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BRETHREN        MISSIONARY 

HERALD 


VOL  58  NO.  1 


JANUARY/FEBRUARY,  1996 

$2.00 


Into  THE 

^RMS  OF  JESU 

Ifs  not  just  for 
Pre-Teens 

VIiLLiE  Davis 

:ONFERENCE 
VOMEN 

Aay  I  Introduc 
^ou  to  Kevin  ai. 
ill  Yohe? 

.ady  Lancers:  Na  ' 
Champions! 

breaking  the  S 
VIorning  Mold 


i 


\ 


Bring  in  the  New  Year  with  the  Herald 
Magazine  and  Your  Membership! 


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BRETHREN         MISS10^JARY 

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^^DITORIAL 


Jeff  Carroll 


AILS 


I  heard  a  sfory  the  other  day  that 
is  worth  passing  on.  A  certain 
man  wanted  to  sell  his  house  for 
$10,000.  Another  man  wanted  to 
buy  it  very  badly,  but  he  was  a  poor 
man  and  could  not 
afford  to  pay  the  full 
price.  After  much 
dickering,  the 
owner  agreed 
to  sell  the 
house     to 


\ooo 


n 

■I 


the  man  for  $5,000.  But,  the  reduced 
price  came  with  a  stipulation.  The 
owner  would  sell  the  house,  but  he 
would  y>  keep  ownership 
of  a  large  y^<S.  nail  protruding 
from  ^^  over  the  front 
door. 


After  several  years,  the 
original  owner  decided  he 
wanted  to  buy  the  house  hack. 
Understandably,  the  ^ 

new  owner  refused  to 
sell.  So  the  original 
owner  went  out,  found 
the  carcass  of  a  dead 
dog  in  the  street  and 
hung  it  from  the  nail 
that  he  still  owned.  Soon  the 
house  became  unlivable,  and  the 
new  owner  was  forced  to  sell  to 
the  owner  of  the  nail. 

As  the  storyteller  con- 


cluded, 
d  evil 
small 
life,      he 
to  hang  his 
on  it." 


we  leave  the 
with  even  one 
peg  in  our 
will  return 
rotting  garbage 


When  Dave  Bogue  came  to 
our  church  recently,  he  con- 
cluded the  service  by  inviting 
people  to  come  up  and  get  a  nail. 
The  purpose  of  the  nail  was  to 
remind  us  all  of  the  sacrifice 
Jesus  made  on  the  cross  for  our 
sins.  Hopefullv,  we  would  be 
encouraged  to  faithfully  witness 


to   others   about  |-_^ 

our 

faith  in  the               /___/ 

~-~~-.^ 

Lord  Jesus.  That 

~\     ^x 

nail  has  also  served 

1      /""^N 

to  alert  me  to 

/     1 

something  else.  It 

/      /   has 

much  to  do  with     / 

/   rny 

future.  It  reminds      / 

/   me  to 

diligently  guard      / 

/   the 

front  door  of  my      / 

/   life.  I 

cannot  afford  to      / 

/   gi\'e  the 

enemy  access      / 

/  to  even 

one  nail.               C 

Where's  my  hammer? 


New  Year 
COMMITMENT 

I  am  part  of  the  "Fellowship 
of  the  Unashamed."  I  have  Holy 
Spirit  power.  The  die  has  been 
cast.  I've  stepped  over  the  line. 
The  decision  has  been  made.  I 
am  a  disciple  of  His.  I  won't 
look  back,  let  up,  slow  down, 
back  away,  or  be  still.  My  past  is 
redeemed,  my  present  makes 
sense,  and  my  future  is  secure.  I 
am  finished  and  done  with  low 
living,  sight  walking,  small 
planning,  smooth  knees, 
colorless  dreams,  tame  visions, 
mundane  talking,  chintzy 
giving,  and  dwarfed  goals! 

I  no  longer  need 
preeminence,  prosperity, 
position,  promotions,  plaudits, 
or  popularity.  I  don't  have  to  be 
right,  first,  tops,  recognized, 
praised,  regarded,  or  rewarded.  I 
now  live  by  presence,  learn  by 
faith,  love  by  patience,  live  by 
prayer,  and  labor  by  power. 

My  face  is  set,  my  gait  is  fast, 
my  goal  is  heaven,  my  road  is 
narrow,  my  way  is  rough,  my 
companions  few,  my  guide 
reliable,  my  mission  clear.  I 
cannot  be  bought,  compromised, 
detoured,  lured  away,  turned 
back,  diluted,  or  delayed.  I  will 
not  flinch  in  the  face  of  sacrifice, 
hesitate  in  the  presence  of 
adversity,  negotiate  at  the  table 
of  the  enemy,  ponder  at  the  pool 
of  popularity,  or  meander  in  the 
maze  of  mediocrity. 

I  won't  give  up,  shut  up,  let  go, 
or  slow  up  until  I've  preached  up, 
prayed  up,  paid  up,  stored  up,  and 
stayed  up  for  the  cause  of  Christ 

1  am  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  I 
must  go  till  He  comes,  give  till  I 
drop,  preach  till  all  know,  and 
work  till  He  stops. 

And  when  He  comes  to  get 
His  own.  He'll  have  no 
problems  recognizing  me  . . .  my 
colors  will  be  clear. 


JaNVARYiPeBRVARY  1996 


R   E  T  H   R  E   N 


I   S  S  I   O  N  A  RY 


HERALD 


VOL.  58N0.1 


JANUARY/FEBRUARY  1996 


5 

6 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

16 

19 


EDITORIAL 

Nails 

FEATURE 

Breaking  the  Sunday  Morning  Mold 

FRONTLINE 

Kie\'  Diary 

SPECIAL 

Grace  Brethren  Boys 

PEOPLE  WE  MEET 

Millie  Davis 

WMC 

Terry 

GRACE 

$1.5  Million  Donation 

FAITHFUL 

May  I  Introduce  You  to  .  .  . 

MISSIONS 

"Into  the  Arms  of  Jesus" 

SPORTS 

Lady  Lancers 

NEWS 

GB  News  Update 

LAMP  LIGHT 

God  Doesn't  Wear  Nikes 
by  Deborah  Willis 


HeralD 


Cover:  Pastor  Chuck  Davis  and 
his  wife  Millie  Dai'is.  She  is  the 
coordinator  for  the  Women's 
Retreat  in  Orlando,  FL. 


Publisher:  Jeff  Ctirroll 
Managing  Editor:  James  E.  Serra 
Printer:  Evangel  Press 

Department  Editors: 

CE  National:  Ed  Lewis 

International  Missions:  Tom  Julien,  Jenifer  Wilcoxson 

Grace  Schools:  Ron  Manahan 

Home  Missions:  Larry  Chamberlain 

Women's  Missionary  Council:  Mary  Thompson 

Herald  Newsline:  219-267-7826 

The  Brethren  Missionary  Herald  is  a  bimonthly 
publication  of  The  Fellowship  of  Grace  Brethren  Churches. 
Brethren  Missionary  Herald  Co.,  P.O.  Box  544, 1104  Kings 
Highway,  Winona  Lake,  IN  46590. 

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F 


EATUPE 


Breaking  the  Siinda^^ 
Morning  MOLD  m  Pmd  vancl 


nother  church?" 
Tliat's  what  many  people 
.  thought  when  the  Winona 
Lake  Grace  Brethren  Church  an- 
nounced plans  to  plant  another  church 
in  Warsaw,  Indiana.  There  are  o\'er  40 
churches  in  Warsaw  and  Winona  Lake. 
What  difference  could  one  more  make? 

But  when  Warsaw's  newest 
church  had  their  grand  opening  on 
October  1,  1995,  it  was  clear  Jesus 
was  ready  to  build  one  more.  And 
this  one  looked  a  lot  different  from 
His  others.  There  was  no  cross,  no 
stained  glass  windows,  no  organ,  no 
hymns,  no  rituals,  and  no  pastor 

Instead,  tlie  291  people  who  came 
out  to  see  New  Horizon  Community 
Church's  first  public  ser\'ice  saw  a  band 
tliat  had  a  soft-rock  sound,  a  lead  singer 
and  backup  singers  of  professional 
quaUtv',  a  drama  that  poked  fiin  at  the 
"l^Lrds  and  the  bees,"  and  a  talk-not  a 
sermon-that  laimched  the  series, 
"E\'er)'thing  you  e\'er  wanted  to  know 
about  God  but  were  afraid  to  ask." 

The  new  church  is  out  to 
surprise  people  who  ha\'e  gi\-en  up 
on  church.  It  is  the  first  church  in 
Warsaw  to  design  a  Sunday  morning 
service  exclusively  for  people  who  do 
not  now  attend  church.  Word-of- 
mciuth  has  been  their  sole  advertising 
and  it  seems  to  have  worked  well. 

"Everything  we  do  on  Sunday 
morning  is  geared  for  people  we  call 
'unchurched,'"  says  Brad  Skiles, 
senior  leader  for  the  church.  "We 
have  a  small  group  of  people  who 
meet  weekly  to  critique  the  Sunday 
service.  Their  whole  focus  is  whether 
our  music,  drama,  theme,  and 
message  connected  with  unchurched 
people.  We  ha\'e  redesigned  the 
church  service  to  provide  a  place  for 
people  to  learn  about  God  without 


feeling  pressure  to  make  a  decision. 
We  realize  that  faith  is  a  process  and 
we  allow  people  to  go  through  that 
process  at  their  own  pace." 

The  idea  to  start  this  new  type  of 
church  in  Warsaw,  came  out  of  a  series 
of  earlv  morning  meetings  that  began  in 
September  of  1994.  Eight  men  commit- 
ted themsek'es  to  meet  weekly  to  pray, 
study  Acts,  and  discuss  the  possibiHtv 
of  starting  a  church  that  would  present 
the  message  of  tlie  Bible  in  a  contempo- 
rary way.  The  group  was  an  urdikely 
mix  of  interests  and  ages.  Ranging  from 
an  early-tv\'ent\'-vear-  old  to  a  70  vear- 
old,  tlie  group  was  made  up  of  a  college 
professor,  a  retired  missionary,  two 
financial  planners,  a  denominational 
executive,  a  lead  singer  for  a  hard-rock 
band,  a  videographer,  and  an  owner  of 
an  area  foundry. 

Early  in  the  de\'elopmental 
process,  John  Tee\'an,  pastor  of  the 
home  church  for  these  men,  was 
brought  into  tlie  decision.  Soon  the 
vision  for  the  new  church  became  a  way 
of  fiilfiUing  the  mother  church's  plans  to 
reach  out  to  different  people  groups. 

In  January  of  1995,  the  October 
1  launch  date  was  chosen.  Then 
meetings  in  the  mother  church  were 
used  to  communicate  the  strategy 
for  reaching  out  to  some  8,000 
unchurched  people  in  this  rural 
community.  From  Januarv  through 
May,  the  mother  church  helped 
nurture  the  movement  and  encour- 
aged its  development.  By  June,  50 
adults  left  area  churches  to  pursue 
the  church  planting  \'enture. 

From  June  through  September, 
tlie  new  church  met  weekly  on  Sunday 
morning  in  a  "Spiritiial  Boot  Camp" 
phase.  Sunday  morning  topics  and 
small  group  acti\ities  began  educating 
and  expanding  tliis  core  in  anticipation 


of  a  new  design  for  church.  Then  the 
October  1  laimch  vje&  a  tremendous 
affimiation  of  how  God  is  working. 

Although  their  Sunday  morn- 
ing service  attracts  attention,  this 
new  church  wants  to  be  known  for 
what  happens  on  other  days  of  the 
week.  "We  view  Sunday  morning  as 
a  funnel,"  states  Skiles.  "When 
people  are  ready  to  take  a  next  step, 
we  ha\'e  lots  of  ways  to  get  into 
smaller  groups  which  meet  during 
the  week.  Someday,  we'll  be  known 
as  a  church  of  small  groups  .  .  . 
where  it  is  easy  to  make  new  friends 
and  feel  a  part  of  a  family." 

Behind  the  scenes  of  this  church 
is  another  uriique  strategy.  With  a 
core  of  about  130  attendees,  the 
church  has  yet  to  name  a  pastor  "We 
decided  we  didn't  want  a  church 
where  it  was  expected  the  pastor 
would  do  all  the  work,"  says  Skiles. 
"We  ha\e  se\'eral  talented  people 
sharing  the  role  of  a  pastor  and  nearly 
everyone  in  our  core  is  in\oh'ed  in 
some  aspect  of  ser\'ice.  One  of  our 
values  is  to  train  leaders  and  our 
current  structure  gi\'es  many  oppor- 
trmities  for  leadership  de\'elopment." 

Tliroughout  the  nation  people 
have  been  praying  for  tliis  churcli 
planting  effort.  Commenting  on  the 
preservice  prayer  time,  one  of  the  New 
Horizon  leaders  said,  "It  was  such  a 
special  moment.  As  we  started  to  pray  I 
could  feel  the  prayers  of  many  people 
across  tlie  nation  who  have  been 
remembering  us."  The  new  churcli  is  so 
gratehil  for  tiie  pra\'er  support  of  its 
motiier  diurcli  and  friends  tiiroughout 
the  Grace  Brethren  Fellowship.  God  has 
been  aixsweiing  tliose  prayers  . . .  one 
demonstration  being  the  many  un- 
churched people  who  came  on  tlieir 
first  Sunday.  • 


_^^      Jam  ARY/pEBRLARY  1996 


F 


RONTLINE 


KIEVniARY 

by  John  W.  Schumacher 


During  period  of  September  1 
through  September  9,  Martha 
and  I  found  ourselves  in- 
\'oh'ed  in  an  opportunity  for  minis- 
try we  could  never  have  imagined 
possible,  even  in  our  wildest  dreams. 
The  words  of  Paul  in  2  Corinthians 
2:12  kept  coming  back  to  me:  "...  a 
door  was  opened  to  me  of  the  Lord." 
We  were  in  the  city  of  Kiev, 
Ukraine,  "half  a  world  away" 
from  the  comforts  of  home  and 
"a  world  away"  from  the  com- 
forts of  politics,  language  and 
culture  that  we  so  easily  . . .  and 
so  often  .  .  .  take  for  granted. 

Where  do  events  like 
these  have  their  begirmings?  I 
can  easily  remember  the  night 
I  met  Sergei  Timchenko  in  the 
home  of  my  friend  and  co- 
worker in  the  National 
Association  of  Evangelical 
Chaplains  Commission, 
retired  chaplain  Jim  Edgren. 
Sergei  had  pastored  an 
underground  church  in  a 
community  outside  the  city  of  Kiev, 
uncomfortably  close  to  the 
Chernobyl  nuclear  power  plant. 
When  the  "Iron  Curtain"  lifted, 
Sergei  was  permitted  to  move  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  to  begin  what 
was  to  become  a  five  year  study 
program  at  Denver  Conservative 
Baptist  Seminary.  Now  he  was 
returning  to  Kiev  where  he  had  been 
invited,  because  of  his  newly 
acquired  "Western"  education,  to 
assume  the  "chair"  of  the  Religion 
Department  at  the  University  of 
Kiev,  Mohyla  Academy.  One  of  his 
burning  desires  was  to  offer  a  course 
at  the  University  that  would  reflect 
what  he  had  experienced  in  the 
United  States.  He  wanted  to  call  his 


course,  "Christianity  and  Democ- 
racy". Unknown  to  me,  he  was 
looking  for  "professors"  he  could 
in\'ite  to  Kie\'  to  help  him  present 
this  academic  opportunity  for 
Ukrainian  college  students.  My 
good  friend,  Jim  Edgren,  said  to 
Sergei,  "talk  to  John,  he  taught 
Ethics  at  the  Army  War  College". 


John  Schumacher  (R)  in  a  Ukrainian  University  classroom. 


After  a  brief  conversation,  Sergei 
looked  at  me  and  simply,  but 
sincerely  asked,  "John,  would  you 
come  to  Kiev  and  lecture  on  ethics  at 
mv  university?"  With  almost  no 
confidence  that  anything  like  that 
could  ever  happen  to  me,  I  told  my 
new  friend,  "if  the  Lord  opens  the 
door,  I  will  come". 

The  event  is  much  greater  and 
more  comprehensive  than  this  space 
can  contain,  but  the  Lord's  loving 
providence  brought  us  to  the 
moment  when  we  were  at  last  on 
board  our  767  Martinair  Holland  jet, 
Ukrainian  visas  and  40  pages  of 
manuscript  in  hand,  ready  for  "take 
off",  fully  knowing  that  the  best 
preparation  we  could  have  done 


would  not  be  enough  for  what  lies 
ahead  of  us. 

Thursday,  August  31:  We 
depart  SeaTac  International  Airport 
for  our  10  hour  flight  to  Amsterdam. 
About  2  hours  out  of  Amsterdam, 
the  sky  turns  a  brilliant  red,  the 
most  spectacular  sunrise  we  have 
ever  seen.  "Thank  you  Lord,  for 
such  a  powerful  reminder  of  Who  is 
really  in  control  of  the  incredible 
journey!"  After  a  four  hour  layover 
in  Amsterdam,  we  board  our 
Ukraine  Airline  737  jet  for  our  three 
hour  journey  to  Kiev.  I  find  this  part 
of  our  journey  a  time  for  quiet  but 
fairly  intense  reflection. 

Friday,  September 
1:  We  land  in  Kiev,  quite 
weary  from  our  journey 
and  experiencing  a  ten 
hour  jet  lag,  go  through 
customs  and  finally  into 
the  airport  lobby, 
desperately  searching  to 
find  the  familiar  face  of 
Sergei.  Almost  45 
minutes  later,  after  one 
more  prayer  reminding 
the  Lord  that  He  is  "in 
charge",  I  look  up  to  see 
Sergei  coming  toward 
me.  1  hug  him.  I  have 
never  been  happier  to 
see  a  familiar  face!  We 
are  taken  through  the  city  of  Kiev  to 
an  apartment  building  as  long  as  a 
football  field  and  12  stories  high, 
containing  over  4,000  people.  We 
will  stay  with  Ludmila  Gluchomen, 
a  native  Ukrainian,  who  had  studied 
and  lived  in  the  US  during  the 
"Cold  War"  years.  For  most  of  that 
time,  she  had  been  completely  out  of 
contact  with  her  family.  She  is  now  a 
missionary  serving  in  the  Ukraine 
with  "Great  Commission  Missions". 
She  knows  both  cultures  and  is 
fluent  in  both  languages.  We  begin 
to  feel  a  little  more  secure. 

Saturday,  September  2:  After  a 
"fitful"  night  of  "rest,"  we  awake  to 
our  first  full  day  in  a  part  of  the 
world  about  which  the  West  knows 


HeralD 


so  little.  We  spend  the  afternoon  sight- 
seeing and,  early  that  evening,  find 
ourselves  tra\'eling  across  the  city  with 
a  "taxi"  driver  ("taxis"  in  Kiev  are  pri- 
vately owned  cars  you  are  able  to  flag 
down,  whose  drivers  expect  a  fee  for 
their  service),  who  is  a  former  Ukrai- 
nian soldier  and  former  member  of  the 
Communist  party.  We  share  Christ  with 
him,  through  our  host,  and  he  responds 
with  sincere  interest.  We  attend  a  two 
and  a  half  hour  service  in  a  Baptist 
church  where  I  am  invited  to  give  a  tes- 
timony 2ind  sing  .  .  .  and  where  I  am 
greeted  by  an  old  Ukrainian  gentleman 
with  a  "holy  kiss"  square  on  my  mouth! 

Sunday,  Septem- 
ber 3:  The  morning  is 
ours  and  we  cherish 
every  quiet  moment. 
We  travel  to  another 
Baptist  church  for 
another  two  and  a  half 
hour  service  where, 
again,  I  am  invited  to 
sing  and  give  my 
testimony.  (No  kiss  .  .  . 
but  1  am  asked  by  one 
gentleman  if  I  have 
ever  sung  opera.  I  think 
it  is  a  compliment!)  We 
meet  Sergei's  wife, 
Irana,  and  his  children, 
Marsha,  Kata,  Andre 
and  Ilya.  We  are  also  privileged  to 
meet  his  sisters,  Anna  and  Olga  and 
Olga's  husband,  Slava,  a  physician. 
Precious  Christians.  We  are  re- 
minded how  artificial  barriers  melt 
away  quickly  when  you  meet  a  new 
brother  or  sister  in  Christ.  We  can't 
imagine  what  Heaven  wiU  be  Like  . . . 
but  this  is  at  least  a  "tiny"  glimpse! 

Monday,  September  4:  We 
journey  by  "Metro"  (their  subway 
system  that  "feels"  like  it  must  be  at 
least  200  miles  of  tunnel)  to  the 
University  where  we  have  a  very 
enjoyable  office  call  with  Dr.  Gorski, 
head  of  the  Department  of  Religion 
and  Philosophy.  We  see  more  of  the 
city.  Government  buildings  still 
have  the  "hammer  and  sickle" 
prominently  displayed.  Sergei  tells 


us  that  it  means  nothing  now  but  is 
just  too  hard  to  "chip"  it  off.  Late 
afternoon  finds  us  at  the  Military 
Academy  where  they  train  their 
middle-management  "career" 
officers.  I  ha\'e  been  invited  to 
lecture  on  ethics.  It  is  a  "first"  for  the 
Academy.  Few,  if  any,  Americans 
have  ever  been  invited  to  speak  to 
these  students  and  they  have  never 
heard  a  lecture  on  ethics.  Questions 
are  asked,  the  dialogue  is  energiz- 
ing. I  feel  I  have  genuinely  "con- 
nected." 1  am  able  to  share  my  faith 
and  the  "faith  of  my  fathers"  who 
gave  birth  to  a  nation  that  has 


Mr.  mid  Mrs.  Schiimachereiijoii  a  dinner  unth  Victor  Kidaknnch, 
CItesnokov,  Vladimir  Mandrageeja,  Alexic  Pavlovich  and  Ih:  Edi 


embraced  a  moral,  ethical  value 
system  from  its  earliest  days,  deeply 
rooted  in  the  Judeo-Christian 
tradition. 

Tuesday,  September  5:  The 
morning  is  quiet.  On  the  way  to  the 
University,  we  pass  by  a  fatality 
accident.  The  body  is  sHll  lying  in 
the  street.  It  is  symbolic  to  me  of  the 
desperate  plight  of  so  many  who 
live  in  the  part  of  the  "Former  Soviet 
Union".  The  course  is  introduced  by 
Dr.  Gorski  and  I  am  introduced  by 
Sergei.  As  Sergei  begins  to  interpret 
for  me,  he  is  interrupted  by  several 
of  the  students.  He  looks  at  me  and 
tells  me,  "they  do  not  want  me  to 
interpret  for  you,  they  want  to  hear 
you  only  in  English".  What  a  gift! 
Lecturing  through  an  interpreter  is 


exhausting  and  limiting  (I  was 
"wiped  out"  after  the  lecture  at  the 
Military  Academy).  The  platform 
time  is  long,  over  two  hours.  Again, 
I  have  the  opportunity  to  share  my 
faith  and  our  precious  Christian 
heritage.  Again,  the  dialogue  with 
the  students  is  energizing  and 
exciting.  Our  evening  meal  has  been 
prepared  by  Sergei's  mother, 
Ludmila.  It  is  ethnic  food,  which  is 
simple,  but  quite  tasty  and  filling. 
When  we  finish  eating,  I  am  invited 
to  do  a  mini-concert.  It  is  a  very 
touching  experience  for  both  of  us.  I 
sing  Ludmila's  favorite,  "The 

Hiding  Place"  to  an 
accompaniment  played 
bv  a  "gifted  pianist" 
(Martha!)  playing  a 
very  out  of  tune  piano. 
"Grandma"  Timchenko 
clasps  her  hands  under 
her  chin  and  lovingly 
smiles  and  quietly  tells 
us,  "spaceba!  spaceba!" 
("thank  you,  thank 
vou").  It  is  a  moment 
we  will  always  remem- 
ber and  cherish.  Our 
return  "home"  is  not 
une\'entful!  We  are 
escorted  by  Grandma 
to  a  bus.  We  come  to 
the  end  of  the  bus  route  and  are 
required  to  exit  the  bus.  It  is  late  at 
night,  and  we  have  no  idea  where 
we  are,  except  that  we  are  with 
"Grandma",  who  is  also  lost  and 
who  speaks  no  English.  It  is  hard  to 
imagine  a  situation  where  one  could 
feel  more  insecure!  We  finally  arrive 
at  our  "home,"  driven  there  by  a 
reluctant  "taxi"  driver.  He  is  in  a 
hurry  and  drives  recklessly  fast.  I 
think  of  the  title  to  an  old  movie, 
"From  Here  To  Eternity"  (!!),  but  we 
make  it  and  Luda's  familiar  apart- 
ment looks  almost  as  inviting  as  my 
own  front  room  in  Olympia! 

Wednesday,  September  6: 1 
had  been  scheduled  to  address  the 

(continued  on  page  18) 


Dr.  \^adimir 
vard  Afoniii. 


til 


Cii^L- 


January/February  1996 


s 


FECIAL 


GRACE  BRETHREN  BOYS 

It's  not  Just  for  the  Pre-Teen   - 

rrrr^ by  Bob  Smoker 


What  is  the  age  group 
that  you  usually  associ- 
ate with  Grace  Breth- 
ren Boys?  Most  likely  your 
answer  is  grades  one  through 
six.  Many  churches  have  Grace 
Brethren  Boys  for  the  older  boys 
as  well.  The  Grace  Brethren  Bovs 
program  has  always  included  the 
older  boys,  taking  them  beyond 
the  elementary  level  with  more 
ad\'anced  material  and  activities, 
and  incorporating  them  into  the 
leadership  structure. 

This  renewed  interest 
among  the  older  boys  is  linked 
to  the  "Adventure  Team."  Being 
part  of  the  A-Team  means  that 
the  boy  has  demonstrated  certain 
qualities  and  skills  as  well  as 
reaching  the  right  age. 


This 
past  June  22, 
members  of 
the  A-team 
along  with 
22  men 
participated 
in  the  Grace 
Brethren 
Boys  High 
Adventure 
held  in  the 
Adirondack 
Park  of  up 
state  New 
York.  The 


large  num- 
ber was 
more  than 

expected  and  is  an  indication 
that  there  is  considerable  interest 
among  our  men  and  boys  for  this 
program. 


Older  and  younger  men  enjoy  the  great  outdoors. 


bined  in  a  wilderness  setting 
away  from  the  rest  of  the  world, 
and  when  man  and  boy  are 
stretched  spiritually,  emotion- 
ally, and  physically,  good  things 
happen.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
Grace  Brethren  Boys,  for  the 
older  boys,  is  growing. 

We  are  praising  God  for 
what  He  is  doing  with  and 
through  the  ministry  of  Grace 
Brethren  Boys.  Churches  inter- 
ested in  learning  more  about  this 
ministry  should  contact: 


Tlie  young  men  of  the  Grace  Brethren  Boys 
in  the  wilderness. 


Roger  Mills,  National  Director 
118  Salem  Ct. 

Reynoldsburg,  OH  43068 
1-800-GRACE-12 


HeralD 


/ 


NTERVIEW 


ONE  on  ONE  with 

The  People 
We  Meet 


MILLIE  DAVIS 

Conference  on  Women 


Q 


:  Millie  Davis  is  from  Orlando, 
Florida.Wliat  is  tlie  project  that 
is  on  your  heart  right  now? 


A;  Well,  the  main  thing  that  is 
on  my  heart  right  now  is  the  hurting 
pastor's  wives  or  women  who  are  in 
the  ministry  today. 

Q:  You  are  going  to  have  a 
retreat.  When  is  that  going  to  be? 

A:  The  retreat  is  going  to  be  in 
April,  the  22nd  tlirough  tlie  25tli,  1996. 

Q:  Where  is  it  going  to  be  held? 

A:  It's  going  to  be  held  at  the 
Hilton  Beach  Resort  and  Conx'ention 
Center  in  Daytona  Beach,  Florida. 

Q:  Tliis  is  especially  for  pastor's 
wives.  Is  this  correct? 

A:  It  is  for  women  who  are  in  tlie 
ministry  or  their  husbands  who  are  in 
tlie  ministn,';  tliat  is  minister  of  music, 
minister  of  education,  whatever. 

Q:  Wliat  is  tlie  goal  of  tliis  retreat? 

A:  The  goal  of  this  retreat  is 
to  help  those  pastors'  wives  to 


understand  their  role,  to  be  able 
to  cope  with  it,  to  fill  in  that  gap. 

Q:  You  shared  with  us  a 
statistic  on  people  unhappy  as 
couples  in  the  ministry.  Would  you 
share  that  again? 

A:  Yes.  H.B.  London,  who  is  with 
Focus  on  the  Familv,  shared  a  statistic 
that  he  had  polled  pastors  and  tlieir 
wives.  They  asked  tine  pastors  and  their 
wives  if  they  had  the  opportunity  to 
leave  tiie  ministry  today  how  many 
would  leave.  Approximately  83"^  of  the 
pastors  said  tliey  would  leave  and  100"/!) 
of  the  pastors'  wives  said  they  would 
lea\'e  tlie  ministry  today. 

Q:  Tliat  is  shocidng!  Now  tliis  is 
die  reason  tliat  you  are  going  to  have 
tliis  women's  retreat,  to  encourage 
women  in  the  ministry? 

A:  Absolutely!  Not  only  to 
encourage,  but  we've  got  to  find  that 
denomination  in  there  tliat  is  going  to 
meet  a  need. 

Q:  What  is  the  cost  of  the  retreat? 

A:  The  cost  of  the  retreat  is 
$295.00.  That  is  for  four  days  and  three 


nights  at  the  Hilton  plus  tlieir  transpor- 
tation. We  are  praying  verv  hard  tliat 
tliey  will  see  tlie  need  to  come,  tliat  they 
will  find  tlie  time  to  come  and  that  tlie 
people  in  their  churches  will  see  tine 
need  and  see  to  it  that  they  get  there. 

Q:  If  people  want  to  help  witli  a 
special  fund,  would  they  set  it  up 
tliroughout  her  church  or  how  should 
tliey  do  it? 

