BMH Editor's Blog

Son of BMH Author Jim Pearson Killed in Florida

Posted by Terry White on December 30, 2008  |  4 Comments

Drew Pearson (pictured), 27, the son of BMH author James Pearson, was killed Monday in an auto accident in Florida. Drew Pearson’s father, James, is a Grace Seminary alumnus and is pastor of Brookside Community Church in Fort Wayne, IN. He is the author of Minefields in the Marketplace, a popular BMH book on biblical ethics in the business world. Here is an excerpt of an article from the Port Charlotte newspaper. To read the entire article, click here.

NORTH PORT — After working 80 hours per week, teaching golf twice a week in Fort Myers, doing research for completing his master’s degree and not taking a day off as the general manager of Bobcat Trail for more than two years, Drew Pearson had a great reason to take a break and relax on Sunday.

His wife, Emily, was having a C-section to deliver their first child at Cape Coral Hospital.

But just hours after Pearson sent photos via cell phone to friends and family of his 5-pound, 8-ounce baby girl, Peyton McKenzie, the 27-year-old was killed Monday morning when his 2003 Buick SUV collided with a dump truck hauling sand on Interstate 75.

Pearson had been returning to his Port Charlotte home from the hospital around 10 a.m. The wreck occurred just a few miles from their house.

By 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, calls flooded the local WCCF 1580 AM radio show, where Pearson’s longtime friend, Rich Glenke, known as Mr. Baseball, remembered him as a “down-to-earth, smart guy who was an excellent golfer with a heart of gold.”

Some tried to play golf at Bobcat Trail Golf Club in North Port on Tuesday morning in between hugging, crying and talking about the man who most believe was the “heart and soul” of the 500-plus-resident community off Toledo Blade Boulevard.

“(Drew) was Roger (Delagrange’s) protegee,” Glenke said of Pearson coming to work for Delagrange as the general manager of Bobcat Trail when he was 23 years old, eventually turning the golf course into one that Golf Digest ranked 4.5 out of 5 stars. “Through Drew’s dedication, he made Bobcat Trail one of the best golf courses in Southwest Florida.” . . .

. . . Before his death, Pearson’s mother, Linda, flew in from Indiana to spend time with the couple and to “spoil the new grandbaby.” His father, a pastor in Indiana, and his brother, Kyle, were driving to Florida when they received the terrible news.

“His Christmas presents are still in the car,” Linda said. “Drew was a born-again Christian. He knew people were important to God, so they were important to him. That’s why he helped everyone.”

Linda and Jim Pearson spent time Tuesday at the hospital with their daughter-in-law and newborn granddaughter.

Linda said that Emily, who is younger than Drew, liked him even before she graduated from high school and he was in college. The pair began dating while attending Taylor University in Indiana. They were married by Pearson’s dad in May 2006.

Columbus Discipleship Conference Looks at Transforming Grace

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 30, 2008  |  No Comments

A well-known conference speaker, a renowned Bible teacher, and a Grammy-award-winning performer all promise an exciting weekend at the Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, Ohio, when the fourth annual Grace Discipleship Conference is held February 20 to 22, 2009.

Building on last year’s theme of In His Presence, this year’s event looks at Transforming Grace. Speakers include Dr. Jerry Bridges (pictured at right), who is best known for his book, The Pursuit of Holiness, and Dr. Steve Brown, founder and president of Key Life Network, Inc., and Bible teacher on the national radio program, Key Life. The weekend opens with a Friday night concert with Sandy Patti.

Guided by Bridges and Brown, conference participants will explore how to live a life of transforming grace. “The Lord offers us radical transformation and we should not settle for anything less,” says Dr. Glenn R. McElhinney, director of counseling and discipleship at the church.

Registration for the conference is $40 per person which includes Friday night concert with Sandi Patty, refreshments, and lunch on Saturday. The church is located at 8225 Worthington-Galena Road, Westerville, on the north side of the Columbus metro area. Register online at gracebrethren.org or call (614) 410-3212.

Click here for the conference brochure.

