By Chris Moon
5-Year-Old Signs Basketball National Letter of Intent
Milligan College’s latest basketball recruit is young—very young.
The Tennessee school last fall brought 5-year-old Eli Roberts to campus to sign a National Letter of Intent to play on the school’s basketball team. Eli, who was diagnosed with cancer at birth, is the son of a Milligan College graduate.
“Eli signed a letter of intent, which means he’s part of our program,” said Milligan basketball coach Bill Robinson in a story published in the college’s alumni magazine. “It’s the coolest signing I’ve been a part of, that’s for sure.”
Eli joined up with the Milligan basketball team through an organization that connects kids with brain tumors to college athletic teams. Eli is a big fan of the Memphis Grizzlies.
When Eli came to campus for his signing, he practiced with the team, got his own locker, and was invited to sit with the team on the bench during games.
“We will travel to St. Jude [Children’s Hospital in Memphis] every three months for the rest of his life or until God decides to heal him,” Josh Roberts, Eli’s father, told Milligan. “We’re hoping for a full manifestation of healing for him.”
Eli has a spot on the Milligan basketball team either way.
“Hopefully, someday he’ll play for us,” said coach Robinson.
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Mosteller, Carrollton Rock Olympics Commercials
A Cincinnati Christian University alumnus helped give the 2018 Winter Olympic Games a little rhythm.
Justin Mosteller is the lead singer and guitarist for the Christian rock band Carrollton, which produced the song “Made For This” that was featured in NBC’s marketing materials leading up to the Olympics. The Olympics were held in South Korea in February.
CCU noted the connection on its Facebook page with a link to an NBC promo video. The post said, in part: “We want to celebrate with [Mosteller] and his band. . . . It’s pretty awesome.”
“We are extremely grateful and honored,” Mosteller said via Carrollton’s record label, Centricity Music. “To have our song be a part of something historic like this is absolutely crazy to us. Needless to say, we, along with all of our friends, will not be skipping commercials for the next three months of our lives.”
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Point University Class Gives Back
It’s not every day that a college class sees a community need and decides to do something about it—in the name of both education and Christ.
An organizational leadership class led by Alan Kemper at Point University in Georgia raised $1,300 for a local Boys and Girls Club to help the club solve a drainage problem at its building. The building frequently flooded when it rained.
Thirteen senior business students took part in the project during the fall 2017 semester. The assignment: Find a local nonprofit and organize a fund-raiser for it.
The project tied education and the Christian life together.
“As Christians, it’s our duty to give back to those less fortunate,” said Ty Galliher, a senior business administration student.
The students volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, helping kids with homework, leading activities, and playing football with groups of children.
“It’s been a pleasure having Point students here,” said Kim Dozier of the Boys and Girls Club. “The kids keep asking when the ‘big kids’ are coming back.”
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Summit Christian College in Gering, Neb., will host its 10th-annual “Summit to Summit” run on May 12. The grueling 7.2-mile race, which supports the college, goes from the campus to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument and back.
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Cornerstone Christian Church in Shiloh, Ill., hosted “The Small Stuff,” a women’s ministry event that helped women discern what is “small stuff” and what is truly important. The January event included dinner and free childcare.
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Longtime Christian Standard contributor Jennifer Johnson is the new chief communications officer at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tenn. Johnson also has served with the North American Christian Convention and Church Development Fund.
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Northshore Christian Church in Everett, Wash., started the year by hosting “Chosen to Lead,” a 16-week journey for men that aims at strengthening their marriages and relationships with God. The church also is hosting a women’s retreat April 6-8; “Rooted” is a weekend of unhurried time allowing women an opportunity to discover and deepen their intimacy with God.
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Jim Pierson, 80, an expert in disability ministry, died Jan. 4 in Tennessee. He was the founding director of the Christian Church Foundation for the Handicapped (which is now Ability Ministry) in 1984 and served as its president until 2009. He taught at Christian universities and directed seminars and workshops on how the church can minister to persons with disabilities. (Obituary available at christianstandard.com.)
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A graduate of both Milligan College and Emmanuel Christian Seminary has published a Christian children’s book focused on how God can fix broken things. Lance Butler published his book I Can Fix That through Christian Faith Publishing. Butler is a teacher in Kimberly, Idaho.
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Stadia Church Planting launched more than 100 churches in 2017, the greatest single-year total in its 15-year history. The church-planting organization based in Uniontown, Ohio, has now launched 474 churches, including 277 in the United States, and has plants underway in Washington, California, Georgia, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.
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Stanton (Ky.) Christian Church hosted a clothing and toy distribution event during the holidays for more than a dozen churches and food banks across eastern Kentucky. The clothing and toys were brought to Kentucky by Servants of Our Lord Ministries in Lexington, Ill.
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Milligan College raised nearly $70 million through its “Forward Ever” campaign—the largest fund-raising effort in its history. The money will help the college grow its endowment and support a range of other initiatives at the school, from scholarships to capital improvements.
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Eastside Christian Church pastor Gene Appel had plenty to be excited about one December night. He tweeted: “Went to baptize 2 people in a backyard jacuzzi at a small group tonight. Revival broke out and we baptized 7!! Somehow felt like Acts 2 church.” Eastside is in Anaheim, Calif.
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Christ in Youth is marking its 50th year. The Joplin, Mo.-based ministry was founded in 1968 and now sponsors 111 youth events and trips each year with 80,000 students in attendance. This year, CIY is launching an office in Dublin, Ireland.
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Emmanuel Christian Seminary has rolled out a new full-tuition scholarship for Master of Divinity students. The Neely Scholarship will support two MDiv students each year, beginning this fall.
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The snow fell last winter in Florida. Salty Church in Ormond Beach, Fla., hosted a community festival in December with snow machines that allowed for snow-tube racing and snowball fights—to go along with face painting, bungee jumping, live music, and food trucks.
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Third City Christian Church in Grand Island, Neb., hosted an elder-training event to equip men for the important role of serving as elders in the local church. The January event was open to churches in the region and featured guest speaker Gary Johnson, cofounder of e2: effective elders and senior minister at Indian Creek Christian Church in Indianapolis.
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Kentucky Christian University celebrated its 98-year history during Founder’s Day on Dec. 1. The university started as a teacher-training school in December 1919; it was first known as Christian Normal Institute. Since then, the university has graduated 4,136 people and now prepares students for careers in vocational ministry, medicine, business, and human services.
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The Darling Library at Hope International University, Fullerton, Calif., hosted a unique stress reliever last fall for students during finals week. The library brought in therapy dogs to offer the students “unconditional stress relief” as they prepared for final exams.
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Blue Springs (Mo.) Christian Church delivered 850 presents to 68 families through an Adopt-A-Family program. It was a record number of presents for the church. Volunteers donated, wrapped, and delivered the presents to families in need.
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Students from Boise (Idaho) Bible College got creative in their effort to attend the International Conference on Missions in Illinois. They hosted a garage sale to help raise money for the trip. They also were available for hire for short-term yard work and house-cleaning projects.
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