MIDWEST REGION

Empowering Brethren churches to Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples in North Western Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa.

STORIES FROM THE REGION


By Michael Cook 27 Feb, 2024
Nappanee First Brethren Church (NFBC) has been busy these last few months ministering and reaching out to its local community. Since last fall, they’ve rolled out several new ministries and community outreach initiatives that offer hope, healing, and the Gospel to the community. Last October, NFBC launched "Life Groups" which go beyond traditional small groups to connect with communities and serve as mini "house churches." One of the stated goals of Life Groups is to serve as a vehicle for congregants to reach out to unchurched friends and neighbors. The initiative has been met with a good amount of success and has resulted in a number of people becoming reconnected to church through the ministry of these Life Groups. Tom Anders, Senior Pastor of NFBC, notes, "When you start doing what the Lord wants, people start coming out of the woodwork." Beginning in January 2024, NFBC became a local affiliate of Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery, now being used by more than 3500 churches, was birthed out of Saddleback Church in the 1990s, is a Christ-centered 12-step program that uses the principles outlined in the Beatitudes to bring healing to peoples’ “hurts, habits, and hang-ups.” These might range from drug and alcohol addiction to trauma and relational wounds to grief and mental health. On Thursday nights, Celebrate Recovery meets at NFBC. The first hour is the large group session, which includes worship, a review of the Celebrate Recovery principles, a lesson, and testimonies. Then, there’s a brief refreshment time before people move into their small groups, organized by the specific issue the group addresses. The success of Celebrate Recovery extends beyond the meeting, though, as one of its tenets is that participants must engage with a church community. Although Celebrate Recovery is a ministry not intended for outreach, a few participants have found a home at NFBC. Part of the launch of Celebrate Recovery was to air a few radio spots advertising the new ministry on the local Christian radio station Pulse FM. With several satellite towers, Pulse FM has a reach covering roughly half of Indiana and Michigan. Once those radio spots were up and running, NFBC’s advisory team began to feel God inviting them onto the airwaves in a bigger way, and began investigating what it might take to start a regular radio show on Pulse FM. Once the question was asked, God started opening the doors. A parishioner with a metal roofing business was approached and asked if the business would be interested in underwriting the program. “Doing this would cost less than our monthly spend on Facebook!” was the enthusiastic reply. With the sponsor secured, Pastor Tom was ready to bring the Word to the airwaves weekly. And on Sunday, February 4th, 2024, “Living Life Victoriously,” hosted by Pastor Tom Anders, went on the air. You can tune in at 8 pm every Sunday night on Pulse FM to hear his teaching if you’re in the broadcast reach or listen online at pulsefm.com!
By Dan Acker 08 Nov, 2023
On Saturday, October 28th Sarah Miller was ordained as an Elder in the Brethren Church. The service took place in David and Sarah Miller’s home in Marion, Indiana, surrounded by friends, family, and folks from their midweek gathering called the Unchurch. The intergenerational service featured singing, an interactive message from David Miller, and the laying on of hands from the pastors in attendance: Jim Miller, David Miller, David Graetz, and Larry Baker, as well as the Regional Resource Coordinators from both the Midwest and West Regions: Lee Compson, and Dan Acker. Midwest RLT Lay Representative Linda Immel was also in attendance. Sarah was recommended for ordination by Oasis Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona, and examined by the West Region before being approved for ordination by the National Board of Oversight. David and Sarah will continue to reach out and minister to those in their community and will become members of the Midwest Region as they continue their ministry in Marion, Indiana. Congratulations Sarah!
By Lee Compson 30 Aug, 2023
The Brethren Retreat Center at Camp Shipshewana hosted The Midwest Region’s first-ever large-scale regional gathering on August 19-20. The event began with back-to-back breakout sessions on the GSE Church Planting process and small group teaching. Following those sessions, things really got going with a special concert by local musician Tab Beechler. The concert was followed by dinner, and the night was capped off by a time of worship and sharing from ministries in Elkhart, Riverside Christian School, Camp Shipshewana, and even India. Sunday was highlighted by a worship service and message by Tim Garner, a former Indiana District pastor. Lunch, graciously prepared by the folks at Loree First Brethren, finished things off. Thanks to Linda Immel, Sarah Miller, Dan Herendeen, and Jay Shafer, who planned the well-attended and well-received event. Over 80 people participated on Saturday, while around 120 attended on Sunday. Three churches moved their Sunday morning services to Camp Shipshewana for this event. It was especially encouraging to see so many different churches not only attending but serving and contributing. Corinth First Brethren Church helped provide Saturday’s dinner, and Muncie First Brethren Church had their worship lead Saturday night. County Line Brethren Church did the same on Sunday while Loree First Brethren Church prepared their famous chicken noodle dinner. Pastors from Unchurch, Goshen, Warsaw, and Milford all filled roles as well. Many thanks to Rick Miller and Camp Shipshewana for hosting us. We are all grateful for the fellowship and encouragement this event provided for our churches. Lee Compson Midwest Regional Resource Coordinator

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LIVING AND LOVING LIKE JESUS THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST

Your Regional Leadership Team (RLT) is made up of pastors and lay leaders committed to resourcing the local church for healthy ministry. We exist to serve and empower congregations by developing leaders, resourcing congregations, supporting church plants, and promoting healthy relationships between congregations in our region so that we might better Love God, Love Others, and Make Disciples.

  • NOT PICTURED

    Jim Black - Elder

    Ron Burns - Elder

    Dan Herendeen - Elder

    Lorie Keck - Elder

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