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06 Oct

October 6, 2009 |

jonamberherron275.jpgJonathan Herron has been named senior pastor of Colwood UB Church (Caro, Mich.) effective September 27, 2009. He takes the place of Phil Whipple, who was elected bishop in June.

Jonathan holds a degree in Theater from Columbia College, and a Masters in Evangelism/Missions from Ashland Theological Seminary (2002). He also studied improv comedy for two years under Tina Fey at the Second City Training Center.

Jonathan’s ministry experience includes being a youth pastor at three churches (including NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country), and speaking at youth conferences since 2002. Most recently, he was founding pastor of Catalyst Church in Kent, Ohio. He writes a blog at: http://www.jonathanherron.typepad.com

Jon and Amber Herron have been married for ten years. Amber holds a Masters in Clinical Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary (2002). They have a two-year-old son, Josiah.

02 Oct

October 2, 2009 |

The mission that Jesus gave to us was quite clear and simple.

  • He told his church to go and make disciples.
  • As we do that, we would teach those disciples the commands of Christ, which are summed up in loving God with all our heart and loving others.
  • Then, to make sure that the testimony of our lives is seen to all, we would baptize that new disciple in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

You have heard it before, but the beauty of it to me has never changed.

It was my privilege to attend a conference with about 55 denominational executives who are on the same page about the mission. We met September 14-16 in Nashville, where we:

  • Shared stories of how our God is working through our churches to make new disciples.
  • Discussed strategies for being more effective in reaching out to a lost and dying world.
  • Prayed together that we would remain faithful and fruitful in accomplishing this mission.
  • Reaffirmed that Christ had clearly told us that the gates of hell would not hold back the church of Jesus Christ.

The one thing that we did NOT talk about was changing the mission.

So I want to encourage each of you to stay focused on the mission Christ has placed before us. Let’s recognize the opportunities to push back the darkness and  bring the light of Christ into a broken and hurting world. Let’s together assault the gates of hell.

30 Sep

September 30, 2009 |

Nate Perry, Assistant Director of Enrollment, Huntington University

For high schoolers, the college search process shifts into high gear during their senior year. Here is what your students need to be doing.

Narrow your search to 3-5 schools. Apply to each of them, noting application deadlines and fee waivers (Huntington University waives the application fee of $20 if you apply and visit before December 1 of your senior year).

September: Complete applications. Schedule SAT/ACT tests and send scores to your 3-5 schools.

October-December: Work on applications for outside scholarships (check fastweb.com) and institutional scholarships. Visit these campuses again and ask to stay overnight in the residence halls to get the experience of residence life.

January: Start working on Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For Indiana residents, you MUST have this completed by March 10 to qualify for state grants. Retake SAT/ACT and resend to 3-5 choice schools.

February-March: Finalize FAFSA and submit to schools (each have a specific code like 001803).

April-May: Await financial aid award letter from schools to arrive in mailbox.  Compare each of them and decide what’s going to be the best value (noting that each school has something different to offer and that the investment won’t be identical). Be aware of any student deposit deadlines. At Huntington University, the student deposit is $100 and is required before a student can register for classes.

June-July: Attend Registration Weekend and sign up for classes.

August: Make multiple Wal-Mart runs to purchase all those goodies for college (bean bag chair, desk supplies, desk calendar, and laundry soap!).

29 Sep

September 29, 2009 |

Nate Perry, Assistant Director of Enrollment, Huntington University

Students in your church should be thinking about college throughout high school. Here are some ways your high schoolers can begin the college search process before their senior year.

Freshman Year
Push yourself to get good grades while taking challenging courses. Work towards the Core40 diploma or Honors to better prepare for college work.

Sophomore Year
Start to search for colleges via the web and also attend college fairs. Sign up to receive mailings and information from colleges. There are over 4000 colleges/universities in the country!

Junior Year
Start visiting campuses. Pick 6-8 schools to visit. Contact the school to plan your visit. Ask to meet with an admissions representative, sit in on a class, have a campus tour, and eat lunch in the dining commons (this is important, right?).

How do you pick which schools to visit? Some factors to consider are:

  • Majors they offer.
  • Distance from home.
  • Friends who might attend.
  • Association with your church’s denomination.
  • Strong reputation.

Keep an eye/ear out for those colleges/universities that visit your high school. Set up a time to meet with the college rep.

Take the SAT/ACT test and send the scores to the 6-8 schools you visited.

The senior year gets real hectic. I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

28 Sep

September 28, 2009 |

Here are some precautions churches can take regarding the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. These ideas have been gathered from here and there.

  • Encourage people to get a flu shot, and make people aware of where they can get one. Offer church funds to pay for flu shots. 
  • Make sure church staffmembers get vaccinated.
  • Encourage people to stay home if they are sick, if they feel like they might be getting sick, and for a couple days after they’ve had the flu. Encourage children with ill household members to stay home.
  • Take extra precautions with at risk populations: anyone under age 24, and especially children under 5.
  • Be very strict with nursery workers, since infants are at greatest risk. If an adult has had the flu recently or been exposed to persons with the flu, find someone else to serve in the nursery. You might require that nursery workers be vaccinated.
  • Churches might want to take extra care in cleaning areas where people congregate–sanctuary, lobby, children’s area.
  • Place hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas for public use.
  • Announce a temporary alternative to handshaking, like just saying hello, giving a little hand-wave, nod, or bow. Don’t feel obligated to shake hands or give a hug. If you have a greeting time during the service, don’t force people into this by saying, “Shake hands with three people you don’t know.” Provide a substitute greeting.
  • If you do shake hands with people at church, be sure to wash your hands afterwards (good advice even when it’s not flu season).
  • Have ushers, children’s workers, and persons serving communion use hand sanitizer.
  • Encourage people to cover a cough or sneeze. Use your elbow or shoulder instead of your hands when a tissue or handkerchief isn’t available.
  • Some frequently-touched areas to clean with an alcohol-based cleaner: doorknobs, desks, counters, keyboards, lightswitches, crash bars, drinking fountains, bathroom levers and knobs, toys, potluck utensils, refrigerator handles, remote controls.
  • Some churches have announced that pastors will, for the time being, no longer shake hands with parishioners after the service, and have done away with holding hands while singing, reciting the Lord’s Prayer, etc.

