BMH Editor's Blog

From today's Washington Post:

Grace Brethren-Clinton captured the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference girls' title Saturday, snapping Covenant Life's 50-game league winning streak with a 52-43 win at Trinity College.

The Eagles (23-5) were led by freshman Andrea Jones, who scored 25 points and was named the game's most valuable player. Junior Jamea Rawles added 16 points.

Also Saturday, the Colonial Beach boys' team (26-4) won the Delaney Athletic Conference tournament championship, beating Randolph-Macon Academy, 60-47.

From Dave Guiles, executive director of Grace Brethren International Missions:

We just received news of a tragic loss in the international FGBC family.

The son-in-law of one of the members of the national church planting team in Curico, Chile, was killed in an accident at work, leaving behind his wife of 22 months, Erika, who is six months pregnant.

The young man had been led to Christ as a result of the team's effort and showed promise as a future leader. Please pray for Erika and the fledgling church in Curico.

Grace College and Seminary will dedicate its new Orthopaedic Capital Center (pictured) Sunday, July 29, 2007, at the Equip07 national conference for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

Equip07 begins Sunday evening at 7 p.m., in the Orthopaedic Capital Center, with a joint business meeting of the corporations from the FGBC, Grace College and Seminary, and the Brethren Missionary Herald Company. The OCC dedication service will follow the meeting and the evening will conclude with a reception.

The new $9.1 million, 60,000 square-foot facility will be used for campus activities such as chapel, athletic competition, and commencement. The OCC will hold audiences up to 2,800 people and will also provide a center for community and church-related events, concerts, business meetings, and trade shows. The first event scheduled for the OCC is Grace College and Seminary’s 2007 Commencement, to be held in May.

The dedication service on July 29 is the first of several dedications planned for the new facility. The final dedication will be held at Grace’s Homecoming, scheduled for the weekend of November 2-4, 2007. Grace College and Seminary are located in Winona Lake, Indiana.

A group of Haitian pastors provided several special musical numbers in the Tuesday evening session at the south Focus Retreat. The songs were sung in the Creole language.

The March/April issue of FGBC World is now arriving in churches and homes. Here is promotional copy you can use for church bulletins, newsletters, websites, and promotions. Please pass on to the communicators on your church staffs:

Week One:

Cowboy hats and bandannas, live chickens in a crate, an authentic back porch… and a bungee bull? Sounds like a party. But for the women of Warsaw Community Grace Brethren Church in Warsaw, Ind., it also sounded like ministry. An evening of food, pampering, and live music exposed non-believers to the truth of the Gospel. Read more about it in the March/April issue of FGBC World, now available.

Week Two:

Surfing lessons and a “gospel choir” are unique methods being used to share the Gospel with Japanese nationals who live in the Long Beach, California, area. About every three months, they’ve experienced someone committing their life to Jesus Christ. Read more in the March/April issue of FGBC World, which is now available.

Week Three:

Church planting has taken an international flavor in Frederick, Md., where Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church, is helping the Frederick Grace Chinese Fellowship grow to become an independent congregation. Learn more in the March/April issue of FGBC World, which is now available.

Week Four:

In one life, Roland Maust is pastor of a Grace Brethren church in the rolling hills of Ohio’s Amish country. In another, he is a Civil War medicine expert and author who specializes in the Second Corps Hospital at the Battle of Gettysburg. Read more about his alter ego in the March/April issue of FGBC World, which is now available.

The south Focus Retreat, being held near Haines City, Florida, began yesterday with a worship session and small-group discussions based on the Acts of the Apostles. FGBC Moderator Tim Boal, who is leading the retreat, was delayed in Philadelphia by weather but arrived later in the evening. The retreat continues through Wednesday mid-morning.

Jonathan Herron, the church-planting pastor for the new Catalyst church in Kent, Ohio, sends along the following note:

Just wanted to update you with encouraging news from our 5-month-old church plant in the heart of downtown Kent, Ohio.

The Cleveland affiliate of FOX News came out yesterday to film a great piece on our church - it aired last night during the 10pm newcast andcan be seen here:http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2495396&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for Catalyst!

YIB (Your Intrepid Blogger) is working some of the Grace Brethren churches in the Sunshine State this weekend as we prepare to attend the South Focus Retreat in Haines City, Florida, this Monday through Wednesday.

This morning I was at the Gulfview Grace Brethren Church in Port Richey, Florida (pictured) where Pastor Jim Poyner and his lovely congregation gave me a great welcome as I displayed BMH Books products and talked a bit in the morning service about the ministry of Brethren Missionary Herald Co.

Retired Grace Brethren pastor Warren Tamkin and his wife, Lois, attended the church and live during the winter in the park just behind the church property. So we had lunch together and then they gave me a personalized tour of the Word of Life facility and grounds just north and east of Port Richey.

Then on to Brooksville, where Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey had preached in the morning and met with church leadership as Pastor Lee Friesen has announced his retirement effective about May 31.

I hunted up Lee at his lovely house in the development behind the church building and we chatted for about 45 minutes about our churches in Florida, his pending retirement, and much more.

Tomorrow it's on to Orlando for some prospective-author contact and then to Haines City with 25 of God's choice servants for the Focus Retreat at the FFA camp facility on Lake Pierce. FGBC Moderator Tim Boal will lead the retreat, which will focus on the Pauline epistles and the biblical definition of "church" as portrayed in Tim's recent BMH book, Building Authentic Community. Each person attending the retreat will receive a copy of the book.

This retreat concludes mid-morning Wednesday. One Focus Retreat remains in the current cycle--that will be for the northwest, and it will be held at Camp Clear Lake near White Pass in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state, the dates of May 14-16. Log onto the FGBC webpage for more information or to register.

Grace Brethren Church in Powell, Ohio (Rick Nuzum, pastor) has an opportunity for a paid intern position for 28-hours/week during 10-12 weeks of summer (includes attending Driven Conference and/or vacation week).

This person works for the Family Pastor, works with volunteer teachers & helpers, parents & children K-5th grade, and all summer programming.

The Powell church website is www.gbcpowell.org and the phone number is (740) 881-6200.

A number of pastors from the West Penn district (pictured) in Pennsylvania earlier this month took a "research" trip to Pittsburgh, PA, to explore the possibility of church-planting potential there.

Please pray they have wisdom in this venture. For updates, log onto the West Penn district website at http://www.westpenngbc.com/

Former GBIM missionary Gracia McDairmant has called to our attention a very interesting website.

Actress Mia Farrow has chosen to "celebrate" her birthday by taking an investigative trip through the poorest regions of Central African Republic, Chad, and Darfur.

Her personal reflections and the chronology of her trip may be seen at www.miafarrow.org. Since the Grace Brethren have such a long-standing and deep investment in these regions, it makes for very interesting reading.

This webcam photo, taken this Friday morning from the roof of the Morgan Library on the campus of Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, shows construction progress as the Orthopaedic Capital Center inches toward completion.

According to Grace officials, the project is still on target to host the school's graduation in early May, 2007, and it should also be available for use during the Equip07 Grace Brethren national conference in late July.

