Daniel Barbitta, Recovering, is ‘Left Speechless’ at the Outpoured Love

Posted by Terry White on December 31, 2011  |  No Comments

Daniel Barbitta, who for many years has led the Grace Brethren work in the South American country of Uruguay, has recently been seriously ill and spent an extended time in the hospital.  Gary McCaman, with Encompass World Partners in Argentina, reports that Daniel is celebrating New Year’s Eve at home and wanted to update those who have been praying for him.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and colleagues…

Many years ago Benjamin Navarro challenged me with 1 Corinthians 4:1.He helped me see the importance of being a faithful steward and said that God was not looking for successful men, but rather faithful men. I believe that this has been one of the most difficult tasks in my 30 years of ministry.

Daniel Barbitta, known for his cheerful personality and musical leadership, was one of the worship leaders at the Charis gathering in Bad Homburg, Germany, in 2008 during the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Brethren movement.

The work in Uruguay has never been characterized by large numbers, but I never saw that as a failure. My main concern has always been my responsibility for the group that God gave me to minister to. We have lived through many different stages, and in these last nine days of hospitalization my family and I have profoundly experienced again the grace of God through our “little group” here. The outpouring of love toward my family and me has left me speechless.

Carlos and Graciela left their house and arrived at the emergency room at the same time that I arrived in the ambulance. They were ready to stay there with Gaby as long as necessary, and, of course, they brought their mate!

The first night that I could have visitors, so many people came in to see me that the nurses asked me “Who are you?” Noreen spent the night at our place with Gaby, and she was even willing to sleep on the floor! (And if you know her, you know that, well, she isn’t as young as she used to be!)

Delma, my dear older sister, who lost her daughter after a cruel battle with lupus, was always around with a bag of apples because she knows how important they are for my diet. That was her great love offering for me.  Doesn’t that offering sound familiar?

The young marrieds came to drink mate with me after a long work day (Ana, Marcos, Yanet, Ariel)! To all of them I say THANK YOU!

My kids are very moved by the number of emails that arrived from different parts of the world, the love gifts that were so timely, the powerful prayers (which were greatly felt), as well as every verse and greetings from people we hardly know but form part of this beautiful brotherhood. Not to mention the hundreds of fellow believers who prayed and wrote who didn’t know us at all!

Therefore, I’m beginning 2012 with a grateful heart and with many challenges, but with the assurance that God is at our side and will complete the good work that He began.

Your servants,

Daniel y Gaby.

Top Grace Brethren Stories of 2011

Posted by Terry White on December 31, 2011  |  No Comments

On these last days of the year, newspapers, magazines, television, and the internet are filled with “top stories,” “the year that was,” and “most popular topics” kinds of retrospectives.

This blog brings you—on average—a half-dozen Grace Brethren-related stories each week of the year and we got to wondering what  the “top Grace Brethren stories of 2011” would look like, based on pageviews and blog traffic for this site. BMH’s Liz Cutler Gates has reviewed the numbers, and here were the most-viewed stories of the past year.

From January 1, 2011, through December 30, this blog had 94,154 pageviews, with the average time spent on a page of one minute, 49 seconds. The top 20 stories of 2011, based on the number of pageviews, are as follows:

