BMH Editor's Blog

Whew!

What a wonderful, rich week it's been in Kingsport, Tennessee, as the Fellowship of Grace Brethren family gathered from all over the globe to fellowship, to learn, to share information, and to worship and pray together.

Conference concluded shortly after noon today, and most of the attendees took off for the drive/flight home (except for BMH board members, who met today and will meet again tomorrow to conduct Brethren Missionary Herald business).

BMH Corporate dinner and meeting last night (Wednesday) were great fun--about 70 attended, and after a great meal at Wright's Country Cuisine Cafeteria in Kingsport, those attending heard board chair Dan Thornton give updates, heard an operations report from Executive Director Terry White, and had a question-and-answer time with BMH board and staff members. All attending were given a free mug with BMH's new logo on it, along with a free copy of a Homer Kent book on the Gospel of Mark and a coupon for the revised copy when it appears in the fall.

In this morning's meeting of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers, Dr. John Davis was the speaker (former president of Grace College and Seminary) and he was then honored with the "outstanding achievement" award from the AGBM.

In the delegates' brunch and business meeting that followed, moderator John Teevan closed out his tenure as moderator by conducting elections and moderating a business meeting that saw four new churches welcomed into the Fellowship, extended welcoming greetings to an association of about 70 Grace Brethren churches in Cameroon, Africa, and adopted a number of social concern resolutions.

Dr. Tim Boal, pastor of the Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Pennsylvania, was elected second moderator-elect, which means he now joins the leadership team and will be conference moderator in three years. Next year's moderator, Dan Allan, will be followed by Keith Shearer in the 2006 conference.

The week included many highlights, but one today was learning that the Operation Enduring Friendship, which utilized a part of the hotel lobby to pack goody bags for the wives of soldiers in Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where Grace Brethren Chaplain James Shaefer ministers, reached and exceeded their goal of 2,000 bags.

And the story gets even better! FedEx agreed to ship all 31 cartons of bags to Hawaii FREE as part of their charitable program. The bags went out of Kingsport about 2 p.m. today, and they soon will be in the hands of soldiers' wives in Hawaii, who will enjoy the toiletries, personal notes, candies, and other expressions of appreciation. Beth Bryant of Canada and her husband, Phil, created and directed the project which saw many, many people from the conference donating supplies and stuffing the bags.

In addition, the conference childcare unit helped children create several quilts during the week, which will be returned to the Kingsport area to be given to homes for the elderly (see accompanying photo).

Other activities of today included electing representatives to the Fellowship Council and Nominating Committee, and the honoring of seven Grace Brethren pastors or missionaries who have gone on to be with the Lord during this past year.

Conference next year--entitled Equip05--will be in Winona Lake, Indiana, and will have more of an educational or in-service training feel. There will be classes, workshops and courses for those of all interests. More information is available from the FGBC office.

Your intrepid blogger now takes a little rest to finish BMH board meetings, drive back to Winona, and spend a few days fishing with his grandsons who will be visiting from Minnesota.

Next issue of FGBC World will contain a more complete report of conference and photos.

Doni (left) and Gail Cosgrove (center) display two quilts that were created by children in the childcare area of the Grace Brethren national conference this week. The children made handprints and other art on quilt squares. When the Cosgroves finish stitching the quilts, they will be returned to the Kingsport area to be used in area nursing homes. 

Dadje Samuel (right), a businessman and evangelist from the Chad, Africa, addressed the Wednesday evening session of the Grace Brethren Conference. Speaking in French, he was translated by European Director for Grace Brethren International Missions, Paul Klawitter, at left.  

Grace Brethren North American Missions conducted a commissioning service for new missionaries during the Wednesday evening session at the Grace Brethren national conference. Kneeling are Steve Galegor, Jr., who ministers among Albanians in New York City, and at right are Dr. and Mrs. Kevin Ong, who are pioneering a work in San Francisco. 

Dr. Jerry Young (right) was honored today (Wednesday) by the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers with the association's "Lifetime Achievement Award." Young recently retired from a long-time pastorate in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and also has served many of the Grace Brethren national organizations as well as many years as a chaplain. In the center is Young's wife, Loreen, and at left is Dr. Ken Bickel, president of AGBM, who presented the award. 

