Evangelist THE BRETHREN
Vol 132, No. 6 Nov/Dec 2010
DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE LIFE AND MINISTRIES OF THE BRETHREN CHURCH
www.brethrenchurch.org
A Closer Look
Ken Hunn
Years ago, someone asked a Major League baseball player why his team had won the World Series several years in a row. He replied that it was “the little big things.” Similarly the seemingly small things — the attention to detail — can be the deciding factor in a congregation between just going through the motions and actually experiencing fruitfulness and faithfulness. I’ve just returned from a visit with our Global Partners in Colombia, the Ferreri family, and the congregations that make up the ministry in Medellin. Marcelo and Adriana (with help from daughters Jana and Milena) have been paying attention to the “little big things” in their ministry there for the past 13 years, and this attention to detail is producing no little impact in the Santa Theresa neighborhood and in this second largest Colombian city. Here’s what I saw…
•_Even the simplest of objectives were accomplished with excellence and intentionality. Greeters were in position outside the big storefront opening to the church worship area before worshippers began to arrive, with materials in hand and name tags evenly in place. Everyone received a warm welcome. Worship team members had rehearsed diligently the week before, and were in place in plenty of time before worship to welcome attenders with sounds of praise. All were dressed simply, but obviously with attention to style and coordinated with each other. A guest at worship sees that this church really cares about people, and the substance of what they do together to worship and to lead others in worship. •_A culture of empowerment was seen everywhere. The first worship service had ended and no sooner had the worship band left the stage, than we saw the younger children grab the instruments and begin their own informal time of praise. They were quite good, and it was obvious that children were welcome (empowered, encouraged, given permission) to try out their gifts in preparation for something more structured. I’ve seen this same dynamic more than once in several of our partnerships worldwide. This is a small thing, but yields great fruit in preparing lives for further service and mission. •_Pastor Marcelo Ferreri gives away as much ministry as possible. He does not however give away responsibility for results, but personally sees that many individuals are involved in ministry, trained, deployed, and trained again. This dynamic is seen in the two church plants that benefit from trained leaders, the church board, the secretary/receptionist, and even in the small things of regularly giving opportunity for service and development. Between services, Pastor Marcelo saw to it that I had an interpreter at my side at all times. These individuals were young, and new to the congregation. Later that afternoon he asked me repeatedly if they did a thorough job. It was obvious that he was giving small almost insignificant ministry assignments, for the purpose of developing large scale significant opportunity to follow. How can we pay more attention to the “little big things” in our individual and corporate ministries?
Relational … Missional … Sustainable … Global … Reproducing
Winding down the year and looking into the next often gives us cause to reflect on the events of the past year and weigh their significance in our lives and in our ministries. I think that this is especially important for those of us involved in ministry (and especially church planting) in order to avoid making the same mistakes we may have made in the past and to set the course for the direction of our future. As we close out this year and move into the winter months, we still gather together daily to pray for you and the ministry of the Brethren Church. Last Monday morning was a typical Northern California winter morning. It was dark, cool and rainy, which kept people from coming to the 6 a.m. prayer meeting, so Viseth and I found ourselves alone with time to talk awhile about the ministry of God’s Purpose Church (which is hard to find between the business of the two ministries). As we sat alone in the church, I asked Viseth what was the most important lesson he learned in the past year about church planting. He began by telling me how he had to learn about the culture of Cambodians in America. He said that when he worked for Campus Crusade in Cambodia, things were different as far as the attitude of the people. There they were honest, willing and ready to help in all aspects of the church. He said that the people there trusted him when he asked for their help as he led and directed the growth of the church. Here in America, however, was an all together different story. He told me how many of the Cambodians he had
M u l t i p l i c a t i o n
The Greatest Lesson in Church Planting
Paul Stanley Carson Oaks Community Church Stockton, California
met here had come under so much negative teaching that he was finding it difficult to get them to understand the biblical teaching that would change their lives. He said that many of the Cambodians that come here have been taught by other Cambodians the ins and outs of cheating the government in order to get Social Security benefits, how to lie to state and local authorities and manipulate the system to receive benefits for which they are not really qualified. He said he continuously finds large groups of people who were perfectly fine with receiving government benefits and were content to sit around and drink and gamble all day. He said that he was surprised to find out how entrenched this mentality is in his people. Many of the people involved with living this way claimed to be devout Buddhists, yet found no problem with all the cheating and lying and gambling that had become a way of life for them.
understand how or why he would tell them to leave all of this and follow Christ. Many are even convinced that he is attempting to take away their culture or their identity as a people group when he begins to talk about Jesus to them. Moreover, it threatens the security they find in receiving a government check every month and the ease of life that comes with not having to work for their money.
When Viseth explains the gospel to the people he meets, they cannot
Viseth told me that when he meets with and gets the opportunity
Viseth told me that many of the people that he has met have tried to “help” him by showing him how he can follow what they have been doing in lying to the IRS, cheating the system, and manipulating various governmental agencies for personal gain to make his life here in America better. Just as he cannot understand why they would want to live this way, they are equally perplexed as to why he would not want that for himself or his family.
…if we always return to the Word and stand on the foundational truths of Scripture, we will always be on the right path …
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M u l t i p l i c a t i o n
For reflection
1. As Pastor Paul Stanley has suggested, it would be a great thing for all who lead ministries to sit down and evaluate the past year with a view to making adjustments that would provide greater impact. Would you be willing to schedule such a time right now for yourself, and for the ministry you help lead? 2. Reflection can lead to positive change. Sharing that time of reflection with someone else can exponentially increase the impact of that exercise. To whom could you reach out to share in such an exercise? Someone from the Brethren Church National Office would be willing and honored to help you ask important questions! What would it take for your local leadership to reflect in this way? 3. We are reminded that the most important ministry reflection is evaluating our actions by the Word of God. This of course is a part of our heritage that we can re-embrace through greater reflection. Are there things to which we give energy as leaders that are not tied to a biblical imperative? How can you discontinue established patterns without causing harm? How can our ministries more clearly represent the life of Christ as shown in the Scriptures?
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Global Partners Updates: This issue of the Evangelist includes the first three of twelve monthly Global Partners Updates (pages 13, 14, and 15) to encourage prayer and local connection with this part of the mission of the Brethren Church. Full color copies can be downloaded from our website. Please use this information to replace all previous materials. Thank you so much for your support!”
