News & Updates

News & Updates delivers timely reporting and important announcements relevant to church leaders and the Restoration Movement community. Explore articles covering ministry developments, events, organizational news, and updates that impact churches, leaders, and readers of The Christian Standard. You’ll find information on conferences, initiatives, partnerships, and significant stories shaping the life of the church today. Check back regularly to stay informed and connected to what’s happening across the movement and within The Christian Standard network.

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Salty Church Marks 9 Years of Sunrise Services on Beach (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Salty Church in Ormond Beach, Fla., recently celebrated the ninth anniversary of its weekly sunrise worship service on the beach.  The service launched in May 2010 and is held at 7 a.m. at the Granada Beach Approach. It is a way to attract “beach people”—surfers, bikers, and tourists. But the service tends to attract all kinds of folks, lead pastor Robbie O’Brien told the Ormond Beach Observer, which wrote a story about the milestone. “The beach is typically a great equalizer,” O’Brien said. “We don’t know who’s rich or poor, or sometimes, we don’t know who’s homeless

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Christian College Graduation Notes, Leadership Transitions

Compiled by Jim Nieman Mother and daughter graduated on the same day at Milligan College on May 11. JoDee Dotson was one of eight inaugural graduates in Milligan’s new Doctor of Education program, while her daughter, Taylor, also crossed the stage that day and plans to return in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. One of Milligan’s MBA graduates couldn’t attend commencement. Vanessa Botero was with the Milligan cycling team that was competing in the Division I Varsity Nationals in Augusta, Ga. But Milligan president Bill Greer hoofed down to Augusta, Ga., on May 12 to hand-deliver the diploma to Botero. (Oh, and Milligan finished second in the competition.)

May 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Rusaw Takes on New Challenge

Pastor steps down after 28 year at Longmont, Colorado, church to lead Spire By Chris Moon “I’m not a hugger,” Rick Rusaw told Christian Standard as he was preparing for his last weekend as pastor with LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colo., “but I’ve been giving out a lifetime’s worth of hugs this week.” Rusaw stepped down Sunday from his 28-year run at LifeBridge and now is focusing his efforts as CEO of Spire Network, the successor organization to the North American Christian Convention. Rusaw started at the church in 1991 after a stint as executive vice president at Cincinnati

May 16, 2019

Christian Standard

WWII Medal of Honor Recipient with Ties to Boise Bible College Dies

Robert Dale “Bob” Maxwell, 98, a Medal of Honor recipient who, with his late wife, Beatrice, established a scholarship that is awarded each year to an outstanding preaching major at Boise Bible College, died May 11. “He was a very humble, quiet person,” close friend Dick Tobiason told the Bulletin in Bend, Ore., where Maxwell lived. “He smiled whenever he talked about veterans, the flag, country, and patriotism. He loved being an American.” Maxwell died more than seven decades after quickly grabbing a blanket and throwing himself on a German hand grenade in France on Sept. 7, 1944, according to

May 15, 2019

Christian Standard

Churches Donate 3 Tons of Pennies to Camp (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Lake Springfield Christian Assembly in Chatham, Ill., is learning the power of the penny. The Christian camp has collected a million pennies from 26 churches during the past two months to help generate funds to acquire an additional 2.7 acres of land. The $10,000 in pennies were put on display in a large bin at the camp; they weighed 6,000 pounds. “(The lesson here) is that every penny counts, especially when you’re a 501(c)(3),” camp manager Kerma Yotter told the State Journal-Register. “What’s more amazing, and we see it all the time, is God’s provision through his faithful

May 14, 2019

Christian Standard

Ranson Closing Out 40-Year Career at Hazelwood Christian

By Jim Nieman Back on May 20, 1979, during his first Sunday as senior minister with Hazelwood Christian Church in Clayton, Ind., Steve Ranson had no idea it would be his first of 2,000-plus Sundays there. He was unaware the church had had 31 ministers since its founding in 1910—a span of 69 years. That’s a new minister every two-plus years. “It wasn’t trending well,” Ranson deadpanned. But things worked out, though Ranson now confesses that, early on, he was occasionally at a loss for topics to preach about. “It wasn’t like it is today, with the Internet and so

May 8, 2019

Christian Standard

Florida Students Rescued by Aptly Named Boat

Florida Students Rescued by Aptly Named Boat Two high school seniors from Christ’s Church Academy—affiliated with Christ’s Church in Jacksonville, Fla.—endured a harrowing ocean adventure and were rescued by a boat with a fitting name.  The pair were swimming near Vilano Beach when they discovered they were too tired to make it back to shore.  “We were just going for a normal swim,” Heather Brown told ABC News. “But the current kept taking us, and we didn’t realize it until we were completely off track.” Brown and Tyler Smith were stuck at sea for an hour and a half, during which they prayed that God would save them

May 8, 2019

Christian Standard

Church Finds Time Capsule, Restocks It (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Central Christian Church in Portales, N.M., discovered a 60-year-old time capsule while expanding its building.  As contractors removed a plaque that marked the cornerstone of the building, they discovered a Bible, a copy of the local newspaper from 1958, a church bulletin, and a history of the church written by then pastor Glen E. Hull. The Eastern New Mexico News tracked down Hull, 86, who now lives in Florissant, Mo., with his wife of 62 years, Inez. CCC was Hull’s first ministry. “You always go back to your first ministry. It brings back lots of good memories,”

