Among those participating in commencement exercises at Grace College and Theological Seminary on May 14, 2011, were these men and women who, at their enrollment, indicated an affiliation with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. They are listed by name, home district, degree, hometown, and home church. We congratulate these individuals:

Katie Adams, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BS, Waldorf, Md., GBC-Waldorf
Paul Barna, FGBC-N Atlantic District, MA, Easton, Pa., GBC-Lehigh Valley-Bethlehem
Nathan Bates, FGBC-West Pa. District, BS, Johnstown, Pa., GBC-Liberty-Johnstown
Heidi Bedford, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, GBC-East Side-Columbus
Dustin Brown, FGBC-Iowa-Midlands Dist, MA, Warsaw, Ind.
Shelly Buchholz, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Wooster, Ohio, GBC-Wooster
William Burby, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Westerville, Ohio, GBC-Worthington-Columbus
Jonathan Burtoft, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-Winona Lake
Lauren Cartwright, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Homerville, Ohio, GBC-Homerville
Charles, Chappell, MA, Winona Lake, Ind.
Daphne Duncan, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BA, Winona Lake, Ind., Community GBC Warsaw
Valerie Faber-Cooke, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BS, Midlothian, Va., GBC-Riner
Sandy Furtado, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BS, Huntingtown, Md., GBC-Calvert County-Owings
Rebecca Grube, FGBC-Allegheny District, BS, Meyersdale, Pa., GBC-Meyersdale
Sarah Hess, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Winona Lake, Ind., GBC-Worthington-Columbus
Zachary Hollinger, FGBC, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-Winona Lake
Jason Horner, FGBC-West Pa. District, BS, Martinsburg, Pa., GBC-Martinsburg
Kyle Jones, FGBC-Blue Ridge, BS, Clifton Forge, Va., GBC-Covington
Stephen Kaufman, FGBC-NE Ohio District, BS, Mansfield, Ohio, GBC-Ashland
Katie, Kelley, FGBC-Arctic District, BS, Eagle River, Alaska, Eagle River Grace Brethren
Amanda Knight, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BS, Osceola, Ind., GBC-Osceola
Armando Lucio, FGBC, MD, Winona Lake, Ind., Winona Lake Grace Brethren
Patti Miller, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Winona Lake, Ind., GBC-Southern Hills Community Church
Lorena Moreno, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BA, Richmond, Va, GBC-Richmond
Brittany Norris, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BA, LaPlata, Md., GBC-Waldorf
Andrew O'Dell, FGBC-S Cal/Arizona Distr, BA, Winona Lake, Ind., GBC-Long Beach
Chad Parker, FGBC-Iowa-Midlands Dist, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-Waterloo
Kent Phelps, FGBC-NE Ohio District, BS, Winona Lake, Ind., GBC-Wooster
Kory Pruner, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Ashland, Ohio, GBC-Southview
Frank Puhl, FGBC, S, Grace Brethren-Leonberg,German
Sheila Remington, FGBC-NE Ohio District, BS, Ashland, Ohio, GBC-Ashland
John Rife, FGBC, MA, Warsaw, Ind.
Matthew Rupple, FGBC, BS, Defiance, Ohio, Winona Lake Grace Brethren
Liane Schmersahl, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BA, Myersville, Md., GBC-Frederick
Melissa Schultz, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BS, Huntington, Ind., GBC-Community of Hope, Columbia City
Lydia Scoles, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BA, Marysville, Ohio, GBC-Northwest Chapel-Dublin
Amy Simmons, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BA, Marion, Ohio, GBC-Marion
Elizabeth Smith, FGBC-North Central Ohio, BS, Hilliard, Ohio, GBC-Southwest-Grove City
Parker Snowden, FGBC-Indiana District, BS, Goshen, Ind., GBC-Grace Community-Goshen
Heather Speckman, FGBC-Northwest Ohio Dist, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-Basore Road-Dayton
Joel Swain, FGBC, BA, Winona Lake, Ind., Foreign Church
Steven Thom, FGBC, BE, Indianapolis, Ind.
Mindy Triplehorn, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, MA, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-New Horizon Community Church, Winona Lake
Maria Triplehorn, FGBC, BA, Winona Lake, Ind.
Ryan Walker, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-Winona Lake
MariJean Wegert, FGBC, BA, Elmore, Ohio, GBC-Trinity-Northwood
Charles Wheeler, FGBC-Chesapeake District, BS, Dunkirk, Md., GBC-Calvert County-Owings
Daniel White, DM, York, Pa., GBC-York
Melissa Witwer, FGBC-N Atlantic District, BS, Terre Hill, Pa., GBC-New Holland
Mindy Woods, FGBC-Indiana Heartland, BS, Warsaw, Ind., GBC-New Horizon Comm-Winona Lk
Tonya Zuber, FGBC-N Atlantic District, ED, North Catasauqua, Pa., GBC-Lehigh Valley-Bethlehem