Tuesday was "Grace Brethren International Missions Day" with the GBIM corporate meeting and update report at noon. In the evening conference session (pictured here), a number of new missionaries were commissioned. Praying for the missionaries were GBIM board members and pastors of the sending churches. Tom Julien, retired Executive Director of GBIM, was the evening speaker Tuesday. 

Tuesday morning the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers named Pastor John McIntosh (right), pastor of the Simi Valley, CA Grace Brethren Church, the 2004 "Pastor of the Year." Making the presentation (left) is Dr. Ken Bickel, current president of the AGBM. McIntosh has been at the Simi Valley church for 21 years as pastor, having started in 1983. 

1,599 and counting! Beth Bryant of Canada (left) had a vision to send "goodie bags" to all the wives of military men at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, a unit served by Grace Brethren Chaplain James Schaefer. So every day at national conference, people are going out and buying bags of candies, shampoos, soaps, bath oils, and more---and dozens of people are stuffing the bags, writing notes, and participating in some way in "Operation Enduring Friendship." By this evening (Tuesday), nearly 1,500 bags have been stuffed so far. 2,000 is the goal by Thursday noon when conference concludes. 

Ed Lewis of CE National gives a report of CE's activities of the past year. Behind him is the Harley-garage set used as a backdrop for the morning worship service, as well as the Harley motorcycle owned by Fountain of Life Church pastor Vic Young, who gave the morning message. 

Moderator-elect Dan Allan, pastor of the Ashland, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church, gave the annual Moderator's Address in the 7 p.m. session Sunday at the Celebration Conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.  

CE National named a number of winners tonight, Sunday, in its annual awards ceremony. Individuals and churches were recognized for best outreach program, idea-of-the-year, and much more. Some winners were present to receive awards, and others were represented by their pastors or other church staff members. 

With a few pops and growls that quickly crescendoed into a roaring thunder bouncing off the concrete walls and floors of the cavernous Freedom Hall Civic Center Arena in Johnson City, Tennessee, some 19 roaring Harleys slowly snaked their way down the tunnel, circled around the platform area, and ground to a halt in front of the 1,000+ gathered worshipers.

“We call that sound a call to worship,” drawled the church’s colorful and charismatic pastor, Dr. Vic Young.

Young,  a pot-bellied, pony-tailed Harley rider with an earned Ph.D. and an Oxford post-doctorate, proceeded to preach a folksy and pointed message entitled “Lift Up Mine Eyes to the Hills.” The audience was a combination of the Fountain of Life “Biker Church” of Johnson City and the 900-some delegates and denominational leaders gathered for the Celebration Conference of the National Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

Earlier in the day, at 7:30 a.m. at the conference headquarters Mariott Meadowview Resort in Kingsport, the faithful gathered for a breakfast honoring GBC military chaplains. A series of gripping testimonies from those on active duty and on home assignment reminded listeners of the enormous opportunities for ministry military chaplains have.

Following the biker service in Johnson City, many stayed for a KFC box-lunch meeting of CE National at which testimonies were given about Brethren National Youth Conference, Operation Barnabas, and much more.

Speaker for the 7 p.m. session was moderator-elect Dan Allan, pastor of the Ashland, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church. He will be the FGBC moderator for 2004-2005, following the tenure of present moderator John Teevan. Allan laid out two main challenges: (a) we must WANT God, and (b) we must want to do what He lays on our hearts.

Tomorrow, Monday, July 26, is a “free day” and a wide variety of excursions are planned, ranging from hiking and whitewater rafting to tours of Gatlinburg, Dollywood, Biltmore Estates, Dixie Stampede, and more. 

General conference activity resumes Tuesday morning with a 6:30 a.m. breakfast for Grace American Indian Ministries and simultaneous sessions at 8:30 for women, men, and ministers. Fuller Seminary’s Sherwood Lingenfelter is the speaker for the 10:30 a.m. plenary session on Tuesday.

