BMH Editor's Blog

The blogs will be silent for a short period as we deal with some personal grief in the White family.

Our daughter Jamie, 35, was found dead Saturday morning in the living room of her apartment in a south suburb of Minneapolis. As a single mother, she has been raising her two boys, ages 12 and 16.

I returned from the East Focus Retreat Wednesday night and spent time with her Thursday and Friday. She had jaw surgery on Wednesday (her fourth) and my wife, Sharon, had taken her to the hospital, stayed with her through surgery and recovery, and was watching after the boys.

We all had a spaghetti dinner Friday night at Jamie’s place, even though Jamie was in quite a bit of pain from her operation. She lay down on the couch after dinner while my wife, Sharon, who had fixed the dinner, cleaned up.

I left Jamie’s place about 7 p.m. and Sharon left about 8 p.m., after the boys had returned so that Jamie would not be home alone. When the boys arose Saturday they found her dead on the living room couch.

We are awaiting toxicology tests and the results of an autopsy—we cannot set funeral dates until they release her. We tentatively plan for a funeral late this week. There are a number of possible causes, including accidental overdose of pain medication, one of several types of blood clots, or even hereditary heart disease (we adopted her as an infant, but there is a family history on her biological father’s side of early death from heart disease).

So we thank you for your prayers, particularly for what will now happen to the two boys. Todd is 16 and Chad is 12, and they desperately need stability, good role modeling, and strong spiritual input at this time in their lives.

The blog content will return after a reasonable period to reassemble our lives.

Doug Lee led us in the Matt & Beth Redman song at the retreat—it keeps echoing in my mind.

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name.

Little Simon Avey is home!

Catch more of the details at http://www.simonavey.blogspot.com/

A team of eleven women from the Upper Arlington (OH) Grace Brethren Church (Dave Bogue, pastor) and thequest in Columbus (Mike Jentes, pastor) left today for a ministry trip to Trinidad which will be centered around conducting a “Pastors’ Wives Retreat” for about 26 pastors’ wives from across the island.

The announcement from the Upper Arlington church said, “Many Americans see the Caribbean as a vacation spot, but God sees the heart of people . . . Grace Brethren women from Columbus, Ohio, will be traveling to Trinidad . . . Organizing a weekend retreat for the wives of pastors and ministering in an orphanage and school will dominate the schedule for the week.

“We prayerfully anticipate that God will use the enthusiasm of these short-term missionaries to encourage the hearts of those working full time in the Caribbean. In addition, we are eager to see what God does in the hearts of the participants.”

Leaving October 26, the team will return November 2. The trip is organized in partnership with Grace Brethren North American Missions.

More information and specific prayer requests for the trip are available by clicking on the Upper Arlington church's website at http://www.uagrace.org/missions.htm

A portion of a recent prayer update from Bruce Triplehorn, who oversees work in Brazil for Grace Brethren International Missions, gave the following encouraging update:

"The other day, Pastor Nonato Pantoja, one of our older, more traditional pastors, called me aside after a meeting. He said he had some news that would really be pleasing and had a big smile on his face.

"He drew a circle with the name Castanhal in the middle. This is a booming city about an hour outside of Belém where the people from his church live.

"He drew nine spokes in nine different directions from there and told me of nine church plants that are being spearheaded by different members from his church. All of them are part of the evangelism team with Soares, the police officer. Nonato himself has been recuperating from a recent surgery and has not been doing much lately.

"In addition, the other Pastor Nonato from Marituba is involved in five different church plants, again, being spearheaded by members of his church. He claims that they do all the work and he just sits back (an obvious exaggeration)."

By Katy Devereaux
BMH Editorial Intern

Building Authentic Community, the new book by FGBC moderator Tim Boal, is now in the warehouse and available for shipping. The book was first used as the text at the East Focus Retreat earlier this week.

Do you find fulfillment in your local church? Many Christians in North America do not, and some even hate the church in general because of its cultural form. Building Authentic Community, a new release from BMH books, explores the question, “How does Jesus feel about His church?”

Author Tim Boal probes into the decline of modernism and the rise of postmodernism to show why so many Americans are dissatisfied in their local churches today. Boal writes, “One finds again and again in Christian postmodern thought the desire for a greater love for Jesus and a diminishing appreciation for the structures of the church. Relationship and journey are emphasized over rules and destination.”

As Boal explains, the gospel is the means for true relationship in community, and “family” in the Bible can be used as a metaphor for the church. “How about your own local church? Is it all God wants it to be? It can be. Some have found a church home that is a great blessing and from whom true Christian love and mission exude.”

Referring to God’s church as “His family” to show relationship, Boal uses five chapters to show how God creates His family, how the family is formed, how it can follow the Father, how it is established, and how it can reach the world. With worksheets for churches and individuals to measure themselves against biblical standards, Building Authentic Community explains God’s plan for the church.

An experienced pastor, church-planter and mission executive, Boal is the pastor of Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Pennsylvania, and he is also the executive director of Grace Brethren North American Missions.

He served as president of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers for two years and as the moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches in 2006. He and his wife Tammy live in Pennsylvania with their three sons, Benjamin, Daniel, and Andrew.

Now available from BMH Books, Building Authentic Community retails for $13.99 and the ISBN number is 0-88469-307-4. To order, call 1-800-348-2756 or log onto www.bmhbooks.com.

CBN recently featured the Grace Brethren church in Raleigh, North Carolina (Mike Lee, pastor), on its "Church of the Week" feature. Here is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click on http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/cow/hope_community102306.aspx

CBN.com – Hope Community Church of Raleigh, North Carolina, uses stage and screen to present the good news of the gospel in a dynamic and creative way.

“We use sound and light and music and drama and video to try to maintain the message that people can relate to, that will keep their attention and hold it,” executive pastor Dave Patchin explains. “When Jesus used parables, He set His message in a context that related to everyday life for the average person. And we try to do that with the Gospel and the Gospel message here at Hope.”

Hope Community uses drama as a key element in their Sunday services.

Catalyst, a new Grace Brethren-affiliated church near the Kent State University campus in Kent, Ohio, recently launched under the direction of Jonathan Herron, Here are some excerpts from the church’s recent newsletter:

September 10th saw the realization of a dream for a team of twenty and thirty-somethings in Portage County.

After nearly a year of praying, planning, mobilizing, and serving, Catalyst Church successfully launched in Kent, Ohio. With 150 people attending Catalyst’s inaugural worship service and boasting a current demographic of 90% college students, Catalyst is already reaching people who traditionally disappear from churches on Sunday mornings.

Here are just a few of the responses from early participants in the church-plant.

“My name is Stephanie and I have been to three of the four weeks of Catalyst. I too have been burned out and lost from church for sometime now and have been grateful that something like Catalyst has come along.

“I really enjoy the services and feel a closeness to God that I have not been able to feel for some time. I am interested in joining as a member of the church and I am also interested in taking a few of the magazines to hand out. Thanks!”

Another young person responded, “Well I ventured out last night and needless to say, it was pretty cool! I enjoyed it. The basic way I can describe it is that you just feel welcome there and that you have a purpose for being there. That's how church should be, or at least that's my opinion on it.”

Yet another said, “I’m a sophomore at Kent State University which has a campus of 24,000 undergraduates. Very few churches in the area target the 20- something age group, and Catalyst is beginning to do something about that.

“Although I thought I had been very spiritually stable coming into my freshman year at KSU, I found out quickly that there were no campus groups to spiritually feed and sustain me. I found a few groups where I could have fun with Christian friends, but no church that made me hungry for more of God.