to teach among the Cambodians in Stockton, especially those who have some church background, he always takes them back to the Scriptures. This (the Bible), he tells people, is the way to live. This is the way to God and the way to receive benefits that far surpass anything obtained illegally and immorally. No matter what may be dangled in front of you, always return to and stand on the word of God. And that is the greatest lesson he has learned, to stay true to the Word of God. It is very simple but when one gets involved in church planting he or she can be easily steered in many directions both good and bad. It can be easy to accommodate the people group we are trying to reach or compromise with the hope that we can get them to come around to sound thinking. This can often snowball into bigger problems than we can get out from under and can lead to the church plant eventually shutting down and dying out. We have seen this in several church plants that have been started in this area in the past to reach the Cambodian community, and because they gave in to this way of thinking, they have failed. But if we always return to the Word and stand on the foundational truths of Scripture, we will always be on the right path, and I really believe that God will honor that and this plant will accomplish all which God has planned for it to accomplish. As we continued to talk about the lessons we have learned concerning church planting, Viseth told me that just days earlier he was once again experiencing some difficulties in the
church from two women who had been taught some erroneous theology in the past and were continuing to bring up false accusations against another leader in the church, disrupting the whole body. It was, from his description, pretty intense. Viseth happened to be teaching that night on the woman caught in sin who was about to be stoned, only to have Jesus step in with the challenge of letting the one in the group without sin cast the first stone. He said as he read that Scripture that the Holy Spirit came upon these two women and they began to weep and confess their own sin, asking for forgiveness from those they had been attacking! It was the Word that convinced them to change, not new programs, weak theology or giving in to what they had previously been taught in error. The change came from simply standing on the Word! As you consider a church plant, please remember this basic truth of standing on the Word of God. After all, it is what we do as Brethren. It seems that nowadays we are inundated with programs and teachings that proclaim that we must “change the way we do church” and promise to grow your church and fill the seats if you just follow their way of doing things. As people desperately scramble for ways to grow a church and search high and low for new ways to do church, don’t forget the old way of leaning on God and abiding by his Word and the old way of seeking the Holy Spirit to lead you. I suppose you could fill a room with books explaining new ways and new paradigms for church planting and growth, and they would not all be bad, and in fact, some would offer some really great advice. But if you just keep the motto, “The Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible,” on the front burner, you will do well and God will be glorified in your efforts to plant a church.
M o b i l i z a t i o n
W What does Y YOURS look like?
It’s time to work together to embrace God’s invitation of transformation. Most of you know that my role in the denominational office is related primarily to increasing the health and sustaining the forward progress of existing churches. The tag line for this area of focus is “Mobilizing the People of God to BE the Church.” For several months now a team of people from across the Brethren landscape has been meeting together to help better define key aspects of Church Mobilization. How do we help pastors and people in established churches recapture and fulfill God’s designs for who they are and why they exist? Before I can address what’s transforming in my role with Church Mobilization, and what’s been defined so far, I need to get something off my chest. The Brethren Church is being invited to embrace a NEW DAY of transformed leadership, resulting in transformed congregations, whose mission is the transformation of their communities in the power of the Holy Spirit. You’ve read about and heard us talk about this Vision statement for scores of months now. I believe it’s time for me to say this straight out: Can we stop arguing about, debating and otherwise fussing over the Vision of the Brethren Church? While we’re excited for the many pastors, leaders and congregations already engaged in the journey forward, there are attitudes and activities among us that seem more bent toward tearing down than building up the body of Christ. I believe with all my heart that God is the one who has issued this invitation to us. It was not just Ken Hunn or some exclusive group of people seeking glory,
fame or power for themselves. It’s a cry from God’s heart to our hearts to join him in his larger story of redeeming and restoring a lost and broken creation, and of calling a people to himself who will ultimately become a blessing to all the nations. Seriously now, which part of “transformed leadership” or “transformed congregations” or even “transformed communities” do you have a problem embracing from a biblical perspective? Are we not called to put on the likeness of Christ as individuals (Eph. 4:24), to repent as congregations (Rev. 2 & 3), and to actually be salt and light in a broken, decaying and increasingly dark world (Matt. 5:13-16)? Is there a Brethren person, a Brethren congregation, or a community near a Brethren ministry that does not need the transforming work of the Holy Spirit? Let’s not spend any more energy parsing words or rehashing process. Instead, I believe it’s time to commit to work together and figure out how to embrace God’s invitation of transformation. If we do that, perhaps we’re actually ready to discern not only what a “new” you (and me) looks like, but how we can help one another live into God’s better design. Here’s a stark reality: there is no blanket definition for what “transformation” looks like. What needs to be changed in me might not be what needs to be changed in you. What needs reshaped in Carson Oaks might not be the same as what needs to be re-formed in Levittown. What needs to be restored in the community of Elkhart might not be the same as what needs
Gary Diehl, Church Mobilization
to be redeemed in Sarasota. What the Brethren in India, the Philippines or Colombia need to help them become more like Christ might not be the same as what needs to be different in the USA, Argentina or Peru.
So, rather than me, or your denominational leaders, or someone else telling you what Jesus needs to change in you, what could happen if you started seriously asking Jesus that question? Not that you shouldn’t listen to the counsel and wisdom of other voices, but that may not be the best place to start. What could happen if I started earnestly seeking that answer from my Savior, then I opened myself to let him speak to me through his revealed word, his people and his creation? What could happen if we as congregations asked Jesus to reveal his heart to us about how we need to be different? What is it about us that is getting in the way of the world seeing Jesus when they look at us (John 13:35)? If I do that—if we do that—it’s just possible that the Holy Spirit who dwells within all who embrace Christ as Lord could speak his transforming words into our lives. And it’s probable that your transformation will look different than mine. But the ultimate result of God’s transforming work in us will be that a broken world will come to see Jesus through us. Whatever my transformation looks like or whatever yours looks like, oh precious Lord, make it so in us!
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M u l t i p l i c a t i o n
What’s New In Church Plants? Church Multiplication Updates
Bill Ludwig, Church Multiplication
The Carson Oaks Cambodian Community Church (Stockton, CA), led by Viseth & Socheata Hou, is now officially named God’s Purpose Church! They launched in August and are now up and running with many entering into a saving relationship with Jesus and finding their place in Christ’s kingdom. Their new website is coming soon. Watch for it!
Cross Bars Ministries, led by Larry & Cindy Hanson, is celebrating a year of ministry in Mishawaka, IN through their thrift shop and ministry center. They are reaching toward sustainability through entrepreneurial ministries that include providing jobs and housing for those who struggle to obtain these on their own. There are dozens of stories of people encountering Jesus through Cross Bars’ consistent, practical approach to transforming their community! See more at www.crossbarsministries.com!
Socheata, Victor, Victoria, and Viseth Hou
Muskoka Community Church just celebrated their second birthday! Led by Jeremy & April McClung, this dynamic ministry in the cottage country of Ontario, Canada, continues to be a blessing to the many who have joined the journey with Jesus through their unique way of “being church.” Check them out at www.muskokacommunitychurch.com! What do these three recent church plants have in common?
1. They were able to get their start because of your missional hearts and your faithful giving to resource the advancement of the Kingdom of God! 2. They are all connected through the resources and efforts of MissioChurch, the church planting organization of The Brethren Church. 3. They are all raising leaders and preparing to plant new churches out of themselves as they engage in the process multiplying disciples, resulting in church multiplication! This November, MissioChurch team coordinators held their yearly planning and training retreat in Payson, Arizona, which enabled us to enjoy time with our pastors from the Southwest District. We were able to cast the vision and build a greater understanding with them for how to get a church planting movement started in their region.
