February 3, 2011
“February in Cleveland means snow,” says Momentum Christian Church (Garfield Heights, OH), “and snow means annual competition for Mo Groups!” This month Momentum encourages its small groups to clear snow from as many driveways in the community as possible; the activity blesses neighbors, builds friendships within the small group, AND offers bragging rights for the winning group. Stay warm up there, guys . . .
February 3, 2011
By Nancy Karpenske It”s just a purple spiral notebook, well-worn and nondescript. But it contains my personal history with the book of Isaiah. All I really knew about Isaiah was that it held precious prophecies””a virgin shall conceive, unto us a child is born, despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. And the famous vision of God”s throne room that resulted in Isaiah crying out, “Here am I, Lord, send me!” I set my sights on becoming more familiar with Isaiah””not the facts and time lines and interpretations; I intended to look for God in the pages. I decided to
January 31, 2011
By Larry Travis When I was a young boy in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, my Sunday school teacher, Joe Henderson, taught our class a song and a pledge . . . to the Bible. The song went like this: “The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that”s the book for me, I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.” The pledge to the Bible was spoken in unison and with open hands . . . palms up. With all our hearts we would all proclaim, “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God”s Holy Word . . . a lamp unto my feet and
By Jennifer Taylor The Leadership Institute at Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, Arizona) offers college-level courses from Hope International University (Fullerton, California) plus an internship program. Interns work with CCV staff pastors, attend weekly training sessions, and receive one-on-one mentoring. Participants may choose a one- or two-year internship; the two-year program allows students to earn their master”s degree from HIU. www.ccvonline.com www.hiu.edu ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors and bloggers, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative ministry? Contact bu**@*********ub.com.
January 31, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Impact Canada is working with Jose and Regina Fernandes to plant a church in the Brazilian community in Toronto. As reported in the August 22 Buzz, Impact Canada continues to work toward a merge with Global Missionary Ministries and is pursuing approval of its new name, Impact Ministry Group. www.impactcanada.org ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors and bloggers, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative ministry? Contact bu**@*********ub.com.
January 31, 2011
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
January 28, 2011
Whether you are going across the street or around the world to serve on a short-term mission trip, the ideas and resources provided through a series of six free webinars presented by CMF International will equip you and your church as you plan, lead, and evaluate your short-term mission trips. Starting February 17, the topic will be: “Where to Go and How Best to Get There? (Tips on trip selection, scope, and travel logistics).” Future webinars will include resources on spiritual preparation, cultural intelligence, team development, development versus relief, and trip debriefing. You can register at http://cmfi.org/partner/missionsresources/tripresources/webinars.
January 28, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Central India Christian Mission not only offers the opportunity to sponsor children in northern India and Nepal (just $18 each month provides food, clothing, vitamins, school supplies and even extras like mosquito nets and sports equipment), but also allows groups or individuals to sponsor an evangelist. Between $200 and $400 per month (depending on the evangelist”s location) provides support for his ministry. “CICM”s evangelists faithfully serve existing churches and plant new churches in the villages, towns, and cities of central and northern India and the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal,” CICM writes. “The evangelists visit their
January 27, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Christian Missionary Fellowship”s Maasai Health Services clinics recently received a grant of $516,000 from the U.S. President”s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to provide HIV/AIDS services in the Maasai area of Kenya. In 2009 these clinics saw 71,000 patients, not including a large number of children who received immunizations and women who received follow-up pregnancy visits. In recent years the clinics have been run completely by Kenyans, many of whom were encouraged in their educational and career pursuits by missionaries from CMF, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The funds will be dispersed to the clinics through September 2011.
January 27, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Pioneer Bible Translators (Dallas, Texas) created a Re-Entry Fund to provide help to missionaries returning home from a term of service overseas. Donations to the fund may provide help for missionary kids beginning college, missionaries needing counseling or retreat, or even missionaries who suddenly lose their support. www.pioneerbible.org ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors and bloggers, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative ministry? Contact bu**@*********ub.com.
