Across the nation: Double honor for church

OTTAWA, Ill. — The school district in this small town gives an annual community service award to a top employee.
The Dean Martin Service Award is named for a retired district administrator who also serves as an elder at the 50-member Ottawa church.
The most recent award honored Dennis Rockford, who is also a church member. Rockford, 52, who recently took an early retirement because of health problems, worked with the school district for 22 years, first as a bus driver and later in the maintenance department.
“This has put the church in a good spotlight because it has not gone unnoticed that both men attend the same congregation in town,” preacher Steve Shaner said.
ALABAMA

FLORENCE
Teaching young people about listening and taking notes during sermons has made a SPLASH at the Stony Point church. SPLASH stands for “Stony Pointers Learning About Sermon Highlights.” “Many great comments have been made from parents and grandparents about this program,” minister Brad Adcock said in a recent bulletin article.
ARKANASAS
SHERWOOD
The construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter near the Sylvan Hills church is causing concerns because members park on one side of the street, then cross it to get to the main building. With increased traffic, crossing could become dangerous.
As a result, the church has decided to move all its facilities to the same side of the street. Plans call for adding a new 1,000-seat auditorium and educational wing first, followed by a family center.
“At that time, we would sell our property on the north side for commercial use,” the elders wrote in a letter to members.
COLORADO

DENVER
More than 60 children competed in the recent Colorado Area Bible Bowl at the Bear Valley church. The event included written tests and games such as “Wheel of Fortune” and a “Kids vs. Adults” challenge. Participating congregations were Bear Valley, Northwest, Highland, Windsor, Park East, Castle Rock, Walsenburg, Longmont, East Alameda, Brush and Fort Morgan.
MINNESOTA
OWATONNA
“Baptism in the Bible” served as the theme of the recent Minnesota Bible Lecture. About 120 to 130  adults attended the one-day event at the Owatonna church, minister Dan Mayfield said.
The Owatonna church was started in 1990 by Mayfield and two other graduates of Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver.
“The yearly lecture was our way of attempting to encourage other churches in our parts to stay the course and to gain encouragement from them,” he said.
NEW JERSEY
NORTH BRUNSWICK
The Brunswick church, begun in 2004 by four couples who attended Harding University in Searcy, Ark., welcomed more than 80 people to a recent service, leaders said.
The couples serve as vocational missionaries, while Carl and Alicia Williamson, sponsored by the Cloverdale church in Searcy, work in full-time ministry. The church averages attendance of more than 60, said Stan Granberg, director of Kairos Church Planting Support in Portland, Ore.
NEW YORK
HUBBARDSVILLE
The 60th anniversary of Camp Hunt was celebrated by a gathering of 200 during a recent Family Weekend. Started by George Gurganus and others in 1947, the camp near Utica is thought to be the first youth camp established among Churches of Christ in the U.S., organizers said.
OKLAHOMA
TULSA
The 32nd annual back to the Bible Campaign, hosted by the Northwest church in Lawton, Okla, and the Tenth and Rockford church in Tulsa, resulted in 348 Bible studies and 34 baptisms, organizers said. Sixty-eight out-of-town campaigners, plus 42 from the Tenth and Rockford church, knocked doors.

TEXAS
ABILENE
The Southern Hills church uses online video in a big way. Type “Southern Hills Abilene” into YouTube.com and you’ll notice a virtual wall of videos from the church, the Abilene Reporter-News reported. Examples include personal testimonials and a spoof of the famous Mac vs. PC computer advertisements.
“We believe these video messages are crucial components to communicate with many of the folks in our congregation and also those we are trying to reach online and in the community,” minister Phil Ware told the Reporter-News.
VIRGINIA
RICHMOND
A majority of the 300-member Three Chopt church volunteered for the congregation’s recent “Great Day of Service.”
Projects include a prayer wall/meditation garden, a homebound visitation group, a health clinic, a school initiative, an English as a Second Language program and a homeless feeding effort.