Pastor Mike Jentes of the quest in Columbus, Ohio, (right, with mike) addresses a question to John Fischer in the afternoon Q&A session. At left is Grace Brethren missionary to Portugal Margie Hull. 

Moderator John Teevan (right) interviews singer/author/speaker John Fischer (left) at the beginning of the 2004 Celebration conference of the Fellowship of  Grace Brethren Churches meeting in Kingsport, Tennessee. Fischer spoke three times on Saturday, including a Q&A session in the afternoon sponsored by the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers.

 The 2004 Celebration Conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches officially convened this morning (Saturday, July 24) at 10 a.m. with a session directed by conference moderator John Teevan, who is also pastor of the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church.

Meeting in the cavernous assembly hall of the Marriott MeadowView Resort in this picturesque town which is nestled in the top right corner of Tennessee, right next to Virginia, the pastors, wives, lay leaders, and national organization representatives heard the first of three sessions today by singer/songwriter/author John Fischer.

Fischer, who was once known for his music during the Jesus People movement, has emerged in recent years as a thoughtful writer on the interface between culture and Christianity. That was the theme of his talk at 10 this morning, for a two-hour question-and-answer session this afternoon, and again for the 7 p.m. evening session. Tonight he interspersed a lot of 60s, 70s and 80s folk music and classic songs with his speaking, many of them having Messianic themes or references to spiritual lessons.

The Grace Brethren national organizations all have display tables ringing the perimeter of the meeting area, each having the typical display of giveaways, literature, photos of activity, etc. One of the more interesting is bracelets, cards and other crafts for sale by Filipino Brethren who manufacture and sell the items as a microenterprise. Many Filipino families must live on about $5 per day, and so Grace Brethren innovators are helping set up small businesses to improve the economic status of believers in that country.

At noon today Grace College and Seminary held its corporate meeting at a luncheon attended by about 130. President Ron Manahan conducted the business meeting, and then reports were given by a number of administrators and faculty members, who reported on a new joint nursing program with Bethel College, recent accreditation of the teacher education program, efforts to achieve accreditation for the seminary, the building of a proposed events center, a program to increase Latino and Hispanic students in the college, and much more.

Tomorrow (Sunday) begins with a Chaplain’s Appreciation Breakfast at 6:30, and then the morning worship service will be a half hour away in the Freedom Civic Center at Johnson City, where the Fountain of Life (Biker) church will be hosting the conference with their pastor, Dr. Vic Young, speaking.

 In all, some 900 are expected to attend the conference, which will conclude Thursday morning with a delegates’ brunch and business meeting. Brethren Missionary Herald Co. personnel are producing and distributing a daily conference newspaper entitled FGBC Conference World.

Leaving BNYC a day early, a number of us are now hustling down to Kingsport, Tennessee, for the adult Celebration conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

A Phil Keaggy concert kicks things off Friday night, with the first full day of conference being Saturday.

We will once again be reporting from the conference, which is expected to draw about 900 pastors, lay leaders and delegates to the MeadowView resort in Kingsport for a conference that goes from Friday evening to Thursday noon.

Details of the Kingsport conference are available on the FGBC website. A daily summary of our articles and extensive photo gallery from BNYC are available on the CE National website, as well.

A number of scholarships to Grace College were awarded to NAC competition winners in the Wednesday morning session. Dr. David Plaster (center), Academic Dean of the college, was present to award the scholarships to the winning students. 

Phillip Klawitter, son of Grace Brethren European missionary Paul Klawitter, was one of the recipients of the Grace College scholarships. 

Shawn McBride, who pastors a church in Washington, DC, was the speaker for the Wednesday morning session. At the conclusion, he urged the teens to be "lights in the world" and waved a large lightbulb while leading them in singing "This Little Light of Mine." 

Shopping cart races are a fun way to work off energy during afternoon "hang time." 

It's Wednesday afternoon. We've just finished lunch--some in the REC Center and some in the tent--and made our way through the rain into the afternoon's activities. An article on the rain's effect on community service projects appeared in yesterday's LaCrosse Tribune newspaper.