Cross Bars Thrift Store
The Team also spent considerable time training and preparing to become church planting and multiplication resources for you right in your area! That being said, here is the list of church planting Champions in your general region: Central District Terry Koons, Phone: 319-234-4094
Email: terry@missiochurch.com
Southeast District Mike Woods, Phone: 540-662-3300
Email: mike@missiochurch.com
Southwest District Jim Miller, Phone: 480-560-7865
Email: jim@missiochurch.com
Indiana District Tim Garner, Phone: 574-215-9328 Larry Baker, Phone: 574-291-4909 Sam Shultz, Phone: 419-636-4713
Email: tim@missiochurch.com Email: larry@missiochurch.com Email: sam@missiochurch.com
Ohio District Ron Waters, Phone: 330-525-7169 Gary Diehl, Phone: 419-289-1708
Email: ron@missiochurch.com Email: gary@missiochurch.com
Other Districts or Areas Bill Ludwig- Church Planting Coordinator Phone: 419-289-1708 Email: bill@missiochurch.com
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September Baptisms at Muskoka Laying Hands on Aiden
Choosing Your Tension Headache Authors and missional leaders Matt Smay and Hugh Halter began telling the story of their most recent journey of faith when they wrote THE TANGIBLE KINGDOM (Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2008) a few years ago. Basically, it’s the account of how God moved them from a typical “attractional” model of doing church (the one you and I know best) to an “incarnational” approach that builds faith communities where life happens. If you have not read it, do so. Your heart will be captivated by Fiona’s story and how God used her to reshape the lives of the authors. They continue to share about that journey and the tension it creates in their latest book, AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010). I’m only about half way through it, but have had to pause repeatedly to reflect on the ground-shaking impact of what is being said. To give you a taste, here’s an excerpt from the chapter titled “Consumerless Church: Every Church’s Dream, Every Church’s Nightmare.” It’s about the pain and tension created when leaders consciously remove what infant Christians only want to consume from someone else. If you choose the nonconsumer path, you will face tension… But there are two types of tension we can breathe. One type of tension, the kind most have been fighting is, “How do I keep people coming to my church?” You’ll never win that kind of tension. You’ll never feel done, there will never be enough people, and you’ll never stop worrying about losing their nominal commitment. This kind of tension leaves you relieved for a few minutes after your Sunday service because numbers were up, but by 3:00 p.m. Monday you’re doing mental and emotional jumping jacks wondering how to avoid losing your momentum. The other tension you can deal with is more helpful. It’s the tension that comes from asking, “How do I help every person become more like Jesus?” Like the first tension, this one will also never go away, but you will see some payoff that you won’t get with tension #1. The payoff is that you’ll begin to see people struggling with the issues that matter. You’ll hear stories of changing decisions, of habits being adjusted, and of faith being stretched. On the high end, you will watch people taking responsibility not only for their own growth but also for the growth of others. Where once they relied on you to relieve their burdens and prop them up, they will begin carrying the weight of others. Some of the best will eventually leave because they are responding to the call of God on their own lives. One way or another you have to decide what kind of tension you want to work with. If you don’t lead well, you will struggle with the wrong kind of tension as you try to keep things from falling apart; but if you lead the right way, you will need to get into the mess of real struggles and probably lose your best leaders to other missions. Tension is inevitable—but you can choose which kind of tension you want to live with. (emphasis mine) My take-away from this thought? The work of ministry is hard. At times it’s downright painful. But perhaps, to some degree, we have choices about which kind of pain we experience. Will it be a pain that comes from being consumed by consumers, or the pain that comes from leading others to become more like Jesus? Are we ready for a choice like that? Are you?
Gary Diehl
If you have a question or want to find out more about church planting in your area, contact your regional Champion. Don’t see a Church Planting Champion listed in your area? Want to find out more about becoming a Church Planting Champion? Call or email Bill Ludwig, Church Planting Coordinator for The Brethren Church and Lead Catalyst for MissioChurch at the number or email listed at left. Please be sure to visit www.missiochurch.com to find out more about our church multiplication efforts in The Brethren Church.
November MissioChurch retreat in Arizona. From left: Tim Garner, Dan Acker, Roger Stogsdill, Bill Ludwig, Mike Woods, Jim Miller, Larry Baker
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Jesus Christ Is Coming to Town!
As we remember the gift of God’s Son and anticipate the New Year, filled with hope in the promises of God’s Word… Your National Office Staff thanks you for your prayers, your fellowship, and your partnership in the vision and mission of the Brethren Church!
Phil Lersch Brethren Peace Leadership Team I’m confident that Jesus will be returning to your — and your children’s—thoughts and activities in special ways around Christmas again this year. There are so many gift-thoughts for Christian believers to ponder and celebrate about Jesus every Advent and Christmas season. We can focus again on the gift * of Jesus as Savior, * of him as Counselor, * of Jesus as Mighty God, * and as Everlasting Father, * and as Prince of Peace. Jesus arrives again as God in a human body in our thoughts and observances. Brethren Peace Initiative endorses all those truths, with a special emphasis on “Prince of Peace.” In that context, here is a gift-idea for you to provide for the children of your family, your church, or your neighborhood. Plan to help them learn what Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, can mean in their lives. Help them move beyond just hearing and saying the title, “Prince of Peace,” to expressing an understanding of peacemaking and being peacemakers. Example: Jubilee Housing is a long-standing ministry of the Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C. And Jubilee Youth Services is a ministry of Jubilee Housing, with programs to nurture children from ages five to 18. One of their publications described some activities from “Conscious Discipline,” which they are using in their Early Start Program (for Kindergarten to 3rd Graders). It sounded to me like effective Conflict Resolution for young ones. If someone is bothering them, they can say “I don’t like it when you do (such and such), and I don’t want you to do it again.” When children have issues with each other, they are encouraged to sit together at the “Problem Solving Table.” There they name the problem and use a tool called the “Solution Spinner,” which lists possible solutions such as Share, Get Another One, Say I’m Sorry, or Wait Your Turn. The kids whack the spinner and see where it lands. The Director commented, “They just love it if it lands on an implausible solution, and break into giggles. Sometimes that’s enough to solve the problem. If not, they work together to figure something out.” The ultimate goal of this program is safety. Everyone needs to feel safe to be able to be themselves. Safety comes when children can establish good boundaries for themselves, respect the boundaries of others, and connect lovingly with each other across boundaries. [Go to: www.ConsciousDiscipline.com for more information.] A summary comment in their literature: “What would the world be like if we and the United Nations would be like that -— Share, Say You’re Sorry, Wait Your Turn, Use Words To Resolve Differences?” During the holidays and after. devote some time to planning such learning activities that can be used in 2011. Let’s all try to put some “feet” or “handles” on effective ways of helping our children learn how to honor Jesus as the Prince of Peace, by becoming better peacemakers themselves.
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Women’s Outlook Newsletter A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e Wo m e n’s M i s s i o n a r y S o c i e t y November/December 2010 Vo l u m e 2 4 , N u m b e r 2
The President’s Pen Dear Sisters, As I write to you, it is just two weeks until Thanksgiving, and, when you read these words, it will be Advent. This whole period from Thanksgiving through Advent, Christmas, and into the New Year is a wonderful time to enumerate and meditate on all those things for which we are grateful. The editor of Guideposts wrote, “One of the pleasures of growing older is the perspective it brings to the store of blessings that multiply in your life; growing older means growing more grateful. Of course there is loss and heartache and disappointment too. But it is against these adversaries that our blessings stand in high relief, the joy of family and friends, and faith and work, and gratitude for the gifts that each new day holds.” I am going to list some things for which I am thankful and perhaps this will prompt you to do the same. 1. The friendship, faithfulness, and commitment to missions of WMS members. 2. The support, love, and commitment of the National WMS board members. They make my job so much easier! 3. My marriage of forty years this October to a loving, thoughtful, godly husband. 4. The glory of God’s creation, as experienced this fall during our vacation in New Hampshire. 5. The joy and blessing I experience when volunteering in the nursing home or filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
(Continued on page 12)
Missionary Miscellany
The NOVEMBER international missionaries-of-the-month are Jeremy and April McClung, who planted a church in Huntsville, Ontario.
