BMH Editor's Blog

Ministry Helps Those Who Are Overlooked or Struggling

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on January 23, 2012  |  No Comments

Little did Dan O’Deens know that when he responded to the need for help at Ground Zero in 2001, it would develop into a full-time ministry to those who are overlooked and struggling. In the Winter issue of FGBC World, learn how this passion developed into CPR-3, a new cooperating ministry of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. The quarterly issue of FGBC World is now available at local Grace Brethren churches or online at fgbcworld.com.

If you’d like to receive a free copy mailed to your home, send an email to fgbcworld@bmhbooks.com or call 574-268-1122.

A Pearl in a Field

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on August 26, 2011  |  No Comments

John McCollum, executive director of Asia’s Hope, a cooperating ministry of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches that is dedicated to providing care for orphaned children who are at high risk of sexual and economic exploitation in Southeast Asia, is traveling in India. He is investigating the possibility of expanding the ministry in that country.

This morning, he blogged about the experience. A portion of it is below. (Read the complete post here.)

The views alone are probably worth it. I mean, I can see the Himalayas from my hotel window. That is, quite objectively speaking, pretty cool. But I’m not here for the postcard panoramas — the real beauty to be found in Northern India is in its towns, its villages, its churches. As we’ve traveled throughout West Bengal and Sikkim, skirting Nepal, Bhutan and China, we’ve seen villages without schools, hospitals or jobs. In these villages, most families are so poor that they can barely feed their own children, much less the orphans in their midst.

That doesn’t stop some of them from trying. Tiny churches across the regions have become by default drop-in centers, daycare facilities and even orphanages. We’ve met the pastors, have joined in their worship services, and have cried out to God for the resources to help them care for these precious kids. Apart from the people of God, these kids, who face a life of abject poverty and exploitation, have no hope. No means of transformation. No bootstraps to pull on, no safety net to catch them if they fall.

And that’s why we’re here. We’ve seen what can happen when God’s people work together, when rich brothers and sisters in places like Goshen, Indiana and Montreal, Quebec reach their hands out to their poor brothers and sisters in places like Battambang, Cambodia and Doi Saket, Thailand. We’ve seen kids — homeless and hopeless, filthy and forlorn — transformed by the love of God into healthy, happy and hopeful children who are destined for excellence, not exploitation.

And we want more.

It’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be cheap. But each kid living as an orphan in a remote mountain village in Northern India is as precious to God as your child or mine. We’ve seen the need, we have the strategies and the experience necessary to save dozens – maybe hundreds of these kids. How can we turn away?

Jesus told the story of a man who found a pearl of immense worth hidden in a field; the man sold everything he had to buy the field and take possession of the pearl. We’ve found such a treasure in the mountains of West Bengal and Sikkim, and with your help, we’d like to lay hold of it.

More – much more – to come.

Read the complete post here.

Great Canadian Adventure Seeks Participants

Posted by Terry White on April 11, 2011  |  No Comments

We need you to come help us start a new church in Alberta! -  Bring a friend, bring your family, bring your church. Join us!

The Great Canadian AdventureDATE: 31 July – 6 August 2011TIME: Sunday night – Friday Night LOCATION: Medicine Hat, Alberta GO TO:www.canadianadventure.org Contact: herb8_44805@yahoo.com

This summer’s missions trip is all about starting something from nothing. God has been moving families from all over Canada to join this work in Medicine Hat. God can use you this summer to help get this new work started! Join us this summer! Oliver Shane Edwards, church planter, sends along this prayer request: The newest church plant in Canada, to be called Grasslands Church in Medicine Hat, AB, currently has a core of 11 committed adults and will be launching non-public Sunday night worship services on May 15. Pray that these meetings will result in more ingathering via personal connections as we move towards launch on September 11. Together we can make a difference!

Pierre Prinvil Joins Staff of CPR-3

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on February 28, 2011  |  No Comments

Pierre Prinvil

Pastor Pierre Prinvil has joined the staff of CPR-3 as Haiti national director, according to Dan O’Deens, director of CPR-3.

Pierre is a Haitian pastor trained in the USA, who started and led a Haitian congregation in Florida until he heard the call of God to go back to his home land and serve his own people.  He has started and built two orphanage homes outside of Port au Prince and has served countless families and children.

His real passion is to shepherd and train future pastors to care for and serve the physical and spiritual needs of people throughout Haiti.  He is currently training over 150 pastors and will provide leadership to The REFINERY: Haiti Bible Institute.

CPR-3 is a cooperating ministry of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches whose purpose is to empower local church leaders to identify and implement sustainable solutions to the physical and spiritual needs within the communities of the overlooked.

