The University of Findlay
Barkeyville Academy
Barkeyville Academy today
Display about the Academy
Barkeyville Church of God
Worshiping at Barkeyville Church of God
Please send all news items to Rachel Foreman at communications@cggc.org
The new Chambersburg sanctuary
Theological Study Day:
Around table (l to r): Heidi Guyer, Tom Meyers, Mary Kay Miller, Len Gochenaur, Mark Hosler, Dave Yost, Charlie Hostetter, Stephanie DiFrancesco
Bob Malick, Ken Zitsch, Dale Miller, Sandie Baney, Cheryl Dorman, Brad Moore
Lew Button, Larry Hale, Carolyn Sites, Ed Maxwell, Charlie Zahora
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MUSTARD SEEDS
Yesterday and today the University of Findlay held their fall board meeting. President DeBow Freed shared many items indicative of the health and ongoing success of the institution including increased enrollment, positive cash flow, and an increasingly higher caliber of first year students. The school is now rated in the top tier of colleges in the Midwest. For any who may not be aware, the CGGC helped found the university in 1882 and currently 10 of the 43 trustees come from the church. In addition, Pastor Will Miller from our Great Lakes Conference serves as the campus pastor. After 125 years, the university looks to the future with great expectations, but there’s more to this story of educational endeavors in the CGGC.
One of our other significant institutions of higher learning existed in our Allegheny Region. From 1881 to 1906 the Barkeyville Academy provided higher education for many CGGC young people beyond grammar school. A number of its graduates and teachers went on to Findlay College and many served across the church. John Latchaw, the founder and first principal of the Academy, went on to become Findlay College’s first president. Viola Hershey Cover, who matriculated at Barkeyville, became a life long CGGC missionary to India. Then there was William Nelson Yates and William Harris Guyer who both served as presidents of Findlay College. There were many others who went into Christian service! The impact of the academy on the CGGC in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries can hardly be measured, but it was quite significant. Even the founding of Winebrenner Seminary owes a leadership debt to Barkeyville Academy. Indirectly it could be said that the Academy still serves the CGGC.
Last weekend Linda and I traveled to exit 29 on Route 80 in Pennsylvania to attend the Founder’s Day celebration at Barkeyville. Yes, the Academy is still there! Even though the school closed a century ago, a part of the original building remains. It has been restored and appropriately furnished thanks to the vision and work of Pastor Rob Guy and the Barkeyville CGGC congregation. At the afternoon service I shared a message from Matthew 13 on the mustard seed of faith. Every good idea starts as a seed with the potential to grow greatly and provide a benefit to many even beyond its time. The Barkeyville Academy is a prime example. I encouraged everyone present to sow the gospel seeds given to them, to have faith and to let God provide for the increase. The greatest tragedy would be not to plant. I asked them, “So, what mustard seed is yours to plant?”
Ed
Barkeyville Academy Class of 1895
VISITS IN THE EAST
After leaving Barkeyville, Linda and I headed east for visits and church business in central Pennsylvania. Monday morning I went to the Cumberland Valley ministerium at Chambersburg. Dr. Dave Draper of Winebrenner Seminary fame talked about the ongoing challenges of theological education centered on the themes of knowing, doing and being. I’ll let him explain, but it was very enlightening. This meeting also got me in the door for the pre-tour of the new Chambersburg bethel under construction. Their dedication day is October 21 and I hope to attend. So, look for more on their story in a couple weeks.
Then on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning I participated in the Eastern Region’s Theological Study day. Dr. Douglas Buckwalter presented a discussion centered on Biblical studies, focusing upon understanding the text by context. It was a good refresher course in hermeneutics. Basically, the approach Dr. Buckwalter shared in four sessions pushed us to center in on the Biblical message first and foremost, and check commentaries only after the text work is completed. It was also good to share the time with the 30-some Eastern Region pastors present and catch up on grapevine news.