Isaac Ogden’s Post-Surgery Report

Posted by Terry White on December 28, 2008  |  No Comments

Here, used by permission, is an edited update on Isaac Ogden from his mother, Sarah Weekley Ogden. Isaac recently had surgery to remove an eye, and now the post-surgery reports are back.

Finally we have some news to update everyone. It was a full month but FINALLY we have found out the results of the biopsy of Isaac’s left eye. It was not the news we had hoped for but it is what it is.

The tumor was Retinoblastoma which is cancer. The good news is that the doctors believe that everything was contained inside the eye, nothing was traveling through the eye stem to the brain so for that we are so thankful. The bad news is that our journey through this time is not coming to an end yet. We now have to set up an appointment back at Riley in Indianapolis to get the rest of Isaac’s body checked out.

Anytime there is cancer in the body it can transfer to another part so we will be getting blood work done and some different type of test on his liver and organs to make sure that he is healthy everywhere else. If everything goes well with these test we will not have any chemo or radiation to deal with.

We have been told that we will have to have scans of his head every three months for the next few years to make sure that there are no tumors growing in the eye socket but other than that we should be able to go back to normal life. We are going back to Cincinnati in January for the post-surgery appointment and then we should be able to schedule the glass eye fitting soon after that.

Isaac is doing really well which is so great! His eye has healed well. It was really rough for the first week, the pain was pretty intense but since then he has pretty much been back to normal with the addition of an eye patch. It will be great for all of us once he gets the glass eye so he can “look” like himself again. I went back to work last week and we are going to send him to preschool once he has the glass eye and I know that he is ready to get out of the house and get back to normal.

Please continue to pray for us. Its been a little overwhelming for Josh and me since we found out the biopsy results. We are trusting God that the rest of Isaac’s body will be healthy, but of course there is a huge fear in our hearts that something else will be found.

We will keep updating as we get news. Thank you again for everyone’s prayers–we appreciate them so much.

Dave Atkins, Asia’s Hope Featured

Posted by Terry White on December 28, 2008  |  No Comments

Dave Atkins (pictured) and Asia’s Hope are featured in today’s Mansfield, Ohio, newspaper. Asia’s Hope is an FGBC cooperating organization. Here is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.

‘Knucklehead from Lexington’ caring for orphans around world

By JAMI KINTON • News Journal • December 28, 2008

LEXINGTON — With help from churches and caring people around the world, Dave Atkins’ dream has come true.

The 1971 Lexington High School graduate and former Lexington Grace Brethren Church pastor is CEO of Asia’s Hope, founded in 2001 “as a grass-roots, non-denominational initiative. Asia’s Hope works to mobilize resources within the Western church to help innovative, indigenous ministries meet spiritual, physical and educational needs among Asia’s poor.”

The Wooster man said the venture was one he never expected to take on.

“People my age, we kind of put Southeast Asia out of our minds — because it meant thinking about the Vietnam War,” Atkins said. “Those were not pleasant memories. As a pastor, I did a lot of mission trips all over the world, but most mission trips are not taken to Asia. You’ll typically just hear of people going to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Haiti.”

In the early ’90s, Atkins said, the word “Asia” kept running through his head.

“It was weird,” he said. “I tried to ignore it because I didn’t know what it meant. I just kept hearing ‘Asia, Asia.’ I prayed to God and said, ‘What are you asking me to do?’ “

At the time, Atkins was pastor at Grace Brethren.

“I told the director at the time, Tom Julien, that the next time he went to Asia, I wanted to come with him,” he said. “In 1995, he called me and said he was going to Cambodia.”

Atkins went along.

“I was not prepared for what I saw,” Atkins said. “I’ve seen the big stomachs and the starving people, but this just broke my heart. Everywhere we went, I saw death, dumps and starving orphans. The people there don’t know how to stop having babies. The whole place looked like a giant preschool. The infant mortality rate there is the highest in the world.”