ICDI Dedicates International Headquarters Building

Posted by Terry White on February 14, 2011  |  No Comments

ICDI founder Jim Hocking (in doorway) and other staff, board members and friends participated in a ribbon-cutting dedicatory ceremony and Open House Sunday afternoon, February 13, of ICDI’s new world headquarters building on State Road 15 north of Warsaw, Indiana.

With a ribbon-cutting and a prayer, Integrated Community Development International (ICDI) on Sunday afternoon, February 13, dedicated its new worldwide ministry headquarters on State Route 15 just north of the US 30 interchange in Warsaw, Indiana.

ICDI was founded in 2004 by veteran African missionaries Jim and Faye Hocking with the help of many friends, supporters, and colleagues. The vision of ICDI is to eradicate the trend of persistent poverty in central Africa through collaborative efforts at the village level.

Several dozen friends, supporters, and ministry colleagues attended an Open House Sunday in the former Millennium Sound building. Ted Rondeau, chief development officer for ICDI, conducted a short ribbon-cutting ceremony which concluded with a dedicatory prayer by missionary statesman Tom Julien.

Rondeau paid tribute to a number of local organizations and individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of ICDI, including Silveus Insurance, who initially assisted ICDI with office space, and the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation of Winona Lake, which is helping to finance the new facility.

ICDI is a non-denominational, non-governmental, and non-profit faith-based organization presently working in the Central African Republic and other surrounding countries. ICDI has 501c3 status in the USA as well as tax-exempt NGO status in the Central African Republic. Several years ago ICDI was approved by the Fellowship Council of the FGBC as a cooperating ministry.

It currently operates out of three primary locations in the Central African Republic, although the international headquarters are in Warsaw, Indiana. The capital city of Bangui is the headquarters for ICDI administrative staff, as well as the primary orphan care center, and the primary AIDS/HIV training headquarters.

Just north of Bangui, ICDI’s short-wave radio station transmits from the town of Boali. In western C.A.R., Berberati is the primary center for the well-drilling and well-repair crews, with storage facilities for supplies and a full garage capable of complete vehicle rebuilds and pump repairs. This past December, ICDI’s well drilling work was featured in an ABC News special with Diane Sawyer and Chris Cuomo.

ICDI’s agricultural development program is also currently located in Berberati, although a larger more permanent center is currently in the planning stages. A second orphan care center is also located in Berberati.

Found Jim Hocking says, “We have seen God work in awesome ways through the Central Africans working with ICDI and hope to empower even more nationals. Conflict continues in the country, limiting access to some areas of the country for expatriates, so training Central Africans is a key part of ICDI’s strategy.”

For more information, log onto www.icdinternational.org

GBIF Finances ICDI U.S. Headquarters Building

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on January 24, 2011  |  No Comments

The Grace Brethren Investment Foundation (GBIF) has announced that they have provided the financing for Integrated Community Development International (ICDI), a cooperating Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches organization, to purchase a property at 795 W. 400N., Warsaw, Ind. The building, which fronts State Route 15, will house administrative offices for their U.S. operations. It was formerly the site of Millennium Sound.

ICDI has also facilitated an “internal, non-public capital campaign” and has secured renewable annual pledges towards the funding of the purchase.  The organization, founded by Jim and Faye Hocking, is a non-governmental and non-profit faith-based organization presently working in the Central African Republic and other surrounding countries. They work to alleviate poverty from the village up by empowering and equipping local people with sustainable transformational community development solutions, including the drilling of water wells, AIDS education, microenterprise development, and orphan care. Both donated and earned revenue have grown substantially for ICDI in recent years.

“It is an honor to partner with ICDI on the purchase of their U.S. headquarters,” says Ken Seyfert, executive director of operations for GBIF.  ”I can’t think of a more worthy effort than to provide Africans with both clean drinking water and the ‘living water’ of life through the ministry of ICDI.”

Ron Manahan, Jeff Carroll Recognized by Local Chamber

Posted by Terry White on January 22, 2011  |  No Comments

Tamera Stackhouse (left) of Magical Meadows therapeutic horseback riding, Warsaw, Indiana, was named the 2010 Woman of the Year. The 2010 Man of Year award went to Grace College and Seminary president Dr. Ronald Manahan (right).

The leaders of two Fellowship of Grace Brethren national and cooperating ministries were honored Thursday night by the Kosciusko County (Indiana) Chamber of Commerce.

Jeff Carroll, CEO of Grace Village Retirement Community, received an award for Grace Village being named Employer of the Year, and Dr. Ronald Manahan, president of Grace College and Seminary, received the Chamber’s “Man of the Year for 2011” award.