On Wednesday I attended the Ad Council meeting of the Eastern Regional Conference in Harrisburg. The region is in the midst of its search for a new executive director; so, please pray for them as they discern God’s leading. In the meantime, I praise the Lord for Dr. Tom Lucas who stepped into the gap and is providing excellent leadership as the interim director. Beyond the routine business, two matters were discussed and referred to committee. One dealt with the need for some sort of governing document for church plants and the other concerned the ongoing need for pastoral continuing education. Several years back the ERC established an annual CEU (continuing education unit) benchmark of 20 hours or 2 units, but found difficulties with the implementation process. They’re trying to work out the “bugs.” Frankly I think this could be a good standard for us to use across the CGGC. The difficulty lies in the reporting and accountability systems. It’s very difficult to keep track. Let me know what you think of the idea and if you have any suggestions that could help it work without making it onerous?
Praise God for the CGGC and may she rise to her full potential in Christ!
Ed
PS-Don’t forget to plant a mustard seed!
Eastern Regional Conference Administrative Council
Front (l to r): George Jensen, Colleen Gross (Treasurer), Dale Miller (Vice-Pres.), George Spangler (Pres.), Dr. Tom Lucas (ERC Executive Director), Deb Bender (Secretary)
Back: Ryan Long, Jack Selcher (Associate for Discipleship), Mary Ann Fenton, Phil Scott, Jean Koontz, Charlie Steinmann, Mark Ginter, Bob Malick, Jim Moss, Rachel Neely-Sleasman, Jim Bender (Financial Secretary), Brenda Keefer
CATALYST UPDATE
Thank you for your continued prayers and letters and gifts of support as we have been walking through, not around, this trial right now. It certainly hasn't been easy, and we have all felt like jumping ship at one point or another. But God has reminded us of His faithfulness and calling on our lives, and that His work is not yet done with Catalyst. Here are some updates for prayer:
- The Crew is working again at our Sandusky St. location. After numerous permits and troubles, they are back underway. Much of the drywall in the main room is up, and they continue to work their way through the building. However, the damages exceeded insurance coverage on the building, so the landlord is not willing to run the water lines from the bathroom to the lobby. This is something inexpensive that we can do, and we are welcome to do, and the crew will work with us to make sure we have it in the wall appropriately. They are still committed to rebuilding our countertops and staging areas, etc.
- Another challenge is that Findlay City Schools are looking at our temporary location on Tiffin Ave., and we may still be moving across the street to the former social security office. The landlord replied to my inquiry and assured me that at this time there are no plans to move us, but we would be notified immediately when and if something changes. I continue to see these steps as opportunities for us and ways of considering our mission of connecting people to God we may not have otherwise thought of. We are totally in the hands of the Lord at this time, and I treasure the opportunity to have us all as a community experience utter dependence on Him for something as simple as "a place to meet."
- We have received about half of the monies needed to completely replace our lost and damaged items. There is potential of more still coming in. We have received new Bibles, replaced our projector, our coffee brewer, a vacuum cleaner, and some incidentals. We also received donations of some office supplies and lots of kids' supplies, toys and curriculum. We have been running our lyrics for worship on paper for a couple of weeks and now are using the laptop to project them again. After much cleaning and mining, it is official that all of our data is lost from the hard drives, so we will be recreating a lot of our documents and data bases, once we replace our computers. Thankfully, two of our monitors are functioning, and we did have some date on our laptop. We were also given an older computer that we will use in the office, and a brand new copy/fax/printer machine! Oh! Our white Christmas lights were replaced by a donation, and to replace our ping-pong table, we were given a used pool table and air hocky table! (Even the "little" things mean so much!)
- We have three candidates for Eldership. We brought them in front of our congregation last Sunday and explained their prayerful process of consideration, and urged the rest of us to pray through commissioning/ordaining them into ministry leadership on October 7th. (Ironically, this is the weekend of Catalyst's anniversary--our 6th year!) They have already had a meeting and been dialoguing about immediate decisions to be made and delegation of duties.
- Please pray specifically about our ministry to our children--we need to re-determine how to best teach them about worshiping God and learning to love Him and love others. With numbers so few, and people stretched in many directions, we have not had any "organized" care and teaching for them. We are reconsidering a "One Room School House" approach, except for the infants, and also how we can incorporate them into the main service.
Nathan and Alison Buck
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