1.      Waldorf, Md., Pastor Jeff Thornley With the Lord– 1,288

2.      Jeff Thornley Dies of Heart Attack — 831

3.      Van Returning Teens From Momentum Rolls — 721

4.      Long-Lost Brothers Reunited — 482

5.      Pray for Pastor David Bogue — 340

6.      Storm Rolls Through Winona Lake, Downs Trees – 306

7.      Jeff Thornley Obituary — 298

8.      Moving Forward After the Death of a Pastor — 286

9.      Grace Brethren Ministers Honor Three — 268

10.     Pastor Bob Kern With the Lord — 251

11.     ICDI Dedicates International Headquarters Building — 250

12.     Mike Yoder Gives Accident Update — 249

13.     Randy Poyner With the Lord — 242

14.    Services For Charles Lawson Announced – 231

15.     Yoder Accepts Call to Worthington – 225

16.     Scott Avey Video Featured on Jay Leno Show — 224

17.     Mike Yoder Installed as Columbus Pastor – 218

18.     Jean Wooler Obituary — 201

19.    Mansfield Grace Brethren Pastor on “Price is Right” — 196

20.     Fetterhoff Appointed as Moderator of Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches – 195

The analytics also noted that 3,642 of the visits were from mobile devices, indicative of a national trend in the U.S. to shift more internet accessing from desktop and laptop computers to smart phones and pad devices.

Visitors to the blog came from many parts of the world, including (in descending order), U.S., Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Argentina, Belgium, India, and Russia.  Within the U.S., the most visits came from Indiana (15,668), Ohio (9,050), Pennsylvania (5,535), California (3,518), Illinois (2,543), Maryland (1,800) and Florida (1,679). This distribution generally reflects the geographic location of Grace Brethren churches with one exception—there are no Grace Brethren churches in Illinois.

BMH thanks our regular viewers and encourages you to spread the word that this is the best, the fastest, and the only source for all-Grace-Brethren news and feature items as they happen. Start the new year off by making this the home page on your computing device and you’ll never be “out of the loop” with important news from the Grace Brethren world!

Happy New Year from the staff of BMH, the communications arm of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, which is dedicated to “building bridges of communication among the people and churches of the FGBC” (from official BMH mission statement)!

Meyersdale Game Supper Features Former MLB Player

Posted by Terry White on December 29, 2011  |  No Comments

Brethren Game Supper to feature Sid Bream

MEYERSDALE – A former major league baseball player, Sid Bream, will be the featured speaker at the annual Game Supper to be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 in  the Meyersdale (Pa.) Grace Brethren Church Activities Building.

The location is at the rear of the church, which is located at 112 Beachley Street.

The supper is open to the public and is free, although a free will offering will be taken to help defray expenses. Reservations are required and the deadline is Jan. 9.  They can be made by calling the church at (814) 634-5980. The menu will include a wide variety of donated wild game and fish in addition to other meats. Several door prizes will be awarded.

According to a news release from the church, there are two things that Bream has truly enjoyed in his lifetime other that his relationship with Christ and his family.  One of these was playing major league baseball for 10 years. In those 10 years he had the opportunity to play in four National League championship series along with two World Series. In his days of playing he was known for his dramatic slide in the seventh game of the league championship series against the Pittsburgh Pirates which sent the Atlanta Braves to the World Series in 1992.

He was a Pittsburgh Pirate from 1985 to 1990 after playing for several years in the Los Angeles Dodger organization. Bream retired during the baseball strike after signing with the Houston Astros in 1993. Now, nearly 20 years after the moment frozen in time that denied the Pirate fans their last real chance to reach the World Series, Sid has accept that as part of his legacy.

The other passion in Bream ’s life is hunting. He is an avid bow hunter who has hunted most of North America along with two trips to Africa. He loves to talk about God’s handprint in the creation He has given us, along with life’s lesson from his father.

Bream was born in Carlisle, and grew up as a St. Louis fan. He and his wife Michele have four children. His oldest son Tyler is an up and coming third baseman in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Youngest son Austin starred for a Seneca Valley High team that won the WPIAL championship last season.

Sid has also served as hitting coach for the Spikes, the Pirates minor league affiliate in State College.

The Zelienople resident has also coached sandlot teams at Seneca Valley and worked with youngsters through a program known as Hitters, Hackers and Hoops. A group of youngsters also got instruction from Sid and son Tyler on – of all things – the art of sliding.  Sid comments that “leadership principles thru the truth of God’s word, along with examples thru baseball, can be taught as well”.

Randy Haulk, Grace Brethren pastor,  emphasizes that the Game Supper is open to the public, but it is important that reservations be made by the Jan. 9 deadline.