A;  Tlie  wives  themselves  who  are 
coming  are  to  make  their  own  reser\'a- 
tioi\s,  so  the  best  way  to  do  it  would  be 
to  go  right  to  the  wives  or  tlie  pastors.  1 
want  your  vrafe  to  go  and  1  wiU  pay  the 
way,  or  I  wUl  gi\-e  them  frequent  flyer 
mQes,  or  anytliing  I  can  do.  But  you 
need  io  be  tliere.  If  you  go  and  you  get 
inspired,  you  are  going  to  come  back 
and  bless  our  ministry  here. 

Q:  Tlie  dates  of  the  reh-eat  again? 

A:  April  22nd  tlirough  the  25tl-i 
1996.  Ste\'e  and  Maria  Gardner  are 
going  to  be  there  in  concert  and  song. 
Patty  Stiunp,  a  Cliristian  counselor,  is 
going  to  he  there.  She  is  not  only  going 
to  be  speaking,  hut  she  is  going  to  be 
a\'ailable  to  meet  witli  any  pastor's  wife 
who  has  a  need  on  a  personal  basis.  • 


JaMARY/FeBRUARY  1996 


IIIIH   j^ 


MC 


TERRY 


by  Martha  Schwartz 


H 


/ /~W'  "¥"6110!  I'm  back  again."  I 
recognized  my  son's 
.  voice  immediately.  "It's 
great  to  see  the  sun  again  after  being 
out  under  the  sea  for  almost  three 
months." 

"Oh,  Terry,  it's  so  good  to  hear 
your  voice  and  to  know  you're 
safe."  We  had  visited  his  submarine 
just  before  he  went  out  for  this  last 
stint.  I  could  understand  what  a 
blessing  sunlight  would  be  and 
how  claustrophobic  he  might  have 
felt  living  in  such  limited  space  for 
a  long  time. 

"And  something  important: 
Your  brother's  wedding  is  only 
two  weeks  away  and  he  needs  to 
know  your  measurements  for  your 
tux." 

On  went  the  joyful  conver- 
sation with  my  23  year  old  son 
who  was  stationed  at  the 
Nuclear  Submarine  Naval  Base 
in  Bangor,  Washington.  He  had 
been  in  the  Navy  for  over  4  years 
and  had  excelled  as  an 
electrician's  mate  on  his  "boat." 
One  time  he  worked  60  hours 
straight  because  the  elecrical 
generator  on  the  sub  had  failed, 
which  put  the  crew  in  danger 
and  in  the  dark,  under  the  ocean. 

At  such  times,  he  remem- 
bered that  God  is  there  in  the 
depths  of  the  sea:  "If  I  take  the 
wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea, 
even  there  your  hand  shall  lead 
me,  and  your  right  hand  shall  hold 
me"  (Psalm  139:8-  10). 

During  some  of  those  tedious 
hours  at  sea  he  had  opportunity  to 
work  with  Tony  and  to  talk  with 
him  about  the  Lord.  Tony's  child- 
hood had  been  rough  and  he  was 
rather  skeptical  about  what  Terry 
had  to  tell  him,  but  he  listened.  And 


when  they  were  cin  land,  they  had 
lots  of  fun  together  boating,  skiing 
and  being  with  other  young  people. 
Sometimes  Tony  went  with  Terry  to 
the  young  adult  class  at  church.  He 
was  full  of  questions  and  objections. 

Another  week  passed  that 
summer  of  1988  and  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  another  call  from  Terry 
on  Saturday.  He  would  be  leaving 


Terry  Schwartz  in  uniform. 

Washington  on  Monday  and  arrive 
home  in  Santa  Maria,  California,  on 
Tuesday. 

Sunday  was  a  busy  day — 
Sunday  school  at  the  C&MA  church 
in  Silverdale,  Washington,  then  to 
another  church  to  participate  in  the 
worship  service  and  fellowship 
again  with  friends  he  had  made 
there. 

He  had  attended  the  wed- 
ding of  a  friend  the  day  before  and 
one  of  the  bridesmaids  needed  a 
lift  to  catch  a  plane.  "Always  ready 
to  help,"  Terry  was  available.  And 


during  the  two-hour  trip,  he  was 
able  to  share  his  testimony  with 
the  girl. 

He  had  to  hurry  to  be  at 
church  that  evening,  where  he  had 
agreed  to  share  what  God  had 
taught  him  during  his  time  at  sea. 
Arriving  home,  he  threw  some 
clothes  in  the  washer,  since  he 
planned  to  leave  for  California  the 
next  morning. 

He  jumped  into  his  bright 
blue-green  Porsche,  with  his  Bible 
on  the  seat  beside  him,  and  took 
off  down  the  twenty  miles  of 
beautiful  tree-lined  highway 
toward  the  church. 

The  meeting  began  without 
him.  Later,  Terry  still  hadn't 
arrived.  Now  it  was  very  late! 
Something  must  be  wrong.  Prayer 
went  up  for  him. 


Monday  morning  in  Santa 
Maria  was  quite  normal,  although 
the  week  had  arrived  for  Curtis 
and  Susan's  wedding.  Ralph,  my 
husband,  had  gone  off  for  his 
morning  game  at  the  racquetball 
club. 

The  doorbell  rang — two 
Navy  officers  were  at  the  door.  I 
invited  them  in.  They  looked 
extremely  serious,  but  would  not 
say  why  they  had  come  until  Ralph 
arrived.  Then,  they  told  us  that 
Terry  had  died  in  a  car  accident  the 
evening  before.  My  reaction  sur- 
prised them  as  I  said,  "Oh,  he  has 
gone  to  be  with  the  Lord!" 

Terry  had  been  bom  in  Brazil 
where  we  were  missionaries,  and  he 
had  expressed  his  desire  to  visit  BrazO, 
2ind  perhaps  to  return  there  as  a 
missionary.  It  was  comforting  to  us  that 
the  chaplain  at  tlie  submarine  base  who 


HeralD 


10 


conducted  the  memorial  service  had 
also  served  as  a  missionary  in  BrazU. 
Terry  liked  music  and  had  a 
collection  of  tapes.  He  especially 
loved  Keith  Green's  songs.  1  can 
picture  Terry  rejoicing  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  singing: 

"Oh  Lord,  You're  beautiful. 
Your  face  is  all  I  see. 
For  when  Your  eyes  are  on 

this  child 
Your  grace  abouncis  to  me." 

{•Keith  Green,  copyright 
Birdwing  Music/Cherry  Lane 
Music  Publishing  Co.) 


I  miss  my  son  more  than  1  can 
express.  My  heart  cries  because  he  is 
not  here.  But,  praise  the  Lord,  he  is 
safe  in  God's  house  and  some  day 
we'll  be  there  together  1  don't  know 
why  God  would  take  one  in  the 
prime  of  life,  who  was  faithfully 
serving  Him  and  who  planned  to 
serve  Him  in  the  future.  I  just  leave 
that  with  the  Lord.  He  knows  what 
is  best! 

Tonv  was  greatly  affected  hv 
Terry's  death.  He  continued  to  attend 
the  young  adult's  meetings  and 
within  a  year  accepted  the  Lord.  He 
later  finished  his  military  service  and 
mo\'ed  to  California  near  us.  He  was 


G 


RACE 


hungry  to  know  God's  Word  and 
Ralph  had  the  privilege  of  discipling 
him,  as  well  as  marrying  him  to  a 
Christian  young  lady.  Terry  had 
touched  Tony's  life  as  well  as  dozens 
of  others.  1  thank  the  Lord  that  I, 
along  with  my  husband,  had  the 
privilege  to  raise  a  child  of  the  King. 


Riilpli  and  Martini  Sclrwarfz 
served  ns  Grace  Brethren  missionar- 
ies in  Brazil  from  1964-78,  then 
pastored  tlie  Santa  Maria,  (CA) 
GBC  until  1991  when  they  joined 
the  GBC  missionan/  team  in 
Portugal.    • 


GRACE  COLLEGE  receives 

$1.5  Million  Donation 


Staff  Report 


Winona  Lake-Grace  College 
and  Seminary  has  received 
a  gift  of  $1.3  million— 
the  largest  contribution  in  the 
school's  history. 

The  donation  came  from  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Robert  Gordon  of 
Springfield,  Ohio.  The  Gordons, 
longtime  friends  of  Grace  College, 
were  honored  at  the  school's 
homecoming  Oct.  20. 

The  gift  includes  $500,000 
toward  the  renovation  of  the 
former  Westminster  Hotel.  The 
building  was  purchased  by  the 
college  in  1994  with  plans  to 
renovate  it  as  a  college  dormitory, 
student  union,  and  conference 
center  Grace  is  involved  in  a 
capital  campaign  to  renovate  the 
facility. 

The  remaining  $1  million  will 
help  build  a  new  student  recre- 
ation center  on  campus.  Plans  for 
that  facility  will  begin  once  the 


capital  campaign  for  Westminster 
is  concluded. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Gordon  were  honored 
Grace  College's  homecoming  on  October  20, 

This  gift  moves  Grace  substan- 
tially closer  to  completing  the  capital 
campaign  for  the  Westminster,  as 
well  as  enabling  the  institution  to 


11 


% 


/ 


take  a  significant  step  forward  in  the 

campus  building  strategy. 

In  thanking  the  Gordons  for 
their  gift,  Grace  president,  Dr 
Ronald  Manahan  noted  that  they 
are  careful  stewards  of  their 
resources,  seeing  to  it  that  their 
gifts  are  in\-ested  in  work  that  is 
eternal:  promoting  the  work  of 
God's  kingdom.  The  Gordons  have 
given  to  Grace  over  se\'eral  decades. 

The  Gordons  said  their 
agreement  with  the  mission  of 
Grace  College  was  an  important 
factor  in  their  gi\'ing. 

Grace  College  and  Seminary 
IS  an  evangelical  Christian  com- 
munity of  higher  education  that 
"^      applies  biblical  \'alues  in  strength- 
ening character,  sharpening 
competence  and  preparing 

service.  Degrees  are  awarded 

through  the  doctoral  level. 

The  institution  is  accredited  by 

the  North  Central  Association.   • 


xJmmM^  JanvaryiPebrvary  1996 


F 


AITHFUL 


May  I  Introduce  You 
to  Kevin  and  Jill  Yohe? 

by  Georgia  Bateson 


Kevin  &  Jill  Yohe  are  members 
of  our  Osceola  Grace  Breth- 
ren Church.  Ke\'in  is  active  in 
the  choir  anci  together  they  are  youth 
leaders  when  Jill  is  able. 

They  met  at  Taylor  Univer- 
sity, tieen  married  about  6  years 
and  had  even  served  as  EMT's 
together  for  a  few  of  those.  They 
led  a  fairly  normal  life  until 
August  20,  1989.  After  vacationing 
in  Pennsylvania,  visiting  Kevin's 
parents,  they  were  returning 
home  with  Jill  asleep  in  the  car. 
When  she  awoke,  she  had  a 
tremendous  headache  and  was 
vomiting.  Ke\'in  took  her  to  the 
nearest  hospital.  This  particular 
hospital  had  had  6  cases  of 
meningitis  and  wanted  to  do  a 
spinal  tap.  Since  Jill  had  to 
remain  flat  on  her  tiack  for  8 
hours  following  the  spinal  tap,  she 
was  admitted  to  the  hospital. 
Kevin  in  the  meantime  called  his 
parents  to  tell  them  what  was 
going  on.  It  also  seems  Kevin  had 
an  aunt  that  lived  in  this  particu- 
lar town,  so  Kevin  gave  her  a  call. 
She  came  to  the  hospital  and  took 
him  and  their  dog,  who  had  been 
traveling  with  Kevin  and  Jill,  to 
her  house. 

When  Jill  awoke  the  next 
morning,  the  left  side  of  her  face 
was  droopy.  She  remained  in  the 
hospital  4  to  5  days.  Kevin's  aunt 
spoke  to  her  doctor  and  Jill  was 
transferred  to  a  hospital  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio.  Jill  spent 
approximately  a  week  and  a  half 
there  with  still  no  diagnosis.  Jill 
finally  convinced  the  doctor  in 
Youngstown  to  let  her  go  home. 


Kevin's  parents  came  to  take  Jill 
home  to  Indiana.  At  this  point, 
Kevin  and  Jill  had  a  subcompact 
car  and  Kevin's  parents  had  a 
larger  car  which  would  make  her 
6  hour  trip  home  much  more 
comfortable.  Back  in  Goshen,  Jill 
saw  a  local  neurologist  who 
thought  she  might  have  mi- 
graines. It  was  September  by  this 
time  and  there  still  had  been  no 


Tlie  doctor  called  Kevin  at 
his  office  and  told  him  to 
come  right  away  because  he 
didn't  think  Jill  would  live 
through  the  night. 


further  testing  done.  They 
contacted  their  family  doctor  at 
the  Elkhart  Clinic  who  called  in 
another  neurologist.  Jill  was 
back  in  the  hospital  with  her 
right  side  paralyzed.  She  was 
taken  by  ambulance  to  Rush 
Presbyterian  St.  Luke's  in  Chi- 
cago and  admitted  to  the  Neurol- 
ogy Department.  Finally,  some- 
one had  some  ideas!  They 
started  her  on  high  doses  of 
steroids.  She  would  get  better, 
then  would  be  worse.  The  doc- 
tors there  were  treating  her  for 
multiple  sclerosis.  The  neurolo- 
gist called  in  specialists  who  ran 
tests,  but  there  was  no  follow-up 
on  the  testing.  Jill  was  admitted 
to  the  hospital  in  Chicago  4  or  5 
times  with  no  positive  diagnosis, 
all  the  while  her  condition  was 


deteriorating.  Soon  she  was  in  a 
wheel  chair  and  almost  was  put 
on  a  respirator. 

The  doctor  called  Kevin  at 
his  office  and  told  him  to  come 
right  away  because  he  didn't 
think  Jill  would  live  through  the 
night.  Their  pastor  went  with 
him  and  they  had  an  anointing 
service.  They  were  still  getting 
nowhere  and  asked  for  a  second 
opinion. 

About  this  time  Jill's  mom  saw 
an  article  in  the  paper  about  a  lady 
who  had  the  same  sort  of  symptoms. 
Jill  called  the  lady  who  had  traveled 
all  over  the  world  seeking  a  diagno- 
sis. She  told  Jill  the  best  doctor  that 
she  had  founci  was  at  Indiana 
University  Medical  Center  in 
Indianapolis.  Jill  called  the  doctor, 
but  he  wouldn't  see  her.  Jill 
called  the  lady  back,  who  in 
turn  called  the  doctor  and 
explained  Jill's  situation  to 
him.  The  doctor  (Dr.  Kohler) 
agreed  to  see  Jill. 

It  was  now  December 
of  1990  and  there  had  not 
been  a  positive  diagnosis. 
During  Jill's  first  visit  to  Dr. 
Kohler,  he  studied  the 
testing  that  was  done  at  the 
hospital  in  Chicago.  By  studying 
the  results,  he  seemed  to  think  that 
she  had  contracted  encephalitis, 
which  is  an  inflammation  of  the 
brain.  Jill  was  admitted  to  the 
hospital  in  Indianapolis  two  more 
times  between  December  1990  and 
June  1991.  During  this  time.  Dr. 
Kohler  tried  to  find  a  pam  medica- 
tion that  Jill  could  take.  In  June  of 
1991,  a  nerve  block  was  tried,  but 
only  gave  minimal  relief.  It  was 
suggested  that  a  block  of  ner\'es  be 
removed  from  her  shoulder.  It  was 
during  this  time  that  Dr.  Kohler 
made  a  positive  diagnosis.  He  felt 
fairly  certain  that  Jill  did  indeed  have 
encephalitis,  but  because  it  was  let  go 
so  long  thev  would  never  know  for 

(continued  on  page  15) 


HeralD 


12 


M' 


ISSIONS 


// 


Into  the  Arms  of  Jesus 


A/ 


A  Memorial  Tribute  to  Russel  H.  Dunlap 

1925-1995 

by  Larry  N.  Chamberlain 


We  had  shared  in  our 
staff  devotions  on 
Tuesday  morning, 
October  17,  how  uncertain  each 
day's  e\'ents  can  be,  yet  our 
certain  assurance  is  that  the  Lord 
directs  our  steps  (Proverbs  16:9). 

On  Wednesday,  our  dear 
friend  and  colleague,  Russ 
Dunlap,  suffered  a  sudden, 
massive  heart  attack  and  was 
ushered  into  the  arms  of  his 
Savior,  only  one  month  from  his 
seventieth  birthday. 

Russ  was  a  layman  who 
dedicated  his  management  skills 
to  the  work  of  the  Lord.  He 
ser\-ed  as  Director  of  Business 
Affairs  at  Grace  College  for  nine 
years  (1962-1971)  and, for  the 
past  twelve  years,  as  Director  of 
Grace  Brethren  Financial  Plan- 
ning Service,  holding  steward- 
ship seminars  and  individual 
estate  planning  interviews  across 
the  United  States. 

Russ  and  his  wife,  Phyllis, 
traveled  thousands  of  miles  in  their 
motor  home,  to  Grace  Brethren 
churches  of  any  size  congregation, 
encouraging  people  to  include  the 
work  of  the  Great  Commission  in 
their  financial  planning. 

Russ  conducted  over  3,000 
personal  interviews,  reviewing 


estates  totaling  over  $440  mil- 
lion. He  had  the  privilege  of 
seeing  over  $42  million  desig- 
nated for  the  local  church. 
Christian  education  and  mis- 
sions across  America  and  around 
the  world. 


Russ  Duitlap. 

The  time  and  travel  Russ 
and  Phyllis  committed  to  their 
ministry  was  far  beyond  any 
measurable  return  of  earthly 
compensation.  Yet  they  sought 
only  the  advancement  of  the 
Great  Commission  and  the 
eternal  reward  of  Heaven. 


To  Russ,  "stewardship"  was 
not  only  the  focus  of  his  minis- 
try, it  was  a  way  of  life.  I  know 
of  no  one  who  offers  a  greater 
example  of  Christ-like  steward- 
ship than  Russel  Dunlap.  His 
gentleness,  caring  spirit,  eager- 
ness to  help,  never-ending  words 
of  encouragement  and  acts  of 
giving  are  testimonies  to  his  life 
that  will  li\'e  on  in  our  memories. 

The  song  that  was  sung 
during  the  memorial  service  was 
precious  to  Russ  during  his 
lifetime  and  comforts  us  who  bid 
him  good-bye .  .  . 


Over  the  sunset  iiionutniiis 
SoiJiedny  I'll  softly  go, 
Into  the  anus  of  jesiis, 
He  who  has  loved  me  so. 

Over  the  sunset  luouiitniiis, 
Heiiveii  nzvaits  for  me. 
Over  the  sunset  mountains, 
Jesus  my  Savior  I'll  see. 

Toiling  will  all  be  ended. 
Shadows  luill  flee  away. 
Sorrow  will  be  forgotten, 
O  what  a  wonderful  day. 


Cards  and  letters  may  be 
sent  to  Phyllis  and  the  family  at 
1782  Country  Club  Road,  War- 
saw, IN  46580.   • 


13 


J.AMWRY/pEBRUARY  1996 


s 


PCRTS 


Lady  Lancers, 

NATIONAL  CHAMPIONS! 

by  Jessica  Horner 


The  Lady  Lancers  clinched 
their  first  NCCAA  national 
title  this  weekend  at  Lee 
College,  Tennessee.  The  ladies  en- 
tered the  national  tournament 
corning  off  a  disappointing  home 
loss  to  conference  rival  Taylor,  but 
they  overcame  their  obstacles  in 
an  overwhelming  show  of  unity. 

The  tournament  started 
Friday,  November  3,  with  three 
matches  of  pool  play.  The  Lady 
Lancers  first  faced  Trinity  Chris- 
tian College,  (Illinois),  whom 
they  had  already  beaten  twice 
this  season.  However,  Trinity 
took  game  one  10-15  while  Grace 
struggled  to  find  their  rhythm  of 
play.  Grace  came  back  to  win  the 
next  two  games  15-12,  15-5. 

The  final  game  in  pool  play 
was  a  tight  match  against 
Concordia  (Michigan).  Again, 
Grace  lost  the  first  game  11-5, 
but  continued  to  gain  confidence 
that  they  could  overcome  their 
long,  grueling  day  of  volleyball. 
They  won  the  next  two  games 
15-12  and  15-13  to  finish  the 
first  day  still  seeded  number  one 
in  the  tournament. 

Grace  (35-3)  began  day  two 
of  the  single-elimination  tourna- 
ment by  facing  Judson  College 
(Illinois).  Although  Judson  put 
up  a  fight  in  game  one,  the  Lady 
Lancers  took  the  match  in  two 
games  15-13,  15-1.  Grace  played 
an  excellent  match,  only  missing 
two  serves.  Rebecca  Wahlstrom 
and  Trish  Dament  finished  with 
seven  kills  a  piece. 


The  Lady  Lancers  moved  on 
to  a  quarter-final  match  against 
Mt.  Vernon  Nazarene,  (Ohio). 
Grace  cruised  to  a  15-5,  15-9  win 
over  the  team  they  had  beaten 
earlier  this  season.  The  outside 
hitters  were  strong  in  this  match 
as  both  Stacy  Pastryk  and  Stacey 
Jackson  recorded  seven  kills. 
Wahlstrom  had  15  kills  in  the 
match,  and  Dament  added  10 
more. 

Meanwhile,  Concordia 
pulled  out  a  surprise  upset  over 
Taylor  University,  setting  up  a 
rematch  between  Grace  and 
Concordia  for  the  championship 
game. 

The  Cardinals  tried  to 
continue  their  upset  streak  by 
taking  the  first  game  15-13. 
However,  the  Lady  Lancers  were 
not  about  to  give  up.  They 
dominated  game  two,  command- 
ing a  8-0  lead  before  winning 
15-7.  Momentum  turned  dra- 
matically to  set  up  the  final 
game.  Grace  took  an  early  lead 
and  kept  control  of  the  game. 
Concordia  managed  to  score  12 
points,  but  nothing  could  stop 
the  Lady  Lancers.  When  Stacy 
Pastryk  drilled  the  ball  past  a 
Concordia  defender  for  the  final 
point  of  the  game,  the  celebra- 
tion began.  NATIONAL 
CHAMPIONS!! 

Rebecca  Wahlstrom  was 
honored  as  the  tournament's 
Most  Valuable  Player  while  also 
claiming  a  spot  on  the  NCCAA 
Ail-American  team.  Setter, 


Melissa  Rants,  was  also  named 
to  the  All-Tournament  and  AU- 
American  team.  Head  coach, 
Candace  Moats,  was  voted 
NCCAA  Coach  of  the  Year  in  her 
first  season  at  Grace. 

The  Lady  Lancers  finished 
their  regular  season  with  a  home 
win  against  Marian  Tuesday 
night.  They  played  Marian  again 
Thursday,  November  9  in  the 
first  game  of  the  MCC  tourna- 
ment. The  tournament  continued 
November  10-11  at  Taylor 
University.  The  winner  of  the 
conference  tournament  advanced 
to  the  regionals  held  at  Michigan- 
Dearborn,  November  16-18. 

The  Lady  Lancers  ended  the 
season  with  a  disappointing  loss 
to  Taylor  University  in  the  semi- 
final round  of  the  NAIA  Re- 
gional Tournament.  They  began 
the  tournament  by  defeating  St. 
Xavier  3-0  on  Thursday  evening. 
Friday,  they  defeated  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan-Dearborn  3-2 
and  the  College  of  St.  Francis  (L) 
4-1.  They  were  defeated  by 
Taylor  on  Saturday. 

Rebecca  Wahlstrom  paced  the 
Lady  Lancers  throughout  the 
tournament  with  212  kills.  Bridget 
Byers  added  88  kills  and  22  blocks. 
Melissa  Rants  and  Wahlstrom 
added  18  blocks  a  piece.  Rants  also 
contributed  454  assists.  Wahlstrom 
and  Rants  were  named  to  the 
NAIA  All-Region  First  Team  for 
their  superb  play  this  season.  The 
Lancers  finished  the  season  with 
an  overall  record  of  44-5.   • 


HeralD 


14 


c 


ONTINUED 


{May  I .  .  .  continued  from  page  12) 

sure.  Because  the  inflammation  of 
the  brain  had  caused  nerve  damage, 
Jill  now  had  Cranial  Reflex  Sympa- 
thetic Dystrophy  Syndrome.  The 
RSD  causes  the  pain  and  has  spread 
from  her  head  to  her  shoulder.  Jill 
has  also  been  diagnosed  with 
Collegen  Vascular  disease.  This 
causes  the  swelling  she  experiences. 
Anti-inflammatory  drugs  build  up 
toxic  levels  in  the  liver  and  some- 
times do  not  interact  well  with  the 
pain  medication  that  she  takes 
causing  further  discomfort  and 
complications. 

In  recent  months,  Jill  has 
become  resistant  to  the  steroids.  The 
next  step  will  be  a  chemotherapy 
drug.  Because  of  all  the  medication 
she  has  been  on,  her  immune  system 
is  completely  depleted.  Because  her 
body  cannot  defend  itself,  Kevin 
must  be  very  careful  not  to  bring 
colds  and  flu  home  or  Jill  could 
easily  contract  it  herself. 

God  has  taught  Jill  and  Kevin 
much  through  all  of  this.  He  has 
taught  them  patience.  He  has  kept 
them  humble  and  through  all  of 
the  trials  they  have  learned  to  give 
things  over  to  God.  The  Lord  has 
provided  for  them  every  step  of 
the  way. 

The  many  hospital  stays 
and  the  medication  costs  have 
totally  destroyed  their  finances. 
Jill's  monthly  prescriptions  run 
$300  a  month  (out  of  pocket). 
Hospital  stays  are  $350,  also  out 
of  pocket.  At  one  point,  the  bills 
seemed  insurmountable.  This 
past  year  alone,  January  through 
September  has  exceeded 
$16,000.00,  with  the  total  since 
1989  surpassing  $300,000.00. 
Even  with  insurance,  many  times 
the  bills  were  like  heavy  weights 
on  their  shoulders.  Since  turning 
over  the  responsibility  to  God, 
Elkhart  General  has  graciously 
forgiven  $7,500.00  of  their  bill 
which  Kevin  and  Jill  are  very 


Opportunity 

Kevin's  employer  has 
been  very  accomodating 
through  the  insurance 
nightmare,  and  in  letting 
Kevin  be  with  Jill  in  her 
many  hospital  stays.  Kevin 
has  even  received  permis- 
sion to  work  at  home  and 
take  care  of  Jill  during 
times  of  home  convales- 
cence. But  this  requires  the 
use  of  a  home  computer 
which  is  currently  beyond 
the  realm  of  financial 
possibility,  due  to  the 
medical  bills.  The  cost  of 
an  adequate  computer  has 
been  reduced  to  about 
$1,250.00  thanks  to  a 
special  deal  that  has  been 
offered. 


grateful,  and  have  been  working 
with  Consumer  Credit  to  pay  the 
other  mounting  bills.  Kevin  says 
that  he  and  Jill  have  concluded 
that,  "if  the  Lord 
sees  fit  to 
send  Jill 
to  the 
hospital, 
it's  going 
to  have  to 
be  the 
Lord's 
responsi- 
bility to 
pay  for  it". 

As 
they  have 
already 
done,  Kevin 
and  Jill 
extend  their 
love  and 
appreciation 
to  all  who 
have  so 
generously 


helped  with  bills  in  the  past.  The 
entire  situation  has  been  hard  on 
them,  but  through  it  all,  they  both 
are  holding  tightly  to  their  faith. 

As  EMT's,  Kevin  and  Jill 
met  many  lifesaving  emergency 
needs.  Maybe  we  can  do  the 
same  for  them  now. 

Meanwhile,  we  praise  our 
Lord  for  the  encouragement  and 
perseverance  that  the  Yohe's 
have  shown  to  our  church  fam- 
ily. They  truly  have  exalted 
Jesus'  love  in  their  testimony. 

Obviously,  it's  been  a  long  6 
years  of  trial  and  growth  for 
Kevin  and  Jill.  Let's  band  to- 
gether to  pray  for  them. 

Also,  Kevin  and  Jill  have 
mounting  financial  needs. 
Anyone  who  cares  to  help  are 
invited  to  send  gifts  to: 

Kevin  and  jill  Yoke 
2703  Cearwood  Court, 
Goshen,  Indiana  46526. 

A  special  account  is  being 
investigated  at  local  banks.   • 


scripture  press.  David  C. 
Cook .  Gospel  LigM 

u   HFRALD.  we  want  to  serve  you 
Here  at  the  HER^L.  ^^^^^,„g 

-^^^i:XtSMatenals. 


,,,,c.».-on^^;^2^^:2;^:o,,r 


,,iU  qinckly  answer 


\'0U1 


order  proc 


essed- 


:^we  won't  keep 


xoii  tied  up- 


1-800-348-2756 


15 


JaNVARY/PeBRUARY  1996 


EWS 


New 


Grace  Brethren  \y  News  Update 

Touching  You  from  Aground  the  World 


Pastor  Glenn  Rininger  has 
resigned  as  pastor  of  the 
Sebring,  Florida  GBC  on 
October  1, 1995.  He  is  prayerfully 
seeking  God's  will. 

CE  National  has  added 
Timothy  Kurtaneck  to  its  staff. 
Timothy  (often  called  "T.  K.")  hails 
from  southern  California  with  his 
wife  Dana  and  daughter  Rebekah. 
He  serves  as  Director  of  Church 
Relations  and  Operation  Barnabas. 
He  traveled  on  Operation  Barnabas 
tours  for  seven  years  and  taught  and 
coached  at  Whittier  Christian  School 
for  ten  years. 

Chery  Otermat,  former 
Director  of  Operation  Barnabas, 

has  had  a  change  in  her  title  at  CE 
National.  She  will  continue  to 
oversee  Girls'  Ministries,  TIME  and 
Crosswalk,  but  will  have  added 
responsibilities  in  office  operations. 
Chery's  new  title  is  Director  of 
Operations  and  Specialized  Ministry 
Training.  She  administered  the  OB 
ministries  very  capably  for  six  years 
and  CE  National  is  looking  forward 
to  her  expanded  ministries. 

On  October  22, 1995  Dr.  Paul 
Fink  and  pastor  Jesse  Truax  had 
submitted  their  resignations  as 
Senior  and  Associate  pastors  effec- 
ti\'e  immediately  to  the  First  Breth- 
ren Cliurch  of  Buena  Vista.  They  will 
continue  to  serve  the  church 
through  January  21,  1996,  or  until 
the  church  is  successful  in  securing 
the  services  of  a  new  pastor.  Dr.  Fink 
will  continue  his  teaching  at  Liberty 
University  and  will  seek  opportuni- 
ties of  supplying  pulpits  or  an 
interim  pastorate.  Pastor  Truax's 
future  plans  are  indefinite.  Please 
remember  both  the  pastors  and 


church  in  prayer  as  each  seeks  God's 
guidance  for  the  future. 

