GBIF to Fund Macedonia, OH, Project

Posted by Terry White on June 16, 2010  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren Investment Foundation, Winona Lake, Indiana, has recently approved the financing necessary to fund a major new building project for the Western Reserve Grace Brethren Church (Pastor Jason Haymaker and team), 1034 and 1066 East Aurora Road, Macedonia, OH. 44056

The project will have several key aspects to it.  The first will be the construction of an addition  to the current worship facility located on 10 acres of land.  It will include a 6,000 sq. ft. multi-space to be used as a worship center, seating around 550 people per service, and also as a gym.  This addition will have a basement underneath that will be around 6,000 sq. ft. for a children’s ministry. 

The second aspect will be to completely update the exterior of the current building and increase the level of available parking.  The third aspect is to renovate the inside of the current building so that each space is used wisely (mostly for student ministries).  The church plans to have a state of the art youth facility, children’s facility, and café.  The last aspect will be to excavate the current ministry center so that the basement area can be utilized for office space, which is currently located in an adjacent house across the parking lot.

“In my opinion, this congregation is on the precipice of major additional growth since substantial dollars will be allocated to developing children’s and youth ministries.  GBIF is excited to see what God will do in and through Western Reserve for His glory,” said Ken Seyfert, Executive Director of Operations for GBIF.

‘God of Hope’ Coming This Fall

Posted by Terry White on June 16, 2010  |  No Comments

BMH Books is privileged to be the publishing partner for a forthcoming huge project that has the potential to impact many millions with the gospel of Christ.

You’ll hear more later–but for now, take a look at www.godofhope.net and ask God’s guidance as all the pieces of this project come together. Start the buzz–ask your friends to log on–and pray with us as this vision of many years flowers into media and messages that will draw many to Christ.

OB Teams Gather for Orientations

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on June 16, 2010  |  No Comments

In Pennsylvania, Ed Lewis teaches the Operation Barnabas students about world views at Outreach Session 2.

Operation Barnabas, the annual summer discipleship program for teens, kicks off this week as students gather at Grace Church, a Grace Brethren church in Lititz, Pa., for orientation. Students have come from around the world to participate in the program. Following orientation, they will divide into three teams who will travel throughout the eastern United States, ending in Ohio. (See where they will be!)

While the teens are warming up in Pennsylvania, the Operation Barnabas International team is gathering in California. Slated to head to the Philippines on July 18, the team returns to the mainland on July 8 after a two-day stop-over in Hawaii to minister at a Grace Brethren church there. While in the Philippines, they will be working with Dan and Tori Beaver and their ministry on Boracay Island.

Taken from the Biblical character, the name Barnabas means “Sons of Encouragement” and Barnabas young people strive to encourage others; not only through work and programs, but by their attitudes, their lifestyle, and their faith. Operation Barnabas is a ministry of CE National.

Coach Jim Kessler’s Mother With the Lord

Posted by Terry White on June 15, 2010  |  No Comments

Ada Kessler, pictured Christmas, 2009, with her granddaughter, Jenny Lovette and great-granddaughter Jada.

Ada Kessler, mother of Grace College basketball coach Jim Kessler, passed away yesterday afternoon, June 14, about 3:00 p.m. in Warsaw, Indiana.

Visitation with the family will be at the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church from 1-3 with the memorial service following at the church at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. Please pray for Jim’s dad, Robert, for family who will be traveling, for children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren at this time of loss.

Russ Pulliam on Remnant Trust Move

Posted by Terry White on June 13, 2010  |  No Comments

History making a move

Article by Russ Pulliam, who previously was editorial page editor for The Indianapolis News. He also has been director of the Pulliam Fellowship since 1992.

Winona Lake, Indiana, already has staked a strong claim as a historic site. But Warsaw-based civic leader Dane Miller wants to add more history: original copies of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. The Remnant Trust, which preserves such original documents, will relocate from Louisville to Winona Lake this year.

Evangelist Billy Sunday lived and preached in Winona Lake about 90 years ago, and his home is a historic spot. Three-time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan spoke often at Winona Lake, helping the Northern Indiana town to become a Chautauqua meeting spot. Thousands would gather to hear orators like Bryan or Will Rogers. Crime figures such as Al Capone and John Dillinger also stopped by, but presumably not for cultural or spiritual renewal.

Now Miller wants to add the trust as one more jewel in Winona Lake’s crown. Founder of Biomet in nearby Warsaw, Miller has helped make the lakeshore a destination that features Billy Sunday history sites, artisan shops and the MasterWorks Music Festival.

