Last week several men from Grace Baptist Church traveled down to southern Indiana to help clean up some of the disaster after several tornadoes ripped through the country’s heartland. Melvin and Devin Wittkamper, Steve Parker, Brian McCarthy, Jason Burrough and Tim Moody are shown in a video by Channel 13, which recorded part of the trip and broadcast the story last Thursday afternoon. Click here to view the news clip.
A few weeks ago we issued a post about Jeremiah Small, nephew of GBC member John Plumb. 33-year-old Jeremiah had spent the last six years of his life teaching history, literature and English at a private Christian school in northern Iraq and sharing his love of Jesus Christ with the primarily Muslim students in his classes. On the morning of Thursday, March 1, Jeremiah was tragically shot and killed by a student who then killed himself.
Jeremiah’s story has been featured in news networks and magazines all across the world including the Wall Street Journal. Recently WORLD magazine published a second article which summarizes Jeremiah’s life in Iraq and highlights the reality that Jeremiah’s “six years became long enough to build a legacy.”
Click here to read the article.
Saturday, March 10, Steve Parker, Maintenance Director of Indiana Christian Academy and member of Grace Baptist Church, headed up a disaster relief team that worked to clean up some of the devastation in southern Indiana. Mike Keevin and Denzil Ward, members of Grace Baptist Church, were part of the team. After completing a two-hour safety course, the team was sent to Borden, Indiana where several homes had been completely destroyed.
The first weekend of April Steve will head up another team that will help churches whose buildings were destroyed by the tornadoes. Over the next two weeks Grace will be collecting items to send with the team for the southern Indiana towns hit by the tornadoes. If you would like to contribute, the items that are most needed are listed below. Contributions can be dropped off at the Little Chapel anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or before or after any church service (Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.).
Items Requested:
| Water and sports drinks |
| Diabetic drinks and snacks |
| Microwavable foods since most will be staying in hotels |
| Hygiene items |
| Toilet paper and paper towels |
| Diapers, formula and baby food |
| Pet food, leashes, collapsible crates |
| Nonperishable food |
| Canned fruits, kids snacks and drinks |
| Candles and matches/lighters |
| Batteries, flashlights/lanterns |
| Tarps, trash bags, gloves |
| First aid kits |
| Rubbing alcohol |
| Hydrogen peroxide |
| Band-Aids |
| General medications |
| Manual can openers |
| Blankets |
| Duct tape |
| Cleaning supplies, bleach (big item) |
| Entertainment items for kids and adults |
| Cash |
| New underwear and socks |
This past weekend Melvin Wittkamper, Maintenance Director of Grace Baptist Church, was part of a disaster relief team, working to clean up some of the devastation that was left after several tornadoes ripped through the country’s heartland. Melvin described the trip as “an experience that really can’t be put into words.” After being escorted by the Indiana State Police, he and the team began clearing tree trunks and debris with their equipment.
“One of the most memorable parts of the trip was reconstructing a church cemetery that had been completely destroyed,” Melvin shared. Mt. Moriah Baptist Church’s building had been ripped away, leaving only the foundation. Beside the church building had been a cemetery that had special meaning to the church body. Every single headstone had been knocked over. Melvin and several others were able to clear the area where the cemetery was located and restore each headstone to its proper location.
Steve Parker, member of Grace Baptist Church, will be heading up a work team that will leave this Saturday.
Over the next few days Grace will be collecting items for the southern Indiana towns hit by the tornadoes. If you would like to contribute, the items that are most needed are listed below. Contributions can be dropped off at the Little Chapel anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or before or after any church service (Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.).
Items Requested:
| Water and sports drinks |
| Diabetic drinks and snacks |
| Microwavable foods since most will be staying in hotels |
| Hygiene items |
| Toilet paper and paper towels |
| Diapers, formula and baby food |
| Pet food, leashes, collapsible crates |
| Nonperishable food |
| Canned fruits, kids snacks and drinks |
| Candles and matches/lighters |
| Batteries, flashlights/lanterns |
| Tarps, trash bags, gloves |
| First aid kits |
| Rubbing alcohol |
| Hydrogen peroxide |
| Band-Aids |
| General medications |
| Manual can openers |
| Blankets |
| Duct tape |
| Cleaning supplies, bleach (big item) |
| Entertainment items for kids and adults |
| Cash |
| New underwear and socks |
The Loss of a Hero is what the students of Jeremiah Small said about him when he was tragically shot and killed last Thursday morning, March 1. Our Grace Baptist Church family has been affected by events in international news recently—the shooting and death of Jeremiah Small, nephew of John Plumb at GBC. 33-year-old Jeremiah spent the last six years teaching history, literature and English at a private Christian school in northern Iraq and sharing his love of Jesus Christ with the primarily Muslim students in his classes. He was shot and killed in his classroom by a student who then killed himself. Jeremiah taught in the Classical School of the Medes in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad. The school is one of 3 such schools in Iraq with an overall enrollment of approximately 2000 students, run by Servant Group International based in Nashville, TN. The following are links to a WORLD Magazine article and two news clips about Jeremiah.