Echo Valley Church to Sponsor Prophecy Conference

Posted by Terry White on December 29, 2011  |  No Comments

Echo Valley Grace Brethren Church, Tremont, Pa. (Rod Finster, pastor) will present a Bible Prophecy Conference, “What the Bible Says about the Future of Our World,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 20, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Jan. 22. The speaker, Micah Winefield, is the director of Prophecy Today Ministries. The church is located at 46 Tremont Road on State Route 25 between Pine Grove and Tremont. For more information, call 570-695-2136.

Lois DeArmey Obituary

Posted by Terry White on December 26, 2011  |  3 Comments

Lois N. DeArmey, 96 of Mishawaka, Indiana, went to be with her Lord on Sunday, December 25, 2011 at Grace Village Healthcare Center, Winona Lake, Ind.

Lois was born on September 11, 1915, in Johnstown, Pa., and was a graduate of Johnstown High School. For more than 50 years, she ministered alongside her husband, Richard, in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches in Indiana, Iowa, California and Ohio. She has left a legacy of faithful prayer for her family.

Lois is survived by her son, Larry (Vicki) DeArmey of Columbus, OH; daughter, Kathy (Jack) Hiler of Elkhart; son, R. Neal DeArmey of South Bend; daughter, Lynne Dickey of Brookville, OH; grandchildren, Ginette (John) Bryan of Columbus, OH, Marc (Abeba) DeArmey of Oakland, CA, Eric (Debbie) Hiler of Elkhart, Luc DeArmey of Oakland, CA, Bryan Hiler of Wakarusa, David DeArmey of Lyon, France, Jaime (Paul) Surber of Brookville, OH, Jeremy (Katie) Hiler of Elkhart, Mathieu (Lis) DeArmey of Lyon, France, Michael (Cala) Dickey of Brookville, OH, Jacquelyn Dickey of Brookville, OH; 17 great-grandchildren and her sister-in-law, Norma McAchren of Warrenton, VA.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard P. DeArmey; parents, Leo and Matilde (Sann) McAchren; brothers, Lawrence, Trevor, Omas, Ned, Marlin and Ralph McAchren; sister, Joanna Wingard and son-in-law, Don Dickey.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 28, 2011, at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola, Ind., where friends may call one hour prior to services. Burial will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

Lois DeArmey With the Lord

Posted by Terry White on December 26, 2011  |  1 Comment

Word has reached BMH that Lois DeArmey, widow of longtime Grace Brethren Pastor Richard DeArmey and mother of Grace Brethren missionary Larry DeArmey,  died early Christmas morning at the age of 96. She was residing at Grace Village in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Memorial service will be held in Elkhart, Indiana, on Wednesday December 28, and she will be buried beside her husband at the Chapel Hill Cemetary in Elkhart, Indiana.

Millersburg Pastor Leads Gaming Group

Posted by Terry White on December 25, 2011  |  No Comments

Pastor Doug Gray of the Millersburg, Ohio, Grace Brethren church previously worked for a board game company. The Wooster Record recently ran this feature on a group that he has founded.  This is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.

By KELLEY MOHR

Staff Writer

MILLERSBURG — Dream of building a galactic civilization in the far reaches of outer space? Want to become a renaissance merchant in the streets of Genoa? All this, and more, can be done at the local library where the Knights of Gaming meet.

The Knights of Gaming gathers once a month to play German-style board games at the Holmes County District Public Library. Their games of choice are more than the brightly colored boxes commonly found on the shelves of the nearest superstore. These are Eurogames: Sophisticated adventures of the mind, tests of wit that tweak the imagination with every roll of the dice or flip of the card. The club boasts nearly 500 privately owned titles to choose from each month as members try new games or replay old favorites.

The group was founded in 2009 when board game lovers in the community gathered at the home of Doug Gray, the pastor of Millersburg Grace Brethren and Knights of Gaming Board Game Society founder, for a little friendly competition. When the group “took this thing live” in 2010, the community responded.