The new $9.1 million, 60,000 square-foot facility will meet the needs of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary for chapels, conferences, meetings, and indoor sports events, but also is designed for businesses and organizations that hold events with an audience of up to 2,800 people, such as business meetings and seminars; trade shows and exhibitions; musical events and concerts; home, boat and craft shows; and athletic events.

Three of the area’s largest employers donated $1 million each to make the center possible: Biomet Orthopaedics, Inc.; DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.; and Zimmer Holdings, Inc.

Here is an interesting human-interest story about a young speller who chooses not to compete on Sunday. The article excerpts and photo are from the Indianapolis Star--read the complete story here. Huck is from Church of the Good Shepherd in Bloomington, pastored by our friend Tim Bayly.

Auburn Grace Community Church, the Grace Brethren church in Auburn, California (Phil Sparling, pastor), will kick off its annual Missions Conference Saturday with a 7:30 a.m. men's breakfast.

"God is Still Drawing People" is the theme of the conference. Potluck dinner is at 4:30 p.m. and sessions on missions work locally and globally follow.

The 9 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday services feature pastor Joe Warware from Kenya and Wayne Hannah from Grace Brethren International Missions and missionary displays from far and wide.

C.E.F. will be offering a children's program, junior high and senior high Sunday school and fellowship coffee hour follows both services.

Wednesday Nite Live activities begin at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 with dinner and activities for all ages. "Living Proof" will be leading worship March 4. Services are held at 3126 Olympic Way off Bell Road. Call (530) 823-8330 or visit www.auburngrace.com.

From today's Warsaw (IN) Times-Union newspaper:

WINONA LAKE – “If music be the food of love, play on!”

Shakespeare knew what he was talking about. Music and love have always been paired together, and will be so at Saturday’s free Symphony of the Lakes performance.

The concert is titled “A Night of Romance,” and the evening will be filled with the romantic sounds of Schumann, Ravel, Smetana, and John Williams’ memorable score from the movie “Star Wars.”

Conductor Patrick Kavanaugh (pictured) is quick to point out: “There’s romance there, too. Princess Lea and Han Solo finally got together, didn’t they?”

The principal work is the “Cello Concerto” of Robert Schumann. And what could be more romantic than having the conductor’s wife, Barbara Kavanaugh, serve as guest soloist? They have performed together many times in their 31-year marriage. This will be the first as soloist and conductor in the Warsaw area.

Barbara and Patrick met in music school, and were married in 1975. For almost three decades, they lived in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, where they raised four boys.

Barbara was one of the top free-lance musicians in Washington, playing dozens of major performances at the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Constitution Hall and at many universities and concert halls on the east coast. She is the director of chamber music for the MasterWorks Festival and teaches private cello lessons in the couple’s home.

While living in northern Virginia, the Kavanaughs and their friends, Jim and Mary Jeane Kraft, founded the Christian Performing Artists’ Fellowship – the ministry that sponsors the annual MasterWorks Festival. This summer festival moved to Winona Lake in 2002. Two years ago the Kavanaughs and the CPAF headquarters moved here permanently.

The Krafts moved here last year. Jim works with Patrick at the Grace College School of Music. Now that both couples live in Kosciusko County, they are all heavily involved in music-making, with the Symphony and the Lakes, the MasterWorks Festival, Grace College and the Second Sunday Series.

Saturday night’s concert includes Ravel’s exquisite “Pavane” and “The Moldau” by the Czech composer and patriot, Bedrich Smetana.

The performance, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. in Rodeheaver Auditorium. For more information, call 574-267-1888.

Dr. Paul Klawitter, European director for Grace Brethren International Missions, has a fascinating post on his blog about how the French view evangelicals. Specifically, he reports on one French publication which comments on a Grace Brethren service the reporter attended:

Well, this past week a journalist had some extremely complimentary things to say about the Montceau Grace Brethren (evangelical) Church, and that in a city where Protestants were once martyred (see March 16, 2006 blog).

The Journal de Saône-et-Loire (Feb. 12, 2007) wrote:"Sunday morning, at the Cultural Center in Paray-le-Monial, the Center for the Study of the Word of Montceau-les-Mines organized a prayer meeting that assembled about thirty people.

"The CSW of Montceau is managed by Protestant Evangelical Christians. The goal of this association is to make known the Bible and its relevant message. Songs, worship, meditation…

"David Hobert… chose a Psalm as a starting point for his meditation. [The Psalm] says that the one who has faith is never alone. Even in the deepest loneliness, there is someone who is thinking of him, who watches over him, and who is waiting for him.

"One must note the good participation of the congregation at this Protestant meeting. Actually, after the reading, everyone gave their impressions and shared a testimony, highlighting the personal relationship between God and men.

"‘God is a place of safety for me,’ said one. ‘He is light in the darkness,’ added another. And ‘He shows me the way to follow when I stray,” said a third.

"These Christians…, families with children, found some comfort, the balm of religion and strength to lead the hard combat of life.

"Each one shared his testimony. The main speaker then chose the Letter to the Ephesians as his starting point; the Bible is the only reference for Protestant Evangelicals. Through metaphors, the passage showed that religion arms believers with the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the belt being the symbol of truth and the shoes representing zeal.

"This was a beautiful ceremony. Alas, too rare in this religious capital — the city of Paray-le-Monial.”

Pastor Ron Sheranko of the Dayton, Ohio, First Grace Brethren Church is organizing a missions trip to the Ukraine the approximate dates of July 21-August 3.

He says, "We have six from our church at this time planning to go and would love to have four or so more. We are currently securing passports, sending support letters, and checking into flights.

"Each person will need to raise $2,200. We are also hoping to sponsor all the children who attend the camp which could be about 100 - 120 kids at $70.

"If someone couldn't go on the trip, they may want to sponsor one or more kids. July 21 - August 3 are the approximate dates."

For more information contact Pastor Ron at rasheranko@sbcglobal.net

Camp Conquest, the Northern Atlantic Fellowship-affiliated camp in Denver, Pennsylvania, is seeking to hire a female program assistant. The applicantshould have or be able to acquire an ARC Lifeguard Certificate.

Duties will include lifeguarding, janitorial, program and other duties. Pay includes housing, meals and $225 per week. Position starts about June 5th and ends about July 22nd.

Call Mike at 717.336.2541 or at mike@campconquest.org for details. For more information on Camp Conquest log onto http://www.campconquest.org/

What does raising alpacas have to do with sharing the gospel?

Check out the “How Can I Help?” tab on the new website for Grace In Action USA (http://www.graceinactionusa.org/) and you will see.

The vision of grace in ACTION usa is to see fully integrated (holistic) churches engaged in the process of both local and national community transformation.

The mission of grace in ACTION usa is to inspire and prepare individuals and churches to show the love of Christ through education and economic development.

And grace in ACTION usa purposes to accomplish its vision and mission as they:

Equip individuals and churches to use their skills and resources in order to...
Establish Community Life Centers where they can...
Encourage those without hope of fiscal independence, thus...
Enabling personal development through education, training, funding assistance, and accountability;
Educate those who wish to work by providing opportunities to learn employable skills and principles of ownership, and...
Empower people to achieve the dignity which comes with spiritual, social, economic, and emotional stability.

