“The mission of the Shepherds’ Conference is to provide the opportunity for men in church leadership to be challenged in their commitment to biblical ministry and to find encouragement together as servants of the chief Shepherd.” This year I had the privilege of attending my fourth Shepherds’ Conference. It was from March 5-8that Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. … Read More

What is a disciple-making church? Towards the end of February, I attended a seminar held at Grace Church of Mentor, in Mentor, Ohio, and it was called “Sustaining a Disciple-Making Culture in Your Church.” The pastor, Tim Potter, led the seminar, and his approach was not to give a lecture on discipleship but to testify of what God had done in … Read More

Creative Director  Sara Bunn will join Immanuel’s staff on Monday, April 1st, as Creative Director. For the past four years, Sara has managed the church social media pages. In addition to these, Sara will oversee Immanuel’s website, mobile app, church-wide email, and printed publications. We are blessed and thankful for Sara’s talent on our staff.  Sara enjoys serving the church in this … Read More

Simply defined, a community is a group of people with common interests who live in a specific location.  You could then say that a church community is a group of people with a common faith in Christ who meet in a specific location.  But is this definition an adequate description of what God intended the church to be?  Dustin Willis, … Read More

In Luke 14, the Lord Jesus was attending a dinner given by a ruler of the Pharisees, and He took the occasion to teach them through two parables about humility and compassion in the kingdom of God.  Leading up to the parable of the Great Banquet, he gives these instructions when it comes to hosting a dinner, “But when you … Read More

As we examine the diverse church, it is important to understand that this isn’t solely based on an outward appearance of who is in attendance; rather, it should be steeped in rich, free thought expressed through differing ideas and opinions. But what happens when we prioritize our personal preferences over people? Bear in mind that there is a difference between … Read More

Church Diversity: The Many Branches of Racial Tension In the Book of Revelation, John speaks of, “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… (7:9).” In many respects, as Christians, we view this as the ideal, yet we struggle to work towards … Read More

I’m eagerly looking at my seed packets on this winter day.  Deciding what will go in my garden – what and when – we all pick our favorites.  This is also the time of year that seeds for summer missions are planted. God gives the church wonderful students who have a heart for Him and a desire to serve – … Read More

I was born in Jamestown, New York on July 19, 1946.  Most of my years through high school were spent living in a house my Dad built on my grandparents dairy farm.  When not working on the farm, my interests were motorcycles and trains.  When I graduated from high school in June 1964 my plan was to enter military service.  … Read More