Across the Nation is our monthly rundown of news briefs, links and quotes from Churches of Christ across the U.S. Got an idea for this column? Email Calvin Cockrell at calvin@christianchronicle.org.
Featured image (above): Yves Bilong, a native of Cameroon, competes in track and field events for Harding University.
WASHINGTON
SPOKANE — From a bustling recreation of a Roman market to secret family gatherings modeled after the early church, children at the CityLight Church of Christ transformed the campus into the streets of ancient Rome.
The weeklong Vacation Bible School on June 22-26 immersed 25 children ages 4 to 12 into the story of the apostle Paul and the underground church.
Bud Gothmann, a CityLight elder, welcomes kids to the Vacation Bible School family groups.
“We are trying to give them a feel for what it might have been like to be one of the very first Christians,” said minister Troy Burns.
Throughout the week, volunteers recreated elements of life in ancient Rome. Children participated in Roman-inspired games, including shot put and water bucket relays, while also gathering in family groups to discuss Paul’s ministry and his role in the early church.
Hayes Holub (left) and Ryan Averill (right) smile before resuming worship on the stage.
During family time sessions, participants were encouraged to speak quietly, mirroring the secrecy early Christians maintained amid persecution in the Roman Empire.
“We’re just trying to be that beacon in the neighborhood,” Burns told The Christian Chronicle. “The church is hoping to plant some deep seeds.”
NEWSMAKERS
AWARDED — YVES BILONG, NCAA Division II national champion for men’s triple jump with a mark of 16.16 meters. Bilong is a senior at Harding University in Searcy, Ark.
HONORED — ANDY and CARRIE WALL for 25 years of service to the Conejo Valley Church of Christ in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where Andy serves as pulpit minister.
Andy Wall, Tra Beard and Hannah Diles.
NAMED — DALE BARGER, minister of the Stoney Creek Church of Christ in Elizabethtown, Tenn. He is a 2009 graduate of the Tri-Cities School of Preaching & Christian Development. TRA BEARD, adjunct professor of Christian discipleship and pastoral epistles for Mid-South Christian College in Memphis, Tenn. Beard is minister for the Northwest Church of Christ in Southaven, Miss. GARRET BEST, assistant dean of the College of Bible and Ministry and director of the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. ERIK BISHOP, family and outreach minister for the Monrovia Church of Christ in Madison, Ala. Bishop and his family have served for five years as missionaries in Queretaro, Mexico. DARYL BOWEN, elder of the Northeast Church of Christ in Eastpointe, Mich. HANNAH DILES, female assistant director for Camp Wyldewood in Searcy, Ark. MARTY KNIGHT, director of the Sunset Academy of Leadership Training (SALT), which hosts workshops to foster healthy growth and leadership in Churches of Christ. SALT is a ministry of Sunset International Bible Institute and the Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. Knight is a longtime minister, elder and former missionary to Romania. RANDOLPH MCKINNEY and DAN SIMS, elders of the Renaissance Church of Christ in Atlanta. DREW PIRTLE, athletic director for Columbia Academy in Tennessee. CARYS PITMAN, operations specialist for Lubbock, Texas-based DiscipleTrips.
