2007Q4

Fall 2007 Volume 54 No. 4USPS 165-700

The Family AltarThe Family Altar

Laverne Weber, a former missionary kid, is a minister, a nurse, and the director of Journey to Joy, a ministry for those who are hurting in the body of Christ. She serves as women’s pastor at Faith Community Assembly of God in Easton, PA, where her husband, Pat, is the senior pastor. The Webers have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

Pennsylvania-Delaware District ConneXions

4651 Westport DriveMechanicsburg, PA 17055

Editor: Stephen R. TourvilleManaging Editor: David Crosby Sr.

Associate Editor: Carole Bongiorno

Phone (717) 795-5921Fax (717) 795-5928

E-Mail: [email protected]: www.penndel.org

ExEcutivE PrEsbytEry

Stephen R. Tourville, SuperintendentPaul Grabill, Assistant SuperintendentDavid Crosby Sr., Secretary-Treasurer

Honorary GEnEral PrEsbytErs

Philip BongiornoJames E. Morris

PrEsbytErs

James Rugg, NE SectionJonathan Baker, NC Section

Kenneth Martin, NW SectionChristopher Clark, NCW Section

Jeffrey Kettering, SC SectionJames Balzano, SCW SectionRandall Rhoads, SCE SectionDaniel Clark Sr., SE SectionSteven DeFrain, EC SectionDonald Immel, SWS SectionWilliam Ellis, SWM Section

Timothy Satryan, DEL Section

Contributions of articles are accepted. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return. We reserve the right to reject articles not consistent with the magazine’s objectives.

ConneXions

ConneXions (USPS 165-700) is the official periodical published quarterly by the Pennsylvania-Delaware

District Council of the Assemblies of God. Periodical postage paid at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Circulation stands at approximately 7,500

Fall 2007

POSTMASTER:Send address changes to:

Pennsylvania-Delaware District Council4651 Westport Drive

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-4887

I remember lingering at the breakfast table. It was devotions time at the mission. While I loved to hear my father read the Bible, the prayer time on my knobby little knees seemed to last an eternity. I reached for more toast.

Years later the family altar became a part of our home. Establishing a family devotional time is never easy. So many things can interrupt our plans. Good intentions are not enough. My husband and I soon realized that we had to

make the time. That meant I had to get up earlier and be ready with breakfast, clothes, and school supplies – not always easy, and sometimes we missed. But we learned.

The Bible emphasizes the parental respon-sibility of passing on our faith to our children. Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 in the Amplified Bible tells us to “whet and sharpen” the words of God so they will penetrate into the hearts of our chil-dren. It is a task that requires our diligence. It is a ministry that flows out of our own love for God’s Word and for the family He has given to us. It is a matter of doing our part to sow the right seed while the ground is receptive, knowing that in so doing we will see a fruitful harvest.

The family altar must be more than a ritual. It must have purpose. Morning time was restricted, but we still wanted to send our children into their world with a Scripture that they understood and could apply to their lives. We also wanted to ask God to cover them, to bless their day with His favor, and to make them a blessing. We found

that at bedtime we could take more time to read Scriptures that answered their questions or needs. That was when the children were more likely to share their struggles or joys. Those evening prayer times became a special time of bonding and helping our children grow in their own relationships with God.

The time you have for your family altar is not as important as the fact that you have a time to come to God as a family. Choose age appropriate Bible lessons and include some hands on activities to cement the truth. Sending thank you letters at Thanksgiving, a Chrismon tree, an advent candle, baskets for the needy, and celebrating Passover are ways to make your devotions more memorable.

The Family Altar

Connexions Fall 2007�

LAvErnE WEbEr Guest Contributor

Women’s Pastor, Faith Community Assembly of God

Easton, PA

PASTor STEPhEn r. TourviLLE Superintendent

[email protected] how little things make a big difference. If your family struggles with relationships and desires to alter direction, the altar is the place to start. I do not mean to be simplistic, but the reality is that the place of prayer can solve more problems than most of us realize. If you are having problems in your marriage, pray. It is difficult to be at odds with one another when you pray together. If there is too much month for the money, it is time to pray. If stress is wearing you out, it is time to pray. If the job is getting to you, it is time to pray. If the car is about to give out, it is time to pray. If temptation is knocking at your door, it is time to pray. If the news from the doc-tor is not good, it is time to pray. If you are worried about the children’s walk with the Lord, it is time to pray. If you don’t know which way to turn, it is time to pray. If you need to alter something in your life, the altar is the place to start.

God answers prayer! How many times have we heard that stated? Perhaps too many! Perhaps not enough! So often we tell our children what they should do and how they should act, but kids learn by what they see more than by what they hear. Dad, lead your family into spiritual things by letting them see you pray and read the Word of God. Lead by example! What you do in the home has far greater influence over your family than a pastor or church will ever have. Pray and watch what the Lord will do. Some would say, “Oh, I tried that and nothing happened.” Sometimes God changes the circumstances

and sometimes He changes us. Trust him, and He will prove to be faithful. Mom, find ways to lead the children in a time of devotions. Remember, they are not adults so teach them at their age level. If you wait until they get older, you lose an opportunity to invest in their lives. Begin to talk with them about the Lord now, not later. The altar will alter your attitude, your family, your perspective, and your life because nothing is impossible with the Lord.

Alters the FAmily

ThE FAmiLy ALTAr

Connexions Fall 2007 �

marjie and i would like to wish you joy and peace at this holiday season. We are so thankful for our District family and enjoy seeing the world celebrate Christ’s birth. We are blessed!

Thanks to all who are participating in the Convoy of hope initiative “one Day to Feed the World.” We are so blessed to provide food for those in need. it is truly a blessing to give unto the Lord.

