BMH Editor's Blog

Former Indiana All-Star Transfers to Grace College

Posted by Terry White on March 31, 2010  |  No Comments

Former Indiana All-Star Transfers to Grace College
by PAUL CONDRY

WINONA LAKE, Ind. ‘ 2009 Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up Bruce Grimm, Jr., has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Grace College after transferring from NCAA Div. I East Tennessee State University.

Grimm will have three years of eligibility to play for the Lancers, who are coming off back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Tournament in 2008 and 2009 and an appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament in March 2010.

“I am excited about joining the basketball family at Grace College,” Grimm said. “I look forward to getting my major in Education and learning more about God.”

Grimm had a standout high school career at Rochester High School in Rochester, Ind., before signing with East Tennessee State University. He is the all-time leading scorer at Rochester. He was also a 2009 Indiana All-Star, a three-time First Team All-Three Rivers Conference player and the Hickory Husker Player of the Year and the Burger King Player of the Year in 2009.

At East Tennessee State, Grimm started five games on a team that won the Atlantic Sun Conference. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to the University of Kentucky.

“Bruce is a tremendous player and a quality young man,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler. “He has many individual accolades but wants to be a part of our program. Everywhere Bruce has been, he has had success, and we look forward to him joining our family at Grace.”

Grimm also set a state finals record with eight three-pointers in an 81-79 double overtime loss to top-ranked and unbeaten Princeton High School at Conseco Fieldhouse. For the game, he scored a total of 40 points. Grimm hit three 3″s in the final 1:04 of regulation, including a game-tying shot with one second left to send the game into overtime. For many media outlets, it was a performance that will go down in history in Indiana high school basketball.

As a result, he was named the 2009 Indiana State Tournament MVP by The Associated Press. He shot 76 percent from the foul line and 36 percent from the three-point line for the year. He also averaged 26.9 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals a game his senior year.

“We are very excited to have Bruce join our family at Grace College and look forward to the impact he will have not only on our basketball program but also on our campus and community,” said Grace athletic director Chad Briscoe.

Grimm will join Grace”s incoming recruits, which includes Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year Greg Miller from North Miami High School, 6″11″ Dennis Williams from Jamaica and 6″11″ Adrian Makolli from Lakeland Christian Academy.

“You land a player of his caliber in the Mid-Central College Conference, and he has an immediate impact,” Kessler continued. “We look forward to that impact for the next three years, both on and off the court.”

Grace College is located in Winona Lake, Ind., and is a member of the Mid-Central College Conference and is affiliated with the NAIA and the NCCAA.

Tri-State District to Sponsor Golf Outing

Posted by Terry White on March 31, 2010  |  No Comments

Ned Denlinger, pastor at Centerville, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church and coordinator for the Tri-State District, extends an open invitation to anyone who would like to participate in this event. For more information contact him or Roy Glass IV.

Chaplain Hurst Asks Prayers for Recovery

Posted by Terry White on March 31, 2010  |  No Comments

Chaplain Richard Hurst and his wife, Star

In early April, the Eagle Commission’s Dr. Larry Chamberlain and the FGBC Chaplain’s Endorsing Agent John Schumacher, along with their wives, will be visiting with Richard and Star Hurst. Richard is one of the FGBC’s newest military chaplains and will be graduating from Chaplains Basic Course on April 9. 

The Hursts are in the process of moving to Fort Drum, New York, for his follow-on assignment.  Star was recently able to join Richard at Fort Jackson, having taken care of packing for the move to Fort Drum. 

“With your prayers,” Richard writes in an update, “Star has taken care of everything with no problems.  Now, she is with me at Ft. Jackson and I am very happy that we can finally spend some time together before I go to Afghanistan in September with my unit.  We do not like being away from each other but we realize that God has prepared our hearts for the sacrifices that must be made. 

“It has been all that I expected it would be in getting prepared to minister to our soldiers and their families.  I do need your prayers for an injury while on an early morning road march at 0530 hours headed to our three-day field training exercise.  While marching in the dark, I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle chipping a bone and also fracturing my hand when I landed with all the equipment around 60 lbs on top of my hand as I tried to break my fall.  I have a splint on my left hand and a brace on my right ankle.  Prayerfully, I should recover in 2-3 weeks.