“Catalyst has been an answer to prayer for me. I have only attended for little over a month and I am already active in their dynamic childrens' ministry. I love the people and the vision of Catalyst”

Jonathan Herron says, “Catalyst is a start-from-scratch church plant, seeking to impact a county where 85% of our friends & neighbors never darken a church door. After almost a year of planning and just seven weeks of public services, Catalyst is off to a remarkably healthy start.

“BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP. As it takes church plants on average almost two years before they can become self-supporting, Catalyst is in critical need of significant donations to continue this good work in Kent. Due to budget constraints we are already making severe cuts in our ministry.

“ In faith we are praying for $12,000 in outside donations to come in by December 15th to ensure there is no interruption in ministry heading into 2007. Catalyst Church is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit and therefore all donations are tax-deductible.”

Donations can be mailed to: Catalyst Church PO Box 3653 Kent, OH 44240. Further information is available on the church’s website at http://www.catalystchurch.cc/index.htm.

This was one of four workshops, in addition to four general sessions, that were a part of the church-planter’s conference held in Argentina last weekend.

Dave Martin of Grace Brethren International Missions reports, “We had people from many provinces of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, one person from Brazil and one couple [Dave and Sue Guiles] from the USA.”

The following were among the comments from participants:

“…the Lord used every workshop and plenary to speak to my heart (often bringing tears to my eyes)…..”

“We’re back home now, and still chewing on everything we experienced this past weekend. It was a great blessing for both of us.”


“EQUIPPED TO OVERCOME: Finishing Well—Right Up To Our Final Breath” was the theme of the conference, Martin reports, based on Jesus’ invitation in Mark 8:31-34.

He says, “Now we’re ASKing God to strengthen His servants, as they return to their strategic ministries, to follow through with commitments made: inspiring them to WANT to finish well, to DENY THEMSELVES, to TAKE UP THEIR CROSS DAILY, and to FOLLOW JESUS.”

Knowing that many around the Fellowship were praying for the conference, Martin reports, “We’re THANKING Him for helping everyone arrive safely at the conference site (in spite of delay in the case of two couples, because of the snow-closed Andean Pass); providing lovely spring weather (after only a few rainy, windy hours on the first day); keeping our car running like a top on several essential errands (although the mechanic has told us there’s no fix for the carburetor!); blessing us with five diligent, sweet-spirited ladies who worked oh-so-hard in the kitchen to provide the delicious meals we all enjoyed. And more!

“You are part of all this, an essential part. We’re blessed to be partners with you in Jesus Christ. Thanks for lifting us up in prayer.” (Dave Martin photo)

Praise and worship time preceded each of the main sessions of the church-planter's workshop held last week in Argentina.(Dave Martin photo)

All Ohio Church Planting Summit, November 5-6

Deadline for the registration discount is this Friday, October 13!

Join us as we come together to know what God is doing in the Ohio harvest field, share what God is doing in your heart and in your church, and pray for one another as we focus to accomplish His mission today.

Heartland Conference Retreat Center (3201 CR 225, Marengo, OH 43334) will be the location for 24 hours (4:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) of focus on starting churches in Ohio. Registration is $70.

For more information, contact Jamie McClary at the VisionOhio Operations Center at 614-764-8857 or jmcclary@visionohiogbc.org.

Friday: Fall Festival, 9:30 a.m., Grace Brethren Church, 11020 Lebanon Road, Loveland, Ohio (Dan Ramsey, pastor). Scavenger hunt, stories, snacks and costume parade. 513-683-3453.

Isabel L. Zimmerman, 91, died at 9:15 p.m. Monday, October 23, 2006, at Grace Village Retirement Community in Winona Lake, Indiana, where she resided.

She was born Oct. 8, 1915, in Sidney, to Merl & Eva Mae Hunter Heckman. On June 26, 1938, she married Benjamin Christian Zimmerman, who died Oct. 28, 2000.

A lifetime Kosciusko County resident, she was a homemaker and a member of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church and Gideons International.

Surviving are two sons, David L. (and wife Peggy L.) Zimmerman, Warsaw, and Philip K. (and Shirley) Zimmerman, Mansfield, Ohio; three grandchildren, David Andrew Zimmerman, Noblesville; Jason Aaron Zimmerman, Evansville; and Kent Adam Zimmerman, New York City; four great-grandchldren: Amelia Stark, Plainfield; Jacob Zimmerman, Noblesville; and Trevor and Taylor Zimmerman, both of Evansville; nine nieces and nephews; and a sister, Iris Mauzy, Bloomfield, N.M.

She was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Cindy Zimmerman Stark, and two sisters, Enid Heckman and Cashel Taylor.

A graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw, Indiana, with the Revs. John Teevan and Charles Ashman officiating. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at WLGBC.

Calling is from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw.
Memorials to WLGBC.

Group discussion of the main theme of each of Paul's New Testament epistles, in the order in which they were written, was the main subject of the Tuesday morning sessions at the East Focus Retreat, being held this week at Sandy Cove Conference Center in North East, Maryland.

Larry Orme of the Penn Valley church staff in Telford, PA, led the discussion. The 50+ attenders of the retreat enjoyed some free time Tuesday afternoon as the retreat passed the halfway mark. Sessions Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning will conclude this year's retreat.

Dave Nicodemus, pastor of student ministries at Gateway Grace Community Church in Parkesburg, PA, posted notes from the group discussion of the Pauline Epistles on the wall as background for the remaining sessions of the East Focus Retreat.

Remember the old days when you took notes with a pen or pencil and wrote them on a piece of paper?

Here Eric Miller, director of youth ministries at the Frederick, Maryland, church, records the notes from group discussions the modern way--with cameraphone. Fast, easy, and surprisingly readable.

Keith Shearer (left), last year's FGBC moderator, and Tim Boal (right), this year's moderator, have both written books to be used as texts for the five Focus Retreats held during the year of their respective tenures.

Here Boal autographs for Shearer one of the first copies of Building Authentic Community, Boal's book which just came off the press this weekend.

Shearer's book, Childlike Faith, was used in the Focus Retreats last year. Both books are available online at www.bmhbooks.com or by calling 1-800-348-2756.

Worship leader Doug Lee (left) led the opening session this afternoon of the East Focus Retreat, being held at Sandy Cove Conference Center in North East, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay.

The three-day retreat is the second of a series of five for pastors and church leaders throughout the Fellowship. This year's theme focuses on the Pauline epistles and the biblical definition of "church," and the sessions are being led by FGBC moderator Tim Boal.

The Sandy Cove retreat concludes Wednesday morning.

Tim Boal, current moderator of the FGBC and author of the BMH book Building Authentic Community, which is also the title for the Focus Retreats this year, led the Tuesday evening discussion session on the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul's churches and in today's church.

The death of a beloved staff member, Michele Fishback, has motivated the Grace Brethren church in Seal Beach, California, to memorialize her with a gift of more than $17,000 to help local law enforcement agencies.

Michele’s Fund, was initiated by Grace Community Church Pastor and Seal Beach Police Chaplain Donald Shoemaker and Seal Beach Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, to equip the Seal Beach police cars with Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units.

In this photo Pastor Donald Shoemaker (left), who has just completed five years as police chaplain in Seal Beach, presented Chief Kirkpatrick with one of the defibrillator units and with the check to purchase additional units.

Funds were received through Grace Community Church and the Seal Beach Police Department from many individuals, businesses and civic groups within the Seal Beach Community.

The goal of Michele’s Fund was to raise $8,000 by August 31. Members and participants in the community contributed over $17,000 to this goal.

