BMH Editor's Blog

Injured Grace Student Making Progress

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

Jeremy Mohr

This update on injured Grace College student Jeremy Mohr is from the Lorain, Ohio, ABC affiliate. To read the original, including a video update on Jeremy,

click here.

By: Tracy Carloss

New Pastor at Southwest Grace Brethren Church in Ohio

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 24, 2010  |  No Comments

Tom Gale

Tom Gale is the new pastor at Southwest Grace Brethren Church, Grove City, Ohio. Originally from the Columbus, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church, Tom has served in full-time ministry since 1980. He has served in Simi Valley, Calif., and  Wooster and Akron, Ohio. He and his wife, Christy, have been married 31 years. Their two sons, Josh and Jon, are both graduates of Grace College and are now married.

“We are excited to see what God has in store at Southwest Grace Brethren.” says Tom.

Seal Beach Church Supports the Troops

Posted by Terry White on November 23, 2010  |  No Comments

May 2010 packing team, co-coordinator Judy Hull on the left.

by Kelsey Mitchener, BMH

This November brings the first Veterans’ Day in seven years with no American servicemen or women in combat. Yet while combat officially drew to a close in August, more than 50,000 troops remain in Iraq alone. A small ministry at Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Seal Beach, Calif., continues to stand behind those still deployed, as they have since 2001 when troops were first sent out.

Support Our Troops is a small service team working under the wing of Grace Community (Donald Shoemaker, pastor). The volunteer group gathers and sends consolidated shipments of letters and care packages to military personnel overseas. According to the church website, their goal is simply to “provide encouragement” to soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. “We serve troops in far places and hazardous situations,” says coordinator Ed Hull.

The ministry began eight years ago when Grace Community members Laurie and Curt Fulton “saw the need early on to let our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan know that we support and honor their service.” Last year the Fultons moved to northern California, and fellow church members Ed and Judy Hull stepped up as the ministry’s new coordinators. The transition caught the Hulls at a good time: Ed was just wrapping up involvement in another ministry, and both he and his wife were between full-time jobs.

Today the ministry supports five units, most of which come from the nearby Southern California area. Support Our Troops starts by initiating contact with each unit, generally through its local deployment team or through contacts at the Joint Forces Training Base nearby in Los Alamitos.

September 2010 packing team, for care packages to the 96th Military Police Battalion, Afghanistan

The team then collects letters from schoolchildren, phone cards, lipbalm, gum, and any of “the kind of stuff you would need in a hot desert environment” for individual packaging. The packages are then boxed together and shipped to a unit, which may receive some 200 packages in as many as 50 boxes in a single delivery. The response is “always positive,” Ed says, and is the beginning of a relationship between the organization and the unit. Troops often send photos of themselves with the boxes, as well as requests for future shipments. Ed says one of the more popular requests is for crew socks: “lots of crew socks.”

Support Our Troops’ efforts are the kind any secular outreach organization might provide, and indeed, many of its partners are completely unaffiliated with the church. Community organizations, like the local Elks Lodge or the Orange County Red Cross, furnish both donations and manpower. Outside organizations give substantially, if sporadically, donating several hundred dollars at a time. It’s patriotic, humanitarian-type work any community organization might undertake.

But the organization’s affiliation with Grace Community Church makes it more than that—it makes it a ministry. Besides granting Support Our Troops nonprofit status—a perk for donors, since contributions are therefore tax-deductible—the church gives the team its most consistent assistance.

Church volunteers help bolster the organization’s 31 active members by serving as seasonal assistance for special events, and church giving adds to the donation pool for Support Our Troops. The group collects, on average, several hundred dollars in donations each month, but this amount can fluctuate depending on “the plans we advertise to our congregation,” Ed explains. “The church leadership encourages us as a ministry.”

From the soldiers’ perspective, Support Our Troops becomes a distinctly Christian ministry because the hands they receive the packages from are acting as part of the body of Christ. Unit chaplains are the primary point-of-contact for distributing the shipments, so small gifts—from sunblock to Slim Jims—become a cup of water given in Christ’s name, from a church in California to a soldier overseas.