Grace College is up the hill from the lake, with a new home court and athletic facility, the Orthopeadic Capital Center. The new arena is a tribute to the civic responsibility of nearby Warsaw’s big three bio-medical companies, Zimmer, DePuy and Biomet. Miller worked for Zimmer and then worked in San Diego before returning to Indiana to launch Biomet, where he still serves on the board. Combined revenue for the three companies runs more than $10 billion a year, creating major employment options in the region.

Miller, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering, is an entrepreneur. Why would a visionary from the lab worry about the preservation and display of original documents like the Constitution or the Federalist Papers?

“This was a project of passion and not necessarily economic sense,” he says. “I guess it’s a hobby.”

After reading the Federalist Papers and other classics, he realized the value of first editions. “The second or third editions are not precisely the same as the original,” he said. “You want to make sure you are dealing with the original version. We tend to make things politically correct and meddle with history.”

Remnant Trust founder Brian Bex of Hagerstown, Ind., said college and university faculty love original documents.

“These works for centuries have been hidden in private collections or locked up in vaults,” he said. The trust preserves them and sends them out for a semester or two to colleges and universities.

“When we take them to places such as DePauw University or Hanover College, the reaction is unbelievable,” Bex said.

The trust’s oldest manuscript dates to 1258 A.D., when Pope Innocent III explained the value of indulgences.

Winona Lake already has much charm for music lovers, history buffs and sports fans. Now the scholars may want to come too.

Historic Documents Collection Headed for Winona Lake

Posted by Terry White on June 12, 2010  |  No Comments

OrthoWorx, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Grace College partner to bring The Remnant Trust headquarters to Winona Lake

WINONA LAKE, Ind., June 11 /PRNewswire/ – A collaborative partnership among community, cultural and educational organizations will bring the headquarters of The Remnant Trust, and its permanent collection of historical documents, to Winona Lake and create a new cultural and educational community resource.  

The Remnant Trust is a public education foundation that shares a collection of more than 1,100 original and first edition works dealing with the topics of liberty and dignity, including the Emancipation Proclamation, an edition of the Magna Carta from 1542, and writings from historically significant authors such as Thomas Paine, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, John Milton and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  

Through a $170,900 grant from OrthoWorx, a $50,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, and the donated use, maintenance and utilities of the former Billy Sunday Museum by Grace College, The Remnant Trust will be moving its headquarters from Jeffersonville to Winona Lake.  The funding will be used to retrofit the museum with precise temperature and humidity controls as well as a security system.  In addition, as part of the grant from OrthoWorx, the Trust will develop educational programming and increase accessibility of its collections as a community resource.  The Remnant Trust encourages those exposed to the works to touch, feel and read the originals and OrthoWorx will focus on developing interactive learning experiences for children and adults in furtherance of this goal.  

“This is one of the finest private collections of books and manuscripts on liberty and human dignity in the entire world,” said Dr. Dane Miller, Founder of Biomet and a Remnant Trust Board Member.  ”It is an honor to see its new home located in Winona Lake, Indiana.”

“As part of OrthoWorx’s initiatives to enhance our community amenities and educational programming, having this amazing collection of historical documents accessible in Winona Lake is an important step in achieving those goals,” said Dr. Cheryl Blanchard, OrthoWorx Chairman of the Board.  “The educational component is very important – creating an environment that will facilitate hands-on learning experiences will provide tremendous opportunities to our local students.  Housing this collection of important works nearby provides us with a valuable educational and cultural resource that will enrich our entire community.”

The Trust makes its collection available to colleges, universities, and other organizations for use by students, faculty, scholars and the general public.  Historically, Grace College has been one of the institutions that have displayed the Trust’s works and played an integral role in the relocation efforts.  ”The collections of the Remnant Trust have provided an educational enrichment opportunity to our students and faculty over the past several years,” said Dr. Ron Manahan, President of Grace College and Board Member of OrthoWorx.  ”Grace College looks forward to sharing our experiences with the broader community through this tremendous partnership.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for area students and the general public to have regular exposure to precious historical documents that were instrumental in shaping our democracy and society,” said Suzie Light, Executive Director of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation and Board Member of OrthoWorx.  

The Remnant Trust expects to begin renovations this summer and anticipates the facility will be open in the fourth quarter of this year.

About OrthoWorx

OrthoWorx (www.orthoworxindiana.com) is a Warsaw-based, industry, community and education initiative established to advance and support growth and innovation within the region’s uniquely concentrated, globally significant orthopedics device sector. Founded in 2009, the initiative engages and enhances the broader community interests that both serve and depend upon the sector’s continued growth by targeting an integrated set of educational, workforce, cultural, communication, branding, logistical and entrepreneurial efforts.    