The 2007 Presidential Scholarship Competition at Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana, will take place February 23-24 on campus. Sixty Grace students and employees will be working approximately 176 volunteer hours at the Friday evening dinner for participants and parents

For the first time, more than 100 high school seniors (65 percent of those invited) have accepted the invitation to participate in the competition. Participants will be coming from 17 states and four foreign countries for the event.

The competition will offer $1.1 million in four-year academic scholarships. Scholarship recipients will also be invited to join the Millennial Scholars Academy, Grace College’s Honors Program.

High school seniors who applied for admission by the December 1 priority date (January 15 deadline) were automatically considered for finalist status and notified by February 1 (if selected).

The academic profile of this year’s participating finalists includes an average GPA of 3.85 (unweighted), average ACT composite of 28.8 and average SAT of 1280 (math and critical reading). For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.grace.edu.

Megan Davis (pictured), a senior elementary education major at Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana, has been selected to serve in the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Festival Princess Program.

She joins 32 other young ladies from across Indiana who will serve as ambassadors of the festival and the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

The young ladies were chosen from 235 applicants based on communication skills, poise, academic performance, and community and volunteer involvement.

The ladies attend 500 Festival events and programs during May and perform statewide community outreach programs. In addition, they are present at various Indianapolis Motor Speedway functions and participate in the pre-race ceremonies and Victory Circle celebration.

Megan is the daughter of Randy and Laurie Owen, and is the granddaughter of Tracey and Marie Owen, who were featured in the November/December 2006 issue of FGBC World. For more information on the princess program, log onto http://www.500festival.com/events/PrincessProgram.asp

Pastor Roger Dabideen, who is planting Grace Brethren churches in Trinidad, sends the following update:

My family and I are excited about the work in Trinidad and what God is doing in the lives of the people here at Trin-Grace Ministries and Grace Church, Cunupia.

The week of October 26–November 2, 2006, we were blessed by the visit of the Women of Grace GO2 Team from Columbus, Ohio. They ministered to a Pastors and Leaders Wives Retreat for the first few days. They also ministered to the ladies at Grace Church, which ended in a fabulous meal.

Grace Church Cunupia held its first baptism service on November 4 (pictured), when three people dedicated their lives to Christ in water baptism. On November 5 our first Communion Service was held and lives were again touched. Dr. Charles Davis and his wife, Millie, were there for both those services and it was a joy and a privilege to share it with them.

During the Christmas holidays we had our Christmas dinner, which was celebrated in Trini style: lots of food and fellowship. Grace Church also gave out fifteen (15) hampers to needy families in the Cunupia and Kelly area as our Christmas project. Grace Church is continuing the grocery hampers on a monthly basis (one box per month) or as the members give.

This year also saw the start of our Wednesday evening Bible study, to complement our Ladies and Men’s Fellowship which started in late 2006. The attendance in our Sunday service has increased for 2007 as we see the mighty hand of the Lord at work every day that passes.

Prayer Requests:

-That God will continue to bless us and give us the grace to do his work in Trinidad.

-Financial support for Trin Grace Ministries

-Dr. Charles Davis and his wife Millie for leading and lending direction to Trin Grace Ministries

-Grace Church, Cunupia, that it continues to grow in the Lord and the ministries attached would bear fruit

-Our second baptism service, as more people seek to pledge their lives.

-Church Planter Institute scheduled to start in September 2007

-The people of Trinidad & Tobago, that their hearts be receptive to the Gospel.

CE National, Winona Lake, Indiana, announced this week that Carmen Franchino (pictured) will join the CE National staff to assist with Momentum youth conference (formerly BNYC) and to work in general marketing.

Carmen and her husband Scott, recently moved to the Warsaw, Indiana, area from Soldotna, Alaska, where Carmen served in the worship and youth ministries of Peninsula Grace Brethren Church under pastor Dan Thornton.

Prior to moving to Alaska, she had worked almost five years as an administrative assistant at CE National.

Rev. Kurt Miller (pictured) has been appointed to the position of Mobilization Coordinator – Eastern Region by Grace Brethren International Missions (GBIM) of Winona Lake, Indiana.

“We are very pleased that Kurt is joining our staff,” commented Dave Guiles, GBIM’s Executive Director. “His passion for the lost, his experience as a church planter and his strong relationships with the FGBC position Kurt to make a significant contribution to our Mobilization Team.”

On the local level, Miller will offer a series of coaching visits designed to help churches form strong mobilization teams. On the regional level, he plans to organize training events to provide practical help and networking opportunities for anyone committed to cross-cultural ministry. Miller will also work to identify and mentor potential cross-cultural ministry workers.

A native of Corning, New York, Miller worked in law enforcement and then entered full-time ministry in 1976 as pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Richmond, Virginia. Later, he served churches in Pennsylvania and Florida. In 1991 he joined the staff of Grace Brethren North American Missions, where he served the past sixteen years as the National Director of Church Planting.

“Kurt is a biblical evangelist with a heart for the local church,” observes Dr. Keith Shearer of the New Beginnings Grace Brethren Church of Myerstown, Pennsylvania, and a member of the GBIM board of directors. “I have valued his friendship over the years, and look forward to his ministry to the nations with our East Coast Grace Brethren Churches and GBIM.”

Kurt and his wife, Anecia, will continue to reside in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Miller said, “People who know me well are aware of my love for the nations. It has been most apparent in my introduction of the Ethnic-American Initiative to the GBNAM church-planting strategy. It is such a blessing to me that God and GBIM have provided me with the expanded opportunity to influence our Fellowship in mission to the least-reached in North America and beyond.”

The Grace Brethren church in Goshen, Indiana, pastored by next year’s FGBC moderator, Jim Brown, this week chose a cold and snowy day to “blitz” businesses along U.S. Rt. 33 in their neighborhood with 4,000 Hershey’s chocolate bars, to be delivered in the name of Jesus.

Seven brave souls came to serve at 7:30 a.m., and 25 in the afternoon. Participants prayed for the people who would be receiving each Hershey bar and then headed out to serve.

Hershey bars were handed to people in parking lots, bowling alleys, grocery stores, bait stores, liquor stores, and some were even given to people plowing snow!

One leader of the outreach said, “The response was incredible! Peoples’ faces lit up as we handed them a Hershey bar and an info card and wished them a Happy Valentine’s Day.

“When it was all said and done, 4,000 Hershey bars were gone and 4,000 people in Goshen had been loved on in a big way. They went home knowing that someone loves them and that someone is Jesus!”

In addition, 12 people came out to serve in the afternoon in South Bend/Mishawaka, where they passed out 1,300 Hershey bars. The Goshen church is partnering in a satellite South Bend campus outreach which is featured in the upcoming issue of FGBC World.

