Randi Walle

What a great gathering Grace Brethren International Missions (GBIM) has been having this week! Missionary businesspeople from all over the world have gathered for a Microenterprise Development Conference, which is being convened by Stuart Hake, the CFO of GBIM. I’ll reproduce here an article on the conference that has been prepared for the July, 2004

‘Coffeehouse Ministry’ Thrives Outside Traditional Settings Neil Cole traded his pulpit for a patio table at a trendy California coffee shop — and started the first of his unusual churches. In 1999, Cole jettisoned his traditional pastoral ministry in Alta Loma to launch Awakening Chapel — founding it literally in the smoking section of The

Pastor Charles Ashman (standing, right) was honored Tuesday morning, June 1, 2004 for reaching his 80th birthday. Several dozen friends and Grace Brethren national organization staff people gathered in the lobby of the GBNAM building. Ashman’s wife, Frances, is seated at right (white blouse). Sandy Barrett of the FGBC Coordinator’s office (standing, at left) helped

Oh goody. Here’s something else we can be concerned about! According to several reports I’ve read recently, pastors and church leaders must be much more careful about praying for people in public–you can’t reveal too much about their situation, even in praying for their welfare, because of the recent HIPAA act. University of Chicago’s Martin

BMH Books is off and running again! Last night Dr. Homer Kent, Jr. delivered to us the finished manuscript of a project he’s been working on–the updated and expanded commentary on the book of Mark. He did a shorter,”lightweight” version some years ago, but this new version is meatier, has a chapter for each of

My attention has been drawn lately to the “Emergent Church” and the movement within evangelicalism that calls itself “Postmodern.” I recently attended a panel discussion which included about eight leaders in this movement. I didn’t catch the names of all of them, but Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, was the moderator of

A highlight of the hymnsing was a “President’s Quartet” singing “Stand Up for Jesus.” At left are former Grace College & Seminary presidents John Davis, Ron Manahan (current president), Homer Kent, Jr., and at right is former Dean Bill Male.

Tonight we go to the renovated Westminster Hotel here in Winona Lake for an all-community dinner and hymnsing. Grace College is sponsoring it–Don Ogden leads the music, Barb Manahan will play piano and Sharon White will play organ. We’ve heard that perhaps about 150 people have signed up for either the dinner or the hymnsing

Bill Kirchner, a layman from the Kent, WA church, got in some early-morning fishing and digital photography at the Northwest Focus Retreat held at Camp Clear Lake near White’s Pass, Washington. 

Tom Ireton (left), a lay leader from the Kent, Washington, church and pastor Dave Marksbury (Kent, WA, right) spent some quiet time Tuesday morning meditating on a Second Corinthians passage at the Northwest Focus Retreat.