Laura and Einer TengAt Community of Hope Church (Phil Bryant, pastor) in Surrey, B.C., Einer and Laura Teng are an answer to prayer. But they are more likely to say the church is an answer to their own prayers.

The couple had been involved in an evangelical ethnic Chinese church that was a 25 minute drive from their current home. It was the only church Einer had known since he was a baby, and Laura joined him there when they married in 2000. But they knew their life was now in the Vancouver suburb where Einer has taught elementary school for the last 15 years and they are raising their two children.

One summer Sunday they decided to attend the “movie theater” church, the one they’d seen advertised on a leaflet that came in their mail.

“It’s right here in the community,” says Einer. “We walked there in 30 minutes on the first day.”

It wasn’t that they were looking for a new church. They just knew that God was nudging them to something different.

As they began to attend Community of Hope Church, a Grace Brethren congregation which meets in the Strawberry Hills Cinema, they continued to seek guidance. “We were praying that God would show a lot of affirmation,” Laura recalls. She also remembers the sense of peace and confirmation they both felt in receiving an answer that was “very overwhelming.”

On the flip side, the leadership of Community of Hope had been praying for established, mature Christians to become involved in the ministry that was attracting many new believers.

“I don’t know about mature,” says Laura. “How can you call yourself mature? Experienced?” she adds with a smile.

In the two and one-half years since the family has attended Community of Hope, they have immersed themselves in ministry. They coordinate hospitality ministries, she’s running the church website, he’s serving on the finance committee, and they’ve both been involved in the children’s ministries.

“I think that God providing this new church family was an extreme answer to our prayers,” says Laura, adding that it feels “weird” to know someone was praying for them. “I would just attribute it to God matching, tongue and groove. You know it’s of God when it’s clearly not of your own doing.”

More stories of people in Grace Brethren churches:

Todd Scoles In 2008, BMH Books published one of the definitive books on Grace Brethren history. Written by Todd Scoles, Restoring the Household: The Quest of the Grace Brethren Church, told the theological and political context leading to the 1708 beginning of the Brethren movement, and explained the scriptural grounds for the distinctly Brethren ordinances.

Generous donations afforded the initial printing of Restoring the Household and provided a complimentary copy to congregations in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. It was Scoles’ desire to see the book used around the world. Before he died in 2010, he dreamed of providing a Spanish edition to Hispanic Grace Brethren pastors and missionaries.

“Grace Brethren churches are growing all through Latin America, but most of our Latin brothers do not know much about our heritage,” says Jesus Munoz, pastor of Iglesia Comunal la Esperanza, a Grace Brethren congregation in Valrico, Fla.

Scoles was the president of the BMH board of directors. His influence is seen throughout the organization, even more than a year after his untimely death.

BMH plans to honor him by publishing the Spanish edition of his book. The work has already been translated, thanks to a generous gift from the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation. But an additional $5,000 is needed to cover design, typesetting, and printing.

Would you join us in making this landmark book available to our Hispanic brothers and sisters? Your tax deductible gift will cover the production costs that will allow BMH to provide the material in their native language. Simply complete the form below and return it, with your donation, to the Brethren Missionary Herald, Box 544,
Winona Lake, Ind. 46590.

If you’d like to make an online donation, go to bmhbooks.com and click on the “Donate Now!” banner.

Grace Brethren International Missions (GBIM) has announced that the organization, founded in 1900, is now Encompass World Partners. While the name change is effective immediately, other elements of the new brand will be transitioned in phases over the next year.

The new name represents an important part of a global effort to position the organization to better carry out its mission. However, Encompass World Partner’s legal name, “The Grace Trust,” will serve as a constant reminder of the organization’s connection to the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

GBIM’s global leadership team and board of directors prayerfully sought input from pastors, staff, and groups of potential missionaries during the year-long discovery phase that led to the change. The research supported the conviction that a name change would position the organization more effectively to serve future generations while removing unnecessary barriers in ministries on resistant spiritual soils.

Bob FetterhoffBy Bob Fetterhoff

I developed an eye problem recently. The symptons could have been a migraine headache, but I made a precautionary trip to the ophthalmologist, and he diagnosed the problem. There were three small tears in the retina of my left eye which caused the visual abnormalities I was experiencing.

A specialist identified further details of the problem, per¬formed laser surgery to prevent more damage, and recom¬mended I not read for a week. Now that was a problem! He did say I could watch all the television I wanted… which lasted about ten minutes.

The episode taught me some valuable lessons:

I take my eyesight for granted. It reminded me just how much I use my eyes every day.
My vision was limited. I couldn’t do what I normally do, so interaction with others was restricted.
A specialist was needed to perform the laser treatment and correct my problem.

I also have an “I” problem. This didn’t just develop recently; I’ve had it all my life. The symptoms are similar:

1.    I take for granted the gifts God has given me in life.

2.    I easily focus on my needs and preferences rather than the needs of others.

3.    I need the work of the Great Physician to perform spiritual surgery to help correct my vision.

Jesus reminded us that an eye can offend us (Matthew 5:29). So can an “I” problem. We can easily become consumed by our own needs rather than the needs of others.

It’s no wonder Jesus said, “Open your eyes and look on the fields. They are ripe to harvest” (John 4:35). People around us desperately need to know God. Would you pray that the “I” problem we all battle doesn’t keep us from seeing the real needs of those people?

Bob Fetterhoff is the first multi-year moderator of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (FGBC). He is the pastor of the Grace Brethren Church, Wooster, Ohio.