Columbus Church Gives Back

Posted by Terry White on November 23, 2010  |  No Comments

From Columbus (OH) Local News.com:

Grace Brethren Church Gives Back

By Kim Vucelich
On December 3rd, Grace Brethren Church is hosting a special night of the annual Living Christmas Tree concerts.

It is a night of giving back to the community. They have invited over 2600 guests from the homesless shelters and local community organizations to an evening at their church to watch the 2010 LCT performance.

Tickets were given out to internationals, youth and others that normally would never have a chance to attend. This event is new to the church, but everyone is really excited about it.

Please call Grace Brethren Church at 614-888-7733 for more information.

Shop to Benefit Grace Brethren Ministries

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 23, 2010  |  No Comments

Make every gift count this holiday season as you shop online. Several national Grace Brethren organizations have partnered with GoodSearch.com and GoodShop.com, two search engines that give percentages of searches and purchases to registered nonprofits.

With GoodShop.com, consumers help their favorite causes by shopping at more than 1,600 well-known retailers including Amazon, Target, Apple, Macy’s, Best Buy, Orbitz, Staples and others.  The shopping experience and the prices are exactly the same as going to the retailer directly, but by going through GoodShop, up to 30 percent of the purchase price is donated the user’s favorite cause.

In addition, for every search conducted on the Yahoo and Bing-powered GoodSearch.com search engine, approximately one penny is donated to the user’s favorite charity.  Use it exactly like any other search engine, but with GoodSearch, the pennies add up quickly. Just 500 people searching four times a day will earn approximately $7,300 a year.

It’s a form of philanthropy that works for everyone in this tough economy.

Just go to GoodShop.com or GoodSearch.com, designate  the cause you support and then click over to your favorite store and shop away. Among the partnering organizations are the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, Women of Grace USA, CE National, Grace College and Theological Seminary, and Integrated Community Development International (ICDI). A number of local Grace Brethren churches and schools may also be supported through this program. Click on “Participating Nonprofits” on either site to search through the more than 95,000 charities that you may support.

Community Remembers the Coles

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 23, 2010  |  No Comments

Gar and Simone Cole

Members of the Homerville, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church continue to mourn the death of Gar and Simone Cole and their 22 month-old daughter, Ryleigh, and unborn son, Kyler. The family died November 16, 2010, in a tragic traffic accident near Wellington. Below is an excerpt news report about the funeral for the family in which one of the officiants was Brad Kelly, pastor of the Homerville church. To read the complete story, click here.

Remembering the Coles: Community struggles to see ‘the big picture’

… “Sometimes life is not fair and doesn’t make sense,” said Pastor Brad Kelly of Grace Brethren Church in Homerville, where Gar and Simone were members. “This is one of those occasions where we don’t always see the big picture.”

Yet he said he felt privileged to have known Gar and Simone and believes they are together in heaven with their young children.

Still, he could not forget that the day was also supposed to be Gar’s birthday. Kelly said that as he was preparing to leave Homerville for the service, he passed through the vestibule at his church where members have mailboxes.

Inside the mailbox for the Greathouses there was a single card. He reached in to grab it, knowing he would see them later in the morning. But as soon as he touched it, he said, he immediately knew it was not a card of condolence. It was the same birthday card he wrote out for Gar two weeks earlier.

Now, he was officiating over the Cole’s family funeral.

To read the complete story, click here.

Christmas Shoes Needed for Mexican Children

Posted by Terry White on November 20, 2010  |  No Comments

Pastor Oscar Chavez, who works with Hispanic church planting from his base in Lancaster, California, sends along this news and challenge. Oscar’s e-mail address is ocnpat@msn.com and his website is WWW.iglesialacosecha.org.

 As we approach this Thanksgiving Day I would like to share with you some of the many blessing that we are thankful for. In this year 2010 these are the things that God has helped us accomplish:

 NICARAGUA

 - In April we witnessed the beginning of a new Grace Brethren Church in Managua, Nicaragua. This is our second church in that area, and it has been growing in attendance averaging 50 adults per service plus 30 kids. 

