Across the nation: In perfect harmony
ALABAMA
HUNTSVILLE
The deaths of several members over thelast year prompted the Big Cove church to start a grief recovery group.
The group, called “Jesus Wept,” aims toshow church members and the community that the congregation hurts with thosewho are hurting, minister Robert Seibert said.
MARYLAND
ANNAPOLIS
An Annapolis man who beat a 2002 murder chargebecause police disregarded his request for an attorney is a changed man whoregularly attends the Capital church, his attorney said.
Leeander Jerome Blake was baptized Jan.22, The Capital newspaper reportedApril 8.
The 20-year-old’s notoriouscarjacking-murder case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. He walkedout of court a free man again last month after pleading guilty to assaultinghis ex-girlfriend in June 2005.
MASSACHUSETTS
FALL RIVER
Using distance-learning technology, 13people in Fall River participated in a “Focus onAbstinence” workshop sponsored April 1 by the Sunset International BibleInstitute, Lubbock, Texas.
MISSISSIPPI
BATESVILLE
Ricky Woods, a member of the Batesvillechurch, was named national high school football coach of the year by EA Sports.
Woods led South Panola High to itsthird straight state championship last fall. South Panolahas a 45-game winning streak, the third longest in the nation.
Woods and his wife, Susan, teach Bibleclasses at the church.
PASCAGOULA
The Central church, which is working tohelp victims of Hurricane Katrina, hosted “Good News Nights” every night duringMarch. The nightly services featured praise, worship and speakers from severalstates, minister John Dobbs said.
PENNSYLVANIA
MALVERN
The recent Youth Advance Seminar drew61 students from throughout the Northeast to the Homewood Suites Hotel.
All the participants had been identifiedas young leaders by their congregations. The annual three-day seminarinstructs, trains and motivates participants to become more effective leadersin their youth groups and churches, said Dorene Helton, an organizer.
In the final sessions, studentsdeveloped plans for improving their youth groups. Rick Hazelip from Atlanta was the speakerand facilitator.
TENNESSEE
BRENTWOOD
The Brentwood Hills church welcomed 27mission field workers to a recent missions conference. Shawn Humphrey with thechurch’s mission team said the conference was designed to encourage BrentwoodHills’ missionaries and “give them an opportunity to re-charge their batteriesfor Christ.”
TEXAS
MESQUITE
The Meadow View church added a Spanishworship service April 2.
Ron Buch, a Meadow View minister, saidthe service is the latest effort by the congregation to reach out to Spanishspeakers. The church has hosted an English as a Second Language class and Biblestudies in Spanish for a few years, Buch said. Last fall, the congregationadded a Spanish as a Second Language class for its English-speaking members.
TYLER
The West Erwinchurch’s Karing Kitchen ministry, as well as its clothing, grocery andsewing/quilting groups, moved into thechurch’s new 9,100-square-foot benevolence center recently.
Each Monday night, up to 150 needypeople are served meals at the Karing Kitchen. An additional 110 families aweek receive groceries and clothing.
WASHINGTON
SPOKANE
The Northside church canceled itsregular morning worship service April 2 so members could participate in acommunity walk designed to raise money for those suffering from multiplesclerosis.
About 70 members — one of them 80 yearsold — joined in the walk with 1,500 other people from the community, ministerShawn Moore said.
Another group prepared lunch at thechurch building so the walkers could eat when they returned.
After a special worship assembly at 1p.m., church members delivered 120 food baskets to homes in a two-block radiusof the building.
“It’s just a great awareness of ourcall to be salt and light in our community,” Moore said of the outreach efforts.
WISCONSIN
WAUPACA
“Don’t Miss the Dinosaurs!” That wasthe message from the Waupaca church in a recent newspaper advertisement.
The congregation invited the communityto view an “intelligent design” exhibit. The event featured an anti-evolutionpresentation titled “Evolution or Creation? What Is The Truth?”
More than 100 people signed up for adrawing to win T-Rex teeth reproductions.
May 1, 2006
