Across the nation: Christian bonds unbroken
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Time and distance do not easily break Christian bonds, Flo Lanford says.
Her case in point: Nearly 50 years ago, four couples — including Lanford and her husband, Sam — became close friends at a Church of Christ in Wiesbaden, Germany.
All the men either served in the Air Force or worked for it. But eventually, jobs took the families elsewhere.
However, the couples never forgot each other.
“A joyful reunion,” Flo Lanford said, brought them together recently in Colorado. The couples “celebrated their friendship with laughter, tears, praise and prayers, sharing memories and family news and the work of Christ in their lives.”
Reunited were the Lanfords, of the Philo Road church in Urbana, Ill.; Floyd and Ann Brazile, of the Lakeview church in Tacoma, Wash.; Jim and Marge Morton, of the Littleton church in Centennial; and Shu and Vi Shumaker, members of the Westview church in Greeley, Colo.
ARIZONA
TUBA CITY — World Radio Gospel Broadcasts, a ministry of the White’s Ferry Road church in West Monroe, La., is negotiating to begin a radio broadcast among the Navajo people, director Ken Bolden said. Paul Ghee, missionary among the Navajos, has recruited John Cook, a Navajo Christian with radio experience, to initiate the program.
FLORIDA
PENSACOLA — The recent “Connect Weekend” at the Gateway church educated parents about Facebook, MySpace and more. “Our purpose was to help our parents in understanding and connecting to current youth culture so they can be in a stronger position to help their teens navigate through this culture with a godly, spiritual focus,” minister Danny Dodd said. The event featured Brad Cox, preaching minister of the Twickingham church in Huntsville, Ala.
INDIANA
LAFAYETTE — Elmwood church members worked with Nashville, Tenn.-based Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort to help residents after recent flooding. More than 20 church volunteers helped unload and distribute food boxes, cleaning supplies and other disaster relief supplies from the ministry’s tractor-trailers, deacon David Weckerly said.
MAINE
CARIBOU — A sledding weekend and a game night are among ways the Caribou church is promoting fellowship, minister Jay Repecko said. “It is my prayer that these events further bond us together,” Repecko said in a recent newsletter. “They are designed for that purpose and the purpose of evangelism.”
MARYLAND
DISTRICT HEIGHTS — About 15 ministers and elders from the Mid-Atlantic region studied the “Devotional Life of the Minister” at a recent monthly fellowship.
“The goal was to encourage the church leaders to consider the need to cultivate a personal devotional life outside of regular Bible class and sermon preparations,” said W. Hubbard Jr., minister and elder at the District Heights church.
OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Quail Springs church’s recent decision to add an instrumental worship service prompted widespread media coverage and an opposition ad in The Oklahoman.
After a story about the decision appeared in the newspaper’s Religion section, two ministers from Lindsay, Okla., collected nearly $12,000 to place a full-page ad attributed to “faithful members and area churches of Christ.”
Several area churches, including Edmond, Memorial Road, Oakcrest and Westwood, voiced their commitment to a cappella worship, but assured members they did not provide funding to air doctrinal concerns about Quail Springs’ decision in such a public forum.
SOUTH CAROLINA
LEXINGTON — Maj. Jeff Kerby saw a need while serving in Afghanistan as a physician assistant with the 218th Infantry Brigade of the National Guard.
The Lexington church, his home congregation, helped him fill it. Upon seeing that quality children’s antibiotics were difficult to come by, Kerby called elder Steve Izard back home. The congregation shipped $2,000 in medicine the next week.
“God has taken something that’s pretty bad, armed conflict in the world, and allowed us to join him in his work and help the people in Afghanistan,” Izard told WLTX, the CBS affiliate in Lexington.
Later, the hospital’s administrator sent an Afghan flag home with Kerby to be presented to the church.
TEXAS
VICTORIA — The Central church mourns the death of Roy Gilbert McLaurin Jr., 74, who died Feb. 2 in a farm equipment malfunction, the Victoria Advocate reported. A preacher at the church for 15 years, McLaurin was active in serving nursing homes, said his daughter, Nancy Schmidt. “He would take nursing home residents out to eat, on shopping trips, sightseeing and fishing trips,” she said.
WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE — Unity in Diversity day at the Northtown church recently featured readings in English and Spanish and songs with an African-American heritage.