Liz Cutler GatesI remember the time I thought I’d messed up my eye sight for life.

It began when I rolled my mom’s car. Flying glass sliced open my forehead and left eyelid, requiring surgery to repair. As a result, I couldn’t wear my contact lenses (the hard variety) for most of the summer.

Grateful that the stitches were the only result of a very serious accident, I complied. Glasses weren’t my favorite accessory, but the alternative was more alarming.

I was to serve as a bridesmaid in my brother’s wedding. As my family left for California, where the nuptials were to occur, I had the blessing of my doctor to begin wearing the contacts. The only caution was to begin slowly, leaving them in for a few hours at a time.

I obeyed – briefly. The second morning on the road, I decided I’d wear the lenses all day. By the time we stopped that evening, my eyes were very tired. In the middle of the night, I awoke to a stabbing pain in my eyes. Soothing drops helped and I managed to fall back asleep. When I woke up, I could not see clearly.

Needless to say, the glasses went back on my face. The rest of the day, I curled up in the back seat with my eyes closed. When I did crack them open, there was only a haze of gray. My dread of wearing glasses (and not looking my best) at the wedding, was replaced by an even greater panic that I’d never see clearly again.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about vision – but vision different than physical eyesight. In his moderator’s address to the 2011 national conference, Bob Fetterhoff quoted Helen Keller -- “It’s a terrible thing to see and have no vision.”

He asked, “Is that possibly true for some of us?”

In that summer of 1975, as my dad steered the family car west, I felt I had no vision – literally. My vain desires only led to a series of fuzzy shapes along the road – no cheerful wild flowers waving their heads in the breeze, no gleaming ribbon of highway leading into the distance, not even glorious mountains on the horizon.

But sometimes we unknowingly lose our vision. How often do we follow our selfish desires only to realize it’s created a foggy future? How many times do we become so busy in the present that we don’t look beyond the current circumstances to dream about what could be.

Thankfully, as my brother and his bride’s big day approached, my eyes healed. I was able to view clearly the ceremony and reception through my contact lenses. It’s a silly, self-centered story now, but it resulted in me paying attention to my eyes so I could continue to have optimum sight. It also has served to remind me to take time to listen to the Father’s guidance so I can effectively seize His vision.

As you read this issue of FGBC World, I hope you’ll catch a clear vision for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches as cast by Moderator Fetterhoff. It’s a vision based on hours of faith-filled prayer as many have gone before the throne of God to seek His wisdom. It’s a vision that realizes eternity is at stake, time is short, and people are headed to hell.

It is, after all, a new day!

The first evening of conference ended with an ice cream social, with creamy goodies and toppings serted by the FGBC leadership team, the Fellowship Council.Six new churches were voted into membership of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches during Vision2020, the national conference of the fellowship which was held July 23-27 at the Grace Brethren Church in Wooster, Ohio.

