voices for the emerging church, a website which updates topics discussed in Dan Kimball's book, and one entitled "The Ooze" which includes provocative articles about the emerging church and links to emerging churches in America and around the world.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
A highlight of the hymnsing was a "President's Quartet" singing "Stand Up for Jesus." At left are former Grace College & Seminary presidents John Davis, Ron Manahan (current president), Homer Kent, Jr., and at right is former Dean Bill Male.
As in the days of old....Prof. Don Ogden led a hymnsing for about 100 on Friday evening in the Rainbow Room of the renovated Westminster Hotel in Winona Lake, IN. The evening was sponsored by Grace College and was preceded by a dinner.
Friday, May 21, 2004
This and That on a Friday
Tonight we go to the renovated Westminster Hotel here in Winona Lake for an all-community dinner and hymnsing. Grace College is sponsoring it--Don Ogden leads the music, Barb Manahan will play piano and Sharon White will play organ.
We've heard that perhaps about 150 people have signed up for either the dinner or the hymnsing or both. Should be a great evening, one that uses Don Ogden's best talents and showcases such groups as the Presidents' Quartet (Ron Manahan, John Davis, Homer Kent, and...oops...Bill Male) and others.
Jesse Deloe could use prayer for recovery from illness, as could BMH's project manager, Ann Myers. Jesse returned from Ukraine and Moldova with sinus infection, weakness, etc. and Ann is experiencing much of the same.
We got an e-mail today that Nancy Eshleman, wife of the late Pastor Dan Eshelman, was having surgery today. Dan died nine weeks ago Monday, and for eight of those weeks Nancy has been having lung infections, headaches, vertigo, dizziness, and more.
Tests showed a one-inch tumor on the lower left side of the brain. Surgery was scheduled for this morning at 7:30 a.m. in Hagerstown, MD. The good news, she says, is that it is apparently benign and not cancer. She asks prayer for physical and emotional rest for her and the children.
While we are praying, reports have come back from Florida that Arnold Kriegbaum was recently in ICU and not doing well. He and Laura were scheduled to move to Indiana to be with their daughter, Karen, near Indianapolis in mid-July.
LEFT BEHIND ON NEWSWEEK COVER
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, co-authors of the fabulously popular "Left Behind" series are on the cover of this week's Newsweek magazine. A fascinating analysis of that article, along with others, is on Christianity Today's weblog. Jerry Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye will be on 'Deborah Norville Tonight' this evening at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on MSNBC (unless bumped for other programming); check local listings for time in your area.
We've heard that perhaps about 150 people have signed up for either the dinner or the hymnsing or both. Should be a great evening, one that uses Don Ogden's best talents and showcases such groups as the Presidents' Quartet (Ron Manahan, John Davis, Homer Kent, and...oops...Bill Male) and others.
Jesse Deloe could use prayer for recovery from illness, as could BMH's project manager, Ann Myers. Jesse returned from Ukraine and Moldova with sinus infection, weakness, etc. and Ann is experiencing much of the same.
We got an e-mail today that Nancy Eshleman, wife of the late Pastor Dan Eshelman, was having surgery today. Dan died nine weeks ago Monday, and for eight of those weeks Nancy has been having lung infections, headaches, vertigo, dizziness, and more.
Tests showed a one-inch tumor on the lower left side of the brain. Surgery was scheduled for this morning at 7:30 a.m. in Hagerstown, MD. The good news, she says, is that it is apparently benign and not cancer. She asks prayer for physical and emotional rest for her and the children.
While we are praying, reports have come back from Florida that Arnold Kriegbaum was recently in ICU and not doing well. He and Laura were scheduled to move to Indiana to be with their daughter, Karen, near Indianapolis in mid-July.
LEFT BEHIND ON NEWSWEEK COVER
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, co-authors of the fabulously popular "Left Behind" series are on the cover of this week's Newsweek magazine. A fascinating analysis of that article, along with others, is on Christianity Today's weblog. Jerry Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye will be on 'Deborah Norville Tonight' this evening at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on MSNBC (unless bumped for other programming); check local listings for time in your area.
Bill Kirchner, a layman from the Kent, WA church, got in some early-morning fishing and digital photography at the Northwest Focus Retreat held at Camp Clear Lake near White's Pass, Washington.
Tom Ireton (left), a lay leader from the Kent, Washington, church and pastor Dave Marksbury (Kent, WA, right) spent some quiet time Tuesday morning meditating on a Second Corinthians passage at the Northwest Focus Retreat.