“ I wanted to give you a quick update and thank everyone for your prayers.  Blessings, Richard and Star Hurst.”

Alta Loma Making Special Push for Easter Attendance

Posted by Terry White on March 31, 2010  |  No Comments

Along with many other Grace Brethren churches, the Alta Loma (CA) church, under the direction of Pastor Roy Halberg, is passing out special flyer-invitations to Easter services and is hoping to attract additional attendance with this banner sign on the corner of Wilson and Beryl streets in their community.

Western Reserve GBC to Drop 100,000 Eggs

Posted by Terry White on March 31, 2010  |  No Comments

The following article appeared on The NewsLeader.com in northern Ohio. Jason Haymaker is lead pastor of the Western Reserve Grace Brethren Church.

Easter holiday drop to include 100,000 eggs

Phil Dick Honored With Scoreboard, Pressbox

Posted by Terry White on March 30, 2010  |  No Comments

Wife of the late Phil Dick, Becky Dick (center, just to the right of the scoreboard), along with children and grandchildren of the late Phil Dick participated in the dedication of a Lancer Field pressbox and scoreboard in honor of the late coach. Grace College & Seminary president Ron Manahan is at left and Dick’s brother, Rich Dick, is at right.

The late Grace College coach and athletic director Phil Dick was honored today, Tuesday, March 30, as a pressbox and scoreboard at the Lancers’ Miller Field were dedicated in his honor.

The pressbox and scoreboard were provided in Dick’s honor by an anonymous donor, and just before the Lady Lancers took the field for a game against Goshen College, a short ceremony and dedicatory prayer honored the late coach.

Dick, who died April 4, 2008, of cancer, was a Grace College alumnus who returned to his alma mater as athletic director and softball head coach from 1981 to 1994. One of the highlights of Dick’s coaching career was in 1994 when the Lady Lancers upset the No. 1 seeded team at the NAIA finals in Columbia, Missouri.

 Dick was from Winchester, Virginia, where his father, Paul Dick, was a Grace Brethren pastor for more than three decades. Present at today’s ceremony were Dick’s wife, the former Rebecca Crawford, his brother Rich Dick, who was also a standout athlete at Grace College, and Dick’s children, their spouses, and grandchildren.

Dick began his teaching and coaching career at North Webster Junior/Senior High School in 1965, and over the years he coached baseball, track, basketball, and was instrumental in beginning a Little League community program in North Webster. 

In the Warsaw area, he enjoyed playing and coaching Warsaw City League softball teams.

The current Lady Lancer head softball coach, Heather Johnson, who played under Dick, said, “You knew you could go to his office anytime. Whenever we needed help with anything, Coach was there.” Ron Henry, who was assistant coach under Dick, recalled, “He had the ability to assemble and mesh personnel into winning ball clubs. He truly was a winner.”

Lancaster, PA, GBC Celebrates 50 Years

Posted by Terry White on March 29, 2010  |  No Comments

Pastor Galen Wiley of the Lancaster (PA) Grace Brethren Church sends along this announcement and invitation:

Lancaster Grace is celebrating 50 years of God’s grace in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with a big homecoming celebration on Sunday, April 25.  It all started in 1960 with a small group meeting in the Lancaster Poultry Center with their new pastor and wife Bill and Carol Tweeddale.  From that small beginning, the Lord has blessed and impacted many lives through these past fifty years.

 One special way the Lord has used this body of believers is to start other churches around the area: Manheim in 1962, Elizabethtown in 1965, New Holland in 1966, Wrightsville in 1969, Lititz in 1971, Willow Valley in 1976, and Ephrata in 1980.  The Lord has also used this body to call and equip many others who have gone out into career ministries to serve the Lord.  They have been pastored through the years by Bill Tweeddale, Art Malles, Vernon Harris, Wes Haller, Bill Davis, Jonathan Tompkins, and current pastor Galen Wiley.