Pastor Robert Schaffer’s Father Dies in Texas

Posted by Terry White on December 23, 2008  |  1 Comment

Herbert Paul Schaffer, son of the late Rev. William H. Schaffer and H. Maurine Schaffer,and older brother of Alyce A. Schaffer and William L. Schaffer, passed away Monday, Dec. 22, 2008,in Lewisville, TX, after an extended illness.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, which would have been his 80th birthday.

The youngest of Paul Schaffer’s four children, Robert Schaffer, is pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Paul’s father, William H. Schaffer, was a longtime Grace Brethren pastor and board member, instrumental in the founding of Grace College and Seminary.

Vermont Church Building Sprayed With Gunfire

Posted by Terry White on December 23, 2008  |  No Comments

One of the churches from the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches International Fellowship is undergoing a difficult time this Christmas–an opportunity for us to pray for a resolution. Here is an excerpt of an article from the Burlington (VT) Free Press. To read the entire article, click here.

“It’s disturbing, but we’re not fearful,” said the Rev. Scott Libby, pastor of The Grace Brethren Church of Irasburg, which was hit with 11 rounds Friday evening. “We’re praying for this individual. Whoever it is obviously needs some help.”

Someone pulled into the parking lot and fired at the entrance of Grace Brethren between 6:20 and 7 p.m. Friday when no one was in the church, which straddles the border of Coventry and Irasburg. A youth group that normally meets Friday evenings was singing carols at a nursing home when the shots were fired.

Two other evangelical churches in the area were targeted the previous weekend. Six shots from a .40-caliber pistol shattered the doors of The Assembly of God Church in Derby on Dec. 12 or early Dec. 13 and four shots were fired at Cornerstone Evangelical Church. Someone also fired at two homes in the area, and these incidents might be part of the same pattern, police say.

All three of the churches are evangelical Christian denominations. Libby said he did not know if that fact is significant to the investigation. “This person may have a problem with the Lord Jesus Christ and churches that proclaim him from the scripture,” he said. “It’s hard to know.”

Grace Brethren Church was built in 1978 and on Sundays attracts about 70 worshippers. Many members of the church came to help sweep up glass and shattered wood Saturday after they learned about the shooting. At Sunday services, Libby preached forgiveness straight from the Bible, telling his parishioners: “Jesus says love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

An additional story is available here.

Martinsburg Church Provides Bikes for Kids

Posted by Terry White on December 21, 2008  |  No Comments

From today’s Altoona (PA) Mirror.com. Kurt Miller is the lead pastor at the Martinsburg church. This is an excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.

The community includes the Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church Cycling group, which started Project: Wheels of Joy.

After learning of the need through the schools, the newly established group went rolling forward quickly with what turned into a $5,000 project placing bikes and toys under Christmas trees this year.

Cycling group leader Jennifer Butler said the group is sponsoring five families from Martinsburg, two from Roaring Spring and 10 from East Freedom elementary schools.

Butler said bikes, toys and packages filled with food and household items and other items are scheduled for delivery. She said next year, the group’s goal is to have bikes for every child.

”We would like to call it a God thing,” Butler said of how quickly the effort came together.

Winona Lake/C.A.R. Connection Highlighted

Posted by Terry White on December 20, 2008  |  No Comments

The following article connecting Winona Lake, Indiana, with the Central African Republic appeared in this morning’s Warsaw (IN) Times-Union. This is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.

Local Groups Working In Central Africa

Tim Robertson
Staff Writer

Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, starving or in continual danger of attack by bandits and militant rebel groups in the Central African Republic.

According to a report from the British Broadcasting Corp., one in five of the Central African Republic’s children never reach their fifth birthday, and the percentage of women dying in childbirth is amongst the highest in the world. There is little health care and public sanitation in much of the country and, according to the BBC, the life expectancy has fallen to 42 years.

The Central African Republic’s plight doesn’t often make it to American television screens or the front pages of major news media, but several local organizations are involved in helping provide needed relief and development to help the people of Central African Republic improve their safety, health and well-being.

Integrated Community Development International, Grace Brethren International Missions and Grace College, all based in Winona Lake, are each involved in helping to provide different services and ministries to the people of the Central African Republic.

Drive-In Church?

