Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman
First Capital Christian Churchโs micro-campus initiative called โChurch Anywhereโ is featured in an article in the Christian Post.
The church in Corydon, Ind., launched the program three years ago to help bring the church to people who couldnโt physically attend a formal church serviceโand for those who donโt like doing so. The church sends members into isolated parts of its community to launch micro-campuses.
Today, First Capital has campuses in 15 locations, including prisons, foster care centers, schools, homeless shelters, and in church membersโ homes.
The services consist of two worship songs, a brief sermon, and group discussion time, the Christian Post reported. The expansion of โChurch Anywhereโ has resulted in 19 decisions for Christ so far in 2019.
โWe are passionate about empowering our people to go out and be the church, which is why we call it โChurch Anywhere,โโ engagement pastor Tyler Sansom told the paper. โItโs empowered our volunteers basically to bring the church to whatever theyโre passionate about.โ
First Capital has micro-campuses in four local prisons, sometimes requiring significant volunteer support. For instance, 20 volunteers travel an hour each week to hold services at Branchville Correctional Facility. An additional service led by an inmate is set to launch in that prison.
โThe skyโs the limit,โ Sansom said. โI have no idea what the next stage is going to be.โ
(Christian Standard wrote about First Christianโs online campus and remote worship services in โNo Small Measureโ in October 2018.)
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News Briefs
John Seitz, the pastor of Antioch Christian Church in Marion, Iowa, passed away last week after a long illness. His funeral service was Tuesday. Seitz had served Antioch since 2000.
โOur church has suffered a tremendous loss. It is a time to mourn for the Seitz family and our extended family at Antioch,โ the churchโs elders and staff said in a note to the church.
Elder Joel Grandon told the Gazette newspaper: โJohn Seitz was a man who loved Jesus, his family and his church. He knew his purpose was to lead people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and he worked every day to accomplish his purpose. . . . He was a gifted preacher who would make you feel like his message was meant just for you, and he always had time to listen and pray with you.โ
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Gary Hall, 78, who taught at Kentucky Christian University for 14 years and then at Lincoln (Ill.) Christian Seminary for 26 years (from 1986 to 2012), died June 15. Dr. Hall taught Old Testament and Bible doctrine and served as academic dean at KCU. At LCS, he taught Old Testament and Hebrew; he became professor emeritus upon his retirement. He is survived by his widow, Cheryl, among others. The Lincoln Courier published Dr. Hallโs obituary.
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๏ปฟThe Crossing Church in Quincy, Ill., hopes to sponsor more than 20 Honor Flights for veterans as part of its Independence Day activities. The church will donate $1 to Honor Flights for every person who attends one of the churchโs weekend services. The church also is moving its weekly Thursday evening service to Wednesday, July 3, and will tell the stories of two local veterans, one who served in World War II and the other who served in Afghanistan. The service, called โNo Greater Love,โ will conclude with a cookout and activities for families.
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Students and staff from Philippi Church of Christ, Creswell, NC, are helping to build a boat that will be used for missions in the South Pacific, according to Mid-Atlantic Christian Universityโs Facebook site. The church is working with missionaries Patrick and Rachel Whipple and family of One Mission Society.
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๏ปฟMountain Christian Church continues to work on a plan to build its own wastewater treatment plant to support its campus in Joppa. The Maryland Department of Environment plans a public meeting for July to discuss the churchโs proposal, which would allow MCC to discharge up to 5,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day. The proposal has stirred a community discussion about the effects of the proposal on the nearby Gunpowder River, according to NottinghamMD.com.
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Lorelei Pinney Nij, who helped lead Morning Glory Christian Academy, a private school in San Raymundo, Guatemala, that is part of the New Iberian Mission Association, passed away in April. Nij graduated from Dallas Christian College, attended Cincinnati Bible Seminary, and taught Christian education classes at Colegio Biblico. She wrote the affirmative portion of Christian Standardโs โIn the Arenaโ article, โQ. Should Women Be Involved in Church Leadership and Preaching Roles? (A. YES)โ in our March issue.
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๏ปฟGreat Lakes Christian College will host two events in the next several weeks:
โBoostโA Retreat for Ministersโ is set for July 15-17. Mark Christian will speak on Monday and Tuesday evening. Learn more at www.glcc.com.
A WOWโWomen of the Word conference will take place Aug. 1-3. The theme is โLetโs Get Coffee! Inviting Intentional Relationships.โ Shelly Larson will be the speaker. Registration is $50 before July 15 and $60 thereafter. Learn more here.
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Author: Christian Standard
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