Challenged to live their lives undivided for Christ, participants in the annual Driven Conference, the gathering of young adults in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, put feet to their commitments and set out to help a new church. On Saturday, June 28, participants were given $10 each, formed into teams of five, and challenged to use their collective $50 to make as many contacts as possible for ClearView Church, a new Grace Brethren church that is being planted in northeast Franklin County.

Some groups purchased bottled water or ice cream bars to distribute while others bought cleaning supplies and scrubbed windows at the YMCA where the church will meet.“I'm so excited about what God will do through young people looking to serve Him and love people in creative, fun ways,” said church planter Andy Wirt as he watched the teams leave the campus of Otterbein College, where the conference was held.The goal was to provide a tangible outlet for conference participants to impact people in the name of Jesus, according to Jonathon Wiley, a member of the Driven steering committee who helped plan the event, dubbed the Big Give.“Our desire is that the Driven family will do two things,” added Wiley. “We want to make Jesus Christ exceedingly attractive to the unsaved world we encounter, that we would spread everywhere the fragrance of Christ, and practically, we want to make contacts to assist ClearView as they minister to bring people into a maturing relationship with Jesus.”The funds for the Big Give are being provided by friends of the Driven conference. Participants will not be permitted to use their own money during this adventure.The conference was held June 26 through 29 in Westerville, Ohio and featured speakers such as Jeff Bogue, the executive pastor of Grace Church North Campus, a Grace Brethren church in Akron, Ohio; Kary Oberbrunner, the founder of Redeem the Day ministries and author of The Journey Towards Relevance and Called; and Keith Minier, pastor of Grace Fellowship, a Grace Brethren church in Pickerington, Ohio.Other speakers included Sarah Cunningham, author of Dear Church: Letters From A Disillusioned Generation, and Kondo Simfukwe, a pastor at Christ’s Covenant Church in Winona Lake, Ind.The conference will be held next year June 25 to 28 at Otterbein College in central Ohio. For more information, watch driven.com.

By Natalie Rummel

The angels were rejoicing November 18, 2007, when Wai Moi, an 83-year-old Chinese man, received Christ as his Savior at the Grace Church of Town Center in Marietta, Ga. (Jim Laird, pastor). A few months later, it was the congregation’s turn to rejoice as they shared in Wai Moi’s baptism.

“This is the oldest person I have ever baptized,” said Dean Fetterhoff, associate pastor to seniors at the church. “The staid Brethren about turned into shouting Pentecostals!”

The story begins as Wai Moi’s daughter and son-in-law Robert and Virginia Bach began attending Grace Church more than five years ago. Wai Moi lived with them.

While the Bachs became involved in ministry through Awana, music, and working with the sound system, Wai Moi attended the church only occasionally and came on work days.

Grace Graduates 298

Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., awarded degrees to 298 graduates on May 3. Degrees awarded by the college included 60 associate of science, 33 bachelor of arts, 151 bachelor of science, one bachelor of music, four bachelor of social work, five master of arts in interpersonal relations, and eight master of arts in counseling degrees. The seminary graduated 14 who earned master of ministry degrees, two master of arts in theological studies, six master of arts in intercultural studies, two master of arts in exegetical studies, one master of arts in local church ministry, six master of divinity, three doctor of ministry, and three doctor of missiology degrees. The commencement ceremony took place in the campus’ newest facility, the 2,600-seat Orthopaedic Capital Center, which was completed in 2007.

Representatives and friends of Brethren groups from all over the world will converge on the little village of Schwarzenau, Germany, about forty minutes north of Marburg, on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2008, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Brethren movement. This celebration will be the 2008 Brethren World Assembly.

It was early August, 1708 that Alexander Mack and his seven believer-friends gathered at the Eder River at Schwarzenau. One of them baptized Mack, and he baptized the others, thus beginning what is known today as the Brethren movement.

Tour buses, individuals, and international delegates will convene at Schwarzenau this year to worship together, be challenged from God’s Word, fellowship with other Brethren, and hear from a preeminent historian whose specialty is the Schwarzenau Brethren.

Virginia Reagan, center, a member of the Grace Brethren Church of Aiken, S.C., beams at Aiken Technical College’s May 1 commencement after receiving an associate degree in human services at the age of 68. Along with this degree, she will graduate in December with a certificate for Social Services Assistant and a certificate in Gerontology. She returned to school to become an effective volunteer at Christ Central, a nondenominational ministry in Aiken. She has a 4.0 grade average, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, and she received a Presidential Award. At the Grace Brethren Church, Virginia coordinates the Prime Timers program and is the vital link for Kent and Becky Good, missionaries in Cambodia. (Aiken Standard photo by Rob Novit)