BMH Editor's Blog

Laura Humberd With the Lord

Posted by Terry White on March 20, 2007  |  No Comments

Laura Humberd, wife of Grace College Professor Emeritus Jesse Humberd, passed away in her sleep Monday afternoon, March 19. Mrs. Humberd had been bedfast for the past five years.

In God’s good timing, the Humberds’ daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Steve Damer, were in town visiting their parents this week and were able to be with Dr. Humberd.

Laura Humberd attended Bryan College and was a member of the first graduating class of Grace College (BA 54). She also graduated from Grace Seminary (MRE 66). She taught in the Warsaw Community School system for more than 30 years, retiring in 1985.

The Humberds have two daughters, Lenora Kingery (BS 66) and Margaret Damer (BA 68).

Titus Funeral Home in Warsaw is in charge of arrangements, and a full obituary and further information will be posted as it becomes available.

Grace Names William Katip Provost

Posted by Terry White on March 19, 2007  |  No Comments

Dr. Ron Manahan, president of Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana, has announced that at its meeting last week the board of trustees of the schools named Dr. William Katip (pictured), currently provost and senior vice president at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, as the provost at Grace.

Manahan said, “I believe this is an excellent outcome for us. Dr. Katip will begin his work at Grace by at least 1 July. Additional details regarding this appointment will be given later.”

Manahan also indicated that the schools’ search for a vice president of college academic affairs will be put on hold for the coming year to allow time for overall organizational evaluations.

Katip is a former Grace employee, serving as instructor in psychology, as admissions and retention counselor, as director of financial aid, and as associate dean of students during the years 1974-83.

Katip received his B.A. degree in psychology and Bible from Grace College in 1974. He is also a graduate of Purdue University, MS 1977 (Clinical Psychology), and of Michigan State University, Ph.D. 1986 (Higher Education Administration).

Katip is married to the former Debbie Cahill, (BA, Grace College, 1974) and they are parents of four children: Mike, Scott, Adam, and Holly.

Northern Atlantic Fellowship Meets at Telford

Posted by Terry White on March 18, 2007  |  No Comments

Following the opening business session this afternoon at the district celebration of the Northern Atlantic Fellowship, held at the Penn Valley church in Telford, Pennsylvania, four seminars were held to inform delegates of initiatives happening in the NAF.

Here Chris Skowronek, lead pastor of CenterPoint Community Church in Berlin, Connecticut, and chair of the district missions committee, led a session entitled “Becoming the Church That God Can Use.”

Other workshops included “Strategizing for Mission at the Center of Your World” by Steve Galegor, Jr., GBNAM career missionary to New York City; “Planting New Churches in the Soil of the City” by Jim Brown, pastor of Crossroads Community Church-Northeast in Philadelphia; and “Boston and Beyond” by Jack Brown, pastor of the North Shore Bible Church in Essex, Massachusetts.

Posted by Terry White on March 18, 2007  |  No Comments

Posted by Terry White on March 18, 2007  |  1 Comment

More than 350 people from the 30 Grace Brethren churches in the Northern Atlantic Fellowship attended the district celebration this afternoon and evening at the Penn Valley church in Telford, PA.

Here district moderator Dan Jackson, from the Myerstown church, delivered the evening Bible challenge after a number of reports from national and district organizations.

A special highlight of the evening was a telephone call from Africa in which GBIM missionary Barb Wooler narrated a slide show live by telephone from Bangui, Central African Republic. She and Judy Orme, who was on the platform, represented the Grace Brethren orphan’s ministry in the CAR. More than $1,850 was given in a special offering for the orphan ministry.

Posted by Terry White on March 18, 2007  |  No Comments

BMH Does ETS at WCC

Posted by Terry White on March 16, 2007  |  No Comments

Several of the Brethren Missionary Herald Company staff persons spent the day today at the regional meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, being held at Warsaw Community Church in Warsaw, Indiana. The meeting was hosted by Grace Seminary.

BMH books are widely used by professors in Bible colleges, Bible institutes, and seminaries for their courses, so the day included many fruitful conversations with prospective buyers as well as prospective authors. Ann Myers (left) and John Leonard (right) of the BMH staff were on hand, as well as editorial director Liz Cutler Gates and publisher Terry White.