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 18, 2008  |  1 Comment

This report comes today from WHAG-TV, Hagerstown, Md. To read the complete story, click here.

Truck Crashes Into Church After Driver Passes Out
A truck crashed into a church on West Franklin Street Thursday when the driver passed out while behind the wheel.

Police say at about 3 p.m. the man driving the truck lost consciousness and crashed into the Calvary Grace Brethren Church (Doug Courter, pastor).

Police aren’t sure what caused him to pass out.

–

For more details, see this story from the Hagerstown Herald-Mail: Truck crashes into church.

‘We Care Warsaw’ Video Report

Posted by Terry White on December 17, 2008  |  No Comments

International Charis Meetings Detailed

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 15, 2008  |  No Comments

Representatives of nearly 20 Grace Brethren fellowships around the world gathered this past summer in Germany to strategize about God’s work through Grace Brethren people. Learn about this historic event, called Charis, in the November-December issue of FGBC World, which is available at no charge at no charge at your local Grace Brethren church or online at http://www.fgbcworld.com/.

Barnharts’ Christmas Light Display Back in Action

Posted by Terry White on December 14, 2008  |  No Comments

Rich and Kathy Barnhart (pictured), formerly of the Grace College faculty and Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church, moved to Marion, Indiana, this year, when Rich joined the faculty of Indiana Wesleyan University. Known for their public Christmas lights display, the Barnharts have started it up again in Marion. This is an excerpt from the Marion Chronicle-Tribune. To read the entire article, click here.

Lights moved by music help brighten the holidays

BY SHERIE SMITH

A musical Christmas tree is Rich and Kathy Barnhart’s way of sharing the Christmas season — and their faith — with the community.

This is the first year that Grant County has the opportunity to see the musical, lighted program at the Barnhart’s home, 2757 W. Ninth St.

Its history goes back to 1987 when Rich Barnhart was working in the computer science department at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and the couple was attending the Thomas Road Baptist Church.

“The church had a living Christmas tree in which the choir members actually stand on risers, and then they threw a switch. It was actually state of the art at the time and quite impressive,” Kathy said.

But Rich Barnhart and others were looking for a new idea.

Hearing about a display in Buffalo, N.Y., they traveled there. The timing was good because while teaching computer science at Liberty, he was also working on his master’s degree at Virginia Tech.

In one of his master’s programs, Barnhart built a controller for lights and then the electronics department at the university worked to time it to music.

The Musical Christmas Tree was born.

“It was at the church in Lynchburg and, at the time, was the only tree in the country where you could control the lights in time with the music,” Kathy said.

The tree become a home display after the Barnharts moved to Washington state in 1995.

“One of his students took over the Christmas tree (in Virginia), and the old stuff was becoming obsolete,” Kathy said. “The control box wound up in a building that was slated for demolition. His student called and asked him if we wanted the control box. We flew back to Lynchburg, packed up the control box and rescued it from total oblivion.”

Their first Musical Christmas Tree was 12 feet tall and was made from the old timbers on their patio back in Washington State.

“It was primitive, but it worked,” Kathy said.

When the couple moved to Grace College at Winona Lake, the tree improved.

“Our home was right across from one of the girls’ dormitories for Grace College, so we could use their parking lot,” Kathy said. “It grew to 16 feet, and we had better site displays and attendance increased. Last year we had over 1,000 cars come by.”

When Grace College closed its computer science department, Rich Barnhart ended up on the faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University and the couple moved here in May.

‘We Care Warsaw’ Ministry is Huge Success

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  No Comments

Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren church’s Christmas special this year was a “We Care Warsaw” day designed to offer gifts, services, and God’s love to the poor, out-of-work, and economically disadvantaged in the Winona Lake/Warsaw community. Several hundred families responded to invitations distributed at various relief and social centers throughout the county, and came to Grace College’s Gordon Recreation Center this Saturday afternoon, where WLGBC people had set up an elaborate system of gifts and services as a ministry.