January 26, 2011
By Mark A. Taylor David Campbell and Robert Putnam got it right when they commented on the generosity of Evangelical churches. “Local congregations are often on the front lines of providing charitable services to the poor and needy through food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters,” they wrote in the December 10 Wall Street Journal. “Many congregations also sponsor missionaries overseas.” A visit to the National Missionary Convention underscores the truth of their conclusion, especially among Christian churches and churches of Christ. This week”s NMC review article mentions that at least 300 missionaries and other ministries brought displays to the convention
January 25, 2011
By Mark A. Taylor After we had settled on the theme for our yearlong emphasis on the Bible, someone suggested a variation that almost made us reconsider. Instead of “The Bible: Lift it up. Live it out,” he proposed “The Bible: Let it in. Live it out.” “Scripture says far more about meditating on God”s Word than defending it,” he said. By the time he wrote, we had already made our decision, commissioned a logo, and finished our plans. Would we have chosen “Let it in” over “Lift it up” if we had thought of it sooner? Maybe. But, really,
January 23, 2011
By Dave Stone Since I was fairly young, I”ve had a favorite Bible verse that has stuck with me through every phase of my life: Acts 4:13. Yes, I get the same look from everybody when I reveal the verse because it really isn”t a common passage; most people are like, “Uh . . . really?” and they don”t know whether to act like they know it. It”s such a cool passage because the disciples are being intensely persecuted but continue to preach about Jesus Christ being resurrected, and this is the observation the Jewish people have as they look
January 20, 2011
Join the NACC conversation! Not only is the North American Christian Convention a great annual gathering, it”s also a great thought-provoker. This year convention leaders are thinking about the challenging themes of this year”s convention main sessions. Read and comment on their blog posts at a new site, NACC Conversations, every week between now and the convention, July 5-8 in Cincinnati.
January 19, 2011
Greg Nettle, senior pastor at RiverTree Christian Church (Massillon, OH), is one of nine guys climbing a volcano in the Andes Mountains this month! Nettle and his team leave for Ecuador tomorrow; while there they will climb four mountains including Cotopaxi, the second-highest summit in the country and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. The last 5,000 feet of the climb will be over the world’s largest equatorial glacier! The nine climbers, all part of RiverTree, are raising $100,000 for ChildReach Ministries and Compassion International. Click here to watch Greg and two teammates discuss the trip and
January 16, 2011
By Mark A. Taylor One quote stands out among several in a news release posted some time ago on our Web site*. An impassioned member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue reflected on the words of Christ whose prayer for unity is recorded in John 17: Apparently Christ thought the unity of his followers was the single most important evidence that he truly came from the Father, that he was divine. And this makes unity compelling””an absolutely compelling thing””not a backburner issue. Unity is at the heart of what the whole gospel is about. Unity is at the heart of the annual
January 14, 2011
This week, Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL) challenged all attendees to spend less than $2 a day per person on food; the $2 a Day Challenge is designed to raise awareness and compassion for the 20 percent of the world living in poverty and the almost 50 percent of the world”s population living on less than $2 a day. Participants are encouraged to journal throughout the experience and share questions and thoughts with their small group at the end of the week.
January 14, 2011
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it would not hear an appeal from the Boulder County (CO) commissioners in their case against Rocky Mountain Christian Church (Niwot, CO). In a Denver Post article, RMCC lead pastor Alan Ahlgrim said this final, conclusive win for the church could have legal implications for at least 160 other churches around the country. The dispute centered on the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The county will be required to pay the church”s legal fees; most of the $1.5 million will be covered by the county”s insurance.
January 14, 2011
Dorwan Stoddard, a member at Mountain Avenue Church of Christ (Tucson, AZ) was one of six people killed in last Saturday”s shooting that also severely wounded Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Stoddard was hit by the gunfire while protecting his wife, Mavy; Mavy was shot in the leg and was in stable condition as of Tuesday. The Christian Chronicle, a news blog of the churches of Christ, has updates here. * * * Tucson area news reports have also shared responses from several local churches, including Chandler (AZ) Christian Church and Central Christian Church in Mesa. Several of the congregations
January 13, 2011
By Mandy Smith This autumn I took my children to the farm. It seemed like the right thing to do in late September when school is in full swing and the slow days of summer are fading into distant memory. The farm we chose had placards throughout to instruct field trip groups about things like composting and spring houses. As I came upon the first of the signs, I was faced with a decision””to teach my children something or to let them explore. Mostly because of my own tiredness (but partly out of my sympathy for the hours they”d spent
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