Series: News

October 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Planting Churches, Sponsoring Children

By Jennifer Johnson In 2011, church planting organization Stadia (Irvine, CA) partnered with Compassion International and Ecuadorian and U.S. church partners to plant four new churches in Ecuador. In 2012 they”re starting another dozen churches. Compassion offers its child sponsorship program and other initiatives through each church, and Stadia Executive Director Tom Jones estimates more than 4,000 children will be helped through the work by the end of this year. In January, Compassion President Wess Stafford asked Stadia to expand the ministry into other South American countries. While continuing to plant churches in Ecuador, Stadia plans to start two churches in

October 1, 2012

Christian Standard

One-Day Project or Sacrificial Service?

By Jennifer Johnson “The church has left the building!” “Don”t miss our great day of service!” “This Sunday we”re not going to church, we”re going to BE the church!” These churches mean well. They want to show God”s love to their communities in practical ways while making it easier for church members to practice serving others. And some, like the annual ServeFest coordinated by Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, have grown into very effective partnerships with dozens of other area churches in a common cause. (Check it out at www.servefestmd.org.) But I often wonder about the recipients of these

September 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Inspired by Nehemiah, Church Repaints the Walls

By Jennifer Johnson For several years, Journey Christian Church (Greeley, CO) has helped meet a number of needs at nearby John Evans Middle School, from volunteering at sports events and feeding needy families to providing school supplies and coordinating an annual Christmas party for students. After studying the book of Nehemiah, lead minister Arron Chambers and the church began praying about a “great work” (Nehemiah 6:3) they could begin this past July. Just a few weeks later, when the John Evans principal asked Chambers if church members could paint the school”s hallways and cafeteria, he knew the church had found

September 3, 2012

Christian Standard

A Call to 40 Days of Prayer

By Staff Dave Butts, founder of Harvest Prayer Ministries (Terre Haute, IN) and chairman of America”s National Prayer Committee, has set up www.40daysofprayer.net to provide information, prayer guides, and links to ministries sponsoring prayer efforts for the 40 days leading up to this year”s elections. The ministry writes, “The challenge is not to pray for a specific candidate, but simply to have 24/7 prayer for our nation during that time. We are beyond political solutions for our nation, but we are desperate for God”s intervention. We are challenging people to pray God”s purposes for our nation, revival in the church, and

September 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Cooking with Poo Book Turning Heads Worldwide

By Jennifer Johnson It”s the attention-getting title of a new cookbook that”s received international attention””and helped Saiyuud “Chompoo” Diwong create a new life for herself and her family in the Klong Toey slum of Bangkok. Poo began by offering cooking classes as part of a microenterprise initiative led by Ash and Anji Barker, directors of Urban Neighbors of Hope (UNOH), which partnered with Christian Missionary Fellowship (Indianapolis, IN) earlier this year. The Barkers and two other families live in the Bangkok, Thailand, slums and lead community centers, a Christian school, the Helping Hands microenterprise program, and more. Other UNOH teams live among the

September 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Both Approaches Can Be Successful

By Jennifer Johnson I like Matthew Barnett“s philosophy of serving: “Find a need and fill it.” For Barnett, founder of The Dream Center in Los Angeles, the motto has worked well. Since its launch in 1994, the center has served millions of poor, addicted, homeless, and broken people. Thousands of volunteers lead ministries ranging from residential rehab to “Adopt-A-Block” teams in 35 locations across the city. I also like their story: Pastor Matthew”s outreach to the gangs surrounding the church”s iconic building, the organic growth of ministries developed by members, and its identity as “the church that never sleeps.” But

September 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Cincinnati Church Starts Free Medical Clinic

By Jennifer Taylor When physician Doug Collins returned to the United States after several years as a missionary in Cambodia, he wanted to open a free medical clinic similar to the one he led overseas. LifeSpring Christian Church (Cincinnati, OH), which supported Dr. Collins and his family as missionaries, worked with him to open the new clinic this past July. Potential patients must be 19 to 64 years old, have no health insurance, and have a yearly income no greater than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($22,000 for an individual or $44,000 for a family of four). “The

August 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Arizona Church Hosts Services at Local Prison

By Jennifer Taylor Dozens of prisoners, many of them sex offenders, are members at Chandler (AZ) Christian Church. Several times a year, volunteers from the church take a portable baptistery to a local prison and baptize 25 to 35 men each time. “We consider them part of our church and the congregation celebrates every quarter when we report back,” says Matt Meyers, pastor of changing ministries. The baptisms are the fruit of a years-long effort to minister to the inmates in a local prison. Every Friday night a team of volunteers brings worship music, Communion, and a message to more

August 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Church”s Reading Club Prepares Way for VBS

By Jennifer Johnson New Burlington Church of Christ (Cincinnati, OH) is very small””only 50 or 60 people gather for worship each Sunday. But this little church is making a big impact on its community. In June the church launched its Promise Island Reading Club for children entering kindergarten through third grade. Each Thursday morning for six weeks volunteers led activities, tutored children one-on-one, read stories, and provided snacks. The team also built a children”s library for the new program, with more than 100 books bought secondhand or donated, and gave each child a new book bag in which to carry

August 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Becomes Part of City’s Arts Community

By Jennifer Taylor New City Church (Phoenix, AZ) launched the New City Studio to participate in the area”s “First Friday” art walks, host small gatherings, and serve the local urban community. The studio, originally a historic home built in the 1920s, has hosted exhibits about filmmaking, fashion photography, vintage clothing, and more. A “Shopping with Purpose” night featured handmade jewelry, bags, and quilts. Often the studio encourages donations for a specific cause or local nonprofit group related to each month’s exhibit. This past spring, when Good Friday was also a first Friday of the month, the studio hosted an exhibit