High atop a monster-rock outcropping over the Clear Lake spillway and dam, Tom Avey (left) and John Teevan (right) saw some 20 elk in an early-morning walk. Camp Clear Lake is just to the right of John's elbow in this photo.
Tom Avey, FGBC Coordinator, led one of the sessions at the Northwest Focus Retreat.
Pastors, laymen, national organization reps gathered for a three-day retreat at Camp Clear Lake May 17-19.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Northwest Focus Retreat Ends
Whew! I'm bushed tonight and am writing from a hotel in Seattle following the conclusion of the Northwest Focus Retreat which was held Monday, Tuesday and today at Camp Clear Lake near Whites Pass.
The crowd at the retreat was fairly small--about 18, I think--but we had a wonderful, wonderful time. It was an excellent mix. There were many of the experienced pastors such as Greg Howell, Dave Marksbury and others.
There were some wonderful young men--including James and Jason Holt from the Philadelphia Urban project and several other young pastors and interns.
And we had some great laymen from Washington churches--men with wonderful stories of how God has changed their lives, how He is using them, etc.
And we had a couple of house-church planters--Rich Hagler from Portland, Oregon and Doug Lee from Southern California. Doug led the music--and it was great to mix with these guys and get a glimpse of their philosophy, their approach to church-planting and more.
We topped off the retreat with a little sightseeing (Mt. St. Helens and a Mariners game) and now I have only four hours to sleep before catching the shuttle for SeaTac and O'Hare. But the Clear Lake setting was gorgeous (saw about 20 elk in an early-morning walk today with John Teevan and Tom Avey) and yesterday the lake was glassy-smooth as we spent some private time meditating on 2 Corinthians passages.
MEL TAYLOR WITH THE LORD
As many Brethren know by now, Mel Taylor from the Goldendale, Washington, church passed away this weekend at age 58. He served on the Grace College & Seminary board, had been a pastor, and was well-known in Brethren circles. Pastor Greg Howell will send the full obituary, and I'll share it later.
JESSE'S BACK
Jesse Deloe, my helpful partner and sidekick in the business of Brethren Missionary Herald Company, returned Saturday night from two weeks of teaching in seminaries/Bible schools in Ukraine and Moldova.
I haven't actually seen him, as he was a bit ill when he returned and I left for the Northwest on Sunday. But early reports indicated that his teaching time went well and that he was a blessing to pastors-to-be and young theologians in these two countries. I will be so glad to have him back at the office, however! Praise God for safety in all our travels.
The crowd at the retreat was fairly small--about 18, I think--but we had a wonderful, wonderful time. It was an excellent mix. There were many of the experienced pastors such as Greg Howell, Dave Marksbury and others.
There were some wonderful young men--including James and Jason Holt from the Philadelphia Urban project and several other young pastors and interns.
And we had some great laymen from Washington churches--men with wonderful stories of how God has changed their lives, how He is using them, etc.
And we had a couple of house-church planters--Rich Hagler from Portland, Oregon and Doug Lee from Southern California. Doug led the music--and it was great to mix with these guys and get a glimpse of their philosophy, their approach to church-planting and more.
We topped off the retreat with a little sightseeing (Mt. St. Helens and a Mariners game) and now I have only four hours to sleep before catching the shuttle for SeaTac and O'Hare. But the Clear Lake setting was gorgeous (saw about 20 elk in an early-morning walk today with John Teevan and Tom Avey) and yesterday the lake was glassy-smooth as we spent some private time meditating on 2 Corinthians passages.
MEL TAYLOR WITH THE LORD
As many Brethren know by now, Mel Taylor from the Goldendale, Washington, church passed away this weekend at age 58. He served on the Grace College & Seminary board, had been a pastor, and was well-known in Brethren circles. Pastor Greg Howell will send the full obituary, and I'll share it later.
JESSE'S BACK
Jesse Deloe, my helpful partner and sidekick in the business of Brethren Missionary Herald Company, returned Saturday night from two weeks of teaching in seminaries/Bible schools in Ukraine and Moldova.
I haven't actually seen him, as he was a bit ill when he returned and I left for the Northwest on Sunday. But early reports indicated that his teaching time went well and that he was a blessing to pastors-to-be and young theologians in these two countries. I will be so glad to have him back at the office, however! Praise God for safety in all our travels.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Charlie and Jeff Raise Bucks for Grace Village
Tonight Sharon played 90 minutes of background music for a prime rib dinner for about 70 invited guests to an endowment fund raiser for Grace Village, the Grace Brethren retirement complex on Wooster Road here in Winona Lake www.gracevillage.org.