“We’ve got folks from Big Prairie, Millersburg, Dalton, Killbuck, Fredericksburg, Coshocton, Wooster, Loudonville, Perrysville, Mount Vernon. It’s kind of a unique niche group of people and when we organized it, they just came out of the woodwork and said, ‘Yes! Finally someone organized this,’” Gray said.

Justin Hayes, Grace Brethren Chaplain, is ‘Right Model’

Posted by Terry White on December 25, 2011  |  1 Comment

Justin and Becca Hayes

On Saturday, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011, at 1900 hours, at the Marine Memorial Chapel, LT Justin Hayes, CHC, USN, representing the Grace Brethren Church, under the pressure of the shortage of Evangelical Chaplains, single-handedly and flawlessly executed his Commanding General’s religious support program under the watchful eye of the Senior Chaplain, Captain Ollis Mozon, CHC, USN, whose duty was to supervise and make the rounds, visiting various Christmas Eve services on base. I attended with my son, Chaplain, Major James F. Linzey, ARNG (Ret.)

Life on the Grace College Campus

Posted by Terry White on December 24, 2011  |  No Comments

Want a quick three-minute look at some aspects of life on the Grace College campus?   Click on http://vimeo.com/18586935

ICDI’s Well Drilling Part of USA Today Article

Posted by Terry White on December 24, 2011  |  No Comments

The African well-drilling work of ICDI, a cooperating ministry with the FGBC, was mentioned this week in a front-page article in the nationwide newspaper USA Today.  Here is an excerpt–to read the entire article click here.

The whole process starts in the villages when the people who need the water show proof of their commitment. The top groups all require beneficiaries to buy in with some of their own meager dollars. Only then will the charity commit $12,000 to $25,000 to a project, about $15 to $25 per person, for a well.

World Vision

World Vision drills a new borehole at Kandine village in Zinder, Niger.

Then, a hydro-geologist hunts for water sources, determines where to dig and how deep. Most rural villages don’t have electricity, so the well can’t be deeper than 300 feet if villagers are going to use a hand pump to bring it to the surface.

Next come the drilling rigs, usually staffed or contracted by a local non-governmental organization (NGO), the foot soldiers of Third World development work.

Costs are higher in land-locked countries such as the Central African Republic, where Jim Hocking, founder of Integrated Community Development International, says his highest cost for well digging is fuel. The ICDI just spent $1.5 million drilling 60 wells and rehabilitating an additional 150 wells there to serve the Ba’Aka pygmies.

Once the dig hits water, a pump is installed — the $600 Afrodev is a low-maintenance favorite — and water quality is tested for 24 hours before technical success is declared.

The average life expectancy of a well that should last decades is only 11 months, usually because a pump breaks down. So charities build maintenance training into their cost structure, since a paycheck for a pump mechanic is not a sexy Christmas catalog item.

Pastor, Cancer Survivor Paul Guay Featured in Comeback

Posted by Terry White on December 24, 2011  |  No Comments

Yesterday’s Yakima (WA) Herald featured Grace Brethren pastor and multiple cancer survivor Paul Guay.  Here is a short excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.

MABTON, Wash. — He’s back … again.

ROSS COURTNEY/Yakima Herald-Republic. Pastor Paul Guay plans to return from back surgery to remove a cancerous tumor earlier this month to preach the Christmas Day sermon at his Mabton Grace Fellowship Church, just like he bounced back from three other cancer surgeries in the past decade.

Over the past 10 years, Paul Guay, senior pastor of the Mabton Grace Fellowship Church, has recovered from three nose and throat surgeries, plus a vocal chord illness, to resume preaching.

Now, he plans to take the pulpit Christmas Sunday just three weeks after a back surgery to remove a cancerous tumor that splintered one of his vertebrae.

The 69-year-old minister believes his history of rapid recoveries means God still has work for him.

“It’s not about me at all,” he said. “It’s about him.”

