20 years later, Chronicle remains ‘a pretty cool place’ with different chairs

Twenty years ago, I sat in the same spot I now occupy at The Christian Chronicle. Fewer wrinkles, different chair, same desk, older Mac. I thought to myself then, as now, “This is a pretty cool place.”
In 1989, I worked as an intern for Joy McMillon, Scott LaMascus and Lindy Adams — each of whom I’m happy to talk with and still occasionally see. They did the hard stuff and I read church bulletins, hoping to find little nuggets of info they could turn into news stories or that I could write into briefs for them.
I’m not sure whether that happened, to be honest. My quirky sense of humor probably drove me to circle the offbeat items, bloopers and funny photos more often than the newsworthy ones, I’m guessing (still does).
I went on to finish my time at Oklahoma Christian and work in secular journalism for several years before God nudged me back toward these offices in 2005.
In honor of my Chronicle anniversary, however, I decided to flip through November archives from years gone by. Here are a few highlights:

One year ago
With its building stripped to the studs and half its members’ homes uninhabitable, the Broadway church in Galveston, Texas, focused on ministering to its community after Hurricane Ike devastated the community. Congregations from across Texas and beyond sent volunteers, food, clothing and funds to help those hit hardest by Ike – which would become the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the U.S.

Five years ago
Single-Sunday contributions seeking to raise $1 million or more gained prominence, as Lifeline of Hope, Eastern European Mission and other broad-based ministries banked on an aggressive advertising strategy to promote giving. Following suit, several churches launched drives to collect large portions of their missions budgets through one-time, annual contributions. (These large-scale contributions are now a mainstay in para-church ministries and missions-minded congregations.)

10 years ago
Church leaders in Alabama teamed with Christians from other religious groups to help defeat a statewide gambling proposition. Mark Posey, minister of the Austinville church in Decatur, Ala., said, “This is one of the greatest days in the history of Alabama. Righteousness has triumphed!” (Incidentally, Alabama is one of seven states that does not presently have a state lottery.)

20 years ago
Evangelistic efforts in Egypt took a serious hit after a 12-member team from Nashville, Tenn., was ousted from Cairo. Trouble for mainstream Christians further escalated when a minister was detained and questioned by government authorities, leading to doubts that Churches of Christ would ever be legally recognized in Muslim-controlled Egypt. (Assistant Managing Editor Erik Tryggestad reports that there is a full-time minister who works with a Church of Christ for expatriates in Cairo. Outreach efforts remain difficult in many areas, however.)
How many years of shared history do you have with the Chronicle? Send me an e-mail at [email protected] or post a comment and share.