We would love to have as many people as possible who have been impacted by the ministry of Lancaster Grace to join us for our celebration on Sunday, April 25.  Lord willing, Bill Tweeddale, Bill Davis, and Jonathan Tompkins will be joining Galen Wiley in sharing in both the 9:30-11:30 Worship Celebration and also the 2:00-3:30 Homecoming Celebration. 

It is also exciting that Lester Pifer will be present in the morning, as he and the Grace Brethren Home Missions Council played such a key role in the Lancaster story.  We will be celebrating God’s grace and sharing memories of God’s blessings over these past fifty years. 

If you have pictures or stories to share, please contact us in advance so we can have them on display (911 Rohrerstown Road; Lancaster, PA 17601; or lancastergrace@fgbc.org or call at 717-397-9991).   Pastor Galen and Elsie Wiley and the present family of Lancaster Grace extend a personal invitation for you to join us in this special celebration. 

This year is also a time we are praying that the Lord would lead us to recommit ourselves to be the people He can use to reach many people in this generation and future generations until Jesus returns.  We are planning on Saturday, July 3, to have a Community Festival with the help of an Operation Barnabas team.  And we are also planning this fall to have a time of recommitment for the next fifty years and beyond until the Lord returns. 

 The Lord has gathered together here at Lancaster Grace a unique group of believers, some who have been refined and matured through many years of walking with the Lord and others who are just discovering what it means to be followers of Jesus. 

One unique story of God’s grace has been how that Pastor John Smith and the congregation at Willow Valley GBC came alongside this congregation in 2004 to assist us in so many ways to become again a healthy people whom the Lord can use powerfully for generations to come.  One of the greatest ways they have blessed us has been by sending us three godly families who have become the core of so much of what the Lord is doing here.

 So join us as we celebrate these past 50 years of God’s grace and as we dream together again of the next 50 years and beyond of God’s continued grace for His glory!!

Grace College Offers New Master’s Program

Posted by Terry White on March 29, 2010  |  No Comments

Grace College offering new MED program

Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana, is accepting applications for its new master of education program, one designed to assist teachers in becoming moral professionals and expanding their influence in classrooms, schools, and communities. Programs begin June 21, 2010.

Degree candidates should have achieved a baccalaureate degree and be licensed teachers or eligible for licensing. Other requirements include a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 for all college work, completion of a formal application, three reference letters, and a personal essay.

The program features a hybrid course of study in which graduate students spend one week per year on campus at Grace, then follow their in-person instruction with online courses and classroom experience in their current teaching roles. The 36-credit-hour degree program is designed to be accomplished within two years.

Melanie Flick-Katip, a current student of the MED program, explained, “We are expected to tailor the assignments to our needs so that we can apply them to our own classrooms. Meaningful experiences and real-life examples are at the heart of the program.”

Specialty tracks include literacy, special education, leadership, a track for Christian school teachers, and a generalist program that allows students to design their own cognate area.

For more information about the MED program, please contact an MED Admissions Counselor by calling 877.607.0012, e-mailing med@grace.edu, or visiting www.grace.edu/med.

BMH Corporation Meeting to be July 19

Posted by Terry White on March 28, 2010  |  No Comments

This is official notification that the annual Brethren Missionary Herald Co. corporation meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, July 19 as part of the 2010 Grace Brethren national conference activities. The meeting will be at the  Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati North, at 11320 Chester Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Continue to watch this blog for registration information, or go to www.fgbc.org. Anyone who is affiliated with a Grace Brethren Church may become a voting member of the BMH corporation by sending a tax-deductible gift of $25 or more to BMH, P.O. Box 544, Winona Lake, IN  46590.

4,800 Attend Lititz Easter Egg Hunt

Posted by Terry White on March 28, 2010  |  No Comments

An estimated crowd of about 4,800 was on the Lititz, Pa., Grace Brethren church campus this past Saturday for its annual Easter Party and Helicopter Egg Drop.  To watch a highlight video of the event, click here. 

Pastor Scott Distler of the Lititz church said, “God is doing some amazing things here at Grace as we move into Easter which is why we are calling for a Church-Wide Day of Prayer and Fasting this Thursday, April 1st.”

