BMH Editor's Blog

Several days ago we posted Part I of the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church’s report of ministry to an adopted “sister church” in Gulfport, Mississippi. The team has returned, reported in the Sunday services yesterday, and here is an edited version of the last two days’ report of the team:

Wednesday
We had a great day today! We were assigned to go to a neighborhood in Bay Saint Louis, a town about 30 minutes from Gulfport. What total devastation we saw! It looked as though a bulldozer had come through and just plowed down all the homes. These people had lost everything.

The home we were assigned to work at had actually already been cleared, they had accidentally given us an old work order. When we called back to the church, they informed us they did not have any more work orders for that area. Since we were already out there, however, they suggested we see if any neighbors needed our help.

We walked down the street which was pretty much deserted, and we found a 93- year-old man, Ed, who was very interested in our help. His back yard was filled with piles of debris. We worked all day to clear out his whole yard. He was amazed, and very appreciative of our labor.

It was a real joy talking to him. He was very energetic for his age, (we could not believe he was 93) and he had a very positive outlook, despite what he had been through. I believe he blessed us just as much as we blessed him!

We said goodbye to our new friend Ed, and drove to a huge bridge, Interstate 90, which had been totally destroyed by the storm. As we all got out of the car to look at the bridge, there was one man sitting alone on the bridge, looking out at the water. We started to talk to him, and he shared his sad story.

It was literally by the grace of God that this man was even alive! He had been in his home when the hurricane rushed through and totally destroyed his home. He had been thrust under water by the huge waves, and for a moment had been pinned under debris.

Thankfully the rushing water freed him and he was able to swim to the surface. In the midst of the blinding wind, he was able to swim to a tree, which he hung on to for dear life. He was clinging to the tree, and watching roofs and debris flying by him. He was stuck in that tree for hours, and sprained his arm in the process.

Now he owns nothing but a backpack full of things. He is living in a tent, and getting food from the disaster relief group nearby. We talked to this homeless man for a while, trying to encourage him and be a witness to him. He told us that he does have faith in the Lord, and knows he would be lost without Him.

We assured him of the Lord’s love for him, and gave him a little bit of money. He was very touched by our kindness. But we are just doing the work the Lord has called us to do. What an experience this week has been for all of us!

Thursday
Today was our last full work day. Tomorrow we will only work in the morning. The week has flown by, it is hard to believe we are about to come home. It has been an incredible week that we will never forget.

Today we did a “dry mud out.” We went into a house that had not had anything done to it since the storm. Due to mold damage, we had to totally smash out the drywall in the entire house. It was a major job which took us most of the day.

The house belonged to a young single lady named Chantil. She was there with us for most of the day, and it was an emotional time for her, watching us tear apart her home.

She stayed in her home during the storm, and watched as the water came in several feet deep. Her spirit was lifted by our visit, and she was thankful for our help. Hopefully the church will be able to send another team later to put new drywall back up. As we finished, we prayed with her and said some last encouraging words.

After finishing that job, we then went to another home to clean out some debris. That only took us about an hour. The next-door neighbors saw us, and invited us over to their yard for some cool lemonade. We were touched by this act of “southern hospitality”!

They had already cleaned up their yard and were telling us they had been fortunate, they had had very little damage . The couple and their son were very sweet people, and we enjoyed chatting with them. We have met a lot of kind and strong people down here, which has been a testimony to us.

We should all sleep well tonight. We have worked hard, but have had a wonderful time doing it. We know we are where God wants us to be. Thank you all again for your prayers!

Grace Seminary graduate and former faculty member Dr. John Stoll (pictured), who directs a counseling and Bible study ministry out of his headquarters in Minnesota and Arizona, recently announced that a pastor-mentoring program he and colleagues have been working on is now available. Here is an excerpt from his announcement:

As of this week, the mentoring program for pastors that we have been working on for over a year has finally become a reality.

Dr. Samuel Ng, myself, and four other mentors have been conducting a pilot program with two evangelical denominations. We have now come to the point of making a full presentation to the executive directors of these two denominations.

They have accepted our proposal, and are willing to convey their approval to their constituent churches for consideration of what we have to offer. We have put together a major document that we presented to them.

The basic essence of this document has now been placed on our new website, which you may access at: http://www.e-mentoringpastors.org/. This will give you a brief understanding of what we are doing to assist pastors in the stewardship of their churches.

As you view our website, you may have questions and/or comments, which we will gladly consider. The link "Mentors Resume" is not yet complete, but will soon be. Our addresses, etc. are on the "Contact" link of the website. May we hear from you. 

Pastors, representatives, and attenders from the 14 churches in the Heartland District gathered Sunday evening at Grace Community Church in Goshen, Indiana, for a report from each congregation and a celebration of what God is doing through the diverse ministries in the Heartland. (Tom Avey photo)

Leesburg, Indiana, pastor Chris Hay organized and emceed the event, which included displays from a number of the national organizations, including the FGBC, GBIM, GBNAM, CE National, and Brethren Missionary Herald Company.

The reports included a wide variety of activity, ranging from John Shirk and his friend Shasha presenting poetry from the Chicago northside ministry, to videos of the Hispanic ministries at Leesburg, Warsaw Community, and Osceola.

Larry Richeson from Indian Heights in Kokomo and Bob Arenobine from Fort Wayne Grace reported on recent "turnaround" results which are really encouraging for both those congregations.

Others reported on effective outreach including children's ministries, women's retreats, hurricane relief teams, and more. Jeremiah Olson and the worship team from Goshen led the music and worship for the evening. 

WACO, Texas -- A pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his church Sunday morning after grabbing a microphone while partially submerged, a church employee said.

The Rev. Kyle Lake, 33, was standing in water up to his shoulder in a baptismal at University Baptist Church when he was electrocuted, said Jamie Dudley, a church business administrator and wife of another pastor there.

Doctors in the congregation performed chest compressions, she said. Lake was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where nursing supervisor Pat Mahl said he was pronounced dead.

The woman Lake was baptizing was not injured, Dudley said.

Pastors at University Baptist Church routinely use a microphone during baptisms, Dudley said.

"He was grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear,'' Dudley said. "It's the only way you can be loud enough.''

About 800 people attended the morning service, which was larger than normal because it was homecoming weekend at nearby Baylor University, Dudley said.

Lake, who had a wife and three children, had been at the church for nine years, the last seven as pastor, Dudley said.

A team of relief workers led by Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church is currently in Gulfport, Mississippi, working to assist families from WLGBC's "adopted" church, First Baptist Church of Gulfport, and its daughter church, Cross Point, with cleanup. Here are excerpts from team members' reports:

The damage here is indescribable. The pictures don't do the devastation justice.

Sunday
A rewarding day today. The morning started off with a good breakfast and fellowship together as a group. We then attended a very uplifting worship service here at the Cross Point Church. They are a warm and friendly group of people, with quite a ministry reaching out to the hurting of the community. As we worshiped with them, and sang songs about the majesty of God, we were encouraged by the faith of these people who had experienced the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

After church, we went to a house of a couple that attends the Gulfport First Baptist Church. Their home had been totally flooded inside, the waters had almost reached their ceiling!

They had had to totally gut the house, and when we arrived there was a lot of drywalling that needed to be done. The men in our group did most of the drywalling, and we ladies cleaned up a lot of trash and debris outside, hauling to the curb debris that had been strewn all over the yard.

When we finished there, on our way back to camp, we decided to drive as close to the shore as we could get. The police have blocked off a lot of the worst areas for safety reasons.

However, we did see a lot of damaged buildings, and we were sobered by what we saw. We will be seeing a lot of devastation in the next week, and it breaks our heart. We stopped to take a team picture in front of the First Baptist Church that had been destroyed by the hurricane, and as we did, we met a friendly Security Guard. We had a nice chat with him, and took our picture with him (photo above).

His name was Pierre, and he was actually from the country of Belgium! He had been on vacation in Florida when the hurricane had hit, and decided to stay and volunteer his time helping wherever he could. He said he has to go home in November because he is here on a visitation visa, but he will be back as soon as he can. What an inspirational story!

Monday
This morning we left at about 8:00 and went back to the house we had worked at yesterday. We still had a lot of drywalling left to do, and we wanted to get the entire house drywalled. We were able to accomplish that.