Either the four-hour Dec. 3 surgery or the tumor could have paralyzed him. The growth had been causing excruciating pain for months.

Doctors removed the tumor and stabilized his injured back with a titanium brace, wrapping up in the wee hours of the morning. Guay was walking later that afternoon and came home within days, completely skipping intense physical therapy his doctors figured he was in for.

This week, he began walking without a cane and ascended the two steps to his pulpit after joking that he might need someone to carry him.

Guay’s comeback ought to surprise no one:

* In 2004, he began noticing weakness in his voice. A Yakima ear, nose and throat specialist diagnosed him with spasmodic dysphonia, a fluttering of his vocal chords. He treats it with Botox shots two or three times a year.

*In 2005, doctors found a cancerous tumor in his sinuses and removed it surgically, followed by radiation and chemotherapy at North Star Lodge.

* In 2007, the sinus tumor came back on the right side of his neck — this time it was cancer of the lymph nodes. He had another round of radiation and chemotherapy, plus surgery on his neck that removed many of his nerve endings and one of his jugular veins, leaving him light-headed sometimes when he stands up too fast.

During all those spells, he never missed delivering a Sunday sermon, though he occasionally sat down to preach, resting his heavily highlighted Bible on a miniature pulpit made by a congregation member.

And Guay does more than preach. He visits families of newborns before they leave the hospital and officiates weddings of his congregation’s family members as far away as Maryland.

R. Paul Miller Services Set for Wednesday, Dec. 28

Posted by Terry White on December 24, 2011  |  1 Comment

The following information has been received from Pastor Steve Miller of the Maumee Valley (Oho) Church, son of the late R. Paul Miller.

According to Steve Miller, R. Paul Miller passed into the presence of the Lord on Saturday, December 17, at approximately 10:30 p.m. from cancer. He was in good health, in spite of his cancer, up until the weekend of December 11.

R. Paul  Miller graduated from Grace Theological Seminary in 1953 and served Grace Brethren churches in Garwin, Iowa; Uniontown, Pa.;  Mansfield, Ohio;  Maitland, Florida;  Myerstown,  Pa.;  and he assisted at Ocala, Fla. in his retirement. During his ministry at the Marion Avenue church in Mansfield, he was instrumental in the founding of Mansfield Christian School.

He is survived by his wife, Esther, and five children and 13 grandchildren.

Services will be held Wednesday, December 28, at 9:30 a.m. with a private interment at the Florida National Veterans Cemetery near Bushnell,  Florida. A public memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. that day  at Springlake Village Community Center near Silver Springs, Florida. The contact number for more information is 419-654-0245

Dealing With Grief and Loss at Holiday Time

Posted by Terry White on December 23, 2011  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren Church of Columbus (Polaris) Ohio is featured in a current article on helping people deal with grief and loss over the holidays.  Here is an excerpt–to read the entire article, click here.

GriefShare is a national program with a chapter at Grace Brethen Church of Columbus in Westerville. Its leader there, Joe Messana, said the program encourages people to accept that holidays are never going to be the same as they were.

It recommends that grieving people set boundaries, such as telling someone they accept an invitation to a gathering but might have to cancel at the last minute if they don’t feel up to attending. Shorter visits are often easier to face than long ones.

People suffering a recent loss might benefit from celebrating the holiday in a totally different way than previously, such as going out of town or eating at a different location, Messana said.

Tishler, the psychologist, recommends exercise and talking about whatever is making you sad, especially if it is someone’s absence.

Pointing out the loss might stir up difficult feelings, but trying to ignore it can be even more painful, he said.

The Rev. Tim Waggoner, a pastor at Grace Brethren, said he and his six siblings lost their mom and their dad within three years. At the holidays, they’ve gathered to tell funny stories about their parents.

Waggoner pointed out that religion can help in a time of sorrow.

“I find that folks that have a deep faith in the Lord are able to traverse (grief) much better than those who have no faith at all,” he said.

God is Moving in Helen, Md.