Mr.  Ted  Austin,  father  of 
Gordon  (GBIM)  and  Gary  Austin 


Retreat  for 
AA^omen 

in  Ministry 

"Son-shine 
in  the  Eye  of 
the  Storm" 


April  22-25, 1996 

at  the  Daytonn  Bench  Hilton  Resort 

The  Brethren  Missionary  Herald 
Co.  would  like  to  challenge  you 
to  contribute  a  donation  to  this 
women's  retreat.  Your  financial 
support  will  help  several  women 
attend  this  retreat  and  make  the 
cost  more  affordable. 

Furthermore,  the  total  amount 
given  to  this  project  will  be 
matched  by  the  Brethren  Mis- 
sionary Herald  Company. 

Please  send  your  donations  to 
this  address: 

Brethren  Missionary  Herald  Co. 

RO.  Box  544 

Winona  Lake,  IN  46590 


(pastor  of  GBC,  Colorado  Springs, 
CO)  went  to  be  with  the  Lord 
Sunday,  October  29,  1995.  He  had 
been  part  of  the  Grace  Village  family 
since  December  1, 1985.  Wendell 
Kent  conducted  the  memorial 
service  on  Thursday,  November  2,  at 
Grace  Village. 


Ted  was  an  active  member  of 
Long  Beach  GBC  under  the  minis- 
tries of  L.  S.  Bauman,  Charles 
Mayes,  Dave  Hocking  and  Dick 
Mayhue.  He  worked  as  a  consulting 
engineer  for  North  American 
Rockwell,  serving  on  the  Apollo 
moon  project.  His  wife,  Minnie  had 
passed  away  October  19,  1993. 

At  Grace  College  Homecom- 
ing, President  Ron  Manahan 
announced  that  Bob  and  Frances 
Gordon  of  Winter  Haven,  Florida, 
had  given  a  gift  of  $1.5  million  to 
Grace  college. 

In  late  September,  over  sixty 
people  were  baptized  at  the  Yalok 
church  in  Leigh,  Philippines.  Praise 
God  for  how  He  is  working  in  His 
church. 

Praise  the  Lord  for  opening 
two  new  Bible  studies — one  in 

Paradise,  the  other  in  Bulelac,  both 
in  depressed  areas  of  Malanclay.  The 
home  in  Bulelac  has  no  breeze  and 
no  electricity.  They  meet  by  candle 
light. 

A  midyear  invitational 
meeting  will  be  held  in  Santa 
Monica,  CA  on  January  30-31, 1996. 
All  FGBC  organizations  and  cooper- 
ating districts  are  invited  to  send 
representatives  to  the  meeting.  To 
make  your  reservations  call  Charles 
Ashman  at  219-269-1269. 

From  the  Swains  in  Prague 
Czechoslovakia — Praise  the  Lord 
that  over  600  students  received  New 
Testaments  this  Fall.  We  passed  out 
NTs  to  high  school  students.  We 
hope  to  repeat  this  process  many 
times  this  Fall,  perhaps  even  once  a 
week.  We  have  discovered  that 


HeralD 


16 


Update 


A^' 


EWS 


Czechs  have  a  desire  to  learn 
English  or  to  use  the  English  that 
they  know.  Therefore,  we  have 
planned  to  start  a  Czech-American 
club  where  we  can  meet  with 
people.  George  has  prepared  a  flier 
in  Czech  about  the  club  and  is  using 
it  as  a  method  to  talk  to  unsaved 
people. 

Please  pray  for  fi\'e  men  to 
accept  Christ  and  to  be  discipled  to 
work  with  us  here  in  Prague  in 
starting  Grace  Brethren  churches. 

Pray  for  Ralph  Colburn  who 

has  congesti\e  heart  failure. 

From  the  Hewlitts  in  the 
Philippines:  Prav  for  sahation  of 
those  attending  the  house  churches 
we  started  at  Karangalan  Village. 
Praise  the  Lord  for  the  continued 
ministry  in  San  Carlos  at  Freddie's 
house.  The  Saturday  afternoon 
worship  service  is  still  well  at- 
tended. Praise  the  Lord  for  the 
enclosed  room  built  at  the  sicle  of 
the  house  that  we  can  use,  \'ery 
helpful  during  rainy  season. 

Praise  the  Lord  for  the  selec- 
tion by  the  Ruizes  of  a  new  ministrv 
area,  Sumulong  Highwav.  Praise  the 
Lord  that  housing  has  already  been 
found  and  Ted  and  Viv  moved  in 
October,  1995.  Ask  God  to  prepare 
hearts  for  the  Gospel.  This  will  be 
the  start  of  our  ninth  work.  Pray  for 
Ted  as  he  turns  the  ministry  of  the 
Cainta  church  over  to  David  Torres 
and  the  men  and  women  there.  Pray 
that  the  folks  will  keep  their  focus 
on  reaching  out  to  others. 

Continue  to  pray  for  the 
Marikina  church  as  they  are 
looking  for  property  to  buy.  Thank 
God  for  the  generous  donors  who 
made  this  purchase  possible.  Pray 
for  Pastor  Rey  Paz  as  he  leads  the 
church. 

Dan  Beaver  has  a  full  class 
load  this  year  as  does  Bonnie 
Nissley  at  Faith  Academy.  Pray  for 
the  response  of  the  students  to  our 
GBC  teachers.  Pray  for  Bonnie  as  she 


plans  a  December  trip  to  West 
Virginia  and  then  Switzerland. 

From  the  Pouparts  in  Spain: 

Thank  you  for  praying  for  the  work 
in  Valencia.  We  are  seeing  fruit  after 
several  years  of  planting  seed.  This 
Fall,  our  group  will  be  dividing  into 
two  cell  groups.  We're  encouraged 
by  the  steady  growth  of  our  group 
this  past  year  and  ha\'e  seen  firm 
steps  in  commitment  to  the  work. 
We'll  continue  with  our  church 
ser\'ice  on  Sunday  mornings  in  our 
apartment. 

Dr.  Ted  Hildebrandt,  professor 
of  Old  Testament,  has  completed  an 


BMH 
TOUR 

with 

Ralph  Colburn 

&  Jeff  Carroll 


Hawaiian  Cruise  to 
4  ISLANDS 

February  22-March  2, 1996 

For  more  information  please 
call  Pastor  Ralph  Colburn  at 

(310)  493-5613-BUS  or  (310) 
630-2122-HOME  or  Jeff  Carroll 

at  (800)  348-2756. 


interacti\e,  multimedia  computer 
program  designed  to  teach  first  year 
Hebrew.  This  program  has  been 
published  by  Parsons  Technology 
and  is  available  at  local  bookstores. 
The  program  is  designed  as  part  of  an 
overall  seminary  initiative  to  provide 
instruction  for  interested  individuals 
who  cannot  mo\'e  to  the  Winona  Lake 
area.  It  has  been  adopted  by  other 
seminaries  and  is  also  being  used  to 
train  missionaries  as  they  remain  on 
the  field.  Grace  Seminary  offers  credit 
for  the  successful  completion  of  the 
program.  Dr  Hildebrandt  is  currently 


working  on  a  similar  program  for 
biblical  Greek. 

The  Deacons  of  the  First 
Brethren  Church  of  Buena  Vista, 
VA  are  constituted  as  the  Pastoral 
Search  Committee.  They  are 
seeking  God's  direction  for  secur- 
ing a  pastor  of  the  church.  Any 
member  of  the  Fellowship  of 
Grace  Brethren  Ministers  inter- 
ested in  being  considered  should 
send  a  current  resume  to: 

Mr.  Charles  (Buddy)  Smals, 

Moderator 

First  Brethren  Church 

100  East  29th  Street 

Buena  Vista,  VA  24416 

Students  at  Grace  College  are 

realizing  the  importance  of  ha\'ing 
their  spiritual  life  in  focus.  Already 
this  year,  more  than  30  women 
students  have  come  forward,  of 
their  own  accord,  asking  for  ac- 
countability and  prayer  partners. 
The  Student  Life  Department  is 
excited  about  this  new  year  and  the 
obvious  perspective  on  things 
above. 

Four  Home  Missions 
churches  will  be  "out  of  the  nest" 
as  of  January  1,  1996,  and  will  be 
self-supporting,  although  some 
will  continue  with  District  Mission 
assistance  for  awhile. 

Pacific  Hills  Grace  Brethren 
Church  in  Murietta,  CA,  will  enter  a 
new  phase  of  ministry  as  Pastor 
Doug  Bukowski  will  find  full  time 
employment  outside  the  church  in 
order  to  support  his  family  while  he 
continues  to  develop  a  core  group 
and  establish  a  church. 

In  preparing  the  1996  budget. 

Home  Missions  has  responded  to 
the  requests  of  various  districts  and 
included  the  following  locations  as 
possible  new  points:  Chilicothe  and 
Zanes\'ille,  OH;  Canton  (Atlanta), 
GA;  and  SaUda,  CA  (central  CaHfomia). 


17 


jAM'ARY/fEBRUARY  1996 


IIIIB  C 


ONTINUED 


(Kiev  Diary  continued  from  page  7) 

Police  Actidemv,  but  it  doesn't 
happen.  Tlie  official  with  the  power 
to  give  the  final  OK  is  out  of  town. 
(Subordinates  were  not  allowed  to 
make  decisions  under  Commu- 
nism!) histead,  we  do  more  sight- 
seeing. We  go  to  "Lavra",  the 
ancient  walled  monastery,  probably 
the  oldest  structures  in  the  city  of 
Kiev.  We  are  told  that  Russia  had  its 
beginning  here  in  "Lavra".  At  my 
request,  Ludmila,  our  missionary 
hostess,  asks  an  old  Orthodox  priest 
to  explain  the  svmbolism  of  the 
Orthodox  cross.  He  looks  angry  and 
mumbles  something.  She  looks  at 
me  and  tells  me  that  his  answer  is  a 
gruff,  "why  do  you  want  to  know?" 
He  walks  away.  We  have  just  come 
from  the  cathedral  where  they  were 
saying  an  Orthodox  mass — no  seats, 
just  people  standing.  The  monks 
were  singing  beautiful  Gregorian 
chants.  No  one  looks  happy,  in  fact, 
very  few  people  anywhere  look 
happy.  Our  e\'ening  experience 
stands  in  dramatically  sharp  con- 
trast to  much  of  what  we  have 
experienced  in  the  few  days  we  have 
been  in  Kiev.  Sergei's  friend,  CDR 
Victor  Kulakevich,  who  had  ar- 
ranged for  my  presentation  at  the 
Military  Academy,  was  able  to  get 
tickets  to  the  ballet.  It  is  an  awe- 
some, powerful,  emotional  presenta- 
tion of  the  ballet,  "Swan  Lake".  For  a 
little  while  we  both  feel  "recon- 
nected" to  "our"  world  and  are 
remindeci  of  the  rich  cultural 
heritage  that  is  very  much  a  part  of 
this  unique  country. 

Thursday,  September  7:  In  the 
afternoon,  we  meet  another 
"Sergei",  but  fail  to  get  his  last 
name.  He  is  a  senior  advisor  to  the 
President  on  matters  having  to  do 
with  social  issues  and  education.  I 
give  him  a  "I  Corps"  Bible  ("I 
Corps"  patch  and  camouflage  cover. 
I  had  purchased  many  of  these  Bible 
for  our  soldiers  at  Fort  Lewis  when  I 
was  still  the  I  Corps  Chaplain).  I 


give  him  a  miniature  Chaplain 
Regimental  pin.  He  immediately 
places  it  on  his  lapel.  I  think  he  is  a 
belie\'er  He  is  most  anxious  to 
influence  the  establishment  of  a 
Chaplaincy  in  the  Ukrainian  mili- 
tarv  We  have  a  fascinating  ex- 
change. 1  give  my  second  lecture  at 
the  University.  Afterward,  I  am 
approached  by  a  young  Naval 
officer  who  had  been  at  my  Military 
Academy  lecture,  who  is  also  a 
journalist  for  their  professional 
Naval  journal.  He  asks  if  he  can 
interview  me.  I  tell  him  that  I 
welcome  this  opportunity.  He  tells 
me  early  that  he  is  not  a  believer,  but 
he  is  very  professional  and  asks 
probing  questions  .  .  .  another 
moment  in  time  I  could  not  have 
expected,  yet  another  very  exciting 
opportunity. 

Friday,  September  8: 1  am 
scheduled  to  give  another  lecture  at 
the  Military  Academy.  This  time  on 
the  "Ethical  Conduct  of  War."  Sergei 
had  been  afraid  of  this  lecture  until 
he  heard  me  give  parts  of  it  at  the 
University.  Now,  both  he  and  CDR 
Vulakevich  want  the  student  officers 
to  hear  it.  I  am  excited  about  the 
possibility.  It  doesn't  happen.  By  the 
time  thev  can  get  it  scheduled,  the 
students  are  leaving  for  the  week 
end.  We  knew  ahead  of  time  that  we 
would  need  to  be  "flexible"  on  this 
journey  Little  did  we  realize  just 
how  "flexible"  we  would  have  to  be. 
Early  that  evening,  we  meet  CDR 
Vulakevich,  COL  Mandrageeja,  COL 
Pavlovich,  Dr.  Chesnakov  and  Dr. 
Afonin.  All  men  are  in  responsible 
and  influential  military/government 
positions.  We  talk,  barely  taking 
time  to  enjoy  a  delicious  meal  that 
has  been  prepared  for  us  at  the 
Military  Academy  Officer's  Club. 
We  begin  at  6:30  P.M.  and  finally  say 
"Good-bye"  after  10:00  PM.  We  talk 
much  about  the  future  of  Ukraine, 
hopes  and  dreams  for  democracy  to 
work,  and  a  longing  on  their  part  for 
a  chaplaincy  for  their  armed  forces. 
It  is  so  intense  I  am  exliausted.  I 


doubt  that  I  fully  realize  how 
momentous  this  encounter  really  is. 
They  are  absolutely  mystified  that  a 
clergyman  can  serve  in  the  military 
and  be  able  to  serve  in  responsible 
positions.  They  are  vmeasy  with  the 
"power"  needs  of  the  Orthodox  and 
Catholic  churches  and  they  have 
been  taught  to  believe  that  all 
"Protestants"  are  "cultists".  Sergei 
and  I  both  ha\'e  the  opportimity  to 
share  our  military  work  so  well.  I 
want  to  believe  that  I  have  helped  to 
dispel  their  "myth  about  "Protes- 
tants" .  .  .  and  the  mystery  of 
"clergymen  in  uniform."  All  of  the 
conversation  has  been  warm  and 
affirming.  I  pray  that  they  have  seen 
Christ  in  me  and  that  they  have 
been  made  to  confront  what  He 
could  mean  to  them. 

Saturday,  September  9:  We 
finally  make  it  to  Kiev's  "Borispol" 
International  Airport  for  oirr  return 
flight  to  Amsterdam.  We  settle  down 
in  our  seats  aboard  our  KLM  737  jet 
plane.  It  is  clean.  We  would  not  have 
missed  one  moment  of  the  past  week, 
but  we  are  ready  to  leave  this  myste- 
rious coi.mtry  with  its  imstable  and 
very  rmpredictable  future,  with  a 
deprived  populace  emerging  from 
the  long,  dark  night  of  Commimism, 
living  in  "quiet  desperation".  Yet,  we 
have  "connected"  with  precious 
brothers  and  sisters  in  Christ,  and 
ha\'e  also  "connected"  with  the 
sincerely  "curious"  at  the  University 
(Uke  Olecya,  a  beautiful  young  girl, 
who  told  us  that  she  wanted  to  be  a 
'real  Cliristian')  and  the  Military 
Academy,  and,  hopefully,  the  govern- 
ment and  military  officials  with 
whom  we  have  talked.  I  sincerely 
believe  that  our  times  of  sharing  our 
faith  with  these  groups  are  recorded 
in  eternity  and  that  someday  we  wUl 
know  more  fully  the  impact  of  the 
"open  door"  of  opporttmity  that  the 
Lord  gave  us  in  Kiev. 

(To  the  many  of  our  "Herald" 
readers  who  remembered  us  in  prayer 
throughout  this  journey,  we  give  our 
enduring  and  heartfelt  tlianks.)  • 


HeralD 


18 


B 


IGHTS. 


doesn H 

W«.ar  NIKES 


by  Deborah  Willis 


Sometimes  I  picture  myself  as 
an  ant.  (I  know — that's  weird. 
Bear  with  me.)  So,  I'm  an  ant, 
and  I'm  crawling.  (That's  what  ants 
do.)  I  want  to  get  to  the  ant  hill.  I 
have  a  vague  sense  of  where  I'm 
going,  but  I  can't  see  it  because  of  all 
the  grass.  In  fact,  the  only  thing  I 
can  see  is  grass.  (OK — if  I  crane  my 
neck  way  back,  I  can  see  a  little  bit 
of  sky,  but  that's  all.) 

Grass  in  front  of  me,  grass 
behind  me,  to  the  right  and  the 
left.  But  I  know  I  have  to  get 
through  this  forest  of  grass  to 
reach  my  destination.  (Now 
where  was  I  going?  Oh,  yeah. 
Home.)  So  I  keep  crawling.  I 
dodge,  I  climb  over,  I  squeeze 
under.  I  even  chew  through,  if  I 
have  to.  But  still  it  keeps  com- 
ing. Blade  after  blade.  I  no 
longer  stop  to  look  at  the  sky.  I 
am  focused  on  getting  through 
the  grass.  Soon  I  even  forget 
about  the  ant  hill.  All  I  think  is, 
"Dodge.  Grass.  Climb.  Grass. 
Squeeze.  Grass.  Chew.  Grass." 

It  does  not  end.  I  move 
mechanically.  Around.  Over. 
Under.  Through.  I  am  exhausted. 
And  then  I  can  go  no  further.  I 
have  come  to  something  too  big  to 
chew  through.  I  see  no  way 
around  it,  and  I  certainly  can't 
crawl  under  it.  It  is  a  mountain,  and 
I  have  no  choice  but  to  go  over  it.  I 
sit  down  and  cry  tiny  tears  of 
frustration  and  discouragement. 

Then  you  come  along.  (You, 
who  are  still  a  human.)  You  say  to 
me,  "No,  see  .  .  .  this  isn't  a  moun- 
tain. It  isn't  even  close.  This  is  just 


Lam?  Light 
Chronicles 


"Her  Lamp  does  not  go  out  at  night" 


a  mound  of  dirt  left  by  a  mole. 
Look.  I  can  knock  it  down  with 
one  well-placed  Nike."  And  you 
are,  of  course,  right. 

But  in  real  life,  God  doesn't 
wear  Nikes.  He  is  totally  in 
control,  all  knowing,  and  deeply 
involved  in  the  journey  of  his 
"ants."   But  this  does  not  guar- 
antee us  a  smooth  journey  with 
neither  grass  nor  twig  nor 
mountain. 

1  suspect  God  has  a  pair  of 
tennies  in  His  closet,  because  there 
are  occasional  accounts  of  moun- 
tains being  kicked  down.  But  more 
times  than  not.  He  lets  us  struggle 
over  the  mountains.  Yes,  He's 
always  with  us.  And  yes.  He  loves 
us  and  wants  only  the  best  for  us. 
But  no.  He  doesn't  always  knock 
down  our  mountains. 

"That  doesn't  make  sense," 
you  protest.  "Mountains  are 
painful.  Mountains  are  hard.  Why 
doesn't  God  just  flatten  them  all?" 

I  must  admit,  I  don't  know 
for  sure.  After  all,  I'm  only  human. 
But  if  you  will  let  me  become  an 
ant  once  again  (come  on,  be  a 
sport),  maybe  we  can  come  closer 
to  an  answer. 

I  am  no  longer  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain.  I  am  at  the  top. 
What  I  went  through  to  get 
there,  I  don't  want  to  remember. 
I  am  sore  and  bruised.  I  have  a 
gash  on  leg  #5  which  may  very 
well  become  a  scar.  But  the  worst 
is  behind  me. 


19 


As  soon  as  I  am  strong 
enough,  I  begin  to  notice  my 
surroundings.  I  am  watching  a 
cloud  go  by  when  it  hits  me — I'm 
above  the  grass.  I  can  see  for 
miles!  My,  but  the  big  picture  is 
bigger  than  I  ever  imagined.  And 
what's  that  speck  of  brown  on  the 
horizon?  It's  the  ant  hill!  Home.  I 
had  almost  forgotten.  It  comes 
flooding  back  to  me  why  I'm  on 
this  journey  and  where  I'm  going. 
I  start  down  the  mountain  with 
renewed  vigor. 

On  the  way  down  I  meet  a 
fellow  ant.  Poor  bug.  He's  going 
up.  I  stop  to  encourage  him  and 
to  let  him  know  I've  been  there.  I 
even  show  him  the  gash  on  leg 
#5.  He  thanks  me,  but  I  can  see 
that  he's  too  tired  to  catch  my 
optimism.  Maybe  he'll  under- 
stand when  he  gets  to  the  top. 

I  reach  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain. More  grass.  But  it  doesn't 
seem  so  bad  now.  I've  been  to  the 
top  of  a  mountain  and  back.  A 
blade  of  grass  is  no  big  deal. 

Sure,  sometimes  I  still  catch 
myself  letting  the  grass  get  to  me, 
forgetting  my  destination.  So  I 
stop  a  bit,  to  remember  what  I  saw 
from  the  mountaintop.  Then 
things  are  back  in  perspective  and 
1  can  journey  on  with  confidence. 
Because  I'm  going  home.   • 

(If  yon  ivoiild  like  to  write  a  short 
story  for  the  Lamp  Light  Chronicles, 
please  submit  your  stories  to  the 
Brethren  Missionary  Herald.) 


January/February  1996 


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^ 

I 


MARCH/APRIL,  1996 


BRETHREN     MISSIONARY 


VOL  58  NO.  2 

Crossing  the 
BOUNDARIES 

Pastor's  C^ 
Les  Nutter 
&  Dan  White 

Davy  Troxel 

PARADISE 

remembered 


Bible  Prophecy 
&  Science 


Paul  &  Cindy  Mic 
On  Being  Russian 
IVIissionaries 


Touching  You 
the  World 


USRARr 
«ACE  THEQIOGICAI  SEMINARV 
V       WNONA  LAKE,  INDIANA 


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A  Passion 


Jeff  Carroll 


I— H-t 


UJ 


I     III  I    I 


Do  you  like  pickles  on  your 
sandwich?  I  sure  do! 
Whether  it's  a  cheeseburger 
or  a  ham  sandwich,  biting  into  the 
bun  and  tasting  that  crunchy 
"vinegarized"  cucumber  just 
electrifies  my  lunch.  1  like  pickles, 
but  according  to  pickle  industry 
statistics,  over  the  last  decade  only 
the  same  people  were  enjoying  the 
same  number  of 
pickle  servings.   No 
matter  how  hard 
the  \'arious 
pickle  companies 
tried,  they  could 
not  get  more 
people  to  eat 
more  pickles. 
Sales  were  flat  and 
stuck  at  $700 
million  for  10 
years.  You  might 
say  that  pickle 
sales  had  plateaued 
(No  wonder  people  are 
always  giving  me  cucumbers!) 

One  company  began  to  have 
a  burden  for  this  dilemma.  That 
company  was  Vlassic,  you  might 
say  they  have  a  passion  for  pick- 
les. What  did  they  do?  They 
began  to  study  the  habits  of  the 
pickle  consumer.  They  asked  their 
customers  all  kinds  of  questions 
like:   "When  did  you  eat  your  first 
pickle?"   "How  can  we  make  our 
pickles  better?"  As  Vlassic  asked 
their  customers  the  questions,  the 
whole  company  listened  instantly 
and  purposefully.  One  answer 


kept  surfacing:  People 

wanted  their  pickles 

sliced  lengthwise  so  that  one 

slice  would  co\'er  the  length  of  a 

sandwich. 

Vlassic  then  took  the  idea  to 
engineering.  In  a  matter  of  months, 
a  couple  of  engineers  had  developed 
a  machine  dri\'en  by  air  that  could 
slice  pickles  lengthwise  at  high 

speeds.  Interesting  to  note 
that  in  this  whole 
development  process 
p,        the  makeup  and 
'^■■'       consistency  of  the 
pickles  was  not 
changed.  The 
company's  mission 
statement  was  not 
changed. 

Nothing  was 
changed  except  the 
way  the  pickles 
were  sliced  and 
when  the  world 
found  out  ....    Well, 
pickle  consumption  increased 
15%  the  first  year.   That's  an 
additional  $105,000,000  in  sales. 
Not  bad  for  just  a  little  innova- 
tion and  repackaging  of  a  good 
solid  product. 

Can  we  learn  from  companies 
like  Vlassic?  Can  we  innovate  in  the 
way  we  do  church?  Can  we  talk  to 
the  people  that  we  want  to  reach? 
Can  we  change  without  changing 
the  message?  Can  we  be  driven  to 
the  new  ways  to  reach  more  people 
for  Jesus  Christ?  We  must,  if  we 
hope  to  survive!     m-. 


J[farch/J[^pril  1996 


VOL  58  NO.  2 


L 


MARCH/APRIL,  1996 


Paul  &  Cindy  Michaels 

^      CROSSING 
'        The  Boundaries  , 


8 


BIBLE  PROPHECY 

And  Scientific  Fact 


Q  PEOPLE  WE  MEET 

-^  Paul  &  Cindy  Michaels 

'I  'I  CE  National 

-^  -*-  Junior  Quizzing 


12 


WMC 

Missionaries  of  the  Year 


The  Brethren  Missionary  Herald  is  a  bimonthly  publication  of  The 
Fellowship  of  Grace  Brethren  Churches.  Brethren  Missionary 
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Publisher:  Jeff  Carroll 
Managing  Editor:  James  E.  Serra 
Printer:  Evangel  Press 


EDITORIAL 

A  Passion  for  Pickles 

PASTOR'S  CORNER 

Sister  Churches 

SO  LONG, 

Pastor  Dick 


Ordination  of  Steve  Makofka 
17 


14 


RALPH  COLBURN 

A  Man  of  Service 

SPORTS 

Jerry  Lucas 

NEWS 

GB  News  Update 

LAMP  LIGHT 

Paradise  Remembered 

by  Davi/  Troxel 


The  Sclnvans  serve  as  missionaries  in 
England.  Seated  left  to  right  are 
David,  Rachel,  Becky,  Philip,  and 
David.  IT 


Cover  Photo:  Ralph  Colburn  was  a  long  time  GBC  Pastor.  He 
recently  went  home  to  be  with  the  Lord. 


CE  National:  Ed  Lewis 
International  Missions:  Tom  Julien, 

Jenifer  Wilcoxson 
Grace  Schools:  Ron  Manahan 
Home  Missions:  Larry  Chamberlain 
Women's  Missionary  Council:  Mary 

Thompson 


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HeralD 


Hut  _  _  _  Hut  _  _ 


5-1 
CD      ^ 


Every  church  family  prays  for 
special  opportunities  to  be 
used  by  God  to  touch  the 
lives  of  others  for  His  glory.  We  at 
Susquehanna  Grace  Brethren 
Church  are  well  aware  of  the  words 
of  the  Apostle  Paul  as  recorded  in 
Ephesians  3:20,  21. 

"Noiv  to  Him  who  is  able  to  do 
immeasurablif  more  than  all  we 
ask  or  imagine,  according  to  His 
power  that  is  at  work  in  us,  to 
Him  be  glorif  in  the  church  and 
in  Christ  Jesus  throughout  all 
generations  for  ever  and  ever! 
Amen." 

This  promise  came  alive  in  a 
spectacular  fashion  during  the  Fall 


of  1964,  when  our  church  family 
hosted  every  pregame  meal  during 
the  season  for  the  Golden  Knights 
Football  Team  from  Eastern  York 
High  School. 

The  human  element  in  this 
ministry  included  church  family 
football  parents,  Fred  and  Ruth 
Graver,  and  the  head  coach  of  the 
team,  Roger  Getz.  Each  week  prior 
to  the  meal  one  of  the  men  of  the 
church  led  the  team  in  a  devotional 
and  prayer.  Always  giving  rapt 
attention  and  genuine  appreciation 
were  members  of  the  team,  the 
coaching  staff,  trainers,  medical 
technician,  and  a  number  of  the 
players'  parents. 

The  grand  finale  of  the  1994 
season  was  the  football  banquet. 


orner 


hosted  by  the  church.   Dr.  Roy 
Roberts  was  the  guest  speaker  for 
the  occasion.   He  totally  connected 
with  the  audience.  The  gift  of  a 
Bible  was  presented  to  each 
member  of  the  team  from  the 
church  family. 

This  initial  experience  was 
repeated  for  the  1995  season  just 
completed.   The  expressions  of 
gratitude  from  the  team  mem- 
bers, coaches,  and  parents 
continue. 

We  are  praising  the  Lord  for 
the  unique  opportunity  of  sharing 
Him  and  the  privilege  of  demon- 
strating genuine  friendship  within 
our  community.  We  are  confident 
that  "His  Word  will  prosper  where 
He  sends  it."  ■» 


Sister  Ohurches 

WORKING   TOGETHER 

by  Pastor  Dan  White 


The  psalmist  said  it  well: 


B 


/  /    I  1  eliold,  how  good 
and  pleasant  it  is 
for  brothers 

(sisters)  to  dwell  together  in 

unity!"  (Ps.  133:11 


And  not  only  dwell  together, 
but  also  to  find  a  common  ground  to 
work  together  in  reaching  out  to  a 
needy  world  for  our  Lord. 

The  relationship  of  the 
Susquehanna  and  York  Grace 
Brethren  Churches  in  York  County, 
Pennsylvania  has  been  one  not 


unlike  that  of  many  others  in  a 
general  geographic  area — conge- 
nial when  together,  but  not  neces- 
sarily making  the  time  to  get 
together.  Committed  to  the  same 
overall  purpose  of  reaching 
people,  but  not  really  taking  the 
time  and  effort  to  work  together  to 
accomplish  it. 