Killed in Action (WORLD Magazine)
Cosmopolis Teacher Shot, Killed by Student in Iraqi School (KING5 Broadcasting Company)
Teacher Slain in Iraq from Religious Washington Family (KOMO News Network)
Jeremiah’s parents and 4 of the 6 remaining siblings flew to Iraq last Saturday. There was already a memorial service this past Friday for both Jeremiah and the shooter at a mosque in Iraq, with hundreds attending. Jeremiah’s mother, Becky, said that as far as anyone knows, it was the first time in Iraqi history that a memorial service for a non-Muslim foreigner has taken place in a mosque. A second memorial service will be held in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday, March 6th. The body will be buried in Iraq. They will be trying to get a headstone with John 8:12 (Jesus Christ said, “I am the light of the world.”) and John 14:6 (Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh to the Father except by me.”) engraved on it. They have received personal condolences from the Iraqi President.
Hundreds gathered outside Jeremiah’s apartment to pray. The students at the Classical School of the Medes are rallying to Jeremiah’s defense to correct the misinformation and misreporting about “an argument”. The day previous to the shooting, Jeremiah was presiding over an open and lively history class discussion about Mohamed, and had brought the discussion to a close. The next day, last Thursday, Jeremiah was opening class with prayer, as was his custom, and was shot as he was ending the prayer. Earlier this year, Jeremiah had given a one-word title to what he wanted for Christ in 2012: “Increase.”
The family will return from Iraq to Nashville, TN on Saturday, March 10th. A 3rd memorial service will then be held at Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN on Sunday, March 11th at 5:00pm. The family will fly to Seattle on March 14th for a 4th memorial service in Aberdeen, WA on March 17th, then a 5th memorial service in Yakima, WA on March 18th.
Jeremiah had wanted to see a library established for that region of Iraq. The Jeremiah Small Memorial Fund has been established at Timberland Bank in Aberdeen, WA and is going to be used to help build the library in Suli.
Items for prayer:
1) Wisdom in communicating truth without undue offense
2) Continued fruitbearing for Christ from Jeremiah’s life and testimony
3) Safety in all the traveling
This year’s Couples Conference will be held at Cambria Suites in Noblesville off Exit 10. Dr. Bob Loggans, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown, WI, will be our speaker. He was ordained in November of 1982 and has counted Psalm 40:8 as a favorite verse throughout his years in ministry: I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart. He has served as the pastor of two churches, as an evangelist, and as a faculty, staff and administrative member of Maranatha Baptist Bible College. He currently teaches at Maranatha on an adjunct basis and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.
He received an M.A. and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Maranatha. He and his wife, Pamela, have four children. In his free time, Dr. Loggans enjoys walking, reading, biking, hunting and music.
Session 1- Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Session 2- Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Session 3- Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Join us for Sanctity of Life Sunday on January 21, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. We will celebrate life with our annual Baby Dedication and hear why it’s so important to protect the rights of the unborn. We will also hear a testimony from a church member who works each week at the LifeCenters giving hope to young women to help them make the right choice.
On Saturday, January 28, Colonial Hills Baptist Church is hosting a 1-1-1 Purity Conference designed to give tools of success to teens for purity in their generation. The keynote speakers are Dr. Rand Hummel and Dr. Jim Schettler. A church van is leaving at 8:30 a.m. and will return at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $19 with lunch provided.
Moms4Moms meets this Thursday. In fact, M4M meets the second Thursday of every month from 10-11:30 am to encourage young mothers of preschool through school age students and to equip them to grow their families for God’s glory. This year’s teaching series is entitled The Promised One. Come join us as we see Christ in the book of Genesis.
Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Promo from Crossway on Vimeo.
Remember God’s blessings in 2011 with a special service including a year-in-review video and a light supper. Please bring a dozen sandwiches and chips or cookies for Saturday, Dec. 31st. The service will last from 6-7 pm. Supper will be served at 7:00.