Manahan’s honor is bestowed on an individual for contributions to the Warsaw/Winona Lake community and is sponsored by the Warsaw Times-Union and Lake City Radio. Manahan has served on the Board of Directors of Kosciusko County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Committee to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc., Foundation Ministries Inc., Lakeland Christian Academy, and Symphony of the Lakes. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kosciusko County Community Foundation, OrthoWorx, and Orthopedics Capital Foundation.

This year, the chamber will be celebrating its 100th year in the community.

OrthoWorx Executive Director Brad Bishop noted that Manahan’s leadership helped get rid of the “town and gown” gap between Grace College and the community.

Bishop also recognized Manahan and his role in the building of the Orthopaedic Capital Center.

“He did something many thought wasn’t possible – he brought the heads of the major orthopedic companies together to collaborate on a major joint project,” Bishop said.

A statement from Grace College and Seminary said it was the vision of Manahan “to involve Grace College in the local communities that resulted in the renovation of Westminster Hall and the building of the Orthopedic Capital Center. His continued vision to connect Grace to the area has resulted in the grant from the Lilly Foundation to establish OrthoWorx. Now a grant from OrthoWorx is allowing Grace to establish a certificate program in regulatory and clinical affairs. Classes for this new program will start this spring.”

“It’s wonderful to be surrounded by good people,” said Manahan. “To be a part of a community that values change, obviously, I thank God for his goodness and the opportunities he’s given us.”

Grace Village Retirement Community was recognized as the Business Leadership Network Employer of the Year. Jeff Carroll, CEO of Grace Village, accepted the award.

The award is designed to recognize those businesses that are leaders in hiring people with disabilities and providing them with training. Carroll explained earlier that the award was based, in part, on Grace Village’s experience of seeing an employee learn to read while in the employ of Grace Village.

Incorporated in 1974, Grace Village is dedicated to preserving the richness of life for seniors in a comfortable and secure Christian setting. Grace Village is affiliated with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches and seeks to do all in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Nearly 300 people from all walks of life call Grace Village home, residing in 48 condo style homes called “Robin Hood Homes”, 117 Independent Living Apartments that include studios, efficiencies and 1 to 2 bedroom apartments and in the Licensed Assisted Living 52 studios and suites.  The Village’s Health Care offers both intermediate and skilled nursing care and there is also a new Rehabilitation Center with 12 private suites.   Grace Village is situated on a beautiful 43 acre campus east of Winona Lake on Wooster Road.

Steve Miller, a member of the Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church and CEO of the local hospital, is the chamber’s new board chair, and a new member of the board is Tim Ziebarth, who directs the alumni program at Grace College and Seminary. The 2010 Dimensions of Excellence Award for Business of the Year was presented to Silveus Insurance Group of Warsaw.  Several members of that organization’s top management, Scott Silveus and Craig Snow, are also from the Winona Lake church.

Exec’s Dream Car Being Raffled Off to Rescue Orphans in Asia

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on January 4, 2011  |  2 Comments

A 2010 Camaro SS is the prize; the donor’s faith is the motivator.

David Wright is a successful business executive who enjoys cars. So why is he giving away his $40,000 2010 Camaro SS? Because he’s more driven than ever to give God glory and to rescue orphaned children in Cambodia and Thailand.

The car is being given away in the form of a raffle. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Asia’s Hope, a multidenominational, grassroots organization founded in 2001 dedicated to rescuing orphaned children at high risk of sexual and economic exploitation in Southeast Asia. Asia’s Hope is a cooperating organization in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

Asia’s Hope operates eight orphanages in Thailand and ten in Cambodia. Each child living at an Asia’s Hope orphan home receives long term care and all the benefits of a loving family: shelter, acceptance, medical care, an education, life skills training and most importantly, the transforming power of hope.

The raffle will run until February 13, 2011, with single raffle tickets available for $20; 3 for $50; or 7 for $100.

The paths that led Wright, president of Goshen, Ind.-based Starcraft Bus, to his idea to give away the car are traceable to his childhood. Three of Wright’s six siblings were adopted from Korea. Today, he and his wife are raising two daughters and four sons, including an adopted Russian boy. And then there was the book, Radical, which he read last summer. In it, megachurch pastor David Platt examines how modern-day American culture, built on self-reliance, is having a negative impact on the gospel message, which emphasizes reliance on Christ.

Wright, who was raised in a Christian home and “committed” himself to Christ three years ago, began examining his life; soon he found himself thinking less about himself and more about orphans. “I was familiar with Asia’s Hope because we were made aware of them through our church and had donated to them. I knew how Asia’s Hope stretched the dollars they received to benefit children. And when they heard of the idea for a raffle, they ran with it.”