Michele’s Fund was named in honor of Michele Fishback, Director of Women’s Ministries at Grace Community Church. She died in March of this year following a heart transplant. The funds were presented at the Seal Beach City Council Meeting on Monday, September 25, 2006, with the Fishback family in attendance. (Vicki Barilla photo)

This evening at 6 p.m. New Beginnings Grace Brethren Church, Route 422, Myerstown, Pennsylvania (Keith Shearer, pastor), will host John MacMurray, author, photographer and adjunct professor of biblical literature at Multnomah Bible College in Oregon. MacMurray will speak on the topic of creation.

For more than twenty years, John MacMurray has taught Bible at the college level and directed youth programs. He is an internationally recognized nature photographer who has been featured in National Geographic, Sierra Club, and numerous other publications. He lives in Eagle Creek, Oregon.

Recently MacMurray has come into the public spotlight for his role as mentor to popular author and speaker Donald Miller.

Former Ohio State and Chicago Bears quarterback Craig Krenzel (left) shown here with Pastor Gary Underwood of the Delaware, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church, was the speaker last Saturday as the Delaware church hosted an evangelistic outreach for men and sports fans in its community.

Through a contact with Athletes in Action, lay leader Matt Kuchers and the men's ministry team were able to welcome Krenzel as the featured speaker. Krenzel is well-known for leading Ohio State to the National Championship in 2002 and being the winning MVP of the Fiesta Bowl.

"Craig did an outstanding job of sharing naturally and clearly about his relationship with Jesus Christ," said Delaware senior pastor Gary Underwood. "He was humble, easy to relate with, and very clear about the Gospel!"

More than 210 men from central Ohio came to hear Krenzel and connect with the church. Several other churches (including Powell and Sunbury GBCs) were involved and brought men to the event.

Underwood said, "Please pray for unsaved neighbors, friends, co-workers, and sons who came to this event and heard Craig's testimony and relationship with Christ.

Pastor Brian Blackburn, also of Delaware GBC, noted, "It's was wonderful to see our men take ownership of this crucial ministry and outreach - they're doing a great job!"

From today's Connellsville (PA) Daily Courier:

By Mark Hofmann
DAILY COURIER

A local church group and a World Trade Center survivor will start a campaign to make honoring first responders a national holiday.

"We have Memorial Day and Veterans Day to honor those who have worn our country's military uniforms, but we don't have a day to remember these other brave men and women who protect our communities each and every day," said the Rev. Travis Deans, associate executive director of Penn Highlands Teens For Christ.

The other brave men and women to which Deans referred are police, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel.

The campaign officially will be launched during a program at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown. Three local high school Bible clubs will distribute petitions to ask President Bush and Congress to make Sept. 11 a national holiday to honor such personnel.

"And what better day would there be to remember them than on the day when so many of them gave their lives during a national tragedy?" Deans said.

Program speaker will be Sujo John, who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and then became a minister.

John was in one of the towers and thought his expectant wife was in the other tower. He thought she and their unborn child were killed, but his wife was late driving to work. She also thought he was dead when the attack started.

The experience caused John to start his ministry (www.sujojohn.com) where he goes around the world speaking of his experience. He will give a message at the State Theatre, addressing the heroism of public safety professionals.

John also will be speaking Sunday morning at Cherry Tree Alliance Church, and the night before, at Grace Brethren Church, all in Uniontown.

The Rev. Peter A. Malik, executive director of Penn Highlands Teens For Christ, said the public depends on first responders, who go unrecognized and unthanked, and must come up with money for their equipment as they risk their lives to protect people and property.

"There's something very wrong with that picture," Malik said. "On Oct. 29, we not only want to thank these folks and pray for them, we want to launch a campaign to get our entire nation to do so on an annual basis."

Malik said the Fayette County Commissioners have proclaimed Oct. 29 Public Safety Professionals Day.

That day, at 5:30 p.m., the Penn Highlands Teens For Christ will dedicate the new Uniontown Firemen's Memorial at Pittsburgh Street and North Mt. Vernon Avenue.

The 6-foot granite statue of a firefighter kneeling in prayer calls attention to two Uniontown firefighters who died in the line of duty -- Fire Chief Lewis Williams on Oct. 9, 1901, and Voight LaClair on March 23, 1914.

"There are a lot of businesses, public officials and citizens coming together to work on this memorial," said Myron Nypaver, Uniontown Fire Department chief. "The fire department is glad that these two men's sacrifices will not be forgotten."

Michael Gehlert, executive director of Camp Conquest, which is affiliated with the Northern Atlantic Fellowship district of the FGBC, sends along the following invitation:

Happy 40th Anniversary Camp Conquest!

It all started with a dream to open a ranch for troubled boys. Now Camp Conquest serves over 3,000 people each year with a variety of programs and ministry opportunities.

The Lord has blessed the ministry of camp for 40 years and we are excited about the opportunities that He has laid out before us. Please join us as we seek to “Equip the saints for works of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12

2006 marks the 40th Anniversary for this Grace Brethren ministry of Evangelism and Discipleship in the camp setting. The board and staff of the Grace Brethren Retreat Center in Lancaster County, PA, would like to hear from anyone in our Fellowship across the nation who has a Camp Conquest story.

Has your life been impacted by Christ while at camp? Has your child or grandchild been positively touch for Christ because of a camp experience? Please let us know how God has used Camp Conquest in your life or in your family.

To celebrate our 40th anniversary the camp has begun a building project that will add bathrooms and meeting rooms to our existing block cabins. To get more information on this project or to learn more about camp please visit our website at www.campconquest.org. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please contact Ken Keener at ken@campconquest.org or call at 717.336.2541. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Camp Conquest, 480 Forest Road, Denver, PA 17517

Michael R. Gehlert, Executive Director

This message to FGBC pastors from the current FGBC moderator, Tim Boal (pictured), is being posted by request:

Over the course of the past several weeks grave concerns have been expressed regarding the FGBC and my own personal affiliation with emerging/emergent theology. Let me respond by saying the invitation and idea to invite Doug Pagitt to Equip 07 was my own.

I am not afraid to interact with theology that is different from my own, and in fact see this as a way for me to sharpen my own skills in interacting with trends and ideas that are new and in many cases troublesome. I should have clearly stated in the Equip 07 brochure that I and we(the FGBC leadership team) do not endorse all of the ideas espoused by the participants.

I want to remind us that being a good Berean should be part and parcel of what it means to be a Bible student. It was my opinion that providing you a personal opportunity to interact with Doug Pagitt would allow you to hear his perspectives and that of the Emergent group “straight from the horse's mouth” instead of through second-hand sources such as blog sites. I also thought (perhaps naively) that we as a group of people committed to the Word of God as our only authority might be able to instruct Doug, as well.

Originally, it was my belief that Doug Pagitt was the “safest” of those involved with emergent theology. However, after reading some of his more recent writings I would agree with those voicing concerns regarding his positions and their orthodoxy. Doug seems to have moved far left in his recent writings.

Therefore, in an effort to demonstrate to you that have concerns that I am teachable and willing to heed counsel, I am uninviting Doug Pagitt from Equip 07 for the sake of safeguarding biblical truth. I believe this is the correct response for me to make to your concerns.

As a fellow shepherd I do take seriously guarding the truth, and the FGBC leadership team has no desire to place stumbling blocks in your path. May God know our hearts and affirm our motivations for His glory.

However, I would like to close by appealing to you about the methodology that has been used by some to sound the alarm. I believe a personal contact with me regarding your concerns in this matter would have been far more effective and productive for the FGBC than including me on e-mail lists etc. where you argue your theological and personal reservations.

Would it not be more productive for us all to personally interact on this issue directly than via email and blogs? Perhaps you don’t know me personally and therefore you were hesitant to make this the subject of our first acquaintance. Or perhaps you simply did not know I was responsible. I understand.