 - We were also able to accomplish three different Bible training courses for our church leaders in Nicaragua. One of these trainings took place in Mexico City. This was almost an impossible task to accomplish for the Nicaraguan leaders because of the Mexican government not approving their visas, but we did not cease to pray and ask God to grant them their visas and He did so. Once they had their visas approved they were able to leave for Mexico City to begin the training. That was an historic event for the Nicaraguan leaders since they had never been out of their country and they were able to see the large church family that we have in Mexico. 

 MEXICO

 - ENSENADA:  In January, 2010 we began a Bible Training Center with the purpose of providing Bible training for future missionaries and church planters in Mexico. The task was not so easy since I had to drive from Lancaster, California, to Ensenada every other week. We started the year Feb. 6, and we just had a Mexican Potluck celebrating the end of the first year of the training Center on Nov. 13, 2010.  

 These are the two areas in the world that God has opened the doors for me to work under the supervision of GBIM.

A COUPLE OF PROJECTS BEFORE THIS YEAR ENDS:

 1. Christmas for Kids in Nicaragua.

   - we are taking a short term team from LA COSECHA, Lancaster to help do an outreach for the Kids at Christmas. Our team will cook meals for the kids of our church area in Los Catros (outside of Managua) and also for the kids of our church in Managua.

   – We will have crafts that will help us share the gospel with the kids.

   – We will share time and the hope of God with the parents

   – And we will bring the kids 136 pairs of shoes.  Last year we took toys for them and they were very happy but this year some of the kids ask if we could just bring them shoes. So our Lancaster church got to work and we have 136 pairs of shoes that are going to Nicaragua in two weeks. Praise the Lord.

 2. Christmas for Kids in Ensenada, Mexico.

  We will do the same work in Ensenada that we are doing in Nicaragua. Food, Pinatas, Crafts, etc. 

  We have 136 pairs of shoes to take to Nicaragua but we have not been able to collect shoes for the kids in Ensenada.  We need 50 pairs of shoes for these kids.  

How can you or your church help?

You church can adopt 10 pairs of shoes. You can tell your congregation or friends if they would like to donate a pair or two of shoes for kids in Mexico for Christmas. There are five groups of ten children each, please contact us to let us know which group would your church adopt before you announce it, so that we do not have two churches adopting the same group. All these kids are part of one of our Grace Brethren churches in Ensenada, Mexico. 

All the shoes have to be collected no later than December 12th for us to be able to take them on December 17. Thank you so much for you prayers and kindness.

 If your church prefers to collect an offering and send the money to help us buy the shoes calculate about $20 – $25 per pair of shoes and make a check payable to:

 IGLESIA LA COSECHA.

Memo: Shoes for Kids in Ensenada.

 Checks should be sent to:

Iglesia Cristiana La Cosecha

45437 Spahn Lane

Lancaster, CA  93535

Please pray for the kids and for us that are going to be doing these events in Nicaragua and Mexico and pray for the church leaders to be wise in the making of contacts through these events.

Charis Leadership Team Meets for Updates

Posted by Terry White on November 19, 2010  |  No Comments

Leaders of Grace Brethren fellowships from around the world met in 2008 in Germany to develop the Commitment to Common Mission document which is now guiding efforts of Grace Brethren worldwide to cooperate for the next decade in the areas of evangelism and church planting, leadership development, and integrated/holistic ministries.

The leadership team of Charis, the worldwide gathering of Grace Brethren fellowships who are committed to a decade of working together in church planting, leadership development, and integrated (holistic) ministries, met this Friday morning by Skype for updates and mutual information exchange 

The meeting was coordinated by Dave Guiles of Grace Brethren International Missions, and included participants reporting in from Africa, Germany, Argentina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Indiana.