The  theme  of  the  1994  district 
conference  and  the  message  of  the 
moderator.  Rev.  Les  Nutter,  also 
pastor  of  the  Susquehamia  GBC,  set 
in  motion  a  series  of  events  that 
have  changed  all  that — for  now,  and 
hopefully  for  the  future. 


"Keeping  fellowship  in  our 
fellowship"  was  Pastor  Nutter's  call 
to  all  churches  in  our  district.  The 
challenge  was  to  explore  ways  to 
encourage  interchurch  fellowship 
and  possible  cooperative  outreach 
events. 

The  week  immediately  follow- 
ing the  district  conference,  the  two 
churches  celebrated  a  Memorial  Day 
picnic  on  the  grounds  of  the  York 
church.  The  pre-summer  gathering 
was  reciprocated  in  September, 


(Continued  on  page  18) 


J\/Jarcli/J^pril  1996 


o  Long,  Pastor  Dick 

by  Joan  Tsibouris 


Pastor  Dick  DeArmey 
leaves  a  long  legacy  of 
touching  lives 
through  preaching, 
counseling,  writing, 
and  teaching.    It  was  a  joy  to 
speak  with  many  of  those  he 
touched  as  I  informed  them  he 
went  to  be  with  the  Lord  on 
September  14,  1995. 

As  Pastor  Dick's  secretary 
for  the  past  ten  years,  I  had  the 
opportunity  of  witnessing  many 
of  the  changes  his  wise  counsel 
brought  about  in  people's  lives. 
It  was  deeply  rewarding  to  hear 
so  many  of  those  folks  testify  to 
how  Pastor  Dick  had  helped  get 
them  on  the  right  track.   One 
woman  who  did  not  have  a  good 


relationship  with  her  father  said, 
"If  I  could  have  chosen  a  father, 
it  would  have  been  Pastor  Dick." 

As  Pastor  Dick's  heart 
attacks  began  to  come  closer  and 
closer  together  in  the  past  few 
years,  he  was  forced  to  reduce 
his  teaching  and  counseling 
schedule.    Retirement  was  not  an 
option  for  this  dear  servant  of 
God.    Instead,  he  undertook  a 
much  heavier  writing  schedule. 
Certainly  he  realized  that  he 
could  reach  far  more  people 
through  his  writings  than  in 
counseling  sessions. 

At  the  time  of  his 
homegoing.  Pastor  Dick  had 
completed  six  months  of  his 


"Elephants  &  Onions"  devo- 
tional series,  the  last  of  30 
booklets  he  wrote.   He  had 
hoped  the  Lord  would  allow  him 
to  finish  that  project.   Indeed,  he 
might  have  done  so  except  for 
the  fact  that  he  kept  getting 
ideas  for  other  writing  projects 
that  intervened!   Those  ideas  for 
new  booklets  came  faster  than 
his  hand  could  write. 

Pastor  Dick,  we  will  miss 
the  twinkle  in  your  eye,  your 
corny  jokes,  your  wealth  of 
knowledge  of  the  human  condi- 
tion, your  love  of  Bible  study, 
and  your  uncomplaining  spirit  in 
the  face  of  major  health  prob- 
lems.   But  how  great  it  is  to 
know  that  we  will  meet  again!   nii 


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HeralD 


ssing  the  Boundaries  in 
Christian  Social  Concerns 


In  a  Christian  ethics  class  I  taught  at  Biola 
University,  I  occasionally  heard  students  speak 
of  the  "Biola  Bubble."  Since  I  was  just  a  naive 
part-time  facultv  member,  1  asked  them  to  explain 
to  me  what  this  bubble  was  all  about. 

The  "Biola  Bubble"  (or  any  bubble  Christians 
inhabit,  for  that  matter)  is  a  man-made  separation 
chamber.  Inside  the  bubble  we  go  about  our 
religious  routine  and  speak  our  pious  platitudes. 
But  we  do  not  really  penetrate  the  wall  of  the 
bubble  to  have  a  real  impact  on  the  world  outside. 
Nor  can  outsiders  easily  look  in. 

But  if  we  will  really  stop,  look  and  listen  to  the 
world  aroimd  us,  if  we  will  really  listen  to  the 
summons  of  the  Gospel,  we  will  break  out  of  our 
bubbles  and  enter  the  world  for  mission. 

Folks,  if  we're  living  in  a  bubble,  it's  time  to 
wake  up  and  smell  the  coffee.  The  world  around  us 
is  challenging  us  at  every  turn. 

Recently,  mv  daughter  found  herself  in  a  very 
awkward  situation.  She's  a  teller  at  a  credit  union. 
The  customer  was  very  obnoxious  and  made  some 
very  racist  comments  which  were  heard  bv  the 
woman  she  wanted  to  insult.  My  daughter  must 
respond  to  that  situation  from  the  \'alues  her  Chris- 
dan  faith  gives  her.  What  should  she  have  done? 

Last  month,  I  walked  around  a  corner  in  a 
public  place  and  came  upon  two  men  who  were 
engaging  in  sex.  There  they  were,  together,  right  in 
front  of  me.  When  you  see  that,  you  know  you're 
out  of  your  bubble.  What  should  I  do? 

Last  week  our  church  received  a  threatening 
form  letter  in  the  mail.  It  called  for  assassinations 
and  claimed  that  these  killings  were  morally 
justified.  It  said  the  assassinations  would  start  with 
leaders  of  the  news  media,  including  the  news 
managers  of  all  the  local  Los  Angeles  TV  stations.  1 
phoned  the  information  to  my  local  newspaper  and 
to  a  TV  station  and  1  called  the  police  who  came 
and  took  a  report. 

To  others  who  mav  have  seen  these  threats: 
What  did  you  do  about  them?  Did  you  throw  them 
away?  Did  you  chuckle  as  you  passed  them  around 
the  office  staff?  How  you  answer  may  reveal 
whether  or  not  you  live  in  a  bubble! 

Here  are  two  kinds  of  bubbles  that  keep  us 
from  biblical  social  concerns:  One  is  the  isola- 


by  Donald  P.  Shoemaker 


tionist  bubble.  Christians  who  dwell  safely  and 
securely  inside  isolationist  bubbles  have  certain 
luxuries  which  Christians  with  a  world-view  of 
their  mission  can't  enjoy.   Inside  the  bubble  we 
can  spend  our  time  debating  exotic  issues.  We 
can  count  the  angels  on  a  pin.  We  can  see  who 
has  the  most  detailed  and  exciting  prophecy 
chart.   We  can  think  of  new  ways  to  defend  the 
rules  of  our  subculture.  We  can  ignore  the  fact 
that  the  world  writes  us  off  as  "irrelevant." 
After  all,  Jesus  said  we'd  be  rejected.  We  don't 
have  to  listen  to  the  cry  of  the  widow  or  the 
orphan.  The  cause  of  justice  on  our  doorstep  or 
the  suffering  on  the  other  side  of  the  world 
need  not  disturb  us.   Bubbles  are  quite  sound- 
proof. And  they  obscure  our  vision. 

Another  bubble  is  the  nationalist  bubble.  In 
this  bubble  we  think  first  as  Americans,  second 
as  Christians.  God  and  Caesar  have  become 
inverted. 

1  recently  watched  a  Christian  TV  program 
where  the  speaker  stood  in  front  of  a  stage  set 
draped  in  red,  white  and  blue.  On  the  back- 
ground were  the  words,  "Believe  in  America." 
Now,  I  could  accept  that  banner,  maybe,  at  a 
labor  union  rally.   But  on  a  Christian  program 
it's  borderline  idolatry.  The  Bible  calls  us  to 
believe  in  God  while  we  honor  our  country. 
Seems  I  read  on  a  coin  somewhere,  "In  God  we 
trust." 

Our  God  and  our  Gospel  call  us  out  of  our 
bubbles  and  make  us  Christians  with  a  view  of  the 
whole  world.  How  so?  Here  are  five  quick  points: 

First,  there  is  but  one  true  and  living  God 
who  is  King  of  all  the  earth.  God  is  not  the  God  of 
so-called  "sacred  things"  alone  nor  is  He  just  a 
national  god.  He  is  Lord  of  all. 

Second,  there  is  one  morality  which  is  right 
anywhere  you  go.  Even  in  the  Old  Testament, 
when  God  is  yet  working  through  a  particular 
earthly  nation,  the  call  of  the  prophets  is  a  call  to 
all  nations  for  justice  and  compassion. 

Tliird,  there  is  one  humanity,  made  in  God's 
image  and  likeness,  with  a  God-shaped  void  in 


(continued  on  page  IS) 


f^archl\pril  1996 


Bible  PROPECHY 


by  Dr.  Nathan  M.  Meyer 


Thirty-six  years  ago 
(after  being  in  the 
ministry  12  years)  the 
Lord  very  definitely 
directed  me  into  the 
specialized  work  of 
Bible  Conferences  dealing  specifi- 
cally with  Bible  Prophecy.  I  didn't 
hear  a  voice,  but  the  call  was  so 
definite  and  so  strong  I  knew  1  had  no 
choice.  From  that  time  to  tliis,  there 
has  never  been  any  doubt  in  my  mind 
concerning  God's  will  for  my  life. 

Over  half  of  the  Bible  is 
prophecy.  The  Holy  Spirit,  by 
divine  inspiration,  directed  Bible 
writers  to  record  exactly,  and  in 
detail,  the  whole  future  history  of 
the  world  and  of  the  human  race — 
all  the  way  into  the  eternal  ages. 
Nobody  but  God  can  do  that  with 
100%  accuracy.  People  can  guess 
about  tomorrow,  but  only  God  can 
write  history  in  advance.  1  find  that 
extremely  fascinating.  It  is  one  of 
the  irrefutable  proofs  that  the  Bible 
is  of  divine  origin. 

"Bible  prophecies  are  more 
certain  than  the  Law  of  Gravity," 
says  world  famous  scientist.  Dr. 
Hugh  Ross  who  has  a  Ph.D.  in 
astronomy.  He  grew  up  with  no 
knowledge  of  God,  but  in  studying 
the  complexity  and  orderliness  of 
the  universe,  he  reasoned  there  just 
might  be  a  creator,  whether  a 
"being  or  a  thing." 

His  question  was,  "If  there  is  a 
creator,  has  he  revealed  himself?" 
To  find  an  answer,  he  read  each  of 
the  major  books  which  the  chief 
religions  of  the  world  claimed  to 
have  come  from  their  god. 

Dr.  Ross  decided  to  compare 
each  one  with  known  facts  of  history 


and  science  to  see  how  many  errors 
he  could  find.  He  knew  that  no 
book  written  by  mere  men  was 
completely  free  from  scientific 
errors.  He  reasoned  that  if  there  was 
a  book  that  really  came  from  the 
creator,  it  would  not  be  full  of 
mistakes. 

Dr.  Ross  kept  a  notebook 
listing  all  the  errors  he  could  find 
relative  to  history  and  science.  He 
was  amazed  how  long  his  lists  were 
for  every  single  book  except  one. 

The  Bible  was  so  different. 
"Literally  every  page,"  he  said,  "had 
an  abundance  of  scientific  and 
historical  statements,"  that  he  could 
check.  Furthermore,  he  said  that 
unlike  the  others,  the  Bible  was 
written  in  very  clear,  precise  terms — 
"verv  direct,  very  clear  and  very 
plain." 

Except  for  the  Bible,  he  found 
no  book  that  got  the  order  of  cre- 
ation correct.  For  example,  they  put 
animals  before  plants  so  the  animals 
would  have  had  nothing  to  eat. 

He  used  his  scientific  expertise 
to  calculate  the  probability  that 
Moses  could  get  all  thirteen  events 
listed  in  the  Genesis  creation  story  in 
exactly  the  right  order  to  be  one 
chance  in  six  trillion.  That  really 
made  him  think. 

He  studied  the  Bible  every  night 
for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
his  Bible  notebook,  intended  for 
listing  scientific  and  liistorical  errors, 
did  not  have  a  single  entry.  After 
years  of  intensive  study,  he  concluded 
that  the  Bible  was  never  wrong. 

As  an  astronomer,  he  was 
surprised  to  discover  that  2700  years 
ago  (long  before  Columbus)  Isaiah 
said  the  earth  was  round  (Isa.  40:22). 


He  found  the  Second  Law  of 
Thermodynamics  and  much  about 
the  stars.  He  learned  facts  about  the 
star-cluster  Pleiades  that  were  only 
verified  in  the  Astronomical  Journal 
a  year  after  he  found  them  in  the 
Bible.  It  was  in  the  book  of  Job  3500 
years  ago.  He  was  very  impressed. 

He  found  hundreds  of  scien- 
tific statements  and  thousands  of 
historical  statements  in  the  Bible — 
every  one  of  which  he  found  to  be 
precise  and  correct. 

Isaiah  wrote  150  years  before  it 
happened  that  a  king  named  Cyrus 
would  set  the  Jewish  captives  free 
and  give  them  money  to  go  home 
and  rebuild  their  temple.  Nothing 
like  it  ever  happened  before  or  since, 
but  every  detail  Isaiah  foretold 
happened  as  predicted. 

Dr.  Ross  found  about  300  very 
specific  prophecies  relating  to  Jews 
going  into  exile  twice  and  finally 
returning  to  the  land  that  God  gave 
them.  He  spent  many  hours  in  the 
library  using  microfilm  and  newspa- 
per accounts  to  check  out  the 
Biblical  predictions  concerning  the 
Jews,  their  land,  it's  desolation  and 
final  productivity.  He  couldn't  find 
one  mistake  and  most  of  these 
prophecies  were  fulfilled  since 
1940. 

Jeremiah  listed,  by  name  and 
order,  nine  settlements  that  would 
be  built  to  expand  Jerusalem  after 
the  Jews  returned  the  second  time. 
Every  one  has  been  fulfilled  exactly 
as  foretold  and  in  the  right  order. 

Dr.  Ross  calculated  that  the 
chance  of  Jeremiah  getting  this  all 


(Coiitimied  on  page  18) 


HeralD 


ONE  on  ONE  with 

The  People 
We  Meet 


PAUL  &  CINDY 
MICHAELS 

Russian  Missionaries 


Q 


I'm  talking  with  Paul  and 
I  Cindy  Michaels.  You  are 
missionaries  to  central 
RussiSralso  known  as  western 
Siberia.  The  capital  of  Siberia  is 
Novasibirsk.  How  did  you  come  to 
go  to  Siberia? 

A:  We  heard  news  of  Russia 
opening  up  and  we  rejoiced  in  that  as 
Bible  college  students.  I  remember 
praying  for  Russia  and  the  gospel  to 
help  freedom  to  spread  throughout 
that  country.  So,  we  were  encour- 
aged by  the  news  and  the  only  way  1 
can  explain  it  is  that  when  we  heard 
this  news  it  became  a  burden  that 
would  not  go  away.  I  talked  with 
Cindy  about  the  possibility  of  our 
going  to  Russia  and  the  more  we 
prayed  about  it  the  more  God 
confirmed  in  our  hearts  that  this  is 
what  he  wemted  us  to  do.  I  would 
say  that  one  of  the  things  that  the 
Lord  used  was  the  need  in  Russia. 
We  Uved,  at  that  time,  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  a  city  of  250,000  with  more 
than  200  evangelical  churches  in  it. 
We  were  hearing  reports  of  cities  of 
half  a  million  in  Russia  that  didn't 
have  any  churches  in  it  and  as  we 
heard  that  need,  God  pulled  on  our 
hearts  and  we  went. 

Q:  Where  did  you  go  to  Bible 
college? 


A:  I  went  to  Philadelphia 
College  of  Bible. 

Q:  Is  that  where  you  met 
Cindy? 

A:  No,  I'll  let  Cindy  answer 
that. 

Paul  and  1  met  at  Hatfield 
Biblical  Seminary.  I  was  a  nurse 
working  in  the  evenings  and  taking 
classes  during  the  day  and  that's 
where  we  met. 

Q:  How  long  have  you  been 
married? 

A:  13  years 

Q:  How  many  children? 

A:  We  have  three  children, 
Benjamin  12;  Andrea  10;  and  Josiah  8. 

Q:  And  how  do  they  adjust  to 
life  in  Russia? 

A:  They've  done  great!  The 
children  in  Russia  are  very  accepting  of 
foreign  children.  Foreign  children  are 
very  unusual.  The  children  that  know 
my  kids  are  the  first  foreign  children 
they've  ever  met  and  that  really  helps 
the  children  adjust  to  the  culture.  The 
children  wanted  them  to  be  their  friends 
right  away.  They've  been  great. 


Q:  Do  either  of  you  speak 
Russian? 

A;  Not  much.  1  speak  a  little 
bit.  I  understand  a  lot  more  than  I 
speak.  So,  I  haven't  studied  Russian 
as  much  as  Cindy  has  or  the  children 
have.  1  stopped  studying  Russian 
probably  a  year  ago  once  1  reached 
the  point  of  being  able  to  function  on 
the  day  to  day  stuff.  I  realized  that 
for  me,  to  become  fluent  in  Russian,  1 
had  to  make  a  great  commitment  to 
it.  We  had  decided  on  our  first  term 
to  focus  on  ministry  primarily  and 
that's  what  I've  done.  I  haven't 
picked  up  Russian  as  much  as  I'd 
Uke.  But,  that  will  come. 

Q:  Are  the  kids  learning 
Russian  in  school? 

A:  I  home  school  them,  but  they 
are  being  tutored  four  days  a  week  in 
the  Russian  language  and  they  play 
with  other  kids  that  don't  speak 
English.  So  that  helps. 

Q:  What's  your  day  Uke,  Cindy? 

A:  Well,  in  the  mornings,  of 
course,  1  teach  the  children  and  1  do  a  lot 
of  food  shopping.  We  don't  have  a  car 


(Continued  on  page  10) 


J\/Jarcli/^pril  1996 


{One  on  One  continued  from  page  9) 


SO  we  have  to  waE<  to  a  lot  of  different 
places  to  get  food  and  carry  it  home. 
There  is  a  lot  of  waiting  in  lines  and 
finding  food.  That's  a  large  part  of  my 
day. 

Q:  I  heard  that  you  started 
eight  churches.  Tell  me  about  that. 

A:  We've  used  several  different 
methods  in  starting  churches.  We've 
had  short  term  teams  come  and  saturate 
the  area  with  die  gospel  and  through 
the  core  of  new  believers  that  ha\'e 
resulted  in  that  outreach.  We  have 
stcirted  Grace  Church.  We've  also  had 
the  privilege  of  training  Russian  men 
throughout  southwest  Siberia.  In  fact, 
they've  trained  about  95  men  in 
regional  centers  in  Siberia.  1  train  them 
in  church  planting,  so  some  of  them 
have  accepted  the  challenge  of  starting 
some  new  churches.  As  a  result,  they 
have  altogether  started  eight  and  I 
would  say  over  300  adults  have  come  to 
faith  in  Ctirist. 

Q:  Are  these  all  Grace  Breth- 
ren Churches? 

A:  No.  Grace  Church  is  Grace 
Brethren,  but  the  others  are  all 
national  churches,  primarily  the 
Russian  Baptist  Churches. 

Q:  That  is  really  exciting!  Is 
there  much  political  unrest? 

A:  Yes.  There  is  a  lot  of  political 
unrest  because  of  what  is  taking  place 
economically  in  the  coiuitry  We're 
experiencing  20%  inflation  a  month 
officially.  I  tliink  it's  worse  than  that, 
but  that  has  caused  incredible  financial 
problems  for  the  families  in  Russia,  in 
particular  for  the  pensioners.  As  a  result 
of  the  great  difficulties  that  the  Russians 
are  experiencing  in  the  inflation,  it 
makes  things  very  unpredictable.  It 
makes  living  very  impreciictable. 
People  want  change  and  so  I  really 
think  they  wUl  go  to  the  extent  of 
electing  someone  like  Sherenoski  who  is 
a  Fascist.  We  don't  know  what  wiU 
happen  with  him  if  he  becomes 
president. 


Q:  He  has  a  lot  of  support 
there? 

A:  Yes,  he  does.  He  was 
elected  the  head  of  the  Parliament, 
so  he  has  already  gained  a  lot  of 
approval  politically.  We'll  go  from 
here  if  he  becomes  president. 

Q:  What  do  you  hope  to  do 
this  year? 

A:  What  we  did  in  the  past, 
primarily  plant  churches  in 
Novasibirsk.  Six  of  the  eight 
churches  are  planted  in  the  city,  but 
our  desire  is  to  extend  throughout 
western  Siberia.  Our  vision  for  this 
next  year  is  to  plant  eight  churches 
in  the  four  different  regions  around 
us.  This  coming  summer,  we  will 
invite  sixteen  twelve  member  teams 
to  come  for  two  weeks  and  to  carry 
out  a  saturation  evangelism  strategy. 
We  initially  spread  the  gospel  as 
much  as  we  can  through  a  village  or 
through  a  region  in  a  major  city. 
Then,  through  those  who  have  come 
to  faith  in  Christ,  we  start  a  church. 
Lord  willing,  we  will  start  eight  new 
churches  with  that  strategy  as 
Westerners  come  for  a  two  week 
term  to  be  used  of  God  in  that  way. 

Q:  Do  you  have  any  other 
helpers  on  the  way  or  would  you 
like  to  have  more  help? 

A:  We  do  have  some  young 
ladies  who  are  coming  to  work  with 
us  that  we  really  praise  the  Lord  for, 
who  will  be  able  to  develop  our 
women's  ministries  that  we  have, 
that  we  haven't  really  been  able  to 
develop.  We  are  thankful  for  the 
young  women  who  are  going  to 
come  and  head  those  works.  But,  at 
this  point,  we  don't  have  any  men 
who  are  preparing  to  come  and  so 
it's  something  that  we  really  have 
been  praying  for.  I  hope  that  God 
will  raise  up  a  couple  of  men  who 
have  a  Bible  foundation  and  some 
ministry  experience  and  a  heart  to 
win  people  to  Christ.  I  think  that  if 
the  Lord  raises  up  a  few  more  men 
to  join  our  team,  we  can  continue 
to  expand  what  God  is  doing 
there. 


Q:  Do  you  ever  feel  your  lives  are 
in  jeopardy  or  is  there  a  stiong  military 
presence  there?  Do  you  ever  feel 
threatened? 

A:  No,  we  don't  right  now.  There 
is  peace  between  foreign  people.  We 
have  been  very  warmly  received  by  the 
Russian  people.  We  are  not  being 
watched.  You  know,  they  have  their 
structure,  the  Communist  structiire, 
which  is  pretty  much  in  place.  We  see 
military  presence  everywhere,  but  we 
don't  feel  tiireatened  in  any  way.  One 
thing  that  has  happened,  especially  in 
the  last  year,  is  that  the  spiritual  battie 
has  intensified.  The  Orthodox  Church 
has  stepped  up  very  much  so.  They 
attack  and  oppose  Protestantism,  and  a 
partiailar  form  of  Protestantism,  wliich 
is  helping  to  see  Protestant  Churches 
planted  throughout  Russia.  They  see 
that  as  a  real  threat  to  tlie  power  tiiey 
would  like  to  have  once  again  over  the 
country.  We  experience  a  lot  of  opposi- 
tion from  them,  propaganda  in  newspa- 
per, radio  and  television.  Weekly,  we 
see  the  stuff  and  so  I  tliink  that  the 
spiritiial  conflict  is  intensifying. 

Q:  Cindy,  do  you  get  to  use 
any  of  your  nursing  skills  in  any 
way? 

A:  I  use  my  nursing  skills  in 
the  family  and  with  the  Russian 
people  who  come  to  me.  I  think  I 
would  ha\'e  to  be  fluent  in  the 
language  before  I  could  do  that  on 
an  official  basis  with  the  people. 

Thank  you  very  much!  It's 
really  exciting  what  you're  doing 
there,   m 

COMMITED  TO  PRAY? 


TO  APPOINT  A  LOCAL 
PRAYER  COORDINATOR, 
CONTACT  RON  BOEHM 
2 1 6—467—6 1  23 


HeralD 


10 


JunMeQtt^fFi^g 


.  .  .  Children's  Bible  Quizzing  by  Mark  Vandegrift 


Names  like  Taylor,  Kear,  Steiner,  Bonar 
and  Wiley  may  not  ring  a  bell,  but  these 
are  just  a  handful  of  quizzers  involved 
in  past  Northeastern  Ohio  district  quiz 
teams.  And  each  one  is  currently  or  has  been  involved 
in  junior  cjuizzing. 

As  with  many  good  programs,  a  "feeder"  system 
is  often  present  to  maintain  stability  and  quality  within 
the  program.  NEO  has  had  such  a  system  in  place  for 
well  over  15  vears.  Junior  quizzing,  a  vital  program  in 
the  NEO  district,  allows  stucients  in  Grades  3-6  to 
experience  a  quiz  program  with  less  competition,  less 
materials  and  less  pressure  than  that  experienced  in 
senior  quizzing.  Students  can  get  their  "feet  wet" 
and  still  enjoy  the  benefits  of  quizzing:   studying 
Scripture;  gaining  better  study  habits;  learning 
discipline,  leadership,  confidence  and  public  speak- 
ing skills;  enjoying  fellow  quizzers  from  other 
district  churches;  and  burying  God's  Word  deep  in 
their  young  hearts. 

Junior  quizzing  does  not  vary  much  from  the 
senior  quizzing  format.  Quizzes  are  still  run  using  the 
national  guidelines,  including  type  number  of  ques- 
tions, point  values,  errors,  bonuses,  doctrinal  questions, 
fouls,  time  limitations,  etc.  Stats  are  maintained  and 
prizes  are  awarded  at  the  end  of  the  year  for  the  top  six 
quizzers,  highest  team  average,  most  improved  team, 
participant  and  spitshine  award.  However,  the  amount 
of  material  covered  is  less  than  that  of  the  senior 
cjuizzers.  For  example,  the  national  quiz  program  is 
currently  studying  Hebrews  and  1  &  2  Peter.  The  junior 
quizzers  are  studying  Hebrews  only.  Also,  there  is  not 
a  rally  winner;  each  team  quizzes  four  times  and  point 
totals  for  each  quiz  are  not  emphasized  (i.e.  coaches 
and  quizmasters  do  not  declare  winner  and  loser).  This 
portion  of  each  rally  is  meant  to  mirror  standard  "jump 
question"  quizzing. 

To  end  each  rally,  a  quizdown  occurs.  Each 
quizzer,  in  succession,  is  asked  a  regular  jump  cjuestion 
not  used  in  the  previous  rounds  of  standard  quizzing. 
Each  quizzer  has  30  seconds  to  answer  the  question.  A 
c]uizzer  has  two  errors  available  and  questions  continue 


Tliese  young  people  are  ini'olved  with  the  Junior  district  quiz 
teams  in  Nortlieastern  Ohio.  Tlte  quiz  teams  are  made  up  of 
third  and  sixth  graders. 


to  be  asked  until  only  one  quizzer  remains.  Points  are 
awarded  to  the  top  15  quizdown  finishers.  At  the  end 
of  the  year,  an  award  is  given  to  the  most  accumulated 
quizdown  points.  This  portion  of  the  quiz  rally  allows 
those  quizzers  to  participate  who  have  studied  the 
material  but  are  too  shy  to  jump. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  level  exhibits  very 
high  quality  quizzing.  Very  few  errors  occur  because 
the  students  have  a  great  ability  to  memorize  the 
material.  Comments  from  parents  indicate  that  most  of 
the  students  involved  make  quizzing  a  top  priority 
because  they  are  not  pulled  in  as  many  directions  as 
high  school  students  (i.e.  sports,  choir,  band). 

The  benefits  are  obvious!  The  wonderful  exercise 
of  studying  and  memorizing  large  portions  of  scripture 
on  a  regular  basis  does  not  need  to  wait  until  seventh 
grade.  If  you  would  like  more  information  on  junior 
quizzing,  please  write  or  call: 


Mark  Vandegrift 

704  29th  St.  NE 
Canton,  OH  44714 
Home:  216^56-5630 
Work:  216-493-9900 


NATIONAL 


For  quizzing  resources,  contact  CE  National  at  P.O.  Box  365,  Winona  Lake,  IN  46590  or  call  (219)  267-6622. 
For  specific  questions  relating  to  Bible  Quizzing  for  grades  7-12,  contact  Ray  Feather,  National 
Quizmaster,  at  the  Sunnyside  GBC  or  Scott  Feather,  Associate  National  Quizmaster,  at  Grace  Schools. 


11 


J[Jarch/ji^pril  1996 


WMC  MISSiONAF 


Becky  Schwan,  England 

My  name  is  Becky  Schwan 
(maiden  name  Julien).  I 
.was  bom  in  Ft.  Wajme, 
IN,  but  when  I  was  two,  my  brother 
Terry,  my  sister  Jacqueline,  and  I 
went  to  France  with  our  parents. 
We  lived  at  The  Qiateau  (that  was 
fun)  and  attended  French  public 
schools.  Mom  and  Dad  kept 
informed  of  what  we  were  learning, 
especially  in  high  school,  so  we 
could  talk  through  it  at  the  supper 
table  and  compare  it  to  what  God 
teaches  us  in  the  Bible. 

I  asked  the  Lord  to  come 
into  my  life  when  I  was  6  years 
old  at  a  VBS  program  in 
Winona  Lake.  As  I  grew,  I 
learned  more  about  what 
Jesus  had  done  for  me.  I 
struggled  during  my  junior 
year  and  finally  rededicated 
my  life  to  God  and  had  a 
great  senior  year.  I  started  a 
small  Bible  study  at  school 
and  also  was  able  to  witness 
to  some  of  my  teachers. 

I  attended  Bob  Jones 
and  Grace  College  and 
graduated  from  Grace  in 
1978,  then  took  a  teaching 
job  at  Dayton  Christian 
High  School.  I  met  David, 
my  husband,  at  church 
there.  (He  was  the  cute 
guitarist  who  occasionally 
did  special  music,  and  was  a 
music  teacher.)  We  were  married 
inl98L 

We  have  three  children. 
David  is  13  in  senior  school.  He  is 
very  outgoing,  a  leader  in  his  circle 
of  friends,  and  has  been  a  real  asset 
to  us  in  our  ministry.  His  hobbies 
are  soccer,  juggling,  and  badminton. 
Rachel  is  11  in  junior  school.  She  is 
quieter  than  David  and  is  good 
around  people.  She  is  generous 
v^th  everything  she  owns  and  is 
sensitive  to  the  needs  of  others. 
Philip  is  seven  in  elementary  school. 