Jeremy wrote: A few weeks ago we celebrated the two-year anniversary of our launch service in 2008. Certainly the progress of Muskoka Community Church has been different than I hoped or expected that first Sunday when all kinds of people showed up. Like most church planters, I dreamt of dramatic growth and quick movement toward self-sufficiency. While I have been somewhat disappointed in these areas, I have been amazed at the unforeseen surprises God has brought my way over the last two years. At the two-year mark we have about 100 regular attendees, with 60-70 people showing up on a typical Sunday morning. Our services seem to be fostering a great deal of growth and life-change in those who come. A deepening sense of community is apparent, as it becomes harder and harder to get people to stop chatting in the lobby and into the auditorium for the first song. Our reputation continues to grow in the community as a church that is different — in a good way. People from our congregation have visited Africa and Haiti. We’ve held church outside at a local provincial park for the past three summers. Our volunteer teams have grown from about 5 at the beginning to about 40 who serve regularly and sacrificially. About 1/3 adult attendees serve in the local food bank and soup kitchen. The children’s ministry has such an impact that I’ve heard stories of previously unchurched kids in tears, when they have to miss a Sunday. Eleven people are baptized as an expression of their faith in Christ and the transforming work of God in their lives.
One of the most rewarding things is to look at the people who are a part of our community. On any given Sunday you might see recovering alcoholics, successful businessmen, struggling addicts, single moms, bus drivers, factory and construction workers, an accomplished chef who isn’t “a church guy,” a bank manager who had given up on church years ago, and about 30 children — all smiling, laughing, worshiping, and growing together.
Our family is still enjoying the whole adventure. Huntsville feels like home to us. We know a tremendous amount of people, are involved in many things in the community, and our children love it here. Aidan enjoys 4th grade in French Immersion and Kara has adjusted quite well to Jr. Kindergarten at the same school. Now that Ella has learned to walk, she never stops, which makes life quite interesting for all of us! April went back to work part-time, planning a weekly seniors friendship luncheon. I try to keep up with all of the extra work involved in starting a new church and living in the country, in the north. The big challenge facing us now is raising additional support for 2011 and moving quickly toward financial independence in 2012. We’re also in the process of developing a functioning management team to help with the business aspects of the church, as well as a volunteer staff to care for the practical, day-to-day ministry. We plan to launch fledgling men’s, women’s, and youth ministries soon and continue to strengthen our two existing small groups. We have re-launched our monthly Family Fun Nights, providing a time to share together as a church community and to invite new friends to join us for a meal and fun games.
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Missionary Miscellany (continued)
Everywhere I turn there is a sense of vitality, growth, and God’s presence. Even though it’s taking a bit longer to grow and stand on our own two feet, I’m not disappointed or worried. God has proven that He is alive and well in Huntsville, that the gospel still has great power in Canada, and that there were people He had in mind when He first called us five years ago to plant a church in Huntsville. And when I really think about it, maybe the most dramatic transformation is the one that is taking place in me, as I learn and grow and adapt to each new challenge and stage of this amazing journey. Jeremy McClung Gus and Gladys Miranda, pastoring the Centro Cristiano Para La Familia church in San Gabriel, CA, are the national NOVEMBER missionariesof-the-month. The DECEMBER international missionaries-of-the-month are David and Jenny Loi in Malaysia. Jenny reported on their mission trip to China in October: Praise the Lord that we came back safely from China mission trip October 23. It was a tiring but rewarding trip. We visited three city churches and 3 village churches and had a lot of traveling back and forth. Praise God that He did great work among the Chinese. Many people received miracle healing, inner healings, deliverances from bondages, and spiritual revival. Physical healings such as blurred eyes, joint pain fever, headache, pain in the neck, shoulder pain, backache for over 1 year, lung inflammation, asthma, gastric pain, toothache, bad breath, bad body odor, leg pains, giddiness for more than 1 year, heart problem, hemiparesis, now able to hold things, etc. On top of that, God worked in new ways! Many people received impartation of spiritual gifts. Their spiritual eyes were opened. Many see visions, receiving gift of tongues, gifts of interpreting tongues and prophecy. As the Bible says: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my
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servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy (Acts 2:17-18, Joel 2:28-32). When a person prays in the Spirit and when it is interpreted, it is very encouraging to hear the words spoken to the individuals or to the churches. It edifies the individual and the church. Some prophesied and spoke what the Holy Spirit wants them to say. Please refer to I Cor. 14:1-5. One received 5 songs from the Holy Spirit. She prophesied to the church and wrote one of the songs for the church to repent. Praise the Lord! Thank you, prayer warriors. You play an important role in this as watchmen. We are all laborers for the Lord and for His kingdom. All glory and honor belong to the One, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who sits on the throne! Hallelujah! David and Jenny Loi Larry and Cindy Hanson, directors of Cross Bars Ministry in South Bend, IN, are the national DECEMBER missionaries-of-the-month. Cindy wrote: The big coat give-away was Saturday, November 6. We served over 300 people and gave away over 725 winter items in 3 hours! Praise God! All winter long, anybody can come in and get winter items. Our food pantry is going well and very busy. Over 100 people a month come in and get food for their families. The bookstore is keeping people busy learning data entry skills. We have over 11,000 books on-line and we have a young lady who has done a great job managing that. There was a fire in an apartment building behind us last week and we’ve been able to help five displaced families with household items, furniture, clothes, etc. We thank everyone for their support, prayers, gifts, and donations. Love, Larry and Cindy Hanson
In NOVEMBER 2009 the Brethren Mission in India celebrated its 40th anniversary! A group from the Brethren Church US joined the Brethren Church India for days of praise and worship and giving thanks to the Lord. Nirmala Kumar summarized their experiences through these years with the title “Mighty Walk Through Forty Milestones.” Intense praise and immense gratitude to our Father in heaven, the Sovereign Lord for His sustaining grace during our Mighty Walk Through the Forty Milestones of our Ministry. I have led you forty years in the wilderness, your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet, Deuteronomy 8:4. The awesome God has made this experience come true in our lives. The Holy Spirit has opened our hearts to plow the unplowed land of India with our 8-month old little daughter, Shanthi. The motto behind was Rescue the Perishing, Care for the Dying. The land we need to plow seemed to be full of thorns and thistles, but the Lord with His powerful presence behind, before, and around, declared, I know the plans I have for you . . . Plans to prosper you; plans to give you a future and a hope, Jeremiah 29:11. The integral part of our ministry started with The Brethren Home for Children, a home for eight young boys on September 30, 1970, at our rented home in Rajahmundry. Because of their broken families, they were in guilt and gloom, destined to doom. But along with them, we started our first prayer cell, earnestly and fervently praying “Lord, give us souls to win.” Their little songs of praise and prayer opened the doors of heaven and paved a great way to start our ministry. We had rented a small building there for the orphanage. Our good Lord kept ready for us a vacant land across our orphanage where we could build a huge thatched shed as our first worship center. There we discovered a spiritual mandate to reach out for the unreached, care for the uncared. The orphan children were our first coevangelists. Drum was our first musical instrument. Kerosene gaslight was the lamp that has shown us the way in the darkness.
