Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman
Northside Christian Church, New Albany, Ind., celebrated its 50th anniversary last Wednesday with a worship service at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
Leading up to the event, Northside reported it would be “the first time in 20 years we will gather as a WHOLE church for a night of worship, celebration and advance commitment to the next step of generosity God is calling each of us toward!”
Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith was a special surprise guest at the service.
“It was an absolutely beautiful service and a wonderful surprise to have such a special guest to be with us to play and sing with us,” one person wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to all made this night possible.”
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News Briefs
A special choir from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., got a big ovation after singing the national anthem at a recent University of Kentucky women’s basketball game.
The choir is made up of men and women with developmental disabilities. WDRB.com reports the H.O.P.E. Choir (which stands for “helping other people excel”) has people with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities.
Jeff Walz, the University of Louisville’s women’s basketball coach, met with the choir during pregame. Some of his players have been to the choir’s practices.
The H.O.P.E. Choir is directed by B.J. Levis, who teaches at U of L.
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Christianity Today recently wrote a story about large corporations that employ teams of chaplains to provide spiritual support to their employees.
The story featured Karen Diefendorf, who leads a team of 100 chaplains who support 122,000 employees at Tyson Foods. Diefendorf is a graduate of Lincoln (Ill.) Christian College and Lincoln Christian Seminary and served as an Army chaplain for 24 years before beginning work at Tyson.
Diefendorf conducts daily rounds to check on employees on the noisy production floor at Tyson’s Springdale, Ark., facility.
“If I get a thumb sideways, thumbs down, for sure I’m going to meet them in the break room and see what that’s about,” she said of her routine with employees. “If I need more than the 15-minute break or have multiple people I need to see, any chaplain is free to go to that person’s supervisor and work a time to get them off the line.”
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The Pastor’s Project has a new program for small, rural churches that need a helping hand. “Every Church Matters” seeks to work with these struggling churches to help them determine God’s will and move forward in faith. Interested ministers and churches can call (402) 391-4364 or fill out an online form.
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Alex Eddy has been named executive director of Person to Person Ministries, Hillsboro, Ohio. Eddy, a P2P board member, has been serving as minister of Little Miami Christian Church, Morrow, Ohio; he will begin his new duties with Person to Person on April 19. P2P sponsors the Hillsboro Family Camp each year, among other events. Eddy replaces Kerry Allen, who now serves as president of Louisville Bible College.
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A small plane with four people aboard crashed in a field behind Valley Center (Kan.) Christian Church on Sunday afternoon. Everyone was able to walk away from the scene, with only the pilot suffering minor injuries, KWCH.com reported.
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Greg Lee of Suncrest Christian Church, St. John, Ind., and another area pastor are rallying churches in their region to join a campaign to eliminate $12 million in extreme medical debt for residents in a three-county area, the Chicago Tribune reported. Nearly $8 million of the debt is in Gary, Ind., according to RIP Medical Debt.
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Westside Christian Church, Richmond, Ky., plans to dissolve and merge with Southland Christian Church, Lexington, according to the Richmond Register. Westside will continue to meet on Sunday mornings in their former building until Southland launches at Madison Central High School on March 22, at which time WCC will join them, the article said. It will be Southland’s fifth physical campus.
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A Barna survey of major concerns facing the Christian church in the United States today listed 22 items. The top three concerns among 547 pastors were (1) watered down gospel teachings, (2) culture’s shift to a secular age, and (3) poor discipleship models. The survey was conducted late last year.
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“Tuesday School,” a ministry of Grassy Creek Christian Church, De Mossville, Ky., has been serving 3- and 4-year-olds (and their parents) weekly for nearly 25 years. The two-hour morning program includes singing, dancing, a craft related to that week’s lesson, a snack (accompanied by a prayer song), and playtime.
“We want to reach kids at a young age,” youth minister Tim Monks told the Falmouth Outlook. “We want them to know that this is who Jesus is; this is who God is.”
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Myrtle Point (Ore.) First Christian Church raised more than $30,000 from church and community members to renovate its 100-year-old building, according to the Blue Mountain Eagle. Ten percent of the funds raised will go to Boise (Idaho) Bible College.
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