Ed Trenner (standing), of the pastoral staff of the Grace Church of Orange, California, visited last night with David Redman, who provided live background music for the BMH authors’ autographing party on the plaza in Winona Lake. Redman’s history includes playing for Doug Oldham, Danny Gaither, and other well-known Christian recording artists.

Dr. Homer and Beverly Kent (seated) shared photos of their wedding with guests at last night’s BMH authors’ autographing party on the plaza beside the BMH building. Dr. Kent is one of BMH Books’ best-selling authors, and yesterday was the Kents’ 54th wedding anniversary. Dozens of friends joined 11 BMH authors on the plaza after

One of the special international guests at the Equip07 conference this year is Emmanuel Touaboy (right), who is ambassador from the Central African Republic to the United States. Ambassador Touaboy is from a Grace Brethren background in the CAR and while in America is a member of the Lanham, Maryland, Grace Brethren Church, pastored by

On a delightfully warm summer late afternoon, members of the Grace Brethren International Missions corporation and guests were called to order by Dr. Sherwood Lingenfelter (on platform), chairman of the board of GBIM. The guests were assembled in a tent that is situated on the site of the former 7,500-seat Billy Sunday Tabernacle. The grassy

In the tent, a group of six thespians performed a humorous and thought-provoking drama depicting the interaction between L.S. Baumann and James Gribble, and the romance between James Gribble and Dr. Florence Newberry (pictured). Gribble was the pioneer missionary to open up French Equatorial Africa to the gospel in the early 1900s. The Central African

After processing from the Tabernacle Field tent, led by a brass band and singing “We’ve a Story To Tell to the Nations,” attenders at Equip07 heard Grace Brethren International Missions executive director Dave Guiles (on platform) introduce and commission a number of new missionary candidates to serve in various countries. The concrete marker and plaque

Grace Brethren International Missions executive director Dave Guiles prayed for the newly-commissioned missionaries as GBIM board members and conference attenders surrounded the candidates and laid hands on them, consecrating them for missionary service.

On the very same grassy knoll just off Park Avenue and the Eighth Street Hill in Winona Lake, Indiana, where the Foreign Missionary Society of the Brethren Church was founded in 1900, today’s missionary commissioning service was held. The marker reads, “On this knoll, September 4, 1900, the Foreign Missionary Society of the Brethren Church

Among the missionary candidates who were commissioned was Karen Courter (kneeling, center, with long dark hair), the daughter of Pastor Doug and Barbara Courter of the Calvary Grace Brethren Church in Hagerstown, Maryland. Karen will be going to the Central African Republic to assist with the growing orphans’ ministry there.

A Mariachi band, Irish folk singers and dancers, and ethnic food from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America filled the Rodeheaver Auditorium as conference guests ate, visited with missionaries, and circulated from one food station to another. The International Food Fest was followed by another trek to the Tabernacle Field tent for a corporation