Please don’t hesitate to call me regarding concerns such as this. I would hope that in such interaction you would hear my heart and passion for Jesus, and in so doing, your concerns could be alleviated.

I wish you the best in your ministry and would seek your prayers for my term of leadership as Moderator in your midst. We will all be evaluated on that last day from the One whom we all serve and to whom we must all give account.

Sincerely in Jesus,

Tim Boal

FGBC Moderator 2006-2007

The Doctor of Ministry class "Ministerial Ethics" took place this past week at Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

It was led by Dr. Ken Bickel of the Grace faculty, and of the 10 students involved there were four pastors from the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches: Steve Williams (Seal Beach, CA), Larry Edwards (Ashland-Southview, OH), Mark Saunders (Dayton 1st, OH), and Ted Adomanis (Canada).

The course focused on a comprehensive set of topics related to pastoral ethics within and among local churches. The post-course project asks that each student develop a Ministerial Code of Ethics, then seek to have it adopted by his local church and, if possible, by a ministerial group beyond the local church.

Brethren Missionary Herald Company is making a special offer to church missions committees who choose to use Tom Julien’s new book, Antioch Revisited, as a study and resource guide for missions committees and mission strategy planners.

The book, which presents the fictional but true-to-life story of “John,” a missionary who comes to a ministry-changing conclusion, is written in two parts. The first fictional section lays out a number of truths in an easy-to-read fashion.

The second part is a manual which committees and missions personnel can work through to discuss, explore, and implement the truths laid out in the first part.

Dave Guiles, executive director of Grace Brethren International Missions (GBIM), says, “Tom Julien has mentored a generation of pastors and missionaries in the critical importance of reuniting the church with her mission . . . his insights will impact many.”

GBIM’s Jay Bell, in urging churches to adopt and use the material, says, “Antioch Revisited is going to help churches think through their identity and their approach to the Great Commission, both locally and globally. The book flows well and puts its ideas across with a soft touch. But the truth is hard-hitting! One of the strengths of the book is that it can be read in short order. That is a huge plus in our culture of over-extension.”

The book normally retails for $9.99 per copy, but the special church price until December 31 is $5 each (plus shipping and handling) in quantities of five or more.

The book’s ISBN number is 088469-306-6. To order, log onto www.bmhbooks.com or call (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756. Offer expires December 31, 2006.

The East Side Grace Brethren church in Blacklick, Ohio, on the east side of Columbus (Chip Heim, pastor) will sponsor a “Weekend Intensive on Apologetics and Contemporary Culture” on Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11.

Open to all for a registration fee of $25, the weekend will feature Dr. William Edgar (pictured), department chair of apologetics at Westminster Seminary in Pennsylvania. Dr. Edgar’s topic for the seminar will be “Apologetics for the Church: How to Present Christ to a Culture that Thinks the Church is Part of the Problem.”

A member of the Westminster faculty since 1989, Dr. Edgar has a Harvard undergraduate degree, holds the M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, has done graduate studies at Columbia University, and holds the Doctor of Theology degree from the Universite de Geneve. He is an author, a popular conference speaker, and has served as a home missionary of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

For more information, contact East Side at esgbc@aol.com or 614-861-5810. The East Side website is www.esgbc.org.

John Ward, worship leader for thequest in Columbus (OH) and chair of the upcoming DRIVEN07 conference for Twenty-somethings, ran in the Columbus Marathon last week.

John finished 30th for the men with a time of 2 hours and 48 minutes. Congratulations John!

Wanita Faith Ogden, 79, of Winona Lake, Indiana, died at 2:20 a.m. October 18, 2006, in Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, Indiana.

She was born March 31, 1927, in Ithaca, Michigan, to L.G. and Inez Belle Probst Reeves. On August 22, 1948, she married Donald E. Ogden, who survives.

Living in Winona Lake since 1950, she was a bookkeeper/accountant and teller at Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, Winona Lake, for 36 years. She was a member of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church.

She graduated from Cutler Academy, Los Angeles, and was a student at Bob Jones University, South Carolina, and Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake. All of her children attended Warsaw (IN) Community High School and Grace College.

Also surviving are a son, Ronald (and wife, Rebecca Bryant) Ogden, Warsaw; two daughters, Mrs. James “Jim” (Kathleen) Jenkins, Jacksonville, Fla., and Diane Bollman, Indianapolis.

Also surviving are seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and five sisters: Isabelle Sinko and Judith Brown, both of Ithaca; Janice Tracy, Traverse City, Mich.; Phyllis Henney, Saginaw, Mich.; and Colene Moore, Clare, Mich. There are more than 100 in the Ogden family and 25 in the Reeves family. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, and a grandchild.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church with the Revs. Bruce Barlow and Russell Ogden officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw, IN.

Calling is from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, and one hour prior to the service Friday at the church.

Memorials to Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, 1200 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, IN 46590.

Landscapers were hard at work in nearly 70-degree temperatures today, installing an extended patio/plaza that will give access to the new Tree of Life Christian bookstore in the Brethren Missionary Herald Building in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Because of limited parking on Kings Highway, many patrons of the store will need to park in the rear and use the plaza to access the front entrance of the store. The plaza is being installed between the BMH building and the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church next door, and costs are being shared between BMH, TOL, and WLGBC.

The patio will include about 15 tables for cafe seating, a stage and performance area, plantings, bubble fountains, and indirect lighting for nighttime access.

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting for the store, which will also be the new Grace College bookstore, will be on Friday, November 3 at 10 a.m. All are invited.

A memorial service for Wanita Ogden has been set for 1 p.m. Friday, October 20, at the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, 1200 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, Indiana. Guests and friends may call from noon to 1 p.m. preceding the service.

Calling hours at the Titus Funeral Home in Warsaw, Indiana, will be from 3-8 p.m. Thursday, October 19, according to the WLGBC office.

Some may not yet be aware of a second blog, under the sponsorship of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers (AGBM) which carries news, updates, and information of interest to pastors and church leaders.

Simply look to the left of this blog and click on "Grace Brethren Ministers' Blog." Click on "back" to return.

While this blog carries news of general interest to the churches and people of the FGBC, the AGBM blog is more oriented to pastors, pastors' families, and information that may be helpful or of interest to those who lead churches.

Visit them both, and visit them often!

Wanita Ogden, shown here with her husband, Don, former Grace College Music Chair, went to be with the Lord this morning around 2:20. Wanita suffered a massive brain hemorrhage on Tuesday evening and was taken to KCH, where she died during the night. This photo was taken September 20, 2006, at an Open House honoring Don on his 80th birthday.

Please pray for Don and the children, Kathie, Ron, and Diane, and Wanita’s many family members and friends during this time of loss. Funeral arrangements are not set at this point, but we will pass that information along as soon as possible.

Wanita worked for 36 years at the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, retiring in August of 1999. She had been in ill health since experiencing a stroke in 2003, but was able to accompany Don to many places and enjoyed the company of friends and family in her home. Don served at Grace from 1954-1993.

Upon her retirement from Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, Missions Today of August 1999 carried this article:

Almost anyone who has come to the offices of the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation has experienced the warm smile and friendly assistance of Wanita Ogden. Wanita has been part of the North American Missions family, as the bookkeeper for GBIF, since 1963! (We think she must have started working here when she was 10.) If you look up the definition of “sweet and gentle spirit’, you’ll see Wanita’s picture there.

After 36 years of faithful service with GBIF, Wanita retires this month. She will be greatly missed, but we share her joy as she is able to spend more time with family now. She is married to Don Ogden, and they have three adult children (Kathy, Ron and Diane) and seven grandchildren.

