BMH Editor's Blog

New Chaplains’ Website Online

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

Dr. Larry Chamberlain, who oversees The Eagle Commission which coordinates with all Grace Brethren military chaplains, has announced the posting of a new website and some compelling video on the chaplaincy. Here is an excerpt from his communication:

I am pleased to announce that a web-site has been established for the Eagle Commission, thanks to the good efforts of Kathy Allison, who had worked with me as Director of Communications and Public Relations during our days together with GBNAM. Kathy is now with Grace Schools, but she has graciously agreed to help us with the web-site’s development and regular maintenance.

The web address is www.eaglecommission.org. Surf it at your earliest convenience and pray for our co-workers who wear our nation’s uniform, that God will protect them and bless their ministries.

I received word this week from James Schaefer, US Army Chaplain now serving as a recruiter for Army Chaplains, that his efforts have been very successful with the Army exceeding its goals for new Chaplains. He sent to me a link to a recent ABC News report on the Army Chaplaincy.

I encourage you to view the video (http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3737124)as it serves as a compelling reminder of the effective and significant ministry our Chaplains provide for troops in harm’s way.

Okeechobee ‘Big House’ Helped Foster Children

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

From the Okeechobee, Florida, News:

Anyone around Okeechobee in the 1970’s might remember the big two-story house on the corner of NW Second St. and US Highway 441. David R. MacNeil and his wife Carrie had owned it since the 1920’s.

But when Barnett Bank bought the property, the house had to be either torn down or moved. That’s when Harvey Sampson came into the picture. He and his wife Edith had wanted to start a children’s home and this house was certainly large enough to hold as many youngsters as they could handle.

Tom Hebel, who was manager at Barnet Bank at the time, told Sampson, “If you move that house you can have it.”

Mr. Sampson, now 88 years old, remembers it like yesterday.

“I went to a fellow here in town who moved houses and asked him what he’d charge.” He recalled. “He looked at the house and said he could move it for $25,000.

“I went back and told Tom Hebel the price and said ‘I don’t have that kind of money,’ and Tom said — right then and there — ‘We’ll make you a loan.’ And they did. Can you imagine? That wouldn’t happen today,” he continued.

Harvey and is wife Edith attended the Grace Brethren Church here in town at the time. (Randy Macomber was the pastor then.) The church owned 20 acres in Bassenger, and they gave Mr. Sampson one acre for the house. They named the place “Crossroads,” and according to Sampson, he had children ready to move in even before the house was ready.

“To move the house,” Mr. Sampson said, “We had to cut it in two and move both halves. When we got both halves to Bassenger, Edith said, ‘Don’t put them all the way together. We’ll have a breezeway.’ So that’s what we did.”

Edith was a school teacher and taught kindergarten to all the Bassenger kids in that Breezeway. The couple also took in a total of 32 foster children during the 12 years the children’s home was in operation.

“The Big House,” as Mr. Sampson still refers to it, was too big for them after Edith got cancer and they couldn’t take care of children anymore. He sold the place to Jeff and Debbie Clemons with the condition that he could have a house trailer there on the property.

Mr. Sampson, now widowed, still resides there by himself and his little dog Louie. He can’t do much anymore and he’s legally blind, but he has some wonderful memories of what God has done throughout his life.

Alta Loma Observes 30th, Burns Mortgage

Posted by Terry White on November 19, 2007  |  1 Comment

Grace Fellowship of Alta Loma, California, celebrated their 30th anniversary Sunday morning November 18th by burning the mortgage. Pastor Roy Halberg, along with the church elders, Kevin Fairchild, Dan Magnusen, and Carlos Lascaibar, led the church family in celebrating this great milestone. By the providence of God, former pastor, Neil Cole, was also present along with his wife, Dana, and their son Zach.

Kevin Fairchild was a high school student when Grace Fellowship began with a Bible study in his parents’ home. Having been a part of the church family since his youth gave Kevin a unique perspective as he shared in the service by highlighting the church’s history through photographs that included the first baptism service, the ground breaking ceremony, and the construction of the church building.