PAuL E. GrAbiLLAssistant Superintendent

[email protected]

Throughout this issue you will profit from excellent

articles to assist you in having a meaningful ‘family

altar’ time.

in this column i feel led to speak of the family

spiritual atmosphere that surrounds the ‘family altar,’

indeed, that permeates your home.

i believe the most important thing that children

need to see from godly parents is consistency—that

we are at home who we are in church. if we are not,

then our children will learn (not from our words, but

from our deeds) that it is all an act; indeed, a game

that they will most likely choose not to play in their

adult years.

one important element that i

cannot overstress is simply this:

Whether you are a pastor or

a layperson, do not talk

about church problems

in front of your

children. Don’t

badmouth the

pastors; don’t

badmouth

the board; don’t badmouth anyone. Period.

of my parents, only my mom went to church consis-

tently, but i am grateful today that she never talked

about church problems around us. The only problems

i was aware of were the ones i created. J

For pastors, this is even more important. Don’t

ever let your children think that you are a victim of

those “terrible, nasty church people.” if you do, this is

what they will think: “if it weren’t for the church, we

would have had a happy family.” if they think that,

they will, quite likely, eventually be lost to the faith.

both they and you will continue to blame the “ter-

rible, nasty church people,” but it could have all been

prevented by the use of adult discretion at home.

There are happy homes and unhappy homes in all

kinds of church settings. Actually, there is only one

factor in us having a happy and peaceful home—us.

many years ago Arline and i decided that our sons’

shoulders were not big enough to help carry the load

of adult issues. i’m grateful today that we did that.

Today, as young adults, they are still in the church,

serving God.

oh, how i pray that for you as well.

Graduate Degree Programs now at VFCC Valley Forge Christian College has been approved by the

PA Department of Education to begin offering Master of Arts Degrees in Christian Leadership and Theology. Both programs will be available in an online format, allowing students from around the world to participate.

The new graduate programs are designed with a research orientation. Learners completing these programs will be well positioned to pursue additional advanced education as well as practical leadership in applicable career areas. Announcement of the new graduate programs is being communicated to alumni of VFCC and throughout the Assemblies of God.

Applications are now being accepted for both graduate programs which will begin in the fall 2007 semester. Additional information regarding VFCC academic programs can be obtained through the Admissions Department at 800-432-8322.

expansion of Undergraduate Majors Valley Forge Christian College is

pleased to announce plans for the expansion of majors offered at the undergraduate level. Currently, twenty majors are available for students. The college is working on developing programs for an additional thirteen majors in the next two years bringing the total number of majors to thirty-three.

Programs in the final phase of the approval process and awaiting Pennsylvania Department of Education (PADE) approval are Biblical Languages, Biblical Studies, Church Planting and Preaching. Programs in the initial submission stage with the PADE are Communications, English, General Science and Spanish. Programs in the planning stages are Secondary Education in Spanish, English, General Science, Math and Technology Education.

Valley Forge Christian College News

Shelter the Kids from Church Problems

Connexions Fall 2007�

Don L. FiShErGuest ContributorPastoral Care/ outreach Pastor, Erie First Assembly of God

Don Fisher is currently serving as a staff pastor at Erie First Assembly of God. his area of ministry covers pastoral care and outreach. before join-ing the staff at Erie First Assembly, he served as senior pastor in indiana and new york. he and his wife, barbara, have been married for 37 years. They have two sons and 3 grandchildren.

A circuit judge in the U.s., Rachel Lampone, said that “as a substitute

for structure, control and education the family once provided, people now turn to the government.” in Deuteronomy 6, God tells us that if we want to have the kind of family that will make us proud, then you and i need to ReMeMBeR cer-tain things, and we need to TeACH our families to remember those things. God told israel to teach their families to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind. They were to obey His commands. They were to put Him first in every area of their lives.

Whether you are a single parent, a blended family, or a traditional family, we know one thing – family matters to God. each family has a basic agenda: work, school, food and entertainment. Those of us with strong convictions will throw in faith to round out our extended family relationships. our faith is more than an add-on; it is the very foundation on which to build our values. What better place to share the teachings of Jesus than at the “Family Altar?” What better place to talk about daily stress and distress due to work schedules and various activities at school, work, and church? This time of sharing together will look different depending on your creativity and avail-ability of those involved; however, it must become intentional, which will make it a priority in our daily planning. i believe the family altar can become an altar of significance. significance means

the quality of being important. The time we spend developing our family altars (altars of significance) will be one of the most important tools we can use in helping to provide an environment of stability for our families.

We live in an R-rated world that wants to take God out of the government, the schools, and out of any part of the public arena. After facing the challenge of each day, how comforting to know there is a place to which we can return where we will receive understanding, affirmation, and encouragement for a new day. Allow me to quote the follow-ing words from the resignation letter of Judge Lampone. “i leave with the warn-ing that we as a culture must end the cycle of procreating without committing to parenting, dysfunctional household units, and the abdication to government of the family’s role in teaching moral, spiritual, and social values.”

We cannot all quit our jobs or leave our places of ministry to be stay-at-home parents, but we can share Judge Lampone’s alarm at the state of the family and examine our own personal priorities. The family altar, in becoming an altar of significance and a place of stability, will require a sacrifice of time. if we do not make this our priority, it is possible that we are setting our fami-lies up for failure. if you have not yet established a family altar in your home, it is never too late. i encourage you to start now in establishing an altar of sig-nificance in your home.

siGniFiCAnCeThe Altar of

Connexions Fall 2007 �

Shelter the Kids from Church Problems

DAviD CroSby Secretary and Treasurer

World missions

[email protected]

about People

Connexions Fall 20076

Robert and Lillie shipp 70th Anniversary Celebration Robert and lillie Shipp celebrated their 70th Wedding anniversary on Saturday, august 4, 2007 with family and friends. Bob and lillie met at the Christian Missionary alliance Bible Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa, where he was a teacher in the 1930’s. They were married in Coraoplis, Pa by Rev McKinney and Rev Welker Bevingten and hon-eymooned in Washington DC. They are the proud parents of two children, Gerry Cook of Dallas, Texas, and Donald of East Petersburg, Pa., and one granddaughter, Tracy Wenzel of Shippensburg, Pa.