To read the full story and to see additional photos, click here http://www.cenational.org/cenational/newsBlog/index.asp?IDNum=1527&eventCode=

This coming Wednesday, February 21, is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Brian Orme, associate pastor at our Grace Brethren church in West Milton, Ohio, recently wrote this commentary for the Dayton (OH) Daily News:

Lent can recharge your faith

By Brian Orme

The Lenten season officially begins next week with Ash Wednesday. It's the 40-day period preceding Easter, traditionally set apart by the church for a time of repentance, prayer and fasting.

On Ash Wednesday, many Christians will don cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads as a sign of public conviction and devotion to God. These ashes serve as a reminder that men and women are but dust and sinners in need of grace.

For the duration of the Lenten season many churchgoers will enter a "fast" from something like sweets, coffee or possibly an unhealthy habit, as a sign of commitment to Christ. These small sacrifices are symbolic of the greater suffering of Jesus leading up to the cross.

Other church members will spend added time in prayer and acts of service as a reminder of the passion and humility of Christ.

At St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 350 N. Fairfield Road, Beavercreek, the Rev. Deb Holder is preparing the church for a focus on prayer and a deepening conversation with God. The theme for St. Andrew during Lent will be "Connecting to God Through Prayer."

"For me, it's a chance to deepen my walk with Christ," Holder says.

"I was raised this way, that during Lent I was supposed to give up something like chocolate or pop. But I've turned that around, and each year I focus on taking on something new that deepens my spiritual life."

At Our Lady of the Rosary, 22 Notre Dame Ave., Dayton, the Rev. Michael Holloran appropriately describes Lent as a time to "Get your act together."

Originally, Lent was a preparation period for those wanting to be baptized on Easter. The 40-day journey was a chance for all would-be Jesus followers to spend some time in self-evaluation before publicly identifying themselves as "Christians" at the Easter baptism.

At St. Joseph Church, 411 E. Second St., Dayton, the Rev. Louis Osterhage plans on guiding newcomers and church members through the stations of the cross.

These "stations" consist of devotionals and pictures that center on the passion of Christ leading through the crucifixion.

Osterhage says Lent is a time to help people focus on themselves, "to see where they may have gone astray and straighten out their lives once again — give them a chance to get recharged."

The following article and photo appeared in this morning's Lancaster, PA, Intelligencer Journal newspaper. Scott Distler is pastor of the Lititz Grace Brethren Church.

Getz sees future beyond the mats

By Pete Kauffman, Staff, Intelligencer Journal

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Local high school wrestlers embark on their mission to become state champions today with the opening of the District Three Sectional Tournaments around the midstate.

For some, it becomes the most important mission in their young lives.
For others, like Warwick senior Cory Getz, it's just one small part trip in the greater journey of life.

Only 18, Getz talks like a much more mature individual when he speaks of pursuing his dream to become involved in urban ministry.

"I'm ready to move on to a different part of my life from wrestling," said Getz. To that end, he'll attend Moody Bible College in Chicago in the fall and have to give up wrestling.

"It's really something I've wanted to do for most of my life," he said of preaching in an urban setting.

Attending Lititz Grace Brethren Church has been a family affair for Getz. His parents, Lester and Donna, and brother Ty, 20, a former Warrior wrestler who's enrolled at Moody, and sister Becky, 21, all were active in the church.

Cory Getz said the vision of his future came into focus during a church-sponsored trip last summer to the West Coast, covering ground from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

"That trip, when we got to go into those cities and see what was going on, really affected my decision," Getz said. "That was the thing that really made up my mind; that really got me going."

Getz knows, though, that there's still a lot of ground to cover, and many more opportunities to explore while he's still at Warwick.

He's active as a student leader in the Warwick Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and doesn't mind sharing his faith with fellow students.

He does not, though, push his beliefs onto others.

"Wrestling is a good ministry; that's one thing I've been using," said Getz. "I try and talk to people, but it's with my good friends I feel most comfortable talking to. They're the ones I think I have the most effect on. They know I'm telling them things because I care about them."

Getz, who hopes to one day open up an inner-city rescue mission or plant a church in a big city, also realizes that his future plans may change.

"When you're working with God, you have to be open to where He wants you to be," Getz said. This weekend, Getz has a feeling that being on the wrestling mat is where he's supposed to be — at least for now.

"He's got good skill," said Warwick head coach Ned Bushong. "He's not a gung-ho, yell and scream type kid, but he's a good leader.

"He's not one you have to worry about with academics or off-mat problems. He's pretty straight that way. He likes to do stuff to have fun, but not in a destructive way. He's a good kid." He's also a good wrestler.

Getz (30-1 this year, 98-28 career) is on the verge of reaching that important 100-win milestone. If things go as planned, he should achieve that mark in the semifinals of today's sectional tournament at Hempfield.

He's the top seed at 171 pounds, and he and his Warrior teammates are competing at a new site because of the realignment that took place this year. There are now five Class AAA sites instead of just four.

In recent years, Warwick competed with a mostly Berks contingent of wrestlers at Governor Mifflin. Now, they'll join most of their L-L brethren at Hempfield.

Cocalico, Ephrata and Garden Spot remain at the Mifflin site, while Elizabethtown was shifted to join an otherwise entire Mid-Penn group at Central Dauphin East.

The top three finishers in Class AAA advance to districts, with the exception of those teams competing at CDE, where the top four will advance. That site got the extra qualifier based on those schools having more returning state qualifiers than any of the other sections.

In Class AA, all L-L teams will compete at Donegal and advance four wrestlers to districts. All sectional tournaments will be held on one day, with action getting under way at 9 this morning. The medal rounds are slated for 5:30 p.m. with the championship finals to follow.

Getz is looking to lead a large contingent of Warriors into districts. Last year, ACL surgery on his left knee three days before sectionals ended his junior season prematurely.

This year, he's hoping for a much better outcome. Rated among the top 10 in some state rankings, Getz is looking to use sectionals as a springboard into districts, then, hopefully, into states as well.

"That's everyone's dream," he said of a possible state title, "but I'd have to upset a few people to make that happen. Right now, I'm just looking at the match in front of me."

He knows that his wrestling life is soon over and that he must make the most of the opportunities at hand. He also knows, though, that this mission will pale in comparison to the one that awaits beyond high school.

There’s a currently-developing story out of our Grace Brethren church in Norwalk, California, that is both wonderful and also brings an urgent prayer request.

The story of 10-year-old heart transplant patient Josh Molina (pictured) is currently being told through the CE National Newsline (www.cenational.org) and by Pastor Wayne Ayer of the Norwalk church (http://www.gracelive.com/)

The most recent e-newsletter from CE National says, “Joshua Molina became a favorite of the Operation Barnabas teams last summer because the OB training was done at the Norwalk, California, Grace Brethren Church where Wayne Ayer is Senior Pastor.

“Josh came to the services and everyone knew that he was badly in need of a new heart. The doctors said it was essential. Josh is a wonderful Christian boy who is very faithful at the Norwalk GBC. He told his mom once, ‘I hope you won't be offended, but my very best friend is Jesus.’

