Articles for tag: Jennifer Johnson

February 27, 2015

Christian Standard

Venturing into the Unknown

By Jennifer Johnson It”s common to hear of youth groups participating in short-term mission trips, both here in the United States and around the world. Usually these trips are meticulously planned with detailed itineraries, long packing lists, and organized daily activities. Calvary Christian Church in Bellevue, NE, does things a little differently. For more than a decade, teens from Calvary have participated in “Destination Unknown,” five-day trips that begin with a surprise. “The morning we”re scheduled to leave, we meet in the church parking lot and draw a distance and a direction (north, south, etc.) from a hat,” says Scott

February 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Significant Others

By Jennifer Johnson I have never liked team sports. I avoid group projects. I am a recovering perfectionist who highly values competence and who has found that the quality of an endeavor is often inversely proportional to the number of people involved. Unless I can handpick my team (and, often, be in charge of it), I usually resonate with Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, who said the key advantage of collaboration is that “you end up with something for which you will not be personally blamed.” But God designed the universe to reward teamwork, even to require

February 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

By Jennifer Johnson Emmanuel House originally began as a simple effort to help a few Afghani refugees resettle near Aurora, IL. Rick and Hayley Meksi, in partnership with Community 4:12 and Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL, launched the organization in 2007 after realizing how difficult it was for these refugee families to “break into” the housing market. The concept expanded, and the ministry now helps families from a variety of backgrounds struggling with similar issues. “We realized there were a number of people caught in the cycle of generational poverty,” says Hayley. “A lack of stability in the family,

January 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Going Strong

By Jennifer Johnson “I am the least likely person to lead a trip of women,” Gayla Congdon said during our interview. “I grew up with brothers and I”m not a “˜woman”s retreat” kind of person. I want to do something that matters.” Apparently she”s not alone””the Women of Strength trips she started in 2012 have had to be capped at 65 people, and dozens of ladies have attended more than one. A significant number of the participants aren”t even Christians, but find the experience more than worth the investment of money and vacation time. Actually, Congdon does think “women”s events”

January 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Showing Their Strength and Connecting as Women

By Jennifer Johnson In 2009, Gayla Congdon attended a planning meeting for the International Conference on Missions and realized she was one of only three women in the group of more than 60 people. “Our guest speaker, a man from Wycliffe Bible Translators, pointed out the discrepancy,” she says. “Then he said one of the biggest demographic groups in developed countries, and especially in the United States, is educated women age 55 and older who have discretionary income and are looking for meaningful experiences. I was reminded of the Barna study reporting that, for the first time in U.S. history,

January 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Child Sponsorship Made Easy

By Jennifer Johnson Bruce Wydick, a professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, recently reported that sponsoring a child is one of the most effective ways to fight poverty around the world. Now Christian Missionary Fellowship (Indianapolis, IN) is making it easier than ever for churches to involve their members in child sponsorship with its new Start! program. Families, individuals, and groups can all sponsor a child through CMF, and Start! is specifically created to help churches launch events to introduce the concept and connect members to children in need. CMF provides promotional videos, sermon

December 29, 2014

Christian Standard

Church/Christian College Joint Ventures

By Jennifer Johnson Although this NACC workshop was designed to find new ways for churches and colleges to work together, some are already leading the way with innovative programs and creative solutions. “¢ Hope International University, Fullerton, California, created its School of Advanced Leadership Training, or SALT, program several years ago after its president, Dr. John Derry, observed the increasing number of churches creating their own leadership training programs. Derry and his team created a flexible curriculum to offer practical and biblical material to church members and staff at a range of commitment levels. “Participants may audit the courses for

December 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Churches & Colleges Working Together

By Jennifer Johnson At this summer”s North American Christian Convention, representatives from Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Ozark Christian College, Milligan College, and several churches participated in a workshop to discuss how our churches and our schools can partner to build stronger relationships and develop the leaders we need. “The changing landscape in America requires kingdom workers with a global perspective who can confront a secular culture with a Christian worldview,” says Phyllis Fox, director of church relations and the Youth in Ministry program at Milligan College and the coordinator of the workshop. “How can our Christian colleges and universities best prepare

December 11, 2014

Christian Standard

50 Ways Your Church Can Fight Poverty

By Jennifer Johnson Most Christians want to do something to address the problems of poverty. But many of us just don”t know where to start. Here are 50 ideas, shared by 15 Christian leaders from around the world, to help you show the love of Jesus to those who are poor. Almost any of us could try at least one of these strategies.   Get Practical 1. Create a community garden. Each year ours produces thousands of pounds of healthy food that is distributed to hundreds of families in our community who live below the poverty line. They are invited to

December 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Classroom Component Added

By Jennifer Johnson The NewThing Network, a church planting movement launched by the leaders of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL, has long been known for a focus on reproducing churches and multiplying momentum. This, of course, requires a consistent influx of new leaders who then develop new leaders. NewThing”s residency program helps identify and coach these apprentices, and the organization”s new Leadership Training Center, opening in 2015, will add a classroom component to the process. “The residency is a nine- to twelve-month program that connects future church planters with leaders who can mentor and teach them,” says Eric Metcalf,