This morning's main session featured Shawn McBride, an energetic speaker from the Washington DC area who ended his talk on being salt and light by waving a huge lightbulb and having the 2,300 teens sing "This Little Light of Mine."

We're posting articles and photos on each day of the youth conference on the BNYC website at www.bnyc.net. Dick Coldren, Phil Bryant, Viki Rife and I are taking most of the photos, and we have some students who have been submitting articles for posting on the website, as well.  Tonight I will be teaching the second of two sessions on how to use your writing and communication skills to advance the ministry of the local church, and we will also be presenting a career in journalism as a viable way to serve the Lord.

The Brethren National Youth Conference is an incredibly complex function, with multiple layers of activity and purpose going all the time. A host of volunteers are making it run, and are doing an amazing job.

In this morning's staff meeting Francis Chan challenged us to think about the difference between character and reputation--both for us and for the teens. Reputation, he pointed out, is what people think of you. But character is what you REALLY are and, consequently, is what God thinks of you.

So he challened us to be authentic, and to focus more on building character than reputations. He complimented the Grace Brethren young people as being orderly and cooperative--but also warned that just "obeying the rules" is not necessarily a sign of strong character. It was a thought-provoking and well-timed challenge.

I will finish my BNYC duties tonight at about 1 a.m., although the conference will continue for another day. But in order to get to the Grace Brethren Celebration conference in Kingsport, Tennessee, which begins Friday, we will have to make tracks quickly and will leave LaCrosse about 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.

There is a high level of cooperation and interaction here among the Grace Brethren national organizations -- Grace Brethren International Missions has made a particularly heavy commitment to personnel and assisting in the program.

Finals of the NAC competition and quizzing are coming up this afternoon and tomorrow.  We're off to take photographs. Everyone here thanks the many churches, parents, pastors and friends who are praying and keeping an eye on all that is happening at BNYC. God is raising up a generation of leadership that show extraordinary talent and dedication, and that is encouraging to see so many "good teens" using their gifts for God.

Performance art continues to be an effective way to share the Gospel message. Here a group performs prior to Francis Chan's main address in the Tuesday evening session. 

In the Tuesday evening session teens reported on Blitz opportunities to lead people to Christ, to pray with people for rededication, and to share a significant Gospel witness.  

This distribution team, consisting of Amanda and the two Steves, assisted an elderly lady Tuesday afternoon with some minor roof repair, and then prayed with her at her request.  

Throughout the week, 15,000 newspaper are to be hand-delivered to every home in the LaCrosse area by teens from the BNYC conference.  

Tuesday's Blitz community outreach activity consisted of teams who fanned throughout the LaCrosse, Wisconsin community, offering to do small labor tasks free and distributing a customized newspaper explaining the Christian Gospel and the week's BNYC activities. Here a team prays at the corner of 28th and Birch Streets before beginning their door-to-door walk. 

David Thornton of Soldotna, Alaska, performed a solo number with the BNYC choir as backup at Tuesday morning's main session. 

A men's quartet from the Osceloa, Indiana, Grace Brethren Church opened Tuesday's morning session at Brethren Youth Conference with several foot-tapping Southern Gospel numbers. 

As part of Monday's "Blitz" activities, students fanned out across the city doing service projects such as cleaning rooms, tearing down vines, shredding documents, and more. Here two students help at the local Red Cross office, where one of their tasks was to fly new American and Red Cross flags above the office. 

Monday's noontime storm took roofs off buildings and downed trees in the downtown section of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. By God's grace, however, the UWL campus where BNYC is occurring was largely untouched, and some of the students were able to pray and minister to those who were affected by the storm. 

Thank goodness it wasn't yesterday! The Hoeschler Clock Tower courtyard, which Sunday had hundreds of people milling around, performing and eating as part of the International Cafe, was under about two feet of water after Monday's noontime flash flood rain and hailstorm. 

A choir from the Chesapeake District, comprised of singers from seven different Grace Brethren churches on the eastern seaboard, performed in music and sign language prior to Monday morning's main session. 

NAC Competitors are used as prelude numbers before each of the main sessions. On Monday morning these interpretive dance performers provided pre-service worship. 