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 22, 2011  |  No Comments

In 2001, Dr. Carl Snyder led the beginning of a new Grace Brethren church in Helen, Md. Recently, after meeting in rented facilities for nearly 10 years, the congregation of Grace Chapel of Southern Maryland moved into their own building. The result has been a spurt in growth that can only be attributed to God. Listen as Pastor Snyder tells the story.

Read about the dedication of the building at Grace Chapel of Southern Maryland.

Fetterhoff Announces Holy Land Tour

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 22, 2011  |  No Comments

Bob Fetterhoff, pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Wooster, Ohio, (and current moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches) is leading a tour to the Holy Land next year.

This trip is scheduled for April 16-28, 2012 and leaves from Cleveland, Ohio. It is the complete tour of the lands of Jesus and Moses – a 13-day trip featuring first-class hotels, round-trip airfare, two daily meals, and admissions to sites like the Temple Mount, Garden Tomb, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Masada, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, and much, much more.

The price of $5,199 per person double occupancy from Cleveland includes taxes and tips.

For further information, please contact:
Pastor Bob Fetterhoff
Wooster Grace Brethren Church
4599A Burbank Road
Wooster, OH 44691 OR
Ph: 330-264-9459 Ext. 225
Email: rdfetterhoff@woostergrace.org

or Valerie Gibson,  Ph: 330-264-9459 ext 220
Email : info@woostergrace.org
Church web: www.woostergrace.org

Information is also available online.

BMH Announces Holiday Hours

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on December 21, 2011  |  No Comments

So that the staff of the Brethren Missionary Herald Company may enjoy the Christmas holiday with their families, the BMH office, located at 1104 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, Ind., will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, December 23 and reopen at 9 a.m., Tuesday, December 27. The office will also be closed Monday, January 2 for the New Years holiday.

Simi Valley Church Helps Young Widow in Need

Posted by Terry White on December 20, 2011  |  No Comments

Here is a touching story coming out of the Grace Brethren church in Simi Valley, California (John McIntosh, pastor). This is an excerpt–to read the entire story, click here.

Cars 4 Causes(R) Brings Christmas Early to Family Struck by Tragedy

Cars 4 Causes Partners with Grace Brethren Church to Donate Much Needed Vehicle to Christina and her son.

VENTURA, Calif., Dec 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Cars 4 Causes(R), “The Charity That Gives to Charities”(R), today announced its donation of a Plymouth Breeze car to the Grace Brethren Church for gifting to Christina and her son Nicholas. Knowing that Cars 4 Causes’ Car Give-Away Program helps those in need, the Grace Brethren Church in Simi Valley referred Christina to Cars 4 Causes at a time when a family tragedy changed her life and left her and her son in desperate need of transportation. At 11am today in Ventura, California, Cars 4 Causes presented Christina with the gift of this donated vehicle, bringing Christmas early for her and her son.

Christina and her husband, together with their 3-year old son Nicholas, were in the process of moving from Colorado back to their native California to live in their first new home in Simi Valley. Christina and Nicholas were in the lead vehicle, her husband was driving a rented U-Haul moving truck and Christina’s best friend was following behind in a third vehicle. Only two hours into the drive something went terribly wrong and Christina’s husband crashed into a bridge support beam. The crash caused all of the truck’s contents to scatter across the highway, destroying nearly everything the couple owned, including their car that was being towed behind the U-Haul. Christina’s husband was killed instantly in the crash. Medical examiners have been unable to determine what went wrong, but it is speculated that he may have suffered a seizure and lost consciousness while driving.

Christina’s best friend witnessed the crash and called Christina’s cell phone in the lead vehicle to tell her what had happened. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Christina turned to her church, the Grace Brethren Church in Simi Valley for support and guidance in piecing her life back together. Members of the church suggested that, with their support, she contact Cars 4 Causes for help in finding a car for her and her son.

