BMH Editor's Blog

Mboi Reports on Evangelist Training in C.A.R.

Posted by Terry White on October 22, 2008  |  No Comments

Mboi Andre, who heads up the union of Grace Brethren churches in the Central African Republic (more than 2,000 Grace Brethren churches) recently sent these photos and this update to FGBC coordinator Tom Avey:

I send you my warmest greetings from Bambari in His precious name. I hope you are doing well and God is blessing your ministry there. I am doing well even though my arm did not consolidate [heal] well yet. I trust in God to heal me.

I send you the picture of the formation of the evangelists which took place in last September in Bambari. In the last day we took time to make the planning for their ministry in 2009.

The evangelists will be deployed in February, 2009, to plant 10 new churches in different places. Please pray for the project of 22 bikes which will help them in their ministry. Thank you very much for teaming with us in this noble ministry we are doing here in East.

Brethren Encyclopedia Board Meets

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

Members of the Brethren Encyclopedia Board are meeting today in the archaeology room of Ashland Seminary in Ashland, Ohio, to process reports, finances, and reflections from the BE-sponsored 300th anniversary celebration that took place in Schwarzenau, Germany, August 2 and 3, 2008.

The board is comprised of representatives of the six major Brethren bodies descended from the Alexander Mack baptisms in the Eder River in 1708. More than 1,000 representatives of the six groups gathered in Schwarzenau this past August for the 300th anniversary celebration.

Current officers of the board were re-elected. They include Robert Lehigh, president (Dunkard Brethren), Dale Stoffer, vice president (The Brethren Church), Dale Ulrich, secretary (Church of the Brethren), and Terry White, treasurer (Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches).

Ronald Lutz of Ambler, Penna., is retiring after more than 35 years of service as assistant treasurer, and Wayne Guyer of Woodbury, Pennsylvania, will be succeeding him. William Eberly of North Manchester, Indiana, is also retiring as editor of the monograph series, to be succeeded by Jeffrey Bach of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietistic Studies at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Penna.

A newly-created monograph (The Origin of the Schwarzenau Brethren) and a two-DVD series entitled “Back to Schwarzenau” chronicling the 300th anniversary celebration are now available through the Brethren Encyclopedia project.

The current website is www.brethrenencyclopedia.org, and a newly-designed and updated website, offering all BE products, will be online in a few weeks.

Summit Mills Singer Featured

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

Gary Yoder (pictured), a singer from the Summit Mills Grace Brethren Church in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania (Matt McCoy, pastor) is featured in his local newspaper. Here is an excerpt. To read the entire story, click here.

Music is Gary Yoder’s heart and soul

By MADOLIN EDWARDS
Daily American Staff Writer

Monday, October 20, 2008 6:09 AM EDT
Gary Yoder of Meyersdale feels country and gospel music is the heart and soul of America. It sure is a large part of his life and has his heart and soul.

“My singing started when I was 13 and I sang for my grandmother’s birthday at the Summit Mills church,” he said.

“At age 16, my parents took me on a trip to Nashville, Tenn. While there, we visited the Old Ryman Theater, home of the Grand Old Opry for many years,” he added. “It was on the stage of the Ryman Theater while my parents were backstage, that I stood at the microphone looking out at an empty theater, closed my eyes and could see and hear people applauding and cheering for me. There at that moment, I made it my dream to one day perform at the Grand Old Opry. Well I’m a little older now, but would never pass up a chance to one day make my dream come true.”

Warsaw Youth Outreach Features Je’Rod Cherry

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 18, 2008  |  No Comments

Je’Rod Cherry, right, signs autographs at the Buffalo Bowl, a five-on-five flag football tournament sponsored by 909 Student Ministries, the youth ministry at Community Grace Brethren Church (Tom Abbitt, pastor), Warsaw, Ind. The event, where Je’Rod shared his testimony, was held Saturday, October 18.

Community Grace Brethren Church’s youth pastor Tim Clothier estimated about 100 teens and adults attended the outreach event. Each winning team member received a football autographed by Je’Rod plus a $25 dollar gift card.