The Grace Brethren Investment Foundation (GBIF) recently approved new loans totaling $786,000 to the following ministries in the Fellowship of Grace
Brethren Churches:

• Grace Family Church, a Grace Brethren congregation in New Holland (Tim Hodge, pastor), 415 South Kinzer Ave, New Holland, Pa., to complete renovation of the church campus.
• Liberty Grace Brethren Church (Doug Black, pastor), 1081 Tener St., Johnstown, Pa., to expand the sanctuary, classrooms, and parking space.
• Grace Brethren Church of Allen County (Bob Arenobine, pastor), 4619 Stellhorn Road, Fort Wayne, Ind., to repair the church facilities.
• Community Grace Brethren Church (Greg Howell, pastor), 1180 South Roosevelt Ave, Goldendale, Wash., to pave the church parking lot.
• Grace Brethren Church of Orange County (Mike Sciarra, pastor), 2201 East Fairhaven Ave, Orange, Calif., to pay off a California lender and transfer their financing to GBIF.

“GBIF is very pleased to assist these FGBC ministries in seeking to grow and expand for Christ by improving their facilities,” shares Ken Seyfert of GBIF. “They represent a diversity of locations throughout the USA, but alike in their common mission of reaching their communities and beyond for our Lord.  It is a privilege to partner with them.”

The following news briefs are from January, February, and March issues of the Brethren Missionary Herald and FGBC World magazines.

2007 – 5 years ago

• The appointment of Dr. Bill Katip as provost at Grace College and Seminary was announced by President Ron Manahan.

1992 – 20 years ago

• Tim Boal resigned at Everett, Penna., to accept the pastorate at the Penn Valley Grace Brethren Church in Telford, Penna.
• Bob Devine resigned at Norwalk, Calif., to accept the pastorate at Middlebranch, Ohio.

1987 – 25 years ago

• Tom Hocking was approved for ordination by the Southern California-Arizona ministerial examining board
• Tom Julien, FGBC moderator, led a specially-called meeting of pastors and Fellowship leaders in Winona Lake to consult on concerns of the Fellowship.  

1982 – 30 years ago

• Robert Fetterhoff was ordained to the Brethren ministry at the Grace Brethren Church in Wooster, Ohio.

1967 – 45 years ago

• Brethren churches in Bellflower and Compton, Calif., merged to be known as the Bellflower Brethren Church.
• The revision committee for the New Scofield Reference Bible completed its work. The late Dr. Alva J. McClain, first president of Grace Seminary and College, was a member of the committee.

1962 – 50 years ago

• Alva J. McClain submitted his resignation as president of Grace College and Seminary after 25 years in that capacity and as co-founder of the school. He continued as consultant and part-time teacher.
• Grace College sophomore, Chet Kammerer, broke the single season scoring record in Indiana College basketball with 739 points, averaging 25.2 points per game. (Chet later served as basketball coach at Grace. Currently, he is vice president for player personnel for the Miami Heat professional basketball team.)
• Dave Hocking, Jim Custer, and John Schumacher were the Youth Evangelism Team for the Brethren Youth Council (now CE National), ministering on weekends while the men were students at Grace Seminary.
• The Winona Lake Brethren Church called Prof. Don Ogden to serve as their interim pastor.

Undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees are now available on the campus of Grace College, Winona Lake, Ind. They are available in cooperation with Trine University in a program that allows students to earn an engineering degree through Trine while attending and receiving all the on-campus benefits of Grace.

Degrees available include Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Engineering with stems in Biomedical Engineering Management, Civil Engineering Management, and Mechanical Engineering Management. Students will simultaneously earn both an engineering degree from Trine and an applied physics degree from Grace.

All four undergraduate degrees will provide engineering students with the latest resources to meet the tough demands of the global workplace. Engineering students will be prepared to enter a fast-changing world where their education will enable them to be on the cutting edge of their fields. Thanks to their time at Grace, these students will also be equipped to deal with relational and spiritual challenges.

The partnership between the two schools allows students to enjoy Grace’s Christian campus experience, including dorm life, chapel, and growth groups, while they learn from Trine’s academically rigorous and widely-respected engineering classes. Engineering students will be able to keep their financial aid package all four years and will be eligible to participate in collegiate sports. Students will meet with a faculty advisor from Grace College and a student support specialist from Trine University, which operates a 400-acre main campus in Angola, Ind., and has regional learning centers spread across north and central Indiana.

Plans have already begun for the next Brethren World  Assembly. It will be held July 18-21, 2013, at the Brethren Heritage Center, Brookville. Ohio, and will follow the theme
Brethren Spirituality.

Robert Alley of the Church of the Brethren is chairing the planning committee. Other members are: Tom Julien, Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches; Gary Kocheiser, Conservative Grace Brethren; Milton Cook, Dunkard Brethren; Jeff Bach, Church of the Brethren; Mike Miller, Old German Baptist Brethren-New Conference; and Brenda Colijn, The Brethren Church.

Several members of the Grace Brethren family have been invited to participate in the Assembly, treating both historic and present aspects of Brethren spirituality. Throughout our history, the Grace Brethren have sought to express their spirituality in a three-fold commitment:  to biblical truth in the Scriptures, to biblical relationships in the Church, and to biblical mission to the world.

The Brethren World Assembly, held every five years, is a function of the Brethren Encyclopedia Committee.  In 2008, The Brethren World Assembly was held in Schwarzenau, Germany, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Brethren movement.