Francois Ngoumape, reporting from the Central African Republic, noted that a number of churches there have begun specific implementation of the Commitment to Common Mission document that was developed by the Charis group in 2008, and also indicated that a followup steering committee document will be considered at an upcoming meeting of the national fellowship in the C.A.R. in January.

Jorge Nunez, reporting from Argentina, detailed a meeting two weeks ago in which he and other Charis leaders spent several hours reviewing the strategies, and then devoted two half-days to forming small working groups specifically charged with implementing parts of the Charis strategy. He also reported excellent movement on the part of some churches in Brazil, and Nunez noted a developing strategy whereby successful business owners can “adopt” a fledgling business, working as coaches or encouragers for those who may be developing business-as-mission in the early stages.

Keith Shearer, the North American representative, reported on the recent meeting of the Enduring Visionary Leadership Council at which each of the three components of the strategy was discussed, and he noted that a leadership meeting the first week of December will continue the discussion and emphasis on the commitment to common identity.

Rainer Ehmann, reporting from Germany, indicated that the German ministerium met earlier this month to officially adopt the CCM document, and he also noted plans for an all-day meeting in February to work on further implementation. Discussions have also been held with Tom Barlow and Paul Klawitter about implementation in other parts of Europe and the UK.

Wayne Hannah, reporting from Tennessee on behalf of the Asian Grace Brethren churches, noted in particular some recent developments in the Philippines where Christian Beuggert has translated the CCM document into Tagalog for churches there.  Specific progress is being made in the integrated ministries segment of the strategy in Asia.

Terry White of the Brethren Missionary Herald Co. commented on worldwide communication facilitation.  Documents from the September meeting in France have now been translated into French and Spanish translations are expected soon, and these will then be posted for worldwide distribution. He further detailed Charis information-sharing through FGBC World publication and website, and through the BMH Editor’s blog.

The leadership group committed to meeting approximately every three months, to working on more intentional sharing of specific information and strategies between cultures, and to the update and continual flow of information.

Homerville, Ohio, GBC Church Dealing With Tragic Accident

Posted by Terry White on November 19, 2010  |  No Comments

Gar and Simone Cole

Pastor Brad Kelley and the Grace Brethren Church of Homerville, Ohio, are currently dealing with a horrible tragedy in which several active members of the church died in a traffic accident.  Here is a brief excerpt from the Chronicleonline and the full article may be accessed by

clicking here.

WELLINGTON — Regardless of how long firefighters, EMTs and other rescue workers work to save the lives of people seriously injured or facing death at acci­dent scenes, nothing can prepare them for the kind of horrific crash that claimed the lives of a Wellington family this week. It’s even worse when those personnel know the people they are fighting to save.

“I was on the call, and I also know the family,” Carrie Thompson, EMS coordi­nator for the Central Lorain County Ambulance District, said Thursday. “A lot of the responders knew them because we run out of the hospital (Mercy Allen Hos­pital in Oberlin), and Simone just began working here. It was especially heart­wrenching for some of us.”

UPDATE: More on the couple’s connection to Momentum and CE National may be seen by clicking here.

Grace College Names Director for Ortho Grad Program

Posted by Terry White on November 18, 2010  |  No Comments

Allyn Decker

WINONA LAKE, IN – Grace College of Winona Lake, Ind., which recently partnered with OrthoWorx to create the nation’s first graduate certificate program in orthopedic regulatory and clinical affairs, has named Allyn Decker as director for the new program.

This program, offered by Grace College’s OrthoWorx Center of Excellence in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs, through Grace’s School of Adult and Community Education, is being launched to meet a crucial need within the orthopedic sector. The program will provide participants with the expertise required to meet an existing high demand for individuals with orthopedic regulatory and clinical training.

Decker will leave his current position as vice president of organizational development at Lake City Bank, Warsaw, Ind., where he developed “Lake City University” and has worked since 1997. In doing so he will turn his focus back to higher education as program director at Grace College. Decker taught at Grace from 1986 to 1997, serving during that time as chair for the communication department.