After Kevin’s look back, Pastor Roy looked forward, addressing the theme “Grace Fellowship- The Next 30 Years” stressing the church’s ambition to demonstrate love for the Lord by loving the lost and seeking to introduce them to the Savior.

The morning celebration concluded with lunch and a three-fold communion service.

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

Lancer Gym Falls — The End of an Era

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

Today marked the last day of life for the Lancer gymnasium on the campus of Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana.

The gym, completed in 1958 and used since then as the main athletic facility on campus, was equipped with seating for 1800 on folding bleachers. The main athletic facility on campus is now the Orthopaedic Capital Center, a sparkling $9.1 million facility first occupied in May of this year. (Bekah Harlos photos)

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

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

Uniontown’s Maust Featured in Newspaper

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 16, 2007  |  1 Comment

Pastor Roland Maust recently began his ministry at the Grace Brethren Church in Uniontown, Pa. The Connellsville Union Courier featured him in Friday’s paper.

New pastor feels welcome

Pastor Roland Maust is a pastor for the people.

Maust is the new pastor at the Uniontown Grace Brethren Church. He arrived in Uniontown after serving for 11 years at the Millersburg Grace Brethren Church, located in Ohio.

“It was time,” Maust said. “I laid out some goals when I was in Millersburg and I met all those goals.”

Maust compares his role of pastor to that of a member of a relay team.

“You complete your one lap as well as you can then you hand off to the successor,” said Maust.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Pastor Ralph Wiley Prepares to Go Home

Posted by Terry White on November 16, 2007  |  1 Comment

Pastor Ralph Wiley has had a long and fruitful ministry as a Grace Brethren pastor, prison chaplain, and interim pastor, and has both a son and grandson who are Grace Brethren pastors. He has been alternating between Ohio and Florida, making the Grace Brethren Church of Sebring, Florida (Randy Smith, pastor) his home church and place of ministry during the winters.

Recently Ralph has experienced the return of cancer from which God cured him some 40 years ago. The following e-mail from Pastor Randy Smith tells the remarkable way in which Pastor Ralph plans to spend the next several months:

This past Sunday Ralph Wiley stood before Grace Church in Sebring and told us his news. The doctors say he has two months at the outside before he gets his long-awaited meeting with Jesus. All indications are that he will be home soon.

He said, “If my doctors are correct, January 8th, 2008 at 10:40 AM, I’m outta here!” The doctor was not sure that Ralph grasped the situation when he saw Ralph’s unmistakable smile. He asked, and got a Gospel presentation as the answer by Ralph’s very able daughter, Ruth. Ralph said, “I am so at peace with this, it’s ridiculous!”

Here’s the plan. Ralph has planned his memorial service at Sebring, and HE IS THE SPEAKER! I have every confidence the Lord will absolutely shower the place with blessing. The service will be held at the second service at Grace (10:45 AM) on Sunday, November 25th, 2007.

People will be coming in from several states, and the place is going to be packed, I am sure. After that, Ralph will wrap things up in Sebring, and take off to Ohio, leaving the Elders here with his parting words as Paul did at Miletus to the Ephesians.

Just a personal word here: As you pray for the flock here, I am very aware that God has called two other pastors home in two years (Denny Brown and Vince Lohnes). Pray that as we continue to grow in both numbers and faith, our leaders will continue to be able to adjust to each home going.

When Denny left us, I felt heavy. Some of the joy and a lot of the humor left quickly, and it took time to bring it back. When Vince left I felt a hurt I can’t describe, it was like a loneliness. Since then, the team has grown and I have excellent and fun partners in this growing work again.

Yet, Ralph is a father in the faith, a friend, and in many ways a mentor. He has been by my side for many years in two different churches. What an honor to serve with these dear men! What a blessing to have been sharpened and loved by them! Keep us in prayer in these days of change, as God graduates one of our best.

Pastor Randy Smith
Sebring Grace

Randy, Betty Poyner Celebrate 50th Anniversary

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

We recently received an update e-mail from Sue Poyner, the daughter-in-law of Randy and Betty Poyner. Randy is a longtime pastor and professional counselor in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. They are now living in Florida, and Betty has recently been battling a recurrence of cancer. Here are excerpts from the update:

We’ve returned from Florida, and I wanted to give you a quick recap of the weekend. Mom was able to come home under hospice care on Sunday morning. We were thrilled that we would be able to have their 50th [wedding] anniversary celebration at home instead of in a hospital room.