West Kittanning Church, School, Help to Vanquish Hunger

Posted by Terry White on December 19, 2011  |  No Comments

Here is an excerpt from a local article on a ministry connected to the Grace Brethren Church of West Kittanning, Pa. (Larry Edwards, pastor). To read the entire article, click here.

Grace Christian Students Help ‘VANquish Hunger’

Grace Christian School students and staff smile after collecting more than 100 bags of non-perishable food and paper products for the Armstrong County Community Action Agency. Executive Director Ken Heilman called it a ‘fantastic job.’

by Jonathan Weaver

A small West Kittanning school helped out in a big way this holiday season to many families in need.

Students from the Grace Christian School collected more than 100 bags of food through ‘VANquish Hunger’ to donate to the Armstrong County Community Action Agency.

Food was collected from local residents, businesses and Grace Brethren Church members and filled a 15-passenger van outside the school.

Leigh Harvey is a parent of three students at the school and volunteered to help with the effort.

“I was happy to do it. After we got into it, it became more fun and you could see the enjoyment on the kids’ faces and the teachers,” Harvey said. “The kids worked really hard.”

R. Paul Miller With the Lord

Posted by Terry White on December 18, 2011  |  2 Comments

Pastor Randy Smith of the Sebring, Fla., Grace Brethren Church has let us know that longtime Grace Brethren pastor R. Paul Miller went to be with the Lord last evening. Miller has been serving as the interim pastor and elder at the Ocala, Florida, church, which is currently part of the Sebring church’s network.  Further details will be posted as they become available.

Phyllis Kantenwein Obituary

Posted by Terry White on December 16, 2011  |  2 Comments

Phyllis Marie Kantenwein, 78 , of 3525 E. Center Street Ext., Warsaw, Indiana, passed away on Friday, December 16, 2011, at 12:15 a.m. at Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, Indiana.

She was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on September 29, 1933, to Orville Claire Grabill and Emma Mae (Tilson) Grabill. She was married on June 29, 1957, at the Altoona Bible Church to Lee LeMoyne Kantenwein, who survives.

Phyllis graduated in 1951 from Altoona High School in Pennsylvania. She was part of the musical productions for the annual shows as a soloist. She had been a resident of Kosciusko County, Indiana for the past 46 years where she was a homemaker, a devoted pastor’s wife, a piano teacher, and the playground supervisor at Lincoln School in Warsaw.

She retired from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, in 2001 as the switchboard operator after 25 years. She was a gifted musician starting at a very young age-a pianist, organist, and contralto soloist. In 2002 she released a CD titled “Songs from the Heart”. Phyllis was a speaker and presenter of musical programs with her daughters for mother-daughter banquets and elsewhere. She was also a longtime member of Pleasant View Bible Church in Warsaw, where she was also the organist.

She will be lovingly remembered by her husband: Lee L. Kantenwein (Warsaw, Indiana); two sons: Murry L. Kantenwein (Warsaw, Indiana); Scott A. (wife Carol) Kantenwein (Wooster, Ohio); two daughters: Cynthia J. (husband Larry) Buckholz (Warsaw, Indiana); and Sheryl L. (husband Gene) Gephart (Bourbon, Indiana). Also surviving are twelve grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; and her brother: Gerald L. (wife Theresa) Grabill (Polk City, Florida). She was preceded in death by her parents, and two brothers.

Funeral service will be conducted Tuesday, December 20, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. at Pleasant View Bible Church, 2782 W. 200 N., Warsaw, Indiana, and officiated by Pastor Michael Hontz. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery of Warsaw.

Visitation will be held Monday, December 19, 2011, from 2-4 p.m. and 6- 8 p.m. at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, Warsaw, Indiana; as well as an hour prior to the service on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. at Pleasant View Bible Church.

Memorial donations may be directed to Pleasant View Bible Church, 2782 W. 200 N., Warsaw, Indiana 46580; or to Lakeland Child Evangelism Ministries, P.O. Box 612, Winona Lake, Indiana 46590 and would be appreciated by her family.