Sunday night's session with Dewey Bertolini as speaker was held in the U. Wisc. LaCrosse football stadium. It was a picture-perfect night, with a light breeze coming off the rock bluffs on the other side of the valley as 2,400 teenagers gathered in the stadium to sing and to hear a challenge from Bertolini. 

Dewey Bertolini, center, with microphone, answered questions under the lunch tent Sunday noon. Bertolini directs the National Institute which prepares young people for youth ministry, and he fielded questions as the "Bible Answer Man" from teens who listened as they ate a picnic lunch at the Brethren National Youth Conference. 

Sue (left) and Dave Griffiths, missionaries to France, served cheese at the International Cafe on the grounds of the BNYC conference Sunday afternoon. Many international foods were available and hundreds of teens enjoyed the food, took part in the entertainment, and discussed cross-cultural missions work with stateside missionaries. 

A group of Native American dancers from the Ho-Chunk tribe entertained at the GBIM International Cafe on the grounds of U. Wis. LaCrosse Sunday afternoon. There was also a German polka band, strolling accordionist, and a group of Hmong native dancers in costume. 

A unique "Splat Experience" by Christian performance artist Marc Eckel was a highlight of "The Rock" session at 10 p.m. Saturday at the Brethren National Youth Conference. Eckel, whose work may be found at www.splatexperience.com, created the painting in about 10 minutes in front of hundreds of teenagers. Performing to a pre-recorded soundtrack, he uses his hands and buckets of paint to splash a large (approx. 12 feet high) likeness of Christ in about ten minutes. 

Barry St. Clair was the opening speaker for the BNYC conference Thursday evening. Further reports and photos may be found at www.bnyc.net. 

Over 2,400 teens, sponsors and counselors have gathered on the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse campus for the 2004 Brethren National Youth Conference, which began Saturday, July 17 and continues through next Thursday 

An enthusiastic youth choir opened the 2004 Brethren National Youth Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, at the 6:15 p.m. session Saturday evening, July 17. Other music in the session was by Todd Proctor and Waiting for Iris. 

Last day in Winona Lake for awhile—your Intrepid Blogger takes off in the morning for Brethren National Youth Conference in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Posts from here on will contain photos and reports of what’s happening with 2,300 teenagers at BNYC.

In LaCrosse we’ll be teaching young journalists seminars on writing, photography, website content, and how to use writing/photography in advancing the work of the local church. We’ll be judging NAC competition in piano solo and creative writing, and will be shepherding teams of writer/photographer young people who will make internet posts each day to report on the conference. We’ve also helped them produce 15,000 copies of a tabloid newspaper that will be hand-delivered to homes in LaCrosse and Onalaska in their Blitz.

And from there direct next Friday to Kingsport, Tennesssee, for the Grace Brethren Celebration conference. At Kingsport we’ll be producing the daily conference newsletter, manning a BMH Books booktable, doing general writing and reporting, sharing updates with the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers, and conducting a Wednesday-evening BMH dinner and corporation meeting. Conference ends Thursday, and BMH board meets Friday and Saturday—we should be back in Winona Lake early in August.

MasterWorks concludes its festival this weekend with performaces of the Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 and both the Tchaikovsky Violin and Brahms Piano concerti. What a blessing these programs have been! Patrick Kavanaugh, founder the director of the MasterWorks Festival, will then depart for MasterWorks Europe and return in the fall to teach at Grace College. In 2006 he’s slated to become chair of the college’s music department.

Funerals and memorial services are always a good reminder of what’s important in life, and a proper biblical perspective on this life versus the next. Yesterday we had the memorial service for Gene Ridenour at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. Gene, who died Friday of cancer, was a much-loved usher, ABF leader and faithful prayer warrior. He married Bobette Osborn in the 1980s after his first wife died.

The July/August issue of FGBC World should by now have arrived in all subscriber homes and churches. If you don’t receive it, and would like to, log onto www.fgbcworld.com and click “subscribe” for directions.

Off to the Badger State!

In just a few days, Grace Brethren will be gathering in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (youth) and Kingsport, Tennessee (adults) for our annual national conferences. As I read the current blog of columnist and friend Terry Mattingly, I wondered about the values and directions that we Grace Brethren express and experience.