Women’s Outlook Newsletter
Wesley L. Duewell said “The beginning of greatness is to be little.” Our outreach started by visiting homes, witnessing Christ, praying for the sick. As our search for souls continued, the unsaved and the unreached started to creep into our Brethren fold. The congregation started to grow strong and study in the thatched worship center. One night as a bolt from the blue, a great cyclone hit our town, Rajahmundry, and destroyed our thatched worship center. Broken in our hearts, the children — our little evangelists — and the congregation lifted our hearts and hands to the Lord in heaven and cried aloud “Lord, give us a place to worship you.” Apostle Paul’s reassuring words No eyes have seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (I Corinthians 2:9) has become very true in our lives. As a result, a piece of land was offered to us for sale on the Main Street with a warning, “All those who bought this land before have died.” We purchased this land. We have erected a huge cross of 10 feet with great big verse “My Peace I Give Unto You” right across Main Street where our purchased land is situated. The curse was turned a blessing! Glory be to the unfailing Lord! Forty fulfilling years have gone by! We started our outreach in the villages and among the hill tribes and dwellers in deep forests. During their travels one day, Rev. Prasanth Kumar with his team on their way in the forest crossed a wooden bridge and ministered to the people in these villages. It was midnight when they were returning and — all of a sudden — Prasanth, instructed by the divine voice, asked the driver to stop the jeep. To their surprise they found out that the wooden bridge that they had crossed in the morning was washed away because of the unexpected flood in the creek. The Jehovah-Elohim that walked with the Israelites on their way to Canaan was the Immanuel Who protected them from the valley of death. Apostle Peter said Our faith and faithfulness now will result in praise, glory, and honor when Christ is revealed, I Peter 1:7. The good Lord helped us build a church building
November/December 2010
in Rajahmundry in 1979, which had to be expanded twice. The worship service, Sunday Schools, youth fellowships, all-night prayer meetings, laymen prayer fellowships, women Bible studies, and powerful praise and worship are the strong and salient features on which the Lord has built the strong Church of God. The Brethren Church at Visakhapatnam was started February 8, 1974, with the same programs. Our son Sudhir and his wife Latha started to minister there in 2000 with the same powerful programs resulting in good harvest of souls. The Lord honored places of our prayer. In 1970 when we had just started our ministry, we erected a temporary prayer tower with mud walls, mud floor, and a thatched roof. People humbled themselves and earnestly prayed day and night, praising and interceding. Our dear Lord so amazingly blessed this place! A permanent, perfect concrete prayer tower was constructed in the same place and in the same shape and was dedicated January 10, 1999. As on the tabernacle built by Moses and the Israelites, we experience the Shekinah glory hovering always over this prayer tower. All the supplications and prayers made at this place are honored and answered by Lord. In the Brethren Bible Institute that we started January 10, 1971, 822 native pastors have trained and are serving in the nook and corners of our state. Many church buildings in the villages are built and many pastors are ordained. The Brethren Charity Hospital for the poor and sick was started September 1, 1972, and has rendered medical aid to 1,378,808 poor and sick people so far. The free tailoring and embroidery training school was started in 1979 and has trained 1,691 widows and destitutes. Many sewing machines were presented to them for selfsupport. The free typewriting institute was started October 12, 1980, and has trained 1,581 poor unemployed young people. A free computer training institute was started April 18, 2006, and trained 344 young people in job techniques, and most of them are placed in good jobs. Faith and patience go together
and help us inherit what is promised. In our lives faith has grown by time and testings. We left no stone unturned to bring the lost to the saving grace of Jesus. In all these channels of service and ministry, the Word of God is very powerfully preached. Our goal is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19. As a result, the good Lord has given us 12,372 baptized souls for the glory of our mighty Master. The magazine Suvarthikudu (Evangelist) that we publish with life transforming messages is sent to the prisons, libraries, and homes. One day we received a letter from the lifeimprisoned prisoner. He wrote “Your message on the words of the penitent thief on the cross ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ and the answer of Jesus on the cross ‘Assuredly today you will be with me in paradise’ have changed my life. Now I am a new creation cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Praise be to the Father in heaven for the power of His transforming love!” As we walked through 40 milestones, each milestone has loaded us with mighty, magnanimous blessings of our Lord of majesty. The Lord’s last words Lo, I am with you always continue to guide us till we meet Him in heaven. Amen — Amen and Amen.
Good News! An angel of the Lord appeared to them (shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were ter‑ ribly afraid, but the angel said to them: “Don’t be afraid! For I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very night in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! This is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a Luke 2:9‑12 manger.”
(Good News for Modern Man)
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(Presidents’s Pen continued) 6. The grace of God, His mercy, compassion and faithfulness. 7. My God, who is holy, righteous, unchanging. 8. The privilege, freedom, and responsibility to worship God. 9. A living Savior who died for me and who is in Heaven, preparing a place for me. 10. The Holy Spirit who dwells in me, convicting, leading, teaching, reminding, comforting, and encouraging me. 11. God’s written Word which instructs me how to live a godly life. 12. Two sons and their wives who are committed to Christ. This list is just the beginning of all of which I am thankful and with which I am so undeservedly blessed. I close with David’s words in I Chronicles 16:8-10: Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. With a thankful heart,
Phyllis
A Year of Thanksgiving
The Editor’s Ending
Dear Friend, This Newsletter is filled with reasons for giving thanks -- blessings which God has given us through our national and international missionary friends. Beginning with Phyllis’s list of thanks in her President’s Pen, what is your No. 13 and following? My suggestions for starters are: Jeremy and April McClung; Gus and Gladys Miranda, as well as Gus’s parents, Juan Carlos and Maria; David and Jenny Loi; Larry and Cindy Hanson; and Prasanth and Nirmala Kumar, Sudhir and Latta Kumar. They are all loving servants of the Lord. Don’t stop there. Look in your WMS Devotional Guide, pages 47-48. All the missionaries-of-the-month are listed. Just because they aren’t in these current months doesn’t mean we neglect them in prayer. They also serve. Each pastor and missionary family assumes a busier schedule during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pray for their physical and spiritual strength, safety, encouragement, and good health. Remember their families, too. Sometimes a busy schedule for “church business” lets children feel neglected. Two children of the missionaries continue their parents’ ministries: Gus Miranda is the son of Juan Carlos and Maria Miranda, former missionaries in Argentina, but most recently leaders of the Hispanic Radio Ministry. Nirmala Kumar referred to their 8-month old daughter, Shanti. She
The day of New Year’s resolutions is fast approaching. This one resolution I will make and I suggest that you make it, too. This is one that should not be broken, not in one week or 50 weeks. I resolve to keep my gratitude ritual: each evening I will write 5 things I am thankful for that day. My list may include some on Phyllis’s list, as well as a loving and supportive family, a baby’s smile, the bride and groom, or a joke shared with someone else. Let’s keep thanksgiving all year. And furthermore, even though thanksgiving is good, thanks living is better!
