This from the World Convention's Christianet:

From October 27-29, leaders of Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ and Churches of Christ in the USA 'will seek to learn how the power of what they have done separately can be multiplied when done together.' Speakers will be: Rick Atchley, Mike Cope, Allan Dunbar, Randy Harris, Barry McMurtrie, Ben Merold, Bob Russell and Rubel Shelly. Lynn Anderson is the facilitator. Details at TogetherConference.com

Sounds like a merger proposal to me.

by J. Randal Matheny

WINONA, MISS.-- Churches gained a new friend July 1, and missions a new ally, with the release of Global Harvest, a 48-page quarterly of news, needs, and perspectives from the field.

A J.C. Choate Publications periodical, the premiere Summer, 2004, edition contributes both information and education.

Editor J.C. Choate defined its aims. "We want Global Harvest to be a 'textbook' on current affairs and missions in the church, studied by elders and concerned Christians, so that all of us can profit by lessons learned in our collective years of experience, that we can be encouraged by what is being accomplished, and motivated by needs shared."

The 8 1/2 by 11-in. magazine highlights stories from around the world by both American and national workers. The contents are divided into five sections: Tools and Outreach; Gleanings from the Fields; Personal Stories; Culture, Problems and Discussions; and News, Needs and Features.

In the Introduction, Choate wrote, "Now we are beginning Global Harvest, as a voice for evangelism being done by churches of Christ throughout the world. We pray that it will grow into a comprehensive magazine, with brotherhood-wide circulation. God made the evangelism of the world the responsibility of the church. We must know our subject if we are going to do the work" (p. 4).

The quarterly accepts submissions of feature and report articles, with color photos, from sound brethren, for inclusion in future issues.

Request your free copy by emailing choate@worldevangelism.org or calling (662) 283-1192. The mailing address is Global Harvest, P.O. Box 72, Winona, MS 38967.

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BZeal focuses on the progress of the gospel in Brazil and around the world. Please share this news with friends.

UPDATE: 10 Sept. 2004

The old dorm roof was removed

The construction has begun! But to cover only half of it will run about $1,500.00. Beth says $445 has been received or committed. So slightly more than two-thirds remains to be covered. She wrote:

When I first mentioned an estimate for materials, I said it would likely take $1,000 US to finish a new PVC roof on the building. My husband made me go back and correct that to $800. Well, he and I both have been wrong in our estimates. So far we have purchased materials for only half the buiding area, and the cost has already run well over $1,500. We have decided to do only one end until we can arrange for more funds to finish the whole thing. That is all we can do right now, but even then we need more than has come in.

Getting up the supports for the new PVC roof

This new roof was required by the government after a school fire killed 90 children. See below how you can help.

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ORIGINAL POST: After a school fire killed 90 children in Kumbakonam, south of Chennai (formerly, Masdras), in Southern India, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu required schools, private and public, to replace all grass roofs. So the Chennai Teacher Training School, which prepares Christian preachers, will have to remove the palm leaves of the dormitory roof and replace it with PVC (the most inexpensive option). The school is coordinated by Dennis and Beth Johnson.

A picture of the school dormitory from Lock Street.

Beth wrote of the above picture: "The buildings have been painted white since this photo was made, but it shows what we are dealing with. The building behind it is of the bath house/latrine. The tiny room on the front of the dorm is the cook shack."

Aerial picture of part of city of Chennai

Please consider contributing to help recover this roof. One person has already sent $400 to cover the cost, which will reach perhaps $800, including labor and pipe to attach the PVC to the brick.

You may send your contribution, in any amount, directly to their sponsoring church at this address:

HILLCREST CHURCH OF CHRIST 2535 North West Loop, Stephenville, TX 76401 Phone: (254) 968-8167

Or send it to the Johnsons' daughter, who will deposit it into their account:

Ferah Glott 1101 Sioux Trail West Columbia, SC 29210

Here is news from the www.worldconvention.org organization. Second item is puzzling, for its lack of information.

Attendance at the National Missionary Convention of the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ in the United States in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 20-23, is expected to be 5000-7000 according to Walter Birney the Convention Director. 450 exhibit spaces have been taken. Speakers will include well known a cappella Churches of Christ author, Max Lucado. www.nationalmissionaryconvention.org

Legal recognition Five a cappella Churches of Christ in Croatia have worked with the Baptist Union to gain legal recognition in Croatia. Legal status is granted only to groups with more than 30,000 members in Croatia.