August 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Churches Partner to Offer Hope to the Homeless

By Jennifer Taylor Damon Mendel was once homeless and broke, sitting on a street corner in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today he helps lead 249 & Hope, a ministry to the homeless on Texas Highway 249 in Cypress, Texas. Mendel, his wife, Jackie, and Dave Chavez, missions pastor at Cy-Fair Christian Church (also in Cypress), launched the ministry in November 2010. Each Saturday morning volunteers from Cy-Fair and partner church Graceview Baptist meet to load cars with hot food, hygiene kits, new socks, and other donations. The volunteer teams visit eight different street corners each Saturday. “Sometimes we”ll also have sleeping

August 8, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Outreach Extends to Self-Service Laundries

By Jennifer Taylor Once a month, volunteers from Crossroads Christian Church (Lexington, KY) serve others. But instead of washing feet, they”re washing clothes. Brent Barger, outward focus lead pastor at the church, started Crossroads” “Laundry Love” outreach after successfully implementing it at a church plant in northern Ohio. “It”s simple,” he says. “We visit a local self-service laundry on a Saturday morning and do people”s laundry for free.” Each volunteer has a specific assignment, from welcoming customers to keeping track of each person”s laundry to roaming the room with rolls of quarters. They don”t load laundry into the machines””most of

August 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Ohio Prophetic Voices Promotes Biblical Justice

By Jennifer Taylor Fifteen years ago, University Christian Church (Cincinnati, OH) was the first white, Evangelical church to join The Amos Project, a group focused on developing the leadership skills of low-income and working families. This spring, University Christian pastor Troy Jackson helped launch a new initiative called Ohio Prophetic Voices, a collaboration of more than 100 faith leaders across the state. “For the last five or six years I”ve been growing in my passion for biblical justice and trying to figure out how to be salt and light,” Jackson says. “I want to see Evangelicals engaged in a way

July 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Church “˜Blessing Teen Parents” from Area Schools

By Jennifer Taylor When Caleb Kaltenbach became the senior pastor at Valley View Christian Church (Dallas, TX), he challenged members to get more involved in local outreach. “My wife, Marla, and I led a life group and began discussing what we could do,” says John Latvatalo, an elder at Valley View. “My daughter, who is a teacher, told us about a teen mom who was struggling to stay in school. We wanted to help but didn”t know where to start.” The couple contacted the school district”s parenting program, planning simply to give money. “But the school told us these girls

July 22, 2012

Christian Standard

DCC Offers Scholarships to Family after Father Dies

By Jennifer Taylor Diane Aulger was only two weeks from her due date, but when she realized her husband, Mark, had only a few days to live, she decided to induce labor so Mark could meet his new daughter. Five days after baby Savannah was born, Mark died from pulmonary fibrosis. Diane and her five children live a few miles north of Dallas, TX, and Dallas Christian College President Dusty Rubeck knew he wanted to help. On April 30, during an episode of the TV show The Doctors featuring the Aulgers” story, Rubeck made a special announcement on behalf of

July 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Milligan to Begin Offering Political Science Major

By Jennifer Taylor This fall, Milligan College in Tennessee will begin offering a political science major to prepare students to study law, work in government service, research, or teach in a school setting. Both a general track and an international politics track will be available. The general track is designed for students who desire a broad foundation in all areas of politics within the United States, while the international politics track prepares students to engage political realities within the context of global studies. The curriculum in the political science major provides a broad foundation in the study of American political

July 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Artists Contribute to Yearlong Bible Emphasis

By Jennifer Taylor Harbor of Hope Christian Church (North Chelmsford, MA) began “Garden to City,” a yearlong journey through the Bible, in January. The sermons at each weekend service in 2012 correspond to a weekly Bible reading plan, and a special blog reinforces the themes with articles, quotes, and videos. Harbor of Hope”s staff approached local artist Bradford Rusick with the idea of hosting an art exhibition to complement the “Garden to City” story; Rusick then connected with Amirah, a Boston nonprofit that is building a safe house to provide whole-person care to women who have come out of human

June 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Pounds Pavement with Positive Chalk Talk

By Jennifer Taylor Rich Gorman, pastor at the Edgewater campus of Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL), was praying for the area and wondering how to share the love of Christ with such a large population. As he watched people walk to and from the “L” trains one day, he hit on an idea: everyone is looking down, so put the message there! Rich, his wife, Dori, and a small team from CCC Edgewater now meet every other Tuesday evening to pray and then divide into teams to write the messages on sidewalks leading to and from the L stations. Team

June 22, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC Plans Live-Stream of Event This Summer

  By Jennifer Johnson The North American Christian Convention will live-stream each of its main sessions during this summer”s event scheduled for July 10-13 in Orlando, FL. The broadcasts will be free and will include music and worship as well as the sermon from each service. Viewers logging in for the broadcasts will also be able to take notes online and live chat with other viewers via Facebook and Twitter. All broadcasts will be in English, but a multilanguage electronic Bible will be available on-screen for easy reference. The complete schedule of speakers and broadcast times is below. Advertising space

June 15, 2012

Christian Standard

“˜Rooted in Love” Partners for Foster Care, Adoption

By Jennifer Taylor When Marcus and Julie McClure began to investigate foster parenting, they had no idea it would change not only their family, but their church and city as well. “The McClures became foster parents and ran out of room for more kids in their home, but felt a huge burden to do more,” says Chris Hornbrook, lead pastor at Momentum Christian Church in Chula Vista, CA. “They had a vision for encouraging and educating the people in our church””and the Christians across San Diego County””to get involved in foster care and adoption.” The McClures started Rooted in Love,

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