Je’Rod is a former New England Patriot and holds three Super Bowl rings from his time playing with the team. Last summer, he and his wife, Samua, decided to sell one to help needing children around the world. They made the decision while attending Momentum East, the annual youth conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (and sponsored by CE National). They were attending the conference with the youth group from their church, Grace Church, a Grace Brethren congregation in Macedonia, Ohio.

To date, more than $70,000 has been raised. To learn more about his efforts to raise funds for Asia’s Hope, Feed My Starving Children, and other charities, click here. For more information about the raffle, see Celebrities for Charities. The deadline to purchase tickets for the raffle is November 27.

For a recent story in the Washington Post about Je’Rod’s efforts, click here.

Grace College, Ivy Tech Sign Degree Agreement

Posted by Terry White on October 18, 2008  |  No Comments

Representing Grace College and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana for the signing of the agreement are, front row, left to right: Cindy Sisson, Grace College Director of Graduate and Adult Education Enrollment; Ronald E. Manahan, Th.D., Grace College President; Randy R. Maxson, Vice Chancellor/Dean of the Warsaw Campus of Ivy Tech Community College; Nancy Brown, Ivy Tech Business Administration and Accounting Program Coordinator; and, back row, left to right, Jo Lemon, Ivy Tech adjunct faculty member; Dee Anna Muraski and Sarah Kinder, Ivy Tech graduates accepted into the Grace College GOAL program, Bill Katip, Ph.D., Grace Provost; Tyler Phillips, Ivy Tech graduate accepted into the Grace College GOAL program; and Stephen A. Grill, Ed.D., Grace College Dean of Adult and Community Education.

From the Warsaw (IN) Times-Union:

Grace College, Ivy Tech Enter Into Degree Agreement

Jennifer Peryam
Times-Union Staff Writer

Ivy Tech Community College and Grace College signed an agreement Thursday that will allow Ivy Tech graduates to further their education.

The agreement will give Ivy Tech graduates the option to enter into a Grace Opportunities of Adult Learners program immediately after completing their associate’s degree from Ivy Tech.

Adult Ivy Tech graduates, with a two-year associate of science degree, will be able to continue their education at Grace College and receive a four-year bachelor’s degree management through Grace’s GOAL program.

GOAL students meet one evening per week and a few Saturdays, and are able to complete their bachelor’s degree in 16 months while working full time.

The initial goal class of 20 students begins in January. Grace College now is accepting applications to fill the remaining places. A second class will be formed to begin on the same schedule once the initial class is full.

Dr. Steve Grill, Grace College dean of adult and community education, said the program is a rigorous degree program designed to prepare students for management challenges in business, non-profit and public sectors of employment.

“The program was created to assist any adult student with college credits, but who did not graduate, to enter the program and qualify for their business in management degree on a convenient schedule designed not to disrupt busy career and personal schedules,” Grill said.

Studies include management fundamentals and operations management, quantitative evaluation and decision making, accounting and finance, business law and information technology management.

Randy Maxson, Ivy Tech vice chancellor and dean, said the agreement provides a significant advantage for Ivy Tech students who are automatically accepted into Grace College’s bachelor’s degree in management program upon graduation.

He said an advantage of the program is that the two-year Ivy Tech graduates are able to begin their careers while in the GOAL program.

Ron Manahan, Grace College president, said the college is pleased to offer the program.

“Ivy Tech is an important education resource in the community, and Grace College is happy to help students meet their educational aspirations,” Manahan said.

Dee Anna Muraski, an Ivy Tech graduate who will be in the GOAL program in January, said she is excited to participate in the program.

She earned her associate’s degree in business administration in May from Ivy Tech.

“Ivy Tech provided me with a great base for my education, and I look forward to completing my bachelor’s degree through Grace College’s program,” Muraski said.