God bless you in your retirement, Wanita. We know your love for the Lord will continue to touch each life you come in contact with.

Please pray for Wanita and Don Ogden of Winona Lake, Indiana, and their family.

Earlier this evening, Wanita suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw, Indiana. Don and other family members and friends have been with her this evening, and within the past hour Wanita was moved from the emergency room to a room on the fourth floor.

Please pray also for their children, Kathie, Ron, and Diane, as they are on their way to be with Don. Ron was on a business trip in Michigan, Diane lives in Indianapolis, and Kathie will be coming from Jacksonville, Florida.

Don Ogden is former professor of music and the retired longtime chair of the music department at Grace College. Wanita is a former employee of the Brethren Investment Foundation. She has been in ill health since experiencing a stroke in the spring of 2003.

Members of the board of directors and associates of the Brethren Encyclopedia, Inc. met today at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio.

Participants included (front row, from left) Michael Miller (Old German Baptist Brethren); William Eberly (Editor, Monograph Series); Kenneth Kreider (chair, department of history, emeritus, Elizabethtown College); Robert Lehigh (Dunkard Brethren, and president of the board); and Dale Stoffer (The Brethren Church and Ashland Theological Seminary).

Back row, from left, included Terry White (Brethren Missionary Herald Co., Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches); Dale Ulrich (Bridgewater College and co-editor of volume 4); John Bryant (Conservative Grace Brethren Churches International); Ron Lutz (Assistant Treasurer); and Jeffrey Bach (assoc. prof. of church history, Bethany Theological Seminary and chair, 300th anniversary committee, Church of the Brethren).

For more information, or to obtain Brethren Encyclopedia Board products, log onto www.brethrenencyclopedia.org.

The Brethren Encyclopedia Board met today in the archaeology room of Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. One of the major agenda items was the planning by the various Brethren groups to participate in 300th anniversary celebrations at Schwarzenau, Germany, the weekend of August 2 and 3, 2008.

Representatives of six Brethren groups comprise the Brethren Encyclopedia Board. From the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, board member Terry White and guest Ted Rondeau of Grace Brethren International Missions participated today. Rondeau is handling the logistics and planning of the Grace Brethren historical tour to Schwarzenau following the Celebrate08 national conference.

Alexander Mack began what is now the Brethren movement by baptizing eight believers in the Eder River at Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708. In commemoration of that anniversary, about a dozen tours are being planned by the various Brethren groups.

Representatives from all groups will participate, along with the McPherson College Choir from Kansas, and a special German guest speaker. More information about the tour will be forthcoming on this blog and through GBIM.

Meanwhile, another "Grace Brethren Heritage Tour" in northern Indiana is being planned for the Equip07 conference in Winona Lake. As happened two years ago, Dr. David Plaster will be the host lecturer for a bus tour that will include the Arnold's Grove historical site near Milford, Indiana; the murals and statues at Camp Alexander Mack; an evening meal together; and a visit to the MennoHof Anabaptist Interpretive Center in Shipshewana, Indiana. Information will be included with conference registration materials.

The funeral service for Angie Garber will be held at the Leon, Iowa, Brethren Church, 604 North Main Street, Leon, Iowa, on Friday, October, 20, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

Vistation hours will be from 10:00 to noon at the church. Rev. John Trujillo and Rev. Tully Butler will be in charge of the service at the church and at the grave side.

An additional memorial service will be held at the Lakeland Grace Brethren Church where Angie attended during the years she spent at Grace Village. The address is 2538 South County Farm Road, Warsaw, Indiana, on Sunday October 22, 2006 at 3:00 p.m.

When news of the Hawaii earthquake reached us, we contacted Pastor David Mitchell of the Waipio church in Mililani to see whether they had experienced any damage. He sent back this report--including the fact that more than 50 people turned out for the "lights-out" service.

Thanks for the concern but we are fine. The power was out over the entire chain of islands. I will admit it was a jolt to feel the house move and shake like it was going to fall around us. We live in five-bedroom log home and it proved to be strong but it did make quite a noise.

It really is such a joy to belong to the Lord because even in a moment of fear or concern, you feel immediately His presence so you can go about doing whatever possible to save yourself or others.

Most churches dismissed today but we had a service for those who could come and tonight we have oil lamps and we are going to have an evening service with whoever shows up. Wish You could be here, it will be special.

You might say a prayer for us as we are supposed to leave for Indiana tomorrow but right now the airport in Honolulu is in chaos.

BMH Books of Winona Lake, Indiana, has announced the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement with one of BMH’s premier authors, Dr. John J. Davis (pictured).

Davis is a widely-known author, lecturer, scholar, and former president of Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana. A number of his works are already among BMH’s best-selling products, including Moses and Gods of Egypt, Birth of a Kingdom, and Israel: From Conquest to Exile, which is co-authored with Dr. John C. Whitcomb.

With the signing of this agreement BMH is now the sole distributor of all Davis works, including the acquisition of eight titles previously self-published by Davis. These include several humor and outdoors books which Davis features in his sideline ministry of speaking at wild game dinners and conducting fishing clinics.

Dr. Davis has frequently participated in the archaeological expeditions to the Holy Land. He joined the faculty of Grace Theological Seminary in 1965 and served in the Department of Hebrew and Old Testament and served as president of the school for seven years prior to his retirement in 2004.

He currently has 18 books in print and has a wide variety of interests, including being a sports play-by-play announcer, recording CDs of his singing and guitar playing, publishing a regular newspaper column, and winning contests for his humor writing. He has also pastored churches in Florida and Indiana and is demand as a speaker and lecturer. His books are widely adopted as texts for Bible colleges, seminaries, and other educational institutions.

Terry White, publisher of BMH Books, in announcing the agreement, said, “We are so delighted to expand both our line of Davis products and our service to those who follow his writing and scholarship. We are grateful for the confidence placed in us by Dr. Davis, and look forward to issuing both updates of his current books and several new projects on which he is working.”

Dr. Davis said, “I am delighted to have this new and expanded relationship with BMH Books. This publishing company has proven itself to be one of quality and theological integrity. My works will now be in the hands of competent professionals and will enjoy wider exposure.”

Dr. Davis’ books and all BMH products are available online at www.bmhbooks.com as well as from bookseller sites such as CBD.com and Amazon.com. Books may also be ordered or a catalog obtained by calling (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756.

Angie Garber, a legendary figure in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches for her 47 years of service at the Navajo Mission in New Mexico, went to be with the Lord Saturday, October 14. Angie and her twin sister, Alice Peer, were featured on this blog in August of 2005 after being honored as the oldest twins present (93 years of age) at a major twins gathering in Twinsburg, Ohio.

Her nephew, Peter Peer, sent the following information, along with this photo of Angie, taken in March of 2006.

My Aunt Angie Garber just went to be with the Lord. Funeral services will be at her home church in Leon, Iowa. Details are not yet available.

Angie May Garber, born May 2, 1912, was the last of nine children born to Frank and Emma Garber of Leon, Iowa. She survived only with difficulty the first several months of life because of a deformity and complications from the multiple birth with her twin sister, Alice Peer. At the time of their birth, the doctor who delivered them declared, "That one won't live."

At the age of 19, one year after graduation from high school, she contracted polio while visiting her sister, Grace Cone, in Lanark, Illinois. She fought back from it well, suffering only the permanent crippling of her left hand.

Then for ten years Angie cared for her invalid mother until her death in November of 1942. In the fall of 1943, Angie left her home to attend Bryan College. After purchasing her bus ticket she had only $23 to her name.

She worked her way through college, and with the help of a $25 graduation gift from her brother, she graduated four years later debt-free. After another year at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, she entered Grace Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters in Religious Education in 1951.