We all worked as a team, and by about 5:00 this evening the house was done. We had a lot of fun and we were very thankful that we were able to help out this family who had literally lost everything in the hurricane.

Just as we were finishing up and getting ready to leave, the brother-in-law of the man who owned the house stopped by. He was very grateful for what we had done for his family. We all had a great time talking with him and getting to know him.

His family and the family who lived in the house we had done, both attend the Baptist Church of Gulfport. It was a joy to meet this brother in the Lord. He told us a lot about what he and his family had experienced during the hurricane, and about the effects of the hurricane to the community.

Tuesday
Today was a very full day. We worked hard and our muscles are sore! We went to two different homes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and we chopped apart trees and hauled away branches and debris that had literally cluttered up the yards.

Trees had been blown over and blown into these peoples' yards during the hurricane, and the yards were a total mess. We all worked hard, and were able to clear out the yards. It felt good to help these folks who had suffered so much.

No one was actually home at the first home we were assigned to, but as we were working on their yard, their next-door neighbor asked if we would be willing to chop up a huge tree that was in his yard and haul it all to the curb. He was an elderly man who attended the First Baptist Church. What a coincidence! It was nice talking to him.

He told us that the huge tree we were cutting down, he and his wife had planted together years ago. His wife had died several years ago, so he was sad to see the tree go...another tragic loss in the storm.

After stopping for a picnic lunch, we went to the second home. There was an elderly man who lived there, and he was very grateful for our help. He was even out there with us working, and he was very moved that we would spend our time to clear out his yard.

It was good that God had sent us there to talk with him, because he really needed some people to talk to. He told us about his wife, who has Parkinson's Disease and was very traumatized by the hurricane. They were staying with some friends, and she was not able to come back to their house at all yet, because she was too afraid to face it.

This man, his name is Tom, was overwhelmed by all the work there was to do, he hasn't even begun to go through his home yet. Several times as he was talking to us he would get emotional. We were thankful that we could minister to him. We are not sure if he was a Christian or not, but he wanted all of our addresses, so we will probably hear from him again!

We have now treated ourselves to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet down the road, and are relaxing and getting settled in for the night. As we look back on our day, we are thankful that we were able to be used by God to bless others today! We thank you all again for your prayers! 

Dr. Brent Sandy, of the Bible department at Grace College and Seminary, would like to call attention to the upcoming meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Here is his notice and invitation:

A stimulating conference for pastors and teachers will be held in Valley Forge, PA, Wednesday – Friday, Nov 16-18, offering the most up-to-date insights into theology and biblical studies.

This annual conference of the Evangelical Theological Society draws approximately 2,000 people from around the world and consists of members presenting their current research. ETS is an organization of teachers and pastors who are conservative Christians, evangelical, and committed to the Bible as the Word of God.

There will be over 300 presentations to choose from throughout the three days. Topics include inerrancy, creation, prophecy, spiritual formation, apologetics, open theism, theophanies, the crucifixion, the resurrection, archaeology, missions, suffering and martyrdom, divorce and remarriage, gender issues, social justice, the problem of evil, capital punishment, Islam, intelligent design, etc.

More than 50 publishers will have displays of their books, most being offered at 50 percent off.

Several theologians from Grace College and Seminary will be present and presenting their research. For the full program go to www.etsjets.org, scroll down on the left panel and click on Meetings, then click on 57th Annual Meeting.

Membership in ETS is $30 per year and includes JETS (the journal of the society). Full members must have the minimum of a Th.M. ( = an M.Div. plus at least an additional year of seminary), but associate membership is open to anyone who is in sympathy with the mission of the society.

Registration for the meeting in Valley Forge is $60. (Note: next year’s meeting will be in Washington, D.C, Nov 15-17, and the year after in San Diego, Nov 14-16).

Here’s what a few pastors say about attending ETS:

“I will be going to this year’s ETS meeting with four of our staff (another one cannot go because of being at a youth pastors’ seminar). I like getting away and thinking theologically and then talking, debating, interacting with the staff about the different papers we hear. It's a refreshing getaway from the routine of day-to-day ministry.”

--Chip Heim



“The Evangelical Theological Society is the body of scholars most representative of our biblical convictions in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. The pressing issues in Bible study, theology and church life are presented in its monthly Journal (JETS) and in workshops at its Annual Meeting. Even an associate membership brings you the Journal and lets you enjoy all the sessions of the annual meeting—except voting. And if you are retired, the fee is only $15 a year—an offer you can’t afford to refuse. I recommend it!”

--Russ Ogden



"Since leaving academia to return to the pastorate in 1984, the edification opportunity I have missed the most was the constant theological interaction that occurs on a campus setting. At coffee breaks, lunches, faculty meetings and other gatherings we, like iron, ‘sharpened one another.’ The Evangelical Theological Society has been the most significant remedy for me in this. I try to attend regional meetings every year and the national meeting whenever feasible. I highly recommend ETS annual meetings."

--Don Shoemaker



"I have thoroughly enjoyed attending the National ETS meetings in 2003 and 2004. The papers that are presented are stimulating and thought-provoking. I've also had the opportunity to meet godly scholars who love God's Word and are deeply committed to it. As one who ministered in the local church for 20 years, I believe pastors can benefit from this experience."

-- Jeff Gill

Information on joining ETS and making a reservation for the meeting in Valley Forge are on the website: www.etsjets.org.

Brent Sandy says, “I’d love to see lots of FGBC ministers at the ETS meeting in Valley Forge. I have a free banquet ticket for the first FGBC minister who makes a reservation and contacts me!”

"Just because you have a small church," says Roland Maust, "is no reason that you can't have a big ministry."

For the fifth year in a row, the Grace Brethren Church of Millersburg, Ohio, which has a membership of under 100 and is pastored by Maust, hosted its annual October Christian dinner theater.

The dinner theater, staged in the church's sanctuary, offers a new presentation every year. The building has been variously transformed into a French cafe, a celestial courtroom, an oldtime radio studio, a spooky old house on an island, and (most recently) a hotel in Traildust, Arizona, in the late 1800s.

The yearly event is part of the outreach ministry of the Millersburg GBC.

"This is a threat-free environment that folks can bring their unsaved friends to to be entertained, and hear a clear presentation of the gospel at the end of each performance," says Pastor Roland Maust. "We also have many Christians who love to come out for an evening of good Christian fun."

The play has been directed since the beginning by Pam Skelly, and all the actors except one are attenders of the church. The cooking is done in-house by a team headed by Kathy Hart, and is carefully related to the setting of each play. This year saw a Southwestern spread of roast pork, tangy beans, cornbread, coleslaw, and a choice of Texas sheet cake or locally-made pies.

Starting with just one performance in 2001, the cast now puts on three soldout performances each season, and wonders what the future holds. But until the Lord directs otherwise, it will surely include reaching out to the people of Northeast Ohio through the power of drama.
 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attending religious services may enrich the soul, but it also fattens the wallet, according to research released on Tuesday.

"Doubling the frequency of attendance leads to a 9.1 percent increase in household income, or a rise of 5.5 percent as a fraction of the poverty scale," Jonathan Gruber of the economics department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote in his study.

"Those with more faith may be less 'stressed out' about daily problems that impede success in the labor market and the marriage market, and therefore are more successful," Gruber wrote in the study, which was released by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Living in a community with complementary ethnic groups that share the same religion increases the frequency of going to a house of worship, he said in the paper titled "Religious Market Structure, Religious Participation, and Outcomes: Is Religion Good for You?"

Such visits correlate to higher levels of education and income, lower levels of welfare receipt and disability, higher levels of marriage and lower levels of divorce, the study said.

Gruber says he focused on non-Hispanic whites aged 25 or older because "there is very strong evidence of racial segregation in church-going, so that the density of Hispanics or non-whites in a religion in some area is not likely to be relevant for the religious participation of whites in that area."

Gruber divided the individuals into seven groups: Catholics, Jews, Liberal Protestants, Moderate Protestants, Conservative Protestants, other and none.
10/26/05 12:21

© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Grace Conference in Mission took place this week (Monday-Thursday), with the emphasis on "Crossing the Borders." Jeff Lewis, a global activist, international speaker, and assistant professor of intercultural studies at California Baptist University, was the chapel speaker.