For more information or to apply for the program, visit www.grace.edu/goal or call Cindy Sisson at 866-974-7223 or e-mail her at ace@grace.edu

Revisiting the Central Focus Retreat

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 16, 2008  |  No Comments

It’s been more than 24 hours since the Central Focus Retreat ended at the Mohican Lodge near Loudonville, Ohio. Here’s one last chance to revisit the scenes of the two-day get-away for Grace Brethren pastors from around Ohio, Indiana, and eastern Pennsylvania. To view an album of photos from the retreat, taken by Ron Boehm and Liz Cutler Gates, click here or on the photo above.

John McIntosh, moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches and pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Simi Valley, Calif., led the retreat. He was assisted by Tom Hocking, moderator elect and pastor of the Bellflower Brethren Church in California. Beginning on Monday afternoon (October 13), The two led the pastors through a study of 2 Timothy, the foundation for this year’s emphasis on “Deposit Required.” There was plenty of time for relaxation and fellowship, as the men engaged in a lively game of Scream-O on Monday night and spread out around the area on Tuesday afternoon to hike, bike, and golf.

Goshen, Ind., Outreach Featured in Media

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 16, 2008  |  No Comments

A new outreach ministry at Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Goshen, Ind., has received some media exposure, according to Jim Brown, pastor. He writes on his blog, The Brown Bytes, about an outreach called “New to You” that is led by his wife, Anne, and other ladies at the church. The above video is from a newscast that reported on the event.

Blue Crew is at it again, this time in a different way. It was an outreach called “new to you.” We love blitzing our community with random acts of kindness, which our outreach director, Craig, leads. This outreach was led by my wife and many other Grace Ladies, and I love the way my wife works, behind the scenes, to help people. Time or words, could never express how often she does things yet gets zero credit. By the way she doesn’t want the attention either.

She has a burden for families that are suffering, and initiated a outreach last year, along with Becky Kauffman, to get clothes in the hands of children for free. She has called the outreach “New to You.” Just last week, while I was away with men, on our Wild at Heart Retreat, she was back at Grace Community, organizing a clothing exchange, for the community.

Many people came, and traded in their clothes, for other clothes. Actually when you registered, you received blue bucks that allowed you to buy clothes. The local news got wind of what we were doing, and reported it on channel 22.

To read Jim’s entire entry, click here.

Neil Cole Featured in Leadership Journal

Posted by Terry White on October 15, 2008  |  No Comments

Neil Cole, Grace Brethren church planter, pastor of Awakening Chapel in Long Beach, Calif., and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates, is featured in the Fall, 2008, edition of Leadership Magazine, published by Christianity Today, Inc.

Cole is interviewed, along with Ed Young, Jr., who is pastor of Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas. The interview features the two men’s differing approaches to ministry.

Cole’s closing quote is, “The way we’ve done church for the last fifty years, the attractional model, is going to reach a certain population, but we’re getting close to tapping out that market. We have to think in terms of mobilizing the kingdom to go where people are.

“Too many Christians are passive and unengaged. They may listen to Christian radio and read Christian books, but they’re not communing with God directly.

“Therefore, they are not dynamic witnesses, and they rely on the church to do all the missional work. We need to help people hear from God directly and obey him.”

The fall issue is not yet online, but the website for Leadership Journal is www.leadershipjournal.net.

See England This Spring With Dr. Sauders

Posted by Terry White on October 15, 2008  |  No Comments

Grace College and seminary alumni, friends of Grace, Grace students and employees are invited to spend Spring Break (March 13-22,2009) in England on a tour directed by Dr. Paulette Sauders, chair of the college’s department of English and Journalism and Professor of English.

The tentative cost of $2,650 includes airfare, hotels, breakfasts, transportation in London and to other sites in England, and entrance fees.

The itinerary includes Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge (pictured), C.S. Lewis’s home, Shakespeare’s birthplace and home, and Windsor Castle.

Contact Dr. Paulette Sauders at (574) 372-5100, ext. 6154 or E-mail sauderpg@grace.edu for details.