Grace Brethren Home Missions approached her and asked if she would be willing to be the first teacher at the Brethren Navajo Boarding School in Counselor, New Mexico.

In the Summer of 1951, at 39 years of age, Angie Garber began a missionary career that was to last for 47 years. During those early years she served as teacher, dorm supervisor, and cook.

She also served in a number of other capacities, summer camp ministries, etc. She was instrumental in beginning the radio ministry that continues to this day. She is perhaps best-known for her ministry of visitation in the homes of the Navajo people.

Angie passed quietly from this life into the presence of her Lord at 8:40 p.m. at her home in Westerville, Ohi, on Saturday, October 14, 2006.

A memorial fund has been established to honor the life and ministry of Angie Garber. This fund will benefit the ongoing ministry of the Navajo Church at Cedar Hill. This church grew out of the mission work at Counselor, New Mexico, and ministers to the people to whom Angie gave her life in service.

The Angie Garber Memorial Fund will be administered by the Grace Brethren Church of Mount Vernon, Ohio, 12426 Old Mansfield Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050.

All donations are tax-deductible and receipts will be issued to all who contribute. Checks may be made out simply to Grace Brethren Church with "Angie Garber Memorial Fund" written in the memo field.

The family of Angie Garber encourages a gift to the memorial fund in lieu of flowers as a means of extending even further Angie's ministry to the people whom she so loved.

Kevin and Siew Choo Ong, Grace Brethren North American Missions career missionaries to San Francisco (shown here with their children), have reached a milestone in the development of their "International Friendship House" ministry.

Open House and Dedication Service, San Francisco International Friendship House

Hosts: Kevin and Siew Choo Ong

Location: San Francisco International House

1387 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA

When: Saturday, November 18, 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Phone: (415) 314-0578

Our doors are wide open at ....The San Francisco International House!

Please come for our Dedication Service from 2:00-2:30 (welcome speech/ live music by international choir/colorful slide show! )

Many of you have contributed to this renovation project. Some through financial gifts, some through faithful prayer, and others through hard labor. For that we are eternally grateful. So, its only fitting to celebrate.

Please join us

Please RSVP by November 11

Additional information and prayer update newsletters from the Ongs are available online at http://www.gbnam.org/san-francisco.htm

By vote of the college of elders, Dr. David Plaster (pictured) is being recommended to the congregation of Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, Ohio, as a senior pastor candidate. He will preach on October 15, October 29, and November 12. The congregational vote will be on November 19.

Plaster is currently Professor of Theology and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana.

David Plaster became a believer in Christ at the age of eight at the Grace Brethren Church of Canton, Ohio. After completing studies at the University of Lyon, France, and Grace College, he entered Grace Theological Seminary in 1971. At that time he became the part-time pastor of a small independent church in Indiana.

After receiving the M.Div. he and his wife Ginny moved to Armagh, Pennsylvania, where he began the Valley Grace Brethren Church. In 1979 he returned to Warsaw, Indiana, to serve as senior pastor of Community Grace Brethren Church.

In 1984 he joined the faculty of Grace Theological Seminary full-time and began work on a Th.D. in Systematic Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has served as Academic Dean of the Seminary (1988-1991) and Vice President for Academic Affairs for both the college and seminary since 1991.

Plaster is the author of two significant books in Grace Brethren history and doctrine. Ordinances: What Are They? is used by many Grace Brethren churches, and his history of the Fellowship, Finding Our Focus, which updates an earlier work by Dr. Homer Kent, Sr., is the signal work in this area. Both are available from BMH books.

Plaster has led Grace Brethren history tours to Schwarzenau, Germany, and also hosted the “Brethren Heritage Tour” of significant sites in Brethren history at the Equip05 national conference in Winona Lake. Each summer he is popular as the “Bible Answer Man” at Brethren National Youth Conference, sponsored by CE National.

In 1991-92 Plaster was the moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. He and his wife, the former Ginny Crees, have three grown children: Andy, a social worker in Warsaw; Rachelle, married to Brandon Creighton with one daughter in Warsaw, and Rob, who along with his wife, Nichole, serves with Grace Brethren International Missions in Paris, France.

The Worthington congregation began in 1964 in the home of Marion and Dorothy Forrest and has grown to be one of the Fellowship’s largest church families. It has also been responsible for spawning a large number of church-plants which have grown to be healthy, vital congregations.

Pastoral leaders of the congregation have been Nathan Meyer, David Hocking, and James Custer, who preached his first sermon as pastor on May 19, 1968.

The website for the Columbus church is www.gracebrethren.org.

Punderson Manor, a restored and enlarged Tudor mansion in Puderson State Park, east of Cleveland, Ohio, was the setting for the Central Focus Retreat Monday through Wednesday of this week.

Some 50 pastors, missionaries, and church leaders gathered to consider what "authentic community" means by studying the church as described in Paul's writings of the New Testament.

The next retreat is the East Focus Retreat, scheduled for Sandy Cove Conference Center in North East, Maryland, Monday through Wednesday, October 23-25. For registration information log onto www.fgbc.org. (Roland Maust photo)

Good acoustics and the rich sound of men lifting their voices in praise made the worship times at Focus Retreat special. Ezra Wimberly and John Ward led the worship times. (Roland Maust photo)

Tim Boal, pastor of Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Pennsylvania, and current moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, organized and directed the program for the Focus Retreat. The topic this year is "the church," organizing around material from Boal's new BMH book Building Authentic Community.

The delightfully warm fall weather made it possible for many small-group discussions to meet on the decks and plazas of Punderson Manor. Here Ron Sheranko (left) and Ken Bickel (right) participate. (Roland Maust photo)

Much of the "program time" at Focus Retreats this year is small-group discussion of aspects of the Pauline Epistles. This group included (clockwise, from left) Gary Austin, Gary McCaman, Steve Makofka, Nelson Peters, Terry White, Howard Immel, and Jim Franklin. (Roland Maust photo)

The current e-mail newsletter from thequest in Columbus (Mike Jentes) notes that John Ward, who is heading up this year's DRIVEN07 conference for Twenty-Somethings, will be running this week. John also helped lead worship with Ezra Wimberley for the Central Focus Retreat earlier this week.

Our own John Ward, worship leader and sometime soon-to-be-father, will be running in the Columbus Marathon this Sunday morning!

He'll be coming up High Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues around 9:30am. That will be between miles 14 and 15 of the 26 mile race, so it will be a place where he could use some support and encouragement.

Wouldn't it be great if many of you who are coming to our 10:30am Assembly could come a little early and cheer John on? You could then go for a quick breakfast at Northstar or Michael's Goodie Boy restaurants before church.

If you come look for Sylvia and Larry T. somewhere in front of Bodega's and we'll cheer John on together.

Unit 11 Fremont (Ohio) Grace Brethren Boys was privileged recently to hear the testimony of Jake Wukie, currently on the James Madison University Archery Team. He then gave a demonstration of his skill. Jake Wukie grew up in GBB and got his first archery lesson at a GBB Outpost.

Jake has also competed for a spot on the U.S. Archery Team, and is currently sixth on the team (recurve bow). He is hoping for an Olympic spot with trials beginning in 2007.

Rob Gable, of the Grace Brethren Boys national board, says, “GBB is growing again. This past weekend our Ohio District enjoyed beautiful weather during our Outpost Camp.

“The Lord provided Steve Carrier of the Power Team to be our speaker. He broke baseball bats, bent a horseshoe, bent a metal rod, ripped phone books and broke ten bricks at one time. The boys were impressed...I was impressed!