In addition, 25 representatives from 13 mission organizations were on campus to lead seminars and interact with students. Grace College alumni Jeremiah and Marcie Olson led the music and worship during the week.

Eleven Grace students will be studying overseas during the spring semester through Grace's Study Abroad Program. They are:

Argentina: Amy McIlwain and Keegan Boucek
France (Dijon): Sarah Peters, Sharon Hoyt, Lynae Peugh, and Brian Zaro
France (Paris): Catherine Etner, Tiffany Sandlian, and Jennifer McCaman
Spain: Zachary Evans
Costa Rica: Krista Petty

Five of the students, Sarah, Catherine, Tiffany, Jennifer, and Krista, have been studying abroad during the fall semester as well. You’re encouraged to pray for the Study Abroad students in this important step of their education.

A three-day FGBC leadership strategy meeting concludes tomorrow morning.

All the heads of the national organizations, as well as present, past and future FGBC Moderators gathered with Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey on the Concordia Seminary campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to hear reports from the national organizations, to further refine planning for Equip07 national conference, and to consider other long-range and strategic matters of interest to the Fellowship.

Among the reports were some exciting new directions in church planting by Grace Brethren North American Missions. Details will be released by executive director Tim Boal soon.

Among those meeting were (clockwise, from lower left), Larry Chamberlain (GBIF), Tom Avey (FGBC Coordinator), Keith Shearer (current FGBC moderator), Dave Guiles (GBIM), Dan Allan (immediate past moderator), Jim Brown (moderator for 2007-08), Tim Boal (GBNAM), and Ken Seyfert (GBIF).

Others participating included Ron Manahan (Grace College & Seminary), Ed Lewis (CE National), John Haller (Grace Brethren Men), and Terry White (Brethren Missionary Herald Co.). 

Bryan Nelson (seated left, with guitar) from the Lititz, PA, Grace Brethren Church, led the worship/communion service Tuesday night of the East Focus Retreat held at Sandy Cove Retreat Center in Maryland.

The retreat concluded on Wednesday morning with a wrapup session led by FGBC Moderator Keith Shearer on lessons and insights learned from Psalm 119.

The next Focus Retreat is in late January at San Juan Capistrano, California. See details at www.fgbc.org. 

BY TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer

WINONA LAKE – A pair of Burrowing Owls confront visitors with startling intensity from a Jeffrey Klinefelter canvas.

The work of the award-winning Etna Green artist is one of many works on display in the Mount Memorial Gallery on the Grace College campus.

The college is sponsoring a selection of work from the 22nd Annual Indiana Wildlife Artists Exhibit and several other local artists are included in the display through Nov. 5.

Joining Klinefelter, who also has a piece titled “Reds: Red Headed Woodpecker,” is Laura Hill of North Webster and Tom Willman of Leesburg.

Klinefelter works in gouache, a quick-drying, unforgiving medium that showcases the skills of a master artist. Klinefelter’s birds always seem about ready to leap off the surface of his work. This is especially true of “Red Desert: Burrowing Owls.”

Hill’s graphite, “Water Lilies/Green Frog,” is serene and quiet. She follows that up with a pastel – “Sitting Pretty: Goldfinch/Dogwood.”

Willman’s “Untitled: Bull Thistle” is in the photography section of the exhibit.

The Mount Memorial gallery is large and full of light, a great place for art shows. It is on the main floor of Mount Memorial Hall, up the front stairs and to the right. The building is at the east end of Terrace Drive, off College Avenue. It also is accessible off Kings Highway.

Indiana Wildlife Artists is a non-profit organization dedicated to education about the conservation of wildlife and habitats.

The artists dedicate their efforts to define these needs to viewers.

The subjects of the drawings, paintings, sculpture and photographs in the exhibit are not limited to Indiana native species like deer, birds and ducks. Many have depicted the exotics like a scratchboard zebra prepared to race across the page; a tiger leaning down to drink; and rhinos contemplating their existence.

Featured artists in this show include Lois Berg, Crown Point; Trudy Calvert, Bloomington; Carol Hemdal, Kouts; Mary Ann Matthews, Sellersburg; Janet McCarter, Bloomfield; Bob Meyers, Indianapolis; Robin Myers, Bloomfield; Catherine Hale Robins, Lawrence, Kan.; James Salmon, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Sara Wilson, Indianapolis. Most of the work is for sale.

The Honeywell Center in Wabash hosts the entire annual exhibit each September. In October the show is split. In addition to the works at Grace College, another group is on display at the Garrett Public Library. Judges for this year’s show were Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Lyle Enyeart and Timothy W. Young, associate professor of art at Grace College.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays with extended hours on Monday and Thursday evenings. There will be extra weekend hours from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 in conjunction with Grace’s Homecoming festivities. Admission is free.

For more information about the exhibit or Grace art programs at Grace, call 574-372-5100, Ext. 6022.

On the Net: Indiana Wildlife Artists Inc., www.indianawildlifeartists.org; Grace College art programs, www.grace.edu

A Recap of The Evangelists Gathering

by Mike Jentes

Out of the dream and invitation of Kurt Miller, the first Evangelists Gathering-a gathering of evangelists from the Grace Brethren family for conversation, encouragement and movement-happened over the weekend of October 7-9, 2005.

No one knows for sure, but quite possibly the last time evangelists from across our fellowship gathered in this fashion was back in 1973 for the Grow73 initiatives. Forty Grace Brethren men and women from across the United States all came together for this recent gathering.

This Gathering kicked off Friday night with opening stories and remarks by Pastor Jim Custer from the host church-Grace Brethren Church of Columbus. Following a time of introductions, Kurt Miller, the National Director for Church Planting from Grace Brethren North American Missions, shared his story.

He started by telling of how within hours of his mother being saved, she led him to the Lord as well. Then within a day, even as boy he turned around and shared with his best friend who came to know the Lord as well. That set him on a path as an evangelist.

Kurt continued to share stories from his life as well as the Biblical need for evangelists. The passage which was emphasized was 2 Timothy 4:1-5. He pointed out that if there ever has been a day when the evangelists need to rise up, it is today because people want their ears tickled rather than to listen to the truth.

He finished by sharing that his own evangelistic ministry took the shape of church planting in a variety of contexts. After a time of small group sharing, Saturday evening was finished off with some ice cream sundaes and a fellowship time.

Saturday was full of discussions in small groups, presentations and sharing times with the whole group. Tom Julien, former director of Grace Brethren International Mission, delivered a presentation on Recognizing, Equipping and Mobilizing Evangelists. He highlighted these three seed truths about evangelists: 1) Evangelists are a gift of the Lord to the Church, 2) Evangelists have a distinctive profile, and 3) the Church is to recognize, equip, mobilize and celebrate its evangelists.

After some discussions and lunch, Vic Young of Fountain of Life Bible Church shared about what their church is doing in evangelism. Vic shared the mission of Fountain of Life-to see the lost saved, the saved grow and to be real.

He shared some of the tools that they use: motorcycles, renting a civic center to have a service once a month, discussion groups in local bookstores, getting T-shirts that prompt questions, a car and bike show, and long hair. Fountain of Life will try lots of things to reach people with the Good News of Jesus.

Next, a forum of the presenters (plus Pastor Stephen Joyce from About My Father's Business Outreach Ministries) fielded questions from those gathered. At the conclusion of this time, each person spent time alone with the Lord sorting through what God wanted from this time.

Saturday afternoon was closed out by a presentation by Dr. Duke Heller, a dentist and author of the new book Kingdom Conversations, about how he shares the Gospel. This helpful teaching was reinforced by the generosity of BMH Books donating a copy of Dr. Heller�s book to each participant in the gathering.


Saturday evening was a time of fellowship over supper. Sunday brought the gathering to a conclusion which included joining the Grace Brethren Church of Columbus for Adult Bible Classes and morning worship and a terrific lunch together.

The feedback from this first gathering was so positive, that a second Evangelists Gathering is being planned. If you missed this one, you can get some of the handouts and notes as they are posted on the GBNAM site www.gbnam.org.

Stay tuned for details about the next Gathering and win people to Jesus in the meantime!
 

Poring over Psalm 119 in small groups was the evening activity at the East Focus Retreat, which began today at 4 p.m. at Sandy Cove Retreat Center on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland.