Capital City Columbus Holds First Service

Posted by Terry White on October 15, 2008  |  No Comments

From the North Central Ohio e-newsletter:

Capital City Grace Holds First Service

The Capital City team reports, “Sunday, September 21 was a very special day in the formation of Capital City Grace Church. It was the day of our first monthly worship service at the Columbus Downtown YMCA.

“Twenty-nine adults and children attended, and they enthusiastically participated in worship through music led by the worship team, Eric and Julie Miller and Cheri Myers. They also listened attentively to the message from Larry Totzke proclaiming Jesus as the King of these people. The children had a special time of learning about Jesus as their King as well, led by Amy Paragon.

“After the service we received several very positive comments, and we were encouraged. We want to offer a special word of thanks to our Launch Team of ten people for their efforts in setting up chairs and equipment, greeting folks and making them feel welcome, providing coffee and other goodies, ushering, and helping in other ways that served to make Capital City Grace’s first service a success. God is working and we’re praising Him for it!”

Capital City’s next public service will be October 19, 10:30 a.m., at the Columbus Downtown YMCA.

Focus Retreat Continues in Ohio

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 14, 2008  |  No Comments

The Central Focus Retreat for Grace Brethren pastors continued today at Mohican State Park Lodge near Loudonville, Ohio. Above, the men visited following breakfast.

Scott Avey, worship arts coordinator at the Grace Brethren Church, Ashland, Ohio (back to camera), led the men in singing.

Tom Hocking, pastor of the Bellflower Brethren Church in Bellflower, Calif. The moderator-elect of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, he led the first hour discussion on 2 Timothy.

After lunch today, the men scattered to enjoy a variety of activities, including golfing, biking, hiking, and canoeing.

Central Focus Retreat Begins in Ohio

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 13, 2008  |  No Comments

The Central Focus Retreat, a time for Grace Brethren pastors to refresh and focus on God’s promises and opportunities, began this afternoon (October 13) at Mohican State Park Lodge near Loudonville, Ohio. Above, John MacIntosh, moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches and pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Simi Valley, Calif., leads the opening session. During the pre-dinner session, the group looked at 2 Timothy 1.

Following dinner, Dave Guiles, executive director of Grace Brethren International Missions, interviewed Dr. Francois Ngoumape, director of leadership training for the Grace Brethren Union of Churches in the Central African Republic (CAR). Dr. Ngoumape shared how God protected him during a violent attack by bandits last November. He is in the U.S. for the next ten weeks to promote the development of the James Gribble Leadership Development Center in the CAR. (Click here to learn his schedule.)

The pastors concluded the evening with an active gave of “Scream-O.” Tomorrow they will continue to look at 2 Timothy and will enjoy afternoon and evening “hangout time together.”

The retreat concludes Wednesday morning.

Tiberius Rata to Chair Grace Bible Department

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

The administration of Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana, has announced the appointment of Tiberius Rata, Ph.D. (pictured), as chair of the Department of Biblical Studies.

Dr. Rata, Professor of Old Testament Studies, joined the Grace faculty in 2005. He is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University (B.S.), Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Ph.D.).

The Department of Biblical Studies is part of Grace’s School of Ministry Studies, consisting of the undergraduate Department of Biblical Studies and Grace Theological Seminary. Dr. Rata is leading the department in implementing several curriculum changes. He explains that the department is committed to a balanced approach to ministry education, stressing both academics and the practice of ministry.

To accomplish this, Rata said, majors in the department will have the experience of ministry internships, as well as classroom instruction.

A native of Romania, Dr. Rata came to the U.S. in 1986. He, his wife Carmen, and their two sons Nicholas and Timothy worship with the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church (Bruce Barlow, lead pastor). A feature article on Dr. Rata appeared in the Grace alumni magazine on page 10 of the Fall, 2005 issue. It may be accessed by clicking here.

Becky Dick Blogs From Bangui

Posted by Terry White on October 12, 2008  |  2 Comments

Becky Dick (right), from the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church (Bruce Barlow, lead pastor) is currently in the Central African Republic sharing teaching and educational strategy with teachers there, based on her more than three decades of elementary education experience in the U.S.

