BMH Editor's Blog

‘Creation Tour’ Features DeYoung at First Stop

Posted by Terry White on June 29, 2007  |  No Comments

Approximately 70 Grace College & Seminary alumni and friends gathered this Friday evening at the Embassy Suites in Dublin, Ohio, for an illustrated lecture on creationism by Dr. Don DeYoung, chair of the physical science division at Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana.

Here DeYoung began his talk by demonstrating, with fire, an egg, and a bottle, some of the physical characteristics of gravity and air pressure.

Grace alumni director Tim Ziebarth is hosting the tour, which began with a coach bus leaving Winona Lake at noon today. Tomorrow’s itinerary includes the tour continuing to eastern Pennsylvania for another dinner, address by DeYoung, and a special theatrical presentation on the creation.

Posted by Terry White on June 29, 2007  |  No Comments

Following his illustrated lecture, Dr. Don DeYoung autographed copies of his 15 books which he has authored.

His most recent book, Pioneer Explorers of Intelligent Design, was published by BMH Books and formed part of Dr. DeYoung’s lecture demonstrating that many of the key scientists in history had a biblical worldview.

Tomorrow the Creation Tour bus leaves Dublin, Ohio, at 7:30 a.m. and arrives in Strasburg, PA, where there will be another alumni dinner and address by Dr. DeYoung at the Netherlands Inn & Spa in that town.

Following the dinner and address, tour participants will then attend the Sight and Sound production “In the Beginning” which tells the biblical story of creation.

Lititz Rodeo Reaches 7,500 Area Residents

Posted by Terry White on June 29, 2007  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren church in Lititz, Pennsylvania (Scott Distler, pastor) this past weekend conducted the largest outreach event in the church’s history. Using a rodeo motif (photo by Stan Hall), the church believes it touched at least 7,500 area residents with contact with the church people and many with the message of the gospel. More than 175 volunteers participated in staging the event. Here is a bit of Pastor Scott’s report to his people:

“It appears that the final attendance estimate from the registration workers for those who attended our Rodeo and Western Event was right around the 7,500 mark! Praise the Lord.

“Imagine what God is going to do over the next year in the lives of these 7,500 people who we built bridges to and who had barriers to the idea of church, Christianity and God knocked down in one fun event as they rubbed shoulders with us, the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

“But wait. It doesn’t end there. This event was so incredible that these same 7,500 people who attended will each probably tell at least three, maybe up to ten others this week who did not attend the event all about the great time that they had.

“Many of those same people will also respond with a “WOW! Maybe I should go check out that church!” That means that in the end we will have directly or indirectly made a very positive contact in one single day with anywhere between 30,000 and 80,000 people or more who live right here in our community.

“Now we must pray daily that God will use the many bridges that we have built to stair-step people closer to our church and ultimately to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith!”

Revised, Updated ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ Now Available

Posted by Terry White on June 27, 2007  |  No Comments

An updated and revised version of “The Dead Sea Scrolls,” a 20-page booklet written by Dr. John J. Davis, has just been released by BMH Books.

Originally written as a series of newspaper articles, the text has been enlarged and updated with recent findings and some new photographs.

The author, who is former president and professor emeritus at Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, is an experienced field archaeologist who has first-hand experience with the land and people germane to the discovery of the Scrolls in 1947.

Of particular interest will be part 3 of the booklet, where Davis discussed the currents of controversy which have swirled about the Scrolls in recent years.

Individual copies are available for $3.99 plus shipping under the ISBN number 9780884692546. For group use, shrinkwrapped packets of six booklets are also available for $19.99 under the ISBN number 978-0-88469-261-4.

To order, log onto www.bmhbooks.com or call 1-800-348-2756.

Arnold Kriegbaum Expresses Thanks

Posted by Terry White on June 25, 2007  |  No Comments

Arnold Kriegbaum, whose wife Laura went to be with the Lord several weeks ago, sends along the following:

“In any way you think best, please help me express appreciation to the many across the brotherhood who have sent cards of encouragement following Laura’s being called to be with the Lord she loved.

“There have been so many cards that I cannot possibly write my appreciation to each one. In whatever way you deem best, give a word of thanks.

“The Lord bless your labor for the Lord, until we are all called home to be with Him at the rapture of the church.”

Arnold Kriegbaum, who now lives with his daughter Karen in Indianapolis, was a Grace Brethren pastor, church-planter, director of the Brethren Missionary Herald Co., and dean of students at Grace College.

MasterWorks Festival, Week One

Posted by Terry White on June 25, 2007  |  No Comments

The MasterWorks Festival has begun in Winona Lake, Indiana, and will continue through July 21. The festival attracts top Christian professional musicians as faculty and top students for the month of instruction and performance.

Prayer Request for Missing Student

Posted by Terry White on June 25, 2007  |  No Comments

Please pray for Starsha Tupper, 19 year old college student, who has been missing since last Tuesday. Starsha grew up coming to our youth programs and has attended our church off and on since we began. Her aunt is an active member of NSBC. Starsha was raised by her grandmother who also occasionally attends our church… her name is Christine. Pray for Starsha’s safe return.

Jack Brown, pastor
North Shore Bible Church
NorthShoreBible.homestead.com

Monday Afternoon Update:

Thank you to everyone for your prayers! Starsha was returned safely home (after six days) within hours of the previous e-mail. To God be the glory!