Members of this group included (reading clockwise) Carlos Peralta, Kork Moyer, Rick Clark, Bob Smoker, and Philip Bryant (Doug Courter photo).

FGBC Moderator Keith Shearer began with opening comments and Pastor Doug Black from Liberty GBC in Johnstown, PA, introduced the second session.

About 55 are in attendance--the retreat concludes Wednesday morning. 

The following release from ASSIST NEWS details an event to be held November 4 under the direction of Larry Poland, a Grace alumnus and former Grace College and Seminary staff member.

HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- On November 4th, Hollywood celebrities, top producers, directors and executives will be joined by people from across the nation at the 2nd Annual "National Media Prayer Breakfast," to mobilize spiritual support for the 700 most powerful media professionals in the world.

The words "prayer" and "Hollywood" are not often seen in the same sentence, but prayer for Hollywood's leaders will definitely be on the minds of attendees of the 2nd Annual National Media Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles, California in a few weeks. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, joining celebrities, top producers, directors and decision-makers to pray for the 700 most powerful and influential media professionals in the world.

Established in 2004, the National Media Prayer Breakfast (NMPB) was designed to mobilize spiritual support for leaders of global media, recognize people of faith in media, and reinforce the value of faith in media decision-making. A Christian event open to people of all faiths, NMPB is neither issues- focused nor political. It is a positive expression of care and support for those leaders of global media who wield tremendous influence and who have demonstrated their past appreciation for supportive prayer in the decisions they make.

"The message to Hollywood's elite is that there are millions of Christians who care enough about them to pray for them--not boycott, protest or bash them," says Dr. Larry Poland, founder of NMPB and CEO of Mastermedia International. "We want to send media leaders the positive message of God's love."

Poland feels strongly about modeling positive alternatives to the "anger strategies" that have been directed at the entertainment community by people of faith in the past, he says.

The National Media Prayer Breakfast will take place on Friday, November 4, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza (formerly the Westin Century Plaza Hotel & Spa) at 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California 90067, just minutes from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The event is open to the public. There is a $125 registration fee, and attendees must register by October 24, 2005, online at www.mediaprayer.org.

Opening the event in prayer will be former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, who opened the Senate with prayer each day from 1995 until his retirement in 2003. Father Michael Manning, founder of Wordnet Catholic Television, will provide the closing prayer.

Other program participants scheduled to appear include:
* Actor John Schneider, a regular on the WB television series "Smallville" and former "Dukes of Hazard" star
* Michael Klausman, President of CBS Studio Center
* Lori McCreary, CEO of Revelations Entertainment (founded with her partner, actor Morgan Freeman)
* Charisse McGhee Lazarou, VP of Current Series Programming at Lifetime Television
* Debby Boone, singer and Broadway star

Endorsements for the 2nd Annual National Media Prayer Breakfast have come from some of America's most respected leaders, including:
* Ken Blanchard, author of "The One Minute Manager;"
* Eric Close, actor on the award-winning CBS television show "Without a Trace;"
* Rick Dees, President of Rick Dees Entertainment and the international radio host of Rick Dees Weekly Top 40;
* Sam Haskell III, former Executive VP/Worldwide Head of Television at the William Morris Agency;
* Dean Jones, lovable star of a number of Disney film classics and other performing roles;
* Sonya McNair, VP of Public Relations & Corporate Communications at Essence Communications, Inc., publisher of Essence, the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women;
* Lowell "Bud" Paxson, Chairman of Paxson Communications Corporation and PAX TV;
* Rabbi Sheldon Pennes of Temple Bnai Emet in Montebello, CA and the Jewish Hospice Project, L.A.;
* Tim Rothwell, President of the Consumer Products Group at Marvel Entertainment;
* Alfred C. Sikes, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission;
* Tony Thomopoulos, former President of the ABC Television Network;
* Ralph Winter, producer of "Fantastic Four," the "X-Men" movies, and other major motion pictures;
* Zig Ziglar, Chairman of Ziglar Training Systems and a talented author and motivational speaker.

Gospel artist Kirk Franklin and the Hollywood Mass Choir will provide music for NMPB this year. Franklin's first album was at the top of "Billboard" magazine's gospel charts for 100 weeks and became the first gospel album to sell a million copies. The event will be produced and directed by George Taweel, a 30-year veteran of television, video, film and event production and direction.

ABOUT NMPB

NMPB is sponsored by Mastermedia International (www.mastermediaintl.org), which has been positively supporting Hollywood for 16 years through its Media Leader Prayer Calendar, a guide to praying for the 365 most powerful people in media that is the most widely-recognized and respected publication of its kind.

Sponsorship is in alliance with The Hollywood Prayer Network (www. hollywoodprayernetwork.org), a structure founded by Karen Covell that links national prayer movements in a focus on Hollywood media.
 

The following article, which appeared in today's Akron Beacon-Journal newspaper, focuses on hurricane relief work being done through the Grace Brethren Church of Norton, Ohio (Bob Combs, pastor).

Helpers needed to load supplies
Two trucks of donations will go to Katrina relief

By Kymberli Hagelberg
Beacon Journal staff writer

A group that set out to adopt survivors of Hurricane Katrina is seeking volunteers to help load supplies bound for the Gulf Coast.

``Operation Adoption'' has collected enough food, clothes and supplies to fill two trucks for Gulfport, Miss., and Forest Park, Ark. The group, however, is struggling to process a warehouse full of supplies before the trucks head south Friday.

The group was created by Norton resident Michelle Edwards shortly after the Category 4 storm made landfall in August.

Edwards parked a semitrailer at Grace Brethren Church in Norton until Oct. 10. The church's children's mission raised $1,000 for fuel for the trip, and its North American Mission program donated $3,000 for groceries.

Belinda Barton, an Akron woman who spent her childhood in Gulfport, will distribute the supplies.

``When I was young, the people of Gulfport shared their time and their families with me,'' Barton said Friday. ``I don't know where I would be without them.

``We're going to work with a church while we're down there. We'll keep cooking and passing out what we have until it's all gone.''

Chris Adams of Twinsburg provided the truck that will be used in the delivery. His company, G SYS, has created a computerized crash-avoidance system that will be tested on the trip.

``We needed to see how it works on the road, anyway, so why not do it when you can also do some good. We were going to Arkansas, and we met Belinda (last) Monday. It's amazing how the Lord has brought everything together.''

To volunteer or make a donation, contact Barton at 330-958-3430 or Adams at 330-723-3530.

The November/December, 2005, issue of FGBC World is now available online at www.fgbcworld.com, and the paper version will be delivered to homes and Grace Brethren churches this week.

The current issue of the bi-monthly periodical which connects Grace Brethren people and churches around the world features a creative 8,000-light Christmas outreach display, a wrapup article on Grace Brethren reponses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a first-person report from a hurricane first-responder, a personal historical memoir by a longtime Grace Brethren pastor, and much more.

FGBC World is available free in bulk to churches and by individual copy to individuals. To subscribe, go to www.fgbcworld.com and click on "subscribe" or e-mail the Brethren Missionary Herald Co. at bmhc@earthlink.net.

The periodical is free of charge, and focuses on outreach ideas and news of Grace Brethren churches and people. Each issue includes a Grace Brethren Almanac, a calendar of Grace Brethren events, a "salvation article" which clearly shows how to become a believer in Christ, and more.

If the paper is not being well-distributed in your church, you're encouraged to assist by giving it to church leadership people, putting it in obvious locations such as information desks, mailboxes of leadership, at entrances, etc. Many churches also distribute the paper effectively through ABFs or adult Sunday School classes or with a "missions moment" in the morning worship service, calling attention to the availability of the latest issue.

FGBC World is published by the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, as are BMH Books.

10th Annual Community Carnival: The Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach, California, will host its carnival on its three-acre parking lot from 5-8 p.m. on October 31.

The carnival will have game booths, a skate park, a touch tank from the Aquarium of the Pacific, pitching cage, live DJ and band, bounce houses, inflatable slides, hay mazes, obstacle courses, pumpkin patch and much more.

Over one ton of free candy will be given out this year. 5-8 p.m. Oct. 31, 3601 Linden Ave., (562) 595-6881.

The following article, by Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette writer Sarah A. Meisch, is reproduced to further explain the life and ministry of Robert Boze, who went to be with the Lord Monday.