December 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Lesson Learned

By Jennifer Johnson As you read this, it”s almost time for Christmas. But as I write it, we”re days away from back to school. One of the things that surprised me about being an adult was the discovery, in September 1998, that I actually like autumn. That year was the first since 1981 that I hadn”t spent catching a bus while it was still dark outside, trudging to a classroom, sitting and doodling at uncomfortable desks, and acclimating to the personality quirks of six different teachers. Suddenly the time of year I used to dread became a fun season of

December 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Transforming Uganda with Christ-based Learning

By Jennifer Johnson Uganda has the youngest population of any nation in the world, but tens of thousands of its young people have been unable to attend college because there aren”t enough schools. An enterprising team of missionaries and native Africans launched the Messiah Theological Institute several years ago to train village pastors. “But they saw an opportunity to look further down the road and begin influencing the culture in a deeper way,” says Craig Smith. “In 2006, leaders from both the Christian churches and the churches of Christ developed a partnership to create a new school in Uganda.” Today

November 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Journeying Together

By Jennifer Johnson I”m really excited about the 2015 International Conference on Missions. One reason is the president, Jim Tune, asked me to speak. My first sermon was to 1,800 Indian teenagers in a building that could seat 600, the second was for a group of jaded New Yorkers, and now my third will be to a convention hall of a few thousand. I like to focus on easy audiences. But I”m especially looking forward to the convention after talking to Tim Cole at the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship and learning more about both the church planting emphasis at next year”s

November 14, 2014

Christian Standard

Church on Mission: Church at the Mission

By Jennifer Johnson “I”ve done church planting, I”ve done megachurch, and I”ve done microchurch,” says Blake Ryan. “I think this is the only thing God could call me to that would fulfill my heart in ministry.” “This” is Church at the Mission Corona, a new congregation that launched in January at the Corona/Norco (CA) Rescue Mission. Ryan serves as lead pastor of the church and director of the mission as well as managing principal at PlainJoe Studios, a design and media company also based in Corona. “We were part of Church at the Mission”s first location in Tustin, CA, and

November 13, 2014

Christian Standard

One Convention, Seven New Churches

  By Jennifer Johnson “You know, if we”re going to spend all this time and effort in planning a convention, it would be great for it to have a long-term impact,” remarked Tim Cole in a planning meeting for the 2015 International Conference on Missions. Cole, director of church planting at Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship (VEF), says he can”t take credit for what happened next; some members of the team suggested the churches in Virginia plant a church, then some others suggested they plant one on every continent, then someone else mentioned Antarctica might be a challenge. Today the plan is

November 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Johnson to Begin Offering Free Online Course on Acts

By Jennifer Johnson Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) has announced it will begin offering its Acts of the Apostles course online to the general public. “This course is intended for church leaders, Sunday school teachers, and other Christians who are motivated to learn about the book of Acts on a deeper, more advanced level,” the school writes. “Course participants will not earn college credit; consequently, Johnson University is providing the course free of charge as a service to the church.” Dr. Gregory Linton, professor of New Testament at Johnson, designed the course. He has taught the book of Acts for 15

October 2, 2014

Christian Standard

A Playground for All Children

By Jennifer Johnson In 2012 Arron Chambers preached a sermon series on Nehemiah at Journey Christian Church and challenged them to do a “great work” in their community of Greeley, CO. At the same time, he and his wife, Rhonda, asked their four kids to pray about a great work they could do as a family. “At the time, our youngest kids were 8 and 10 and loved going to the playgrounds in our neighborhood,” says Chambers, who serves as lead minister at Journey Christian. “They suggested we build a playground that all children could enjoy, including kids with developmental

October 2, 2014

Christian Standard

John”s Gospel””Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

By Jennifer Johnson Many lifelong believers find it difficult to have a fresh perspective on the Bible”s stories, and many seekers and skeptics have never heard them. Joe Boyd”s “The Bible Experiment,” live theatrical retellings of the Bible”s great stories, is designed to reach both groups. Boyd launched the project in April with two shows of the Gospel of John in Cincinnati. More than 1,000 people attended. “The goal was just to tell the story as best we could without leaving anything out and without an agenda,” says Boyd, who served in ministry roles at churches in Las Vegas and

October 2, 2014

Christian Standard

The Greatest Story, Retold

By Jennifer Johnson There are many things I love about living in Philadelphia””the history, the proximity to New York, the water ice (look it up). But this month I”m wishing I still lived in Cincinnati . . . or Orange County, California . . . or even Nashville so I could get to a show or three of Joe Boyd”s Gospel of John and his retelling of both Old and New Testament stories next year. I also wish I could take everyone I know, both my friends who have been Christians forever and the ones who think the rest of us

September 5, 2014

Christian Standard

A Seven-Day Cycle for Shoes

By Jennifer Johnson A British man living in Dubai rode his bike across the Alps this summer to raise funds for a Missions of Hope International school, part of Christian Missionary Fellowship”s ministry in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Tim Hooker, his American wife, Fiona Petrocelli, and their son, Quinlan, became acquainted with the work of MOHI when they were planning a luxurious safari holiday in the Masaai Mara in 2011. Fiona wanted to add a different perspective to the trip by spending a day doing some type of service for local people. “Some friends of ours put us

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