Wright’s decision to give away a prized possession confused some colleagues and friends who wondered if he had “gone off the deep end” and was motivated by some sense of guilt for achieving achieved success as a business executive.

“This provided some great opportunities for discussion on why give and how much is enough,” says Wright. “I’m more driven than ever, and not in a legalistic sense, to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

VisionOhio Explores Church Planting in Ohio African-American Communities

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

Ray Miller, second from right, shares about his ministry in Toledo, Ohio. To his right is his wife, Betty. Also pictured are Tony Webb, left, executive director of VisionOhio, and Cheri Boehm, staff member with VisionOhio.

Six couples who are willing to be involved in seeking God for new Grace Brethren churches in African-American communities in Ohio recently met to determine how to proceed.

The group gathered November 20, 2010, in Dublin, Ohio, and spent time learning about each other’s ministries. The session is a result of the 2020 Future Story of VisionOhio, the regional Grace Brethren church planting ministry, which calls for a network of black congregations among the Ohio Grace Brethren churches.

“We are using a tried and true approach for movement development,” says Tony Webb, executive director of VisionOhio. “We call it vision/fraternity/prayer. The most needed piece is prayer; the most fragile piece is fraternity and the vision piece comes as we do the previous two well.”

Stephen Joyce is leading the effort to plant Grace Brethren churches in African-American communities in Ohio.

Participating in the November 20, 2010, meeting in Dublin, Ohio, were Stephen and Rosie Joyce, from About My Father’s House, Washington, D.C.; Ray and Betty Miller, Grace Brethren Church, Toledo, Ohio; Tyrone and Chari Curtis, Calvary Grace Brethren Church, Dayton, Ohio; Ron and Chery Boehm, VisionOhio, and Tony and Cathy Webb, VisionOhio.

Stephen Joyce is leading the effort and the group plans to meet again in February 2011.

Tony requests prayer for this fledgling movement within the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. “Pray for the harvest and workers in it, particularly in the African-American communities in Ohio,” he says. “Pray for each member of the team and for the networking side of the equation.”

Click here for a video of Stephen challenging the group.

Blairs Prepare for Move to Medicine Hat

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

Bart and Elizabeth Blair and their three children are preparing to move from Mississauga, Ontario, to Medicine Hat, Alberta, to assist with the new Grace Brethren church plant there. They recently released a video update as they plan to leave Ontario at the end of December.

Check out The Blairs: Canadian Chronicles to see their latest news.

In Medicine Hat, they will be assisting Oliver Shane and Cheryl Edwards in beginning the new Grasslands Church. For the last 11 years, the Blairs have been involved in Grace Community Church, a Grace Brethren church in Mississauga, and he has served on staff as Worship Pastor and Arts Director for the last nine years.

For more information about their move, see bartblair.com.

The new church is being developed under the auspices of GBCanada and GBCanada USA.

Bart Blairs to Join Medicine Hat Church Planting Team

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

Bart Blair, worship leader

After nearly nine years of involvement and music/worship leading at the Grace Brethren church in Mississauga, Ontario, Bart Blair has announced that God is leading Bart, his wife Elizabeth, and their three children to move across Canada and join with the new church-planting team in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Full information, including an informative video making the announcement, may be seen by clicking onto http://www.bartblair.com/.  Your prayers and support for the Blairs as they join the Edwards planting team in Medicine Hat will be appreciated.

ICDI Live Drill Event Today at 4:30 p.m. EDT

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

The excitement has been building as ICDI approaches its live drill event with partner Charity: Water! Make sure you check it out online.

It starts today, Tuesday, September 7, at 4:30pm ET. The webpage for Charity’s September campaign contains great photos and videos about the Central African Republic, ICDI, and the Bayaka people.

This project will raise $1,700,000–all of which will go to ICDI to be used for water projects in the Central African Republic. Already $200,000 has been raised.

For more information, log onto http://www.icdinternational.org/wells.html

The live-drill website is http://www.charitywater.org/september/  or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/charitywater

GBB Announces Fall Outpost

Posted by Liz Cutler Gates on September 7, 2010  |  1 Comment

Grace Brethren Boys (GBB), the discipleship program for young men, has announced plans for its Fall Outpost. It will be held October 1-3, 2010, near White Star Park, Gibsonburg, Ohio, in the Fremont, Ohio, area.

Plans for the weekend include camping, fishing, and a night hike with a park naturalist. Tim Soule will be the speaker for the weekend.

Click here for more information.