Bob and lillie are credentialed ministers with the General Council since 1941 and have held two significant pastoral leadership roles

in both Canonsburg, Pa and Windsor, Pa. They retired in 1975 after 37 years of pastoral ministry. lillie was the Vice-President of the PennDel Women’s Ministry for many years. Some reasons for their long marriage are their love for God, their love for each other, a marriage built on Biblical principles, and their agreement to disagree agreeably.

We honor the Shipps for their godly witness in marriage and ministry.

Church Transitions:Richard Ritenour to First Assembly of God, Waynesburg, PA.

Edward Noftz to New Life Assembly of God, Tamaqua, PA.

Daniel Winters to Gospel Tabernacle, Philipsburg, PA.

Scott Benka to Solid Rock Assembly of God, Grove City, PA

With the Lord:Bernice Terry, age 98, went to be with the Lord on July 14, 2007. bernice was mar-ried to Theodore who preceded her in death in 1976. She leaves behind 7 children, 27 grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren. Ted and bernice pastored Assembly of God churches in Carmel, ny, Kane, Coalport and Williamsport, PA. her service was conducted in mountoursville, PA.

samuel Rarick, age 87, joined the church triumphant on Sunday, June 24, 2007. he was married to rachael and God blessed them with three children. The raricks were saved in an osborn Campaign in hazleton in 1951 and were discipled in the faith by Pastor William Caldwell. brother rarick received his Exhorters Permit in April 1955 and upgraded to Licensed minister in 1956. he and his wife planted and pastored bethel Assembly of God, Catawissa, PA since 1955. Superintendent Stephen Tourville officiated at the celebration of brother rarick’s life and ministry at bethel Assembly, Catawissa, PA, on Saturday, June 30th at 2:00 pm.

Walter Lemmert, age 78, went to be with the Lord on June 2, 2007. brother Lemmert was credentialed with the General Council in 1964 while he was pastor of Adrian Assembly of God Tabernacle. he spent a few years working with the Cree indians of Quebec, Canada, was senior pastor of buck valley Assembly of God, hancock mD, and dedicated the remainder of his ministry as an evangelist. Walter is survived by Arlene, his wife, and two children.

Margaret Leardi, age 90, joined the church triumphant on may 12, 2007. margaret was married to John who preceded her in death in 1997. John and margaret pas-tored churches in hamburg, Fleetwood and reading. his credential was transferred to PennDel from the italian district in 1990.

Ministers Transferring out:SHULTS, Melanie (Licensed) – To Northern California/Nevada

LINN, Brian T (Certified) – To Potomac

MOUSHLIAN, Matthew D (Licensed) – To Potomac

JOSEPH, Victor (Ordained) – To New Jersey

SHEETS, Dwight D (Licensed) – To Southern Missouri

KAFFKA, Richard E (Senior Retired) – To PenFl

Ministers Transferring in:RISING, Jason (Licensed) – Transfers from Michigan as an evangelist to reside in New Castle, PA. Jason is married to Terri Lee.

BENKA, Scott D (Ordained) – Transfers from Ohio to become senior pastor at Grove City, PA. Scott is married to Lori and they have two sons, Aaron and Joshua.

NOFTZ, Edward (Licensed) – Transfers from New York to become senior pastor of New Life Assembly in Tamaqua, PA. Edward is married to Rose Marie and they are the proud parents of two children, Michaela and Nathanal.

ALBANESE, Larry (Ordained) – Returns to PennDel from Ohio in retirement to reside in Erie, PA. Larry is married to Cheryl. Welcome home!

MILES, Edith (Specialized License) – Senior retired minister transfers from New York to reside in Messiah Village, Mechanicsburg PA.

LANGDON, Kris (Certified) – Comes from Potomac to be a church planter partnering with the Monroeville Assembly of God. Kris is married to Robyn and they have two children, Corilynn and Josiah.

CITERIN, Peter J (Ordained) – Transfers from Ohio to become children’s pastor at Christian Life Church, Trafford, PA. Peter is married to Julia and Janae is their daughter.

DORN, Scott (Ordained) – Transfers from Mississippi to reside in Telford, PA. Scott is married to Nicole.

WEAVER, Kevin (Ordained) – Transfers from Mississippi to become Executive Pastor at Pocono Community Church, Mount Pocono, PA. Kevin is married to KyAnne and they have three sons, Kaleb, Keith and Klayton.

HINKLEY, Bran (Licensed) – Transfers from PenFl to become youth pastor at Green Ridge in Scranton, PA. Bran is married to Carie and they have three children, Caleb, Christa and Catie.

FITZWATER, Joshua C (Certified) – Transfers from Potomac for ministry with Master’s Commission.

Gary and Sheryl Menke: The Menkes have been assigned to the Bible School in Sofia, Bulgaria. They have completed their ministry with Global University in Springfield, MO and they will minister in Bulgaria through the end of 2007. They will return in 2008 for a year of itineration in the PennDel churches. Sheryl has earned her Masters in English enabling her to teach in Bulgaria at the university level.

Jerry and Paula Ireland: Have completed their itineration and returned to Livingstone, Zambia in August to resume missionary min-istry. Your prayers and financial support are sincerely appreciated.