Jack Brown, pastor
North Shore Bible Church
NorthShoreBible.homestead.com

Driven07: Participants Face their Giants and Claim the Land

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 24, 2007  |  No Comments

In the final session of Driven07, Kondo Simfukwe, pastor at Christ’s Covenant Church in Winona Lake, Ind. (pictured at right), challenged participants to claim the land and face their giants for God. As the session came to a close, members of the audience shared the dreams God had given them, including…

• changing the culture for Christ.
• claiming the entire Appalachian region for Christ.
• ministering to the homosexual community to show them how they can live life in Christ.
• reaching my family for Christ (I’m the only Christian that I know of).
• serving in missions where God can use me.
• using music to minister to professional artists and cultural icons.
• ministering to single parents in my community.
• plant a church a day.
• and many more!

Pray for the young men and women who have placed a stake this week and made commitments to follow the call of God!

Read more about the week on the Driven07 blog.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 24, 2007  |  No Comments

Music at Driven07 was lead by a worship band from Grace Church, a Grace Brethren church in Akron, Ohio.

Promotional Announcements for FGBC World

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 24, 2007  |  No Comments

The July-August issue of FGBC World, the newspaper for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, is on its way to you. Below are promotional announcements that can be used in local church bulletins or newsletters.

Equip07, the national conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, is just around the corner. In addition to a schedule of high quality workshops, the annual meetings of many of the FGBC national organizations are on the agenda. What does it take to vote at these meetings? Check it out in the July/August issue of FGBC World, which is available at INSERT LOCATION or LINK.

What could you do with ten dollars? Pick up the latest novel at the local bookstore? Buy lunch at a fast food restaurant? How about helping battle teen depression? Or fixing a cleft palate in Vietnam? Those are exactly the kind of things that members of the Grace Brethren Church in Millersburg, Ohio did with ten dollars in the first three months of 2007. Read more about it in the July/August issue of FGBC World, which is available at INSERT LOCATION or LINK.

The tragic story of an apparent murder-suicide attempt provided the Osceola (Ind.) Grace Brethren Church an opportunity to open their doors to the local Hispanic community and to provide continued contact with the Mexican fathers of the four children who died. Learn more about how the church ministered to a hurting community in the July/August issue of FGBC World, which is available at INSERT LOCATION or LINK.

Dr. Matt Harmon has a great desire to help people see Christ revealed in Scripture and to encourage them to lead others to see Christ. Having just completed his first year on the faculty at Grace Theological Seminary, he has gained a reputation for pouring himself into his students. Read more about it in the July/August issue of FGBC World, which is available at INSERT LOCATION or LINK.

Jim Brown Challenges Christians to Make Their Mark with Evangelism

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Saturday’s speaker at DRIVEN07, Jim Brown (pictured at right during the morning session), was profiled in DrivenWorld, the daily newsletter for the conference. The story is reprinted below.

Make Your Mark With Evangelism
Jim Brown, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, Goshen, Ind., will challenge us today to make our mark in the area of evangelism.

“Don’t take Jesus to the grave all by yourself,” he says. “Give him away.” Currently moderator-elect for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, he says there is no greater gift than to pass the news of Jesus on to others.

“When people stand before God one day will they remember you as the person who shared with them?” he questions.

Jim is passionate about sharing the Gospel. Just this week, he saw two young men whom he coaches in baseball give their lives to Jesus. But he’s also saddened by those individuals who reject the Gospel.

“Last week I had a conversation with a local drug dealer who said he would rather go to hell with his friends than to go to heaven with people he didn’t know,” he recalls. “Conversations like that break my heart. Have we been so unapproachable as Christians that this guy wants nothing to do with us?”

What book is he currently reading? Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

“This book unfolds the ways people remember things,” he says. “We must be communicators who present truth in such a way that sticks,” noting that the book is a great resource for preachers and marketers. “The authors give great discussion on the Curse of Knowledge and that section is worth the price of the book,” he adds. “(It is) so true and very convicting. It is a must read!”

A graduate of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, Jim has been pastor of the Goshen church for 10 years. For the last 18 years, he has been married to Anne and they have three children, Joshua 14, Hannah 12, and Isaiah 7.

Oh, and recently, he rode a mechanical bull!

Another Day Concludes at DRIVEN07

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

More Images from Driven07

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

The final step of communion, the bread and the cup, was held in Bolton Theatre.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Footwashing was held on the hill following the love feast.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

More good conversation before dinner.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

A delay in dinner service provided time for conversation.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Jim Brown, pastor of Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Goshen, Ind., told the DRIVEN participants, “if you are not fishing, you are not following Jesus.”

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Jason Brown, of the Grace Brethren Church in Sebring, Fla., explains the ministry of Soul’nami Takeover. Soul’nami Takeover is a Summer 2008 ministry of Youth For Christ in Highland County, Florida.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Beth Arnott of Powell, Ohio, reads Scripture during the morning worship session in Bolton Theatre

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 23, 2007  |  No Comments

Friday night, Dr. Todd Scoles of Northwest Chapel, a Grace Brethren church in Dublin, Ohio, led a question and answer session on “Brethren Radicals and Heretics.”