Articles for tag: Jennifer Johnson

October 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Ministries & Nonprofits Organizations & Events

CIY”s ‘Sons and Daughters’ Focuses on Fatherlessness

By Jennifer Johnson Christ In Youth exists to “amplify Christ”s call,” challenging students to live their faith boldly. So why is this ministry making movies? Over the last several years, CIY has made short films about the AIDS crisis in Africa, sex trafficking in Cambodia, and the need for fresh water in Zambia. Love Costs Everything featured persecuted Christians around the world, and now Becoming Sons and Daughters tackles the issue of fatherlessness in America. “We”ve seen today”s students become a screen generation,” says Chris Jefferson, vice president of organizational advancement at CIY. “So each of these films was developed

October 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Local Churches Organizations & Events

A Conversation with Becky Ahlberg

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month, in our ongoing series of interviewsÂ with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, we speak with one who is leading a dynamicÂ urban ministry. Interview by Jennifer JohnsonÂ A lot has happened since the last time we talked about your ministry. Fill me in on the latest. Anaheim [California] First Christian Church started My Safe Harbor in 2008. We discovered that 70 percent of kids who join gangs, drop out of high school, commit suicide, run away, and get pregnant are from single-mother homes, so our goal is to make a difference now and in future generations by

September 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Colorado Churches Helping Flood Victims

By Jennifer Johnson Several Christian churches in Colorado have been key in helping victims of the floods that damaged more than 18,000 homes and left many other residents without power and running water. “¢ LifeBridge Christian Church (Longmont, CO) has served as one of the primary evacuation centers since last Thursday, assisting thousands of people and working with city and county officials as well as leaders from relief organizations. LBCC says it doesn”t need any immediate donations of food, water, or clothing, but will probably need more as rescue turns to recovery. “The LifeBridge site was almost a study

September 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

A Conversation with Matt Proctor

Meet Our Contributing Editors:Â This month we talk with Ozark Christian CollegeÂ President Matt Proctor about the impact of a convention theme, the health of the churches in our fellowship, and the genius of the Restoration Movement. Interview By Jennifer Johnson Well, two big things have been part of your life this past year: the North American Christian Convention and your wife”s cancer. Of course, that”s in addition to your work leading Ozark Christian College. I want to talk about all of it””let”s start with the NACC. What have you discovered about our churches this past year? It”s been an honor to

September 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Recalling a “˜Master” Plan for Housing

By Jennifer Johnson Many people know the Ferguson brothers, Dave and Jon, as cofounders of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL, and as strategic visionaries behind the multisite movement. But many people don”t know the story of the church”s first multisite, or the innovative thinking behind it. A few real estate development professionals were members of a small group with the Fergusons; the group began dreaming about creating neighborhoods designed to intentionally drive strong community life, centered around a church. Eventually the real estate company and CCC partnered to create the Institute For Community and launched a master-planned area in

September 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Addiction Ethics & Moral Issues

A Serious Issue That Is a Matter of Conscience

By Jennifer Johnson As I wrote about Daron Earlewine”s Pub Theology ministry, I reread two recent Christian Standard articles on drinking. These pieces, by Tim Harlow and John Caldwell, are both available on the CS website and both worth your time. I loved Tim”s observation that the popular rationalization for Jesus turning water into wine””that the wine was watered down””would simply give it the alcohol content of beer, and I courted whiplash nodding my head vigorously at his comment that “alcohol is not the No. 1 health problem in America””it”s obesity. So it”s a tad confusing to the world when

September 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Taking Christ to Patrons of Local Clubs and Bars

By Jennifer Johnson It took a trip to Bosnia for Daron Earlewine to launch a new ministry in America. “The coffee shops become pubs in the evening,” he says. “At midnight they close and all the adults go to dance clubs. It dawned on me the same thing happens in every town in America””adults are gathering at bars and clubs. And if we could find a way to “˜own” those rooms, we could impact thousands of people.” Earlewine, then on staff at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, also played drums in a rock band. He suggested they try

August 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Church Goes “˜All-in” to Reach Latinos

By Jennifer Johnson Many congregations start Spanish-language services, but few go “all-in” like Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, CA. “Our mission is to reach 1 percent of the 5.8 million people within a 20-mile radius of our building,” says communications director Jan Lynn. “A third or more of these people are Latino, so we needed to be intentional about creating new ways to serve them and share Jesus.” For Eastside, that”s “Semilla@Eastside,” a new service held each Sunday at 2 p.m. Hector Hermosillo serves as the new pastor for the initiative, and works closely with the rest of the staff

August 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Indianapolis Church Receives Boost to Enrich Garden

By Jennifer Johnson Englewood Christian Church and the Englewood Community Development Corporation (Indianapolis, IN) planted a community garden years before such projects became trendy, but this year State Farm is giving them $25,000 to take it to another level. “A woman in our congregation keeps an eye out for potential grants, and [she] submitted an application to State Farm Neighborhood Assist on our behalf,” says Chris Smith, a member of Englewood Christian Church and editor of The Englewood Review of Books. “The 3,000 entries were eventually narrowed down to 40 winners, chosen in part by voting on Facebook. We were

August 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Church-City Revitalization

By Jennifer Johnson When I was 2, my mom was able to finagle free time by setting me in my crib with a pile of books. I”d sit there, chubby hands happily flipping pages I couldn”t yet read, for half an hour or more. To say I”m an introvert is like saying the Kardashians are trashy. But although I tend to prefer solitude and processing the world in my head, I”ve learned the importance of connecting to others. Conversation and discussion remind me my strong opinions aren”t infallible, and my perspective isn”t the only one. Englewood Christian Church“s story is