Rick and Lori Wislocky: Send their greetings from Hungary! They continue the missionary journey they began back in 1995, investing their lives in the Church Fellowship in Hungary. Their container arrived and thou-sands of toys were delivered to Sandor Balogh to be used in children’s evangelism outreaches scheduled for the remainder of this year.

Steve and Lori Potutschnig: Report before returning to PA for itineration, they received their permanent Bolivian visas without any problems! This is a tremendous

answer to prayer. They were pleased to open a new Bible School in Cochabamba with 26 students enrolled. A new computer lab was opened at the Palmasola LACC School, Santa Cruz. The school is located in one of the poorest barrios and is built outside a prison where the country’s most dangerous prisoners are held. 155 school students live in prison with their parents. Learning computer skills will equip them to become outstanding citi-zens of their community rather than living a life of crime.

Jack and Georgia Belin: Are rejoicing in 6 more months of victories! Successful outreaches with Convoy of Hope Global Food Project were conducted in Panama, Bolivia, Mexico and Ghana. Future projects are planned for Burundi, Uganda, Dominican Republic, Mexico and one in a creative access country.

Fred and Betty Howsare: This year the Howsares have conducted ministry in Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They conducted successful pas-tors and leaders meetings in the Bangkok Bible School in a country where there is great spiritual hunger.

Art and Joyce Stoneking: Tell us that a new print shop was dedicated at the Boys Home in Mexicali, Mexico. This is the begin-ning for a vocational school to equip and train boys for their future. They traveled to visit national pastors in South Baja which was devastated by hurricanes last winter. The pas-tors were blessed with provisions and gifts to help them at their point of need. Three new churches in Tijuana are under construction.

Austin and Jennifer Jones: Have suc-cessfully completed their itineration for US Missionary appointment to Alaska. They have begun their missions work with the Yupik Eskimos in Emmonak, Alaska.

news & notes from our Missionaries

I was raised in an Old Order Amish fam-ily in Lancaster, PA. At seventeen years of age, I attended a revival meeting led by an Assemblies of God evangelist, and the course of my life was forever changed. Within a

few days of my first exposure to the Pentecostal mes-sage, I was saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and called to the ministry. Pat and I were married

in 1974, and the Lord has blessed us with two grown children and one grandson.

After pastoring in Christiana, PA for 12 years, Pat and I took our first overseas assign-ment in 1993. We served as lead pastors at the Vienna Christian Center in Vienna, Austria for 7 years. This was a wonder-fully rewarding time in our lives as we had the opportunity to work with people from

over fifty countries of the world. Today the Vienna Christian Center is the largest of all the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches in the country, and continues to have an impact around the world.

In 2000 we were asked to assume the responsibility of Area Directors for nine countries of the former Soviet Union. It has been amazing to see the Lord do some awe-some things in this strategic part of the world that was closed to the Gospel for more than seventy years. In many of the former Soviet countries the rapid growth of the church is outpacing the church’s ability to train and develop leaders. For this reason, one of our main priorities has been theological education and leadership development. Today there are scores of Bible schools and training centers all across the area dedicated to training national pastors and leaders.

Recently Pat and I were elected by the Executive and the General Presbytery to serve

as Eurasia Regional Directors upon the retire-ment of Jerry Parsley on December 1, 2007. The Region we refer to as Eurasia consists of 44 countries that include some of the least evangelized people groups in the world. There are countries in the Eurasia Region where the Church of Jesus Christ is not known to exist, and other countries with just a hand-ful of believers. It is estimated that over 86% of the people in Eurasia do not even know a Christian believer. The need for laborers is paramount, and the challenge to fulfill the mission is daunting.

Pat and I thank you for your faithful prayers and consistent financial support since we started this journey in 1993. We ask you to continue to partner with us as we take on these additional responsibilities. We pledge ourselves to make your investment count for the Kingdom of God and for eternity.

omar Beiler elected Director of eurasia

World Miss ions

PennDel 2007 School of missions

Candidate missionaries at the 2007 School of missions

Connexions Fall 2007 7

Tom rEES Assistant to the Superintendent

honor bound Church Planting

and Development

[email protected]

Nearly every local church offers a children’s ministry program. Recent survey data from the Barna Group shows, though, that only 13% of senior pastors list “ministry to children” among their church’s top three priorities.

Fortunately, we have many churches that have made it a priority. Here are some great ideas they are using to help reach families and send the message that they love kids.

Pray for kids. Each Sunday during the service, Rich Fogal, Bedford Village Church, calls the leaders and children to the front, prays and blesses them, and then dismisses them to Children’s Church.

Start kids clubs. Brian Knorr, Mountaintop Family Center, is invited into schools to teach Speed Stacking and has hosted clubs and tournaments at his church (www.speedstacks.com).

Give out back packs. At the beginning of the school year, Angelo Sarna, New Creation Church in Reading, collects well stocked back packs from their church and their mother church to pass out to children who attend the elementary school around the corner.

Use Family Times Virtue Packs. Todd Bube, children’s pastor at Glad Tidings Church in West Lawn says that these monthly packs are great for parents who want to disciple their kids and have no clue where to start. (www.familytimes.org).

Include families in special services. Riverside Community Church plans their Christmas Eve services

with families in mind. People of all ages are involved in special music, candle lighting and readings.

Services are packed with music and message but they keep it to about an hour.

Have a ball! My first visit to Mariners Church in southern California let me know

they were a family friendly church the moment I drove up. They had hundreds of different size balls on their front lawn. Kids were playing with each other, dads were tossing the ball around with their family and teens were bombarding them with balls.

“I believe the single remaining common interest or entrance point for non-churched people into the life of the church is children.

No matter how lost a guy is, he still usually loves his son. And no matter how off track a woman is, she still has a soft place in her heart for her kids.

This means we have a wide open door to almost every family in every community worldwide when we love and serve their kids.”

