Ministries & Nonprofits

Ministries & Nonprofits features coverage of organizations serving churches and communities through evangelism, compassion, education, and practical support. Explore profiles, interviews, news, and updates highlighting the mission, programs, and partnerships of ministries and nonprofit leaders. You’ll find stories that showcase gospel-centered impact, opportunities to serve and give, and insights that help churches collaborate effectively with trusted organizations. This hub keeps leaders informed about the people and projects advancing the work of Christ beyond the local congregation.

April 2, 2015

Christian Standard

The World Is Watching

By Jennifer Johnson Since 1921, Mountain Mission School has provided a high-quality education as well as a home for thousands of children in need. The school has always welcomed kids from countries around the world, but recently its ministry has extended to include survivors of the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, including several of the girls kidnapped by the terrorist organization last April. From Capitol Hill to Chibok, Nigeria, to its beautiful campus in Grundy, Virginia, this small school is playing a large role in bringing hope and healing to a number of brave young women””and the world is watching.

February 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Revival Fires to Send Bibles to Cuba

Revival Fires Ministry has been asked to assist in an effort to flood Cuba with 1 million Bibles. Revival Fires has committed to providing 100,000 of the Bibles, according to Cecil Todd, founder and president. Todd said the Bibles will be distributed to Cuba”s public schools, jails, prisons, and libraries, as well as to pastors and churches. Todd said open Bible distribution has been barred in Cuba since 1969. It costs $5 for Revival Fires to print and deliver a Bible to Cuba. Donations designated “Bibles for Cuba” may be mailed to Revival Fires Ministry, P.O. Box 1008, Branson West, MO

December 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Development Fund Announces Presidential Transition

IRVINE, California ““ Provision Ministry Group CEO Larry Winger, along with the PMG and Church Development Fund boards, announced today a transition in the presidency of CDF from Brad Dupray to Dusty Rubeck. The news follows several months of reassessment related to the ministry”s current status and needs, which resulted in the identification of a directional shift in the essential leadership qualities needed for future growth. “Brad Dupray stepped in at a critical moment in the history of CDF to assume the role of president and provide much-needed stability during the worst economic recession we have experienced in years,” said

October 4, 2013

Christian Standard

CIY”s ‘Sons and Daughters’ Focuses on Fatherlessness

By Jennifer Johnson Christ In Youth exists to “amplify Christ”s call,” challenging students to live their faith boldly. So why is this ministry making movies? Over the last several years, CIY has made short films about the AIDS crisis in Africa, sex trafficking in Cambodia, and the need for fresh water in Zambia. Love Costs Everything featured persecuted Christians around the world, and now Becoming Sons and Daughters tackles the issue of fatherlessness in America. “We”ve seen today”s students become a screen generation,” says Chris Jefferson, vice president of organizational advancement at CIY. “So each of these films was developed

September 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with Ken Henes

By Paul Boatman Ken Henes is in his 18th year as director of Wisconsin Christian Mission Association (WCMA)””a church planting organization for the state. Since 2008 he has also served as preaching minister of Westwood Christian Church in Madison, Wisconsin.   What are the challenges to church planting in the northland? We start with a small support base””about 40 Christian churches in Wisconsin, two-thirds of them with average attendance of less than 100. Only one church, Central Christian in Beloit, ranks as a megachurch. Historically, we followed the old style of church planting””a small nucleus that was typically many years

August 19, 2013

Christian Standard

The Pearl Group: More than a Donation

By Nancy Karpenske The Pearl Group is a nonprofit that helps single parents in specialized ways. This group was launched by business owners from LifeBridge Christian Church who wanted to do more than just donate money. The Pearl Group can apply for grants, seek donors, and arrange partnerships with foundations and agencies that might not give to a church. The Pearl programs offer a wide array of services: “¢ A car clinic happens on Saturdays every other month. Two local garages open their doors for teams of volunteer mechanics. “¢ The Closet is a free clothing bank for moms and

January 1, 2013

Christian Standard

VBS Program Features Back2Back Ministries

“God”s Backyard Bible Camp,” Standard Publishing”s Vacation Bible School program for 2013, features Beth Guckenberger, cofounder of Back2Back Ministries. The “Backyard Bible Camp” includes separate VBS programs for day (“Under the Sun”) or evening (“Under the Stars”), and will carry a mission emphasis, which is where Back2Back Ministries comes in. We asked Beth to share some thoughts about Back2Back Ministries. It was 15 years ago that we started to share with a few friends and family our “whisper calling” to move to Mexico. This was met with mixed reactions. Some thought we were shortsighted or ill-equipped (they were right). Some

January 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Save Some Quarters, Ship Some Supplies

By Jennifer Taylor Lifeline Christian Mission (Westerville, OH) is making it easy for families, churches, youth groups, and businesses to give healthy food to people around the world. Lifeline is able to send a pound of supplies for 25 cents, so it is encouraging groups to donate quarters with its “Quarter Back Challenge.” To participate, groups order Challenge Kits filled with mini-tubes of candy, labels, ribbon, and instructions. Each group sells the candy, fills the empty tubes with quarters, and mails a check for the total to Lifeline. Fifty-six quarters””$14″”fit in a tube. Lifeline began the program as a way

August 31, 2011

Christian Standard

Nettle Selected President of Stadia

On Aug. 29, Provision Ministry Group announced the selection of Greg Nettle as the new president of Stadia, Provision”s church planting organization. “Greg is an international church planter as well as the vision caster and senior pastor of a church planting megachurch in northern Ohio,” wrote Provision CEO Larry Winger. “Instead of plucking Greg out of that context to lead Stadia, we are leaving him right where he is to keep on practicing and perfecting.” Nettle is senior pastor with RiverTree Christian Church (Massillon, OH) and also one of the creators of Kingdom Synergy Partners, a church planting group formed