“Wednesday night Josh got his new heart. Wayne Ayer said it was eerie to sit in the hospital at 11 p.m. and hear the helicopter land and for the hospital personnel to rush in with the heart. One person dies so that Josh can have a new heart. As Pastor Wayne says, it was like Joshua was just reborn.

Please pray for Josh.

Here is a bit of the background, as related on the Norwalk church’s website by Josh’s mother, Sandra:

I have been married for over 21 years. For more than 10 years I tried to conceive but it was very difficult. After a long period of infertility treatment and surgery I was able to rejoice to know that I was expecting a baby. Thank the Lord! And I kept praying to have a healthy baby.

Around my third month of pregnancy I was diagnosed with diabetes and I followed all the instructions from my doctors to make sure the baby was OK.

When I was 4½ months into my pregnancy my gallbladder hit me and I needed surgery. It was a very difficult decision because if I had a premature baby he was not going to survive and if I did have the surgery he and I were at risk anyway. So, we made the decision trusting God to be with us.

I did have contractions but they were controlled with medication and we both survived. After that, I had a normal pregnancy and Joshua was born on July 26, 1996, at 1:33 AM and ever since he has been my two eyes and my two ears. I breathe because of him and I cannot conceive the idea of losing him.

Joshua was diagnosed about four years ago with asthma. The doctors thought it had gone away because he had pneumonia, but we were dealing with it.

In February of this year he developed pneumonia again and he was sent for a chest x-ray. It was then they discovered that his heart was enlarged. Ever since it has been bad news after bad news.

He has a condition called "Restricted Cardiomopathy" which is the worst of its kind and a very progressive disease. I took him to the doctor because he was having difficulties breathing at night and they found that he is retaining fluids in his heart. He was put on medication.

Please keep praying for my son.

Although it’s still snowy and blowy in Winona Lake, Indiana, summer is very much on our minds. Specifically, Equip07 national conference, which will be held in Winona Lake the dates of July 28-August 3, 2007.

A group representing all the national organizations and the Fellowship Coordinator’s office has been meeting every several months to plan conference events in addition to all the courses and workshops that will be offered.

Just a few of the general highlights include the AGBM annual meeting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 29; a conference plenary session Monday night with guest speaker Brad Powell; moderator’s address by Jim Brown on Wednesday evening; and daily events sponsored by the cooperating national organizations.

Sunday evening (July 29) will feature a joint business meeting of the corporations from FGBC, Brethren Missionary Herald Co., and Grace College and Seminary. The late-evening event is a dedication service for the new Orthopaedic Capital Center on the Grace Campus. Monday Grace Brethren Investment Foundation will sponsor a dinner and chaplains’ event at 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday evening will be the Grace Brethren International Missions international fair with food and entertainment, plus corporation business meetings of GBIM and GBNAM.

Wednesday CE National plans a dinner/open house and following the evening’s moderator’s address there will be a twilight BMH authors’ autograph party at the Tree of Life bookstore with free refreshments and fellowship time on the plaza/patio with entertainment.

Thursday evening Grace Village Retirement Center will sponsor a chicken barbecue and Brethren Missionary Herald Co. will again sponsor an open hymnsing in the Grace Village chapel at 6:15 p.m. The Brethren History and Heritage tour will be that evening also, as will an “open sports night” at the Gordon Recreation Center.

Friday, is the final day of conference—classes conclude at 4:30 p.m. Course information, childcare details, and seniors conference information are all on the FGBC website at www.equip07.com.

Here is a quick summary of BMH-related events for the week:

Sunday – Corporation meeting. Anyone who contributes $25 to BMH and is affiliated with a Grace Brethren church is a corporation member. All corporation membership revenues this year are going to support literature development in the Central African Republic.

Wednesday – Twilight BMH authors’ autograph party at Tree of Life bookstore at 9 p.m.

Thursday – Hymnsing at Grace Village at 6:15 p.m.

Brethren History and Heritage bus tour, hosted by Dr. David Plaster, will leave at 5 p.m. Thursday from Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. Tour and lectures include Arnold’s Grove in Milford (site of 1882 split), tour of murals and statues and dinner at Camp Alexander Mack, and concludes with a visit to MennoHof Anabaptist Interpretive Center in Shipshewana, Indiana. Tour includes special historical gift to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, begun in Schwarzenau, Germany, by Alexander Mack in 1708.

Plan now to join us for this great week of fellowship, equipping, and inspiration.

Pastor Chuck Winter of Sunnyside, Washington, and Judy Daniels of the Grace College communications staff have alerted us to the story of Krista Artz, who was a junior at Grace College (social work major) during the fall semester. Krista, 20, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in December and is currently at home in Grandview, Washington. She is undergoing chemotherapy, which will last through August.

The Yakima (WA) Herald Republic ran a feature story on Krista and her fiancée last week. It's an amazing story of two young people and their families who are dealing with cancer, but also looking forward to a wedding in August. If you'd like to read the story, go to http://www.yakimaherald.com/page/search_archive?p=search and type in "Krista Artz" in the Search Archives or click here. Please keep Krista and her family in your prayers.

Here are a few paragraphs from the story, which ran in the Yakima paper on February 8:

When Krista Artz first got sick, she blamed love.

You know, losing weight, night sweats. Love.

"I didn't think much of it," says the 20-year-old Grandview High School graduate. She figured it was stress from college and the heartache of a long-distance relationship - "being in love."

Turns out it was cancer. Hodgkin's disease.

Giggling, daily phone calls, homemade cookies, cross-country marriage proposals.Those were symptoms of love, and this Valentine's Day, Krista and her fiance, Jared DeJong, 21, have a bad case.

It's hard to believe Jared and Krista never met as kids. Their families live less than a mile from each other. His bus, on its way to Sunnyside Christian High School, must have passed her house every morning as she waited for her own ride to Grandview High School.

Jared, a lanky, studious son of a dairy farmer, went off to Whitworth College in Spokane. Krista, a bubbly cheerleader with little interest in a serious boyfriend, headed to Grace College, a small liberal arts school and seminary in Winona Lake, Ind.

In August 2005, Krista took some courses from Yakima Valley Community College and worked at the Movie Gallery in Grandview. Jared, on the other hand, frequented the Safeway movie rental counter. But one night, sometime after 10 p.m., when the Safeway's counter had closed, he stepped into the Movie Gallery.

Neither of them remembers the movie he rented, but he kept coming back.

That fall, Jared returned to college while Krista stayed in Grandview and took more YVCC courses. He returned home most weekends to visit his family, friends and, as time went on, her.

About this time last year, with Valentine's Day around the corner, they began dating.

By the summer of 2006, Jared and Krista had turned into that cute couple whom everybody knows. They baked cookies, took up in-line skating and giggled about their quirky adventures.

Honey, remember that time we provided our own M&Ms for a Blizzard because Dairy Queen didn't have any? Good times.

Still, Krista somehow managed that fall to detach herself from her beau's hip and return to Grace College. Jared, of course, went back to Spokane for his senior year at Whitworth, well on his way to a double major in computer science and business management.