Guests arrived at the Gordon Center beginning at 3 p.m. and could take advantage of a large number of free services and gifts. They then were sent across the parking lot to the church basement for a free meal prepared and served by people from the church. The final event of the day was a 6 p.m. performance of “Christmas Through the Ages” by the church choir and drama team, with a clear presentation of the gospel.

By all accounts the event was a huge success, considering the number of people who participated and were “loved on” by the church family. Dave Rank, who directs the music and worship ministry at the church, was the point person for the day’s ministry.

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  No Comments

Some of the longest waiting lines were for the free haircuts offered by area salons. Bags of food were free for the taking, as were a number of other opportunities such as blood-pressure checks, and more.

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  No Comments

Getting a free family portrait from a professional photographer in the church was one of the most popular offerings in the afternoon. Free oil changes (a $35 value) were also available, either on the spot, or a coupon to be used later. Free drawings for prizes took place throughout the afternoon, as did a number of other offerings such as a free legal consultation, free financial counseling, a prayer tent for anyone requesting prayer, and lots of opportunities for children such as balloon-twisting, face-painting, cookie-decorating, and much more.

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  No Comments

Chef Chris was one of those carving turkey for the guests. A sumptuous meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie and more followed the events in the Gordon Center. Then the final event of the evening was a special performance of the church choir’s program “Christmas Through the Ages” for the special guests. The program will be repeated Sunday evening for the church family.

Two-Year Puzzle Project Complete, on Display

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  1 Comment

Lucene Harstine, Grace College alumnus and wife of former Grace Brethren pastor Richard Harstine, recently completed a two-year project assembling one of the world’s largest jigsaw puzzles in her home in Warsaw, Indiana. Read about it by clicking here.

Alta Loma Reaches Out at Thoroughbred and Sapphire

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  No Comments

Pastor Roy Halberg and his good people at the Grace Brethren church in Alta Loma, California, are again this season reaching out to neighbors with kindness and the gospel. Here is a photo and excerpt from his recent e-mail update:

Whoa nellie!! Was it chilly out on Thoroughbred tonight!! I’m getting out my woolen underwear and wool socks for tomorrow night.

Yes. We have given away Lots of hot chocolate . . . lots of cookies . . . lots of tracts . . . and have met lots of people. We are up and running for the second weekend. Along the way there was time also for a few evangelistic conversations.

Pray for God to open hearts of those we spoke with and those who received our tracts.

Come and join us at the corner of Thoroughbred and Sapphire.

Carmean’s Africa Ministry Featured

Posted by Terry White on December 13, 2008  |  1 Comment

The Mansfield (OH) News Journal today has a feature on the trip Jason Carmean (in photo) took along with AGBM president Joel Richards to the Central African Republic. Jason is pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Lexington, Ohio. This is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.

Africa trip chance to teach, learn for Lex pastor

By JAMI KINTON • News Journal • December 13, 2008

LEXINGTON — A second trip to Central Africa wasn’t what Jason Carmean originally planned. But after spending two weeks volunteering in Bangui, the Lexington Grace Brethren Church pastor knew he would go again.

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 14, Carmean, along with another pastor from California, helped train other Grace Brethren pastors in Central Africa.

“We only have 900 Grace Brethren churches throughout the country,” Carmean said. “They have 2,100 Grace Brethren churches throughout a country the size of Texas.”

Carmean said the African churches were growing so fast that pastors couldn’t keep up.

“They’re having to rotate among the different churches,” he said. “I was at a conference this summer and they asked for qualified people who were interested in training more pastors over there.

“I said I was interested, thinking that we wouldn’t be going until some time next year. They called me in September and I left in October.”

Upon stepping off the plane, Carmean said, he was shocked at the level of poverty he witnessed.

“It was overwhelming,” he said. “These people live on less than $1 a day there. Many live in huts with no floors — just very, very poor.”

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 12, 2008  |  1 Comment

BMH Publisher Terry White took a break this afternoon to provide Christmas music at the Tree of Life Bookstore, located adjacent to the BMH offices at 1104 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, Ind. If you are in the area, he’s playing until 3 p.m., and again tomorrow (Saturday) from 10 a.m. until noon.