Larry DeArmey Unhurt in Haiti Rollover, Now in Chad

Posted by Terry White on March 26, 2010  |  No Comments

Larry DeArmey, on assignment from Grace Brethren International Missions, exited safely from this upside-down ride during his recent week of teaching in Haiti. Now he requests prayer for important meetings he and other GBIM leaders are participating in with GBIM missionaries and church leaders in Moundou, Chad, Africa.

Plaster Final Message Available

Posted by Terry White on March 26, 2010  |  No Comments

The following message is from the Grace Brethren Church of Worthington, Ohio, whose pastor, Dr. David Plaster, died earlier this month. The church’s website is www.gracebrethren.org.

Keep a lasting memento of Pastor Dave Plaster’s brief time as our shepherd here at Grace. His last sermon, “Looking Back,” from Sunday, January 24, is available on CD at Grace Bookstore/Café. Also, many have asked about the availability of video from the March 13 memorial service. Audio and/or video portions of the service may at some point be posted on the Grace Web site, but full copies of the service cannot be distributed due to music copyright issues.

Ashland Grace MOPS Meeting Featured

Posted by Terry White on March 26, 2010  |  No Comments

Today’s Ashland (OH) Times-Gazette features the MOPS meeting at the Ashland Grace Brethren church (Dan Allan, pastor). This is an excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.

The joy of motherhood: MOPS club offers women the opportunity to share experiences in raising young children

Mothers of Preschoolers Coordinator Julie Donatini talks to mothers during a meeting at Grace Brethren Church in Ashland Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Photo by Duane Martin

By JEFF RUSS,T-G Staff Writer

Forty women entered Grace Brethren Church on Wednesday morning, all with something in common.

 They all have children ranging in age from newborn to 5 years old. Some left the professional work force when their children were born, and many use the twice-monthly meetings of MOPS — Mothers of Preschoolers — to meet new friends and share the common challenges of being a mother to a young child.

 The women usually spend the morning talking about their children, husbands and life — all things moms and women — while their young children play in another room.

 Everyone brought something for breakfast — there were four egg casseroles, doughnuts, juice and pudding — enough for everyone to have seconds.

 While eating breakfast, the moms sat at assigned tables and talked. Some had toddlers bopping on their laps and others had little ones sleeping in strollers. Some are expectant mothers.

 Although the group is called Mothers of Preschoolers, it is open to anyone with children from birth to kindergarten. The children are in free, volunteer run daycare at the church during the two-hour meetings the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.

 At 9:30 a.m., coordinator Julie Donatini addressed the group.

 ”Good morning ladies,” she said, as members finished their conversation and focused on Donatini. She led a prayer and went over the day’s business. She encouraged the women to start thinking about leadership positions and rattled off some important meeting dates for April.

 The goal of MOPS, Donatini said, is that no mom is left alone.

“This is a family and a community,” she said.

Harrah Member Named Ag Employee of the Year

Posted by Terry White on March 25, 2010  |  No Comments

Chuck Winter has sent along the following news note:

Larry Krueger, a member of the Harrah (WA) Grace Brethren Church, has been named “Employee of the Year” for the state of Washington by the state Department of Agriculture. Larry is a Field Inspector Supervisor in the Yakima, WA office.

The award ceremony will be in Selah, WA, on May 5. Larry began working for the Department of Agriculture after retiring from a long career teaching and heading the FFA program at White Swan (WA) High School in the Mt. Adams School District. Peter Touhey is pastor of the Harrah church.

Are You Helping With Haiti Relief Efforts?

Posted by Terry White on March 24, 2010  |  1 Comment

If you or your church are continuing to help with Haiti relief efforts by sending supplies, raising money, or making personal trips to help, FGBC World would like to include that information in a roundup article for the next issue.

Please e-mail your updates to tdwhite@bmhbooks.com.   Thank you.

DeYoung Book on Astronomy and the Bible Just Released

Posted by Terry White on March 24, 2010  |  No Comments

Astronomy and the Bible, a 155-page paperback which answers 100 intriguing questions about astronomy and science by Grace College professor Dr. Donald B. DeYoung, is newly-released by BMH Books of Winona Lake, Ind., and is now available for shipping.

