January 2005

A praise band and Christmas carols in the desert–Chaplain James Schaefer sends these photos noting that he had an “awesome time” with all 11 of his infantry units, which he gets to see about bi-weekly. (photos courtesy James Schaefer)

Grace Brethren Chaplain James Schaefer, who serves in Afghanistan, celebrated this Christmas with a camel-ride in the desert. He asks prayers, reporting that “We just lost two more soliders–pray for the impact for Christ.” 

Columbus, OH East Side Grace Brethren Church (Chip Heim, pastor) has announced its Winter Bible Conference for Saturday, February 5 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the church’s facilities at 7510 East Broad Street in Blacklick, OH. Keynote speaker is GBIM missionary Barb Wooler, who has pioneered work with the Pygmies in the forests of the

Grace College men’s basketball coach Jim Kessler picked up his 500th career win Tuesday night as the Lancers defeated Spring Arbor 70-67. Dave Richmond’s three-pointer with 47 seconds left broke a tie score as Grace improved to 12-4 on the season. Kessler has coached 28 years at Grace and holds a 500-407 career record. He

SPRING ARBOR, MI – Junior David Richmond hit a three-pointer with less than a minute to play as Grace College, Winona Lake, IN, pulled off a 70-67 men’s basketball victory over Spring Arbor College Tuesday. With the win, head coach Jim Kessler picked up the 500th of his career, all at Grace in 28 years.

Representatives of the Grace Brethren national organizations met in the CENational facilities this noon to strategize on their involvement in Brethren National Youth Conference (BNYC) this year. Dave Rank (standing, striped sweater), who is BNYC coordinator, chaired the meeting. BNYC annually attracts more than 2,000 Grace Brethren teens and will be held on the campus

Bellflower, CA, Brethren Church pastor Tom Hocking, who is currently moderator of the Southern California-Arizona District, recently got district pastors and their wives together for a post-Christmas couples dinner party at a bowling alley. Grace Brethren national organizations (including Brethren Missionary Herald Co.) contributed books, CDs, videos, candy, nuts, mugs, shirts, combs and more which

Relief Agency Brethren is the suggested channel for Grace Brethren churches and people who want to funnel assistance to Tsunami victims in southeast Asia. More information is available at www.fgbc.org and www.gbim.org. Through Relief Agency Brethren (RAB), GBIM is pleased to serve as a clearinghouse for churches and individuals who desire to help meet the

The Superbowl is Sunday, February 6 this year, and many churches have found ways to build outreach programs around the football game. Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Sports Spectrum magazine are making available a “Power to Win” halftime outreach kit which includes a video featuring Kurt Warner of the New York Giants and Christian musicians

Grace College and Seminary will offer an enrichment course entitled “Understanding Islam” on Tuesday evenings (6-8:50 p.m.) from January 11 to April 26 on its Winona Lake, Indiana, campus. The course is open to all and will be taught by Grace alumnus Fred Plastow. Plastow studied Islamics at the L’universite Libre de Bruxelles and served