About Kosciusko County Community Foundation

The Kosciusko County Community Foundation (www.kcfoundation.org) is a public charity that has been matching the dreams of donors with community needs through endowment building and grant making since 1968. Among the key elements of the Community Foundation’s mission is its role as a catalyst and convener to address community needs.

About Grace College

Grace College is an evangelical Christian liberal arts college, offering 50 undergraduate majors, a graduate program in counseling and interpersonal relations, and graduate seminary degree programs in Grace Theological Seminary.  Located in the northern Indiana community of Winona Lake, Grace College enrollment totals more than 1,650 college and seminary students, representing approximately 40 states and 20 foreign countries.

About The Remnant Trust

The Remnant Trust is a public educational foundation that shares an actively growing collection of original and first edition works dealing with the topics of liberty and dignity with some pieces dating as early as 3000 B.C.  The Trust makes this collection available to colleges, universities and other organizations for use by students, faculty, scholars and the general public.

Grace College Announces Restructuring

Posted by Terry White on June 11, 2010  |  No Comments

Grace College Introduces Three-Year Accelerated Degree Option:

Even a College Can Go Back to School

WINONA LAKE, IND.—Starting fall 2011, Grace College will offer a three-year accelerated degree in each of its 50-plus major areas of study, enabling students to enter the workforce or pursue a graduate degree more quickly. With the accelerated degree option, students could graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in three years or with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in four.

Grace hopes the new program will help students not only earn a quality education in less time and for less money, but also gain more real-life experience with a focus on applied learning. The faculty and staff have spent the past year developing the program in response to student and family financial concerns.

“We have listened to people’s concerns about [the cost of] higher education and we are answering them,” said Grace President Dr. Ronald Manahan. “This is radical for us. There is risk, but the risk is far greater if we do not do [this].”

Grace College is among the first colleges in the nation to introduce an accelerated program that can be applied to all of its undergraduate degrees.

The idea of the accelerated degree began receiving national and political consideration last fall when Sen. (R-Tenn.) and former U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander publicly addressed the need for three-year options in higher education. Grace, which began developing its three-year accelerated degree in June 2009, has received support from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who recently began pushing for more Indiana colleges and universities to offer accelerated degree options.

“Grace College is showing the academic innovation and leadership for which it is known,” said Daniels.  “This recent move is exactly the sort of new alternative I had hoped for in asking universities to create a three year option for students.”

Students who graduate in three years are able to not only save one year’s cost of tuition, but can also begin their career a year early, working and earning in their chosen field. Grace estimates that the money saved plus the money earned will reduce the cost of college by approximately 50 percent.

“I am sure that many students will take advantage of this opportunity to enter the workforce a year early and save up to 50% of the cost of their education,” said Daniels.

The new program is designed to help students achieve their degrees at a quicker pace without sacrificing academic rigor. Classes will be structured into two 8-week sessions per semester, focusing on two to three courses per session, in order to maximize efficiency in learning. Students who wish to complete their Bachelor’s degrees in three years will also take two online classes each summer, enabling them to live and work anywhere.

The new structure seeks to strengthen Grace’s competency-based curriculum and heavily emphasizes applied learning. Students will be required to participate in at least 12 credit hours of hands-on learning experiences; this could include, but is not limited to, opportunities such as study abroad, internships, collaborative research projects, and student teaching.

Grace College is an evangelical Christian community of higher education which applies biblical values in strengthening character, sharpening competence, and preparing for service. The academic, residential, athletic, and social aspects of the college are designed to encourage intellectual and spiritual growth in a supportive campus community. The 165-acre campus is located in the historic resort town of Winona Lake, near Warsaw, Ind. It has historically been among the top schools of its size and listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges. The Princeton Review has regularly awarded it the title of a “Best Midwestern College.”

For more information on Grace’s programs or to apply online, please visit www.grace.edu/reimagine.

Come Worship at Wooster This Friday

Posted by Terry White on June 9, 2010  |  No Comments

All are invited to participate in a “Night of Worship” at the Grace Brethren Church of Wooster, Ohio, located at 4599 Burbank Road, on Friday, June 11, 2010, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The invitation is, “Join us for an awesome time of corporate worship and celebration. We’ll be lifting up the praises and also have a chance for reflection. Corporate worship can be a celebration of who God is and what He’s doing as well as a catalyst for continued transformation in our lives! Don’t miss it.”