YIB (Your Intrepid Blogger) takes to the road/air this weekend (snowstorms permitting) to participate in worship services Sunday morning at the Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Pennsylvania (Tim Boal, pastor) and then to represent BMH Books at the Northern Atlantic Fellowship district conference, also to be held at Penn Valley.

Dan Jackson of the Myerstown, PA, church is the conference moderator and host.

Grace Faculty Present at Regional ETS

Posted by Terry White on March 16, 2007  |  No Comments

Dr. Brent Sandy of the Grace College & Seminary faculty was one of the presenters at the 52nd annual midwest region meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, being held today and tomorrow in Warsaw, Indiana, and hosted by Grace Theological Seminary.

Dr. Sandy’s presentation was entitled “Misinterpreting the Psalms: The Slipperiness of Poetry.”

Sandy was one of a number of Grace faculty presenters, including Tiberius Rata, Matt Harmon, and former Grace professors Gary Meadors and Herb Bateman.

Next year’s regional ETS meeting will be at Moody Bible Institute of Chicago the dates of March 28-29, 2008.

Posted by Terry White on March 16, 2007  |  No Comments

Dr. Terry Hofecker, pastor of the Northwest Chapel in Dublin, Ohio, and an adjunct professor at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, was one of the presenters today at the midwest regional meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Hofecker’s presentation was on an archaeological dig in Israel for which he served as administrator. The title was “Results of the 2006 Inaugural Season of Excavations at Tel Gezer: The ‘Solomonic’ Fortifications.”

Lancers Advance in Roundball Tourney

Posted by Terry White on March 16, 2007  |  No Comments

The Grace College men’s basketball team advances to the semifinal game of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament after a win over Malone College (93-91) yesterday in the first game of the tournament.

The Lancers, seeded second in the tournament, will play the winner of No. 3-seed Northwestern (MN) College and No. 6-seed Dallas Baptist University today at 5 p.m. CT. The tournament is being held in Oakland City, IN.

Follow the Lancers at http://www.grace.edu/athletics/ or http://www.oak.edu/athletics/mtourney%202007/bracket.htm

Christianity Today Names Harold Smith CEO

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

Christianity Today International has named Harold B. Smith (pictured) editor-in-chief and chief executive officer of its Chicago, Illinois-based stable of magazines, church resources and Internet websites and periodicals.

Smith succeeds the leadership team of Harold Myra and Paul Robbins as head of Christianity Today International (CTI).

Smith, 56, a resident of Carol Stream, Illinois, is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He holds a BA in history from the University of Michigan and studied and taught journalism at Michigan State University. Smith and his wife, Judy, have two adult sons, and they are active members of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Smith’s resume includes service with the National Association of Evangelicals prior to joining CTI.

Smith joined the staff of Christianity Today magazine as special projects editor in 1984, and was promoted through various positions. Most recently he served six years as executive vice president. With this appointment, he becomes only the fourth top executive in the company’s 50-year history.

Myra and Robbins announced their retirement after three decades at the helm of the publishing concern.

Christianity Today magazine was founded by evangelist Billy Graham in 1956 in an effort to give the fledgling evangelical movement coverage of faith news and the changing Christian culture.

Today CTI publishes 13 print magazines including Today’s Christian Woman, Leadership Journal, and Ignite Your Faith (formerly Campus Life), operates award-winning websites with more than 30 channels for men, women, teens, and church leaders reaching more than 2-million unique visitors monthly, and produces more than 40 electronic newsletters reaching 1.4 million subscribers.

FGBC Pastors Attend Shepherds Conference

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

Lititz to Baptize 82 This Sunday

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

Scott Distler, pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Lititz, Pennsylvania, included this note in his weekly e-mail update to his congregation this week:

As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, we have 82 people who are scheduled to be baptized this Sunday here at Grace Church and applications for baptism can still be turned in online (www.lgbc.org) through Thursday.

WOW! Isn’t God good? How amazing it is to preach for two weeks on what the Bible teaches about baptism and to have it result in so many people who are led to take this step of faith, love and obedience. It’s a long way from the 3,000 that were baptized in one day on the Day of Pentecost as seen in Acts chapter two, but I am literally blown away at God’s work.