To stimulate our thinking, here is an excerpt from TMatt's latest post on his GetReligion blog:

Last week, I was in Phoenix speaking at the annual North American Christian Convention. This is the kind of religious event that attracts thousands of people, yet almost always draws zero press coverage. Using the slow computer at the Burnsville, N.C., public library, I wasn't able to find a single news story about this gathering. I didn't see a story in the local newspapers while I was there. Google this yourself and see if you uncover something. Perhaps the organizers of this convention need to stage some kind of controversy about homosexuality. That almost always attracts coverage.

Meanwhile, the convention provided a kind of microcosm of trends in contemporary North American Protestantism. It is the largest event held each year by America's independent Christian Churches, which is a loose network of congregational churches located -- culturally speaking -- in between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the left and the non-instrumental Churches of Christ on the right. These independent churches insist they are not a denomination, but this annual convention is where they get together to do most of the things that a denomination does.

So there was a large hall full of thousands of mostly middle-aged church leaders watching modern preachers deliver multimedia sermons with video clips and PowerPoint presentations, while youngish "worship teams" played the latest in the pop-rock worship music. The exhibit hall contained rows of booths for Bible colleges, seminaries and publishing companies, right next to booths for software companies and hip architectural firms that build media-friendly sanctuaries for modern seekers. In other words, business as usual in the post-megachurch age.

But I saw something else that made me wonder: Is this a column? Is this even a news story? If so, what is the story?

Here is what I saw. On one of the quieter halls of the convention center was a small room set aside for private prayer. Since this was a Protestant gathering, the room contained no traditional religious art. Yet there was an icon, of sorts. Over on a low table was a framed portrait of President George W. Bush, with a candle in front of it. The meaning was clear -- pause here to pray specifically for our president.

So was this a Religious Right shrine?

Maybe not. A few steps away was another door leading into a larger candle-lit room. This one contained a large prayer maze called "The Desert." It was based on Native American prayer traditions and, whether its creators intended it or not, is part of a larger movement with branches into all kinds of alternative forms of spirituality.

So was this a liberal, even New Age, shrine? Was it both? Is it OK for modern Protestants to draw on non-Christian artistic traditions while avoiding traditional Christian forms of spirituality? Meanwhile, back in the worship services, is it now more traditional to use rock music and Hollywood film clips than traditional forms of liturgy and hymns?

And is any of this a news story?

Just asking.

On a picture-perfect summer afternoon, members and friends of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church gathered at the lakeside home of Mike and Becky Grill for a service of believer's baptism Sunday, July 11.  

Bruce Barlow, Associate Pastor of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, baptized a number of believers by triune immersion off Rainbow Point in Winona Lake on Sunday, July 11.  

Sherwood Lingenfelter, president of the Grace Brethren International Missions (GBIM) board and Professor and Provost/Senior Vice President of Fuller Theological Seminary in California, is teaching the morning sessions at the GBIM "Family Reunion" this week. About 45 stateside missionaries, along with board members and some GBIM staff, are participating in the weeklong meetings. Lingenfelter's wife, Judy, also a recognized anthropologist and teacher, is teaching each morning, as well. 

Christians now have an important new hobby to pursue--analyzing the faith and values stances of the just-announced Democratic vice-presidential candidate.

A very helpful and insightful article is on the current blog of ChristianityToday.com. Rather than reproduce it entirely, I've selected just a few paragraphs here and there that give the flavor. I highly recommend reading the entire piece. Here are some excerpts:

Edwards is a United Methodist, as is George Bush, so don't expect there to be any confrontations between this candidate and his church's leadership. Instead, the religion story here may be the way in which Edwards is able to talk about religious and moral issues in a way that other Democrats feel uncomfortable in doing. . . .

Several news reports have noted that while Edwards seemed to be the Democratic candidate most likely to attract white evangelicals—especially in the South—he rarely discussed his faith outright. Beliefnet, for example, said Edwards is "more reserved than other candidates in talking about religion and his personal faith." . . .