Robert L. Boze was many things - physician, missionary, pilot and avid bowhunter - but most important to those who knew him, Boze was a man of faith.

"If there ever were a man ready to stare Jesus in the face and say 'Hi,' that was him," Boze's son Mike Boze said.

The elder Boze, 79, died late Monday afternoon - two weeks into bowhunting season - after he either fell while climbing his tree stand or just after getting into his tree stand, his son said.

Robert Boze practiced medicine in Berne for 45 years, retiring in 1998, his son said.

But he didn't leave medicine completely.

From July 2001 to August 2002, he and his wife, Phoebe, were medical missionaries in the Central Africa Republic through Grace Brethren International Missions.

"He got to practice medicine in a way that really reflected his personality," Mike Boze said. "He would improvise, and people were in awe of like 'M*A*S*H,' what he could pull off."

Michael Taylor, Grace Brethren International Missions' regional director for Africa, recalled that the Bozes were popular missionaries.

"Doc and Mom Boze had a fantastic time and related well to the people," Taylor said.

Taylor said that Boze's years as a rural physician prepared him well for the challenges of medical missionary work by teaching him "common-sense medicine."

Taylor knew about Boze's talents long before he worked with him as a missionary. He and Mike Boze were college roommates and once, when visiting the Boze home, Taylor got a chance to go on hospital rounds with Robert Boze.

"His manner with patients was terrific," Taylor said. "I thought, 'I think I'd like to do that stuff.'"

Taylor, who was working as an emergency medical technician at the time, became a physician's assistant.

Carolyn Sprunger, who worked with Boze as a registered nurse for 37 years, said he was a godly man.

"He was a man who practiced his Christianity," Sprunger said. "He lived it."

Boze, a general practitioner who also did minor operations, could relate well to patients because he had had tragedy and misfortune in his life, she said.

"He lost a son very tragically, so when other people had tragedies they'd listen to him because he knew the heartache of losing a child," she said. "He knew hardships. He lost his home to fire twice."

"He was wonderful to work for … he was very compassionate, very fair, very diplomatic. I couldn’t have had it any better.”

The executive director of Adams County Memorial Hospital, Marvin Baird, said Boze was like an old-fashioned country doctor.

"He took care of the grandparents, the parents and the children," Baird said. "His patients were very loyal to him."

Although by the time Baird met Boze in 1989, Boze had stopped doing house calls - common in the early years of his practice - he was still there for his patients 24 hours a day.

"He would meet them at the office or the ER," Baird said. "He was a very caring man."

Boze, a World War II Army Air Force veteran, loved to fly and taught both of his sons how to when they were in high school.

"It was an incredible gift," Mike Boze said.

In addition to Mike Boze, Robert Boze is survived by his wife and son, Jeffrey Boze. He was preceded in death by a son, Timothy.

Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bethel Brethren Church, with calling one hour prior. Calling also will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral Home, Berne. Memorials may go to Grace Brethren International Missions. 

The following notice is from the Decatur, Indiana, newspaper:

Dr. Robert L. Boze, 79, Berne, a well-known retired physician whose practice in Berne and elsewhere in Adams County lasted 45 years, died on Monday at 5:25 p.m. while hunting with a bow and arrow in a woods in Jay County.

He was born in Adams County on December 20, 1925, to Rufus A. and Flora A. Runyon Boze.

He married Phoebe Buel on August 9, 1953; she survives.

Dr. Boze was active in leadership roles at Bethel Brethren Church in Berne, taught Sunday School there for 45 years, and was on the board of trustees of Grace College in Indiana for 14 years. He and his wife spent a year in the Central African Republic as medical missionaries.

He received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award from Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon.

During World War II, he was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Other survivors are two son, Jeffrey Boze of Berne and Michael Boze of Winona Lake; a sister, Lucille Hunt of Uniontown, Pennsylvania; and five grandchildren.

A son and three sisters are deceased.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Bethel Brethren Church, with burial in MRE Cemetery, rural Berne.

Visiting hours are 2-8 p.m. Friday in Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral Home, Berne, and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday in the church.

Preferred memorials are to Grace Brethren International Missions.

A group of Maryland newspapers is currently featuring an article on the growth and popularity of Christian schools. One of our Grace Brethren schools is featured prominently in the article, and here is a short excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.

Gene Pinkard, headmaster at Lanham Christian School, which opened in 1977 as part of Grace Brethren Church of Lanham, said there are many reasons why parents are choosing to send children to church-exempt schools.

‘‘Some parents go to public schools and they just don’t like what they see,” said Pinkard, whose school has 292 students enrolled. ‘‘Some kids are afraid to go to school ... there’s a fear factor there. A lot of them are also just not satisfied with the academics.”

Pinkard said many parents are worried about county public schools’ low test scores, overcrowding and safety issues.

Prince George’s County public schools rank second to the bottom in the state, topping only Baltimore City in overall standardized test scores such as the Maryland State Assessment and the High School Assessment. Baltimore City had higher scores than Prince George’s on the government portion of the HSAs this year, but county students scored better in biology and government.

‘‘A lot of our kindergarten parents are asking what our SAT scores are like,” Pinkard said. ‘‘That’s their mindset.”

Parents also see long-term advantages of keeping their child in one school from kindergarten to high school, and Lanham Christian goes from kindergarten to high school.

Communion while kneeling at the foot of the cross was one of the last stops in an outdoor "progressive Brethren communion service" at the Central Focus Retreat held in Angola, Indiana, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The communion service, which was organized and conducted by the staff of Grace Community Church in Goshen, Indiana (Jim Brown, pastor), began with a night-time open-air footwashing service on the shores of Lake James. The outdoor service was lit by hundreds of luminaries, and concluded with a challenging message on the four main things Christian leaders need to keep high on their priority list.

The retreat concluded about 10:30 this morning with a wrapup discussion on lessons learned from Psalm 119 and a prayer time, led by this year's FGBC moderator Keith Shearer.

The next Focus Retreat will be the East retreat, to be held at Sandy Cove Conference Center on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland Monday through Wednesday of next week--October 24-26.

More information is available from the website of Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey by clicking here. 

Dr. Robert Boze, a leading layman in the Berne, Indiana, Bethel Brethren Church and former GBIM missionary to CAR, died in a hunting accident Monday afternoon near his home.

After nearly 35 years as a family practitioner, Dr. Boze and wife Phoebe felt called of God to the CAR to fill an urgent need for a doctor at the Grace Brethren hospital at Yaloke in 2001. The Bozes served with distinction for a year and were loved by Africans and missionaries alike.

According to the Grace Brethren International Missions website, Dr. Boze lived a life of service to others. In World War II he served in the Air Force; later he served on the board of Grace College. He was a trusted family practitioner for over 40 years, a leader in his church, a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

Dr. Boze is survived by his wife and two sons, Jeff and Mike, both graduates of Grace College. 

Pastor Ray Davis (at right, red jacket), of Trinity Grace Brethren Church in Northwood, Ohio (Toledo area), led a section of the Central Focus Retreat at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana.

Pastors and church leaders attending the retreat are spending Monday evening, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning focusing on Psalm 119 under the leadership of this year's FGBC Moderator, Keith Shearer. Shearer's new book, Childlike Faith, is forming the background reading for the retreat.

The current retreat is the first of five--later this month will be the east retreat at Sandy Cove in Maryland, followed by the southwest retreat in California in January, the south retreat in Florida in late February, and the northwest retreat in May. 

Members of the Brethren Encyclopedia Board, comprised of representatives from six Brethren groups tracing their common heritage to Alexander Mack in 1708, met Monday at Ashland Seminary.

Among the agenda items discussed were the completion of volume 4 of the Brethren Encyclopedia, other monograph manuscripts being considered for publication, and plans for the 300th anniversary celebration in 2008 of the "birth of the Brethren movement" in Schwarzenau, Germany.

The first three volumes of the encyclopedia are now available, and volume 4 has been delayed several months due to the recent sudden death of the co-editor, Dr. Donald Durnbaugh. Dr. Dale Ulrich (second from right, in white shirt) will complete the editing.

Groups represented include the Old Order German Baptist Brethren, The Tunkers, The Church of the Brethren, The Brethren Church (Ashland), The Conservative Grace Brethren Church, and the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. The FGBC is represented on the board by Terry White, executive director of the Brethren Missionary Herald Co.