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is now Mrs. Vincent Edwin. She and her husband pastor the Brush Valley Brethren Church. Shanti received her Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary. The WMS Executive Board will meet in January. If you have suggestions, questions, or comments, please contact your district president/representative or a national officer. She would like to hear from you. The WMS directory was in the previous issue and included contact information: address, phone number, and e-mail address for each national and district officer. The International Day of Prayer for Peace is in September. The day of peace in the United States is Armistice or Veterans’ Day in November. When you personally observe the day is immaterial, the purpose and thought are important. This sentence prayer could be yours and mine: “May we realize how we hurt others, when we are not at peace ourselves. We need you with us all the time.” In her poem, “A Christmas Wish,” Grace Mathews Walker prayed for all of us: “More than a Merry Christmas I wish you this year, More than a Happy Christmas With your loved ones dear, More than the precious hours With friends who are true, More than the gifts you treasure That others give you — I wish for you the blessing Of that Christmas day When angels sang the story And stars marked the way. I wish you joy unending With much love and cheer — I wish you peace on Christmas And through all the year.” Your friend,
November 21-27, 2010
Joan
The Brethren Church National Office staff consists of Executive Director Ken Hunn, Church Health and Resource Coordinator Gary Diehl, Church Planting Coordinator Bill Ludwig, Operations Manager Tony Van Duyne, Director of Finance Stan Gentle, and Office Assistant Paula Strickland. Together this team seeks to Mobilize existing congregations and Multiply new ones in keeping with the vision and values of the Brethren Church. Additionally they coordinate strategic relationships with twelve Global Partner countries in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. Together your National Office Staff believes that they exist to serve the mission of the church, and encourage each local congregation to be in conversation with them about how to impact their communities. Pray for us as we lead and coordinate the various ministries of the ministries of the Brethren Church.
Ken Hunn has been serving as Executive Director since July 2003. Ken gives visionary leadership, guiding and coordinating staff in fulfilling the priorities and ministries of the Brethren Church. In his role Ken draws upon twenty-three years as a lead pastor in two congregations, as well as his experiences in working with our Global Partners in twelve countries throughout North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. He is a graduate of Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana, and Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. Ken and Nancy are the proud parents of son Andrew and wife Ashley, daughter Carol, and son Jonathan and wife Stefanie. The Hunn's enjoy antiquing, traveling, fishing, and spending time "at the lake." Paula Strickland is the Administrative Assistant at the Brethren Church National Office. Paula and her husband Ed have been married fifteen years. They have three children, Zack 19, Naomi 12, and Hanna 11. They attend Park St. Brethren Church. Paula coaches gymnastics and works with the Jr. High youth at Park St. She enjoys cooking in her spare time. Stanley Gentle is the Director of Administrative Services. He is responsible for maintaining the financial records of the Brethren Church. He has been with the Brethren Church National Office since 1979 after working in administration at Brethren’s Home in Flora, IN, for three years. Stan and his wife Judi will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary this summer. They have three married sons and five grandsons. He is Emails: active at Park Street Ken: ken@brethrenchurch.org tony: tony@brethrenchurch.org Brethren Church Stan: stan@brethrenchurch.org as Sunday School bill: bill@brethrenchurch.org teacher and Deacon. Gary: gary@brethrenchurch.org paula: paula@brethrenchurch.org He is also active in the local Kiwanis new Website coming soon! www.brethrenchurch.org Club where he is secretary. Stan is a graduate of Ashland University and took graduate work at the University of Arizona.
Bill Ludwig is a 2006 graduate from Ashland Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and a 2003 graduate from University of Akron where he was a double major in Psychology and Sociology. He has worked at the National Office as the Church Planting Coordinator since June 2006 and is the Lead Catalyst for MissioChurch, the church planting organization of the Brethren Church. Bill is involved personally in planting churches in Northeast Ohio and providing leadership development and internship opportunities for ministry leaders in the region. He also sits on the board of an international mission organization. Bill has been married to his wife Jennifer for over ten years and together they are the proud parents of Noah, 9 and Emily, 7. In his moments of freedom he enjoys backpacking. Gary Diehl serves the Brethren Church as our Church Health and Resource specialist. He enjoys helping pastors, leaders and churches ask and answer the right questions based on their unique circumstances and context of ministry. A member of First Brethren of North Georgetown, he has served as a teacher, choir director, worship leader, moderator, financial secretary, deacon and leader of various other teams, task forces and boards. Gary worked as a product manager in a business setting before joining the national office staff, and earned his B.A. in business from Malone University. He also serves churches beyond the Brethren context as a lead consultant and coach with Living Stones Associates. He and his wife Nancy have four children and four grandchildren. Tony Van Duyne has worked at the National Office since 2005 and now serves as Operations Manager for our office. He attended Five Stones Community Church since its beginning in 2003 and serves numerous roles within the church body. Tony and wife Jillian have been married for 5 years. Tony is a graduate of Ashland University (2005) with a degree in Business Administration.
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The Castellis family works together serving “the poorest of the poor” by offering food, sewing classes, spiritual assistance, and Bible lessons.
Claudio, Karina, Victoria, Mateo, Octavio, and Flavio Castellis ADDRESS: Claudio Castellis Tte. Riquelme 369 Esq. Carios Asuncion, Paraguay SOUTH AMERICA Email: ihp67@hotmail.com Claudio and Karina Castellis are the Brethren Church Global Partners in Paraguay. Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay, is known as the “Mother of Cities” not only because it holds nearly one-third of the population of Paraguay, but also because it was from there that many expeditions departed to begin new cities. With such a large population, Asunción is divided into over fifty ‘barrios’ (territorial subdivisions – or neighborhoods). Asunción is known as the center of music, poetry, and the arts. Ninety-two percent of Paraguay’s population professes to be of the Catholic faith. It’s here in this densely populated city that the Brethren Church in Asunción, Paraguay oversees numerous ministry opportunities.
Through “La Mission”, hundreds of needy children in one barrio are fed and nourished. One day a week the children receive a meal, a Bible teaching, and a snack. Twice a week the parents of these children receive a personal visit and are offered spiritual assistance in the hopes of establishing a new church in the area. The disadvantaged women of another neighborhood are offered sewing lessons and Bible studies, along with spiritual and practical encouragement.
In the “House of Our God”, Claudio preaches on Sundays. Throughout the week, povertystricken families learn that God cares for them and their needs. Please remember to pray for Claudio and Karina Castellis as they oversee the Brethren Church in Paraguay.
Global Partners Anniversaries & Birthdays: JANUARY Anniversaries: 10 – Prasanth and Nirmala Kumar 10 – Sudhir and Latha Kumar Birthdays: 11 – Rebecca Abuid 26 – Jose Rivero FEBRUARY Anniversaries: 8 – Marcelo and Adrianna Ferreri
A house that will one day be remodeled, the “Church of Hope” draws people from its neighborhood to worship God.
Birthdays: 8 – David Loi 13 – Nirmala Kumar 25 – Mateo Castellis MARCH Anniversaries: 7 – David and Cecilia Molina 19 – Tony and Jillian Van Duyne Birthdays: 17 – Luis Angel Morillas 19 – Miguel Quiroga
This year our Global Partners in Coria, Spain have begun some projects they’ve had on their hearts for some time.
“With this service to our community we want to go where their needs are, and give opportunities for people to know more about what we believe. We are going to offer workshops for community and personal development, activities for free time, for women, for kids (here we have to find the way so we
At nineteen, Nicolás Molina has one more year of studies. He hopes to continue his education in Madrid.
