Akeem Ducksworth puts his hand in with the team as he coaches players during the WIN (Working to Improve Neighborhoods) basketball league at the Northside church in Jacksonville, Fla. A message on the backboards declares: “Jesus is the answer. “ The program aims to “get the kids off the street,” said Monique Weeks with Northside Community Involvement. The church and community groups support the four-night-a-week league. COLORADO
CORTEZ — Days after celebrating its 70th anniversary, the Cortez church became a victim of vandalism and was forced to deal with a flooded building. In early August, vandals broke a window in the church’s front door, pushed a hose through it and left it running throughout the night.

“We’re still drying out,” minister Jeff Foster said. “It is amazing how much water can come out of one little water hose.”

KANSAS
OVERLAND PARK — The Overland Park church marked the 30th anniversary of its deaf ministry with a special celebration Aug. 4-5. The event included a picnic and guest speaker Mark Lowenstein, deaf minister at the Fairfax, Va., church.

FLORIDA
WEST PALM BEACH — “ET for Youth” drew 86 participants to the Palm Beach Lakes church Aug. 3-4. The evangelism training event focused on preparing young people to evangelize the world as they head back to school, said Josh Blackmer, youth director at Palm Beach Lakes.

Youth groups spent time developing action plans. “Some of these plans included monthly door knocking, ‘bring a friend’ hangouts and YouTube video evangelism,” Blackmer said.

MARYLAND
WESTMINSTER — Curtis Wasmer, an elder at the Westminster church, his wife, Jean, and their twin daughters, Kristen and Allie, lost their home in a fire two weeks before the start of Vacation Bible School.

But the Wasmers, who take the lead on the congregation’s VBS each year, “didn’t miss a beat,” minister Gary Pearson said. Even while living with relatives and waiting to move into a rental house, “they proceeded to lead another amazing VBS.”

MICHIGAN
LAKE ORION — More than 70 members of the 180-member Lake Orion church helped serve the community Aug. 5-11 as part of “Mission Possible: 2007.”

“We have about 40 percent of our congregation using their vacation days at some time during the week,” said Eric Magnusson, minister of congregational spiritual formation. “Many have taken the full week off to live at our building in tents or campers and work in our community.

“It’s a small way we are trying to embody the gospel and live under the lordship of Christ here in Lake Orion.”

NEW MEXICO
RUIDOSO — The Disaster Response Team, organized by Arthur Hoopes, a member of the Gateway church, helped after a plane carrying a woman and her sick daughter to an Albuquerque hospital crashed Aug. 5, killing all five people aboard. The team of volunteers set up tent shelters and supplied meals, water bottles, coffee and doughnuts to investigation teams, Hoopes said.

OHIO
COLUMBUS — The Fishinger and Kenny Roads church is sponsoring a new, 30-minute radio program on a local AM station. The Sunday morning program debuted Aug. 5 on WRFD-880. It features lessons by pulpit evangelist Greg Tidwell or campus evangelist Jeff Darby, along with vocal music and announcements.

TENNESSEE
CLARSKVILLE — The new Clarksville Christian School opened Aug. 9 with 56 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
“It was a day full of joy and thanksgiving as the dreams of Christian education in Clarksville became a reality,” said Michelle Roberts, a volunteer whose husband, Russell, is school president.

TEXAS
KELLER — The Heritage church gave $1,600 recently to help with a project to deliver Bibles with a Sunday edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram later this year.

The International Bible Society-Send the Light is planning on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to distribute Bibles with 11 major newspapers across the nation during 2007 and 2008.

“We are praying for it to be a great success,” Heritage minister Jim Hackney said.