August 15, 2011

Christian Standard

The Message Is Relentless

By Dale Reeves When Beth Guckenberger told me that we had an opportunity to advertise the cover of her book, Relentless Hope, on a car that would be racing in the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup on July 9, 2011, I was absolutely thrilled! I immediately shared with my marketing manager the opportunity to have Standard Publishing represented at the Kentucky Speedway. We started wondering, Has anyone ever advertised a book in a NASCAR race before? Before long we were providing art files to NASCAR driver and Back2Back supporter Michael McDowell, and we quickly realized that he is a great

February 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Dupray Named President of CDF

On Feb. 4, Brad Dupray was named the new president of Church Development Fund (Irvine, CA). Brad has served CDF for nearly 22 years, with roles including senior vice president of ministry development, chief operating officer, and national marketing director. Brad holds a bachelor”s degree from Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University) and an MBA from National University. He is also an ordained minister and the writer of the monthly “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview.” You can read Brad”s blog about his new role with CDF.

January 31, 2011

Christian Standard

Cookson Hills Adds An Equine Program

by Jennifer Taylor Cookson Hills Christian Ministries (Kansas, Oklahoma), a ministry to abused and neglected children and their families, has added an equine program””and it”s much more than just riding horses. “In counseling, horses can be used to assess a client”s current mental status, stress, emotional tolerance level, problem-solving and survival strategies, and self-concept,” the organization writes. “The human responses elicited in the first equine assisted psychotherapy session can reveal truths about a client that normally would take 20 or more “˜talk therapy” sessions.” In addition to their therapy program, Cookson Hills provides opportunities for horsemanship classes, trail rides, and

November 21, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Cynthia Rodda

By Brad Dupray Mountain Mission School was founded in 1921 by Sam and Jane Hurley. After welcoming to their home nine children in addition to their own seven children, Sam felt convicted to fund a home where children could be cared for. He was a successful entrepreneur in Appalachian Virginia who became wealthy but used his wealth to reach out to children who reminded him of his own impoverished childhood. Now, nearly 90 years later, Sam”s great-granddaughter, Cynthia Rodda, serves as president of Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia, where the objective remains the same, to care for “the least

November 2, 2010

Christian Standard

Sole Searching

By Jennifer Taylor Milligan College alumnus Andy Baker founded Remember the Children, a nonprofit organization committed to serving the forgotten children and families in Eastern Europe, after a trip to Romania in 1996. This fall he partnered with Milligan to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes for Romanian children. Milligan junior Rachel Severns helped spread the word on campus and collected contributions from community members. Baker will deliver the shoes to Romania this winter. www.remember-the-children.org www.milligan.edu ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www. christianstandard.com. Do you know of a church

November 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Eternal Threads: Weaving Hope and Justice

  by Katie Noah Gibson “Giving a woman sustainable income changes her life and that of her entire family,” says Linda Egle of Abilene, Texas, founder of Eternal Threads. And, as the Eternal Threads Web site notes, “Wherever women gather is a great place to tell the Eternal Threads story.” Since 2000, Eternal Threads has worked with female artisans in developing countries to provide them an income by using indigenous craft skills and raw materials. The results are breathtaking: hand-loomed silk shawls from Madagascar, exquisitely crafted jewelry from Thailand, intricate bracelets and delicate beaded earrings from Afghanistan, colorful crocheted lace

July 2, 2008

Christian Standard

Let”s See More Stories Like This One

By Mark A. Taylor One angle unreported in this week”s lead story is the unusual cooperation that made it possible. The April Indianapolis AIDS conference was jointly sponsored by two ministries headquartered in the same town and seeking (competing for?) financial support from the same fellowship of Christian churches. I suspect offerings to both ministries will increase, however, because of their shared initiatives described this week. Not only did they cosponsor a conference; now they”re working together on continuing strategies to address the needs presented by the AIDS pandemic. Their combined voice receives more attention than either of them speaking

July 3, 2007

Christian Standard

Interview with Matthew Lockhart

By Brad Dupray Matthew Lockhart joined the Standard Publishing family as director of product development last September. In his 15-year career in Christian publishing Matt has worked in product development at Serendipity House, spending the bulk of his time there in the role of chief operating officer, and more recently at Group Publishing as senior editor of adult and pastor/leader church resources and project developer. Matt and his wife, Kim, moved from Loveland, Colorado, to Cincinnati with their two children Logan (7) and Megan (5). What sets Standard Publishing apart from other Christian publishers? One of the things I appreciate

August 16, 2006

Christian Standard

Interview with Rick Jett

By Brad Dupray For 26 years Rick Jett preached in local churches in Kansas and Indiana, including 18 years at the Marion (Indiana) Church of Christ. Now, as executive director of International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES), he connects with local churches and missionaries to distribute resources to disaster stricken areas around the world. Rick is a graduate of Ozark Christian College. He and his wife of 26 years, Nancy, have two children, Richard and Rachel. How would you describe the ministry of IDES? The International Disaster Emergency Service is an organization that seeks to be the channel through which Christian

June 21, 2006

Christian Standard

Interview with Lynn McMillon

By Brad Dupray Lynn McMillon is the president and editor of The Christian Chronicle, a Christian newspaper that serves Churches of Christ worldwide. The Chronicle ‘s circulation includes more than 107,000 recipients and over 190,000 readers. McMillon earned a Ph.D. in religion from Baylor University and is the dean of the College of Biblical Studies at Oklahoma Christian University.   He serves as an elder at the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma City He and his wife, Joy, have two married sons and four granddaughters. How would you describe The Christian Chronicle ? The Christian Chronicle is a

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