Because they were outgrowing their old facility, they wished to purchase some land and build a As their work load grows, new church building. But obviously so do their the downturn in the . . . we want to go where their needs ministry expenses. Some of economy has proven that the things we take for are, and give opportunities for people such an endeavor just isn’t granted, like simply having to know more about what we believe. feasible at this time. So enough gas in our vehicles they began seeking to transport people to and can help the soccer teams that alternatives. from church and Bible meetings, David coaches), etc. We want to or being able to offer a church be part of the transformation of They found that any existing, member a ride to the hospital, is our community with an integrated street level, commercial property becoming a financial burden to assistance, doing evangelism large enough to meet their needs the Brethren Church in Coria. and taking care of persons.” was financially beyond their reach. But the Lord provided a Yet, in all things the Molina’s The Molina’s are also ministering place just the right size for know that Christ is working for in Moraleja, a city of 8,000 near the ministries He desires to the good of the Brethren Church Coria. In homes in Moraleja, implement in their community. in Spain. They say: “Our Lord is they host discipleship and making great things here and we evangelism meetings. Cecilia writes: “This is going pray for new opportunities to to be for social work through extend his Good News. We an association called ‘Klesis’. appreciate so much your This association has been offerings, prayers and Birthday created by the Evangelical cards. Our work here is of each churches of Extremadura (for all one of you that is supporting us. Denominations) and we opened Thanks so much for being our a local office here in Coria. partners taking God’s Kingdom Although everyone knows who to every Nation.” we are, if we go as an evangelical church trying to do Lucas Molina, now twenty-two, David, cecilia, this community service, people has finished his two-year degree nicolas and lucas Molina won’t receive us, but as an but has yet to find a job in Coria. aDDRESS: association they will accept us.” He is faithful in managing the David Molina Youth Ministry as well as leading C/Panamá N 71 Cecilia received her degree in worship on Sundays. He also 1800 Coria, Cáceres Social education, and believes transports church and youth Espanã people will find her to be qualified members to and from Sunday to lead this association. services in his car. Email: dycmolina@gmail.com
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Catalyst Conference 2010 Retrospective In our ongoing efforts to “Mobilize the People of God to BE the Church,” almost two dozen Brethren and friends gathered October 6-8 near Atlanta for Catalyst 2010. Created as a conference to equip and inspire young, emerging church leaders to engage the mission, this event brings together many of today’s top thinkers and communicators from the Christian leadership world. Participants were asked to jot down some of their thoughts about what God used to challenge them. Below are some of the random impressions and nuggets of challenge that stuck in the minds of a few who attended. Paula Deardurff (Gretna) Craig Goeschel’s message challenged me to look at young people in the church in a different way. To look at them as people having faith, vision, and gifts to offer. That they are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today. As leaders, we need to be in dialogue with them to give them opportunities to lead, serve, share their visions, and validate their faith. I gained renewed hope by listening to Scott Harrison, Christine Caine, Tad Agoglia, and Gabe Lyons as they described their ministries to needs in the world. I was amazed at the number of exhibitors representing organizations with ministries to people and countries—being the church by touching lives and communities in need. This “church thing” is so much bigger than we know when we meet in our separate congregations on Sunday morning. God is at work in such a larger picture and scope than we can wrap our minds around—and he asks us to be a part of it!
Gary Diehl (North Georgetown) “The next generation isn’t leaving your church because they don’t want to be Christian. They’re leaving your church to find what it means to be the church” (Gabe Lyons). This is so evident in my church! Our 20’s and 30’s don’t come to our services, but when we do community service, they’re there and enthusiastic. They want to get involved. They want to help out and make a difference. But no matter how hard we try to get them to come to our small groups and church services the next Sunday, they find other reasons than to come, like sleeping in, making breakfast, or going on a short trip somewhere as a family.
Josh Coffee (Gretna)
Too many of us are so used to the bright lights we surround ourselves with that our “flashlights” are ineffective. If we’re going to be the light of the world, we need to go find some darkness and shine our lights there. ~ Christine Caine
One of the best things I heard all week was on the drive home when Jim Black said, “Maybe if we could get the older generation to understand and connect with the meta-story of what God is doing in the world, they would be less critical of the next generation.…” For me, that in itself was worth the trip. What we find strange when it comes to faith, is actually quite normal when we compare it to what takes place in the Bible. Some people, in the world’s eyes, take great risks because of faith, but to them, it’s just doing what Christians do. When we test our activities today, we should test them against the Bible.… 50-100 years from now, what will people look back and say about us? Will they say, “Wow, they left the church because they didn’t like the music? How weird is that?” “Wow, they dropped out on God because of an argument about pews? What are pews?” ~ Francis Chan
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My Unexpected Catalyst Lesson Isn’t it funny how we try to put events like well-known conferences or speakers on stage and expect them to entertain? There is an expectation set for excellence. If there are no glitches in the presentation, if the content is relevant to me, if there is an emotional connection, then and only then will I put my “worth my time/money/effort” stamp on it. I was sitting in one of the labs (workshops) with Susie Black. The title of the lab was, “Platform: What It Is, Why You Need It, And How You Build It.” I entered the room thinking the speaker would share with us some great wisdom regarding public speaking. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized that this guy’s agenda was to promote blogging. I was upset with myself for not sitting in an end seat so I could scoot out without being rude. I pretty much made up my mind a while back that anything I wanted to say to people, I could say to their face. You know what happens when YOU make up your mind about something… Why do I waste God’s time deciding what I will and won’t do? At the end of what I thought was a wasted Lab, it hit me: I needed to have a blog for teen girls. It has been a passion of mine for some time to share the truth with girls about sexuality, fashion, and self-esteem. “A good leader will influence their audience. A great leader will influence the world.” While I did not fully soak these words in before, I can fully understand and accept them now. Up to this point, I may have been making a difference in the lives of the girls who were and are in my youth group. I never thought about reaching out to make a difference in the life of a teen girl who may never walk into a church. My new blog can now be found at www.brendaweb.wordpress.com. Susie Black and Brenda Webster ~ Brenda Webster (College Corner) at Catalyst
Mt. Olive Holds Annual “Glowfest”
GLOWFEST has come and gone but will not be forgotten. We had over 500 people attend Glowfest this year. The weather was perfect as children jumped in the inflatable building; slid down inflatable slides; cuddled with animals in the petting zoo; topped their hot dogs with catsup or mustard; enjoyed a puppet show to the tune of “Shine” and gathered candy at game stations. It was a delight for all who participated. G.L.O.W. stands for “God Lights Our Way” and provides a healthy alternative to going house to house for candy. At Glowfest, you are with friends. At Glowfest you are welcomed by people who love Jesus. At Glowfest you are given an opportunity to actively participate with your children, Children of all ages, 1 to 80, transform the parking lot and field into an evening of fun and fellowship. We would like to thank those who helped to make this all possible. Our thanks to Lillian Barnhart and Jan Alexander for providing the vision and leadership. Our thanks to all the volunteers who worked with sound, music, puppets, games and inflatable buildings. Our thanks to all who helped set up and take down. And, our thanks to those who contributed financially. As the inflatable buildings were being aired out and rolled up, eight to ten people stayed around to help those who owned the buildings. Some of the buildings weigh up to four hundred pounds. The crew that was responsible for the buildings looked at one of our volunteers and said, “We have put these up at a lot of churches and this is the first time that someone has stayed around to help us out.” Our hats are off to all who helped make this a great evening for the glory of God. ~ Gail Heiston, McGaheysville, VA
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in memory
Milton Robinson Rev. Milton Mahlan Robinson, 88, of Oak Hill, West Virginia passed away on Sunday, November 21, 2010. Born June 27, 1922 at Philadelphia, Pa., he was the son of the late Raymond and Wilma Bowman Robinson. Milton received his BA degree in History and English from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. He received his Divinity degree from the Baptist Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa. and later earned a Masters degree in History and English from the University of California at Berkeley. Always a hard worker, he delivered milk, was a bread salesman, drove a taxi and worked as an extra doing TV shows. He taught school for the Fayette County Board of Education and was a minister at the Oak Hill First Brethren Church in the ’50s. The Rev. Robinson was a school teacher and principal while living in California as well as pastoring several Brethren churches there. He pastored in Maryland and Texas and helped organize the Sheriff Chaplaincy program in Fayette County. Milt was a member of the Oak Hill First Brethren Church, the Oak Hill Lions Club and the Fayette Ministerial Association. His first wife, Georgia Liskey Robinson; a daughter, Georgia Kay Leslie and two brothers, Ronald Robinson and Hershal Robinson, all preceded him in death. Survivors include his wife, Lois Criss Hall Robinson; one son, Milton David Robinson of New York; two daughters, Sandra Robinson Ott of Nevada and Susan Transano of California; one stepson, Gregory Keith Hall of Smithers; two step-daughters, Susanne Pennington of Oak Hill and Beverly Lynn Hall of Oak Hill and a sister, Verda Robinson Zdeb of Delaware. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held on November 24, 2010, at Tyree Funeral Home in Oak Hill with Rev. William Skeldon officiating. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the First Brethren Church, PO Box 82, Oak Hill WV 25901.