For further information, and to purchase any of the Brethren Encyclopedia products, log on to www.brethrenencyclopedia.org. 

Joan (Lesh) Hoke, Associate Director of Alumni Services at Grace College and Seminary, was recently elected and installed as the president of the local Kiwanis club in Warsaw, Indiana.

In her work at Grace, Joan is responsible for providing administrative support to the Alumni Services Office of Grace College and Seminary. She plans, organizes, and implements alumni class reunions during Homecoming Weekend. She is married to Noel Hoke.

E-mail: hokejl@grace.edu  

# posted by Terry White @ 9:41 PM 0 comments

The board of directors of the Brethren Missionary Herald Company recently concluded its two-day meeting, held at Northwest Chapel in Dublin, Ohio, and hosted by Todd Scoles. The meeting began with a luncheon that included the pastor of the host church, Terry Hofecker, and his wife, Debbie.

All board members were present, including newly-elected board member Liz Cutler Gates, and officers elected for the coming year include:

President – Dan Thornton
Vice President – Todd Scoles
Secretary – Pat Phillips
Treasurer – Bruce Barlow
Member-at-Large – Bob Arenobine.

Much of the board’s time was spent reviewing financial and potential impact information for the 11 major publishing projects of BMH during calendar 2005. In addition to producing six issues of the bi-monthly FGBC World, the publication linking Grace Brethren churches and people, book-length new products during 2005 include:

1. Reprint of Alva J. McClain’s “Greatness of the Kingdom”

2. Homer Kent, Jr.’s re-written and expanded commentary on the Gospel of Mark

3. Homer Kent, Jr.’s re-edited and updated commentary on the Gospel of John

4. Homer Kent, Jr.’s re-edited and updated commentary on the Epistle of James

5. Dr. Duke Heller’s “How to Start a Kingdom Conversation” book on personal witnessing

6. “Heroes Who Live On, Vol. 2” Grace Brethren heroes, by Bob Cover, Sr. and Viki Rife

7. Roger Peugh and Tammy Schultz’s “Transformed in His Presence: The Need for Prayer in Counseling”

8. Keith Shearer’s “Childlike Faith,” which coordinates with this year’s FGBC emphasis

9. Jim Pearson’s “Minefields in the Marketplace” on ethical issues in business (to appear November 1)

10. Larry McCall’s “Walking Like Jesus Did” character studies on the life of Christ (to appear late 2005)

11. Sherwood Lingenfelter and Bobby Gupta’s “Breaking Tradition” on training leaders for a national church planting movement, based on a case study in India (to appear late 2005)

All BMH books are available online through www.bmhbooks.com or by calling 1-800-348-2756. Quantity discounts are available for those wishing to use BMH Books as texts for classes, ABFs or small-group studies.

A number of other topics were on the board’s agenda, including approval of a 2006 operating budget, performance evaluation of the Executive Director, continuing “cleanup” activities to close out GBC Media LLC, and continuing efforts to build trust and accomplish BMH’s mission of building bridges of communication among the people and churches of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

The next meeting of the full board will be in August at the FGBC National Conference in Indian Wells, California.

Board members include Dan Thornton (chair), Todd Scoles, Bob Arenobine, Bruce Barlow, Pat Phillips, Nathan Bryant, Rick Fairman, Liz Gates, and Barb Wooler.

Iraqi lay pastor and church leader Maher Dakel, for whom Grace Brethren have been praying as "Pastor M" since his disappearance on September 12, is featured in the October 15 issue of WORLD magazine in an article by Mindy Belz (Mindy Belz photo of Dakel outside his Baghdad church building).

Dakel was/is a key part of the developing evangelical work in Baghdad and his potential loss is a devastating blow to the work there. Since there is no word about Dakel and his family/companions since their disappearance, please pray for his release and safe return to his ministry.

Reproduced here is a short excerpt from the WORLD article--to read the entire account click here.


Whatever overtook Mr. Dakel and his party along that desert highway, he was until then a symbol of grit and survival in post-Saddam Iraq. A member of Iraq's minority Mandean sect from southern Iraq, Mr. Dakel earned two engineering degrees from the University of Baghdad. He then rose through the ranks of Saddam's coddled community of scientists and engineers to manage one of Baghdad's largest power stations and to develop computer interfaces to run factories and public reconstruction projects following the Gulf war.

His position meant compulsory membership in the Baath Party. But minority status made him an ill-fitting bureaucrat, more so after he converted to Christianity. Moonlighting as a sidewalk evangelist-translating Scripture into Arabic, reproducing and handing out sermon tapes he received from London, and writing five books of his own about Christianity-eventually landed him in prison for 18 months.

He survived to make friends with his U.S. liberators following the 2003 invasion. And to make the most of regime change. During a December 2003 interview with WORLD at his home in the Karadat section of Baghdad, he flung open floor-to-ceiling cabinets (filled with books, tapes, and other materials) to show how thoroughly his house was ransacked prior to his arrest. Then with a hearty laugh, he said, "The worst of it was, Saddam's thugs ate my watermelon."

By then Mr. Dakel had served as a translator for coalition forces, as a chaplain in Baghdad hospitals, and oversaw Iraqi workers for a 3rd Infantry battalion in charge of rebuilding the Olympic Stadium. He arranged, with the help of U.S. and British chaplains, to secure St. George's, an Anglican outpost built by the British in 1936, and set out to refurbish the church's neo-gothic building.

From a completely defunct membership, the church acquired about 50 worshipers at its first service on the church lawn, 250 by the time services could be held indoors, and today attendance is 800, making it the largest church in Baghdad. 

Only a few bricks and a crumbling foundation remain of the venerable "Health Center" on Wooster Road on the Grace College and Seminary campus in Winona Lake, Indiana.

The facility, used for student housing as far back as the 1960s and more recently for student health services, was demolished this week to make way for construction of the new Orthopaedic Capital Center across from Morgan Library on the Grace Campus (see earlier story). 

There are church planters in your church, and you might be one of them!

Grace Brethren North American Missions is offering a free preliminary assessment of church-planting potential. This very brief assessment is part of a battery of assessments, interviews and training that we use to identify, train and coach North American church-planters.

The 16 initial questions use a simple yes-no format regarding areas such as personal evangelism, connecting/socializing skills, small group gathering and development, adaptability and responsiveness, discipleship, and many others, to provide insights into whether an individual might have the gifts and skills to be a successful church planter.

Men and women of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to take the initial on-line assessment to see if God might be preparing you for this ministry. RU a church planter? Find out! Go to www.gbnam.org . or click on http://host10.dotservant.com/~jms1958/gbnam/
 

# posted by Terry White @ 8:16 PM 0 comments

Galen Wiley sends along the following recommendations which were passed yesterday at the North Atlantic Fellowship Examining Board meeting at Frankford church in Philadelphia. Congratulations to all these men and churches!

* We unanimously and heartily recommend Steve Galegor to the Penn Valley Church of Telford, Pennsylvania, for licensure to the pastoral ministry. We commend Steve for his excellent handling of the Word of God. We also commend those who worked with Steve to prepare him for the exam.

* We heartily recommend to the Colonial Chapel GBC of Berlin, Connecticut, that they license Chris Skroneck to the pastoral ministry. We further commend Chris for his thorough handling of Scripture. We sensed comfort and confidence with the Word of God. We also encourage Chris to continue to sharpen the various doctrines of Scriptures through continued study.

* We heartily recommend to the Crossroads GBC-Frankford of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that they license Mark Ritzman to the pastoral ministry. We commend Mark highly for his expertise in handling the Word, his commitment to the Lord, and his love for his people. We would challenge him to
continue to minister and lead with confidence as a pastor called and sent by God.

* We highly recommend to the Crossroads GBC-Wissinoming of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that they ordain Bob Pearson to the pastoral ministry. We commend Bob for his heart and ability to handle the Word, his love of people, and faithfulness in reaching the city. Furthermore, we commend Bob and his wife Sharon as they model a Christian marriage and family before a needy community.

