Series: Buzz

March 23, 2011

Christian Standard

Soul Food

By Jennifer Taylor   Every Thursday, White River Christian Church (Noblesville, Indiana) gives away free bread””and points hundreds of people to the Bread of Life. A few years ago, the church opened a food pantry”””a storage closet, really,” says senior pastor Tim Brock””staffed by 10 volunteers. Today the “pantry” operates from a huge bowling-alley-turned-warehouse next door and feeds hundreds of people each week. “This is now one of the largest food distribution centers in central Indiana,” Brock says. “And we really value the dignity of the people who come for help, so we created a “˜grocery store” environment that allows

March 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Milligan Names Greer Next President

Bill Greer has been selected to serve as the next president of Milligan College in Tennessee. Greer was appointed Milligan”s next president by the college”s board of trustees. He will assume leadership on July 15, following the retirement of current president Donald R. Jeanes. Greer, a 1985 Milligan College graduate, currently serves as the college”s vice president for institutional advancement. He will become the 15th president in the college”s 145-year history. Greer has more than 25 years of experience as an academic and business leader, fund-raiser, community volunteer, and church elder. At Milligan, he is the J. Henry Kegley professor

March 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Ways to Help the People of Japan

By Jennifer Taylor Several Christian ministries are offering ways to support the people of Japan in the wake of last week’s earthquake and tsunami, and the resulting nuclear uncertainties and concerns. Here are a few opportunities that we are aware of: — International Disaster Emergency Service is still helping residents of Haiti and New Zealand recover from the recent earthquakes there; the ministry is also accepting donations for the many hurting and homeless people devastated by last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. IDES is in contact with many of the missionaries in the country and is sending funds to

March 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Milligan Students Helping at Free Tax Clinics

Just one more month to finish your taxes! Milligan College in Tennessee is partnering with Washington County, TN, to offer free income tax preparation for residents. The free tax clinics are hosted by Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), an IRS-sponsored and recommended program that uses highly trained, volunteer preparers to offer free preparation and filing to qualified people. The team will consist mostly of Milligan business students under the supervision of Harold Branstrator, assistant professor of business administration at Milligan. The volunteers have completed hours of training and are ready to assist taxpayers with returns, including all forms. Returns are

March 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Sharing the Stories of Martyrs

By Jennifer Taylor Trent Renner, lead pastor at Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, Arizona), read about hundreds of Christian martyrs as part of his morning devotions in 2010. When planning for 2011, he knew these stories would inspire and challenge his church. “The accounts of persecution and the way these heroes faithfully endured it for Christ really affected me,” he says. “It changed my perspective and made me more grateful for the freedom in our country.” At the beginning of the year, Renner invited church members to share the story of one martyr in one service on one weekend. “We have

March 11, 2011

Christian Standard

A Partnership to Plant Churches in Ecuador

By Jennifer Taylor The ministry”s new “glocal” initiative combines global partnerships with local church planting. The project is starting in April with four new churches launching near Manta, Ecuador. Stadia is working with Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry, and Camino de Santidad, a church planting movement that has already started 25 churches. “About 5,000 people live in each of the villages we”ve chosen, but there are no churches of any kind,” Stadia shares. “Several lack wells to provide drinking water; they all lack schools and health care.” Partnership with Camino and Compassion will not only create new churches

March 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Southeast Christian Church “˜Paid in Full”

By Jennifer Taylor This past weekend Bob Russell, previous senior minister at Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY), shared the pulpit with Dave Stone, the current senior minister. Stone invited Russell to preach with him so he could surprise and honor him midservice by sharing a letter from the bank. “Because of God”s provision and your prudent leadership,” Stone said, “and because of the overwhelming generosity of these good people at all three campuses, every inch of land and buildings on over 100 acres at the Blankenbaker campus has been paid in full.” After burning the note, Stone also shared that

March 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Youth Bring the Blessings

This past Sunday churchgoers received some great food and a special blessing. After the worship service, the youth group at River Hill Church of Christ (Monongahela, PA) surprised the congregation with a pancake breakfast. “As we took our seats, the youth asked us to sit quietly and remember Jesus” example of service when he washed the disciples” feet,” the church shares. “Then they made their way around the room and washed our hands and prayed for each of us individually. . . . They had [also] written a personal letter to every person at the breakfast, thanking us for our

March 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Jackson Appointed to Lead William Jessup University

This week, William Jessup University (Rocklin, CA) announced the appointment of John Jackson as the school”s sixth president. Jackson is currently executive director of Thriving Churches International and executive pastor at Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA. He holds a PhD in educational administration and organizational studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is author of several books on leadership, communication, and church ministry. Click here to learn more and watch a short video greeting from Jackson.

