Organizations & Events

Organizations & Events covers the ministries, institutions, and gatherings that shape church life and the Restoration Movement. Explore articles on conferences, training opportunities, church networks, and the work of organizations serving local congregations. You’ll find news, highlights, interviews, and event coverage—along with updates that help leaders stay connected and informed. Whether you’re looking for what’s happening across the movement or learning about trusted partners and key initiatives, this hub brings together stories and information related to organizations and events that support the mission of the church.

August 17, 2015

Christian Standard

We”re Glad We Sent Our Kids to Christian College!

By Arron Chambers By way of full disclosure, I am not unbiased when it comes to the value of a Christian college education. My grandparents and my wife”s grandparents all attended Christian college. My parents and my wife”s parents all attended Christian college. My wife and I are both graduates of Florida Christian College (now Johnson University Florida). I am also a graduate of Abilene (Texas) Christian University. I worked for three years as director of admissions and for several more as an adjunct professor at Florida Christian College. Our daughter also attended Christian college, and our younger children discuss

July 10, 2015

Christian Standard

Milligan, Emmanuel Merge

On July 1, Milligan College President Dr. Bill Greer announced the merger of Emmanuel Christian Seminary into Milligan. Since the summer of 2012, the college has worked with Emmanuel to help the seminary overcome significant financial issues and prepare for its eventual integration into Milligan. With its financial situation much improved and its viability secured, the merger will allow Emmanuel to continue its work of preparing men and women for effective ministry, while enabling Milligan to add important new programs to its curriculum. Emmanuel is now part of Milligan”s School of Bible and Ministry, one of five schools comprising the

May 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Scholars, Students Gather for SCJ Conference

Biblical scholars and students representing 36 colleges and universities from 16 states and two foreign countries assembled in Indianapolis April 10, 11 for the 14th-annual Stone-Campbell Journal (SCJ) Conference, this year sponsored by Hope International University. The conference, held at East 91 Street Christian Church, featured three plenary speakers exploring the 2015 theme, “New Testament Explorations: Septuagint, Acts and Paul,” along with parallel sessions, study groups, and a student paper competition. Nationally recognized scholars Dr. Karen Jobes, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament at Wheaton (IL) College; Dr. Carl Holladay, Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament Exegesis at Emory University,

April 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Musical Theatre Degree Added

By Jennifer Johnson Although Rochester (MI) College comes from a noninstrumental church of Christ tradition, the school has developed strong programs in music, music education, and theatre. Now the school has created a new major in music theatre””one of the only “4Cs” schools to do so. “We discovered a growing number of students in this part of the country were interested in pursuing this major, and local schools” programs were maxed out and turning people away,” says Dr. Catherine Parker, associate professor of theatre. “We had been talking about it for a few years and were only missing a dance

April 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Alberta Bible College Appoints New President

Alberta Bible College, Calgary, AB, Canada, announced the appointment of Dr. Stanley N. Helton as its new president effective July 1, 2015. Helton has served as professor of Bible and ministry, and later, academic dean with Western Christian College, Regina, SK, Canada. His congregational ministry experience spans almost 20 years working with all three streams in the Restoration Movement: Disciples, a cappella, and independent churches of Christ and Christian churches. He served churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Orleans, LA, and Chicago, IL, before pursuing full-time teaching and doctoral studies. He grew up in a small Oklahoma town. Helton

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.

March 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Compass Christian Church, Colleyville, TX

Baptism Weekend, a New Tradition By Drew Sherman, lead pastor, Compass Christian Church, Colleyville, Texas We started a new tradition last Easter by having a baptism weekend. It was awesome. We had a large pool just outside the front of the church. One hundred eighteen people were baptized that weekend, including a biker dude named Fred who was watching online in the area. He got so excited he jumped on his Harley and came down to get baptized!

March 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, VA

Focusing on Friday By Shawn Cartwright, worship arts pastor, Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, Virginia From my perspective, an investment in Good Friday needs as much attention as Easter worship services or special productions. After all, you don”t have the resurrection without the cross. There are two specific services we”ve done that have been especially meaningful for two churches I”ve served. The first is “Song Stories Victory.” The premise of a “Song Stories” event is emphasizing the stories that songs tell and the stories behind why they were written, as well as how their stories impact our lives. One year we

March 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, IL

Good Friday Prayer Walk By Chuck Sackett, preaching minister, Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, Illinois A few years ago we decided to do something completely different for Good Friday. Instead of a traditional service, we did a prayer walk. It started in the lobby, moved down the hall to the next large space, into the fellowship hall, through the worship space (we have removable seating), and ended in a large classroom. Each room was a new prayer station. It started with a place for prayer and symbolic washing, then an opportunity to take the Lord”s Supper. The fellowship hall was

March 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: West Side Christian Church, Springfield, IL