Becky, along with Margaret Hull and Lois Wilson, are blogging on the Project Hope and Charity blogsite, which may be accessed by clicking here. This is a short excerpt from Becky’s blogpost this morning. Becky’s husband, Phil, former coach and athletic director at Grace College in Winona Lake, went to be with the Lord just about six months ago. This is Becky’s first trip to Africa.

Today we worshipped with the Brethren at the Castors Grace Brethren Church. It was a wonderful experience to be here after hearing, knowing and praying about this area of Africa since I was a child.

We were greeted at the entrance to the church by a man in a uniform. Barb Explained he is a TTN (Soldier of the Good News) mens group. We were ushered to our bench by an older woman who made sure that we and everyone else squeezed in — with thousands of people needing to be seated, wasted space is not allowed! Our bench, which was about ten feet long, was filled with seven people.

More News About Je’Rod’s Super Bowl Ring

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on October 12, 2008  |  No Comments

Two more media outlets — the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Sportsnet.ca (Ontario, Canada) — have picked up stories about Je’Rod Cherry’s desire to part with his prized his Super Bowl Ring in order to raise funds for needy children. Je’Rod and his wife, Samua, made the decision during Momentum East, the annual Grace Brethren national youth conference, to sell the ring he earned as part of the 2002 Super Bowl winning New England Patriots.

To date, more than $61,000 has been raised with nearly two months before the November 27 raffle deadline. To learn more about the raffle, click here. To read more about Je’Rod’s story, click here.

Portions of the stories are below.

NFL Insider: Cherry’s donation rings clear ex-defensive back’s heart and soul

Former New England Patriots safety Je’Rod Cherry cherishes the first Super Bowl ring of three he earned with the team. That’s why he’s giving it away to raise money for a charity close to his heart.

NFLFormer Patriots defensive back JeRod Cherry is giving up his first Super Bowl ring to help endangered children in Asia and Africa.Cherry, who now resides in Macedonia, is raffling off his ring from Super Bowl XXXVI after the 2001 season to benefit and create awareness for Asia’s Hope, which builds orphanages for kids rescued from slave trafficking in Asia and Africa.

Cherry dedicated to the cause after attending a church conference in Dayton in August. At the conference, he was moved by a photograph of a child literally dying in a street as a vulture watched in the background.

To read the complete story in the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer, click here.

Great cause has Je’Rod Cherry on top

Je’Rod Cherry’s Super Bowl XXXVI ring holds a special place in his heart for what it signifies. Teamwork. Dedication. Self-sacrifice.

It is one of his most treasured possessions, which is exactly why he’s giving it away.

While many retired players have been forced to auction their Super Bowl rings to make ends meet, Cherry is putting his to a different use.

He plans to raffle it off for charities dedicated primarily to children, particularly those kids exploited and traded as slaves in parts of Africa and Asia.

“This ring has a lot of sentimental value to me, obviously,” said Cherry, a financial analyst splitting his time between Boston and Ohio. “I just felt that if I was going to involve myself in something like this, I’d have to be sacrificial.

To read the complete story on sportsnet.ca Ontario, click here.

Viewpoint: God is Big Enough

Posted by Terry White on October 11, 2008  |  No Comments

The following guest column appeared in this morning’s Mansfield (OH) News Journal. Jason Carmean (pictured) is pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Lexington, Ohio.

Viewpoint: God is big enough to do the job

By Jason Carmean, Guest Columnist

How big is God to you? Seriously, stop and think about it. Is the God whom you choose to serve big enough to handle what we all are facing?

Can the Lord restore your retirement account after the stock market crashes?

Can he still be sovereign over this country and world even if your candidate doesn’t get elected?

Is the Lord ever too small to not care?

We all are facing God-sized issues these days.

In less than three weeks, I will be put in the middle of one of those God-sized problems. In three weeks I will be in the heart of Africa teaching at a seminary in the Central African Republic. I will be involved in training the next generation of African pastors to minister in their churches.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Before you come up with your opinion, let me share some of the God-sized issues.

