In the Spotlight

Great Commission Day

October 1st brought over 40 men and women to the World Outreach Center to learn more about full time ministry. The goal of the day was to acquaint those being called into ministry with the Evangelical Friends vision of reaching the world for Christ. It was a day filled with inspiration and fellowship.

Friends Disaster Service Auction - Saturday, September 11

The day dawned clear and sunny for the 22nd annual FDS Auction. Pancakes and sausage donated by Bob Evans got everyone off to a good start.

The display tables of the bake sale, produce & plants, craft section and flea market were all heavily laden. Outside the arena a Great Lakes Special fully equipped boat, a truck camper, and two cars were ready to be sold.

For the 22nd year, auctioneers David Jones, along with son Dan Wailer (East Richland Friends), and Harold Farnsworth (Wadsworth Bethany) presided over the auction.

The final figures showed a net profit of just over $55,000 for the day. We were $5000 above the 1998 total. Many, many thanks to all involved!

Parish Nurse Program added to Ministry at Friends Church

Shiloh Chapel Evangelical Friends Church in Marysville, Ohio has added a Parish Nurse to its ministry.

The Parish Nurse concept is based on a wholistic ministry of health to members of a church. The Parish Nurse works alongside the pastor and the Health and Wellness Board as they work toward empowering people to maintain their physical, mental, and spiritual health.

The Parish Nurse's focus is health, education, promotion, and prevention.

Car Care Ministry started in Alliance, Ohio

Alliance Evangelical Friends Church has started a "Car Care Ministry" for single women or any person in financial reversal. Men gifted in mechanical dealings are volunteering their time and skill to help with light maintenance on members' cars. They provide oil filter changes, lube jobs and minor safety checks as a demonstration of the practical love of Christ. This ministry is totally free to those inside the church, but they do ask for a donation, as the recipients are able. Their prayer is that this new ministry will draw people to Jesus through this practical expression of Christ's love.

For more information, contact ministry organizer, Warren Betz, through Alliance Friends Church.

Salem First Friends sponsors Jesus film

Over 400 volunteers from 15 area churches in the Salem, Ohio community joined together to distribute the "Jesus" video to every household in the city limits as well as the 11,000 rural residents. Each video package contained a "Jesus" video, a bag of microwave popcorn, and information about the video project and area churches. The packets also contained response cards which residents could return to the church of their choice if they had questions, prayer requests, or special needs.

Ypsilanti Friends Help Eagle Scout

Doug Burch, pastor of Ypsilanti Friends Church in Michigan, reports that a young man in the community volunteered to build them a children's playground to earn his eagle scout badge. The scout designed and constructed the playground equipment. Everyone has enjoyed the addition - especially the children.

Tecumseh Celebrates 30 years

In August, Tecumseh Friends Church in Tecumseh, Michigan celebrated their 30th anniversary of their church building with a special service and dinner. Over 140 people attended, including several former members who are now Friends pastors.

Ron Johnson, President of Malone College, who grew up in the Tecumseh Friends Church, presented the message.

Van Wert Friends hosts Power Team

Trinity Friends Church in Van Wert, Ohio hosted a Power Team Crusade in their new Family Life Center. The Power Team is a strength team designed to challenge lives with the message of Christ and His gospel. Local residents have the opportunity to see feats of strength accomplished by several of the nation's award-winning athletes in power training.

"The most important thing isn't our performance, but that we have the opportunity to share what God has done in our lives," commented team member Barry Handley, who stands 6'-7" and weighs 300 pounds, "We simply utilize strength as a tool to reach out to people. We try to reach out in a way that's not ordinary."

"God really moved here during our Power Team Crusade." reported Pastor Duane Rice, "We had 610 commitment cards filled out in the prayer room (410 were from other churches). One was a pastor from another denomination that got saved! Attendance was 5,212 for the entire crusade with 1,337 attending on Sunday night alone. It was a great crusade. Now we have lots of work following up on the 200 or so that had no church (91 children, 52 teens, and 57 adults). Praise God!"

"Cool Summer Nights" a Hot Event!

Cornerstone Friends in Madison, Ohio had a busy, effective summer outreach to car buffs and their families. The events included music by Campus Crusade For Christ's outreach teams, "The Convertibles" and a group relating to the 60's called "Flashback."

Over 100 people attended each event, with 36 decisions for Christ resulting.

One family heard about the event while registering their son for the NFL flag football league sponsored by the church. They attended the "Cool Summer Night" event where the entire family accepted Christ! They have since started attending Cornerstone Friends and are growing in their faith.

Outreach Pastor Todd Roberts explains, "We throw out the net in a big way. We're reaching out to people who've had no experience, little experience, or bad experiences in church and they are responding to the message of love and hope they see in Christ."

Piedmont District Junior Camp

Piedmont District Junior Camp convened at Hawthornburg Family Ministries Center in Bennett, North Carolina July 12 through the 15th. There were 54 campers representing 9 Piedmont district churches along with 23 adult and teen staff members.

Jacelyn Jones of Hunter Hills Evangelical Friends Church (Greensburo, North Carolina) spoke on the theme "The Prince of Egypt." Her topics covered: God's purpose for our lives; God's call on our lives; Bondage in our lives vs. freedom in Christ; and Unity in the body vs. grumbling.

Activities ranged from thematic music, to illustrative games, to preaching and teaching times. The 10-22 year old campers prepared for and presented a program to a local nursing home as a continued emphasis on "ministry." This has been a highlight and blessing for the past several years. No less than 19 campers and staff responded to a call to ministry.

Jackson Friends Lady shares Dottie's Dolls

Dottie Swenson has been making rag dolls for years. When she heard of nineteen little girls in India who needed dolls, she volunteered to make them special "Indian" rag dolls, complete with a tea-tinted fabric for a darker skin complexion!

Barb Jarrett and Jennie Shreve added pillows and blankets for each doll. The dolls and blankets will be going to Rahab's Trust, a ministry among the children of the Devadassi temple prostitutes.

Congratulations on a job well done!

"Beyond sharing the message of God's love through Jesus, we wanted this effort to unite the churches (which it already has) and help people to be active in ministry. We just wanted people to have the videos, and any further response was up to them."

For more information on this project, contact Dave Williams, at Salem First Friends Church.