“Building this new graduate certificate program at Grace College is an honor and a unique opportunity to enrich the ‘Orthopedic Capital of the World,’” said Decker. “Educating local orthopedic professionals will make their industry — and our community — much more ready to face tomorrow’s challenges.”

Grace Provost Dr. Bill Katip expressed his pleasure at welcoming Decker as the new program director. “Allyn’s unique experience and expertise in designing high-quality corporate training programs involving regulatory requirements and his proven track record in higher education make him a wonderful fit for our new director position,” he said. “Allyn understands our community and orthopedic companies, as evidenced through his role as moderator of the Kosciusko Leadership Academy.”

Decker is a certified professional in Learning and Performance, having received the highest possible certification offered by the American Society of Training and Development in 2008. He received the Bank Administration Institute’s Training Innovator Award the same year. Decker has also served as a Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Education Subcommittee member and moderator for the annual education summit since 2003.

Decker also sits on the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau board. In 1996, Decker received the Alva J. McClain Outstanding Teacher Award from Grace College, and was given Presidential Citation by Lake City Bank in 2009.

Individuals interested in participating in the nation’s first and only graduate program in orthopedic regulatory and clinical affairs should contact Allyn Decker at deckerap@grace.edu or call (574) 372-5100, ext. 6509. With its proximity to Warsaw, the “Orthopedic Capital of the World,” Grace is specially positioned to offer this program, allowing for its graduates to receive their education from experts within the orthopedic sector.

BMH Books Announces ‘God of Hope’ Launch

Posted by Terry White on November 17, 2010  |  No Comments

J. Davis Illingworth has a successful automotive career behind him, a big vision for reaching the world for Christ, and an ambitious product-plan ahead of him that is beginning to unfold.  The first two products in Illingworth’s “God of Hope” project, a 153-page paperback book and its accompanying study/discussion guide, have just been released by BMH Books of Winona Lake, Ind.

Through the first-person testimonies of the disciple Thomas, the prophet Moses, the apostle Paul and the disciple John, God of Hope brings to life the energy, passion, and brilliance of God’s mysterious plan for the universe and humanity as it is unfolding in history.

God’s story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the book Moses tells the beginning, Thomas and Paul tell the middle, and John tells how the story will end. It is a story of hope versus despair, good versus evil, truth versus lies, love versus hate, life versus death.

These stirring accounts will inspire Christians to greater courage and trust in God, and can also lead nonbelievers to faith by introducing them to the hope available from the one true God. This overview of God’s plan, as well as the author’s compelling presentation of his own story, invite readers to consider the story of their own lives and to reflect on how that fits into God’s plan for humanity.

About the book, Grace College and Seminary president Ronald Manahan said, “God’s story is the big story in this book and the reason for hope.  With gripping transparency the author tells his own story of struggling with and trusting in the God of hope.  Dave Illingworth’s story invites the reader to turn from despair and loss of hope to God’s story of hope through His Son.”

Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR champion, Hall of Fame nominee and Fox broadcaster, said, “This project is so Dave–it covers all the bases and pays close attention to detail. I love the way it connects my story, His story, and your story. God of Hope will reach many souls and make a huge difference in believers’ and non-believers’ lives.”

The author, J. Davis (Dave) Illingworth, Jr., was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Planning and Administrative Officer of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. In this position he was responsible for Finance, Corporate Services, Business Planning, Human Resources, Information Systems, Strategic and Product Planning, Advanced Product Strategy, Telematics, Legal, University of Toyota, and Motorsports.

Illingworth joined Toyota in 1980. He was with Lexus from the division’s inception in January 1987 through 1992, and he was instrumental in making Lexus an industry leader in customer satisfaction, sales, and quality. Most recently, Illingworth was senior vice president and general manager for the Toyota Division from 1992 to 1997, overseeing sales and marketing.

In recognition of his work, Illingworth was named Automotive News All-Star for 1997; Automobile Magazine’s 1992 “Man of the Year” for his leadership of the new Lexus Division; and one of the auto industry’s “Top 10 Newsmakers” by Automotive News. One of the vehicles he oversaw, the Camry, earned the title of America’s best-selling car in 1997.

A graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Illingworth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and is a former member of the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees.  At age 65, Dave retired from Toyota and now lives in Winona Lake, Indiana, with his wife, Cynthia, and is the Toyota dealer in the nearby town of Warsaw. The Illingworths have raised five children.

The discussion study guide that accompanies the book, designed for use by small groups, Adult Bible Fellowships, and individual study, includes stimulating discussion questions and was created by Jesse Deloe, who has worked with BMH Books as senior editor for a number of years.

The book retails for $14.95 and its ISBN number is 978-0-88469-271-3. The study guide, ISBN  978-0-88469-275-1, retails for $4.95 and both publications are available at www.bmhbooks.com, by calling 1-800-348-2756, or from local or online booksellers.

The book and study guide are the first of a series of products which will eventually include an e-book, an audio book, a music CD, and a full video DVD version, featuring top-flight professional actors and singers. More on the God of Hope project and access to future products may be obtained at www.godofhope.net.

An additional newspaper article about Illingworth and his project may be seen by clicking here. (page 2).

California Women Gather for Joint Retreat

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

Ladies from the recent retreat for Grace Brethren women in California gather around to pray for U.S. Army Chaplain Billy Graham and his wife, Robyn. The couple spoke as part of the retreat, which was held in Murietta Hot Springs.

This past weekend, November 5-7, 2010, 161 women from the Southern and Northern California Grace Brethren churches came together in Murietta Hot Springs, Calif., for a joint women’s retreat. The theme for the weekend came from Psalm 34:8, Taste and See that the Lord is good. There were 123 ladies in the English sessions and 38 in the Spanish sessions.

Sharon MacMillan of Tracy, Calif., kicked off the weekend on Friday night with a session devoted to worshipping our Lord through music and scripture, which included a worship team made up of ladies from several of the attending churches.

The remaining speakers for the weekend were from five Grace Brethren churches and included Cora Sykes of San Diego, Calif.; Claudia Todd of Whittier, Calif.; Connie Cashman of Bellflower, Calif.; Chaplain Billy and Robyn Graham of Ft. Irwin, representing the Eagle Commission; and Lois Shirk of Ripon, Calif. Rosa Churchill and Vicki Johnson led the Spanish sessions which included Pastor Al and Maria Ramirez and Sonia Perez as their speakers.

“It was clear that the Lord was present and many lives were blessed throughout the weekend,” says Robin Workman, who chaired the event. “Reservations have already been requested for next year!”

Nomadic Life for Whittier Congregation Soon to End

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

Note:  This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in today’s Whittier (Calif.) Daily News. To read the entire article click here.

Pastor Richard Todd stands with his church members in front of a former furniture store that will soon become their church in Whittier on Wednesday November 3, 2010. The building is the new home of the Community Grace Brethryn Church, which has been without a home for the last two years. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger)

WHITTIER – For about a year and a half, members of Community Grace Brethren Church have been like nomads, wandering without a permanent home.

But no more. By December or January the about 100 church members hope to move into the former 3-acre Greenleaf Furniture property, which has been shuttered for nearly three years.

“It’s exciting,” said Larry Olguin, one of the church elders. “This building was made for a church. It’s spacious. We had a gym in our old facility and this warehouse will be a gym.”

The church is paying the $3.5 million price for the property from proceeds gained through selling their former 7-acre property at the southwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Vicky Drive.

Since selling in May 2009, its services have been held mostly at the Whittier Senior Center. But when that wasn’t available, they have met at Guerra Gutierrez mortuary.

“It has been frustrating but also a blessing to meet,” said Carolyn Peak, a church member since 1961.

While the city will be losing a tax-producing property, the change in use is still a good one, said Jeff Collier, assistant city manager for Whittier.

“It hasn’t had an active use for some time,” Collier said.

“(But) this brings a productive use on to the site,” he said. “It also brings activity and folks that go to church will shop or go to dinner or lunch. Having the vitality and contributions churches make to the fabric of society also is a positive.”

