My father would have been amazed to see the line of people who waited to greet my family at the funeral home following his death. Granted, his sudden demise as the result of a farm accident may have brought many of them, but I believe it was mostly a tribute to his quiet faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, he was a man who avoided the spotlight, serv¬ing when asked, but often working behind the scenes to accomplish a task. 

When I read the story of the Good Samaritan, I think of my dad. He would plow the widowed neighbor’s drive after a snowstorm because he could, not because she asked. He’d stop to assist a stranded motorist along a busy highway or go out of his way to provide transportation to church for an elderly couple who didn’t drive. He took the works part of his salvation almost as seriously as his faith, knowing it was what Jesus would do (long before the phrase became a popular buzz word). 

It seems that evangelical Christians have often left the service part out of the gospel. We focus on “winning souls” for eternity while the man living under the bridge a mile away doesn’t know where he’ll find tomorrow’s meal. We cross the ocean to give a cup of water to an orphaned child, but overlook the little boy down the street who missed a meal last night because his single-parent mother didn’t have enough money to buy gro¬ceries. We fail to see the needs of the tattooed and pierced barista who serves our coffee because we are so focused on our own “straight and narrow” walk. 

That’s why I like the Commitment to Common Mission (CCM), a document produced by the Charis network of Grace Brethren church leaders worldwide. Driven by our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, it calls those of us in North America to make disciples through church planting, to develop leaders in our churches, and to reach the lost by showing works that reflect true faith. It’s recognizing that the man un¬der the bridge may not be able to hear the message of the gospel through the roar of his empty stomach or that conflicting world values may cause the barista not to consider that same gospel until someone shows him differently. 

 This issue of FGBC World looks at the third portion of the CCM – integrated or holistic ministries. It examines ways people in Grace Brethren congregations on our continent are carrying out the command to serve others and at the same time, drawing people to eternal life. 

When Patty Nevins discovered that missions funding at River City Grace Community Church in Sacramento, Calif., had decreased significantly, she had two responses.

At first, she was disappointed. 

“[I was] saddened by this, for our missionaries’ sake of course. It’s easy to get frustrated, thinking everyone should be as excited about supporting our missionaries as you are—but they’re not,” she admits. 

But Nevins’ disappointment did not lead to despair. Her second response was action. 

“I’d been learning to make sourdough bread,” she explains. She had even begun a small business by occasionally selling her bread, but soon she discovered her newfound skill was meant for more than the casual bread sale. She began to pray with her husband in an effort to decide whether the proceeds should support their missionaries. 

“Seed Sowers, Sourdough & More” was the headline when Nevins sent a church-wide e-mail on New Year’s Day 2009. She introduced a new program featuring homemade bread, eggs, recycling, and determination. Advertising done, Nevins got to work.

Two opportunities are available this fall, hosted by Women of Grace USA, for women who seek personal spiritual growth, or want to develop their ability to lead others. 

The Women’s Transformational Summit will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, September 22-24. Focusing on personal growth and spiritual formation, the Summit will feature Dr. Christy Hill from Grace Seminary as the speaker on “The Transforming Journey of Grace.” 

The Women’s Leadership Summit will be held in Canton, Ohio, Oc­tober 22-24. Focusing on the theme “My Soul to Keep,” the Leader­ship Summit is an interactive gathering of existing and emerging leaders that provides a supportive relational environment to process leadership development and to inspire personal spiritual growth.

For more information on the Summits go to wgusa.org. 

Tom Roy remembers a pivotal phone call from Hank Aaron, the home run king of the Atlanta Braves, in 1978. It provided the impetus for a new ministry that would impact the lives of hundreds of professional baseball players for Christ and is the opening story in a new book just released by BMH Books, Winona Lake, Ind. 

Released: A Story of God’s Power Released in Pro Baseball chronicles the growths and impact of Unlimited Potential (UPI), a ministry founded in 1979 by Roy, a Grace College alumnus and former head baseball coach. 

Today UPI is active on five continents and in some 60 countries. Its ministry extends to clinics, baseball chapels, ministry trips to the military, and other outreach activities.  

Released is available wherever Christian books are sold in stores, online, or through BMH Books at bmhbooks.com  or by calling (toll-free) 1-800-348-2756. The book’s ISBN number is 978-0­88469-269-0. 

Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., has released its spring enrollment numbers, reporting that the total number of seminary students on campus is 114, a three-year high. The school welcomed fourteen new students for the spring semester, increasing its total on-campus presence nearly 87 percent from spring 2009. 

"Fall 2009 also brought a terrific group of seminarians to Grace with 36 new students. Spring is typically not a big season for enrollment, so we’re excited to have such strong numbers at this point in 2010,” said Dr. Jeff Gill, dean of the School of Ministry Studies. 

In addition to the 114 students on campus, 29 students are taking classes online this spring through the Master of Arts in Ministry Studies program. Grace Seminary is also home to a Doctor of Missiology program designed exclusively for Korean students, where more than 80 doctoral students are expected to study this year.