~Bill Hybels

Family-Friendly Churches

Connexions Fall 2007�

i opened the front door and heard a crash! Sherry and i jumped back. The noise seemed to come from upstairs. Someone was in our house!

i started to get my neighbor who was a policeman but Sherry stopped me and said, “you can’t do that. The girls’ rooms are not clean!”

“okay. how about if i go up and get the burglar to help me clean it up first?”

Plan b. We walked around the house looking for points of forced entry. in the garage i looked for a weapon i could use. no Louisville Slugger. All we had was a plastic Fred Flintstone wiffle ball bat. instead i chose spray paint, the poor man’s can of mace.

A room by room search would reveal that this villain turned out to be something that had fallen.

i have spoken to many men who have fallen and have been victimized by a different burglar in their home. in some cases the point of entry was a door of sin or a window of disobedience. now as we take a room by room check, we find guilt, shame and loss. To make matters worse, the embarrassment can cause us to shrink back from the very help that may be right around the corner from us.

When Legacies Have Been Robbed

Pure Life ministries has led Christians to victory over sexual sin and a deeper life in God by providing biblically based counseling, teaching materials and a public speaking ministry.

www.purelifeministries.org

men’s Fraternity was designed to help men strengthen each other through small group interaction beginning with The Quest for Authentic manhood, followed by Authentic manhood: Winning at Work and home, and concluding with The Great Adventure series.

www.mensfraternity.com

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; i have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God’s plan isn’t that we allow the thief to rob us of our integrity, our families and our legacy. He wants us to walk in fullness of life. Here are some resources to help you defend your life and re-secure your home:

battleZonE ministries develops performance-based resources using biblical principles and assists the local church in equipping men to live victorious in-Christ.

www.battlezone.echurchnetwork.net

Connexions Fall 2007 �

Family-Friendly Churches

Connexions Fall 200710

Around the District

Pastor scott & lori Benkainstallation at Solid rock Assembly of God Grove City, PA

Pastor Ken martin80th Anniversary at First Assembly of God hermitage, PA

the Couriers receive the superintendent’s medal of honor award.General Superintendent Thomas Trask presents (l to r) neil Enloe, Dave Kyllonen and Duane nicholson, of the original music ministry group, The Couriers, the Superintendent’s medal of honor at General Council in indianapolis, indiana.

Photo Credit: Lane Simmons for The Council Today

Connexions Fall 2007 11

Around the District

Pastor richard & robin ritenourinstallation at First Assembly of God • Waynesburg, PA

Pastor steve & lillian sparksinstallation at Faith Assembly of Goduniontown, PA

Pastor James Bechtelmortgage burning at rock run Church muncy valley, PA

Pastor rodney & stephanie murphyinstallation at Faith Assembly of God • West hazelton, PA

Pastor sean & lynn hinton50th Anniversary at EL Shaddai Assembly of God • nazareth, PA

Pastor William Gluntmortgage burning at First Assembly of God • Tyrone, PA

During the last several years the church has seen a new awareness of children’s ministry. National Children’s Ministry Conferences are drawing thousands, churches are spend-ing millions for child friendly facilities, and publishing houses are putting out resources for children’s ministry like never before. The Pennsylvania-Delaware District now has over forty full time children’s pastors, compared

to just 15 six years ago. We have hundreds more who serve part time or in a lay capacity producing quality ministry to children.

The missing piece of children’s ministry is ministry to the whole family. Helping parents with spiritual growth, parent-ing skills and financial management are just a few of the areas where families need help. Minister to the family and you minister to the child. Minister to the child and you minister to the family.

A recent survey by MTV and the Associated Press asked 1280 young people between the ages of 13 and 24, “What makes you happy?” The number one answer was “spending time with family.” An overwhelming 73% said their “relationship with their parents makes them happy.”

Mountain Top Family Center with Pastors Brian and Debbie Knorr hosted a “Handle With Care” weekend. Saturday evening offered three parenting workshops and childcare. Sunday morning featured the children hosting worship (kid style) and involving families in the preliminaries followed by a message to parents on family relationships. The Sunday eve-ning family games were advertised in the morning service using toilet paper cannons (call me, and I’ll explain). Sunday evening brought an hour and thirty minutes of fun family games, after which everyone was invited as a family to play miniature golf.

No doubt about it, family ministry is children’s ministry. What are the families in your community looking for?

GEorGE KrEbS Christian Education

[email protected]

4 Great interactive sessionsWorkshops designed just for kidsMore fun than a kid should be allowed

3 Weekend OpportunitiesFebruary ��-�� February ��-March � March 7-�

Kid’s Breakaway 2008 A Mission’s Building Weekend

Begin building a missions

congregation now

Children’s MinistryFamily Ministry

=

1� Connexions Fall 2007

Location: Philip bongiorno Conference CenterCost: $92 per person

KriSTiAn WALKEr

District music & Worship Liaison

www.kristianwalker.org

if you have a desire to connect with others while being used in a cutting edge ministry close to home, then partner with us to the most international city in the world.

New York City Young Adult & Singles Mission’s Trip

November 16-18, 2007

One of the most meaningful moments in my week is when I have the opportunity to spend time in worship or prayer with my family - whether it’s praying with one of my daughters before bed, leading

worship in a service with my wife while our girls worship with us on the front row, sharing family devotions at home, or even singing a favorite worship song as a family while driving down the road. It’s as if time almost stands still in those moments.

In the midst of our ‘to do’ lists, taking kids to soccer games or piano lessons, punching the clock and the general day-to-day grind, these opportunities for family worship are really divine appointments ordained by God to help take us away from it all and allow us to catch a fresh glimpse of Him. And when we do, we miraculously gain a fresh perspective on life as God causes the world around us to stand still so we can view things through His eyes. In those moments, all the big, scary, heavy and stressful ingredients of life and family don’t appear near as daunting through His eyes, from His perspective, and from within His presence.