He  is  our  "miracle  boy,"  having  had 
two  heart  operations  when  he  was 
rune  months  old.  He  is  a  little  ray  of 
sunshine,  loves  to  read,  and  just 
learned  to  swim.  (His  daddy  hopes 
he  wiU  be  the  musician  of  the 
family!) 

We  went  to  England  in  1990 
after  David  graduated  from  Grace 
Seminary.  We  live  in  the  town  of 
Shirley,  a  suburb  of  Birmingham, 
in  a  semi-detached  house  (a 
duplex),  on  a  very  busy  road.  We 
are  fortunate  to  have  a  house  with 
adequate  space. 

The  main  goal  of  our  team  is 
to  plant  churches  that  wiU  be  self 
sufficient  (with  national  leaders) 


Tlw 
left 


Schwans  serve  as  missionaries  in  England.  Seated 
to  right  are  David,  Rachel,  Becky,  Philip,  and  David 


and  growing.  Our  responsibilities 
are  varied,  but  they  all  center 
around  meeting  people  or  helping 
with  activities  that  wiU  give 
people  an  opportimity  to  hear  the 
gospel.  We  are  involved  in 
puppet  clubs,  a  preteen  group  and 
Bible  studies.  David  preaches 
occasionaUy  and  has  started  a 
guitar  club  which  has  given  him 
good  opportunities  to  contact 
men.  I  have  ladies  coffees  and  we 
entertain  in  our  home.  Building 
trust  takes  time  and  response  has 
been  slow,  but  we  now  have 


several  new  families  in  our  church 
and  we  are  growing. 

My  spiritual  goal  is  to  know 
God  better  each  day!  A  lot  of 
times  I  equate  my  spiritual  life 
with  my  service  for  the  Lord,  or 
what  I'm  learning,  but  the  Lord 
just  wants  me,  as  a  living  sacrifice. 
He  wants  me  to  slow  down,  listen, 
and  just  spend  time  with  Him. 
I  think  I'm  a  missionary 
today  because  my  parents  had 
such  a  positive  influence  on  my 
life  as  a  missionary  kid.  We 
ministered  as  a  family,  and  we 
kids  felt  included  in  what  our 
parents  were  doing.  We  knew 
that  Mom  and  Dad  had  a  real 
burden  for  the  souls  of 
people,  as  the  ministry  was 
at  times  hard  and  discour- 
aging. That  instilled  in  us 
the  desire  to  do  something 
significant  with  our  lives, 
whether  on  the  mission 
field  or  at  home. 
Asked  about  SMM  and 
WMC  Becky  said: 

We  didn't  have  SMM 
when  1  was  growing  up  in 
France,  but  SMM  groups 
did  nice  things  for  me  as  an 
MK — letters,  gifts,  and  they 
prayed  for  me! 

The  WMC  women 
back  home  have  been  such 
an  encouragement  to  me, 
and  to  many  others.  I've 
often  said  that  WMC  is  the  "per- 
sonal touch"  in  missions.  It  really 
helps  to  receive  letters  and  cards 
assuring  you  that  you're  not  alone, 
and  that  you  are  loved  and  cared  for 
and  prayed  for!  MyWMC'salso 
have  been  so  generous  and  creative 
with  their  gifts;  they  really  are  a 
wonderful  group  of  ladies. 

Joy  Sims,  France  1-  X  L  O  / 


I 


grew  up  in  a  small  town  in  far 
northeastern  Pennsylvania  and 
have  an  older  sister  and  a  younger 


HeralD 


12 


ES  OF  THE  YEAR 


brother.  We  used  to  joke  that  we  only 
slept  in  Pennsylvania,  but  Uved  in  New 
York,  since  almost  all  of  our  schooling 
was  in  New  York  as  well  as  my  parents' 
jobs  and  our  church.  My  parents  are 
committed  Christians  and  we  were 
raised  in  an  atmosphere  of  faith. 

In  junior  church,  when  I  was 
seven,  I  surrendered  my  Ufe  to  the 
Lord,  but  it  wasn't  until  high  school 
that  I  began  to  take  my  faith 
seriously.  1  was  well  grounded  in 
the  Scriptures  and  had  many  good 
role  models.  My  mom  is  very 
hospitable  and  I  see  the  value  of 
growing  up  in  a  home  that  was 
open  to  different  kinds  of  people. 
This  model  has  especially  helped 
me  in  my  present  ministry.  I  was 
exposed  to  missions  and  mission- 
aries and  learned  to  know  them 
as  real  people.  Our  independent 
Baptist  Church  is  one  of  our 
supporting  churches  now. 

After  high  school,  1  at- 
tended Word  of  Life  for  a  year. 
There  1  grew  in  faith  and  was 
deeply  challenged  to  consider 
missions  as  a  vocation.  At  the 
WOL  missions  conference,  1  gave 
my  Ufe  to  the  Lord  for  foreign 
mission  service.  That  same  night, 
1  had  my  first  "date"  with  Mark 
Sims  from  Columbus,  Ohio,  who 
had  also  committed  his  Ufe  that  ji,g 

night  for  foreign  missions.  left 

Then,  I  enrolled  at  Tennes- 
see Temple  College  and  Mark 
began  his  studies  at  Columbia 
Bible  College.  As  our  relationship 
continued  to  deepen,  we  saw 
God's  hand  leading  us  together, 
and  I  transferred  to  CBC. 

In  1978,  we  received  a  letter 
from  a  former  professor  at  WOL 
who  was  serving  in  France.  He  sent 
us  a  book,  France,  Forgotten  Mission 
Field,  and  asked  us  to  consider  the 
field  of  France.  We  took  this  as  the 
Lord's  direction  and  began  gather- 
ing information  about  France. 

We  were  married  in  1980  and 
graduated  from  CBC  in  1981.  That 


summer,  we  learned  of  the  Euro- 
Missions  Institute — a  firsthand 
exposure  to  missions  in  France, 
sponsored  by  the  Grace  Brethren 
Fellowship  of  Churches  in  which 
Mark  had  been  raised.  Although 
the  deadline  had  passed  when  we 
heard  of  the  opportunity,  Mark 
submitted  our  appUcation  by  phone, 
and  several  days  later,  we  learned 
that  we  had  been  accepted!  God 
used  those  six  weeks  in  France  to 
further  confirm  His  direction  for  us. 

Following  Mark's  gradua- 
tion from  Grace  Seminary  in  1986, 
we  returned  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 


Sims  serve  as  missionaries  in  France.  Seated 
to  right  are  Joy,  Gabriel,  and  Mark. 


to  work  with  the  GBC  which  was 
now  my  home  church  as  well. 

In  August,  1987,  we  added  a 
very  important  member  to  our 
family,  our  son,  Gabriel  Mark.  In 
September,  1988,  we  were  able  to 
leave  for  France.  God  was  faithful 
to  keep  us  on  track  those  many 
years.  We  are  praying  that  God 
wUl  add  more  children  to  our 
family,  but  He  has  chosen  to  say 
no  up  to  this  point.  Gabriel 
started  first  grade  this  year  and 
attends  a  private  school  which  is  a 
15-minute  walk  from  our  home. 


We  live  in  the  town  of 
Macon  in  a  third  floor  three 
bedroom  apartment,  five  minutes 
by  foot  from  the  main  shopping 
area  of  town,  and  across  the  street 
from  the  train  station.  We  work 
with  the  GBC  in  Macon,  the  oldest 
existing  work  of  GBIM  in  France. 
My  main  ministry  is  to  my 
family  and  I  take  this  very  seri- 
ously. I  beUeve  the  mom  sets  the 
tone  for  the  home.  I  have  many 
friends  (most  of  them  not  yet 
Christians)  and  enjoy  seeing  them 
in  their  homes  or  at  mine  for 
coffee  and  times  to  talk.  I  see 
these  occasions  as  great 
vehicles  for  evangelism.  And 
our  family  plans  time  for 
inviting  other  couples  and 
families  for  meals.  I  am  also 
teaching  EngUsh  to  young 
children.  1  teach  a  five  to  eight- 
year-old  Sunday  school  class, 
and  with  two  French  women, 
teach  a  Good  News  Club. 

I  want  to  thank  the  WMC 
ladies  for  their  faithful  prayer 
support  and  practical  interest 
in  missions.  Mark  and  1  both 
beUeve  wholeheartedly  that 
WMC  groups  are  a  vital  Unk 
between  missionaries  and  their 
supporting  churches.  We 
encourage  you  to  keep  your 
focus  on  the  world.  We  appreci- 
ate your  cards,  missionary  chests, 
and  projects  you  invest  in  year 
after  year.  We  love  you! 

Each  year  several  missionary 
women  are  chosen  to  he  honored  as  V\IMC 
Missionaries  of  the  Year.  Becky  and  Joy 
are  two  of  four  selected  for  1995-96. 

More  information  about  these 
ladies  is  in  the  WMC  Program  Packet. 
Yon  may  obtain  either  a  slide/tape  or  a 
video  to  introduce  them  to  your  WMC. 
Order  from  Grace  Brethren  International 
Missions,  P.O.  Box  588,  Winona  Uke,  IN 
46590  (phone  219-267-5161).  Please 
give  the  desired  date,  indicate  your  media 
choice  (video  or  slide/tape)  and  include  a 
love  gift  to  cover  expenses,   m, 


13 


f^arclil/^pril  1996 


Pastor  Ralph  Colburn 


Pastor  Ralph  Colburn  was  bom 
October  22, 1916,  in 
Wheatland,  North  Dakota,  the 
youngest  of  three  boys.  He  moved  to 
Pomona,  California  the  summer  of 
1923,  after  finishing  the  first  grade  in 
Wheatland.  He  accepted  Jesus  as  his 
Savior  in  a  boys  and  girls  after-school 
Bible  class  in  Pomona,  March  28, 
1928.  His  whole  family  became 
believers  or  assured  of  salvation 
about  that  time.  They  helped  start  a 
new  Grace  Fundamental  Church  in 
Pomona  in  early  1929.  They  were 
baptized  by  single  immersion  to- 
gether as  a  family.  They  moved  to 
Long  Beach,  CA,  late  in  the  summer 
of  1929.  The  first  church  they  visited 
was  First  Brethren  in  Long  Beach  on 
Labor  Day  weekend,  because  they 
knew  the  speaker  was  a  great  one. 
They  never  did  get  aroimd  to  visihng 
any  other  churches,  as  they  fell  in 
love  with  "Fifth  and  Cherry"  and  its 
pastor.  Dr.  L.  S.  Bauman.  They  were 
baptized  as  a  family  by  trine  immer- 
sion in  1930. 

Pastor  Ralph  graduated  from 
Hamilton  Junior  Fiigh  in  January 
1930.  Graduated  from  Long  Beach 
Poly  High  in  June  1933  (the  year  of 
the  big  Long  Beach  earthquake!). 
Taught  boys  Sunday  school  class  in 
First  Brethren  from  1932-38  (different 
classes).  Sang  in  a  male  quartet  in 
church,  which  was  also  part  of  a 
gospel  team,  1933-38.  Graduated 
from  Long  Beach  City  College  (two 
years)  in  February  1936.  Enrolled  in 
Bible  Institute  of  Los  Angeles,  ¥aR  of 
1936,  lived  on  campus  two  years. 
Graduated  from  Biola,  1949,  with  a 
Th.  B  degree,  a  special  four  year  course 
they  were  offering  at  that  time,  which 
included  best  of  Bible  Institute  practical 
studies,  and  much  seminary  level  work 
(three  years  Greek,  two  years  Hebrew, 
two  years  Systematic  Theology,  etc.). 
Ralph  enrolled  in  Westmont  College, 
first  year  of  its  existence  as  a  college, 
September  1940,  graduated  with  a 
B.A.  in  the  first  graduating  class  (four 
members)  in  1941.  Ralph's  father 
died  in  late  September  1938,  necessi- 


tating moving  home  from  Biola, 
commuting,  taking  over  his  father's 
business  to  support  self  and  mother. 

He  began  a  branch  Sunday 
school  and  church  from  First  Brethren 
in  Naples,  Jime  1939,  called  Light- 
house Community  Church,  and 
pastored  this  until  December  1941, 
right  after  Pearl  Harbor.  Sunday 
school  grew  fiom  22  to  66  in  one  year, 
and  church  from  12  to  40  in  that  year. 
He  started  a  high  school  group  in  a 
home  in  Seal  Beach  in  Fall  of  1940,  in 
which  attendance  reached  50(+)  and 
over  40  received  Christ  as  Saviour. 

Ralph  served  as  interim  pastor 
at  Whittier  First  Brethren  three 


Ralph  Colburn. 


months  of  1942.  He  was  called  to 
serve  as  pastor  of  First  Brethren 
Church  of  Compton,  May  1942 
tlirough  December  1947.  He  was 
called  to  be  Brethren's  first  National 
Youth  Director,  January  1948  thi'ough 
September  1954.  He  h-avelled 
extensively  over  the  country.  Mjirried 
Julia  Rowland  at  First  Brethren  Churcli 
of  Inglewood,  CA,  April  10, 1954. 

Ralph  founded  the  Grace  Breth- 
ren Church  of  Ft.  Lauderdale,  Florida, 
in  January  1955.  He  saw  it  grow  in  13 


a  Man  of  Service 

years  to  300(+)  members,  with  Sunday 
school  attendance  peaked  at  600(-i-).  He 
helped  found  two  other  Grace  Brethren 
Churches  in  the  immediate  area  and 
three  others  in  the  state  of  Horida 
during  those  years.  Both  of  their  sons 
were  bom  in  Ft.  Lauderdale:  Mark 
Jonathan,  July  31, 1955;  and  Timothy 
Joel,  May  31, 1958. 

He  came  back  to  California  in 
April  1968  to  become  pastor  of  Com- 
munity Grace  Brethren  of  Long  Beach, 
served  there  for  10  years.  He  taught 
11th  grade  Bible  at  Bretiiren  High 
School  for  six  of  those  years.  Both  sons 
graduated  from  Brethren  High.  Ralph 
was  inxdted  to  join  the  staff  of  North 
Long  Beach  Brethren  in  May  1978  as 
associate  pastor  to  seniors.  Ten  happy 
and  effective  years  of  ministry  ensued. 
When  North  Long  Beach  merged  with 
Rossmoor,  he  continued  in  the 
capacity  of  pastor  to  seniors  along 
with  other  responsibilities. 

Pastor  Ralph  served  from  1959 
to  1995  on  the  Bretliren  Missionary 
Herald  Board  of  Trustees,  as  Vice 
President,  President,  and  Treasurer 
of  that  board.  In  1960-61,  he  served 
as  National  Moderator  of  our 
Fellowship  of  Churches.  He  has 
served  as  alumni  president  of  both 
Biola  and  Westmont  in  the  1940's. 

Ttic  memorial  service  for 
Pastor  Ralph  Colburn  was  held  at 
Grace  Church  in  Los  Alamitos  on 
Friday,  January  19th.   What  a  send 
off  it  wasl  Participating  pastors 
were  Ron  Jackson,  Dr.  George  Peak, 
Dr.  David  Miller,  Dr.  MickUkleja, 
and  giving  the  benediction  was  Dr. 
David  Hocking.  Ralph  told  me  once 
that  he  used  to  change  Dave 
Hocking's  diaper  in  the  nursery.  Part 
of  the  service  urns  a  video  of  Ralph 
himself  on  his  death  bed  telling  of  his 
lozv  for  the  Lord  and  his  looking 
forward  to  arriving  in  Heaven.   What 
a  model  for  all  of  us.  Ralph  luas  a 
Pastor's  Pastor  and  we  will  miss  him 
much.   1000  people  were  present,  all 
in  some  way  touched  by  Ralph 
Colburn's  life.    ■"= 


HeralD 


14 


Catching  Up  With  . . . 

by  Tom  Felten 


H 


ere's  a  little  trivia  question 
to  tease  your  memory:  In 
.  what  city  did  Jerry  Lucas 
and  the  USA  hoops  squad  capture 
the  Olympic  Gold  medal  in  1960? 

(Insert  Jeopardy  final  question 
theme  music  here.) 

Time's  up. 

If  you  said  Rome,  (ding,  ding, 
ding)  you  are  obviously  either  a 
sports  nut  or  a  graduate  of  the  Lucas 
Learning  System. 

"The  Lucas  Learn  .  .  .  ?" 

Well  get  to  that  later. 

Now,  if  your  memorv  is  really 
good,  you'll  also  recall  that  Jerry 
was  the  first  basketball  player  on  the 
planet  to  win  a  high  school  state  title 
(Middletown,  Ohio),  an  NCAA 
crown  (Ohio  State),  an  Olvmpic  gold 
medal  (USA),  and  an  NBA  ring 
(Knicks). 

Not  bad.  But  his  most  impor- 
tant victory  happened  3  months 
after  he  left  the  game,  when  he 
discovered  God's  plan  for  his  life.  "I 
found  Christ  from  reading  the 
Bible,"  he  says.  "Tremendous 
change  took  place  in  my  life,  and  1 
wanted  to  draw  closer  [to  God].  The 
next  year  I  used  my  memory 
principles  to  memorize  the  entire 
New  Testament." 

Yes,  you  read  that  correctly. 

When  Jerry  first  began  under- 
standing the  process  of  what  he  calls 
"automatic  learning"  and  de\'eloped 
his  amazing  way  to  remember 
information,  he  would  tutor  busi- 
ness types  in  seminars.  These  days 
his  Lucas  Learning  System  seminars 
are  held  mainly  in  churches. 

Here's  what  the  big  man  with 
the  deft  outside  touch  (Remember 
the  Lucas  lay-up — the  15-  to  20-foot 
"J"  that  would  rain  all  day?)  says 
about  the  seminars  that  have 
touched  a  multitude  of  people: 

"On  Simday  morning  I  preach  a 
family  relationship  sermon.  I  teach 
people  how  to  memorize  the  whole 
sermon  as  I  preach  it.  They  walk  out 


with  the  ability  to  repeat  an 
entire  10-point  sermon,  and  they 
can't  believe  it. 

"On  Sunday  evening  I 
have  a  how-to-learn  seminar.  I 
raise  people's  confidence.  I 
show  them  that  God  has  gifted 
them  with  tremendous  skills 
that  they've  not  been  taught  to 
use.  I  compare  learning  prior  to 
school  with  learning  after 
entering  school.  Thev  see  a 
huge  difference  in  understand- 
ing how  the  learning  process 
reallv  works  in  what  I  call 
'automatic  learning.' 

"As  children,  we  are 
taught  by  our  parents  as  they 
point  to  and  identify  objects.  For 
instance,  we  see  a  chair,  and  without 
realizing  it  we  register  a  picture  in 
our  mind.  It's  an  automatic  gift  God 
put  in  us." 

In  his  seminars,  Jerry  builds  on 
this  understanding  to  help  people 
improve  their  memory  and  succeed 
in  Bible  memorization,  academics, 
as  well  as  their  personal  lives.  On 
Monday  night,  he  holds  another 
learning  seminar  that  goes  deeper 
into  the  learning  process  and  helps 
his  listeners  remember  names  of 
new  people  they  meet. 

He  also  gi\'es  his  testimony 
and  explains  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  this  session — the  main 
message  he  wants  everyone  to  hear. 

An  incredible  event  took  place 
in  Jerry's  life  several  years  ago  after 
he  gave  his  testimony  at  one  of  his 
weekend  seminars. 

But  first,  some  background. 
When  Lucas  was  in  his  twenties,  his 
parents  divorced,  and  both  remar- 
ried other  spouses.  After  Lucas 
accepted  Christ,  he  witnessed  to  his 
mother  and  stepfather,  and  they 
both  asked  Christ  to  be  their  Savior. 
His  father,  who  had  struggled  with 
an  alcohol  addiction  for  years, 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
Jerry's  faith. 


15 


Jerry  Lucas 

Pro  Basketball  Player  1963-1974. 


After  countless  attempts  to  tell 
his  father  about  Jesus  Christ,  Jerry 
called  him  once  more  when  he  was 
home  in  Ohio  to  speak  at  his 
stepfather's  funeral.  Again,  his 
father  said,  "No."  So  Lucas  was 
surprised  to  see  his  father  at  the 
funeral. 

Jerry  asked  him  to  attend  a 
Sunday  service  he  was  leading  in  a 
local  church  and  the  elder  Lucas 
agreed  to  go!  While  Jerry  was 
giving  the  invitation,  his  father 
accepted  Christ.  Since  that  time,  his 
dad  has  not  had  even  a  sip  of 
alcohol.  What's  more,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lucas  have  remarried. 

Jerry's  kids — five  of  them,  ages 
18  to  32 — and  his  wife  Cheri  are  the 
other  key  people  in  his  life.  And 
even  with  five  kids,  something  tells 
me  Jerry  has  no  problem  remember- 
ing their  names. 

It's  automatic!     mn 

Lucas  Linkup 

For  more  information  on  Jem/  Lucas' 
seminars  or  the  Lucas  Learning  System, 
lurite  to:  jerry  Lucas,  PO  Box  728, 
Templeton,  CA  93465. 

(Printed  from  the  February 
1996  issue  of  Sports  Spectrum.) 


l[farM^pril  1996 


mws 


New^ 


Grace  Brethren 


News  Update 


Touching  You  from  Around  the  World 


Chaplain  James  Schaefer  now 

resides  at  3547  Kelburn  Drive, 
Fayetteville,  NC  28311-2041. 

Reverend  Charles  Bearinger 

has  been  pastoring  the  First  Brethren 
Church  of  Buena  Vista,  VA,  since 
February  1,  1996. 

Bruce  and  Lisa  Triplehorn, 

missionaries  to  Brazil,  had  a  new 
baby  boy,  Jonathan  Paul,  born  on 
December  21, 1995. 

Mark  and  JoAnna  Berndt, 

missionaries  in  the  Czech  Republic, 
had  Sara  Kristine  on  December  23, 
1995.  The  Doctors  advised  them  to 
have  an  abortion,  warned  that  the 


O    Q    O    O    O    O    0 


baby  had  Down's  Syndrome.  The 
baby  is  perfectly  healthy. 

Larry  and  Cammie  Robbins 

serve  with  the  Wycliffe  in  Zaire. 
December  17,  1995,  Sunday  morning 
at  3:00  a.m.,  a  group  of  armed 
robbers  broke  in  the  Robbins'  home. 
They  threatened  the  Robbins  and 
stole  many  of  their  possessions 
(nothing  essential  to  their  work).  It 
was  a  terrifying  experience  for  them. 
After  the  robbers  left,  the  Robbins 
gathered  together  to  thank  the  Lord 
that  they  were  not  hurt.  They  could 
sense  God's  angels  protecting  them. 

They  are  deeply  grateful  for 
the  director,  Steve  Anderson,  who 
came  over  and  spent  the  morning 


9  e  •  •  «  • 


•  oea***» 


Knepper's  Alaskan  Fish  N'  Camp 

is  a  "Christian  Fisherman's  Retreat"  for  men  and  boys  centered  around 
God's  Word.  It  will  hold  two  camps  this  summer:  July  7-13,  1996  and 
July  14-20,  1996.  Pastor  Ed  Jackson  of  Worthington,  Ohio,  once 

pastored  the  Kenai 

Grace  Brethren 

Church.   He  has  a 

genuine  love  for 

the  Alaskan 

outdoors  and  for 

the  men,  he  will  be 

the  speaker  at  the 

first  camp.  The 

speaker  for  the 

second  camp  will 

be  Camp  Director, 

Col.  John 

Schumacher.  He 

has  dedicated  his 

life  to  the  outreach 

of  men  as  a  U.S. 

Army  Chaplain. 

For  more  information  or  for  our  brochure  contact  J.  M.  Knepper, 
Knepper's  Alaskan  Fish  N'  Camp,  10761  Los  Alamitos  Boulevard,  Los 
Alamitos,  CA  [Tel.  (310)  425-4001]. 


Ed  Jackson. 


John  Schumacher. 


debriefing  the  Robbins.  The  Re- 
gional Security  Officer  of  the 
American  Embassy,  who  is  a  Chris- 
tian, came  to  investigate  and  took 
charge  of  official  matters.  He  helped 
make  the  Robbin's  home  more 
secure,  and  he  set  in  motion  certain 
precautions  to  make  sure  the 
Robbins  were  not  hit  again. 

Pastor  Quentin  Mathis  has 

sets  of  the  Brethren  Missionary 
Herald  magazine  for  sale  dating 
back  to  1960.  If  you  are  interested 
call  him  at  614-878-6625. 

Mike  and  Myra  Taylor, 

missionaries  in  Africa,  had  Joanna 
Abigail  on  November  20, 1995. 

Madelyn  P.  (Comeford) 
Shipley — born  September  13,  1922; 
died  September  20, 1995.  Madelyn 
grew  up  in  the  Peru  GBC  and  was 
married  on  June  16, 1946  to  Charles 
E.  Shipley  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  The 
couple  served  in  the  First  Brethren 
Church  until  1959  when  they  moved 
to  St.  Petersburg,  Florida  and  upon 
their  return  to  Dayton  in  1965.  They 
were  later  active  in  the  Basore  Road 
GBC  before  retiring  and  moving 
back  to  St.  Pete  in  1986. 

Charles  passed  away  in  February 
of  1993.  Madelyn  was  subsequently 
diagnosed  with  pulmonfiry  fibrosis  to 
which  she  finally  succumbed  at  the 
home  of  her  cousin,  Janet  Cooper  of 
Horida.  She  is  survived  by  her  three 
sons:  David,  Steven,  and  Greg. 

The  Grace  Brethren  Commu- 
nity Fellowship,  17651  New  38 
Avenue,  Okeechobee,  FL  has 
dissolved.  They  have  joined  the 
Grace  Brethren  Church  at  701  South 
Parrott  Avenue,  Okeechobee,  FL,  so 
writes  Pastor  Larry  Zimmerman. 


HeraiD 


16 


Update 


A^' 


EWS 


Cuyahoga  Falls  GBC  closed  its 
doors  on  December  23, 1995.  The 
building  in  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio  is 
up  for  sale  by  Brethren  Home 
Missions.  Walt  Malick,  former 
pastor,  has  informed  BMH  news. 

The  Brethren  Missionary 
Herald  has  sent  out  a  new  leader- 
ship letter  to  leaders  of  the  Fellow- 
ship. It  is  called  the  Leader's  Edge. 

Here  are  a  few  reminders 
about  the  Women's  Ministry 
Retreat: 

•  (March  22nd  is  the  last  day  to 
register  for  the  Retreat.) 

•  Hotel  Reservation  is  due  March 
22nd. 

•  Hotel  check-in  starts  Monday, 
April  22,  2:00  p.m. 

•  First  session  together  starts 
Monday  April  22,  7:00  p.m. 

•  Retreat  will  conclude  Thursday, 
April  25,  noon. 

•  Shuttles  can  be  arranged  to /from 
the  Orlando  airport. 

•  Contact  Gladys  Deloe  or  Kathy 
Allison  at  (219)  267-5262  or 
Milhe  Davis  at  (904)  373-7235. 

See  you  and  299  others  in 
April! 


Steve  Makofka, 

Pastor  of  Youth  and 
Family  Ministries,  was 
ordained  to  the 
Christian  ministry  by 
the  Grace  Brethren 
Church  of  Greater 
Atlanta  on  Sunday, 
November  26,  1995, 
during  the  morning 
worship  service. 
Guest  speaker  for  the 
occasion  was  Dr. 
David  Plaster,  Vice 
President  for  Aca- 
demic Affairs  of  Grace 
Schools.  Dr.  Plaster 
has  made  a  significant 
contribution  to  Steve 
Makofka's  life  during 
the  past  seventeen 
years,  both  as  pastor 
and  seminary  profes- 
sor. Sharing  in  the 
ordination  ceremony, 
in  addition  to  other 
members  of  the  local 
church,  were  Rever- 
end Bill  Byers  and 
Pastor  Dean 

Fetterhoff.  A  reception  for  Steve  and  Lorrie  and  their  family  followed  the 
service  in  the  fellowship  hall  of  the  church. 


Steve  Makofka  ziHis  ordained  by  David  Plaster, 
Reverend  Bill  Byers,  and  Pastor  Dean  Fetterhoff  in  the 
GBC  of  Greater  Atlanta,  November  26,  1995. 


John  Patrick,  former  Army 
Chaplain,  was  installed  as  the 
pastor  of  Kittanning,  PA  Grace 
Brethren  Church  on  Sunday, 
January  21,  1996.   He  also  re- 
ceived Legion  of  Merit  award 
from  the  army,  presented  by 
Pastor  Jerry  Young  of  Lititz  GBC, 
a  colonel  in  the  reserves,  at  3 
p.m.   There  was  an  installation 
service  with  Charles  Ashman 
speaking. 

John  Schumacher,  Endors- 
ing Agent,  has  just  informed  us 
via  FAX  that  Chaplain  Com- 
mander John  Diaz,  U.S.  Navy,  a 
divisional  Chaplain  stationed  at 
Camp  Lejuene,  NC  has  received 


17 


orders  for  a  six-month  deploy- 
ment with  a  Marine  combat  unit 
that  will  be  positioned,  on  ship, 
off  the  coast  of  Bosnia.   Com- 
mander Diaz  departed  January 
26  and  appreciates  prayer  for  the 
opportunities  for  ministry 
during  his  deployment  and  for 
his  wife,  Brenda,  during  his 
absence  from  home. 

Mark  the  date  on  your  calen- 
dar for  National  Conference,  July 
27-August  1,  1996,  in  Toronto, 
Canada. 

COMPUSERVE  number  for 
Brethren  Missionary  Herald  is 

103617,1777. 


]\^arch/J^pril  1996 


ONTINUED 


(Social  Concerns  . . .  cant,  from  page  7) 


every  heart.  While  God  has  determined 
the  contours  of  each  nation,  all  people 
everywhere  are  God's  offspring  and 
share  a  common  dignity  in  Him. 

Fourth,  there  is  one  summons, 
to  take  the  one  Gospel  to  every 
people.  The  Day  of  Pentecost  is  the 
terminus  ad  quern  for  all  nationalist  or 
racial  or  social  status  bubbles,  for 
God  pours  out  his  Spirit  on  all  flesh, 
and  the  wonderful  works  of  God  are 


proclaimed  in  every  tongue  so  that 
people  might  call  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  and  be  saved. 