* We unanimously and heartily recommend Tim Hodge to the Grace Brethren Church of New Holland, Pennsylvania, for ordination to the pastoral ministry. We commend Tim for the evidence we observed of the OUTSTANDING leadership he is currently giving to the church as it goes through its transition. We also commend Tim for his handling of God's Word and his heart for God and Christ's Church.

A newly-revised and updated commentary on the Epistle of James by Dr. Homer A. Kent, Jr., has just been released by BMH Books of Winona Lake, Indiana.

The 201-page trade paperback is the third in The Kent Collection, a project to update and re-issue the commentaries on 15 New Testament books written by the former president and Greek/New Testament professor at Grace College and Seminary.

In 13 chapters the author provides concise commentary, with discussion questions included at the end of each chapter. Photographs help the reader visualize pertinent aspects of first-century Palestinian culture.

"Faith That Works: Studies in the Epistle of James" retails for $14.99 and may be obtained by logging onto www.bmhbooks.com or by calling (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756. The book's ISBN number is 0884692485.  

An article entitled “A Muslim Theology of Jesus' Virgin Birth and His Death” by Jason Borges, who serves with Grace Brethren International Missions, appears in the October, 2005 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ).

The teaser line for Borges’ article reads: “During a weekly evangelistic Bible study with college-aged Muslims in Central Asia, I led the group through the seven signs in John’s gospel, attempting to draw out the implications of Jesus’ miracles.”

EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly) is a professional journal serving the worldwide missions community. EMQ articles reflect missionary life, thought, and practice. Article subjects, related to worldwide mission and evangelism efforts, include successful ministries, practical ideas, new tactics and strategies, trends in world evangelization, church planting and discipleship, and more.

The Purpose of EMQ is to increase the effectiveness of the evangelical missionary enterprise by providing a forum for communicating new concepts, strategies, and resources; by reporting, analyzing, and interpreting significant trends in missions; by encouraging and assisting mission personnel in their personal and professional growth; and by providing a platform for the discussion of important mission issues.

For more information, log onto www.emqonline.com.

Zondervan Publishers has launched a free Internet-based Bible search tool at www.zondervanbiblesearch.com.

The web site provides Internet users with eight Bible translations: TNIV, NIV, Amplified Bible, NASB Updated, NIRV, KJV, KJV Apocrypha, Darby Bible and the ASV. Other translations will be included as they become available.

Pastor Peter Smith of Hope Valley Community Church in Red Hill, Pennsylvania, has now returned from leading a multi-church relief team to the hurricane region. Here is his wrapup report:

Thanks so much for your prayers—they made a huge difference. We could feel the prayers covering us and protecting us every day.

It is hard to believe that it has almost been a week since we have returned from Gulfport, MS. Please be in prayer that God will stir the hearts of many others from Hope Valley and other churches to also step out and allow God to use them.

The Willow Valley Grace Brethren Church is sending a mission team of 13 people to Gulfport, MS (to Crosspoint Church) under the leadership of Youth Pastor Shannon Hollinger. They left this morning.

Team Ministry Update:

1. We were able to help 25-35 families in a big way and another 10-20 in smaller ways. We did lots of chainsaw work and clearing debris. We also did roof work. We cleaned some homes. We ripped out sheetrock in homes. We did a lot of work with a bobcat tractor.

2. We had people on the team from the Dillsburg, GBC; Myerstown GBC; Richmond, VA GBC and Hope Valley Community Church. Also, we had people from the Community Bible Fellowship Church in Red Hill, PA. We thank them for providing two 15 passenger vans for us to use as well.

3. We gave out all the food tubs that we brought with us. We prayed with a number of the families and ministered to them.

4. We gave out mold cleaning equipment and respirators to families.

5. We left equipment and supplies at the Crosspoint Church for future teams to use.

6. God kept us safe; which was a small miracle.

7. God helped us raise over $12,500. Praise the Lord! It is possible that some money may be used to send a second team from this area. Thank you to all the churches and individuals that made donations. The hope that we brought to these people is difficult to put into words.

8. $1,000 will go toward the Crosspoint Church to cover ongoing church expenses related to hosting teams; such as the electric bill! The remainder will likely go toward the Crosspoint Church; Disaster Relief Fund. This money will be used by the Crosspoint Church to purchase needed building materials to help needy families.

9. Our total expenses are still not finalized but will probably be between $5,000 and $6,500. This is lower than I had estimated, which is great. Many people donated items that we would have otherwise had to purchase, including some of the gasoline. Also, the New Beginnings Grace Brethren Church of Myerstown paid for all the gas for the RV. Praise the Lord for low gas prices while we were down there.

10. We had some vehicle problems on the way home. The Jim Landis Heating company donated a van for us to use. The van problem was diagnosed by a local garage since we returned as having a bad fuel filter. It is now running great again. Praise the Lord it was not the transmission!

11. The Hope Grace Brethren Church of Dillsburg, PA, is also sending two new teams down to Crosspoint Church. The two-week period runs from October 29 to November 13. People can go for just one of the two weeks or for both weeks. Let me know if you know of anyone who might be interested in going.

12. Hope Valley Community Church is setting up 6 to 7 pages of information on our church website to help other churches prepare teams to go to Gulfport. We will also be posting lots of digital photos from our trip on the website. Some pages of the website are done already. www.hopevalleychurch.org

Kurt Miller of Grace Brethren North American Missions led the meetings of the Evangelists' Gathering this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

A very nice photo album with captions, photos by Ron Bohem, may be seen at http://homepage.mac.com/midwest_ron/GBNAM/PhotoAlbum14.html 

For the past three years, Calvary Brethren Church of Hagerstown, Maryland, (Doug Courter, pastor) has at this time of the year used cardboard and other materials to construct on the church property an "Amazing Maze" which the church uses as an outreach.

Here is an edited version of Calvary's website account of this year's Maze, which has just concluded. Many additional photos may be seen by clicking www.calvarygbc.org/scrapbooks.htm <http://www.calvarygbc.org/scrapbooks.htm> .

On October 5 we began our third annual fall outreach event called the Amazing Maze 3. Wednesday was our AWANA-only event. With three AWANA groups from around the area joining our group, we had a crowd of almost 200 people.

With everything outside this year, we rejoiced that the weather on Wednesday was perfect. The slide (a big hit from the previous two years) was made even more fun by putting it on the side of our hill and having the children sit on waxed paper. It made for a real quick trip.

The "Hill" maze proved to be a good test of everyone's ability to find their way around the almost endless dead ends. Very few actually made it to the official exit (most just came back out the entrance.)

With 15 bags of colored pieces of paper hidden throughout the hill (redeemable for goodies) and five "game stations" scattered about, people had a great time in the woods.

The spiderweb maze was back again this year, complete with strobe light and a fog machine.

From the pictures you can tell how much people enjoyed each of the mazes. Thursday through Saturday our maze was to be open to the community, but once again circumstances beyond our control caused us to only meet the one night.

We did have nine decisions for the Lord though! Check out our Scrapbook to see more about this year's maze. 

 

 

A group of about 40 gifted evangelists from the FGBC began meeting this evening in Columbus, Ohio, and for several days they will share testimonies, motivation, best-practices, and will discuss God's call to our Fellowship to reach out to unbelievers.

Brethren Missionary Herald Company has provided to each one attending the meeting a free copy of Dr. Duke Heller's recent book on personal evangelism, entitled How to Start a Kingdom Conversation.

As the publishers, we pray each week for our authors and for God to use our publications in His service. This evening Duke Heller sent us an e-mail he'd received from someone who had just read the book--excerpted here is a short piece from her e-mail. Rejoice with us, and please pray that God will grip the hearts of many of us in the Fellowship with the need to be continually sharing the Good News of Christ. And please pray for this dear woman and her family:

"We are generally happy, but I have been feeling that something is missing from our lives. Every Sunday we have an excuse why we did not make it to church.

"We work long hours, we were not comfortable anymore at our church home, etc. I also have health issues that have been plaguing me . . . We also fell short in our management of money and therefore have been going through some financial difficulties.

"Although I wanted to make changes, I see now what I have needed to do all along. I feel a real sense of peace right now. I had just finished a novel and am an avid reader. I started to read your book last night and read until 11.

"I got up this morning to pack my husband's lunch and sent him off to work. Normally I would lay down again for a couple of hours before getting the kids up for school. Today, however, I picked up your book again.