The church dates back to 1915 when First Brethren Church, 6704 Milton Ave., was founded.

Elkhart’s Robert Schumacher With the Lord

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

Robert H. Schumacher

ELKHART — Robert H. Schumacher, 84, of Elkhart, Indiana, passed away at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, at Eastlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Robert was born Feb. 28, 1926, in Huntington, Indiana,  to the late Herman J. and Beatrice (Needham) Schumacher.

He was a 1944 Jimtown High School graduate and a World War II veteran, serving as a bomber gunner on B24s with the Army Air Corps. He served as an auxiliary policeman in Elkhart. He retired from CTS, where he had worked as a machinist foreman for 38 years. Robert was a member of Grace Brethren Church in Elkhart and was instrumental in beginning the church.

Robert married Lois Ringler. She preceded him in death June 8, 2004. He was also preceded by son Mark A. Schumacher on March 10, 2010; and two brothers, Paul and Jimmy Schumacher.

He is survived by five sons, Jeffrey W. of Bristol, Edward L. of Nappanee, Larry L. (Peggy) of Goshen, Phillip T. (Donna) of Elkhart and Robert H. Schumacher Jr. of Elkhart. A brother, John (Martha) of Glendale, Ariz., and sisters Evelyn Juday of Kenai, Alaska, and Phyllis (Bill) Smith of Lakeland, Fla., also survive. Robert has six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren who also survive.

A service for Robert will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, at Zimmerman-Inman Funeral Home, 1109 Lincolnway W., Osceola, with Pastor Brent Poe of Beulah Missionary Church, Elkhart, presiding. Burial will follow with military honors at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Osceola. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be given to Samaritans Purse Organization. Zimmerman-Inman Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.wmzfh.com.

Alaska Youth Give Voice to Homeless Young People

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 12, 2010  |  No Comments

Tyler McDonald and Heather Craig keep candles sheltered from the wind as they listen to a prayer during a vigil for homeless youth at the Kenai Peninsula Borough building Wednesday night.

An article in Thursday’s Peninsula Clarion (Kenai, Alaska) details a candlelight vigil that was held in Kenai on Wednesday, November 10, to highlight the problem of young people in the community who are homeless. The event was attended by members of Action Youth, the student ministry of the Peninsula Grace Brethren Church (Keith Randall, pastor) in nearby Soldotna, Alaska. Several were quoted in the article, which may be read in its entirety here. Below are some excerpts.

“I know it’s tough for them,” said Dartanian Aldridge, a freshmen at Cook Inlet Academy, who came to the vigil with his youth group from Peninsula Grace Brethren church. …

Several of local church youth groups rallied to support the cause and teenagers and children were at the vigil in force, the cookies and cider being just a perk of participation.

“I think it’s a really big problem that really needs to be solved especially with the harsh winters of Alaska,” said Lauren Countryman, a sophomore at Nikiski High School, who came with Peninsula Grace church. “The more things like this, probably the sooner this can get solved.”

Read the complete story here.

Wooster Pastor to Lead Holy Land Tour

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

WOOSTER , OHIO — The Rev. Bob Fetterhoff of the Wooster Grace Brethren Church will lead a 12-day biblical tour of Israel and Jordan, March 21-April 1.  

The tour will include traditional sites like the Wailing Wall, Garden of Gethsemane, the Sea of Galilee and Bethlehem, Masada and Petra, Machaerus (site of John the Baptist’s imprisonment), Hebron (cave of the patriarchs), Timna (Solomon’s mines) and the Wilderness Tabernacle.

The cost is $4,699 per person from Cleveland, which includes airfare, first class hotels, daily buffet breakfasts and dinners, taxes and tips.  For information, call (330) 264-9459, Ext. 220,  or e-mail to: info@woostergrace.org

Fire, Tragedy Strike ‘Container Business’ Couple

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

The home of Chuck and Margaret Frost, Findlay, Ohio, burned Wednesday and Margaret perished in the fire.  The Frosts operated a container business for many years through which Grace Brethren International Missions and ICDI shipped supplies to Africa. This is an excerpt from a Findlay, Ohio, news source. To read the entire article, click here.