Fifth,  there  is  one  destiny, 
when  multitudes  from  every  nation, 
tribe,  people  and  tongue  will  stand 
before  the  throne  and  cry,  "Salvation 
to  our  God." 

From  this  divine  vision  of  a 
universal  God  who  has  a  universal 
compassion  and  call,  the  message  of 
the  Gospel  goes  forth  to  minister  in 
all  its  many  issues  and  dimensions. 


including  its  great  message  of  social 
justice  and  concern. 

The  question  which  remains  is, 
will  it  go  forth  through  us  or  without 
us  or  even  inspite  of  us?  Allow  me  to 
paraphrase  a  word  from  the  Book  of 
Esther,  for  perhaps  God  will  speak  to 
us  in  Mordecai's  plea  to  Esther,  "If 
you  remain  silent  at  this  time,  relief 
and  deliverance  will  arise  from  some 
other  place.  And  who  knows 
whether  God  has  not  raised  you  up 
for  such  an  hour  as  this?"    nii 


{Bible  Prophecy  . . .  cont.from  page  8) 


exactly  right  is  one  chance  in  10 
biUion.  He  figured  the  Genesis 
account  had  a  one  chance  in  6  trillion. 

He  calculated  that  the  prob- 
ability that  thirteen  selected 
predictions  out  of  3500  he  found  in 
the  Bible,  would  come  true  by 
chance,  was  one  in  10  with  138 
zeros. 

The  probability  for  the  Law 
of  Thermodynamics  is  one  in  10 
with  80  zeros.  The  probability  that 
the  Law  of  Gravity  won't  work  is 


one  in  10  with  200  zeros.  Conclu- 
sion: The  Bible  can  be  proven 
mathematically  to  be  more  reliable 
than  the  Law  of  Gravity.  And  yes. 
Dr.  Ross  is  now  a  very  committed, 
witnessing  Christian. 

The  greatest  prophecy  for  us 
now  is  contained  in  four  little 
words.  Jesus  said,  "1  will  come 
again."  It  couldn't  be  plainer.  The 
disciples  asked  when  it  would 
happen  and  Jesus  gave  them  more 
than  a  dozen  specific  signs  of  His 
return.  All  of  these  are  now  explod- 
ing in  their  fulfillment. 


The  sad  thing  is  that  most 
people  know  nothing  about  it.  Even 
people  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians are  in  for  the  shock  of  their 
lives.  They  are  not  ready.  Many 
seminary  professors  are  not  teaching 
their  divinity  students  about  it  and 
many  preachers  are  not  telling  their 
people. 

When  Jesus  came  the  first 
time,  the  religious  leaders  were 
caught  by  surprise  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  they  had  hundreds  of 
prophecies.  Now  it's  going  to 
happen  again,   mi 


{Sister  Churches  . . .  cont.from  page  5) 


hospitality  courtesy  of  the 
Susquehanna  GBC.  In  the  meantime 
(July  1994),  the  two  pastors  met  to 
plan  how  the  sister  congregations 
could  further  capitalize  on  their 
proximity  and  common  desire  to 
magnify  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus 
Christ. 

Each  church  has  found  a 
particular  niche  in  presenting  the 
message  of  Christmas  uniquely 
and  effectively  (Susquehanna  via  a 
still-life,  outdoor  portrayal  of  "The 
Road  to  Bethlehem;"  York  via  a 
musical/drama  approach).   By 
combining  efforts  in  prayer  and 
dedicating  local  church  meeting 
times  to  be  free  to  participate  in 
the  program  of  the  other,  the 
churches  and  people  had  some 


most  precious  opportunities  to 
work  together.  Each  church,  as  it 
were,  functioned  in  a  support  role 
to  the  other,  as  they  ministered  the 
good  news  of  Christmas  to  their 
primary  ministry  area.   Positive 
feedback  from  the  participants 
yielded  a  fresh  appreciation  for 
the  people,  and  a  unique  method 
of  outreach  of  the  other  church. 
To  top  it  off,  the  churches  were 
able  to  worship  the  Lord  together 
in  a  combined  threefold  commun- 
ion service  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  the  new  year  (January  8,  1995). 

The  arrival  of  Pastor  George 
Traub  at  the  Hope  GBC, 
Dillsburg,  PA,  in  northern  York 
County,  has  added  a  new  mem- 
ber to  the  "planning  triumvi- 
rate."  Our  association  has  only 
been  met  with  his/their  affirma- 


tion as  the  Hope  GBC  partici- 
pated in  our  spring  fellowship 
picnic  in  May  1995.   New  plans 
for  1996  call  for  a  three  church/ 
threefold  communion  in  January 
at  the  York  GBC,  a  pulpit  ex- 
change Sunday,  April  21,  1996 
(with  the  three  pastors  sched- 
uled in  one  of  the  other  churches 
for  the  morning  service),  a 
spring  fellowship  picnic  hosted 
by  Hope  GBC,  and  a  similar  fall 
all-church  picnic  to  be  hosted  in 
September  by  the  Susquehanna 
GBC.   Who  knows  what  they  will 
do  next! 

Was  it  a  good  experience  and 
worthwhile?  A  resounding  "yes!" 
Certainly  these  cooperative  events 
and  outreaches  are  worthy  of 
exploring  for  the  future.  "Try  it, 
you'll  like  it!"   * 


HeralD 


18 


A  cooling  breeze 
came  in  off  of  the 
lake  just  as  I 
finished  the  shear 
climb  up  the 
washed-out  side 
of  the  hill.  Jutting  tree  roots  and 
large,  buried  rocks  had  been  my 
hand  holds  up  the  steep,  bare  cliff  to 
the  grassy  top.  I  clamored  from 
sunlight  to  shade  as  I  crested  the 
hill,  stopping  under  the  towering 
canopy  of  hardwood  trees  to  drink 
from  my  plastic  canteen.  My  trusty, 
rubber  Bowie-knife  hung  ready  at 
my  side,  and  a  toy  Winchester  rifle 
was  slung  over  my  shoulder.  From 
the  summit,  I  could  now  look  down 
on  a  village  of  log  buildings,  beyond 
which  lay  my  ultimate  goal:  the 
huge  fort,  with  its  blockhouses  that 
guarded  the  steam  train  and  the 
Indian  tepees! 

If  you  were  that  ten-year-old 
boy,  this  might  have  seemed  as 
much  like  heaven  to  you  as  it  did  to 
me  then.  But  no,  those  picketed 
gates  didn't  open  into  glorv.  It  was 
a  theme  park  near  Angola,  Indiana, 
called  "Buck  Lake  Ranch." 

Every  summer,  from  Memorial 
Day  to  Labor  Day,  my  weekends 
were  often  spent  wandering  the  hills 
and  hiding  places  of  that  young 
boy's  paradise.  Saturdays  were 
especially  fun,  because  there  was 
usually  no  one  else  around  except 
my  grandparents.  It  was  they,  along 
with  my  father  and  the  owners 
(Harry  and  Lienor  Smythe),  who 
began  the  park.  My  grandparents 
ran  the  Sno-Cone  and  Cotton  Candy 
stand  that  stood  close  to  the  stage,  at 
the  base  of  the  hill.  Sundays  were 
quite  hectic  sometimes,  and  I  can 
remember  days  when  I  would  stand 
at  the  counter  and  sell  Sno-  Cones 
for  three  and  four  hours  straight 
without  stopping.  But  it  wasn't 


really  work;  I  got  to  see  the  shows 
for  free,  and  on  top  of  that  usually 
made  from  five  to  seven  dollars  for 
the  weekend  as  a  "thanks  for 
helping"  from  Grandma. 

But  in  the  late  sixties,  the  park 
was  sold,  and  my  grandparents  sold 
out  their  business.  The  precious 
memories  of  my  adventures  there 
were  priceless,  and  I  have  kept  them 
to  this  day. 

So  I  was  overwhelmed  with 
nostalgia  one  year  ago  when,  while 
on  my  way  to  a  BCS  basketball 
game  near  Angola,  I  recognized  the 
road  that  turned  off  to  Buck  Lake!  I 
drove  on  down  to  the  school  where 
the  team  was  to  play,  but  I  couldn't 
stav.  Being  that  close,  I  just  had  to 
see  mv  childhood  paradise  again. 
But  as  1  drove  that  familiar  country 
road,  I  wondered,  "Would  the  place 
look  the  same?  Do  I  e\'en  want  to 
see  it  from  an  adult's  point  of  view? 
Will  seeing  it  after  thirty  years  of 
change  spoil  my  enchantment  with 
that  grand  amusement?" 

1  was  glad  that  Ronda  was  with 
me.  Not  only  could  I  maybe  glean 
one  more  memory  from  the  park  to 
share  with  her,  but  if  things  weren't 
still  as  1  remembered  them,  I  could 
look  at  her  and  think,  "Yeali,  but  look 
what  great  blessings  God  has  given 
me  instead!"  We  slowly  rolled 
through  the  main  entrance.  The  pine 
trees  that  lined  botli  sides  of  the  road 
had  grown,  but  I  could  see  between 
the  trees  that  the  rustic  old  fort  was 
gone.  Clearing  the 
tree-lined  road 
I  pulled  on  to 
the  beginning 
of  the  brick 
street  that 
sloped 
gently  down 
to  the  beach. 
Some  of  the 


old  log  buildings  were  still 
standing,  but  there  was  no  sign 
of  the  rides  that  used  to  glorify 
the  shore  and  throw  colorful 
electric  reflections  off  of  the  lake. 
The  wind  blew,  rustling  a  lot  of 
the  same  old  trees  again,  but  this 
time  the  feeling  was  eerie  rather  than 
exciting.  We  walked  down  the  brick 
street  past  the  stage,  its  rafters 
echoing  the  haundng  voices  of  the 
many  performers  who  had  gotten 
their  start  there:  some  long  since 
passed  away. 

I  smiled  to  see  the  old  Sno- 
Cone  stand  still  minding  its  place 
near  the  stage.  Peering  inside 
through  a  crack,  I  could  see  the  door 
to  the  old  ice  room.  The  many 
layers  of  white  enamel  paint  on  the 
counters  were  stained  and  bordered 
with  mildew.  A  large  hole  in  the 
ceiluig  told  of  how  a  dead  tree  limb 
had  come  through  the  roof.  Nothing 
was  in  the  little  building  anvmore  to 
tell  passersby  what  a  joyful  place 
this  used  to  be.  I  felt  no  more  of  the 
sense  of  adventure,  of  carefree 
summers,  or  of  hope  for  prosperity. 
Another  car  pulled  in,  and  the 
driver  asked  if  there  was  going  to  be 
an  auction  that  night.  "That's  all  that 
goes  on  here  ansmore,"  he  said. 

How  could  it  be?  How  could 
this  marvelous  place  that  so  stirred 
my  imagination  and  shaped  my 
very  life  be  left  to  fall  apart?  This 
was  once  a  wise  man's  dream,  and 
now  it  has  rotted  into  an  embarrass- 
ing epitaph. 

Where  is  evervbody?  Doesn't 
anyone  care?  Where  is  the  caretaker 
of  paradise,  and  how  can  he  have 
the  gall  to  permit  such  a  wellspring 
of  joy  turn  bitter? 

And  so  it  was  also,  and  many, 
many  times  more,  that  went  through 
the  heart  of  Christ  as  he  visited  Eden 
after  Adam  and  Eve's  fall  and  said, 
"Where  are  you?" 

Lamp  Light 
Chronicles 

"You,  O  Lord,  keep  my  lamp  burning" 


19 


j\/[arMj\^pril  1996 


t  S  T  / 


W         O         R         L         D         W 


D         E 


^   A  V  ^ 


VACATIONS  •  BUSINESS  •  GROUPS  •  MEETINGS 

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PAID 

Winona  Lake,  I 

Permit  No.  1: 


VOL  58  NO.  3 


PRAYER:   The 
Strength  to  Live 
Dependently 

OhiurcKi 

a* 
BOOTCAMP 


fit 


Lord,  Use  Me  .  .  . 

BUT    NOT   TOO 
CLOSE   TO    home!" 


Scripture  Memory 
Made  Fun  & 


Steve  Peti 

1996  ModeratoWirreT^ 


GRACE  Br 

Touching  Yo\ 
the  World 


thren  News 

from  Around 


I  fiiACf  THEOLOGICAL  SEMWAIY 
WWMA  lAlfE.  rNMAfU 

S    S    I    O    N    A    R    Y 


MAY/JUNE  1996 


r:  •*';/ 


$2.50 


EVE  PETERS 

96  Moderator  of  GBC 


Alexander  Mack 


gacv 


The  author  believes  the  lessons  of  the  past  have  lost  their  relevancy  to  the  present  day  church 
status  and  attitudes.  He  senses  the  need  for  another  serious  look  at  the  weaknesses  of  yesteryear — as 
individuals  and  as  a  collective  community.  His  Greatest  Legacy  sells  for  $13.99  at  the  Herald 
Bookstores.  Ask  the  Herald  Bookstore  for  more  information  at  1-800-348-2756  or  (219)  267-7158  or 
FAX  (219)  267-4745. 

Kinsley  is  the  author  of  Our  Common  Heritage.  In  this  book,  he  depicts  a  German  born  Patriarch 
and  the  family's  country. 


mfiriVisionl 

Long  Distance  Service! 
It's  Something  to  Consider! 

Every  dollar  that  the  Brethren  Missionary  Herald  Company  receives  from  AmeriVision/LifeLine  as 
refunds  from  your  long  distance  billing,  will  be  used  for  the  production  and  continued  improvement  of  the 
Leader's  Edge  —  your  source  for  the  news  and  features  that  you  want. 

If  you  would  like  more  information  on  how  you  could  switch  your  long  distance  carrier  and  have  a 
percentage  of  your  bill  given  to  BMH,  just  call  LifeLine  at  1-800-493-2002.  Remember  to  tell  them  BMH 
when  you  call. 

CALL  TODAY! 

You'll  be  glad  you  did. 


Change  Is  Not  Easy 


Jeff  Carroll 


The  Brethren  Missionary 
Herald  has  been  coming 
into  our  homes  for  over 
57  years.  It  has  literally  heralded  the 
good  things  God  has  accomplished  in 
and  through  our  Brethren  churches 
worldwide.  The  BMH  Board  has 
tried  to  build  our  magazine  as  a  basic 
organ  of  communication  with  our 
fellowship. 

But  communication  has 
changed  o\'er  the  years,  and  it  is  now 
changing  even  more  rapidly.  Many 
churches  have  cellular  telephones, 
photocopiers,  fax  machines  and 
personal  computers  with  modems  for 
e-mail.  BMH  took  the  lead  in  adjusting 
to  the  rapid  pace  by  offering  a  free  800 
newsUne  for  sex'eral  years.  That  senice 
is  still  available  on  tlie  Herald  Newsline 
by  calling  219-267-7826. 

We  also  are  sending,  by  e-maU, 
weekly  BMH  news  each  Tuesday  to 
everyone  who  has  an  e-mail  address 
listed  with  us.  Tliose  who  ha\e  not 
sent  their  e-mail  address  are  urged  to 
do  so.  122  persons  and  churches  are 
currentlv  recei\'ing  this  news. 

Originally,  the  Herald  magazine 
was  the  chief  communication  of  our 
national  Boards  to  our  Brethren 
people.  Tliis,  also,  has  changed.  We 
support  all  of  our  boards  and  pray  for 
their  ministries  to  prosper,  but  each 
board  has  found  it  more  effective  to 


communicate  with  its  constituents 
through  its  own  publications.  All  of 
these  changes  necessitate  a  reevalua- 
tion  of  tiie  purpose  of  the  magazine. 

In  1980  the  circulation  of  the 
Herald  reached  an  all  time  high  of 
11,000.  In  1995  we  sold  1,100  annual 
subscriptions  to  the  Herald  for  $13.50 
each.  The  actual  cost  of  producing, 
printing  and  distributing  the  Herald 
was  $65.00  each.  You  can  see  that 
adding  subscribers  only  intensifies 
our  problem  of  losing  $51.50  on  each 
one,  or  about  $56,650  a  year.  This  has 
been  the  pattern  for  several  years. 
Consequently,  after  much  delibera- 
tion and  prayer,  the  board  has  sadly 
decided  to  cease  publication  of  the 
Herald  magazine.  The  final  issue  wUl 
be  May-June,  1996. 

We  have,  however,  a  new 
publication  that  is  alreadv  meeting 
needs  in  harmony  with  our  purpose. 
The  Leader's  Edge  is  being  sent  each 
month  to  1,800  persons:  all  Herald 
subscribers,  pastors,  missionaries, 
teachers  and  other  Grace  Brethren 
leaders  who  gi\'e  us  their  addresses. 
Beginning  with  the  May  issue.  The 
Leader's  Edge  will  include  two  pages 
of  current  Grace  family  news. 

We  ask  our  present  Herald 
subscribers  to  allow  us  to  reassign 
their  remaining  subscription  fees  to 
the  cost  of  The  Leader's  Edge.  To  those 
who  recjuest  it,  we  will  be  happy  to 
mail  a  cash  refund. 

This  announcement  is  made 
with  a  sense  of  sadness  at  losing  an 
old  friend,  but  with  much  hope  for 
the  future  of  our  fellowship. 
Change  doesn't  always  produce 
growth,  but  growth  always  pro- 
duces change.  We  expect  that  our 
church,  and  our  world,  will  continue 
to  change  rapidly  as  we  approach 
the  time  of  our  Lord's  return.  Please 
pray  with  us  that  our  efforts  to 
encourage  our  leaders  and  cast 
vision  for  our  churches  will  stimu- 
late growth  in  our  personal  lives  and 
in  our  fellowship.   • 


][JttyJune  1996 


8 


10 
12 
14 
16 
19 


■  ■       BRETHRfeN     MISSIONARY 

Herald 


VOL  58  NO^  3 


MAY/JUNE,  1996 


^  EDITORIAL 

*^  Change  Is  Not  Easy 

C  PAYER:  The  Strength 

*^  to  Live  Dependently 


SCRIPTURE  MEMORY 

Made  Fun  &  Easy 

CRUSTIAN  GROUP 

Survival 


PEOPLE  WE  MEET 

Steve  Peters 

THE  IV  LATIN 

GBC  Congress 

CHURCH  PLANTERS 

At  "BootCamp" 

A  NON-EULOGY 

For  Miss  Ruth  Snyder 

NEWS 

GB  News  Update 

"LORD,  USE  ME  . . . 

But  Not  Too  Close 
to  Home!" 

In)  Judy  Dniiiels 


•B-'-jpiH 

FIJ 

"  cm 

i.     V 

'■f^V 

-i     .        : 

i» 

Tim  and  Aleue  Enderle,  with 
"coach"  Bill  Snell,  listen  to  Neil 
Cole  during  a  workshop  session. 

12 


Barb  teaches  a  daily  community 
Bible  class  in  Sango  and  Andre 
translates  into  the  language  of 
his  people  in  the  forest.  -i-i 


Cover  Photo:  Steve  Peters 
is  the  1996  Moderator  of 
the  Fellowship  of  Grace 
Brethren  Churches.  He  is 
featured  on  pages  9  &  10. 


Publisher:  Jeff  Carroll 
Managing  Editor:  James  E.  Serra 
Printer:  Evangel  Press 


Department  Editors 

CE  National:  Ed  Lewis 
International  Missions:  Tom  Julien, 

Stephanie  Farrier 
Grace  Schools:  Ron  Manahan 
Home  Missions;  Larry  Chamberlain 
Women's  Missionary  Council: 

Mary  Thompson 

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HeralD 


PRAYER:  The  Strength 
to  Live  DependentJy^^i^ 


Wiat  is  left  to  be  said 
about  prayer?  We 
know  essentially 
what  prayer  is.  We  know  why  we 
should  pray.  We  know  to  Whom  we 
should  pray.  We  know  where  we  can 
pray.  We  know  ho\\'  to  pray.  We 
know  lots  of  Scripti-ire  about  prayer, 
even  quote  them  from  Scripture. 
Many  hours  we  have  logged  sitting 
through  seminars  and  sermons.  And 
beyond  these  things,  we  think  we 
know  what  the  best  prayers  are,  who 
prays  most  eloquently,  most  sincerely, 
most  profoundly,  most 
ciramatically,  with  the  deepest 
voice,  tears,  and  even  cliches. 
It  is  amazing  how  very 
much  we  know  about  prayer, 
yet  how  very  little  we 
actually  pray.  A  recent 
survey  indicated  that 
Christians  pray  only  an 
average  of  two  minutes  a 
day.  Most  people  responded 
that  they  thought  about 
praying  nearly  every  day. 
Most  expressed  a  deep  desire 
to  have  a  consistent  daily 
prayer  life.  Perhaps  most 
stunning  was  the  fact  that  apart 
from  public  praying  in  ministerial 
duties,  the  American  pastor  aver- 
ages only  seven  minutes  of  prayer  a 
day. 

Nafuralh',  the  question  anyone 
would  ask  would  be,  "Wliy?"  Why 
such  prayerlessness?  And,  it's  the 
right  kind  of  question.  Ask  a  lot  of 
people  ancf  one  would  get  a  lot  of 
different  answers.  Ask  the  Lord  and 
maybe  He  would  give  but  one.  What 
would  it  be?  Let's  check  it  out. 

Lots  of  passages  of  Scriptures 
speak  of  prayer:  what  to  pray  for, 
how  to  pray,  when  to  pray.  Many 
passages  speak  about  what  happens 


when  we  don't  pray.  A  number  of 
passages  indict  us  for  prayerlessness. 
But  few,  if  any,  directly  answer  and 
explain  why  we  don't  pray. 

Maybe  it's  obvious  through  the 
collection  of  the  hundreds  of  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  that  address  the 
matter  of  prayer.  Every  passage  of 
Scripture  that  describes  prayer 
ultimately  teaches  one  basic  prin- 
ciple: dependency! 

Dependency  may  be  called 
different  things  and  appear  in 
different  forms:  trust,  faith,  need, 


A  recent  survey 
indicated  that  Cliristians 
pray  only  an  average  of 
two  minutes  a  day . . . 
the  American  pastor 
averages  only  seven 
minutes  of  prayer  a  day. 


despair,  relationship,  fear,  awe, 
worship,  praise,  thankfulness,  and 
many  more.  These  and  all  other 
descriptions  flow  ultimately  from 
dependency. 

When  Hannah  prayed  for  a  son, 
she  expressed  total  dependency. 
When  EUsha  prayed  for  the  move- 
ments of  the  weather  to  cease,  he  was 
dependent  upon  God  to  do  it. 
David's  prayers  for  victory  over 
Israel's  enemies  was  realized  by  Ills 
total  dependency  on  God  for  victory. 
His  psalms  of  praise  deeply  express  a 
total  reliance  on  God  for  forgi\'eness, 
power,  and  spiritual  experience.  Job's 
ultimate  realization,  through  his 


ordeal,  highlighted  his  dependency 
on  God  above  friends,  family,  and  his 
own  wealth  and  reputation.  E\'en  his 
strongest  emoHonal  queries  toward 
God,  about  the  fairness  of  his  suffer- 
ing, betray  a  dependence  on  God  to 
be  able  to  answer. 

Prayers  of  praise  and  worship 
have  meaning  because  the  presuppo- 
sition behind  them  is  an  awareness  of 
the  absolute  and  total  dependency  on 
God.  Isaiah's  confrontation  with  the 
Exalted  One  threatened  his  very 
existence.  He  felt,  in  an  instant,  his 

total  dependency  on  the  One 
^       before  him  for  his  \'ery  life  and 
forgiveness. 

Other  examples  are  given 
to  us  from  the  Bible.  Mary's 
"magnificat"  demonstrated 
dependency  for  a  miraculous 
birth.  Peter's  prayer  in  prison 
showed  a  dependency  for 
release.  While  in  shackles,  Paul 
and  Silas'  praise  and  song 
revealed  a  dependency  for  their 
very  lives. 

To  whom  did  Stephen 
commend  his  spirit  in  his  instant 
final  prayer?  Of  course,  to  the 
One  upon  whom  he  knew  he  was 
ultimateh'  and  eternalh'  dependent. 

Perhaps  the  most  strikingly 
dependent  praying  was  done  by  God 
to  God.  Such  is  the  miracle  of  mutvial 
dependency  expressed  to  a  degree 
beyond  comprehension  in  the  Trinity. 
Jesus  postured  Himself  in  a  depen- 
dent relationship  upon  the  Father.  It 
was  not  His  own  will,  but  the 
Father's  that  was  the  driving  force  in 
His  earthly  walk.  His  prayers  were 
the  highest  expressions  of  depen- 
dency expressed  in  all  of  the  Bible. 
Jolin  17's  passionate  appeal  was  an 

(Prayer  coiit.  on  page  6) 


M'oJ'" 


1996 


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Each  chapter  of  the  leader's 
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discussion,  application,  method 
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Phone:  (219)  267-6622,  Fax:  (219)269-7185. 


(Prayer  cant,  from  page  5) 


awesome  unveiling  of  a  dependency  that 
surpasses  the  human  mind's  ability  to 
fathom.  "Now  they  have  come  to  know 
that  everything  thou  hast  given  Me  is 
from  Thee;  for  the  words  which  Thou 
gavest  Me  I  have  given  to  them,  and  they 
received  them  and  truly  understood  that  I 
came  forth  from  Thee,  and  they  beUeved 
that  Thou  didst  send  Me.  And  that  they 
may  all  be  one;  even  as  Thou,  Father,  art 
in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may 
be  in  Us;  that  the  world  may  beUeve  that 
Thou  didst  send  Me."  On.  17:7-8,  21) 

So,  what  does  that  mean  to  us? 
Well,  if  indeed  dependency  is  at  the  core 
of  all  true  prayer,  then  it  helps  to  answer 
the  question  we  asked  earlier,  "Why 
don't  we  pray  more?"  The  answer  then 
might  have  a  lot  do  with  dependency,  or 
rather,  the  lack  of  it. 

We  are  an  independent  people  in  a 
self-sufficient  culture.  The  American 
perspective  has  been  conditioned  more 
bv  expectation  than  need.  We  are  more 
motivated  to  seek  the  fulfillment  of 
personal  rights  and  expectations  (what 
we  think  we  deserve)  then  we  are 
moti\-ated  by  need.  We  don't  "need" 
food.  We  "deserve"  food,  and  not  just 
food,  but  more  food  than  we  need. 

Couple  with  those  expectations  the 
advanced  ability  we  have  developed  to 
supply  all  of  our  own  needs  and  desires, 
and  we  find  a  whole  culture  of  people 
who  have  lost  their  impulse  of  needi- 
ness  and  dependency.  This  is  devastat- 
ing to  the  practice  of  prayer.  Nothing 
neutralizes  the  imperativ^e  dynamic  of 
sincere  prayer  as  much  as  independent 
self-sufficiency. 

It  is  fairly  obvious  that  to  the 
extent  one  senses  a  dependency  on  God, 
to  that  extent  one  will  develop  a  signifi- 
cant prayer  life.  What  one  of  us  hasn't 
gone  through  those  times  of  tragedy  and 
difficulty  and  been  forced  to  increase  the 
intensity  of  our  prayer?  For  most,  it  is 
not  an  increase  in  praying,  it  is  a  restart- 
ing. Who  hasn't  proclaimed,  following 
a  particularly  taxing  and  stressful  time 
in  our  life,  "I  never  prayed  more  in  my 
life!" 

(Continued  on  page  15) 


HeralD 


Scripture  Memory 


Made  M^Ul  & 


The  Word  of  God  is  living 
cind  powerful,  and 
sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword.  God  has  promised 
that  His  Word,  not  ours,  will  not 
return  empty,  but  will  accomplish 
His  purpose.  It  is  important  that  we 
teach  our  children  to  memorize 
Bible  \erses  and  passages  to  prepare 
them  for  li\'ing  the  Christian  life. 
We  are  commanded  to  teach  the 
Word  to  our  children  at  all  times 
(sitting,  lying,  walking,  and  stand- 
ing). We  are  fortunate  to  ha\'e 
access  to  Scripture,  but  it  is  not 
always  possible  to  stop  and  look  up 
the  verse  needed  for  a  particular 
situation.  Through  Scripture 
memorization  it  is  always  readily 
available.  Psalm  119:11  says,  "I  have 
hidden  your  word  in  my  heart  that  1 
might  not  sin  against  you."  The 
Word  of  God  will  keep  us  from  sin  or 
else  sin  will  keep  us  from  the  Word. 

It  is  important  that  children  be 
encouraged  to  memorize  Scripture 
because  their  minds  are  very  quick 
to  learn  and  retain  what  has  been 
learned.  The  verses  I  remember  best 
are  the  ones  that  I  memorized  in 
elementary  school.  I  think  Satan  has 
used  the  variety  of  translations  of 
Scripture  to  cause  many  people  not 
to  memorize  at  all,  especially  adults. 
The  verses  they  learned  as  children 
were  in  the  King  James  Version. 
Now  they  question  whether  to 
continue  in  King  James  or  change 
versions.  This  often  results  in 
nothing  being  memorized. 

Bible  memory  with  children 
should  be  approached  with  excite- 
ment (enthusiastically),  example 
(know  the  verse  well  yourself),  and 
expectation  (encourage  participa- 
tion). The  verse  can  be  introduced 
with  a  question,  picture,  or  object 
lesson.  It  must  be  established  as 


God's  Word  and  should  be  read 
directly  from  the  Bible.  Don't  forget 
to  emphasize  the  reference  as  part  of 
the  memory  work.  It  is  good  to 
have  it  at  the  beginning  and  at  the 
end.  I  describe  it  like  an  oreo: 
cookie  on  both  sides  and  the  good 
stuff  in  the  middle.  The  meaning  of 
the  entire  verse  should  be  explained 
as  well  as  individual  words.  You 
can  determine  if  they  understand  if 
they  can  verbalize  it  back  to  you. 
Once  the  preliminary  things 
given  abo\'e  ha\'e  been  done,  you  are 
ready  to  help  them  memorize  the 
\'erse.  The  secret  to  memorization  is 
repetition  and  more  repetition  and 
once  it  is  learned,  then  re\'iew  and 
more  review.  Repeat  the  verse  man)' 
times  in  many  different  ways.  Make  it 
fun  and  thev  will  learn  in  tlie  process. 
Begiii b\'  ha\'ing  the \erse and  reference 
on  a  paper  big  enough  for  all  to  see. 