I have been very excited as I have read through the applications to see so many of them who are new believers in the past year. Many others have been followers of Jesus for some time but have never been baptized and want to obey the Lord in this way.

Children’s Ministry Conference at Goshen Saturday

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

NexGen, a one-day conference that aims to equip Christians to effectively engage the next generation with the gospel, will be held this Saturday, March 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grace Community Church in Goshen, Indiana.

Open to all who have an interest in ministry to and with children, NexGen is two mini-conferences within one conference. There is a track specifically for parents and children’s ministry volunteers and another track specifically for elementary age children.

The conference’s theme, “Tag – You’re It,” will motivate and equip children to tag other children with the gospel.

Of the 51 million children under the age of 18 who live in the United States, more than 40 million of them do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior, which suggests that there are some basic unmet spiritual needs. This is one of the most significant and fertile mission fields in the nation.

This conference is specifically designed to reach children within the ages of 5 and 12, when they are most likely to accept Christ.

Two main sessions will feature a fun atmosphere, incredible worship, and dynamic communicators who will challenge each participant. Featured speakers include CE National executive director Ed Lewis, Grace Community Church’s children’s pastor Jon Rauch, and Olympic athlete Brock Kreitzburg (pictured).

Brock Kreitzburg was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Bobsled team, where he was ranked second in the world in the four-man bobsled.

After a standout career as a wide receiver at the University of Toledo, Kreitzburg took part in a mini-camp with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 1999.

After attending a bobsled training camp, Kreitzburg joined the national team in 2002. Brock uses his platform as a Christian athlete to speak to children at school assemblies throughout the country.

Brock will be interviewed in the opening main session and will also present during the kids’ track. Every student will also have a chance to meet Brock and ask questions about his Olympic experience.

Registration is $15 per person with special rates for family registration. For more information log onto http://www.nexgenconference.com/nexgen07.pdf

Ministering With a $10 Bill

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

Mike Jentes, pastor of thequest in the Short North section of Columbus, Ohio, shares the following experience in this week’s e-mail update to his congregation:

Last week I challenged us to be risky for Jesus…and invited us to an experience where God had to show up. We took that risk together on Sunday night.

People showed up at our house and we looked at a passage in Acts 13. It tells us that the Holy Spirit spoke to a group of people and that their action of response was prompted by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-5). We really want and need that kind of direction in our lives.

Sometimes we feel like God is done speaking to us…and we grope around acting like He doesn’t…but we believe that God speaks to us: through the Scriptures, through other believers, through situations, through common sense, and in our everyday lives. We also believe He wants us to do something.

So Sunday, I asked those gathered to get into groups of 2-4 (kids counted in!). Then I gave each group a $10 bill and gave them this assignment: Figure out what God wants you to do with this $10 and do it. We’ll gather in an hour and half or so to hear what God put in your hearts and what you did.

We put God to the test–and He guided and directed us in very different ways for each group. Isn’t that just like Him?

One group went to a restaurant with eyes open to see what God might want them to do. They ate a bit (on their own buck) and the thing that emerged for them was to send the money to a single new mom who has been connected to thequest.

My group started out to connect with a homeless person who a couple of us saw on our way to the gathering. We went to find him, and couldn’t. So we stopped and prayed for more direction. A few options came forward and we sensed that God was prompting us to get a grocery gift card for someone who was actually in another group. We also were able to get her daughter a cookie card…for a free cookie every time she goes to the store!

Another group that I was proud of was three of our elementary boys with one of our men. They started out with wanting to buy toy cars with their money. Then they wanted to by a REAL car and a house.

The reality of $10 sunk in and they began to think about sharing this gift with others. One of the boys remembered something about a cancer hospital for kids. They agreed God wanted them to send the money to the hospital. They wrote a letter to the hospital. They even recruited more donors and ended up with a $25 gift to the hospital.

It was amazing the diversity of what God wanted with the $10, and it was awesome to know that when we did it…we did it through His direction.

May we continue to live under His direction every day.