Charlie Turner--former Executive Director of BMH -- was the featured speaker and he explained that many GV residents are on Medicaid (more than 40%) and their actual cost is not covered by fees paid. So the goal is to raise $500,000 as an endowment, to kick off about $25,000 per year in interest to help subsidize those who may have run out of funds but want to stay in the Village.
Charlie also detailed the diagnosis and decline of his wife, June, from Parkinson's disease, and gave liberal credit to the fine care she received at Grace Village toward the end of her life.
Another former BMH Executive Director, Jeff Carroll, is now heading up Grace Village and introduced Charlie as his mentor. A popular young-men's quartet from Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church sang.
TABLOIDS SET FOR BNYC
This afternoon brought the delivery of 15,000 copies of an eight-page four-color tabloid newspaper which will be distributed in the "blitz" of Brethren National Youth Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, the third week of July.
It was printed and produced by the same organization that prints FGBC World--Shalom Foundation in Harrisonburg, Virginia--and it includes five pages of value-laden "boilerplate" material and three pages of customized information. It includes an article on how to talk with your teenagers by Robert Cover, Sr., an article on who these 2,500 teens are and why they're in LaCrosse this week in July, and several pieces explaining the Brethren Statement of Faith and how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Because of the way we produced it, the paper cost less than 14 cents each, and hopefully it will enable the BNYC teens to leave something of value in the hands of LaCrosse/Onalaska residents this summer. Viki Rife was the editor who pulled together the content. More info on BNYC at www.cenational.org.
Charlie Turner--former Executive Director of BMH -- was the featured speaker and he explained that many GV residents are on Medicaid (more than 40%) and their actual cost is not covered by fees paid. So the goal is to raise $500,000 as an endowment, to kick off about $25,000 per year in interest to help subsidize those who may have run out of funds but want to stay in the Village.
Charlie also detailed the diagnosis and decline of his wife, June, from Parkinson's disease, and gave liberal credit to the fine care she received at Grace Village toward the end of her life.
Another former BMH Executive Director, Jeff Carroll, is now heading up Grace Village and introduced Charlie as his mentor. A popular young-men's quartet from Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church sang.
TABLOIDS SET FOR BNYC
This afternoon brought the delivery of 15,000 copies of an eight-page four-color tabloid newspaper which will be distributed in the "blitz" of Brethren National Youth Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, the third week of July.
It was printed and produced by the same organization that prints FGBC World--Shalom Foundation in Harrisonburg, Virginia--and it includes five pages of value-laden "boilerplate" material and three pages of customized information. It includes an article on how to talk with your teenagers by Robert Cover, Sr., an article on who these 2,500 teens are and why they're in LaCrosse this week in July, and several pieces explaining the Brethren Statement of Faith and how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Because of the way we produced it, the paper cost less than 14 cents each, and hopefully it will enable the BNYC teens to leave something of value in the hands of LaCrosse/Onalaska residents this summer. Viki Rife was the editor who pulled together the content. More info on BNYC at www.cenational.org.
Off for Northwest Focus Retreat
This rainy Friday afternoon in Winona Lake, Indiana marks two beginnings. The first is BMH's entry into the blogosphere with this post. Hopefully, this can become a tool to connect people and churches of the FGBC in ways that are mutually helpful and really help advance the Great Commission teamwork.
The second "beginning" is a trip to SeaTac and the Northwest, where we will participate for three days in the fifth (and final) Focus Retreat of this year. I've attended previous ones in Winona Lake, IN; Sandy Cove, MD; Haines City, FL; and San Juan Capistrano, CA. At each we mix for three days with the pastors and leaders of Grace Brethren Churches, getting to know each other, sharing prayer requests, and swapping stories and resources for ministry.
God is good--and now we have a new communication tool to explore using for His glory.
The second "beginning" is a trip to SeaTac and the Northwest, where we will participate for three days in the fifth (and final) Focus Retreat of this year. I've attended previous ones in Winona Lake, IN; Sandy Cove, MD; Haines City, FL; and San Juan Capistrano, CA. At each we mix for three days with the pastors and leaders of Grace Brethren Churches, getting to know each other, sharing prayer requests, and swapping stories and resources for ministry.
God is good--and now we have a new communication tool to explore using for His glory.