Do you want your family to be on the same page, unified? Do you want those lines of communication to be open? Do you want the tension in your home to be dissolved and replaced by an atmosphere of peace? Practice being in the presence of God together! A former coach of mine often used the motivational statement, “Practice makes permanent.” If we repeat any action often enough for a long enough period of time, it will inevitably become habitual and even instinctive. Let worship become part of your daily practice as a family. Infuse it into your family’s DNA. The natural outflow will be reaping all of the incredible benefits and rewards of His presence.

The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, what do they all have in common?

They need you to bring them hope.

location: new york School of urban ministry (nySum) located in Queens.

housing: Dormitory style rooms at nySum

investment: Early registration: $175 by oct. 29

registration: $185 after oct. 29

ministry: There will be a variety of opportunities to minister in parks, plazas, homeless shelters, and churches. We will travel safely in groups accom-panied by nySum staff and minister to the poor and hurting.

4 Great interactive sessionsWorkshops designed just for kidsMore fun than a kid should be allowed

The Practice of Family Worship

Psalm 95:6 “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

Connexions Fall 2007 1�

DouG SAyErS youth

www.penndelyouth.com

Total Cost: $75 ($35 deposit, $40 final balance)

Dates: Week #1 Jan. 11-13Week #2 Jan. 18-20Week #3 Jan. 25-27

FEBRUARY 16SECTIONAL FINE ARTS FESTIVALS Entry fee $25/person +$5 for each additional category.• All creative writing, video, and websites must be “sent” or

ready to be viewed by February 2, 2008.

• no entries will be accepted after the February 2, 2008 postmarked date.

MARCH 19-21, 2008DISTRICT FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

you will soon be receiving information to register for the 2008 Sectional Fine Arts Festival. here are some important dates to remember.

Senior pastors, youth pas-tors/leaders and spouses please join us for a meal and visionary goal setting. make sure to contact your Sectional youth repre-sentative to rSvP for this event. We are looking forward to having you and your spouse with us. For more information visit www.penndelyouth.com

DATE SECTION monday oct. 29 South Central EastTuesday oct. 30 north Central Thursday nov. 1 South Central WestFriday nov. 2 South Centralmonday nov. 5 SoutheastTuesday nov. 6 DelmarvaThursday nov. 8 East CentralFriday nov. 9 north Eastmonday nov. 12 Southwest Sub Tuesday nov. 13 north Central WestThursday nov. 15 northwestFriday nov. 16 Southwest metro

sPeed-the-liGht tOUr 2007

�00�

WINTER RETREAT

2008

National Speed-The-Light DayunvEiLinG our nEW

youTh ThEmE For 2007-2008 eVeryWhere

october 21, 2007

Connexions Fall 20071�

Fine Arts Festival is a discipleship tool of the Assemblies of God youth ministries that is designed to “help students discover and de-velop their ministry gifts.” more than 70,000 students participated in fine arts nationwide. of those, more than 10,000 participated at the national festival. on Friday, August 11, 2007, the national Fine Arts Festival announced the Top Ten from each category. Thou-sands of students, parents, friends and relatives gathered for this national Fine Arts Festival Celebration Service. We are proud to announce the names of our Penn-Del students who received the coveted Award of merit for placing first in their category:

Naomi susman Short Story Award of merit (Peckville Assembly of God)

Andrew young Percussion Solo Award of merit

(Glad Tidings reading)

Face down Worship Team Award of merit

(Glad Tidings reading)

Participant/Group Church Church City Category Placement

rebecca Ferris river of God Church Enola, PA T-Shirt Design 4th Amanda Scrimale Philadelphia Christian Center bensalem, PA T-Shirt Design 9th nicole menditto Philadelphia Christian Center bensalem, PA Traditional Photography 8thJoseph Gonyea Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA Guitar Solo 3rd Adam mason midway Assembly of God Lewes, DE Guitar Solo 5th CiA Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA instrumental Ensemble 3rd Jeremy Sarna Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA Percussion Solo 7thEzekiel Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA Percussion Ensemble 8th Everlasting Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA Christian band 4thbroken Philadelphia Christian Center bensalem, PA Worship Team 10thbeautiful midway Assembly of God Lewes, DE Songwriting Collaborated 9thEssie baker Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA Female vocal Solo 7threal Life Glad Tidings Assembly of God reading, PA youth Choir 3rdAlyssa Fronheiser morning Star Fellowship bechtelsville, PA First Person Essay 7thChristina bullock Jeanette Assembly of God Jeanette, PA Spanish Poetry 2nd

1�Connexions Fall 2007

NAtiONAl FiNe Arts FestiVAl 2007

AWArd OF merit reCiPieNts

16 Connexions Fall 2007

JASon LAmEr youth Alive

[email protected]

Family is not the same word it was a number of decades ago. it has taken on a transformation in the past few decades. From solely a group of related individuals to now a general group with related interests, fam-ily is a broad term. We know this in our own circles. We call the church a family and rightly so. A family is a group of people you connect with through commonality. A related family has their last names in common; church families have worship, geographic location, and goals in common. A group of teenagers have hobbies and friends in common. There are different common grounds that create a “family”, but one truth that weaves them all is the fact that a family gives identity to a person.

The group of people i hung around as a teen and even now as an adult, had and continue to have a huge impression on the person i am today. With this in mind, we have to ask our-selves, what identity is forming the lives of our teenagers? As much as we try and wish to think other wise, we have little control over our young people. That only signifies the impor-

tance of giving control of them over to God. We will not run in every circle of influence that effects our teens, but we do have an influence over the circle that surrounds them. This is what makes the Altar so important. As parents and leaders we realize that teens will be taken to a place before they go to a place. my prayer and desire is that we will take them to the Altar, a place of influence and change, such as cannot be compared to anywhere else simply because it is the supernatural work of the holy Spirit.