“Then Mr. Carrier challenged the boys with his testimony and at the end, 30 boys and two men made a first-time decision or a rededication. It was a powerful night! Steve was with us again Sunday morning and he spoke about the importance of keeping God close and listening to Him when working toward our personal goals.

“GBB National has approved its curriculum review committee to go a different direction than ever before. The board is excited about the changes in our ministry's philosophy of ministry and we look forward to sharing our improved program with the fellowship in the coming years.”

For more information, log onto the GBB website at www.gbbnational.com.

The following article appeared on today's Kittanning (PA) Leader-Times. Grace Christian School is a ministry of the Grace Brethren Church of West Kittanning (Mark Cornwell, pastor):

WEST KITTANNING -- Students at Grace Christian School were more than happy to demonstrate what the firefighters taught them during Fire Prevention Week on Wednesday.

First graders Cole Fiscus and Logan Callen happily rolled on the floor, reciting the steps to one of the most basic fire safety lessons, "Stop, Drop and Roll."

When asked why they needed to learn the technique, Fiscus responded, "In case we're on fire."

Members of the West Kittanning Fire Department spent the day talking to the 55 students in grades kindergarten to eighth grade about fire prevention and safety, along with the dangers of talking to strangers.

Each student was given a host of items, including a teddy bear, which they were told were the cubs of the famous Smokey Bear.

"Smokey has been very busy helping to put of fires and asked us if you could help teach his cubs the importance of fire safety," firefighter Dave Lancos told the group. "Safety is important to learn and to teach to others."

Lancos asked the students to help prevent fires by becoming the safety monitors in their homes.

"If you see candles burning and no one is around, go tell your parents. If you see a large bunch of electric cords plugged into one outlet, tell your parents," he said. "Anything you think is unsafe, make sure you let your parents know so that they can make it safe."

Each student also received a whistle that they could use in case of danger.

"Any time you are in danger, whether it's a fire or someone you don't know approaches you, blow your whistle," he said. "It will alert others to the problem so that they can get help quickly."

Students were also given crayons and coloring books to participate in a coloring contest, with the winners receiving a pizza party at a later date.

National Fire Prevention and Safety Week runs through Saturday. For more information about fire prevention, contact your local volunteer fire department.

An award was given last evening at the Kosciusko County (Indiana) Right to Life banquet to Charles and Alice Koontz of Winona Lake, Indiana, who have had “major impact through their commitment of hours of work behind the scene and their biblical conviction to the sanctity of life.”

Their son, David, is executive director of the Right to Life organization, and the Koontzes give many hours volunteering to prepare mailings, to recruit other volunteers, and to assist with KCRTL events.

Prior to retirement, Chuck Koontz was a long-time employee of the Brethren Missionary Herald Co. and the Herald Bookstore and Alice worked for many years in the office of Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church, particularly when Charles Ashman was pastor.

This article on a former choir director at the Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, Grace Brethren Church, appeared in today's Somerset County Daily-American:

Hoover says it's never too late to go back to school

By VICKI ROCK
Daily American Staff Writer

Deb Hoover, coordinator of student and career services at Allegany College of Maryland Somerset County Campus, decided to attend college when she was in her 30s.

She started Allegany College at the Cumberland, Md., campus when she was graduated from high school, but got married at 19.

“I was a full-time homemaker,” she said. “I was prodded for years by Ken Warnick, who is now my boss, to go back to college. I went to college when I was 35, after my kids were in school.”

She started working at the college on a work-study program, then was hired part-time. In 1994, she was hired full-time in the advancement office. In 1998, she was hired for the Somerset County campus. She finished her bachelor's degree in human resources with Geneva College's program at the Somerset County campus. Hoover is now getting her master's degree through Geneva College.

She is the daughter of Harold and Elizabeth Nicholson, Meyersdale. Ed Hoover, her husband, is a supervisor at PBS Coals.

They have a son and two daughters. Joel, 27, lives in Uniontown where he is finishing his liberal arts degree at California University. Andrea, 24, is married to Wayne Miller, Meyersdale. She is pursuing her master's degree in special education at California University and is doing an assistantship in the theater department. She is also a substitute teacher at Meyersdale Area High School and works at the university. Sara, 22, is an assistant account manager for Atlantic Risk Management in Columbia, Md. She is working on her Maryland insurance producer license for property and casualty.

“Our kids have learned the value of education; it may have helped them to have a mom who took classes while they were in elementary and high school,” Hoover said. “The girls and I have actually taken some college classes together. They finished their bachelor's degrees early because of the classes they took with ACM while in high school.”

She now helps students figure out what to do with their lives. Many of the people she counsels are adults who have raised their children and decided to go to college.

“I never had a clue when I was raising my children, that I would go back to college,” she said. “I use myself as an example in classes I teach. This is very do-able. Community college is very personable. I see people realize their dreams.”

Music has always been an important part of her family's lives. As a child she was in her church's youth choir. Her husband and his father, Glen, play string instruments. They attended bluegrass festivals when their children were young. She directed the choir at Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church for 20 years, but is no longer director.

“Our kids have been involved in tons of theater,” she said. “Joel was in professional theater while in Indiana and is hoping to do professional theater soon in the Pittsburgh area. He and the girls have a rich background in Meyersdale high school's musicals. Joel's been mesmerized ever since we saw ‘Phantom of the Opera.' We took them to see it when Keith Buterbaugh was in it because he's a friend of ours. We got hooked on musicals. Our daughters also performed in the dinner theater at the Hen House.”

When Judy Pletcher opened the Rockwood Opera House, a playwright in Pittsburgh wrote “Phantom of the Opera House?” for the Rockwood Players. Hoover had a part in the production. She usually plays eccentric, flamboyant, colorful characters.

“It's a hoot,” she said. “Phantom is slapstick comedy, a lot of fun. I work with an amazing group of local talented actors. I've also done shows at The Hayloft. It's a lot of fun and we have such dear friends we work with. Our kids are also in a lot of shows. It's a wonderful family activity.”

She is a member of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival board of directors, but is currently inactive while attending graduate school. She continues to work with festival group tours. Her whole family has been involved with the festival at one time or other.

Her husband enjoys riding a motorcycle. They were once riding back from Tennessee and he couldn't figure out why she kept pushing his helmet up. He didn't realize she was sitting on the back of the motorcycle, reading a book.

“My family is very important to me,” Hoover said. “I'm the oldest of four daughters and I have seven nieces and nephews. I have a ball with the younger kids. Just trying to carve out time for family is difficult, but those are the good times.”

Approximately 50 pastors and church leaders have gathered Monday through Wednesday of this week at Punderson Manor in Punderson State Park, just east of Cleveland, Ohio, for the Central Focus Retreat.

FGBC Moderator Tim Boal is leading the sessions, based on "Building Authentic Community," which is also the title of his forthcoming book on the church.

Music is being led by Ezra Wimberley of Norton, Ohio, and John Ward of thequest in Columbus, Ohio. Tuesday afternoon is "free time" as many went hiking, played golf, or enjoyed relaxing, and retreat sessions resume Tuesday evening. The retreat concludes just before noon on Wednesday.

Small-group discussions working through the Pauline Epistles to determine how Paul introduced the gospel to the New Testament churches and what kinds of instructions he gave for organizing the churches are a large part of the format at the Focus Retreats.

Here is a comment from a faithful reader of this blog:

I just wanted to thank you for your service to us by giving us such great info in the BMH Blog. I read it several times a week and know so many others who do the same.

Could you write in the blog encouraging more people to send in comments?

I for one am interested in what others think about things and I do comment quite a bit, but don't want to seem like I am hogging the privilege.