The new congregations include: New Horizon Church, New York, N.Y. (Michael Faulkner, pastor); Fuente de Vida Grace Bilingual Church, Elkhart, Ind. (Brian Baughman, pastor); Awaken Church, Virginia Beach, Va. (Michael Pumphrey, pastor); Sterling Grace Brethren Church, Mt. Sterling, Ohio (Mac Cordell, pastor); The Bridge, Tipp City, Ohio (Ron Sheranko, pastor); and Greensboro Grace Brethren Church, Reidsville, N.C. (Daniel Pierce, pastor).

Robert Fetterhoff, pastor of the Wooster church, was elected by delegates to a two-year term as moderator of the fellowship.

Caribbean Vision, a ministry largely devoted to Haitians and Haiti and directed by Dr. Chuck Davis, was recognized as a Cooperating Ministry with the fellowship.

Social ConJoel Richards, pastor of the LaLoma Grace Brethren Church, Modesto, Calif., and president of the Association of Grace Brethren Ministers, led a workshop on how a church should care for its pastor(s).cerns resolutions were introduced by the retiring chair of the Social Concerns Committee, Dr. Donald Shoemaker. Continuing resolutions include sanctity of human life, religious freedom, personal commitment, and homosexuality. Resolutions new this year and passed by the conference delegates included statements on Seeking “The Peace of the City;” The Middle East, Heterosexual Monogamous Marriage; Religious Freedom and Same-Sex Marriage; Religious Liberty; God’s Creation; Prayer for Peace and for All in Authority; Concern for Suffering Humanity; and The Persecuted Church.  Following passage of the resolutions, Shoemaker was honored by the conference for his leadership as chair of the social concerns committee since 1985An operating budget was approved for the coming year, and those elected to the Fellowship Council included Richard Todd, Western Region, pastor of Community Grace Brethren Church,  Whittier, Calif.; Jason Carmean, Central Region, pastor of Grace Brethren Church, Lexington, Ohio; and Dan Thornton, Eastern Region, executive pastor of Maranatha Brethren Church, Hagerstown, Md.

The business meeting was only part of a conference that celebrated the future of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Speakers included Brad Powell, Jim Brown,
Bartley Sawatzky, Dan Allan, Stephen Joyce, Jim Custer, Jeff Bogue, and Bob Fetterhoff.

Vision2020 West, the national conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, is July 27 – August 2, 2012, in Indian Wells, Calif.

Grace College and Seminary, The Remnant Trust, and Liberty Fund are hosting a symposium on Thursday, October 6, 2011, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. This event will be from 10 a.m. until noon at Westminster Hall on the Grace College campus in Winona Lake, Ind.

The King James Version (KJV) was initiated in 1604 when King James of England requested that a new English translation of the Bible be published. Seven years later, the KJV was finished and was first published by the Church of England. The KJV has had a profound impact on Christianity and on literature throughout the past 400 years.

Four distinguished experts will present on different facets of the King James Version. These speakers include Dr. Jeffrey Kloha, Dr. Matthew Harmon, Dr. John Alvis, and Martine Brownley.

Concordia Theological Seminary professor Dr. Jeffrey Kloha will open the symposium with the topic, “What to Translate? How the KJV Defined ‘The Bible,’” Dr. Kloha is a premier New Testament scholar who is highly sought after for his presentations. Dr. Matthew Harmon, Grace College professor, will speak on, “Is Translation Really Treason? The Impulse to Translate the Bible into the Common Tongue.” Dr. Harmon brings a passion to equip people to encounter Christ through the Scriptures and leads others to do the same as well. His blog entitled ‘Biblical Theology’ was recognized by ChristianColleges.com for being a top 100 Theology Blog.

University of Dallas Professor Dr. John Alvis will speak on, “The Contribution of the KJV to the Anglo-American Tradition of Prizing Liberty.” Dr. Alvis’ research interests include Shakespeare, Milton, American literature, and playwriting. His work has been published in many distinguished news magazines such as Carolina Academic Press, Lexington Press, and the Liberty Fund Press.