The Altar is a place of decision that recognizes what God the Father, God the Son and God the holy Sprit did, can and will do in our lives. That recognition is where God’s working begins to take place. it’s where lives are transformed and made new.

The change and identity needed for our young people will be found at the Altar both at home and in the church. if we are going to be effective in the task of leading this generation we must be sure to take them by way of the Altar. There are many influences that will identi-fy our young people. may the Altar be the place of influence that marks them the most.

This past August in indianapolis, over 14,000 young people gathered for a youth convention. There were lights, fireworks, loud music, jumping teens and 7,000 Fire bibles held in the air during a Friday night Commissioning Service. There, students were challenged to reach their peers for Christ. Just a few days following that event, i received an email from a student who attends Pleasant valley Assembly of God in Altoona, PA. She shared with me that the night she received the Fire bible; the Lord spoke to her and told her to give it to a friend. With much fear she did as the Lord impressed upon her heart and as a result, there is a new young person attend-ing that church.

Every time a Campus missionary reaches out to someone around them, it’s like adding a new link to the chain. Someone reaches out to someone who reaches out to someone else and so on. Don’t be the someone it ends with. be the someone who adds another link to the chain.

There’s A new Link in the ChainThe Fire Bible is a new Pentecostal Study Bible that is available through Gospel Publishing House.

An Intersection of ChangeAn Intersection of Change

17Connexions Fall 2007

GrEG SCoTT royal rangers

[email protected]

Coming Events in 2007district ranger of the

year testingat Christian Life Assembly, Camp

hill, PAnov. 2-3

Coming Events in 2008regional Commanders

Conferenceat bethlehem, PA

Jan. 25-26

JltA Junior Winter Campat honey Grove rr Camp, PA

Feb. 1-3

district roundtable meetingat Christian Life Assembly,

Camp hill, PAmarch 29th

The Penn-Del District royal ranger Powwow was held

June 22-24 at the royal ranger Camp in honey Grove,

PA. over 500 men and boys were in attendance

and the weather was the best they have had

in years. This year’s theme was a hillbilly ho-

Down. The special speaker was Dick Gruber (1),

Children’s ministries Specialist at valley Forge

Christian College. Dick’s messages at the evening

services saw 85 boys come to the altar on Friday

night and 70 on Saturday night. What a power-

ful movement of God!

The worship team was Dunamis from bethlehem, PA, who did an excellent

job of setting the tone for the services. Approximately 70 ranger Kids

came for the day on Saturday and enjoyed games, crafts and activities

and were ministered to by Dick Gruber on Saturday afternoon.

John henry (2), from outpost 69 in Dover, DE, participates in the obstacle

course competition for ranger Kids. There were plenty of activities to

keep the boys occupied, including archery, paintball, 22 shoot, bmX

bike track, Pinewood Derby race, hillbilly horseshoes, poor mans wheel-

barrow race and much more.

After a long day of activities many boys took time out to go fishing,

crawdad hunting or just cool off in the ole’ swimming hole (3).

on Saturday evening, 12 young men were recognized for earning

their Saber award (4). These young men have completed five Junior

Leadership Training Academy camps and are now graduates of the

Academy. They each received a personalized Saber with the Saber

number and their favorite scripture verse engraved on it. These indi-

viduals are truly an elite group of Expedition rangers that serve, lead

by example, and hold a high standard of achievement.

The fun wasn’t limited to just boys, however. Leaders joined in also,

including District Commander Greg Scott (5), who helped raise over

$700 for the Camp as onlookers cheered him on during the mud

Wallowing event as he took the dive. he later said the mud was good

for his aging complexion.

our royal ranger Camp has been a tremendous blessing to the ministry

and we are truly grateful to all the individuals and churches that have

contributed to the camp and helped us grow. many boys have been

and will continue to be reached as a result of this beautiful camp.

Hillbilly Ho-Down

Construct shower house .......................................................................$10,000install septic system for shower house ...................................................$8,500install new 200 amp electric service to pavilions, house and barn ......$3,000Drill new well at ranger Kids area .........................................................$2,500install concrete floor in ranger Kids pavilion .......................................$2,000install stone under main pavilion ...........................................................$1,000Construct secure storage area in barn ...................................................$1,000install Camp entrance sign ........................................................................$800Dig drainage ditches and install drain pipe .............................................$750insulate training room ...............................................................................$700other projects ........................................................................................$20,000

“Got-r-done”

if you would like to contribute to the camp or take on one of our many projects, please contact the

District Commander at (302) 697-2313 or our Camp Director Paul Sheaffer at (717) 795-2922 for more

details. Listed below are a number of projects that need funding in order to get completed. Please

consider taking on one of these projects and be a blessing to the boys in our district.

2

1

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1� Connexions Fall 2007

ruTh PuLEo Women of Purpose

[email protected]

my parents started a family devotional time as we were growing up. After dinner, my Dad would read from the bible and have each of us take turns praying. We often prayed for needs in our home and for the concerns of others. Sharing the reports of answered prayer built our faith to trust God for even greater miracles. i will never forget the time we prayed for new dresses to wear to the Christmas Children’s Program. my parents did not have the money to buy them for us. As the weekend of the event approached all hope of having something new to wear had passed. Then to our amazement a pack-age arrived on Saturday with three pink velvet dresses – just the right size for each of us. What a great preparation for life and ministry that was. Even after my parents experienced the empty nest, they continued to have their family altar together. We have always been comforted to know that our parents were praying for each of us daily. Although my mom is on her own now, she is still teaching us how to pray.