•  1.   Read  tlirough  the  verse  a 
couple  times  and  then  tiy  covering 
lip  different  parts  of  it  as  you 
continue  to  repeat  it.  Start  covering 
up  small  portions  and  increase  it 
until  all  is  covered.  If  the  verse  is 
written  on  a  chalkboard,  zuords  can 
be  erased  in  random  order  as  it  is 
repeated  and  learned. 

•  2.  Put  the  words  of  the  verse  to 
music.  Several  Scripture  music 
tapes  are  available  at  Christian 
bookstores. 

•  3.    Dexvlop  hand  motions  to 
represent  what  is  being  said  in  the 
verse.  Tlie  children  like  to  help  in 
choosing  motions  each  time  you  say  the 
verse.  Tliis  method  keeps  their  hands 
busy  and  aids  in  remembering  the 
words  by  associating  it  with  the 
motion.  Tliis  method  helps  them  better 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  verse. 

•  4.   You  can  learn  the  verse  by 
adding  a  word  each  time  you  say  it. 
Start  with  the  first  word,  then  first 


by  Linda  Kline 

two  words,  then  first  three  words, 
etc.,  until  the  ivhole  verse  is  said. 

•  5.   If  the  words  of  the  verse  are 
on  several  strips  of  paper,  they  can 
be  put  in  the  proper  order  to  help 
them  learn  it.  This  can  be  done  as 
competition  by  timing  the  process  of 
two  teams,  with  their  ozvn  set  of 
strips,  ivorking  at  the  same  time. 

•  6.   Have  different  groups  of 
people  stand  up  and  say  the  verse 
(such  as  those  with  "red"  on  their 
clothing  or  those  who  like  a  certain 
ball  team). 

•  7.   Divide  the  group  into  trvo 
teams  and  have  them  alternate 
saying  ivords  of  the  verse.  (Have  the 
team  stand  when  they  say  their 
words.)  Go  through  the  verse  tivice 
switching  who  starts  the  verse  the 
second  time.  I  call  this  "popcorn" 
because  they  are  going  up  and  down. 

•  8.   Have  teams,  and  rate  ivho 
does  the  best  job  at  saying  the  verse 
and  making  it  sound  like  one  voice. 

•  9.   Hot  potato  game  could  be 
used  to  review  verses.  Pass  around 
a  container  with  a  couple  pieces  of 
candy  in  it.  Each  child  must  say  the 
next  word  of  the  verse  quickly  (why 
it  is  called  "hot"  potato)  or  he/she  is 
eliminated.  Tlie  child  -who  is  the 
last  one  standing  gets  the  candy. 

After  the  \erse  is  learned,  it 
should  be  applied  tci  the  child's  life. 
What  fact  is  to  be  remembered? 
What  promise  can  be  claimed? 
What  command  is  to  be  followed? 
Use  the  verse  in  different  settings  to 
emphasize  its  practicality. 

Review  the  verse  the  next  week 
and  throughout  the  year  Ask  who 
can  say  it,  who  knows  the  meaning, 
and  who  obeyed  what  it  said. 

Special  rewards  for  memory 
work  can  be  given  occasionally. 
Praise,  stickers,  stars,  and  smiley 
faces  are  good  rewards.   • 


J\^ayjune  1996 


Crustian  GROUP 

S  U  R  V  I  V  A  I. 


■i^ 


iitWS. 


Joe  was  a  Crustian.  He  had  made  the  decision 
early  in  life  to  commit  himself  to  the  Crustian 
way.   His  parents  had  been  Crustians  before 
him,  but  he  freely  chose  to  join  the  Crustian 
cause.  He  had  no  questions  about  what  it  meant 
to  be  a  Crustian  or  doubts  about  the  superiority 
of  the  Crustian  way  of  life. 

Joe  publicly  identified  as  a  Crustian. 
Anyone  who  knew  him,  had  to  know  that  he 
was  a  Crustian.  He  regularly  wore  Crustian 
symbols  as  jewelry.  Joe  even  had  a  prominent 
Crustian  logo  on  his  car.  At  work,  he  had  an 
especially  interesting  Crustian  saying  framed  on 
his  office  wall. 

Now,  it  is  the  practice  of  Crustians  to 
gather  together  in  assemblies  every  seventh 
day.  At  the  appointed  time,  they  meet  to 
remind  themselves  of  what  it  means  to  be  a 
Crustian  and  to  help  one  another  grow  in  their 
practice  of  the  Crustian  life.   At  their  meet- 
ings, they  retell  the  stories  that  shape  their 
movement.   Season  by  season  they  review  the 
foundational  lessons  of  the  Crustian  way. 
They  also  take  collections  at  their  meetings  to 
support  their  cause.   Some  of  the  meetings  are 
energetic  and  exciting.   Some  of  them  are 
quiet  and  even  a  bit  boring.   Yet,  attendance  at 
these  regular  assemblies  is  an  established  part 
of  Crustian  life. 

Joe  was  a  member  of  a  Crustian  assembly. 
He  had  joined  his  family's  meeting  when  he  first 
identified  himself  as  a  Crustian.   Later,  he 
moved  his  membership  to  an  assembly  on  the 
other  side  of  town.   He  wanted  a  little  indepen- 
dence from  the  place  where  he  grew  up,  and 
where  his  parents  still  belonged. 

It  was  important  to  Joe  that  he  belong  to  a 
solid  Crustian  assembly.  He  liked  knowing  that  it 
offered  sound  Crustian  teaching.  People  needed  to 
be  able  to  learn  true  Crustianism.  A  good  assembly 
was  also  a  place  to  turn  to  in  times  of  need. 
Crustians  have  a  reputation  for  looking  out  for 
each  other.  Being  part  of  the  group  was  a  great 
benefit. 


However,  Joe  did  not  attend  the  meetings.  He 
was  certain  that  he  already  was  a  Crustian.  He  had 
learned  the  stories  in  his  childhood  and  had  heard 
most  of  the  lessons  many  times.  Usually  he  had  a 
good  idea  of  what  the  speaker  was  going  to  say  as 
soon  as  the  topic  was  amiounced.  Joe's  weeks 
filled  up  so  quickly  that  it  was  hard  to  give  one  day 
out  of  seven  to  a  particular  cause.  The  meetings 
did  not  last  all  day,  but  they  did  put  a  real  cramp  in 
scheduling  flexibility. 

Joe  had  so  many  demands  on  his  money 
that  he  never  gave  any  financial  support  to  the 
assembly.   He  knew  that  a  good  Crustian  con- 
tributed to  support  the  cause,  but  his  money 
always  seemed  to  be  taken  by  other  needs.  He 
intended  to  start  giving  some  day  when  his 
personal  overhead  was  not  so  great. 

One  day,  Joe  decided  that  he  should  drop  in 
at  the  weekly  meeting  and  see  how  things  were 
going  at  his  Crustian  assembly.  He  imagined  the 
surprise  his  presence  would  cause  in  some  of  the 
people  gathered  there.  He  anticipated  some 
gentle  chiding  from  the  Crustian  leader,  but 
knew  that  there  would  also  be  genuine  apprecia- 
tion that  he  was  present. 

But  Joe  had  a  big  surprise.  When  he  drove  up 
to  the  building  where  the  Crustians  met,  he  found 
it  closed.  In  fact,  it  looked  like  it  had  been  closed 
for  some  time.  This  fact  hit  Joe  hard.  His  assembly 
had  failed  him.  His  mind  filled  with  questions. 
"Where  were  they  meeting?"  "Was  anyone  even 
meeting?"  "What  had  happened  to  the  committed 
Crustians?"  "Why  had  they  given  up  this  meet- 
ing?" "Didn't  anybody  care?"  "Where  was  he 
going  to  go  when  he  needed  help?"  "How  could 
sometfiing  like  this  happen?" 

To  any  of  us,  it  is  very  clear  how  it  happened. 
The  assembly  had  too  many  Joes  in  it.  Each  Joe 
assumed  that  the  responsibility  for  the  group  rested 
on  the  shoulders  of  others.  He  forgot  that  no  group 
can  survive  on  the  good  intentions  of  inactive 
members.  Any  cause  can  thrive  only  as  long  as 
each  Joe  does  what  he  knows  needs  to  be  done.  Joe 
had  foolishly  cut  his  own  lifeline.   • 


HeralD 


ONE  on  ONE  with 

The  People 
We  Meet 


1996  Moderator  of  GBC 


Q 

irenCtmr 


Steve  Peters  is 
I  Senior  Pastor  of 
Community  Grace 
BrethrenTnCrch  in  West  Milton.  He 
is  the  1996  moderator  of  our  fellow- 
ship. Steve,  how  long  have  you 
been  at  your  church? 

A:  I've  been  their  11  years. 
I  went  there  in  December  of 
1984. 

Q:  What  has  happened  in  your 
ministry  there? 

A:  Ron  Picard  was  there 
before  me.  He  had  a  feel  for  evange- 
lism. God  really  used  him  to  build 
incredible  leadership  and  to  win 
people  to  Christ  in  that  area.  I  came 
to  the  church  when  they  were 
without  a  Pastor  for  about  20-22 
months.  It  was  a  church  that  was 
running  about  250-260.  We'\'e 
doubled  the  attendance  there,  and 
built  a  3000  square  foot  education 
wing.  In  March,  we  will  be  finishing 
another  14,000  scjuare  foot  audito- 
rium and  foyer  that  will  seat  900. 
We've  seen  a  lot  of  ministries  take 


off  there.  We  are  really  jumping  into 
the  focus  2000  church  big  time. 

Q:  What's  your  biggest  church 
challenge  right  now? 

A:  The  biggest  church  chal- 
lenge is  getting  an  associate.  Scott 
Distler  (former  associate),  who  went 
to  Osceola,  and  I  were  together  for 
ten  years.  We  had  a  phenomenal 
ministry  together  and  he  always  had 
a  heart  to  become  a  Senior  Pastor — 
we  knew  that  it  was  coming.  I'm 
tickled  that  he's  part  of  the  fellowship 
and  I'm  really  praying  that  the  church 
will  "knock  the  socks"  off  all  of  us. 

We  ha\'e  a  Youth  Pastor,  so  we 
are  looking  for  an  associate  right 
now.  We  have  a  couple  of  families 
that  we're  considering. 

Q:  You're  also  serving  as 
moderator  this  year.  How  are  you 
doing? 

A:  Things  are  going  well.  Our 
theme  is,  "Personal  Responsibility 
Equals  World  Impact."  The  whole 
thing  revolves  around  the  fact  that 


God  wants  to  use  us  right  now.  If 
it's  a  small  church  or  a  large  church, 
someone  that's  involved  or  not 
involved  at  all  in  their  church,  I  hope 
that  they  can  walk  away  from  this 
conference,  in  Toronto,  knowing  that 
God  wants  to  use  them  right  now. 

Q:  You  spent  time,  in  the 
fellowship,  in  different  churches  this 
year,  what  would  you  like  to  see 
happen  as  moderator?  What 
direction  could  you  give  the  fellow- 
ship in  its  effort  to  carry  out  the 
great  commission? 

A:  I  get  thrilled  to  see  our 
people  get  invoked  in  things  they 
never  dreamed  possible.  It  would 
be  my  heart's  desire  for  our  confer- 
ence to  catch  hold  of  God's  place  for 
every  person,  that  knows  Him  as 
Saviour,  to  make  a  world  impact. 

Q:  What  is  the  biggest  prob- 
lem confronting  our  fellowship 
today?  What  is  holding  us  back? 

{Continued  on  page  10) 


][JayJime  1996 


{One  on  One  continued  from  page  9) 


A:  We  are  not  free. 

Q:  What  do  you  mean  by 
that? 

A:  We're  not  free  to  serve. 
We  have  too  many  barriers  in  the 
way.  We  have  to  cross  too  many 
bridges.  We  have  to  go  through 
too  many  hoops.  We  have  all 
these  hoops  we  set  up,  and  we're 
missing  out  on  incredible 
opportunities  of  ministry. 

Jesus  sent  out  guys  two  by 
two — they  didn't  know  hardly 
anything.  Even  when  they  got 
back,  they  didn't  know  a  whole 
lot  about  what  was  going  on.  He 
wasn't  afraid  to  send  them.  We 
need  to  be  free.  It  doesn't  mean 
that  we  ignore  truth — 1  don't 
mean  that.  We've  got  to  have 
truth,  that's  going  to  set  us  free. 

I  had  a  guy  that  was  only 
six  months  in  Christ.  He's  a 
great  big  truck  driver,  and  I 
travelled  with  him.  He  came  to 
me  crying.  He  wanted  to  learn 
how  to  lead  people  to  Christ.  I 
told  him  before  this  year  is  out, 
he  would  learn  how  to  lead 
people  to  Christ.  I  watched  that 
guy  sit  in  a  truck  stop,  reach  over 
a  table,  grab  another  truck 
driver's  hand,  and  pray  with 
him  to  receive  Christ.  That  guy, 
without  any  major  formal 
training,  (he  took  a  two-year, 
nonaccredited  Bible  Institute 
course  at  Liberty)  is  a  missionary 
in  Alaska  today. 

Q;  What  do  you  hope  to 
accomplish  in  Toronto? 

A:  We  want  to  commission 
Pastors  to  start  a  fellowship.  We 
hope  to  have  a  tighter  alliance 
between  national  delegates  so 
that  we  have  more  of  a  team 
effort  in  reaching  our  world  for 
Christ.  Again,  we  want  people 
to  know  that  God  wants  to  use 
them  and  to  have  a  world 
impact!  • 


The  IV  Latin 
GBC  Congress 

by  Pnil  Gilerena 

"Lord,  please  send  laborers  into 
Australia  and  its  surrounding  areas." 

This  was  one  of  the  prayers  being  offered  for  the  five  continents 
of  our  world.  It  was  during  the  "Banquet  of  Nations,"  featur- 
ing the  countries  of  Cuba,  Guatemala,  Mexico,  and  the  United 
States.  The  menu  even  consisted  of  foods  from  these  four  countries. 

Why  just  these  particular  countries?  These  are  the  places  where 
Hispanic  Grace  Brethren  Churches  are  located  who  form  part  of  the 
international  team,  "Quipo  International." 

Over  five  years  ago,  Terry  Hofecker  and  Martin  Guerena  spent 
about  one  year  brainstorming  how  to  unite  the  pastors  and  churches 
(Hispanic-GBIM)  in  planting  more  works  with  a  united  effort.  Last 
September  14-17,  in  Tecate,  Baja  California,  Mexico  was  the  fourth 
annual  gathering  of  most  of  those  involved. 

Seventy-five  pastors  and  leaders  came  to  Tecate  to  share  and  to 
expand  their  vision  in  fulfilling  the  great  commission.  The  food  was 
plentiful  and  excellent.  Of  course,  the  fellowship  and  small  prayer  cells 
were  stimulating.  But  the  seminars  were  only  part  of  the  joy  of  being 
present.  Various  topics  pertinent  to  Latin  American  leaders  were  ex- 
pounded. Sharpening  leadership  skills,  discipling  more  effectively,  and 
strengthening  small  groups  were  some  of  those  shared. 

Since  the  last  meeting  one  year  ago,  three  new  churches  have  been 
started,  and  now,  Cuba  and  the  city  of  Guadalajara  in  Jalisco,  Mexico  are 
preparing  to  plant  Grace  Brethren  Churches  no  later  than  early  1996, 
Lord  willing.  The  two  border  Mexican  pastors  who  went  as  missionaries 
to  Cuba  were  present  with  their  ever  joyful  abundant  experience. 

The  conference  as  a  whole  presented  many,  many  leaders,  some 
leading  worship,  praying,  emceeing,  teaching,  receiving,  cleaning, 
mopping,  eating,  playing,  or  fellowshipping.  It  was  without  a  doubt,  a 
mountain-top  ride  in  the  lives  of  all  who  attended. 

A  spirit  of  togetherness,  care  and  cooperation  clearly  prevailed. 
This  was  exemplified  by  the  director,  leaders,  missionaries,  pastors,  great 
speakers,  and  everyone  present.  The  highlight  of  this  conference  was 
just  being  present,  and  experiencing  the  harmonious  Christian  spirit. 
The  excitement  communicated  afterwards  by  those  who  attended  was 
evident.  Some  said,  "I  want  to  get  more  involved.  What  can  I  do?"  Also 
overheard,  were  some  saying,  "I  want  to  take  a  group  next  year,"  and  "I 
liked  the  enthusiasm  of  everyone  being  part  of  this  congress." 

Most  of  the  Mexican  GBIM  missionaries  were  present,  as  well  as 
Terry  Hofecker  and  Will  Marling.  It  is  our  desire  that  more  U.S.  Hispanic 
churches  would  come  next  year. 

Concluding  the  four  days  of  a  spiritual  high,  focusing  on  the  great 
commission,  the  good-bye  was,  "See  you  next  year.  Lord  willing!"  Warm 
hugs  (abrazos)  in  typical  Latin  greetings  and  good-byes  were  freely 
exchanged.  Going  home,  the  message  was,  "This  is  our  vision,  this  our 
work,  this  is  our  team."  See  you  this  year  in  Cuernavaeca,  Mexico, 
October  31— November  3, 1996.  • 


HeralD 


10 


BARB  WOOLER 

Missionary  to  the  Pygmies 

"by  Miriam  PaJ,.eco 


How  did  a  gal  from 
Philly  land  in  the 
Central  African 
rain  forest?  It  was 
a  long  trip,  with  God's  unseen 
direction  over  the  years.  Here's  how 
Barb  describes  it. 

"I  accepted  Christ  when  I  was 
very  young  and  was  baptized  when 
I  was  five  years  old.  My  family,  all 
of  whom  are  Christians,  attended  a 
Plymouth  Brethren  assembly  during 
my  childhood  years.  Then,  after  a 
move  north  of  Philadelphia  when  I 
was  12,  we  attended  Penn  Valley 
Grace  Brethren  Church.  (That  is  still 
my  home  church.)  I  have  three 
older  brothers  who  each  have  a  neat 
Christian  family.  My  oldest  brother 


Barb  teaches  a  daily  community  Bible  class 
in  Sango  and  Andre  translates  into  the 
langnage  of  his  people  in  the  forest. 

is  a  missionary  in  Ecuador  working 
in  a  printing  ministry. 

"Christian  high  school  had  a 
definite  positive  impact,  and  just 


before  my  senior  year,  the 

Lord  revealed  Himself  to 

me  in  a  very  personal 

way.  This  was  like  a  new 

beginning  in  m\'  walk 

with  the  Lord. 

"During  my  years  at 

Grace  College  (I  gradu- 
ated in  1982),  I  was 

awakened  to  a  sense  of 

Awe,  wonder,  and  appre- 
ciation for  God's  power 

and  majesty  as  it's 

revealed  through  His 

creation. 

"All  of  these 

factors  together,  plus  the 

faithful  prayers  of  my 

parents,  have  shaped 
my  life  and  influ- 
enced my  choices  to 
follow  the  Lord.   1  went  to  the 
Central  African  Republic  in 
1985  because  of  the  need,  and 
because  of  God's  clear  direc- 
tion that  my  participation  in 
the  Great  Commission  should 
be  as  a  career  missionary. 

"As  for  my  goals  in  life,  I 
want  to  be  used  of  God  to 
strengthen  others  in  their  love 
for  Him  and  in  their  knowledge 
of  the  Word.  1  want  to  take  as 
many  people  with  me  to  heaven 
as  possible,  and  help  them 
cultivate  the  kind  of  life  which 
will  result  in  their  receiving 
much  heavenly  reward.  In  my 
personal  life,  my  desire  is  to 
become  a  godlv  person  and  to 
finish  the  course  the  Lord  has 
laid  before  me.  While  I  very 

much  enjoy  this  life,  I  look  forward 

to  crossing  the  finish  line  and 

getting  on  with  the  next  "phase"  of 

my  existence. 


1 


Barb  and  Jim  Hocking  serve  as  advisors  to  this  team 
of  men  ivho  are  instructors  in  the  training  of  literacy 
teaclters. 


"I  enjoy  biking,  music,  walk- 
ing, writing,  and  reading.  I  love  to 
be  outdoors.  I  lo\'e  the  four  seasons, 
mountains,  and  fishintr — if  I  don't 
ha\'e  to  put  the  worms  on  the  hook 
or  take  the  fish  off.  I  love  the  beach, 
the  ocean,  sunsets  and  sunrises,  and 
trips  in  the  car  I  would  like  to  hike 
the  Grand  Canyon  some  day,  and  to 
go  coral  reef  snorkeling. 

"In  the  Central  African  Repub- 
lic, 1  devote  half  mv  time  to  Pygmy 
work,  and  the  other  half  to  literacy 
work  around  the  countrv,  especiallv 
in  the  capital  citv  of  Bangui.  In  both 
ministries,  my  goal  is  to  train 
Central  Africans  to  do  for  their  own 
people  what  I  am  doing.  In  both  of 
these  works,  I  have  found  people 
extremely  eager  to  learn.  For  a 
teacher,  it  is  a  high  pleasure  to  have 
eager  and  motivated  students. 


(Continued  on  page  13) 


11 


J[JayJune  1996 


CHURCH  PLANTERS  AT 

"B  O  O  T  C  A  M  P" 

' *  •  by  Larry  N.  Chamberlain 


»««$d«e'Ofi&a»««««fi« 


The  Antler's 
Doubletree  Hotel 
in  downtown 
Colorado  Springs 
was  the  setting  for 
church  planters  and  their  spouses  to 
gather  for  intensive  training  in  how 
to  start  churches.  Church  and 
denominational  leaders  came,  as 
well,  to  be  trained  in  how  to  coach 
church  planters. 


1 

i 

« 

'  \- 

in 

\ 

V^ 

\nH 

1 

V 

i: 

i 

Tim  and  Alene  Eiuicrle,  with  "coach" 
Bill  Sncll,  listen  to  Neil  Cole  during  a 
workshop  session. 


Men  and  women  from  21  states 
representing  14  different  denomina- 
tions were  challenged  to  identify 
and  articulate  their  vision,  core 
values  and  mission.  In  the 
BootCamp,  29  church  plants  were 
represented  and  25  were  trained  to 
coach  church  planters. 

The  workshop  format  was  not 
for  spectators,  but  provided  oppor- 


tunity to  put  action  plans 
in  place  to  be  carried  out 
when  they  return  to  their 
target  communities. 
After  each  presentation, 
as  the  workshop  assign- 
ments were  carried  out, 
individualized  coaching 
was  an  important  aspect 
of  the  entire  experience. 

Grace  Brethren 
Home  Missions  spon- 
sored four  couples  who 
are  planting  new 
churches:   Randall  and 
Ann  Arthur  from 
Gaines\ille,  Florida; 
Tim  and  Alene  Enderle 
from  Zanes\'ille,  Ohio;  Mike  and 
Teresa  Sinteff  from  Atlanta, 
Georgia;  and  Lynn  and  Sally  Yates 
from  Jacksonville,  Florida.  They 
were  accompanied  by  "coaches" 
Bill  Snell  and  Neil  Cole.   David 
and  Denice  Sincock, 
exploring  the  oppor- 
tunity of  planting  a 
new  church,  also 
attended  from  South- 
ern California. 


While  the 
daytime  schedule 
dealt  with  what  to  do 
and  how  to  do  it,  the 
e\'enings  were  de- 
voted to  praise  and 
worship  and  the 
personal  spiritual 
de\'elopment  of  the 
participants.   Times  of 
challenge,  sharing 
and  praying  were 
significant  aspects  of 
each  evening. 


Randall  and  Ann  Arthur  display  their  "strategic 
plan"  for  reaching  Gainesville  for  Christ. 


Since  its  first  BootCamp  in 
October  1992,  the  Church  Multipli- 
cation Training  Center  has  trained 
church  planters  for  some  270 
church  plants.  Over  50  different 
denominations  have  participated 


"We  were  able  to  develop  a  wonderful  trusting 
relationship  with  one  another.  After  going  through 
BootCamp  together,  we  noiv  have  a  long-lasting 
relationship  based  on  a  wonderful  common  experi- 
ence." — Randall  Arthur 


HeralD 


12 


Lynn  and  Salh/  Yates: 
church?" 


"Yon  ivant  us  to  plant  a 


wife  and  I  'with  cucoiiy- 
agement  and  deep 
iiisigiit.  [We  are]  better 
prepared,  better  orga- 
nized, and  more  confi- 
dent because  of  tliis 
experience." 

— Tim  and  Alene 

"I  cannot  express 
the  importance  of  having 
Teresa  here  to  share  in 
tJic  visionizing  and 
processes.  I  believe  .  .  . 
we  have 


Other  people  who  are  willing  to  take 
risks.  Other  people  who  have  a  great 
passion  for  the  lost.  Other  pieople  who 
have  a  similar  temperament  and 
personalitif  make-up.  It  is  evident  tliat 
Home  Missions  is  committed  to  the 
Lord  and  the  task  of  reaching  the  lost 
through  supporting,  helping,  encourag- 
ing, praying,  sacrificing,  caring  and 
loving  Church  Planters." 

— Randall  and  Ann 

Spiritual  warfare  is  never  so 
fierce  and  intense  as  it  is  in  the  effort 


with  people  coming  from  every 
part  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  as  well  as  some  minister- 
ing in  Mexico,  France,  Sweden  and 
Zimbabwe.   The  BootCamp  staff 
come  from  several  denominations 
and  have  planted  or  o\'erseen  the 
planting  of  several  hundred 
churches.   Experience  and  exper- 
tise abound. 

The  practical  training  com- 
bines with  networking  and  excellent 
fellowship  in  a  supportive  environ- 
ment to  better  prepare  couples  for 
the  rigors  of  the  task  ahead. 

Here's  what  our  Grace  Breth- 
ren church-planting  couples  said 
after  their  week's  training: 

"Experienced  churcli  planters  and 
church  planter  coaches  surrounded  an/ 


become  a 
unified 
team 
with  a 
united  purpose,  vision, 
and  passion  for  the  work 
Christ  Jesus  has  called 
us  to. " 

— Mike  and 
Teresa 


"Of  very  high 
value  from  this  training 
ivas  the  bonding 
together  of  other  church 
planters  in  our  Fello'w- 
ship.   We  really  grew  to 
love  each  other  and  have 
a  common  vision  larger 
than  ourselves.  The 
biggest  value  has  been  to 
draw  Sally  and  me  closer  in  common 
purpose  and  unity — a  real  team." 

— Lynn  and  Sally 

"We  were  thoroughh/  encouraged 
/'!/  meeting  other  people  who  are  like  us. 


■tm 

^H^^l 

b 

■n 

Pfji 

h 

^^  ^  ^ 

;,1 

"The  time  spent  planning  tias  been  helpful.  Teresa 
and  I  have  been  able  to  put  a  'stake  in  the  ground' 
in  many  areas  of  onr  ministry." 

— Mike  Sinteff 


to  plant  a  new  church.  Remember 
these  church-planting  couples  in 
vour  prayers  as  thev  go  from 
"bootcamp"  to  the  "front  lines"  of 
the  battle!   • 


(Barh  Wooler  continued  from  page  11) 

"Grace  Brethren  International 
Missions  has  recently  assigned  me 
to  the  "Rapid  Deployment  Force," 
so  I  will  be  traveling  to  various 
mission  fields  to  work  on  specific 
projects  as  needed.  Along  with  my 
work  in  CAR,  this  last  year  I  was 
also  in  Cambodia  to  meet  believers 
who  are  asking  for  GBIM  involve- 
ment, and  to  evaluate  a  strategy  for 


planting  churches  there.  I'm 
excited  with  anticipation  of  what 
the  Lord  has  in  His  plans  for  my 
future. 

'"The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  1 
shall  not  want,'  is  special  to  me.  It  is 
so  freeing  to  know  that  God  is  able, 
and  He  intends  to  take  care  of  me. 
He  is  fully  trustworthy  as  a  partner, 
always  equipping  me  with  all  I 
need."  • 


Barb  Wooler  is  the  fourth  and 
last  of  the  WMC  Missionaries  of  the 
Year.   You  may  obtain  either  a  slide/ 
tape  or  a  video  to  introduce  all  these 
xvomen  to  your  WMC.   Order  from 
Grace  Brethren  International  Mis- 
sions, P.O.  Box  588,  Winona  Lake,  IN 
46590.  Please  give  the  desired  date, 
indicate  your  media  choice  (video  or 
slide/tape),  and  include  a  love  gift  to 
cover  expenses. 


13 


J[fayjuiie  1996 


A  AAon-Eulogy  for 
MISS  RUTH  SNYDER 

uy  iviarvin  Goodman 


on  S(7i/  I/O//  luaiif 
me  to  give  a 
eulogi/?  A 
cidogif  for  Ruth? 
Weiiru'liich 
Ruth  are  rcf 
tnlkhig  about?  There  are  a  lot  of  Ruths 
around  here  hi  Wmona  Lake,  so  you  will 
have  to  be  more  specific.  And  if  its  the 
Ruth  I  am  tlhnking  about,  she  definiteh/ 
wouhi  zuant  us  to  be  spiecific.  Oil,  you 
say  its  a  eulogxj for  Ruth  Snyder?  Hmiii. 
With  all  the  Ruth  Sm/ders  around  here, 
we  still  have  to  be  more  spiecific,  don't  we 
Ruth?  A  eulog}/  for  Miss  Ruth  Synder? 
Oh,  you  mean  the  tall  xohite  haired 
missionary  lady?  The  one  that  you  often 
see  walking  around  Winona  Lake  with  the 
short,  white  haired  iiiissionary,  also 
named  Ruth?" 

Well,  the  Miss  Ruth  Snyder  we 
are  going  to  talk  about  would  be 
terribly  embarrassed  to  think  we 
were  going  to  give  a  eulogy  for  her. 

"Relax,  Ruth,  this  isn't  gohig  to  be 
a  eulog}/.  See  the  program  says  "Personal 
Commeiits. "  We  arc  just  going  to  give  a 
feiu  facts  about  your  life  and  the  way  yon 
lived  it.  But  Ruth,  you  can't  blame  us  if 
the  facts  we  give  sound  sort  of  like  a 
eulogif,  can  you?" 