Woman, 90, dies in blaze

By LINSEY MAUGHAN, Staff Writer

A 90-year-old woman died Wednesday afternoon as fire destroyed a northeast Findlay residence that for three decades had been home to three generations of one family.

Margaret Frost perished in the fire, while her husband, 89-year-old Chuck Frost, suffered burns and was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital by Hanco Emergency Medical Service. He was later transferred to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo by ambulance, according to Hancock County Sheriff Michael Heldman.

The hospital released no information on his condition late Wednesday. No other injuries were reported. 

The cause of the fire has not been determined, Heldman said.

The blaze at 5188 Hancock County 18, just north of Cass Township 213, was reported about 2:10 p.m. By 3:30 p.m. the fire had been extinguished and firefighters were searching the rubble of the two-story building. Margaret Frost’s body was found at 7:20 p.m.

The house contained four apartments and was owned by William and Marlene Barrett, who shared the downstairs with Marlene’s parents, the Frosts, whom they were taking care of.

Upstairs were two apartments, each occupied by a single male tenant, one of whom was Josh Barrett, son of William and Marlene. The second upstairs tenant was Bill Fredette.

William, Marlene and Josh were all at work at the time of the fire. Fredette also was not home.

UPDATE: Here are some personal reflections from Jim Hocking, CEO of ICDI:

Chuck (88 years old) is at the St Vincent Mercy Medical Center (burn care) room 165  phone  419-251-4743

Brethren Digital Archives Meets

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on November 9, 2010  |  No Comments

Lyrasis representative Laurie Gimmell (left, in white jacket) explains the digitization process to members of the Brethren Digital Archives committee.

The Brethren Digital Archives committee is one step closer to creating an online archive of Brethren publications. The group met Monday, November 8, at the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, Ohio. They spent much of the morning learning more about the digitization process with Laurie Gimmell, a representative of Lyrasis. (The Archives is partnering with Lyrasis to complete the project.)

The Archives committee hopes to create a digital record of documents produced by the various Brethren groups that trace their spiritual heritage to Alexander Mack. Publications slated to be digitized include periodicals from the mid- to late-1800’s as well as theological journals, such as the Grace Seminary Journal, which was published from 1980-1991, and denominational magazines, such as the Brethren Missionary Herald, which was published from 1940 until the mid-1990’s. (For a complete list, click here.)

On Monday, they reviewed the publications that will be included in the project, determined what libraries would be the likely sources for the items to be scanned, and cared for other details such as copyright releases and cooperating organizations.

The committee is working to raise the approximate $50,000 needed to complete the project. Gifts to the project may be made through the Brethren Missionary Herald Company, Box 544, Winona Lake, Ind., or the Brethren Heritage Center, 428 Wolf Creek St., Suite No. H1, Brookville, OH 45309-1297. (Be sure to specify Brethren Digital Archives with your gift.)

Volunteers are needed to help check the accuracy of the documents once they are scanned. If you would like to participate in this way, contact the Brethren Heritage Center at 937-833-5222.

The committee also requests prayer for the project, asking that the work would be completed well and in a timely fashion. They also want to be good stewards of the funds that have been provided for the work that is to be done.

Wall-Builders for Haiti Needed

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

Washington Churches Send ICDI Supplies to CAR

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

Two shipping containers of much-needed tools and equipment will be shipped from the northwest U.S. on or about November 16 to Jim Hocking and ICDI in the Central African Republic.  This has been a joint project of the Sunnyside, Toppenish and Goldendale Grace Brethren churches.

The container contents will be used to equip the new ICDI facility repair shop located on a 350-acre tract of land near Bangui that was given to ICDI by the CAR’s Department of Agriculture. This facility will repair and maintain both trucks and other equipment used by ICDI in its multifaceted ministry.