When our children were younger, we tried to keep our family prayer times age appropri-ate and interesting. We looked for devotional materials that were brief, inter-active and easy to understand. We often allowed our kids to take turns reading the story and asking the cor-responding questions. Something as simple as a jar filled with slips of paper to be selected by a different child each night to read and follow the directions can be lots of fun. The slips of paper

might contain a scripture verse followed by a suggested role play, story telling or activity and then a question or prayer to close. The elements of surprise and participation can maintain inter-est, promote creativity and provide meaningful experiences for young children.

During the teen years we had to adjust our family devotions to fit their sports and work schedules. The evening prayer times were not as frequent, but a few consistent nights were selected. in the mornings, they enjoyed picking a scripture card from the ‘promise box’ to share and a quick prayer before leaving for the school bus. Writing down prayer requests and then recording when the answers came, built their faith as they realized that God was truly listen-ing. modeling and encouraging personal times of scripture reading and prayer are so important at this age. We wanted to provide personal devo-tional materials for each of our teenagers that were relevant and that they would actually use. We found that letting them make the selection each year worked best.

our children have all grown up, married and left home to start their own families and estab-lish individual family altars. What a delight it is to watch our children praying with their spouse and with their children - teaching them how to trust God for themselves. of all the things that we hope to pass on to our children, we pray that we have been able to pass on the legacy of the family altar.

Pass It On

ScholarshipsValley Forge Christian College

Korina Snader is a senior with a Christian ministries and Counseling major who desires to work with hurting children or troubled youth. “Thank you for investing in my life.”

Amber M. Nutter is a junior with a youth ministries major who is already involved with the Women’s Teen Challenge in Philadelphia, the Fusion youth at Calvary Fellowship Church and a summer internship with refuge youth ministries. “Thank you for awarding me with the scholarship...it has encouraged me.”

Korina Snader

Amber M. Nutter

Women of Purpose ConferenceNovember 2 & 3, 2007

Hershey Lodge & Convention CenterHershey, PA

Leaders Time ApartNovember 2, 2007 • 9–11:45 a.m.

“The Biblical Basis for Women in Ministry and Leadership”

ShAron PooLE missionettes/ Girls ministries

[email protected]

Every successful alliance (whether it be business, religious, or family), requires a strong founda-tion. in Ephesians 2:19, 20 Paul says, “you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citi-zens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” As Christian parents we are able to creatively build a strong foundation for our children. i believe that this foundation can be formed through many ways: Sunday School, missionettes/Girls ministries, royal rangers, “living it” at home, and having a family altar.

Traditionally a family altar has been described as a time when the entire family gathered

together for the reading of the bible, a short devotional, and a point of prayer. in this “norman rockwell setting”, one parent did most of the talking while the children sat quietly and listened.

in today’s culture, a family altar is imperative. it is the ultimate “small group”. Each person involved is connected by commonality, relation-ally, and, hopefully, spiritually. but today’s family altar can take on a whole new format. in this small group, each person should be a contributing component, no matter the age, no matter the experience level. i have listed below some sug-gestions for your own family altar. be motivated today to do something of eternal value for your children (no matter what their age).

ThE FAmiLy ALTArPractical suggestions:

1. make it age appropriate. Elementary-age as well as high school-age children deserve to have God’s Word presented to them in an understandable way.

2. make it come alive. Allow ques-tions and comments by all in the family. Don’t allow one to domi-nate the discussion.

3. vary the translation or paraphrase that is used. it will encourage each to personally find the version that is most understandable.

4. be creative with your illustrations. Don’t be afraid to have a basket with sardines and biscuits to share during a story of how Jesus fed the thousands!

5. Don’t be afraid to have your family altar in a new location. Sometimes the outdoors can bring inspiration (and sometimes it can bring distraction).

6. Discussion is good. Gossip is bad. Don’t use this as a time to share the bad news of others!

7. All should participate. Ask what has been read and studied in each family member’s own personal devotions.

8. Praise reports/testimonies are a vital (imparting life) part to fam-ily devotions. God’s Word tells us that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

9. A time of prayer should be more than praying for needs. Teach each other how to worship and praise in prayer. Share the burden for the world or at least a particu-lar part of the world.

10. Family altar time does not need to be everlasting to be eternal….Keep it short.

Missionettes CelebrationPentecostal Assembly of God • hamlin, PA

First Row: Sheryl holliser, Coordinator, honor Stars: Katrina Good, Ashley Trygar, Girls only Graduate: Whitney Fendelander, Sharon Poole. Second Row: Friends Graduates: Jackie butler, heather Tennant, Sarah hammond.

Connexions Fall 2007 1�

�6�1 Westport Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 170��-���7

The initial interest rate on all Notes will depend on the effective interest rates at the time of purchase. Terms Notes pay interest at a rate fixed at the time of issuance. Once fixed, the interest rate on a Term Note will not be changed until the Note matures. At least thirty (30) days prior to any decrease in the interest rate on a Demand Note, the Loan Fund will notify the holder of such change.

This information is neither an offer to sell nor a solici-tation of an offer to buy these securities. The offering is made only by the prospectus. These unsecured debt securities are NOT available to residents outside of Pennsylvania or Delaware. The notes are not savings or deposit accounts or other obligations of a bank and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any state bank insurance fund, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation or any other governmental agency.

PhiLiP bonGiorno Chairman

miChAEL bonGiorno

Executive Director [email protected]

DEniSE FoLK

Administrative Assistant [email protected]

Penndel loan Fund

For additional information, contact us at 717-7��-���1 or visit our website at www.penndel.org/loanfund

Current Rates($500.00 minimum investment)

Demand note ..........3.50%

6 month note .........4.25%

1 year note .............4.50%

2 1/2 year note .......5.00%

4 year note .............5.75%

An investment that Works for the Kingdom of God and you.