First of all, there are over 2,000 Grace Brethren Churches in the CAR, a country the size of Texas. For those 2,000 churches, there are only 900 pastors. Each pastor oversees an average of two and a half churches. The need for new pastors is a God-sized need.

The per capita income in the CAR is $700 per year. For students in the seminary, the tuition is more than they make in a year. For them to attend and even finish school is a God-sized problem. They speak a language called Sango. Everything I say will have to be translated. The teaching time will be cut in half, but the material isn’t any shorter and everything is important. That’s a God-sized issue.

At the same time, I realize God is big enough to take care of it. Let me recount for you the things I have seen the Lord do.

I got my passport in six days from the time I sent the application in until it was in my mailbox at home. I raised enough money in three weeks to pay for my trip (over $3,500). I have been in touch with the two other pastors I’m flying with and they have everything ready to go, too.

I could go on, but I will stop with that.

I guess that is part of what faith is; realizing God is bigger than us and sometimes it’s just better to place things in his hand and under his control and authority.

I trust the Lord is my shepherd and that I will not want. I trust my God raises up kings (or presidents) and removes them from power.

I trust God will sustain his church around the world with new pastors who have been taught and trained by some little-known American pastor who just wants to serve his big God. I have that hope and trust simply because God is big enough.

Spiritual Guidance in Financially Troubled Times

Posted by Terry White on October 11, 2008  |  No Comments

Would you like to lead your church to engage the “Financial-Spiritual battle” that is raging in our society? Ted Rondeau, a certified financial planner (CFP) on staff with the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church and Integrated Community Development International (ICDI – a non-profit community development ministry in Central Africa), has developed a teaching and preaching series designed to lead people into Biblical-Financial Freedom.

An old adage says, “Desperate people do desperate things.” As you read and listen to the news these days, there are many stories of people acting out of desperation as a result of the financial crisis in our country.

“Desperation” is NOT a characteristic or circumstance that those connected to Jesus should find themselves in, Rondeau says. Radical thoughts and actions influenced by desperation are sure signs of financial-spiritual warfare and the attempts of the enemy of our soul to do us harm.

Jesus says we should cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). These words from scripture immediately precede the warning to “…be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Are you feeling devoured, desperate? DON’T GO IT ALONE! Contact your pastor for prayer and counsel.

Former NFL football player, now prison ministry evangelist, Bill Glass would often say that people are most open to the gospel when they are faced with crisis in life. Today, more than ever, we who know the “peace that passes understanding” can be out plantin’ the seeds of hope, peace and freedom that Jesus offers. Rondeau urges, “Use these financially troubling times to start conversations and plant yourself into the lives of those who desperately need to be connected to Jesus.”

Rondeau may be contacted at trondeau@wlgbc.com.

Lititz to Host Broadway & Inspirational Concert

Posted by Terry White on October 10, 2008  |  No Comments

Adapted from Pastor Scott Distler’s blog:

Grace Church, the Grace Brethren church in Lititz, Penna. (Scott Distler, pastor)will host a Broadway and Inspirational music concert for the community on Sunday, October 19th at 7:00pm in the main auditorium.

Local Broadway and regional musical theatre performers Jen and David Felty (pictured), along with fellow actors Susan and Greggory Brandt, will sing songs from Broadway to Contemporary Christian music. Their resumes include Les Misérables, A Tale of Two Cities, and Civil War on Broadway, as well as Regional theatre performances in Carousel, My Fair Lady, Pirates of Penzance, The Secret Garden, and Camelot.

David Michael Felty has appeared in the Broadway production of The Civil War and the National Tour of Les Miserables. Other credits include American Rhapsody: 75 years of Gershwin, Christy the Musical, Star Search and Nashville Now. David has sung for Bob Hope, Barbara Mandrell and Lee Greenwood, and has performed roles from “Valjean” to “Boaz” to “Satan”.