John & Kate Ward Have a Boy

Posted by Terry White on March 15, 2007  |  No Comments

According to the latest electronic newsletter from thequest in Columbus, Ohio (Mike Jentes, pastor), Micah Daniel Ward joined parents John and Kate (pictured) at 6:12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14. Michael weighed in at 8 pounds 1 oz. and both he and his mom are healthy. Cards can be sent to 248 E. College Ave. Westerville, OH 43081

Goshen Church Launches South Bend Satellite

Posted by Terry White on March 14, 2007  |  No Comments

Grace Community Church, the Grace Brethren church in Goshen, Indiana, (Jim Brown, pastor) launched its satellite church in South Bend/ Mishawaka this past Sunday March 11, 2007. (photo courtesy of Jim Brown)

Pastor Brown describes it as “One church two locations www.gracecommunity-church.com” and reports, “It was a super launch! God moved in a big way and 165 people came to our first service. We saw two people give their hearts to Jesus. The hallways were filled with excitement and anticipation as new people from all walks of life were loved on by our launch team. “

He further reports, “Pastor Jerimae Yoder (Worship Pastor) led us in inspiring worship and Pastor Tim Boucher (Campus Pastor) led the service. People interacted with the message which was a DVD from our home campus in Goshen. The potential is out of this world as 170,000 people live in the surrounding Michiana area.”

D.Min. Students Study Worship

Posted by Terry White on March 14, 2007  |  No Comments

A number of doctoral students are participating this week in a worship class currently taking place at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. (photo courtesy Ken Bickel)

The class focuses on worship and includes students from the U.S. and Nigeria. It is being co-taught by Prof. Ken Bickel of Grace Seminary and Rev. Mark Davidson, Pastor of Worship at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Warsaw, Indiana. Davidson has more than 25 years of experience as a worship pastor.

GO Team Has Impact in Argentina

Posted by Terry White on March 14, 2007  |  No Comments

GBIM missionary to Argentina Gary McCaman sends along this encouraging summary from missionary Alice Peacock in response to the GO Grace team that ministered in Argentina last week:

Thanks so much for praying for the Grace GO Team that left yesterday for home.

God certainly answered your prayers. You may remember that we cancelled the showing of the JESUS film and hoped to show it this last Friday night instead of last Sunday. It rained a lot again on Thursday, but on Friday God graciously sent sunshine and wind to dry up the field and we were able to show it to 140 people, the majority of which were children.

Pray for the eight contacts we will be following on this event. Most of all, I want to thank God for the love and unity He gave the Bernal church young folks and the Grace College students as they worked, played and ate together in this effort!

DECLARE HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS MARVELOUS DEEDS AMONG ALL PEOPLES. FOR GREAT IS THE LORD AND MOST WORTHY OF PRAISE. (1 Chron.16:24,25)

Pray also for the driver of the van that transported the team. A random call to a “Van Company” resulted in a spiritually sensitive driver that LIVES IN THE VERY NEIGHBORHOOD where the team was ministering. How cool is that?

Raleigh Church Blesses Community With ‘Bumper Crop’

Posted by Terry White on March 14, 2007  |  No Comments

Hope Community Church, the Grace Brethren church in Raleigh, North Carolina (Mike Lee, pastor), has a creative outreach the first Sunday of every month called “Bumper Crop.” (photos courtesy Mary Ann Sibley)

All those who attend church on that Sunday are urged to bring bags of groceries, toiletry items, and paper goods, leaving the bags on the parking lot pavement by the bumpers of their cars as they enter for worship.

Volunteers, who wear bright yellow vests with the “bumper crop” logo, then drive up and down the parking lots and load the bags into trucks and autos for delivery to a pre-designated neighborhood community center, where volunteers distribute the donated items to needy recipients.

Mary Ann Sibley, volunteer services director for the Raleigh church, says the program is working wonderfully. She sends along several testimonies of the impact made by the donations.

One respondent said, “After unloading all the vehicles we stood in a circle and joined hands for a prayer of thanksgiving. We were all touched by what God did and continues to do through the bumper crop ministry. . . at our regular small group meeting last night everyone was talking about how we need to continue to get more and more involved in the community.”

One recipient of the food said, “It was a real blessing for our church…we were able to see both the spiritual and material necessities of the community. We had a wonderful time serving and spreading the word—it is my prayer that God blesses Hope and its congregation for this wonderful act of love. The six new people [who attended services] also accepted Christ as their Lord that night! Praise God!”

For more information on the Raleigh church, click on http://www.gethope.net/