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PraisePoint Church in Willshire, Ohio, is looking for a fulltime Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries.
Ministry Purpose
To lead and oversee middle school and high school ministries and oversee children’s ministries by developing a balance of winning young people to Christ, building them into the likeness of Christ, and equipping them for ministry and life.
20 of the 24 people from Anchor who participated in the various Fort4Fitness events on September 24. Pastor Tim and Tara Hallman are in the back row on the right. (click to enlarge)
Among the 9400+ people who participated in last weekend’s Fort4Fitness event in Fort Wayne, Ind., were 24 persons from Anchor Community Church. In a congregation of 120 people, that’s a pretty good representation.
Most of the Anchor people participated in the 4-mile walk, held Saturday morning, September 24. Pastor Tim Hallman and his wife, Tara, both ran the 13.1 mile half-marathon–Tara’s third time, Tim’s second time.
The kids, along with assorted parents, grandparents, and aunts, participated in the Kids’ Marathon, which stretches over a period of 12 weeks during the summer. During that time, children walked or ran in small increments (a mile or two), and kept a log book. Then they walked the last 1.2 miles, along with adults, to cross the finish line in Parkview Stadium.
Most of the Anchor participants wore their t-shirts and medals to church on Sunday, September 25.
David Grove, senior pastor, Ebenezer UB church (Greencastle, Pa.)
Our service on September 11 at Ebenezer UB opened with the lighting of a rememberance candle of our fallen heroes by a young man who is working towards his Eagle Scout. He was followed by two gentlemen who served in World War 2 and Vietnam as they presented the placement of the U.S. and Christian flags. We then held a patriotic medley celebration in song to celebrate the freedom that we have in the United States by those who shed their blood on the battle fields here at home and across the waters.
We also had a video and special presentation to celebrate the blessings of our grandparents as it was Grandparents Day as well. Our service of honor was then closed by a moving video of that day’s horrific events and a collage of all of those that perished on that day.
I delivered a message of hope and comfort following the video, speaking on the comfort and strength that God provided on that day and the day’s that followed, and which he continues to provide to each person today. We then closed the service by singing and joining together as one to the hymn of praise “God Bless America” as it took place that day when our elected officials united together on the steps of the Capital. The theme was not only to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, but to focus on the sustaining power of God in our daily lives.
Troy Green, senior pastor, Monroe UB church (Monroe, Ind.)
We began our service with a video using pictures of September 11, 2001, set to the music of Alan Jackson’s song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning.” Following this video we entered into a time of reflection on how God has worked “good” even in times in our nation’s history that were meant for evil.
Our theme for the day was “Hope.” We sang songs like “My Hope is in the Lord,” “Because He Lives,” and “Jesus Messiah,” while posting various scriptures relating to hope in between the songs for people to read and meditate on.
The message was delivered from Sujo John, who was in the north tower on that day and whose preganant wife was to be in the south tower. He told his story of how he saw God work at ground zero. Sujo quit working his job at the Twin Towers and now travels around the world sharing God’s message of love and grace and forgiveness for all mankind.
We had 101 people in attendance with 16 visitors. The gospel message was presented by Sujo, and Pastor Troy commented on how this could also be a day to remember if anyone would accept Jesus as their personal Savior. We closed the service singing “Still.”
Mike Caley (right), senior pastor, Banner of Christ UB (Byron Center, Mich.)
We held a special worship and prayer service around the theme “Faith, Hope & Love.”
We started the service with the worship song “Hope of the Nations,” and then used a short video from the Skit Guys, titled “Ten Years Ago.” It took us all back, and then challenged us to look at the evil in our world through the reality of God’s power and authority. He is ultimately in control.
There was no preaching service, but three sections of scripture, appropriate worship, and times of silent and directed prayer.
Pastor Kevin Whitacre (right) prepares to baptize one of the ten persons baptized on September 11 at Corunna. (click to enlarge)
The folks of Corunna watching the baptisms. (click to enlarge)
At Corunna, we chose to focus on our identity in Christ as our guidepost for the best and worst of days. We then moved forward with the renewal of our church by receiving 7 new members, and baptizing 10 believers at our celebration!
Chet Conley, associate pastor, First UB (Findlay, Ohio)
As associate/music pastor of First UB church, I spent a vast number of hours putting together a Powerpoint presentation, timed to Don Moen’s “God Will Make A Way.” I mention this only because I viewed it in part so many times during the process that I almost knew at each beat of music what slide should be up and for how long. With each run through, I discovered my focus was on producing a well thought out presentation. When I completed it and viewed it from start to finish, I became so emotional, I couldn’t play it again. Thinking it was just me, I asked my wife Carol to view it and tell me what she thought. As she saw it, she too became very emotional.
I did not want to open or end our service on such an emotional note. Indeed, memorializing a monumental event in our nation’s history merits such a presentation. But, in lieu of all the preparation, it did not really tell a story of Christ’s compassion and mercy like the story of the cross does.
Empowered to make the musical decisions for our church, and after much prayer, I believe the Spirit led me to this conclusion: the best way our church might honor those who lost their lives that dreadful day was simply to observe a moment of silence. We used a Powerpoint slide of a young lady wearing a commemorative tenth anniversary 9-11 T-shirt shirt as a backdrop. Far less elaborate than I had planned. But the impact confirms that God is always on time. It proved a very poignant but effective opening moment in our worship service.
Mark Smith, Morocco UB Church (Temperance, Mich.)
Morocco UB church held an outdoor service on September 11, with 64 people attending. We allowed time to remember 9/11. Four young people were baptized in a pond. A carry in dinner was held following the service.
Pastor Todd Greenman is the pastor at Morocco, where exciting things are happening! We have a roof project going on, ordered 25 worship chairs for our overflow area, replaced railings on our outdoor deck, and are busy making preparations for our annual Family Fun Fest on September 24 (2-6 pm). This event will include live music, games, crafts for children, food, and lots of fun. If your in our area come celebrate with us!
What did your church do to recognize 9/11? Write up something on this form.
Jonathan Ford (right), pastor of Worship and Arts at King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
We invited first-responders in our community and church family to attend in uniform and took time to recognize and express our appreciation to them for their service. We also gave each a DVD titled “The Cross and the Towers” as a thank you.
We used 2 video elements in our service:
Our service included communion, which was followed by bagpipes entering from the rear of the church playing “Amazing Grace.”
Dr. Beukema preached a sermon titled, “When Towers Fall” (see http://www.kingstreetchurch.com/sermons for a copy).
We have heard already that the service was helpful to people who were looking for hope and consolation.
Teddy Fairchild (right), the new pastor since July 1 of The Rock in Findlay, Ohio, reports that they took in 11 new members on Sunday, September 11.