Jesus Is for Everyone By Melissa Sandel, director of ministries, West Side Christian Church, Springfield, Illinois In early 2014, West Side”s leaders began to sense our community needed a refreshing message from the church””that Jesus is, in fact, for EVERYONE””without qualifiers. We launched a six-week emphasis entitled “EVERYONE,” based on Jesus” words in John 11:25, 26, with renewed conviction that Jesus offers new life and hope to everyone who chooses to follow him. The first step was a Sunday morning message describing what it would mean to extend the hope of Jesus to everyone in our community. Next, we equipped

March 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: First Christian Church, Albuquerque, NM

The Table, the Throne, and the Cross By Tim Neuenschwander, worship minister, First Christian Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico The theme was “The Table.” The four weeks leading up to Easter highlighted the table that transformed into a throne, and to a mess, and to the cross, and then, on Easter, back into the table. Senior minister Tom Caffery and I went to our Christian camp here in New Mexico and cut down a tree, split it into lumber, and hauled it back to our church. We videotaped all this with the theme song, “There”s a Table in the Wilderness.” We

March 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Camarillo (CA) Christian Church

Preparation, Pictures, and Prayer Stations By Charles Maloney, senior pastor, Camarillo (California) Christian Church Our student ministries department put together a guided Good Friday prayer walk involving “prayer stations” covering the events of the final week of Jesus” life, ending at the crucifixion. The prayer stations included pictures and prayer ideas, complete with drawings for children to color, for each of the days leading up to the events of Good Friday. The prayer walk was from noon to 7 p.m., so people could come during the day or after work. We encouraged families to participate together. The last prayer station

March 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: Plainfield (IN) Christian Church

Remembering the Final Week By Todd Dillon, worship arts pastor, Plainfield (Indiana) Christian Church We always have a pre-Resurrection Day service on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Some of our favorite have been Tenebrae services based on different approaches to the final week before the crucifixion. Some of these have been based on the last seven words of Christ, as told through the eyes of various biblical characters, entwined with Scripture and music. We have used the traditional Tenebrae approach, using lighted candles that we extinguish at intervals until we are left in darkness. Another favorite was “a meal of remembrance.” We had tables

March 3, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something Special

By Mark A. Taylor It happened again, this time on the campus of Lincoln Christian University on a cold Friday night a couple of weeks ago. Mark Mittelberg, a best-selling author, widely traveled speaker, and well-known Christian apologist, was speaking to leaders about LCU”s initiative “Room for Doubt.” But before he talked about the materials he”s helping to develop for this ministry, he paused to speak about the movement of churches that will promote and use them. Mittelberg is something of a celebrity in general Evangelical churches; his résumé includes stints on staff at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago and

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

January 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Colleges Discussing Collaboration

“Nebraska Christian College is studying the possibility of collaborating with Hope International University to begin a Christian University system with other colleges throughout the country,” according to ncinitiative2015.wordpress.com, a blog set up to  provide updates on the discussions. The blog entry goes on to say,   John Derry, the President of Hope International University (http://www.hiu.edu) reached out to Nebraska Christian College in hopes of beginning talks of mutual collaboration. This original email exchange led to two subsequent meetings between President Derry and the Executive Team of NC to discuss ways in which this collaboration could drive mission to a greater extent. We are

January 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Going Strong

By Jennifer Johnson “I am the least likely person to lead a trip of women,” Gayla Congdon said during our interview. “I grew up with brothers and I”m not a “˜woman”s retreat” kind of person. I want to do something that matters.” Apparently she”s not alone””the Women of Strength trips she started in 2012 have had to be capped at 65 people, and dozens of ladies have attended more than one. A significant number of the participants aren”t even Christians, but find the experience more than worth the investment of money and vacation time. Actually, Congdon does think “women”s events”

January 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Showing Their Strength and Connecting as Women

By Jennifer Johnson In 2009, Gayla Congdon attended a planning meeting for the International Conference on Missions and realized she was one of only three women in the group of more than 60 people. “Our guest speaker, a man from Wycliffe Bible Translators, pointed out the discrepancy,” she says. “Then he said one of the biggest demographic groups in developed countries, and especially in the United States, is educated women age 55 and older who have discretionary income and are looking for meaningful experiences. I was reminded of the Barna study reporting that, for the first time in U.S. history,

January 2, 2015

Christian Standard

ICOM Relaunches “˜Light the Fire”

By Kim Butts With ICOM”s “Vertical” theme this year, hundreds of people, young and old, had the opportunity to be a part of something that had never been done at the conference. Two interactive, station-based prayer rooms were set up as sacred spaces for people to engage with God in compellingly creative ways, day and night, from the first hour of ICOM to the last. The largest prayer space was located in the middle of the exhibit hall. The area, graciously designed and set up by the prayer and missions teams of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, was open

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