Her case in point: Nearly 50 years ago, four couples — including Lanford and her husband, Sam — became close friends at a Church of Christ in Wiesbaden, Germany.
All the men either served in the Air Force or worked for it. But eventually, jobs took the families elsewhere.
However, the couples never forgot each other.
“A joyful reunion,” Flo Lanford said, brought them together recently in Colorado. The couples “celebrated their friendship with laughter, tears, praise and prayers, sharing memories and family news and the work of Christ in their lives.”
Reunited were the Lanfords, of the Philo Road church in Urbana, Ill.; Floyd and Ann Brazile, of the Lakeview church in Tacoma, Wash.; Jim and Marge Morton, of the Littleton church in Centennial; and Shu and Vi Shumaker, members of the Westview church in Greeley, Colo.
ARIZONA
TUBA CITY — World Radio Gospel Broadcasts, a ministry of the White’s Ferry Road church in West Monroe, La., is negotiating to begin a radio broadcast among the Navajo people, director Ken Bolden said. Paul Ghee, missionary among the Navajos, has recruited John Cook, a Navajo Christian with radio experience, to initiate the program.
FLORIDA
PENSACOLA — The recent “Connect Weekend” at the Gateway church educated parents about Facebook, MySpace and more. “Our purpose was to help our parents in understanding and connecting to current youth culture so they can be in a stronger position to help their teens navigate through this culture with a godly, spiritual focus,” minister Danny Dodd said. The event featured Brad Cox, preaching minister of the Twickingham church in Huntsville, Ala.
INDIANA
LAFAYETTE — Elmwood church members worked with Nashville, Tenn.-based Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort to help residents after recent flooding. More than 20 church volunteers helped unload and distribute food boxes, cleaning supplies and other disaster relief supplies from the ministry’s tractor-trailers, deacon David Weckerly said.
MAINE
CARIBOU — A sledding weekend and a game night are among ways the Caribou church is promoting fellowship, minister Jay Repecko said. “It is my prayer that these events further bond us together,” Repecko said in a recent newsletter. “They are designed for that purpose and the purpose of evangelism.”
MARYLAND
DISTRICT HEIGHTS — About 15 ministers and elders from the Mid-Atlantic region studied the “Devotional Life of the Minister” at a recent monthly fellowship.
“The goal was to encourage the church leaders to consider the need to cultivate a personal devotional life outside of regular Bible class and sermon preparations,” said W. Hubbard Jr., minister and elder at the District Heights church.
OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Quail Springs church’s recent decision to add an instrumental worship service prompted widespread media coverage and an opposition ad in The Oklahoman.
After a story about the decision appeared in the newspaper’s Religion section, two ministers from Lindsay, Okla., collected nearly $12,000 to place a full-page ad attributed to “faithful members and area churches of Christ.”
Several area churches, including Edmond, Memorial Road, Oakcrest and Westwood, voiced their commitment to a cappella worship, but assured members they did not provide funding to air doctrinal concerns about Quail Springs’ decision in such a public forum.
SOUTH CAROLINA
LEXINGTON — Maj. Jeff Kerby saw a need while serving in Afghanistan as a physician assistant with the 218th Infantry Brigade of the National Guard.
The Lexington church, his home congregation, helped him fill it. Upon seeing that quality children’s antibiotics were difficult to come by, Kerby called elder Steve Izard back home. The congregation shipped $2,000 in medicine the next week.
“God has taken something that’s pretty bad, armed conflict in the world, and allowed us to join him in his work and help the people in Afghanistan,” Izard told WLTX, the CBS affiliate in Lexington.
Later, the hospital’s administrator sent an Afghan flag home with Kerby to be presented to the church.
TEXAS
VICTORIA — The Central church mourns the death of Roy Gilbert McLaurin Jr., 74, who died Feb. 2 in a farm equipment malfunction, the Victoria Advocate reported. A preacher at the church for 15 years, McLaurin was active in serving nursing homes, said his daughter, Nancy Schmidt. “He would take nursing home residents out to eat, on shopping trips, sightseeing and fishing trips,” she said.
WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE — Unity in Diversity day at the Northtown church recently featured readings in English and Spanish and songs with an African-American heritage.
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