BMH Editor's Blog

Going Silent to Deal With Grief

Posted by Terry White on October 30, 2006  |  9 Comments

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.

Simon is Home!

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

Little Simon Avey is home!

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

Columbus Women to Minister in Trinidad

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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

Brazilian Church-Plants Underway

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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).”

Boal’s Book on the Church Now Shipping

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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 Features Drama at Raleigh Church

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  4 Comments

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.

Kent, OH, Church-Plant Makes Impact

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  2 Comments

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.

Argentine Church-Planter’s Conference Report

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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)

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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

Church-Planting Summit Registration Deadline Tomorrow

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

Loveland Fall Festival Friday Morning

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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 Zimmerman With the Lord

Posted by Terry White on October 26, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

East Focus Retreat Reaches the Halfway Mark

Posted by Terry White on October 24, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

Posted by Terry White on October 24, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

Taking Notes the Modern Way

Posted by Terry White on October 24, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

You Autograph Mine: I’ll Autograph Yours

Posted by Terry White on October 24, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

East Focus Retreat Begins at Sandy Cove

Posted by Terry White on October 23, 2006  |  1 Comment

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.

Posted by Terry White on October 23, 2006  |  No Comments

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.

Seal Beach Church Gives Heart Units to City

Posted by Terry White on October 22, 2006  |  No Comments

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)

Myerstown to Host MacMurray Tonight

Posted by Terry White on October 22, 2006  |  No Comments

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.