But Jared would not let 2,000 miles interrupt the romance. He had a plan. He called her friends, her roommates and her boss at the nearby tanning salon. He shipped a new dress and earrings. He cashed in a friend's frequent flyer miles.

He made sure Krista had the night off. He pre-positioned friends in her dorm room for a "girls night" of movies and popcorn. Krista had no idea.

"I thought it was really neat," recalls Erica Todd, one of Krista's roommates and one of Jared's co-conspirators. "She was expecting it to happen when she got home at some point."

On the night of Oct. 27, 2006, Jared knocked on her door, dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry him in front of a chorus of applauding young women huddled in the Indiana Hall dormitory.

Love. For a girl as giddy as Krista, what else could night sweats and losing 28 pounds in a matter of months be?

Krista and Jared next saw each other Nov. 18 in Grandview for a weeklong Thanksgiving break. Two days later she woke up in the middle of the night, her pajamas so soaked with sweat she could wring them out.

Love doesn't cause that. "So frustrating," she recalls. "I knew something was wrong."

Bruce Metzger, a professor emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary, author and recognized authority on Greek manuscripts of the Bible, died Tuesday at age 93.

Metzger was chairman of the translation committee for the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, released in 1990. He was also involved with committees in the production of the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (1966) and the Reader's Digest Condensed Bible (1982).

Metzger also published works related to Bible study with Oxford University Press and Abingdon Press. In 1994 he was awarded the British Academy's F.C. Burkitt Medal for his contribution to biblical studies, the Associated Press said.

Metzger is survived by his wife, Isobel, two sons and a sister. Memorial services are to be held next Tuesday at Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, N.J.

Ken Seyfert (pictured), Executive Director of Operations for the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation (GBIF) in Winona Lake, Indiana, has been selected to be the national moderator for the 2007 meetings of the Denominational Investment Loan Association (DILA) to be held September 16-18, 2007, at the Denver Renaissance Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

Seyfert’s duties in the one-year appointment will include being master of ceremonies for the meetings; coordination of the year’s theme, agenda, and speakers; and facilitating working relationships among the member groups.

DILA is comprised of the church extension funds and foundations of most of the USA’s evangelical denominations and religious groups. It represents more than $20 billion combined funds, all invested in Christian work. Denominations who participate include the Assemblies of God, Church of God, Disciples of Christ, Evangelical Free Church, Missouri Synod Lutheran, Southern Baptist, and more. Seyfert’s organization, GBIF, is affiliated with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, also headquartered in Winona Lake, Indiana.

The objective of DILA is to work together across denominational lines in the multiplication of resources for the advancement of God’s work.

In responding to the appointment, Seyfert said, “I am both honored and humbled to be selected for the moderator’s position. My prayer is to represent our Fellowship well and that our meetings would thoroughly bring glory to God.”

Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, the national church extension fund of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, is registered to conduct business in 40-plus states across the U.S. Through a network of investors, financing is made available to fund building projects for churches, schools, and organizations affiliated with the FGBC.

Seyfert, who was formerly an investment banker in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, has managed GBIF’s investments and loans for the past ten years. During that time assets have more than doubled and earnings have increased 10-fold, with more than $5 million having been contributed to the work of church planting alone. Seyfert also serves as chair of the retirement investment plan for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

Seyfert and his wife, Donna, live in Warsaw, Indiana, and are members of the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. They have two grown children and three grandchildren. In Pennsylvania, they were members of the New Beginnings Grace Brethren Church in Myerstown, PA.

For more information contact Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, P.O. Box 587, 1401 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, Indiana.

After a furiously stormy Tuesday in which whiteout conditions closed nearly everything in town, Winona Lake, Indiana, awoke to a sunny, wintery wonderland this Valentine's Day.

Here's how the Tree of Life bookstore and BMH office building looked about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

We're happy to have passed the storm off to our good neighbors to the east. Enjoy!

Kary Oberbrunner, from the pastoral staff of the Powell, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church, and one of BMH Books' most recently-published authors, was published in a recent edition of Ministry Today magazine. To read his entire article on practices of the Emergent Church, click here. Here is a brief excerpt:


Doorways to Deception?

By Kary Oberbrunner

From labyrinths and meditation to prayerwalks and yoga—a postmodern preacher examines the pros and cons of alternative spirituality.

To put it simply, I've decided my favorite colors are black and white. I prefer it when issues are clear, easy and not confusing. For many evangelical churches, there's a whole lot of gray when it comes to conversing about emerging ministry trends that many feel knock on the door of New Age ideology.

For instance, Minneapolis pastor Doug Pagitt's book Reimagining Spiritual Formation showcases a few of these trends, including yoga, energy workers, massage therapy and gifts of intuition and premonition.

Evangelicalism is becoming less and less your grandmother's faith characterized by hymnals, potlucks and Wednesday-night prayer meetings. In light of these new "worship" expressions exploding in popularity, what's a church leader to do? Discern or consume? Boycott or bless? Accept or reject?

Obviously, for many it's a mixed bag, hence the controversy. However, I've noticed that not all leaders are blindly accepting or rejecting. Some seem to be dissecting, interacting with Scripture, reflecting and then taking a stand. This is not only a novel concept, but also the fulfillment of the great command to love the Lord our God with our hearts, souls and minds.

Here's a glimpse of the controversy surrounding three of the most common expressions.

Six men from the Community of Grace Church in Richmond, VA, (David Kennedy, pastor) leave for a two-week trip to Bangui, Central African Republic, on February 15th to work on the completion of the orphanage care center there.


Bags are packed, spirits are high, and support is strong as the church commissioned the men this past Sunday. Church family and team members’ families raised over $21,000 to send the largest mission team ever from the Richmond church.


This team follows the path of one of its church’s college students who led the way to Africa for the congregation last summer in working with CAR’s orphans.


“Mission is becoming a way of life as God changes our hearts toward others,” remarked Dave Kennedy, Lead Pastor, and one of the CAR Team members. (photo courtesy Dave Kennedy)

What do you do on a cold winter Saturday night around Winona Lake, Indiana?

You go to the Tree of Life bookstore, of course, for a latte, a hot chocolate, or some steaming coffee.

You sink into the plush leather couches--with or without your laptop and the wireless internet--and you listen to Rich and Kathy Barnhart (pictured) playing some gentle jazz on the keyboard and bass guitar next to the flickering flames of the fireplace.

Rich is a professor in the computer sciences department at Grace College and Kathy works in the heath services center. Both are members of the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church.

Aaahhhhhh!!!!!

The following article appeared in today’s Dayton (OH) Daily News. Betty Judd is a member of Community Grace Brethren Church in West Milton (Steve Peters, pastor). According to one member of the church, “Betty is a very special lady and is fulfilling a long-awaited desire to serve God in Africa. The interesting thing is that Betty only became a nurse a few years ago. We miss seeing her every week but know she is doing what she has been called to do at this point in her life.”

By Dale Huffman
Staff Writer

If the cold weather is beginning to get you down, you can pause a moment and think of Betty Judd, a nurse at Grandview Hospital who is in Africa this week where the temperatures are in the 90s.