At 2:00 p.m., with all our immediate families present, as well as Mom’s sister, Janie Russell, and seven other friends, they exchanged vows, and we had time to reflect together on the sweetness of their relationship and the great gift of faithfulness these 50 years represent.

Susan and Christy had planned a lot of wonderful touches: a beautiful cake, 50 roses, and a wonderful buffet of finger foods, etc. for afterwards. Their granddaughter, Harmony, had put together a slide show with music that was very fun to watch.

I felt like God gave Mom a good hour to not only have the energy to be fully present, but to really enjoy herself and Dad. Cards and flowers from many folks are spread throughout their home. It’s so very right to mark such a milestone – I was thrilled for all our children to witness it. The “staying” of love so reflects the heart of God.

We are very grateful for your prayers on their behalf – I feel as though we are all walking Mom home. Thank you for your hand in hers through prayer.

Lancer Gym Demolition Begins

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

The Grace College Lancer Gym, Winona Lake, Indiana, is seeing its lasts days as G & G Hauling and Excavating has gutted the inside of the facility and plans on tearing the building down beginning Monday. The college is planning to construct a new student dormitory on the site. Grace Lancer teams now play their home games at the Orthopedic Capital Center on Wooster Road. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union

GCBI Students Reach Out to Sebring Community

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

From the Grace Brethren Church in Sebring, Florida, GCBI site coordinator Ben Ogden sends along the following photos and brief report. For more information on GCBI log onto www.gcbi.net.

On Saturday, November 10th, the students of Great Commission Bible Institute had the opportunity to represent Christ and Grace Church of Sebring in our town’s 41st annual Art Festival. The festival draws thousands of people each year to our downtown “historic” area to celebrate art, food and community.

The GCBI gang spent the day handing out free water bottles along with literature on how to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. They had the opportunity to share their faith in Christ with many people and invite them to come check out the church. We are praying that God uses their efforts to produce an abundance of fruit in our community.

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

GBIM Seeks Accounting Personnel

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

Can you use your skill with finances to reach people for Christ? Yes!

Grace Brethren International Missions is seeking a person with strong accounting background to join our team as our Controller. God can use your skills to keep GBIM ministries fiscally strong, so our missionaries are free to focus on and grow their ministries – to take the church where it is needed most!

For more information, see www.gbim.org. Please send your resume to Joan Hoke at jhoke@gbim.org or call her at 268-1888 ext. 21.

BMH Books Exhibits at ETS Convention

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

Former Grace Brethren pastors and military chaplains Richard McNeely (left) and Wayne Flory (right) visit with BMH senior editor Jesse Deloe (center) at the Evangelical Theological Society annual meeting, currently being held in San Diego, California.

BMH Books is one of the exhibitors, and a number of Grace Seminary faculty members are giving presentations or are on the program, including D. Brent Sandy, Terry Hofecker, Ed DeZago, Tiberius Rata, Ron Clutter, and others. Many Grace Brethren pastors and Grace alumni have also stopped by the exhibit to visit.

The ETS convention ends Friday afternoon.

Iglesia Comunal Christiana Dedicates Worship Center

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 14, 2007  |  No Comments

On Saturday evening, November 10, the new worship center of Iglesia Comunal Christiana in Tampa, Florida, was dedicated to the Lord. This church was assisted in its formation by Grace Brethren North American Missions and is pastored by Gerardo Leiton, who was led to the Lord and discipled by Jesus Munoz. Dr. Larry Chamberlain, president of Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, offered the dedicatory address and praised the congregation and its leadership for their faithfulness and commitment to reach their community with the Gospel of Christ.

