Series: News

June 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Large, Healthy Churches Merge in Phoenix Area

By Jennifer Taylor What if thousands of people drove past one another on the highway to worship at churches that weren”t located too far apart? What if both churches coordinated hundreds of small groups in their communities””groups studying different material and never working together to reach the city? When Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) and Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, AZ) saw this scenario playing out in their shared mission field, they made a surprising decision””to merge both churches and do more together than they could apart. The two churches, both located in suburbs of Phoenix, officially merged in

June 11, 2011

Christian Standard

CIY Leading ‘Engage the City’ to Serve Joplin

From July 4-8 and July 11-15, Christ in Youth (CIY) is leading “Engage the City,” an opportunity for students to serve victims of last month”s tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and learn from the community”s leaders. “CIY will organize projects, programming, housing, meals, materials, and leadership to help these groups best respond to the needs of Joplin,” the organization writes. “There will be outlets to serve but, more importantly, your students will have opportunities to connect with storm survivors and hear their stories. CIY will handle all the details and connect your group with missional leaders to see how they responded

June 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Eubanks Institute Hosts “˜Forwarding Agents” Event

By Jennifer Taylor On May 23 and 24, the Eubanks Institute for Missions at Johnson Bible College (Knoxville, TN) hosted a gathering of forwarding agents, missionaries, and others interested in missions to discuss the agents” multifaceted and important role. Speakers at “The Work of the Forwarding Agent: Past, Present and Future” included Reggie Hundley, Ziden Nutt, Chris Templar, and Carrie Beth Lowe. Workshops and main sessions focused on finances, education, public relations, publishing, and more. The Eubanks Institute was established in 2006 and named in honor of former JBC President David Eubanks and his wife, Margaret, to recognize their significant

May 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Common Ground Site for Uncommon Garden

By Jennifer Taylor A few weeks ago, Common Ground Christian Church (Tampa, FL) broke ground on its new community garden. Urban Farming and Kraft Foods” Triscuit brand are sponsoring the garden, providing all the soil, plants, tools, and other supplies; the organizations are collaborating to plant 65 of these gardens around the country this year. The groups kicked off the groundbreaking with a press release and live simulcast of the event, including connections to Triscuit”s headquarters in New York and a new garden in Los Angeles. Common Ground”s “Green Team” of volunteers will care for the garden, and the church

May 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Responding to Joplin Tornado Disaster

News this week focuses on the many churches, parachurch ministries, and families affected by the tornado that struck Joplin, MO, on Sunday. Victor Knowles, president of Joplin-based Peace on Earth Ministries, shares the good news that all 37 Christian church/church of Christ parachurch organizations in Joplin came through the storm without significant damage to their buildings. However, a number of staff from these ministries did lose their homes. And one of the many people killed in the storms was Natalia Puebla, a freshman at Ozark Christian College from Carthage, MO. Doug Welch, a professor at OCC, shared yesterday, “I still had a stack

May 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Johnson Bible College Changing Name to Johnson University

Last week, Johnson Bible College also announced a new name; the school will become Johnson University. “Committing ourselves to be a Great Commission school means that we explore as many ways as possible to prepare persons for Great Commission work,” says the school”s Web site. “It also means that we must try to eliminate any barriers to that purpose. . . . This new name enables us to provide alumni greater access to “˜closed” and “˜limited access” countries, thus to most of the unreached/unevangelized world; recruit more students for Great Commission vocations by more accurately communicating our academic quality; facilitate

May 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Emmanuel’s Name to Change June 1

Emmanuel School of Religion will exist for just a few more weeks””on June 1 it will become Emmanuel Christian Seminary. President Michael Sweeney writes that the ESR name no longer communicates effectively with today”s society. “Fifty years ago, a “˜school of religion” was essentially the same as a “˜divinity school,” that is, a seminary-like institution attached to a university, with, perhaps, a somewhat broader curriculum than the average seminary,” he says. “[But] the name that worked so well in the past is now creating some confusion.” The school has completed the official documentation with the state and accrediting agencies and

May 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Operation Weatherization

By Jennifer Taylor Since February, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, Indiana) has worked with Habitat for Humanity and local organizations to pilot an energy conservation project for urban housing. The “mission” included weatherizing dozens of homes to reduce energy costs for low-income families. Volunteers caulked and foamed cracks, replaced furnace filters, added attic insulation, and more. CCC coordinated serving days from February through May and provided training for all participants. www.crossroadschristian.com ________________ 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 breaking new ground or leading innovative

May 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Churches Relaunched

By Jennifer Taylor After 26 years of service, Peachtree City (Georgia) Christian Church (PTC3) was ready to expand. But instead of planting a church in a school or movie theater, the church relaunched two local congregations as thriving new campuses. Last summer, PTC3 partnered with County Line Christian Church in Brooks, Georgia, the second-oldest Christian church in the state. New signs and landscaping improved the “curb appeal” of this historic church, and campus minister Jason Pierce is excited about the renewal of energy among worshippers. In January PTC3 added East Point (Georgia) Christian Church as a third campus. Although the

May 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Shifting the Focus to Neighborhood Ministry

By Jennifer Taylor “Neighborhood Ministry has become our nerve center,” says Ashley Wooldridge, executive pastor at Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ). “It is the reason our church is growing.” CCV senior pastor Don Wilson created Neighborhood Ministry three years ago to more effectively accomplish the church”s mission of winning people to Christ, training them to become disciples, and sending disciples to impact the world. Each person at CCV is encouraged to join a neighborhood group””a weekly gathering of people who live in the same neighborhood or subdivision. The groups meet each week in a study based on the

April 13, 2011

Jennifer Taylor

Gifts for the Nations

Farm Team

Gifts for the Nations, a ministry at Tyro Christian Church, restored a Farmall tractor and plow to help farmers in northern Africa prepare fields and grow more food.

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