Childcare is available for children through age 5.  RSVP (not required) through Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115055358536454

Troy Seyfert Seeking ‘Ticket to the Tonys’

Posted by Terry White on June 8, 2010  |  No Comments

From today’s Warsaw (IN) Times-Union:

Troy and Kristin Seyfert

Warsaw Grad May Get ‘Ticket To The Tonys’

David Slone
Times-Union Staff Writer

Public voting could send a Warsaw Community High School and Grace College graduate to the Tony Awards Sunday.

After seeing information about “Macy’s Ticket to the Tonys” in USA Today Weekend, Troy Seyfert submitted a one-minute video for the competition May 27. In the contest, contestants choose between nine Broadway songs, film their singing and upload it to the Web site. Seyfert chose “Stars” from “Les Misérables”.

“Of the nine songs they had, that was one I felt I knew best and I felt I could do,” said Seyfert said in a telephone interview Monday.

About 500 videos were entered into the contest. For the first round, the public voted on their favorite videos. Seyfert’s was chosen for the top five. While he said he didn’t know if he received the most votes, he said his video was the most watched.

The top five contestants will be flown to New York City Thursday. On Friday, in the early afternoon, the contestants will sing in a live sing-off event at Macy’s Herald Square in front of a celebrity five-judge panel. Three of the judges are “American Idol” contestants who also have performed on Broadway, including Constantine Maroulis, Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo. The other two judges will be Broadway performers.

The judges will announce the top two finalists. The top two will attend the Tony Awards, walk down the red carpet and attend the post-Tony Awards show. Macy’s also will provide a $1,000 gift card so the top two finalists can dress up for the Tonys.

During the Tony Awards, the third round of the competition will take place. Viewers will be asked to vote for the overall winner, and the winner will be announced during the Tony Awards show.

“Every vote is important,” he said.

Even if Seyfert doesn’t make it to the final round, he said all five semi-finalists will be in New York City until Sunday for the Tony Awards dress rehearsal at Radio City Music Hall.

His wife, Kristin, is making the trip with him.

Seyfert is a 2001 WCHS graduate, and a 2005 Grace graduate. He currently lives in Lansing, Mich.

For more information about the competition, and to vote for Seyfert, visit online at www.cbs.com/tonys and follow the links.

Wooster Teens Volunteer in South Bend

Posted by Terry White on June 8, 2010  |  1 Comment

Jerry & Jan Kelley Honored on 50th Anniversary

Posted by Terry White on June 7, 2010  |  No Comments

Jerry and Jan Kelley were honored this past weekend at the Simi Valley, Calif. Grace Brethren Church (John McIntosh, pastor) for their 50th wedding anniversary. Jerry serves as pastor of senior ministries and visitation with the Simi Valley church.

Happy 86th Birthday, Charles Ashman!

Posted by Terry White on June 7, 2010  |  2 Comments

Charles and Frances Ashman

The staffs of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches and Brethren Missionary Herald Company combined with the Conference Advisory Team this afternoon to stage a party to celebrate the 86th birthday of Charles Ashman (right). Ashman serves as assistant to Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey and still preaches each Sunday with a variety of preaching engagements. His wife Frances (left) joined the celebration this afternoon.

York GBC Teen Furthers Acting Career

Posted by Terry White on June 4, 2010  |  No Comments

A teen from the York, Penna. Grace Brethren Church (Dan White, pastor) is currently featured in local media. This is an excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.

Central student nabs role in indie film

Central York High School sophomore Jessica Ilko stars in the indie film ‘Leaving Hollywood,’ which premiers June 6 in Baltimore. (SUBMITTED)

Jessica Ilko, an aspiring actress, hopes to be the next Reese Witherspoon.As a petite blonde, Jessica, 15, has the looks, and she recently landed what could be a breakout role in the independent movie “Leaving Hollywood.”

On a recent Wednesday, in between classes at Central York High School and singing lessons, sophomore Jessica sat down at Border’s Books & Music, 3000 Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Township, to chat about the film.

What are you looking forward to about the premiere? There’s going to be a concert, and I’ll be singing two songs. It’s kind of nerve-wracking. I am going to see some agents (at the event), so hopefully I’ll get noticed. I also can’t wait to see the outtakes.

How long have you been singing? I have been singing in chorus at school and in church (at York Grace Brethren) for a while, but I started singing lessons a few months ago. In January, I sang for a competition at church and put the video on Facebook. (“Leaving Hollywood” director Nick Bailey) saw the video and asked me to sing in the movie.