James Naff
Rev. James Isaac Naff went to be with the Lord on Monday, November 22, 2010. A funeral service was held on Saturday, November 27 with Pastors Freddie Helsley and Richard Craver officiating. Jim was born on December 8, 1932 in Buena Vista, VA. He was the son of the late Paul and Lucille Cline Naff. He is survived by his wife, Ethel Rae Lowmaster Naff, whom he married June 3, 1952; four children and their spouses, Karen Crisman of Mt. Jackson, Craig (Kathy) Naff of Woodstock, Mark (Elizabeth) Naff of Hampton, Beth (Daniel) Bell of Pinkerton, OH; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, David Naff, of Rock Hill, SC. Pastor Naff was the member of St. Luke Brethren Church in St. Luke, VA and a member of the National Association of Brethren Church Elders. He was a graduate of Emmanuel College of the Bible, Ashland University (College), and Ashland Theological Seminary. He pastored Brethren churches for 45 years, including Vandergrift, PA; Masontown, PA; St. James, MD; Woodstock, VA; Peru, IN; and Williamstown, OH. Jim served as District Moderator in the Pennsylvania and Southeastern Districts; Camp Director in the Pennsylvania, Southeastern,and Ohio Districts. He served on District Ministerial Examining Boards and as a member and Vice President of the Missionary Board of the Brethren Church. While pastoring St. Luke Brethren Church he worked as well at Aileen, Inc. at the Edinburg Plant as in-plant Print Shop manager for nearly 10 years. Memorial contributions may be made to the Missionary Board of the Brethren Church, or the St. Luke Church Building Fund, 3250 Back Road, Woodstock, VA 22664.
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! d n e t t a o t W O N Plan
2011 General Conference July 13-17, 2011
2011 Conference Workshops 1. Missional Panel
Wondering what others are doing to be missional in their own community? This session will allow you to hear about a variety of missional activities and allow you to explore with your leadership some new ideas for how your congregation can engage in transformation in your community,
2. _A Path for Discipleship: the 5 R’s Hugh Halter
Everyone can benefit from a little guidance. This session will give you practical tools to help you guide someone toward making healthy, biblically sound decisions without needing to tell them what to do.
3. Reggie McNeal
If you experienced Reggie McNeal last year, you probably already have some questions that you want to ask about developing a missional culture in your church. Here’s your chance. Reggie will offer more insights as well as Q & A.
4. Hugh Halter
Curious about what a “Tangible Kingdom” really could look like or how a “Gathered and Scattered” church could function? Hugh Halter will offer some reflections and provide an opportunity to dive into details that main sessions just can’t provide.
5. Nuts & Bolts
Reggie McNeal
Every church has to deal with it—taxes, budgeting, insurance, retirement, salaries, etc.—do you know how to make the best decisions? This session will highlight a variety of experts in various fields to help you ask the right questions and allow you to ask the experts your own questions.
6. Pastoral Transitions: Intentional Interim
Every church experiences pastoral change. How can you make the best use of this transitional time? What are the best questions for your church to ask? What needs to happen to best prepare a congregation for a new season of ministry with a new pastor? Whether your church is in this spot or you desire to help other churches understand these transitions, this session is for you.
7. Stewarding the Call
Every individual and church has a God-given calling. Do you know what yours is? Whether you are seeking clarity for your local church or for yourself, this session will provide practical tools to help in the journey of discovering and exploring your call.
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The Brethren Evangelist (SSN 0747-4288) is published six times a year by The Brethren Church, Inc., 524 College Ave., Ashland, OH 44805-3792 (telephone: 419-289-1708; email: brethren@ brethrenchurch.org; fax: 419-281-0450. Authors’ views are not necessarily those of The Brethren Church. Subscription rates: Sent free to Brethren Church members; $15.00 per year to others. Member, Evangelical Press Association. Postage: Paid at Ashland, Ohio. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Brethren Church, 524 College Ave., Ashland, OH 44805-3792. November/December 2010, Vol. 132, No. 6
The Brethren Church 524 College Ave. Ashland, OH 44805
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Brethren Ministry Our Annual Fund exists because so many of you have a desire to support the mission and ministries of the Brethren Church above and beyond your support to your local congregation. In these financially uncertain times, this “over and above” support is so much needed to keep our vision on track.
Yes! I’d Like to Help ______________________One time Gift _________________________________ Name _________________________________ Address _________________________________ City, State, Zip _________________________________ Phone # ________________________________ Home Church Please complete the information above, detach this form, and mail it to the address below, or call the toll-freenumber. Secure contributions may also be made online through PayPal by going to www.brethrenchurch.org/contributions. Scroll down to “Annual Fund” and follow the prompts. Thanks for contributing to the Annual Fund. The Brethren Church 524 College Ave. Ashland, OH 44805
1-877-289-1708
We believe that leaders make the difference in our local churches, and we further believe that the hope of each community is the church. That’s why we continue to work diligently at encouraging and equipping local church leaders, and then keep working to strengthen existing and plant new churches. We know that our world is being transformed as the church goes on mission locally and globally. If you feel the same way, we ask that you prayerfully consider a year-end gift to the Annual Fund. Your support means so much to us here at the Brethren Church National Office, to all of us who join together in this vision, and to a needy world. Your gifts make a difference for now and for eternity! Thank you for your gift to the Annual Fund!
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