"A month ago I attended the funeral of a child of a friend--she was seven years old and had been in a boating accident. It was the worst service I had ever been to. I can't imagine losing a child and that family's grief.

"I need to know that my family will be saved when God calls us home.

"I was still reading this morning when my husband left for work. I went in and looked at my children still sleeping and then I went to my kitchen and got on my knees and asked God to come into my life.

"I prayed the sinner's prayer aloud and cried. I feel your book was what I needed to finally do what I had been thinking about for awhile now.

"I can't wait for my kids to get up this morning and my husband to come home to share with them. We will be in service Sunday with no excuses! Please pray for my family as we begin our new lives." 

BMH Books senior editor Jesse Deloe (left) recently presented copies of several of BMH Books' latest products to CE National Executive Director Ed Lewis (right) for use in CE National's lending library.

New BMH products donated to the lending library included Dr. Alva J. McClain's classic Greatness of the Kingdom, two new commentaries on the gospels of Mark and John by Dr. Homer Kent, Jr., and the new book by Roger Peugh and Tammy Schultz of the Grace College and Seminary faculty entitled Transformed in His Presence: The Need for Prayer in Counseling.

More information on CE's lending library may be obtained by logging onto www.cenational.org and the full catalog of BMH Books may be seen at www.bmhbooks.com. Or call (toll free) 1-800-348-2756 to order--clergy and quantity discounts are available for BMH products. 

The following article appeared in this evening's Warsaw (IN) Times-Union newspaper. Patrick Kavanaugh is the chair of the Grace College music department.

Warsaw Symphony Orchestra’s First Concert Set Sunday

BY TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer

WINONA LAKE – Warsaw Symphony Orchestra is off to an enthusiastic start, presenting works by Beethoven, Schubert, Sibelius and Bach for its premier concert Sunday.

Dr. Patrick Kavanaugh, of Christian Performing Artists' Fellowship and MasterWorks fame, conducts the WSO. When he put out the call for musicians last spring, he worried whether or not he’d have enough players to seat an orchestra.

They came from as far away as Fort Wayne, Huntington and Goshen to audition, although most of the members are from Winona Lake and Warsaw.

Then he worried about whether or not they would practice after selecting such complicated pieces to play.

"They’re rehearsing, they’re right where they should be during rehearsal. The Grace College music students have worked especially hard,” Kavanaugh said, an ethic he expects of the college’s music department students.

The orchestra is populated with high school students, too. The age range is as young as 13 and as experienced as 60.

Some are professionals, some have music degrees and some don’t. In the group are a mother and a son and a brother and a sister. People who attended Grace Community Orchestra performances will see familiar faces.

“We have some very fine players,” he said. “The group is big enough to do symphonies, to play serious music. This first program is ambitious, but we’d rather shoot for the stars.”

Sunday’s program includes Beethoven’s “Coriolan Overture,” Schubert's “Symphony No. I” the unfinished symphony and Sibelius’ “Finlandia.” Soloists Marvin “Chappie” Perry, principal trumpeter for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and local soprano Tammie Huntington are featured during Bach’s “Cantata No. 51.”

Perry has been with the ISO for 30 years. Huntington is director of voice at Grace College.

“The music industry can be negative and backbiting," Kavanaugh said, a reality he stresses to young players. “It’s neat to see a lot of musicians loving to play together.”

The orchestra’s premier takes the place of the first Second Sunday Series, sponsored by the Christian Performing Artists’ Fellowship players. The series begins in October and runs through May. The CPAF will continue with its regular schedule in November.

Admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert in Rodeheaver Auditorium is free, although a collection will be taken to offset costs. As the orchestra’s season develops, admission fees may be charged in the future.

“We hope families come out to hear the symphonic orchestra,” Kavanaugh said. “We’re very family-friendly and family-oriented. Come up and talk to the performers.”

FIRST BRETHREN HOMECOMING CELEBRATES 115 YEARS

First Brethren Church in Buena Vista, Virginia, will hold an old-fashioned Family Homecoming this Sunday, October 9.

Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. followed by the Homecoming Worship Celebration at 10:30 a.m. A potluck dinner is planned for 12:45 p.m. in the church's fellowship hall.

The afternoon Homecoming Concert will begin at 2:00 p.m. An infant nursery and toddler church will be provided in the morning and a nursery in the afternoon.

Rev. Mick Rockafellow will be the Homecoming speaker. The Virginians Quartet (pictured) will provide the special music in both services.

Mick Rockafellow served as pastor of the First Brethren Church from 1987 to 1990. He and his wife, Bonnie live in Lansing, Michigan, where he pastors the Lansing Grace Brethren Church.

Howard McVey and Don Lipscomb organized the Virginians Quartet in July 1970. From 1970 through 2003 the group ministered in an eight-state area and recorded many TV programs, tapes, videos and CD's.

The quartet has recently reorganized with the original members it started with in 1970. In addition to Howard and Don the group includes Sonny Kingery, Elijah Burke and Donnie Kidd.

According to McVey, the group's sole purpose in singing is to see people come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to receive a "Spiritual Blessing" through the ministry of song.

With this Homecoming, First Brethren Church celebrates 115 years of ministry in Buena Vista. Founded in 1890, it is part of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

The church's senior pastor, the Rev. Christian Becker, noted, "Grace Brethren Churches are united by their love for Jesus Christ and a belief in the Bible as the complete Word of God. Our commitment is to serve God and others with the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Becker recently completed his sixth year of ministry with the church. Under his leadership the church's attendance has grown steadily since 1999.

He is enthusiastic about the church and added "First Brethren Church is a family church. We have children's and youth programs as well as an active men and women's ministry. If someone is looking for a church, we like to say that 'First Brethren is the church with a place for you!'"

"And speaking of Homecoming," he said, "We hope that former attenders, members of the community, and folks looking for a church will come this Sunday as our guests."

Due to the Homecoming concert in the afternoon, there will be no evening service on October 9. First Brethren Church meets at 100 E 29th Street (U.S. 60 E) in Buena Vista. For information, call the church office at (540) 261-6425.
 

An article on a young horsewoman who is a member of Grace Fellowship, Avis, Pennsylvania (Alan Hess, pastor), is featured in the October, 2005 issue of Brio, a magazine for teen girls ages 12-15 years, published by Focus on the Family.

About the subject, Liz Arnold (pictured here), Alan Hess and his wife, Pam, say, "She has been away at Messiah [College] the last year, but prior to that, she was very active in our children's club program. She had been a helper in the club program for at least 4 or 5 years. She also participated in choirs, dramas and puppet ministries of the church. She often sang for special music. She attended Brethren National Youth Conference and loved it!

"She has many awards for her animal showings at fairs, both horses and other animals. She is a wonderful, Christian, young lady."

The article, written by Marty Kasza and entitled "Joy in the Journey," may be viewed on the Brio site by clicking here. 

Some of our good friends in the SBC and in Mission America have alerted us to the great need churches in the Mobile, Alabama, area are having to get going again after the recent hurricanes. Please consider whether your church can help in any way as a response to this message:

Mobile Baptist Association can use your help. One hundred one of our 104 churches, and all three MBA properties received wind or flood damage. We need experienced roofing teams (shingle, flat roof and standing seam) to help with over 80 church/pastors buildings that need new roofs.

Teams need to be self-supporting in housing, food, and tools. In spite of extensive damages our churches are serving on the front lines in evangelistic ministry as distribution centers and shelters for displaced persons.

Donations may be made directly to the front lines through the MBA Disaster Relief Fund, 616 Azalea Rd, Mobile, AL 36609 . One hundred percent of donations goes to Disaster Relief--no administrative costs are deducted.

If you can be of help, please contact C. Thomas Wright, Ph.D., Executive Director of Missions, Mobile Baptist Association, 616 Azalea Rd, Mobile, AL 36609, 251-661-7111 www.mobilebaptists.org

Dr. Chuck Davis, GBNAM career missionary to the southeast U.S., recently send this wrapup report of his time in Shreveport, Louisiana:

Hurricane Katrina and hurricane Rita have devastated the Gulf Coast region and changed people’s lives forever. I have just returned from Shreveport, LA after serving with the Red Cross for three weeks in two different Red Cross shelters.

In the Shreveport area alone 7,500 people were being housed in Red Cross shelters. The human tragedies and t