Martine Brownley, Emory University professor, will conclude the event with, “‘It Lives on in the Ear’: Language, Literature, and the King James Bible.” Brownley is an associated faculty member in the Comparative Literature Program at Emory and the Institute for Women’s Studies. She was awarded with the 2009 Governor’s Award in the humanities category, an award which recognizes individuals and organizations who build community, character, and citizenship in Georgia through public humanities education.

For more information, contact John Boal on the Grace campus at (866) 448-3472.

Henry and Frances Weber School Debuts at Grace College

Grace Seminary Receives ATS Accreditation

Norwalk Church Celebrates 100 Years

Grace Chapel of Southern Maryland Dedicates Facility

Whittier Community Occupies New Facility Save & New

Hagerstown Grace Brethren Church Building Sold

Henry and Frances Weber School Debuts at Grace College
Wanting to provide a cost-effective degree to students in urban areas who want a Christian education, Grace College, Winona Lake, Ind., has opened campuses of the Henry and Frances Weber School in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind. The schools will provide a two-year associate of arts degree in general studies to students in those areas at a cost of $3,900 per semester.

“To our knowledge this is the only such Christian two-year program available today,” said Dr. Ronald Manahan, president of Grace College. “This school will offer a cost-effective associate degree to students in urban areas who want a Christian education, and we ultimately look forward to offering this program in a variety of cities.”

Each of the two years will be divided into fall, spring, and summer semesters, each with two eight-week sessions. The program is designed so that students completing the two-year associate degree can continue to the Winona Lake campus or transfer to another college to complete baccalaureate degrees.

Grace Seminary Receives ATS Accreditation
Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., has been awarded accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). The full initial accreditation is for a period of five years.

The ATS is a membership organization of more than 250 graduate schools that conduct post-baccalaureate professional and academic degree programs to educate persons for the practice of ministry as well as for teaching and research in the theological disciplines.

Norwalk Church Celebrates 100 Years
The Grace Brethren Church of Norwalk, Calif., located at 11005 Foster Road, Norwalk, is celebrating 100 years of God’s faithfulness on Sunday, September 18. The day begins with a 9:30 a.m. welcome reception and includes a 10:45 a.m. worship service and a picnic at 1:30 p.m. at LaMirada Regional Park, 13701 S. Adelfa Av., La Mirada, Calif.

The congregation has extended an invitation to anyone who would like to attend. If you are planning to join them, please call or email the church at (562) 863-7322 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Grace Chapel of Southern Maryland Dedicates Facility
Grace Chapel of Southern Maryland, a Grace Brethren congregation in Helen, Md., dedicated its new facility on May 15. Pastor Bob Wagner (Grace Brethren Church, Owings, Md.,) gave the dedication message, and Pastor Paul Mutchler (Grace Brethren Church, Lanham, Md.) and Dennis Fay (Grace Brethren Church, Waldorf, Md.) spoke on behalf of the district churches. Several district pastors were there to celebrate with them including, Pastor Irv Clark from Clinton, Md., and Pastor Dave Kennedy from Richmond, Va.

Whittier Community Occupies New Facility
The congregation of Community Grace Brethren Church, Whittier, Calif., gathered after their first Sunday in their new facility. Since May, Community Grace Brethren Church of Whittier, Calif. (Richard Todd, pastor), has been worshiping in their new facility, a former furniture store located at 8109 Greenleaf Avenue. In 2009, they sold their previous facility to an evangelical, Bible-teaching church and embarked on a search for a new place to worship. While they looked for a permanent location, the congregation met on Sundays at the Whittier Senior Center.

Hagerstown Grace Brethren Church Building Sold
Cornerstone Community Church, formerly known as Hagerstown (Md.) Grace Brethren Church, has sold its building at First and Spruce streets in Hagerstown for $1.3 million to Head Start of Washington County.

Cornerstone’s pastor, Harald Bjerga, said the church, in turn, has purchased the former Homeplace Everlasting property in the Beaver Creek area, which includes a shop and barn on the property that are a better fit for the congregation.