David’s wife, Jennifer, is a Lancaster County native holding a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Houghton College and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Penn State University. Jen has performed in regional favorites such as Smoke on the Mountain (Denise), Sanders Family Christmas (Denise), My Fair Lady (Eliza), Carousel (Carrie), Pirates and Pinafores (Mabel and Josefine), and playing the banjo, fiddle, and upright bass on the stage of the Grand Ol’ Opry. Jennifer, a proud Actors’ Equity member, currently maintains a private voice studio and is head of the music department at Lititz Christian School.

The Feltys, along with their son, Noah, attend Grace Church and have been actively involved in the church’s worship arts ministry.

Admission to the concert is free. Donations will be accepted at the event and CDs will be available for purchase. Donations will go to Grace Church to defray the costs of the concert. Grace Church Main Auditorium is located at 501 West Lincoln Avenue, Lititz, PA. For more information, visit http://www.feltysings.com/ or http://www.lgbc.org/ or call 717-626-2155.

Pastor Distler says, “I hope that each of you will mark this special Sunday night down on your calendar and join us for this special evening of excellent Broadway and inspirational music that you will most certainly enjoy and be blessed by.”

Los Altos Pastor Reports on Ministry in Asia

Posted by Terry White on October 8, 2008  |  1 Comment

Pastor Phil Helfer (pictured) of the Los Altos Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach, California, has just returned from a ten-day Asia trip he and church-planter Neil Cole took, teaching three different groups about Life Transformation Groups and teaching organic church principles.

An e-mail from them as they were traveling home said, “[We]are returning from a long, exhausting, but profitable time in Hong Kong and China. We did two Greenhouse Trainings and also spoke to a large conference. In China we did a Greenhouse Training for 200 and saw people saved every time.”

Helfer will share about his trip in the Los Altos morning worship this Sunday. On the weekend of November 7-9, Los Altos will be hosting the same Greenhouse Training that Neil and Phil did overseas.

These trainings are done all over the world by Church Multiplication Associates (www.cmaresources.org). They are called Organic Greenhouse Trainings and there are two components to the training–Story 1 and Story 2 which build on each other. Both will be offered simultaneously during the upcoming event at LAGBC:

Greenhouse Intensive Training: Story 1 & 2
November 7-9, 2008

Location:
Los Altos Grace Brethren Church
6565 Stearns St.
Long Beach, CA 90815

Schedule:
Friday Registration begins at 6:00 pm
Friday session: 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturday session: 8:30am to 4:30 pm
Sunday session: 8:30am to noon

Trainers:
Neil Cole, Jason Evans, Phil Helfer, Mike & Mindi Jentes

Mississauga Launches Hispanic Church

Posted by Terry White on October 8, 2008  |  No Comments

Jesus Munoz, Hispanic Church Planting Director for GO2ChurchPlanting, sends along news of the planting of a new Hispanic church in Mississauga, Canada. Jesus says, “Let us rejoice for this new church. Please pray with them and for them.” Here is the translated message from church-planters Willy and Mery Sanchez:

Dear Brothers,

With much emotion I inform you that just last Sunday we celebrated the first service of “Iglesia Manantial” (Spring Church) in a hall of the school that Grace Community Church rents. We had an attendance of 16 people (six families), that is the group who at attends the home meetings Fridays night in our house. David, my older son, accompanied in music playing the bass guitar and we had a good time of praise. In addition, I shared our vision for the church.

Iglesia Manantial (Spring church) has not yet been inaugurated formally. We will do it when we move to our new building at the end of November or beginning of December. In that occasion we will make promotion and extend invitations to all the people we know and friends.

The present meetings we are calling them “pre-services.” We have the intention to train the church for the moment at which we begin services in our new premises. Also, we hope to reunite the people who in the last months have shown interest in knowing more about the church.

We request your prayers for us. The spiritual support is the most important. In addition, we need finances to acquire musical instruments and other necessary equipment for the operation of the church.

We have our worship services Sundays at 11:00 A.M. The temporary address for the church is:

West Credit Secondary School
Montevideo Rd. and Battleford Rd.
(Entered by Montevideo Rd.) Hall 105, ground floor

Receive our greetings,

Willy and Mery Sanchez