Tennessee church offers Art Showcase event to public Artist Michael Shane Neal, a member of the Hillsboro church, Nashville, Tenn., provides a live portrait demonstration during a church outreach event Feb. 3. The subject of the portrait is John Flanagan. The event, dubbed the Hillsboro ArtShowcase, drew 275 people, about two-thirds of them visitors from the community, minister James Waugh said.

ALABAMA

MONTGOMERY

Want to connect young people to Christ? Try reaching them online. The Vaughn Park church is among a growing number of congregations nationwide using the Internet as an outreach tool.

The congregation’s refuelministries.org site includes a weekly poll question, a listing of events and pictures, along with a message board and prayer requests.

“We see it as an easy avenue to reach out to the youth,” Vaughn Park youth minister Jamin Mills told the Montgomery Advertiser.

FLORIDA

LAKE BUTLER

When seven children were killed in a fiery crash Jan. 25, Lake Butler minister Scott Fisher helped the family deal with the media and preached the funeral for some of the victims.

Numerous congregations contacted Fisher after seeing national news reports about the tragedy.

“We heard from a church of Christ from every state and missionaries from overseas,” Fisher told the Chronicle. He said the victims’ relatives and the church were “so thankful for those folks” who offered help.

GEORGIA

DALTON

The Gospel Broadcasting Network — a 24-hour satellite network — began broadcasting recently.

The network is available on a handful of cable systems and obtainable by private large dish receivers or small dishes fixed on the network coordinates.

Overseen by the Highland church, the network raised $1 million in start-up costs, executive director Barry Gilreath told the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press. For more information, see www.gbntv.org.

ILLINOIS

CHANNAHON

Twenty-two men from five congregations attended a recent leadership conference hosted by the Rolling Acres church.

Speakers included South Holland minister Peter Bumpass, Schaumburg minister Glenn Jobe, Sunset International Bible Institute graduate Terryl Brown and Rolling Acres minister Jim Winne.

“All instructors were so well prepared,” organizer Tony Centracchio said. “We are so thankful for their desire to lead.”

MICHIGAN

ROCHESTER HILLS

The recent Great Lakes Bible Bowl drew about 300 students to two locations, Bible Bowl chairman Greg Campbell said.

“The most intense Bible study our kids get is when they are preparing for Bible Bowl,” Campbell said.

MISSISSIPPI

TIPLERSVILLE

Folding chairs helped accommodate all 207 people at the Tiplersville church’s recent 100th anniversary celebration.

Evangelist Garry Martin and elders Donnie Greene and James H. Rutledge serve the 60-member congregation.

Allen Webster, the church’s minister from 1989 to 1995, and J.A. Thornton, whose family helped found the congregation, spoke.

NEW JERSEY

SEWELL

The Pitman church, which has tripled in size to about 300 members since 1985, recently bought a 7.5-acre site.

The congregation is reviewing engineering and architectural firms as it prepares to build an auditorium and classrooms to serve up to 500. “Our people’s faith and generosity have been so encouraging,” minister Dan Cooper said.

TENNESSEE

MEMPHIS

The Sycamore View church opened a new Christian counseling center Jan. 26.

Located in neighboring Bartlett, the center offers marriage, family and individual counseling, family life minister Keith Fussell said. Staff members are Tammie Hacker, Leanne Braddock, Kristen Thomas and Fussell.

TEXAS

GARLAND

The Saturn Road church welcomed 1,600 worshippers from 42 area congregations to a recent joint worship service.

Minister’s wife Andrea Wrape described the service as “a powerful evening of a cappella praise.”

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS

More than 1,500 members and guests attended a recent dinner celebration marking the Richland Hills church’s 50th anniversary.

Walter Burch, the congregation’s first pulpit minister, talked about the church’s start and its growth.

“It was a really nice time for our members who were here in the early time,” said Linda Terrett, a Richland Hills staff member. “It meant a lot to see friends they hadn’t seen in recent years.”

SUGAR LAND

About 550 girls from 35 churches came from all over Texas for the recent “Girls Reflecting God’s Glory” conference sponsored by the First Colony church. The event focused on the theme “I Want to be a Star,” taken from Philippians 2:15-17.

“We made Friday really fun. We had a red carpet, with paparazzi taking pictures, and a big spotlight,” said Jennifer Cooke, the First Colony youth minister for females. “From the moment they arrived, we wanted them to feel special, as though they were celebrities.”