In the photo, Jesus Munoz (left) congratulates Gerardo and Paz Leiton on the dedication of the new worship center. (Photo by Larry Chamberlain)

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 14, 2007  |  No Comments

Lancers Praised by Sports Blogger

Posted by Terry White on November 10, 2007  |  2 Comments

Under the heading “Must-See Game of the Week” here is an interesting blogpost about the Grace College (Winona Lake, IN) Lancers from an outsider. A short excerpt is posted here–to read the entire post, click on http://thesportsoup.com/2007/11/09/must-see-games-of-the-week-11-9/

In today’s fast pace, over-marketed sports world, sometimes we forget about the true importance of the sport we like to call basketball. In a little known small town, Winona Lake in Indiana, the Division III, Grace College Lancers take the floor each basketball season with undersized, non-highly recruited players. In fact, they don’t even grant athletic scholarships.

But that doesn’t take away the passion for basketball portrayed by the players of Grace College, and the student body of approximately 1,300. They are there to see basketball. Not superstars. Not superegos.

I visited this amazing institution this summer, and was truly moved. Aside from the beautiful campus, and thoughtful faculty, you can’t help but channeled Jimmy Chitwood, when you step into their new Sports Arena, the Orthopedic Capital Center.

A Poem For Veteran’s Day

Posted by Terry White on November 10, 2007  |  No Comments

For our consideration this Veteran’s Day weekend, Chuck Winter sends along this poem, which was penned several weeks ago by Jim White, a member of the Grace Brethren Church of Sunnyside, Washington (Nathan Zakahi, pastor):

Very many people, through more than two hundred thirty years,
Have stood up for Old Glory, in times of sweat, and blood, and tears.

Each generation has risen up to meet their country’s call.
Freedom must be won time and again, there is no “once for all”.

The light of liberty has been fueled by a nobly burning spark.
The valor of millions has bestowed upon our land sweet freedom’s mark.

Earning freedom’s blessings has come not free, but with great cost,
Not just expense of treasure, many lives were also lost.

Recipients of their service, we live today in light,
Though many, and their comrades, gave their all to win the fight.

Around the world, and through the years, in climates hot or cold,
Our veterans have earned our gratitude, that multitude of the bold.

Never should we take for granted what our vets have done.
Unappreciated vets—their number should be “none”.

Sacrifice for others has characterized many a selfless vet.
Among us now are many who gave, and others are serving yet.

Do we appreciate their service, are thanks upon our lips,
For those who’ve stood for freedom’s cause—on land, in air, on ships?

As we, on this day of remembrance, think of vets now and before,
May our attitude be of thanksgiving to them, today and evermore.

You and I live in liberty and freedom, to them we are in debt.
For what they’ve done, in the past and now, be sure to thank a vet.

James W. White
Teacher—Grade 5
Prosser Heights Elementary School
Prosser, Washington
October 21, 2007

Mike Grill Given Top Community Award

Posted by Terry White on November 10, 2007  |  No Comments

Michael Grill, second from left in photo, was given the Bill Reneker Memorial Community Service Award Friday evening at the ninth annual dinner for the Winona Lake, Indiana, community. With him are (from left) Grill’s wife, Becky, his mother, Kittie, son Josh and daughter-in-law Amy.

Grill, who is professor of psychology and chair of the behavioral science department at Grace College in Winona Lake, has been active in the community as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, the town’s plan commission, head of a tennis recreational program, and more. He also serves on the Board of Overseers of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church (Bruce Barlow, lead pastor).

Approximately 150 Winona Lake residents attended the festive function, which was held in the Rodeheaver Auditorium, which is currently decorated with more than 30 Christmas trees for the Holiday Festival of Trees.

The award recognizes an individual who is respected by the community, involved in some form of service to the citizens of the town that results in significant impact on the community as a whole, and must be a resident of the town.

A number of other individuals were recognized at the dinner, including several who have significantly improved their properties over this past year. Town Council president David Delp emceed the program and special music was provided by Patrick Kavanaugh and Gert Kumi of the Grace College music faculty.

Previous recipients of the Reneker Award include Brent Wilcoxson, R. Quinton Rupe, Dr. Stephen Peoples, Lisa LaMasters, Dane Miller, Lee Jenkins, Dr. Ron Manahan, Al Disbro, Willa Henry, Dr. Steve Grill (Mike Grill’s brother), Blaine Mikesell, and Dr. Patrick Kavanaugh.

To read more, click on http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=-1&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=28876