May 1, 2019

Christian Standard

Johnson Retires from The Creek but Continuing with e2

By Chris Moon Gary Johnson has decided to have just one full-time job from now on . . . and he’s pretty excited about it. “I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve,” he said last week as he prepared for his last Sunday on the job as pastor of The Creek in Indianapolis. “I’m waiting for 8 a.m. on Monday morning to arrive when I only have to wear one hat.” Johnson retired Sunday from 30 years at the helm of The Creek, which he saw grow from 250 in attendance to more than 4,000 during his tenure—something he attributes

April 24, 2019

Christian Standard

Ozark Library’s New Fine Structure Based on Pull-ups (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Mo., is looking for creative ways to attract more people to the Seth Wilson Library—and to shed the perception that libraries are stuffy. To that end, library director Derek Moser has installed a pull-up bar as a way for students to pay off their overdue books. Moser says library fines—which have been done away with—are relatively inconsequential in comparison to the cost of a lost item.  “The idea came to me that if we did a pull-up, that might actually match the crime a little bit better because it’s discipline related,”

April 17, 2019

Christian Standard

Church Helps Workers after Restaurant Fire (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio, is helping about 50 employees of a local restaurant that suffered a kitchen fire earlier this year. The church has been holding weekly fish fry fund-raisers during Lent for Kreimer’s Bier Haus, a German-American restaurant just down the street from the church. The restaurant’s kitchen caught fire in January and the eatery has been closed for renovations since then. “Mark Kreimer, the owner, is a very good friend and part of our church,” said executive minister Jess Adkins. “We were trying to see how we could

April 15, 2019

Christian Standard

Elder Killed in Canadian Church Shooting

A shooting during morning worship in British Columbia, Canada, left a church elder dead and another person injured. Church members wrestled the rifle-wielding suspect to the floor and held him until police arrived. Dead is Salmon Arm Church of Christ elder Gordon Parmenter, 78, who was apparently targeted in the shooting. The suspect, 25, is a man Parmenter had helped in the past, said Dave Parmenter, the victim’s son. Gordon Parmenter died at the scene. One person who tried to intervene was shot in the leg and was airlifted to a hospital. He is in stable condition. According to the

April 10, 2019

Christian Standard

Pastor Donates Kidney to Church Member (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman A Christian church pastor in Virginia donated a kidney to a member of his church. James “Beaver” Terry, pastor of Belmont Christian Church in Christiansburg, Va., gave his kidney to church member Eric Nowlin, whose health was failing after years on dialysis, according to the Roanoke Times. Terry first considered donating his kidney to Nowlin while reading Bob Goff’s Everybody Always, which challenges Christians to help those in need—even if it means giving up one of your kidneys. The more Terry looked into the idea, the more things fell into place. A key factor was his blood type—A

April 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Greenview Christian Church Celebrates 150 Years (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Greenview (Ill.) Christian Church celebrated its 150th anniversary over the weekend. A special service Sunday included visits from previous ministers and then a luncheon. On Saturday, there was a joint service with nearby Sweetwater Christian Church, which started GCC in 1869. The service featured hymns from 150 years ago and a presentation on the history of both congregations. GCC senior minister Andy Nichols told The Courier, “There’s a reason that roughly half of the members have been almost lifelong members. [It’s] because they feel like they are part of a family once they are part of the church.” _ _ _ News

March 27, 2019

Christian Standard

Lincoln Student Profiled in Forbes (Plus News Briefs)

A recent article in Forbes features Karis Hortin, a student-athlete at Lincoln (Ill.) Christian University, who started a business as part of an entrepreneur program during her senior year in high school. Hortin says God’s been answering prayers throughout the process of starting and operating Jars of Hope, a pre-mixed meal company. The Forbes article states: “Hortin [says] it was her mother’s suggestion to donate part of Jars of Hope’s proceeds to charity. After praying on the topic, however, she decided to do more, donating all her profits to the orphanage where she lived until age 9. After fundraising to cover travel expenses, Hortin visited the orphanage in

March 20, 2019

Christian Standard

Milligan Changing Alcohol Policy (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Milligan College is loosening its alcohol policy for students.  In a letter to the university community, Milligan president Bill Greer announced the campus would remain dry, but “rather than restricting off-campus alcohol consumption among all traditional students, the college’s new policy allows our students to respect state law in terms of the legal age of consuming alcohol.”  Greer wrote that the new policy demonstrates the university’s trust in students and allows them to learn personal responsibility as it pertains to alcohol use.  “I can’t stress enough that the reason behind me recommending this policy change

March 13, 2019

Christian Standard

Inaugural Hayden Lectureship Scheduled March 26-28 (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan will host its inaugural Hayden Lectureship later this month honoring the legacy of former Christian Standard editor Edwin V. Hayden. The lectureship March 26-28 will feature Dr. Dwight N. Hopkins, an eminent African-American and global theologian who is Alexander Campbell Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Hopkins’s lecture series, “Being Human: Wealth, Leadership and Values,” will include the following three presentations: “Wealth and Faith in Black American Experiences” (11 a.m. March 26), “Black Liberation Theology and Global Cross-Cultural Leadership” (7:30 p.m. March 27), and

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