One of the great programs of CE National is Operation Barnabas, which each summer sends teams of young people around the US (and overseas) to be of assistance and encouragement to Grace Brethren churches and people. Bus transportation is key to the trips, and the following note from Scott Distler, pastor of the Lititz (PA) Grace Brethren Church, gives the heartening news of how his church helped OB obtain more dependable transportation. This is excerpted from Pastor Distler’s e-mail update to his congregation:
“I cannot express to you in words what it meant to me to see our church respond in such a big way to my challenge regarding providing a newer bus for the ministry of Operation Barnabas.
Two of the three busses they are using now are 20 years old and at least one of them has well over 200,000 miles on the engine. The cost of a newer bus is $17,500 of which CE National had been given a $3,000 grant.
I challenged our church Sunday to meet this $14,500 difference in a special offering at the end of both services. I am happy to announce that the total that came in for this offering was $12,264.29. One gentleman from our church told me on the way out of the service to call him today and that anything that we were short he would see was provided. WOW!
I continue to be amazed at how Grace Church responds to the ministry challenges that are laid before it. I believe that God will greatly bless us we bless such fruitful ministries such as Operation Barnabas and CE National.”
More information about CE National and Operation Barnabas may be obtained by clicking here.