 Subtitled “Questions and Answers,” with a foreword by Dr. John C. Whitcomb, the questions range across subjects such as the earth and the moon, the solar system, the stars, galaxies and the universe, and general science. A new and helpful series of seasonal star charts for the Northern Hemisphere is included, along with a general index and a scripture index.

DeYoung, who has taught at Grace College since 1972, is known internationally for his work in creation science. He is president of the Creation Research Society and is the author of 17 books, including Pioneer Explorers of Intelligent Design, also published by BMH books. He and his wife, Sally, are members of the Winona Lake (Ind.) Grace Brethren church.

The book’s question-and-answer format makes it a practical tool for the classroom and home school. About the book, Christian Retailing magazine commented, “How refreshing and rare to find an astronomy book where God’s Word, not scientific theory, finds pre-eminence.” Bibliotheca Sacra described the book as “Truly a veritable goldmine of easy-to-understand information about astronomy and earth history.”

Astromony and the Bible is available for $14.99 retail at stores, online, at www.bmhbooks.com, or by calling (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756. The ISBN number is 978-0-88469-267-6.

Women of Grace Honor Two With Scholarships

Posted by Terry White on March 22, 2010  |  No Comments

Women of Grace USA Honor Her Scholarship

Grace College students Erica Powell and Lydia Scoles have been awarded the Women of Grace USA Honor Her Scholarships for 2010.  Erica Powell for the GoGrace team to Paris, France and Lydia Scoles for an internship in London, England during the Fall semester. 

These scholarships are made possible through the gifts of women in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches who wish to honor women whose lives have demonstrated a love for the Lord, faithfulness in serving Him, and a heart for spreading the Gospel to every corner of the world through praying, giving, and going.  The Women of Grace are thrilled to be able to encourage these young women in their pursuit of God and His leading in their lives.

Halberg Scores Double Play From Behind the Plate

Posted by Terry White on March 22, 2010  |  No Comments

Roy Halberg (pictured), pastor of Grace Fellowship, the Grace Brethren church in Alta Loma, Calif., this past Saturday said his “boyhood dream of playing catcher for the Dodgers” was “almost realized” as he officiated a wedding at home plate in Dodger stadium. Neither the bride nor groom was a ballplayer—just “two very good fans who thought getting married here was a great idea.”

Seal Beach Church Hosts Dinner for Ship’s Crew

Posted by Terry White on March 22, 2010  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren church in Seal Beach, Calif. (Don Shoemaker, pastor), Grace Community Church of Seal Beach with the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce, City Officials, the Lions and Leo Clubs, O’Malleys Restaurant along with Support Our Troops hosted the USS Dewey crew for dinner at the church building on Monday, March 1, 2010.

 The USS Dewey was commissioned at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

USS Dewey is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. Dewey is the third Navy ship named after Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, hero of the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.

She was authorized on 13 September 2002 and was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. The keel was laid down on 4 October 2006 at the company’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

On 26 January 2008, Dewey was christened in a ceremony in Pascagoula, by Deborah Mullen, the wife of Admiral Mike Mullen. Dewey was commissioned in Seal Beach, California on 6 March 2010, as the 55th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. This is the first ship commissioning for the City of Seal Beach. (photo courtesy of Vicki Barilla)

Woman Dies in Fire Close to Clinton Church

Posted by Terry White on March 21, 2010  |  No Comments

NOTE: Irv Clark is pastor of the Clinton Grace Brethren Church

Clinton, Md — Firefighters battling a house fire in Clinton discovered a dead female inside the house yesterday.

The fire was reported around 11:10 p.m. Saturday in the 6100 block of Parkview Lane.  A woman from that home went to a neighbor’s house seeking assistance.

One source says she reported that her house was on fire and that her daughter was trapped inside.

Firefighters arrived several minutes later and found smoke coming from the single-family dwelling.  After a brief search, they discovered the victim.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman who escaped the fire, reported to be a 42 year old, was flown to a hospital for smoke-related injuries.  A state police helicopter landed at the Grace Brethren Church to fly her to a trauma center.  Her condition was described by a fire department official early Sunday as not life-threatening.

Investigators remain on the scene Sunday morning searching for clues.  The name and age of the decedent has not been released.