Miss  Ruth  Snyder  was  bom  in 
Conemaugh,  Pennsylvania.  (We 
would  do  well  to  observe  that  you 
could  take  Ruth  out  of  Pennsylvania, 
but  you  couldn't  take  PennsyK'ania 
out  of  Ruth.  She  was  one  of  those 
loyal  Pennsylvanians  whose  roots 
always  remained  there.)  She  was 
bom  there  in  1912,  and  raised  there 
until  she  went  to  Asliland  College  in 
1932.  During  the  years  she  spent  at 
college  and  a  short  period  as  a  school 
teacher,  the  needs  of  Africa  were 
weighing  on  her  heart.  So  she  went 


to  Grace  Seminary,  graduated  with 
honors  in  1940.  (She  often  reminisced 
about  her  Seminary  days  and  the 
friendships  formed  there.)  Within  a 
year  of  her  graduation,  in  March 
1941,  she  was  one  of  a  partv  of  six 
who  set  out  for  Africa  on  the  ill-fated 
Zam  Zam.  After  some  harrowing 
experiences,  she  found  herself  back  in 
the  States  in  June  of  1941 .  1  am  sure 


Miss  Ruth  Snyder. 

that  many  would  accept  such  a 
setback  as  a  sign  from  the  Lord  to 
stay  in  the  good  old  U.S. — but  not 
Ruth.  After  a  Hme  to  regroup  and  re- 
outfit,  she  set  out  again  for  Africa, 
arriving  in  January  1944. 

From  then  on,  Africa  was  her 
life.  Not  even  cancer  and  extensive 
surgery  could  keep  her  away  from 
Africa.  Even  when  deteriorating 


health  obliged  her  to  remain  in  the 
United  States  in  1983,  she  prayed  for 
Africa,  she  wrote  lessons  and  litera- 
ture for  Africa.  She  wrote  a  book 
about  Estella  Myers,  a  pioneer 
missionary  to  Africa,  with  the  hope 
that  others  would  be  moved  to  ser\'e 
m  Africa. 

What  kind  of  a  person  was  Miss 
Ruth  Snyder  Knowing  her  over  a 
period  of  50  years,  1  have  formed 
some  definite  opinions,  but  I  wanted 
to  find  out  what  others  thought  of 
Ruth.  First,  I  asked  some  of  my 
children  what  their  thoughts  were 
about  "Aunt  Ruth."  Children  have  a 
way  of  being  able  to  see  through  a 
person,  and  our  children  spent  a 
number  of  their  years  in  Africa  on  the 
same  station  with  Ruth.  Here  are  the 
kind  of  words  I  hear  them  say: 
"sharp,"  "good  mind,"  "very  wise 
and  carefvil  in  the  way  she  spoke," 
"always  a  twinkle  in  her  bright  eyes," 
"lovely,"  "peaceful  and  serene." 

Well,  1  wanted  to  get  some 
other  opinions,  and  here  is  what  1 
heard  from  relatives  and  others  who 
knew  her  well;  "Not  a  mean  bone  in 
her  body."  "Loved  everybody." 
"Loved  the  Word."  "A  student  of  the 
Word."  "Had  wide  interests  and  was 
an  avid  reader"  "A  good  Bible 
teacher."  "Had  a  deep  faith  jind  love 
for  the  Lord."  "A  good  sense  of 
humor"  "Young  at  heart  and 
enjoyed  being  with  young  people." 

"Nozu,  Ruth,  don't  get  upset.  We 
are  just  stating  the  facts,  remember  " 

Now  its  my  turn.  How  would  I 
characterize  Ruth?  Don't  be  shocked, 
but  the  first  word  that  comes  to  my 
mind  is  the  word  "tough."  Maybe 
that  is  not  a  good  choice  of  words 
when  talking  about  a  lady,  and  she 


HeralD 


14 


was  certainly  a  lady.  But  the  word 
"tough"  truly  described  her,  in  every 
good  sense  of  the  word.  We  could 
use  other  terms:  brave,  plucky, 
courageous — and  she  was  all  of  these. 
God  allowed  her  to  go  through  many 
trials  in  her  life — and  she  stuck  it  out 
through  each  one.  Of  course  we 
know,  and  she  would  want  it  to  be 
pointed  out,  that  it  was  her  deep 
faith  in  her  Lord  that  made  it 
possible. 

Shortly  after  Ruth  arri\'ed  in 
Africa,  she  was  appointed  to  work 
with  the  Beavers  in  establishmg  the 
Bible  Institute,  first  at  Bellevue,  and 
then  at  Bata.  From  that  day  on,  she 
had  to  show  great  fortitude  and  tact. 
She  was  called  upon  to  teach  African 
men.  The  subjects  she  taught  most 
were  Church  History,  the  Life  of 
Christ,  and  the  Gospel  of  John.  Now, 
a  lot  of  people,  e\'en  here  in  America, 
would  have  trouble  with  the  thought 
of  her  assuming  the  role  of  teaching 
men.  But,  think  of  her  assuming  that 
task  in  Africa,  where  women  were 
supposed  to  fulfill  only  a  subordinate 
role.  Somebody  had  to  do  the  job! 
Ruth  carried  out  her  job  with  wisdom 
and  in  evident  subordination  to  the 
Biblical  teachings  and  doctrines  of  her 


Seminary  professors  and  of  the 
missionary  elders  on  the  field.  She 
won  the  hearts  of  the  African  stu- 
dents, and  any  time  you  traveled 
with  her  and  came  across  some  of  her 
former  pupils,  their  joy  at  seeing  her 
was  self  exident.  You  would  hear 
such  words  as,  "Greetings  mama." 
"How  are  you,  mama?"  "We  are  so 
glad  to  see  vou,  mama!"  And  I  know 
that  when  the  news  of  her  homegoing 
arrives  in  Africa,  there  will  be  groups 
of  her  former  students,  now  pastors 
of  churches,  who  wUl  get  together  for 
several  days  to  pray  and  reminisce 
over  all  the  good  memories  they  have 
of  "mama  Ruth  Snyder."  Yes,  Miss 
Ruth  Snyder  toughed  it  out  in  a 
difficult  role  and  came  out  a  winner. 
Her  toughness  was  also  appar- 
ent in  the  way  she  handled  herself 
when  the  disease  of  cancer  was 
ra\'aging  her  body.  She  went  about 
her  work,  disregarding  the  pain  as 
much  as  possible.  Some  of  you  who 
have  known  Ruth,  only  in  the  later 
years  of  her  life,  were  not  fortimate 
enough  to  know,  to  the  fullest,  the  hm 
loving.  Light  hearted  side  of  her  Oh 
yes,  it  would  peek  out  in  the  latter 
days  as  well,  but  it  was  somewhat 
veiled  bv  the  \'icissitudes  of  her 


health.  Wliat  was  always  evident 
was  her  determination  to  keep  on  and 
to  accomplish  all  she  could  for  her 
Lord  while  time  remained. 

Another  facet  of  Ruth's  charac- 
ter was  her  prayer  life.  Right  beside 
her  fa\'orite  chair  were  some  well 
worn  cards  in  files.  The  cards  in  one 
file  had  the  names  and  facts  about 
each  missionary.  The  cards  in  the 
other  file  had  the  names  and  pictures 
of  all  the  students  she  had  taught  in 
Bible  Institute.  And  daily,  she  would 
remember  these  people  in  prayer. 
The  word  "prayer  warrior"  was 
certainly  exemplified  in  her  Ufe. 

Another  word  that  I  would  use 
in  portiaying  Ruth  is  a  word  she  used 
in  her  book  describing  Estella  Myers. 
She  said  of  Estella:  "God  can  work 
wonders  through  one  unpretentious 
life."  Tliat  certainly  can  be  said  of 
Ruth  as  well  as  of  Estella.  It  is  the 
word,  "unpretentious"  that  stands 
out.  She  didn't  "put  on  airs."  She 
was  a  remarkable  woman,  with  many 
great  accomplishments,  but  she 
didn't  let  you  know  about  them.  You 
had  to  learn  them  for  yourself  by 
observation.  I  cormt  myself  fortunate 
to  be  one  of  many  who  were  able  to 
do  that.   • 


{Prayer  continued  from  page  6) 


What  a  shame  that  we  have 
such  difficulty  sustaining  a  similar 
fervency,  in  a  consistent  way,  through 
the  majority  of  our  li\'es  that  repre- 
sent bounty  and  togetherness.  But  is 
that  impossible?  Of  course  not.  In 
fact,  here  in  lies  the  secret  to  a  pas- 
sionate and  consistently  meaningfiil 
prayer  life,  live  a  life  that  keeps  us 
aware  of  our  dependency  on  the 
power  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  not  only  possible.  It  is  a 
mandate  from  God.  "Seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  all  of  these 
things  will  be  added  to  you."  Seek 
Me,  depend  on  Me,  and  I  will 
supply  your  need.  Live  depen- 
dently  and  prayer  becomes  a 
lifeline.  Seeking  God,  imploring 


God,  praising  God,  exalting  God, 
relating  to  God  (not  as  an  equal,  but 
as  a  dependent  adopted  child)  are 
all  are  expressions  of  a  life  that  has 
found  its  significance  in  a  growing 
awareness  of  reliance  upon  God  for 
all  things. 

The  surest  way  to  develop  a 
pattern  of  life  that  makes  depen- 
dency the  norm,  is  to  continually 
li\'e  beyond  the  parameters  of  safety 
and  surety.  A  life  that  is  given  to 
committing  its  energv  into  accom- 
plishing dreams  and  goals,  that  go 
beyond  what  can  be  accomplished 
through  one's  own  energies,  leads  to 
a  life  of  dependency  and  conse- 
cquently  to  a  life  of  prayer. 

The  Fellowship  of  Grace 
Brethren  Churches  has  established 
Focus  2000  Goals  that  take  us 


beyond  our  abilitv  to  accomplish. 
They  are  bigger  than  us.  They 
require  extraordinary  power  to 
realize  them.  They  must  drive  us  to 
prayer.  That  is  whv  the  appeal  for 
2000  prayer  partners  is  such  an 
imperative.  The  need  is  greater  than 
current  supply.  The  resource  we 
have  at  our  disposal  is  not  sufficient 
for  the  demand.  But  the  resources 
that  we  ha\'e  at  our  disposal 
through  God  and  through  prayer  are 
sufficient  for  more  than  we 
dreamed. 

Join  together  with  the  many 
who  are  committing  to  living  at  risk 
by  going  beyond  the  reasonable 
limits  of  our  comfort,  and  living 
dependently  upon  the  power  of  God 
when  we  call  upon  Him  in 
prayer!   • 


15 


Mayiju^ 


1996 


]\fEWS    

Grace  Brethren 


News 


News  Update 


Touching  You  from  Around  the  World 


"Stand  Up,  Speak  Out,"  was 

the  theme  for  the  first  NCO  District 
Winter  Mini-Camp  for  grades  4-6. 
The  Woods\'ille,  Delaware  and 
Lexington  GBC's  have  held  camp 
for  about  four  years,  and  this  year  it 
was  opened  to  the  entire  district. 
125  children  and  staff  con- 
verged on  the  Pleasant  Valley  Ranch 
for  a  48  hour  snow  retreat.  Chapel 
services,  singing  &  praising,  spiri- 
tual growing,  praying,  tobogganing, 
tubing,  and  other  e\'ents  were  apart 
of  the  profitable  retreat. 

New  Addresses  & 
Phone  Numbers: 

Kip  and  Mary  Cone 

Michaelstr.  220 

74523  Schwabisch  Hall 

GERMANY 

Brian  and  Rhonda  Weaver 

16  Pembroke  Croft 

Hall  Green 

Birmingham,  828  ^^EY 

ENGLAND 

Phone:  (011-44)  121-745-1936 

Steve  and  Celeste  Kern's 

Phone  Number:  (011-49)  7051- 
59322 

Editions  Cle  Office  Phone 

(in  France):  (011-33)  78-85-33-80 


Hazel  N.  Smith,  a  member  of  the 
Martinsburg  GBC  since  1946,  passed 
away  February  8, 1996.  Services  were 
conducted  by  Pastor  James  S.  Laird,  Sr. 
and  Pastor  Robert  A.  Russell. 

In  Russia,  there  are  new 
restrictions  on  visa  approval  (only 


three  month  \'isas  are  now  allowed 
until  the  elections)  and  the  authori- 
ties are  limiting  the  number  of 
missionaries  that  are  allowed  at 
work  there  in  Novosibirsk.  This  is 
being  done  contrary  to  the  Russian 
Constitution  and  the  Religious 
Freedom  Act  of  1989,  but  the  au- 
thorities believe  it  is  inevitable  that  a 
communist  will  be  elected  as 
president,  and  foreign  missionaries 
will  be  expelled  from  the  country. 
Please  pray  that  Russia  will  stay 
open  for  the  Gospel  to  be  freely 
preached,  and  the  Spirit's  direction 
and  power  in  these  uncertain  times. 

Crosswalk:  The  new  lay-led 
ministry,  known  as  the  Crosswalk, 
was  laimched  in  Indiana  at  the  Fort 
Wayne  GBC,  pastored  by  Bob 
Arenobine.  This  ministry  focused  on 
lav  people  from  Grace  Brethren 
churches,  sharing  personal  and 
Christian  life  testimonies  as  evidence 
of  God's  power  in  changing  lives. 
The  Indiana  Crosswalk  ministay  was 
held  the  weekend  of  April  27, 1996. 

Continue  to  pray  for  Pastor 
Dan  Eschelman.  He  had  surgery  for 
a  cancerous  ti-imor  from  the  lower  left 
lobe  of  his  left  lung  in  March. 

Many  of  you  are  enjoying  the 
Leader's  Edge  published  by  BMH.  If 
you  can,  we  could  use  help  with  the 
publication  costs.  We  are  providing 
it  free  to  over  1,700  people.  What- 
ever you  can  do,  we  would  appreci- 
ate it.  If  you  have  news,  please 
share  it  with  us  at  1-800-348-2756. 

A  Seniors  Cabinet  is  being 
formed  by  CE  National  to  encourage 
effective  ministry  for  seniors  and  to 
seniors  in  our  local  churches.  A 


group  met  this  past  month  in 
Lancaster,  PA  and  are  planning  a 
June  7  meeting  to  be  held  at  Willow 
Valley  GBC,  Lancaster,  PA. 

Pastor  Bob  Nicholson  has 

taken  a  leave  of  absence  from  the 
Grace  Community  Church  In  Mt. 
Vernon,  Ohio.  The  congregation  is  a 
daughter  church  of  the  Lexington 
GBC  (Pastor  Dave  Atkins).  Pray  for 
the  pastor,  his  family,  and  for  the 
congregation  at  Mt.  Vernon. 

Yukimasa  Kinjo  is  the  new 
pastor-in  training  of  the  Hoya  City 
GBC  in  Tokyo,  Japan.  According  to 
missionary,  Debbie  O'Dell,  "He  is 
gifted  in  evangelism  and  is  a  very 
godly  young  man." 

Pray  for  the  transition  this  year 
as  the  O'Dells  turn  over  more 
responsibilitv  to  Yukimasa  as  they 
plan  to  return  to  the  USA  for  home 
ministry  this  June. 

Grace  College  & 
Seminai'y  Neius 

Grace  College  has  released 
figures  for  tuition,  room  and  board 
for  the  next  1996-97  academic  year. 

Grace  is  pleased  to  araiounce  for  the 
second  year  in  a  row  that  tuition  wiU 
onlv  increase  with  the  rate  of  infla- 
tion. The  increase  in  tuition  will 
stand  at  a  mere  3%  with  an  overall 
2.5%  increase.  Tuition,  room  and 
board  for  next  year  will  be  raised 
from  $13,300  to  $13,652  which 
includes  a  3%  increase  for  tuition,  a 
4%  increase  for  room  and  a  0% 
increase  for  board.  Grace  has  made 
an  effort  to  keep  its  tuition  in  a 
moderate  range  so  that  a  degree  from 
Grace  will  not  be  out  of  reach  for  its 


HeralD 


16 


Update 


A^' 


EWS 


constituents.  Grace  College  offers  its 
students  over  $1.5  million  in  financial 
aid  to  help  fund  their  higher  education. 

The  Teacher  Education 
Committee  of  Grace  College  voted 
to  extend  the  following  honors  to 
some  of  the  students  who  completed 
their  student  teaching  during  the 
Fall  of  1995  in  the  local  Warsaw  area 
elementary  and  high  schools.  The 
Grace  College  Outstanding  Prospec- 
tive Teacher  Awards  goes  to  the 
following  students:  Heather 
Bartlett,  a  senior  from  Rib  Lake, 
Wisconsin;  Rebecca  Hulthen,  a 
senior  from  Shabbonah,  Illinois;  and 
Kim  Gage,  a  senior  from  Lettz,  Iowa. 
The  Grace  College  Outstanding 
Prospective  Teacher  Award  Honor- 
able Mention  goes  to  the  following 
students:  Amv  Mathewson,  a  senior 
from  Reynoldsburg,  Ohio;  Audrey 
Henderson,  a  senior  from  Dryden, 
Ontario,  Canada;  Ann  Hinz,  a  senior 
from  Warsaw,  Indiana;  Rebecca 
Matheny,  a  senior  from  Doylestown, 
Ohio;  and  Bryan  Nelson,  a  senior 
from  Waukesha,  Wisconsin.  Con- 
gratulations are  extended  to  these 
students  and  best  wishes  for  their 
futures  in  education. 

Grace  College  and  Seminary 
has  employed  Mark  Messenger  as 

Network  Administrator.  Messenger 
received  a  Bachelor  of  Science  m 
Computer  Science  and  Mathmatics 
from  Grace  College  in  1990.  He 
came  back  to  Grace  after  working 
for  Boston  Whaler,  a  boat  manufac- 
turer, because  he  said  wanted  to  take 
the  opporttmity  to  use  his  business 
skills  in  a  ministry  position." 

On  March  19  and  20,  Dr. 
Charles  E.  Hummel,  speaker  for  the 
1996  Staley  Lecture  Series,  was  at 
Grace  College  and  spoke  in  chapel 
and  selected  classes.  Hummel 
graduated  from  Yale  Uni\'ersitv  and 
earned  an  M.S.  in  chemical  engineer- 
ing from  M.I.T  He  has  worked  with 
Intervarsity  Christian  Fellowship  in 


various  positions  since  1951,  as  well 
as  being  President  of  a  college  in 
Rhode  Island  for  ten  years.  He  has 
written  se\'eral  books  including.  The 
Galileo  Coiiuectkvi:  Resolving  Conflicts 
between  Science  and  Clnistinnity  which 
is  used  as  a  text  at  Grace  College. 
Hummel  spoke  about  the  harmony 
between  Christianity  and  science. 
The  Tliomas  Staley  Foundations  is  a 
private,  nonprofit  organization  that 
strives  to  hirther  the  gospel  among 
college  students  nationwide. 


•  •  •  •  • 


)ur 


FICGBC 


The  First  International 
Conference  of  GBC's 

The  First  International 
Conference  of  Grace  Brethren 
Churches  will  occur  in  Toronto, 
Canada,  July  27— August  1,  1996. 
Put  those  dates  on  your 
calendar.  Home 
Missions  is 
making  plans  to 
commission  the 
launch  of  our 
first  Canadian 
church  at  that 
conference.  Call  1-800- 
268^838  for  hotel  reservations  m 
Toronto. 


Dave  and  Jean  Vittum  have 
been  accepted  as  Rapid  Deployment 
missionaries  to  the  Philippines. 
Dave  is  finishing  a  career  with  the 
U.  S.  Navy,  having  specialized  in 
service  of  nuclear  submarines.  They 
are  members  of  the  Waldorf  GBC, 
and  will  leave  for  the  Philippines  in 
October  if  God  provides  a  support 
team  for  them  at  that  time.  Pray 
that  the  Vittums  will  be  able  to  raise 
all  their  support  bv  October. 

Pastor  Dave  Marksbury  has 

moved  to  the  Seattle,  WA  area 
where  he  has  assumed  the  pastorate 
of  the  Grace  Bible  Fellowship  GBC 
in  Maple  Valley.  Tliis  former  Home 


Missions  church  has  been  without  a 
regular  pastor  for  nearly  two  years, 
but  has  held  together  well.  The 
church  Dave  formerly  pastored  in 
Garden  Grove,  CA  (New  Life  GBC) 
has  closed.  Dave  continues  to  serve, 
part  time,  as  Western  Director  of 
Church  Planting  and  Development 
for  Home  Missions. 

After  much  prayer  and 
searching,  the  Ron  Schemmer 
family  located  a  rental  home  in  the 
Otay  section  of  Tijuana.  This  means 
fewer  long  waits  at  the  border. 
Teaming  up  with  two  boys  inter- 
ested in  reaching;  their  friends,  Ron 
Schemmer  began  meeting  boys  in 
the  local  park  to  play  soccer.  Within 
a  month,  15  to  20  boys  ranging  from 
six-year  olds  to  20-year  olds  were 
playing.  Ten  of  these  boys  professed 
faith  in  Christ  at  a  birthday  party  at 
the  Schemmer  home.  Pray  for 
effecti\'e  follow-up  for  these  children. 

CE  National's  Time  Program: 
Time  (Training  in  Ministry  Experi- 
ences) will  be  sending  teams  this 
summer  to  inner-city  Chicago  and 
Northern  Brazil.  The  Chicago  Time 
Team  will  be  led  by  Bill  &  Patty 
Willhite  and  will  minister  in  coop- 
eration with  the  nationally  recog- 
nized Circle  Urban  Ministries. 
Ivanildo  Trindade  will  lead  the 
Brazil  Time  Team  ministering  in 
beach  evangelism  ,  campus  out- 
reach, street  e\'angelism,  and  to  the 
churches  In  Macapa  and  Belem. 

Paul  Mutchler  will  be  leaving 
Littitz,  PA,  and  will  be  joining  the 
staff  at  the  GBC  of  Columbus  in 
Worthington,  OH.  He  will  begin  his 
new  ministry  as  Pastor  of  Adult 
Ministries,  CE,  Programs  &  Services. 
He'll  be  starting  May  1,  1996. 

Address  Correction: 

Grace  Brethren  Church,  6259 
Faber  Dr.,  Brooksville,  FL  34602 
Pastor  Bill  Stevens 


17 


][^ayjune  1996 


CONVICTIOKS  •  I'MINTHBWOHD  •  I  WON'T  WATCH  TRASH  TV  •  CONVICTIONS  •  EVERTHINOISNOT  GHAY  •  NOPREJDDICE 


s 


0 


.H^' 


,„,,^a4or  being  t^^^nvoWO"^ 


NATIONAL 

YOUTH 

CONFERENCE 


o 

o 


BNYC    96  programs  include 


OUTREACH 
LEAdERship      BLITZ  to 

TRAJNiNq         ^"°P'"   °'   Ri=hm™'» 

Communion 


Cmmi  4  Vmp  Qf^campus     ^i^lc  Quizzing 

OUTREACH  ^f^lfTi  DAILY  Evangelism   Youth  Seminars... 
Carnival        Nile  Training  and  more! 


Mike  Stern 


>♦» 


BNYC    96  is  a  dynamic  conference  designed  to  make  a  difference  in  tiie  spiritual  lives  of  our  teens!  For  $343,  teens  will 
receive  six  nights  lodging  on  the  beautiful  campus  of  Eastern  Kentucky  University,  BNYC  T-shirt,  brunch  and  dinner  daily  with 
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Jars  of  Clay  P 

Plus: 

"For  All  Its  Worth"  § 

o 

Rebecca  St.  James  ^ 

Sound  Investment  g 

Paul  Guffey  g 


COWVIGTIOKS  •  BEBOLD-DON'TFOLD  •  KEEPING  MY  COMMITMENTS  •  CONVICTIONS  •  RIGHT  FROM  WKONG  •  THE  BIBLE  IS  RELIABLE  &  TRUE  ■ 


"Lord,  Use  Me 


T!  he  summer  before  I  started 
college,  1  took  a  job  as  a 
__.  waitress  at  one  of  Winona 
Lake's  old  hotels.  Restaurant  work 
was  not  my  first  choice,  but  the  job  I 
wanted  fell  through  at  the  last 
minute.  With  college  looming  ahead, 
I  was  in  a  near-panic  mode. 

The  work  was  exhausting  and 
we  were  always  shorthanded.  Our 
boss  was  a  temperamental  old  Navy 
cook  who  looked  as  though  he  hadn't 
shaved  since  the  Korean  War.  A 
highlight  of  my  summer  was  watch- 
ing him  throw  a  plate  of  eggs  on  the 
floor  after  a  customer  sent  them  back 
because  they  weren't  cooked  right. 

But  the  job  was  OK.  Almost 
everyone  who  worked  at  the  hotel  was 
my  age,  so  one  of  the  benefits  was  a 
little  social  life  at  work.  And,  because 
this  was  1968,  there  were  still  confer- 
ences in  Winona  Lake — which  meant 
people  coming  and  going  constantly. 

We  met  people  who  were  well- 
known  in  Christian  circles — almost 
celebrities.  Most  of  them  were  as 
nice  as  pie  (even  to  teenagers)  and 
we  enjoyed  being  around  them. 

One  woman,  however,  was  the 
exception.  I  was  warned  about  her 
early  on.  When  our  paths  finally 
crossed,  I  realized  no  one  had  been 
exaggerating.  She  was  rude  and 
demanding,  and  Eked  to  look  at  us  as 
if  we  had  just  come  from  a  slave 
auction.  We  all  avoided  waiting  on 
her.  When  we  saw  her  heading  for 
the  dining  room,  we  would  rush  to 
the  kitchen  to  decide  who  the  un- 
lucky server  would  be  for  that  meal. 

One  day,  I  was  the  unlucky  server 
Our  lady  was  sitting  at  her  table  with 
some  friends,  entertaining  them  witli  a 
monologue  about  an  upcoming 
Christian  film  she  was  working  on.  I 
was  distributing  the  food,  when  1  heard 
her  say  the  oddest  tiling:  "Yes,  we're 
hoping  to  reach  the  young  people  in 
America  wdth  this  film." 

I  couldn't  believe  it!  1  wanted  to 
scream.  1  wanted  to  jerk  her  to  her  feet, 
and  shout,  "Lady,  if  you  want  to  reach 


/  t  in  I /    i—y  ii  I  I IL  lb 

young  people,  why  don't  you  start 
here?  There  are  a  dozen  of  us  tliat  you 
see  every  day,  and  not  everybody  is  a 
Christian.  Don't  you  care  about  us?" 

For  some  reason,  I  said  noth- 
ing. Although  I  didn't  react  out- 
wardly, I've  never  forgotten  how 
bizarre  her  statement  was. 

She  wanted  to  reach  young 
people,  but  not  the  ones  close  to  her. 
She  wanted  to  influence  teenagers 
she  didn't  know,  but  she  couldn't 
even  be  friendly  to  the  ones  she  saw 
every  day.  Who  knows  what  might 
have  happened  if  she  had? 

I've  thought  about  her  com- 
ment in  the  years  since  that  summer. 
Along  the  way,  I've  met  other 
people  who  have  operated  the  same 
way.  Maybe  they  weren't  rude  and 
demanding  to  the  people  around 
them — just  oblivious  or  uncaring. 

It's  easy  to  tliink  of  examples.  The 
Old  Testament  priest,  EU,  somehow 
managed  to  minister  to  the  children  of 
Israel,  but  lost  his  own  sons  in  the 
process.  King  David  was  a  hero  in  the 
entire  country,  but  not  with  his  family. 
I've  known  people  who  could  list 
missionaries  all  over  the  world,  but  had 
a  tough  time  remembering  who  li\'ed 
two  doors  dovvTi  tlie  street. 

But  I  guess  I'm  the  same  way. 
Why  is  it  easier  for  me  to  go  across  town 
where  I  don't  know  anyone,  Jind  pass 
out  invitations  to  church,  than  it  is  to  go 
next  door  and  give  one  to  my  neighbor? 
Two  reasons  come  to  mind.  First,  my 
neighbor  knows  me.  Somehow  I  have  it 
in  my  mind  that  she's  going  to  say,  "Oh 
you  want  me  to  come  to  church  with 
you?  And  didn't  I  hear  you  yelling  at 
your  kids  in  the  yard  last  night?" 

My  neighbors  are  nice  people, 
and  not  one  of 
them  has  ever 
said  something 
like  that  to 
me.  But  the 
thought  of 
hearing  them 
say  it  is  still 
there.  1 


But  Not  Too  ^ 

Close  To  HOME"  ^ 


should  somehow  be  perfect  before  I 
invite  them  to  cliurch,  or  they  won't 
want  to  come.  Wliat  I'm  forgetting  is 
that  my  neighbors  wouldn't  be  coming 
to  churcli  because  of  me,  but  because 
God  is  working  in  tlieir  hearts. 

The  second  reason  close-up 
evangelism  is  hard,  is  that  it's  riskier  if 
someone  asks  a  question  and  I  don't 
know  the  answer  Or  what  if  I'm  asked 
to  do  something  tliat  throws  my 
schedule  out  of  whack?  What  then? 

Both  of  these  reasons  involve 
"me"  a  lot.  1  suppose  that's  why 
long-distance  ministry  is  so  popular 
with  us.  We  can  feel  good  about  our 
involvement  when  we  drop  a  ten 
dollar  bill  in  the  offering,  knowing 
that  our  pastor  or  some  missionary 
will  use  it  to  tell  someone  we  don't 
know  about  the  Lord.  And  it 
doesn't  cramp  our  schedule  or  give 
us  an  identity  crisis. 

Somewhere  there's  a  balance  in 
all  this,  and  I  admire  people  who 
have  it.  These  are  people  who  have 
a  genuine  concern  for  folks  in  Africa 
they've  never  met,  and  they  have 
the  same  concern  for  their  co-worker 
in  the  next  office.  They  write  to 
missionaries  overseas,  but  they  also 
volunteer  at  their  child's  school. 
They  don't  miss  opportunities — 
whether  close  by  or  miles  away. 

Our  lady  in  the  dining  room 
probably  thought  she  had  quite  a 
ministry.  But  her  balancing  act  with 
close-up  and  long-distance  evange- 
lism needed  a  lot  more  practice.  She 
ne\'er  knew  what  opportimities  she 
missed  by  ignoring  tlie  people  around 
her  I  probably  don't  know  what  I've 
missed  along  the  way,  either  • 


Lamplight 
Chronicles 

"Yoii,  O  Lord,  keep  my  lamp  burning" 


19 


Moyjw 


'1996 


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CCl        24  THE 

23  BRETHREN 

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21  HERALD 

CCl  8  VOL.    58   (NOS.    1-3) 

6  1996 


Account  Number/Name 

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