"I haven't talked about it, because I only usually talk about it when asked," he said in Iowa. He also explained, "'Most people in this country do not want you to be beating them over their heads with your religious views." It's not that Edwards is uncomfortable with religion, Newhouse News Service reporter Mark O'Keefe (recently appointed the new editor of Religion News Service) reported. Edwards, he wrote, "turned to the Bible after his 16-year-old son, Wade, died in a car accident. But Edwards has been uncomfortable talking about this, saying it's a private family matter." . . .

He may not talk about it much, but it's no secret that after the tragedy, as the Des Moines Register reports, "Edwards started going to church again and joined a Bible study group." He said his faith came "roaring back."
He told The Washington Post in 2001 that he doesn't know why God lets bad things happen to good people, but added, "I believe that God answers prayers."
He also rarely talks about his baptism at age 16 at First Baptist Church of Robbins, North Carolina, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in February. But he does talk about values….." . . .

In 2001, Edwards was even more direct about connecting with voters on issues of faith and values. "I'm a Christian, and I hold my beliefs very, very deeply," the Winston-Salem Journal quotes him saying. "Christ is the savior of the world. … I have a connection with [Southerners'] values, and that includes faith. Do I think I can connect with those people? Of course, I do." . . .

Edwards serves on the board of directors for urban ministries at his church, Raleigh's Edenton Street United Methodist.
So when it comes to some of the values that Edwards wants to promote, it's not clear that many conservative Protestants will rally to the campaign. He opposed the partial-birth abortion ban (though he supported it in 1998 )and the "Mexico City Policy" (a.k.a. the "global gag rule"), and says he opposes both a federal marriage amendment and the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996....

He also opposes Bush's Faith-Based Initiative, saying it promotes discrimination… . . .

He has earned a 100% ratings from the National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action League, Human Rights Campaign, and Planned Parenthood, with 0% ratings from the National Right to Life Committee, Family Research Council and (in 2003) the Christian Coalition (though he scored slightly higher with conservative Christian groups before 2003 and with Gary Bauer's Campaign for Working Families in all years). The independent National Journal gave him an 85% rating on liberal social policies, and a 0% on conservative social policies. Bread for the World, however, rated Edwards at 100%.

This week's column by a good friend, Jim Dahlman, who teaches journalism at Milligan College in Tennessee and writes weekly for his local paper, raises a good issue. In it he quotes Vic Young, pastor of "The Biker Church" which will be hosting the FGBC later this month when Celebration Conference convenes in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Face to Faith
July 4 on Sunday a quandary for churches
Johnson City (Tenn.) Press, July 3, 2004

Every six years or so, church leaders in the United States must make a decision: What to do about July 4 when it falls on a Sunday.

The most patriotic national holiday on the American calendar, Independence Day carries more than its share of emotional and cultural weight, and much of that weight has religion stamped on it. The Declaration of Independence, after all, mentioned God by name in the first paragraph.

On the other hand, not many people believe that the kingdom of God begins and ends at American borders or that the Constitution is the 67th book of the Bible.

Religion might be woven into the national fabric, but American history is full of frayed relationships over its proper role. So what's a church to do with Independence Day?

Some, such as Calvary Chapel on South Roan Street, downplay the day - not because they are unpatriotic but because they turn their attention elsewhere.

"We do verse-by-verse expository teaching," explains the church's pastor, the Rev. Rob Kayser. "That takes away from the focus on special holidays."

The church doesn't emphasize these observances because "God's word is most important," Kayser says. "Everything else is secondary."

It's much the same at churches that follow a historic liturgy, such as Our Saviour Lutheran Church or St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. They steer away from molding worship services around national celebrations.

"We may include a prayer or mention something in the homily, but we usually pray for things regarding the nation anyway," says the Rev. Christian Mathis, a priest at St. Mary's. The holiday is acknowledged but it isn't allowed to interrupt.

Other churches, however, are building their Sunday schedules around patriotic celebrations.

Sunday's theme at Fountain of Life Bible Church, popularly known as "the biker church," is "One Nation Under God," says the Rev. Vic Young. Besides an American flag, the service in Freedom Hall Civic Center - where the church meets the first and fourth Sunday of each month - will display American-made motorcycles and a montage of American scenes, perhaps some from the World Trade Center.