Judd, 63, who lives in Brookville, is a nurse in the rehabilitation unit at the hospital and is on a medical mission in central Africa where the temperature is extremely warm and the need for medical missionaries is critical.

Judd has been sharing some of her experiences, when she has time, with Roxanna Rouch, also a Grandview nurse and a friend.

"Betty is a remarkable woman," Rouch said. "She is as spry as a 20-year-old, has five grown children, and is very dedicated to helping others. She has been sending along messages which I am compiling into a little journal to share. She is doing her work through the Grace Brethren International Missions."

"We don't know how long Betty will stay there, but from her notes she is having an interesting and fulfilling experience," Rouch said.

Here are some of the thoughts Judd has sent home.

"I feel humbled that God has chosen me to serve His people here. This is indeed another world. When we drove to work with orphans, well it was a four-hour drive. The potholes are big enough to bury an axle, so it is a challenge. It is very primitive with no electricity or running water. Needless to say, no bathrooms."

"Some of the children put on programs for us to enjoy and have shared their praise songs. I have treated a number of the little ones who have open sores. We clean them with soap and water, and put a dressing over the wound to keep it clean. We show them that washing a sore and keeping the dirt off will help them heal," Judd said.

Judd said one of her biggest challenges has been learning how to communicate.

"They speak Sango (the primary language in the Central African Republic) and I have been trying to learn the language," Judd said. "I have a number of mentors who are helping me with my Sango, and with the culture and other things I otherwise would not know."

She told Rouch, "Please keep my Sango learning in your prayers. It is a challenge but with His help I can do it."

Even though the weather has been hot, Judd said that a team of volunteers from Michigan has arrived to help in building a Project Hope school.

"When the school is completed the children will have a new place to get schooling, a hot meal, and medical needs assessed in an orderly fashion," Judd said.

One of the volunteers has a sewing machine and Judd said she helps repair clothes, and sometimes she teaches English lessons.

Judd wrote, "Everywhere we go there are hundreds of children wanting to shake hands. It is very important to shake everyone's hand, young and old. It is their way of welcoming us with open arms. They are respectful of your space, however, and wait in line for you to see their hand."

"I don't know how to express my feeling of humbleness for having the blessing of being able to work along side such precious people. They just thank you and thank you," she said.

"Betty is a very special person and is taking great joy in doing God's work in Africa," Rouch said.

Today's edition of the "Grace Connection" e-newsletter from Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana (connect@grace.edu), announces that congratulations are in order for two Grace College faculty members.

Jim Swanson (pictured), associate vice president of student affairs, earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: Higher Education, from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on December 16. The title of his dissertation was: "Success in the First Year: Impact of Alternative Advising on Students at a Liberal Arts College."

Dr. Swanson came to Grace as dean of students in 1994. He is a graduate of William Tyndale College (BA) and Eastern Michigan University (MA). Prior to his work at Grace, he had served as a professor and therapist, as well as in management.

Congratulations are also in order to Professor Bill Gordon, chair of Grace's Business Department. Prof. Gordon received the Star Financial Business Leadership Award on January 13. The award was presented at Taylor University's MBA Program graduation banquet.

The award was given in recognition and appreciation for Gordon's support and encouragement of the business community and the Taylor MBA Program. Gordon is on Taylor's MBA Program Advisory Board.

Dr. Larry Rottmeyer, chair of the MBA Program, says, "Many Grace College business alumni have completed their MBAs in the Taylor University program. Each one of them, without exception, can comment on the impact that Professor Gordon has had on their lives during their days at Grace."

The Happy Church in Jackson, Kentucky (Mike Tabor, pastor) closed on a deal February 5 to purchase a parcel of land on the Kentucky River with three structures: a church building and two homes.

The Grace Brethren church began just four years ago in a family's basement, grew to a storefront where they have met for the last three years, and now have grown into the need for a larger building with parking and rest rooms.

According to Pastor Mike Tabor, “The property has a very nice home that is currently rented to a sweet Hispanic lady who is a school teacher. The current plan is to encourage her to remain in the home, and perhaps use her language skills in church ministry.”

Tabor says the property also includes a vacant home which is structurally sound, but basically needs "gutted" and remodeled on the interior, plus a new roof and paint on the outside.

At the very back of the property, he says, is a small bandstand complete with electrical outlets, that will power The Happy Church's future outdoor concerts.

Just behind the bandstand is the Kentucky River which, along with the Appalachian mountains, makes for a “very picturesque site,” Tabor says.

More information and photos may be seen at http://www.moregbcs.org:80/HappyChurchNewHome.html

The Grace Brethren Church of Lanham, MD, (Paul Mutchler, pastor) recently commissioned Danny and Deborah Long to conduct missionary work in western Asia. Shown in the photo, from left, are Pastor Paul Mutchler, Elder/Headmaster Gene Pinkard, Danny, Deborah, and son Daniel Long, plus other elders and representatives from other supporting churches.

Both Danny and Deborah grew up in the Lanham church, and both have served short-term missions in multiple countries as they sought the Lord's direction. Danny is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and taught Bible, guitar classes and led the praise team at Lanham Christian School for five years.

He also played keyboards on the Grace Praise Team, led a Friday night collegiate outreach fellowship and served on the Elders and Advisors Board.

Deborah graduated from Grace College, taught music at Lanham Christian School and one year in Haiti. They and their son Daniel are going as "musicianaries," seeking to assist in church planting efforts. Those interested in knowing more may contact them through their email djlong@juno.com.

Pastor Randy Smith of the Sebring, Florida, Grace Brethren Church and his students at the Great Commission Bible Institute at his church are currently involved in tornado relief at Lady Lake. Here are their reports today of what they are seeing and experiencing:

The tornado that tore through Lady Lake devastated the lives of many, but brought the people of one neighborhood closer together. I had the opportunity to volunteer with Soles for Souls, a non-profit organization that gave shoes to those who had lost everything in natural disasters. I walked through the mobile home park seeking those who needed shoes and was in shock of the destruction that had occurred only days earlier.

Pink insulation clung to the trees like snow and aluminum siding littered every yard. Houses were demolished and several trailers were standing firm with fallen trees tearing through their thin walls. Several homes were damaged so severely that in walking by you saw the contents of the home. Clothes, furniture, and tree limbs were scattered throughout the entire park and if you looked up, you would find a mattress or aluminum siding balancing on a single tree branch.

The most impacting moment of my entire time in Lady Lake was when I was fitting a pair of shoes to a woman who lost everything. Mary and her husband, residents of the park, were in desperate need of a pair of shoes. I never realized how important a pair of tennis shoes was until that moment.

Mary walked up to me in socks and flip-flops two sizes too small and shared with me that the tornado struck their house in the middle of the night. They heard the roar of the storm and clung to each other, praying they would make it through. The tornado picked up their house and dropped it, causing Mary to fall to the floor with her husband on top of her. Many of their furnishings, including a mattress which saved their lives, fell breaking several of Mary’s ribs and bruising them both severely. To insure that the small trailer would be completely demolished, a tree then fell only several inches from where they lay underneath pounds of debris. Mary and her husband were rescued and walked away.