YIB (Your Intrepid Blogger) will be coming to you the next several days (assuming we can find Internet access) from Punderson State Park east of Cleveland, Ohio, where the pastors and church leaders of the central US will be gathering for the first of five Focus Retreats.

The three-day retreat, which is organized and implemented by Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey's office, will be led by FGBC Moderator Tim Boal from Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Pennsylvania.

The theme will be "Building Authentic Community," and will focus on a biblical definition of the church and its role in society. Boal's book by the same title, being published by BMH Books, should be off the press in about two weeks.

The next (east) retreat will be October 23-25 at Sandy Cove Conference Center on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Retreats in Florida and California will follow after the first of the year, and the series will conclude with the Northwest retreat at Camp Clear Lake in White Pass, Washington, in May of 2007.

For more information on this or any of the Focus Retreats, log onto www.fgbc.org.

Retired GBIM missionary Eddie Mensinger, shown here with his wife, Linda, is currently in the Central African Republic and sent this report on the 25th anniversary celebration of the seminary there. It’s been slightly edited for length.

Thanks so much for your prayers for the 25th anniversary celebration of our Brethren Biblical Seminary at Bata. Everything went very well and it was a real joy for us missionaries to be present.

The opening ceremony began with a flag-raising near the chapel and then the service began inside with 153 guests present. Several government officials gave speeches as well as Mike Taylor and Pastor Mboi Andre. Following these official greetings I gave a biblical message entitled "Unchanging Service for Christ in a Changing World" based on 1 Peter 4:7-11.

In the afternoon I gave a resume of the history of the Biblical Brethren Seminary at Bata as well as some previous attempts at a biblical training in French. That was followed by testimonies of former professors and students
.
The next day we heard a message given by Pastor Ngao Roger who is the president of the Baptist Mid-Missions Church Association. That was followed by a round table discussion on how church leaders can help with the social development needed in this country.

Wednesday there was a similar discussion on how biblical training at Bata relates to the needs of the 21st century. In the afternoon several musical groups performed as well as the pre-schoolers who recited several Bible verses as well as musical numbers.

Wednesday the MAF plane came from the Chad with Diana Davis and Frank Puhl for a brief meeting. They returned the next day along with Mike Taylor.

Thursday Dr. Ngoumape presented five basic strategies for the future of the seminary. These involve logistics, academics, church relations, international relations and geographic location. Pray for the implementation of these strategies.

The final service was held Friday morning with 123 present in the chapel. The local officials gave their final speeches. I was asked to speak in place of Mike Taylor, who had gone to the Chad. After the service a group picture was taken and a final meal before everyone returned to their homes. There were a total of 35 graduates present which represents almost half the 72 CAR graduates. The total number of graduates from six countries is 94.

During the next two weeks Mike Volovski and I will be teaching block courses in the seminary and Linda Mensinger and Lois Wilson will be teaching the ladies in the Bible Institute. Pray for this ministry too.

Eileen Sellers, 81, a resident of Grace Village in Winona Lake, Indiana, yesterday completed 600 miles on her bike, riding five miles each morning and five miles each evening.

A 12-year resident of Grace Village, Eileen is the wife of Donald Sellers, who died 10 years ago. He was a superintendent with the construction crews that built 28 Grace Brethren churches plus the current Grace Brethren Investment Foundation building, and structures at the Navajo Mission in New Mexico and at Dryhill, Kentucky.

Eileen began riding the bike for exercise following a quadruple heart bypass operation. She says her theme is, “You can have pain. . . but you don’t need to be one.” (Gordon Austin photo)

CE National executive director Ed Lewis and the CEN board of directors have announced the public dedication service of the new training center on the CEN campus in Winona Lake, Indiana, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, 2006.

The naming of the new facility will be announced during the ceremony. A dessert reception and open house will follow immediately after the dedication.

For further information, and to see an in-progress photo album of the training center construction, log onto www.cenational.org.

Grace Brethren U.S. Army Chaplain Billy Graham, shown here with his family, was reunited with them upon his return Tuesday, September 19, from his second one-year tour in Iraq.

His wife Robyn, who waited with the family at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said, "You helped make their mission successful. Your prayers brought them before our God who kept them safe. Your cards and care packages kept them encouraged."

In other chaplain news, distributed by Eagle Commission spokesperson Dr. Larry Chamberlain, word has been received that the Navy Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral Robert Burt, has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood-associated cancer. Prayers are requested for his health as he reports to Bethesda Naval Hospital for treatment in early October.

Prayers are also requested for Grace Brethren Chaplain Jeff Wirick in Afghanistan. Chamberlain said, "We admire his courage and his many opportunities to bring faith and hope to the brave men and women defending the cause of freedeom in this emerging democracy."

Mike Lee (pictured), pastor of the Grace Brethren church in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently returned with a group from a short-term mission trip to the Central African Republic. This news release reports some of the activities and reactions.

LOCAL PASTOR RETURNS FROM AFRICA READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

How does a church called Hope offer hope a continent away?

Raleigh, NC -- Senior Pastor Mike Lee of Hope Community Church in Raleigh went to the Central African Republic (CAR) to discover how his church could better "love their neighbors as themselves"— even neighbors as far away as Central Africa. Painfully aware of the utter devastation, poverty and AIDS pandemic running rampant in the CAR, Lee wanted to know how his church in the Triangle could live up to its name and bring hope to a despondent country more than a continent away.

Lee and Hope's music director, Karl Moraski, spent eight days in the CAR, visiting several African villages outside the capital city of Bangui. Traveling with Jim Hocking, general director of Integrated Community Development International (ICDI), Lee and Moraski were overwhelmed by the squalid living conditions faced by those in the villages on a daily basis.

They quickly discovered that survival is the goal of each day. “Food is extremely scarce as is sanitized water, the poverty level is below anything seen in the US, a sanitation system for waste is basically non-existent, dirt roads between villages are barely passable, the threat of civil war is constant, and the AIDS pandemic is claiming the lives of men and women so quickly that thousands of children are left orphans yearly,” explains Lee.

So how does Hope Community Church intend to help? "What I discovered,” adds Lee, “is that going to the CAR for a week or two won’t improve their quality of life long term. However, we can literally make a world of difference by sharing just a little from our own ‘riches.’ For example, $4 a month would provide the AIDS medication needed to increase the life expectancy of one person 10-15 years. This increased life span for adults would greatly reduce the number of children left orphaned each year by the disease."

During the Sunday morning services of October 22, Lee plans to unveil to his church how they can partner with ICDI, a non-denominational, non-governmental and non-profit based organization helping to bring invaluable assistance to the CAR, as well as some surrounding countries. The special guest for the morning services will be the ICDI director, Jim Hocking.

"What I know is this," states Lee, "Loving others as ourselves knows no geographic boundaries. God told us to love people, no matter who they are or where they live, and that's what we need to be about the business of doing. That's the kind of church we are called to be in this community and abroad."

To partner with Hope Community Church and the ICDI in this effort, contact info@gethope.net or 532.0620. For more info about Hope, visit their website at www.gethope.net. Hope Community Church is located at 821 Buck Jones Road in southwest Raleigh.

For more info about ICDI, visit their website at www.icdinternational.org.

Workmen were applying the final exterior stucco finish on the newly-renovated BMH/Tree of Life building on Kings Highway in Winona Lake, Indiana, this afternoon.

Fixtures have arrived and been installed for the new Tree of Life cafe and bookstore which will occupy the old Herald Bookstore space. Shelves will be stocked first of the week.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, November 3, which is the weekend of Grace College and Seminary homecoming. Members of the Brethren Missionary Herald board will be present, as well as officials from Grace, from the town of Winona Lake, and others. All are invited to this gala event.