"We'll be celebrating the Judeo-Christian founding of this nation," he says.

Young considers holidays such as July 4 a "good opportunity to tie the theme to what people are thinking about," and so he pays attention to popular red-letter days such as Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Labor Day - the ones he calls "the biggies."

On the other hand, the church doesn't follow a traditional church calendar. Part of the reason, Young says, is the congregation's background in the Grace Brethren tradition, once persecuted in Europe. Brethren immigrants to America left the liturgical calendar behind.

"Here in the United States, we are a people whose heritage is of a rebellious nature: fighters, adventurers, with an independent attitude," he says. "We do not like authority. We know that to have form and order, you have to have boundaries. (But) we are proud of our patriotism."

A pastor in another large Johnson City congregation sees the relationship between church and state holiday differently.

"July 4 is a good day," says this minister, who asked to remain anonymous because of church policy. "But the Bible speaks to citizenship, as opposed to patriotism. It advocates good citizenship that adds to human dignity. So even an oppressive system would be better than it would be, absent of the teachings of Christianity."

Except for a brief word of thanks in a pastoral prayer, his church isn't planning anything extraordinary on Sunday.

"Part of being a good citizen is celebrating a government that provides freedom," he says. "But it's not a God-and-country Sunday or anything like that."

Chet Kammerer, former basketball standout and coach at Grace College who now works with the NBA as a scout and in player development, was present Saturday to tell anecdotes and give tribute to his former coach and colleague, Lloyd Woolman. Woolman, now retired and living in Everett, Washington, was honored by many of his former players and by current Grace president Ron Manahan. 

Terry Eichorst (standing), now in the insurance business in Houston, was one of Lloyd Woolman's former soccer players who returned to the Grace campus this weekend to honor the former coach, who is seated, at left. Woolman's son, Gary (white shirt), is seated at right. Eichorst presented Woolman with several cans of Steed additive (on table), which brought back memories of Woolman's former involvement with the company. 

Grace Professor Steve Grill, an expert in the history of Winona Lake and head of the Reneker Museum of Winona History, led walking tours Saturday morning during the Grace Alumni gathering. Here, on the steps of the Beyer Home overlooking the former site of the Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Grill explains the significance of the Beyer brothers to the history of the town. 

Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life has won the prestigious Book of the Year award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

This year 471 books from 58 publishers were entered into the Gold Medallion Awards competition, which is judged by a panel that includes bookstore owners, managers, buyers, editors and book reviewers.

The judges selected five finalists in each category, and then a second round of judging determined the winners in each category.

Established in 1978, the Gold Medallion Book Awards recognize books for excellence in content, literary quality, design, and significance of contribution. Winners in each category of the 2004 competition include:


Book of the Year:
The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren



Bible:
Revolve: The Complete New Testament (NCV)



Reference Work:
Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview By J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig



Fiction:
Thr3e by Ted Dekker



Biography:
In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham and Dean Merrill



Theology:
Old Testament Theology by John Goldingay



Devotional:
Pierced by the Word by John Piper



Inspirational:
Next Door Savior by Max Lucado



Christian Living:
The Trouble with Jesus by Joseph Stowell



Christianity and Society:
Being the Body by Charles Colson and Ellen Vaughn



Missions and Evangelism:
Permission Evangelism by Michael Simpson



Christian Ministry:
The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero with Warren Bird



Christian Education:
Foundations by Kay Warren and Tom Holladay



Preschool Children:
The Mess Detectives: The Slobfather from Big Idea Books



Elementary Children:
Hymns for a Kid’s Heart by Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth



Youth:
Boom: A Guy’s Guide to Growing Up by Michael Ross



Marriage:
Covenant Marriage by Gary Chapman



Family and Parenting:
Preparing Your Son for Every Man’s Battle By Stephen Arteburn and Fred Stoeker with Mike Yorkey



Gift Book:
Think About These Things by Ric Ergenbright



Bible Study:
Experiencing the Heart of Jesus by Max Lucado