25 Sep

September 25, 2009 |

Ron and EJ Ramsey are closing on a house today. It’s located in southeast Fort Wayne in a development near the intersection of Covington Road and West County Line Road. They hope to get possession by September 30, do some painting, then get moved by October 15.

They previously had two houses that they thought were a “go,” but they fell through. Very frustrating for them.

Of this house, Ron writes, “We feel blessed to be able to have such a home. It is only 5 years old and has been very well taken care of. So we are in sorting and packing mode right now.”

24 Sep

September 24, 2009 |

eberly-and-hartman-awards_small.JPG“Nero Bloom: Private Eye,” a film by Huntington University digital media arts film students Jason Eberly (right) and Nathan Hartman (left), won the Best Student Feature Award at the Cinema City International Film Festival in Los Angeles held Sept. 10-12.

There were 400 submissions in the Best Student Feature category and 5000 submissions to the festival overall.

“I have made films for 30 years, and I screened ‘Nero Bloom’ myself,” said Suzanne DeLaurentiis, festival co-founder. “I thought it was brilliantly shot. I loved the black and white, and I thought the art direction was exquisite.”

“Nero Bloom” was one of four films to be featured on the festival’s awards gala evening on Sept. 12. In addition, Eberly and Hartman hosted a question-and-answer session and participated in a red-carpet photo shoot.

The plot involves a young private eye named Nero Bloom who is hired to follow a down-and-out gambler. Everything seems business as usual until the gambler winds up dead in a hotel elevator, and Bloom becomes a suspect. With action, suspense and seduction, Bloom must travel a labyrinth of clues to reach one twisted ending.

The film premiered at Cinema Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., on May 8 with a red carpet extravaganza. The black-tie event featured the cast and crew of “Nero Bloom” shuttled in period cars and walking the red carpet into the first showing of their film.

In 2008, the Cinema City International Film Festival was rated one of the “Top 25 Film Festivals” by MovieMaker Magazine. The festival’s board members consist of top industry professionals, as well as Oscar-winning writers and producers.

24 Sep

September 24, 2009 |

Three digital media arts majors from Huntington University have had their work accepted into the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival to be held Oct. 22-Nov. 1.

Seniors Jimi Bonogofsky and Colleen (King) Thornbrugh’s short animated film, “I Think I Might Be” was chosen along with junior Johnathan Roatch’s piece, “Aqua Melodies.” Bonogofsky, of Montgomery Creek, Calif., and Thornbrugh, of Clarksburg, W.V., interviewed children in the Huntington community and animated their responses for their film. Roatch’s film is reminiscent of Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” with colorful fish moving to music creating shapes and patterns. Roatch is from New Creek, W.V.

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is the largest festival of films for children in North America and features more than 200 films from 40 countries and screens a wide range of projects from live-action and animated features, to shorts, TV series, documentaries, and child-produced works. One of the most unique festivals in the country, showcasing the best in culturally diverse, non-violent, value-affirming new cinema for children, the CICFF is the only children’s film festival to be an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival.

24 Sep

September 24, 2009 |

Huntington University’s Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry is partnering with YouthWorker Journal to sponsor the second annual essay writing contest, open to high school juniors and seniors.

Students are asked to submit a 1,200-1,500 word original essay on the theme “Reaching My Generation for Christ.”

  • First Place: The writer of the winning essay will be awarded a cash prize of $250, a $4,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($16,000 total), and the essay will be published in YouthWorker Journal.
  • Second prize: $150 and a $3,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($12,000 total).
  • Third prize: A cash prize of $75 and a $2,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($8,000 total).

Submissions must be postmarked by Jan. 31, 2010. Entry forms and additional information may be found on the Link Institute website. Winning essays will be announced by April 1, 2010.

24 Sep

September 24, 2009 |

kimberlyyoung100.jpgKimberly Young (right), a 22-year-old from Mt. Zion UB (Wayne, Ohio), died yesterday of complications from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. She began showing flu symptoms last week, and was treated for the flu at a hospital. But her fever returned this past Tuesday, and she died the next day. Her asthma likely contributed to her death. The funeral will be held this Saturday, Sept. 26, at Mt. Zion UB.

Wherever people gather, the risk of spreading the flu rises. Businesses, schools, and colleges are gearing up for what could be a major flu outbreak this winter. It would be wise for churches, also, to take precautions.

Some things to know about H1N1:

  • The best form of prevention is the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine, distributed every year, is available now. The specific H1N1 vaccine will be available later this fall. Get both. Each protects against a different virus, and they are intended to work alongside each other.
  • Person-to-person contact is the easiest way to transmit the flu virus.
  • A person diagnosed with H1N1 is considered contagious up to 72 hours before symptoms start and a day or two after symptoms end. If your fever breaks on Friday, don’t come to church on Sunday. And be aware that others in your household, who may not have developed symptoms yet, could still be contagious if you send them to church.
  • Children under 5 years of age are at increased risk. The risk is greater for children under 2. And infants less than 6 months old are the most vulnerable, because they are too young to receive the vaccinations.

Much information is available at Flu.gov