March 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Magazine Recommends “˜Eats with Sinners”

Eats with Sinners: Reaching Hungry People Like Jesus Did by CHRISTIAN STANDARD blogger and contributing editor Arron Chambers was named one of Outreach magazine”s recommended resources of the year in its new issue out this week. “Chambers offers a pragmatic and concrete approach to evangelism hospitality,” the magazine writes. “Excellent for use in local churches and groups.” Eats with Sinners is published by Standard Publishing. To learn more about the book and to order it, click here.

March 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Songs Written Especially for Messages

Harpeth Community Church (Franklin, TN) finished its Harpeth Songs Project last Sunday. Each week during February one of the songwriters at HCC (a church just a few miles from downtown Nashville) shared an original song that tied in thematically with the day”s message. “This was an intentional effort to make space for our musicians who write and sing for a living, but aren”t part of our worship teams,” said creative director Kyle Baker.

March 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Raises Funds to Send BibleSticks to Soldiers

This past Sunday, Granby (MO) Christian Church finished its fund-raising campaign to send “BibleSticks,” small digital audio players preloaded with a recording of the New Testament, to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. For $25 church members could send a BibleStick overseas, plus response cards for the servicemen and women to request Bibles for family members. The church worked with Faith Comes By Hearing (Albuquerque, NM). “Chaplains from every branch of the military have been flooding FCBH with requests . . . more than 400 chaplains themselves [are] using BibleSticks in pre-deployment briefings, counseling sessions, Bible studies, weekly chapels and other spiritual

February 26, 2011

Christian Standard

Identifying, Apologizing for 95 Church Mistakes

By Jennifer Taylor On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation with his 95 Theses. Last October 31, Highland Christian Church shared its own radical message with the community of Asheville, North Carolina. “Much of the next generation walked away from church and has never returned,” says Sherri McCready, creative arts director. “Today less than half of 1 percent of people ages 18 to 25 in this country understand the Bible. We have failed to present the gospel in a way that connects with our culture.” Inspired by 2 Chronicles 7:14,  McCready and the HCC team began considering

February 23, 2011

Christian Standard

KCU Adds Biology Pre-Professional Degree Program

This week, Kentucky Christian University announced a new Biology Pre-Professional degree program beginning in August. The program will prepare students for further study and careers in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Like all other KCU degrees, students will double-major in Biblical Studies, equipping students to not only succeed in highly competitive career fields but to do so grounded in a strong faith. Find out more at www.kcu.edu.

February 17, 2011

Christian Standard

“˜Inside Out & Upside Down” VBS Ranked No. 1

Standard Publishing”s 2011 Vacation Bible School curriculum, “Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street,” was ranked this year’s No. 1 VBS by About the Children’s Department, a popular blog with authoritative reviews of children”s curriculum based on standardized criteria. “Standard Publishing is known for providing quality VBS resources that teach God’s Word in every station and activity; this year they have done a tremendous job!” said the blog”s editor, Lynda Freeman. Standard Publishing is the original publisher of Vacation Bible School and has served Christian churches in America for 145 years. Every summer, more than 1.3 million kids and volunteers are touched

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.

February 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Story of Abuse, Rescue Featured on “˜Oprah”

On Tuesday, Oprah Winfrey devoted her show to the story of Kathie and Kellie Henderson, sisters who were molested and abused by their father and brothers for years””and the family from Countryside Christian Church (Wichita, KS) who rescued them. Jim Vasey, an elder at Countryside and a member of the board of trustees at Ozark Christian College (Joplin, MO), and his wife, Shelly, lived in the same neighborhood as the girls but never suspected the abuse. When the sisters finally confided in them, the Vaseys contacted the police and walked with the girls through the difficult days that followed. Shelly

February 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Atlanta Christian College Becoming Point University

Atlanta (GA) Christian College will soon have a new name and a new location! This week ACC announced the 2012 relocation of its main campus from East Point, GA (outside of Atlanta), to the town of West Point, GA (near the Georgia-Alabama line). The school will become Point University beginning July 1, 2011. “Just as God frequently called the Old Testament heroes to new and exciting lands, he often accompanied that life transition with a symbolic changing of name,” the school writes. “Not only does “˜Point University” reflect where the school has come from and where it is going, but

February 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Jail Call

By Jennifer Taylor You know about multisites. You may even be familiar with online campuses. But how about church planting in a jail? “As a leadership team, we felt a burden to serve the forgotten people in our prison system,” says Kurt Ervin, church expansion leader at Central Christian Church (Henderson, Nevada). “But we didn”t want to start another prison ministry. Instead, we wanted to launch a church in a prison.” Central first created a separate nonprofit organization””God Behind Bars””and met with the chaplain of a local women”s prison. “We realized we could use the “˜video venue” strategy and the

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link