A York countian worked on the movie’s score, right? The director contacted Ryan Lewis to work on the music. We were already friends. I’m really good friends with his sister.

How long have you been acting? Acting is really what I want to do. I’ve been acting since seventh grade. This is my first film. I was contacted through (the talent database) Explore Talent. The director sent me an e-mail and asked if I would be in his independent film.

Several More Haiti Trip Opportunities Available

Posted by Terry White on June 2, 2010  |  No Comments

Dan O'Deens with Haitian child

Dan O’Deens (pictured, with Haitian child), of our Grace Brethren church in Parkesburg, Penna., has just returned from a relief and ministry trip to Haiti and invites all to consider joining him on several other upcoming trips. Here is his invitation:

 I just returned from Haiti.   The August trips are going to be super!    The needs in Haiti are incredible.   The opportunity is great.    The time is NOW!   

We have prayed, we have given, now….will we GO?   CPR-3 / CE National and Dan O’Deens will be leading three separate trips all in the heart of the earthquake district in Port-au-Prince.   There is opportunity for those who want to love on orphans and play and serve children as well as construction and medical clinic outlets for service.   The first of the three trips is full and the others are filling up.   Please go to www.cpr-3.com to sign up for one of these trips soon.    

CPR-3 and CE National have done everything we can to keep the cost of these trips very affordable without sacrificing the quality and experience of the trip.   Those who ‘go’ will not return the same!   More news coming soon on some very sweet opportunities developing.

West Kittanning Church/School Receives Playground Equipment

Posted by Terry White on June 2, 2010  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren Church of West Kittanning, PA (pastor Mark Cornwell) and the school it sponsors are the recipients of some playground equipment from the borough. Here is an excerpt. To read the entire story, click here.

Member of the Grace Brethren Church, Larry Anthony, thanked the West Kittanning Borough Council for donating the borough’s old playground equipment from the property of the West Kittanning Fire Hall to the church during a meeting held last night. “I want to thank Council for the playground equipment that the church got,” said Anthony.  “It’s all out of the ground, but it’s not being used yet.”

According to Anthony, the equipment will be part of the playground that is used by the children who attend Grace Christian School.  

Although Anthony was thankful, the council was quick to point out that Anthony did most of the work in extracting the old equipment which will leave the borough responsible for only installing the new playground. “I just want to say thank you because you did so much,” said Council Secretary and Treasurer Jeanee Englert. “You did it all with help from the guys, but you did it. You took all of that equipment out of there and I want to thank you so very much.”

New BMH Book Promises Biblical Hope to the Hurting

Posted by Terry White on June 1, 2010  |  No Comments

New Book Promises Biblical Hope to the Hurting

“God’s Healing for Life’s Losses,” a new GriefShare book from BMH Books by counselor, author, and educator Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, is now off the press and available for shipping.

Subtitled “How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting,” the book provides real, raw, honest and hopeful conversation about suffering, loss and grief from a Christian perspective. 

The author is a seminary graduate as well as a trained counselor and educator, and the text of this small, gift-sized hardback reflects a solid underpinning of biblical truth and Trinitarian theology to its practical advice and keen insights.

The book is endorsed by GriefShare, an organization which conducts Christ-centered grief support groups in thousands of communities. More information about GriefShare is available at GriefShare.org or by calling 800-395-5755.

Dr. Ian Jones, professor of psychology and counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said, “If you want a thoroughly biblical and intensely honest examination of suffering from someone who has walked the path from ‘hurt to hope in Christ,’ then ‘God’s Healing for Life’s Losses’ is just the book for you.” Steve Grissom, founder of GriefShare, says, “It’s a treasure, filled with stunning and comforting words about God’s perspective on grief.”

The author, Robert Kellemen, served more than a dozen years as chair of the Master of Arts in Christian Counseling and Discipleship department at Capital Bible Seminary, where he is now professor-at-large. He is a graduate of Grace Theological Seminary, and in his three pastoral ministries, Kellemen has ministered to hundreds of grieving parishioners.  He is also founder and CEO of RPM Ministries.

 “God’s Healing for Life’s Losses” is available wherever Christian books are sold in stores, online, or through BMH Books at www.bmhbooks.com or by calling (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756. The book’s ISBN number is 978-0-88469-270-6 and it retails for $14.99.

The author, Robert Kellemen, is available for interviews, personal appearances, speaking engagements, or book signings, and may be contacted by e-mail at bob.kellemen@gmail.com or through his website www.rpmministries.org