I had the opportunity to place on this woman’s feet a pair of brand new, white tennis shoes. I knelt in front of her, placing her small bruised feet into safety and thanked God for blessing this woman with her life and for me to experience how God provides in ways that we cannot understand. I will never lose the shock of the mobile home park that was tattered by the tornado, but more importantly I will never forget Mary’s smile walking away in a brand new pair of shoes.

-Katy Staley (Ohio)

We filled garbage bag after garbage bag with sticks and leaves and threw away whatever metal and plastic we found. On our way back from a walk to the dumpster, Pastor Randy noticed an elderly man who had come out and had begun to rake his yard. He asked me to help the man, who seemed like he could hardly walk, so I grabbed a rake and asked if he could use a hand.

His trailer was still in one piece, but the roof to his screened-in porch was nowhere to be seen, the screens were destroyed, blinds splayed in crazy directions and more leaves and sticks on his porch. I raked what I could off of his porch, threw away the useless blinds, carefully set aside broken birdhouses, and continued to clear out his lawn.

I didn't get the chance to find out much about him, but he told me that he had been inside when the tornado, which had killed his neighbors a few hundred feet away, struck. He was alright except that he hit his head on something. He told me many times how grateful he was for my help and what we were doing for his community. When he went inside to rest after only working a few minutes he thanked me again.

As he turned and closed the door I was hit with the fulfillment that only comes from meeting the needs of others in such a real way. We didn't need to wrestle roofing out of trees or clear roads with bulldozers, but by raking up sticks and leaves and cleaning up what was left of this man's porch we met his need and left an impression of Christ's love which is more powerful than any force of nature.

-Jonathan Martin (Pennsylvania)

Today the Great Comission Bible Institute students went up to Lady Lake to help with tornado relief. We had the oppertunity of cleaning the tornado victims yards of fallen debris, aluminum roofs and siding, and chopping up fallen trees.

I was speachless, standing there looking at a tree that had fallen straight through someone's kitchen. I had the oppertunity to talk with the man that owned the house. The tornado came through during the night and this man said that he woke up and heard the "freight train" sound that a tornado makes and he said that the tornado actually lifted up his bed and set him and his wife back down and then they heard a loud crash and woke to find a tree straight through their kitchen.

This man was so happy that he and his wife were able to walk out of the house without a scratch on them. He told me, "there must have been someone watching out for me." That was just one of many stories that we heard today. It was amazing to see these houses totally destroyed and then the people that were living in the house were perfectly fine. My prayer for these victims is that they realize that God still has a plan for their lives, that He still has more for their lives. Today was a incredible and I cannot wait to go back tomorrow.

-Morgan Brewer (Florida)

I just think of the pleasure it is for someone to own a home and tend to it over the years and what hurt and loss they must feel when in a matter of hours they see it completely obliterated without any means to stop it.

Today, we worked in a retirement community made up of mobile homes. You can imagine what a tornado can do to a house, much less something lighter and weaker like a mobile home. We saw places where you couldn't even tell where the house actually was because it just looked like huge piles of metal and wood. There were even places where you could tell the tornado had just picked up a home and wrapped it around a nearby tree. Seeing this kind of destruction made me thankful for one of the biggest blessings I take for granted daily...a constant roof over my head.

As we interacted with the different people today be they homeowners, relief workers, families, or friends, one thing seemed to be clear and Pastor Randy was the first to point this out. It seemed that so many of those helping out and helping themselves were believers. It's beautiful to see Christ's love shown through his people in these kinds of moments in life.

It made me realize how thankful I am for the Lord because He is truly the one who teaches us how to love, and without Him much of what good work was done, by everyone, would not have happened. If today did anything to me or for me I can sum it up in one word...gratitude. Gratitude for the Lord and gratitude for those who choose to walk with Him and serve.

-Bryan Irvin (North Carolina)

It reminded me of the town of Wauchula when Hurricane Charlie hit and the only thing standing was a Taco Bell. We raked yards, picked up garbage, sticks and the lot. We also helped put tarps on roofs, and cleared trees off a driveway for a man.

But the thing that impressed me the most today was the attitudes of the people there. They were not mad or shocked, but were happy and joyful even though their homes were totally destroyed. That says a lot to me, that even in the midst of destruction and losing everything they still find joy in life and in God.

-Shea Brewer (Florida)

BMH Books' most newly-published author is Kary Oberbrunner (right), from our Powell, Ohio, Grace Brethren church, shown here with BMH senior editor Jesse Deloe (left).

Kary came to Winona Lake to pick up his authors' copies last week and has some very nice things to say about BMH books on his blog at http://rtdministry.blogspot.com/2007/02/bunch-of-books.html

It takes about a year for a book to be published, and it involves hundreds (sometimes thousands) of hours of editorial and graphic time. Kary's book Called has great promise, we believe, and we ask you to pray for its ministry as well as all our books, as found on www.bmhbooks.com.

We look forward to the opportunity to take Kary's message--and many others--to the larger world through our marketing programs which now have BMH products on amazon.com, cbd.com, walmart.com, in hundreds of Christian bookstores, and other outlets as well as our own sales channels and direct from our warehouse at 1-800-348-2756.

You have an open invitation to attend our BMH corporation meeting at the Equip07 conference this summer on Sunday evening, July 29, in Winona Lake, Indiana at the Rodeheaver Auditorium. Come and experience for yourself some of the excitement as our strong authors are reaching around the world with materials that God is using to change lives!

Wayne Guthrie, former bookkeeper for the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, Winona Lake, Ind., died January 29, 2007, in Costa Mesa, Calif. at the age of 92.

Guthrie joined the staff of BMH in 1958 and retired in 1976. For the last 20 years, he had resided with his niece, Jean Loback.

He was cremated, and in the spring graveside services will be held in Ankenytown, Ohio, where Guthrie grew up. In addition to Mrs. Loback, he is survived by several other nieces and by Robert Burk, of Michigan, whom he helped raise.

Men of all ages are invited to join together for a weekend of fellowship, teaching, and activities at the Southern California/Arizona "High Impact Men's Conference" to be held at Pine Summit in Big Bear, California, the dates of May 4-6, 2007.

Activities will include ropes course, zip line, paint ball, volleyball tournament, soccer, frisbee golf, table games, horseshoes, basketball, and more.

Registration is $155 and includes a T-shirt. A $55 deposit will reserve your space in deluxe housing accommodations. Some scholarships are available upon request.

For information contact Pastor Bill Kitchell at (951) 897-4559 or at bbchemet@adelphia.net. Online registration and payment is anticipated to be available at www.fgbc.org starting in mid-February.

Monday evening disaster relief report from Sebring, FL, pastor Randy Smith:

What a day!

We packed and delivered literally hundreds of cartons of food for people in Lady Lakes. The town was smashed beyond recognition in some places. Many devastated people are trying to pick up their lives, but it is incredible.

We will be back on the road by 5 AM tomorrow morning. We've got to get back and help.