July 15, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

A Conversation with LeRoy Lawson

Meet Our Contributing Editors: In this, the second of our series of interviewsÂ with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, an elder statesman talks about””andÂ speaks to””the young leaders our movement is producing. Interview By Jennifer Johnson Let”s start with the positive: what encourages you about our young leaders? Their commitment, their curiosity, and””for the most part””their hard work. They have chosen ministry in response to a demanding call, not as a secure job with benefits. They also know the difference between doing religion and serving Jesus. I”m not sure I knew that when I started out. When I planted a church early on,

July 14, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Introducing Prisoners to Christ

By Jennifer Johnson God Behind BarsÂ is a nonprofit organization that holds video campuses inside several women”s prisons. Today, the ministry is pursuing a multifaceted strategy to not only introduce inmates to Christ, but to walk with them as Christ followers. To that end, God Behind Bars partners withÂ Central Christian Church (Henderson, NV)Â and several others church to launch ministries inside prisons. GBB still holds video services, and the first step is for a prisoner to attend. Because 90 percent of inmates have struggled with addiction at some point, step two is participating in a small group or Celebrate Recovery. “After a

July 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

Students Need Practical Skills Along with Big Ideas

By Jennifer Johnson Higher education is not known for its pragmatism. For every course in biology basics there”s another in “The Science of Superheroes” (University of California, Irvine). For every Spanish 101 there”s “Invented Languages: Klingon and Beyond” (University of Texas at Austin). For every fundamentals of accounting, there”s “Street-Fighting Mathematics” (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). And that”s OK. As the clichÃ© goes, part of being educated is “learning how to learn.” There”s value in interacting with ideas simply for the sake of enrichment, even without any immediate vocational payoff. But Dave Miller at Nebraska Christian College also makes a good

June 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

An Honors Program Focusing on Leadership and Community Service

By Jennifer Johnson “There”s a lot of discussion about the cost of investing in a college education,” says Dave Miller, vice president of advancement at Nebraska Christian College. “We want to talk about what the college is investing in the student.” At NCC in Papillion, NE, part of the investment is The Institute, a new program that rolled out in January and launches officially this fall. “The Institute is like an honors program, but focused on leadership potential and community service,” Miller says. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average to participate, but academic aptitude is just

June 20, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

A Conversation with Jeff Faull

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we begin a series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. What they have to say about the church, the ministry, our fellowship of churches, and anything else on their minds will challenge and interest our readers. Their insights and questions amply illustrate why each of these volunteers is such a valuable part of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD team. Interview by Jennifer Johnson QUESTION: You and I both sit in on these conversations about the future of the Restoration Movement, and it seems many times they rehash the same topics and complaints. Let”s go

June 15, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Grassroots Group Works to “˜Feed the Street”

By Jennifer Johnson It started slowly. Seven years ago, Jeff Wedge, a member at Churchill Meadows Christian Church in Ontario, Canada, wanted to recruit a team to deliver food and other necessities to the homeless. He approached CMCC senior minister Jim Tune about developing the outreach as a ministry of the church. Tune said no. “Hey, we”re totally supportive of feeding hungry people,” Tune says with a smile. “We encouraged Jeff to start his ministry, but as a church we focus on a few major community projects around the holidays.” Today “Feed the Street” reaches hundreds of homeless people throughout

June 14, 2013

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Technology

A Lesson in Christian Separation, Engagement

By Jennifer Johnson In 2005, three former PayPal employees launched YouTube. Today more than 800 million people, 70 percent of whom live outside the United States, visit the site each month to watch more than 4 billion hours of its free content. People also upload 72 hours of footage every minute, making YouTube the site for video sharing. In 2007, four investors launched GodTube. It grew quickly to almost 3 million users before dropping to 690,000 in 2009. The site was rebranded as a social network named Tangle, and it was acquired by Salem Communications a year later. In his

June 13, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

City on a Hill Producing Films and Filmmakers

By Jennifer Johnson “You could call us “˜media missionaries,”” says Cyndi Moreno, director of development at City on a Hill Productions (Louisville, KY). For more than a decade, the nonprofit organization has used film to share the gospel and support the work of local churches. “We provide Bible study resources like The Easter Experience and Kyle Idleman”s Not a Fan; help churches share their stories, recruit volunteers, or raise funds; and equip local church leaders working in media,” she says. “We want to reach the world with the message of the gospel.” City on a Hill is currently in the

June 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Missional Trip

By Jennifer Johnson In 2005, the leadership team at Southland Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky, read The Externally Focused Church and believed God was calling them to more intentionally move their ministry into the community. The church began hiring new staff, starting new initiatives, and beginning the long-term process of changing the church culture. Since then, in many places missional has become a buzzword for everything from the occasional community service day to a total rethinking of the church”s purpose. At Southland, however, the mission is clear; over the last eight years it has developed significant goals, determined specific geographic and

April 29, 2013

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Giving to Caesar and Giving God the Glory

By Jennifer Johnson I just finished two hours of sorting paperwork, receipts, and credit card printouts into piles: Business travel. Charitable giving. Home office expenses. Mortgage payments. I”m not sure it”s possible for taxes to be any more complex than mine are this year. I”m self-employed, which in itself is a carnival of fun. Halfway through the year I got married and moved to Pennsylvania, which has state income tax, from Tennessee, which doesn”t. I left a house behind, which I”m now renting through an agent. My new husband is a minister, which comes with its own set of tax