Here's a questionnaire I got today from the alumni list of one of my alma maters.

1. I personally believe ACU is a national leader in Christian higher education. ___ 1 Strongly Agree ___ 2 Somewhat Agree ___ 3 Somewhat Disagree ___ 4 Strongly Disagree

2. During the past two years, my perception of ACU as a national leader in Christian higher education has: ___ 1 Strengthened ___ 2 Remained the Same ___ 3 Weakened

3. I believe members of Churches of Christ see ACU as a national leader in Christian higher education. ___ 1 Strongly Agree ___ 2 Somewhat Agree ___ 3 Somewhat Disagree ___ 4 Strongly Disagree

4. Please identify the current marketing theme used by the university. ___ 1 Making a Difference ___ 2 People with a Purpose ___ 3 Change the World ___ 4 Where Faith and Learning Intersect

I didn't answer the questionnaire, but I did respond with this:

This whole questionnaire disturbs me. Is it ACU's goal to become a "national leader in Christian higher education"? What do you mean by "national leader"? How do you define "Christian higher education"? Seems to be problematic answering the questions without these definitions. I'm all for excellence in education, but has ACU lost or redefined its mission in such a way as to value sticking its head above other institutions over a commitment to faithfully teach biblical principles to its students? I wonder ...

Am I overly sensitive to these things, or have some of our schools decided their mission is to win contests instead of provide an education at a decent cost based on biblical truth? Do they want to be the next Yale and Harvard? It's the general drift of an institution, and there had better be some strong definitions of what a school is all about, or we'll be losing more of them to secular or denominational influences before we realize it. Or maybe it's already happening.

In today's Update from the editor of The Christian Courier, Wayne Jackson wrote that he will undergo surgery for prostrate cancer on May 15. Prayers are in order, I believe.

by Tim Brumfield

[Note: Tim sent this today; I assume the student was at the main Sunset school in Lubbock, Tex.]

Yesterday evening (Wednesday 3/12/03) Vladic Romizov, one of our Russian students from our Branch School in Barnaul, Russia, suffered a sever stroke during prayer meeting. The Ambulance Paramedics were able to restart his heart and he was taken to UMC Hospital (because he has no insurance, Covenant Hospital would not take him). He is still on a ventilator and is only trying to breath on his own from time to time. Around 11:00PM his blood pressure began to rise. He was then taken to Covenant Hospital where they have equipment to help deal with the apparent aneurism. After Svetlana signed papers to permit risky treatment, the doctors were able to insert a tub, releasing the pressure from the brain, thereby reducing risk of further brain damage. He was highly sensitive to the blood pressure medication; therefore his blood pressure fluctuated to extremes.

Now that they have been able to stabilize the blood pressure, Dr Howard Smith hopes to do an angiogram, injecting dye into the blood to detect the location and reparability of the ruptured blood vessel (possibly without surgery).

The doctor said last night that Vladic has about 50% chance of survival but that if he does survive, things do not look good for recovery. He added that chances of full recovery are very slim. He also said that the next couple of days will be critical.

Our dear sister Svetlana is suffering considerable but at least was able to call and tell their children last night.

Please pray to our all-powerful Father in heaven to take care of our dear brother and his sweet wife.

February 24, 2003

Dear brothers and sisters,

Brotherly greetings from the church of Christ in Ferrara.

The purpose of this letter is that of informing you of a difficult problem that has presented itself to our congregation. After 40 years of meeting in the same location (that we have been renting), the owner has informed us that he has decided to sell the building. This has been a continual discussion with the owner for many years but the church has been able to continue to find a solution. A few years ago, though, the owner (who is getting on in years) began to sell off a lot of his property. He came to the congregation here and told them he definitely wanted to sell this building. They were able to work out a contract in which the church had to greatly increase the rent and be ready to move at any time he was able to sell. The contract they worked out ends November 2003 and he wants to try to sell the building with it empty. This would be a hard blow for the work of the Lord in Ferrara for various reasons:

1. The building is situated in the center of the city that (contrary to many cities in the States) in Italy is still the centre of the social and cultural life of every city.

2. It is very difficult to find a building that corresponds to our needs (auditorium, classrooms, etc.), as this. In fact, this building was practically designed (internally) for our needs (years ago when it was being built).

3. Even if we could find a building that corresponds to our needs (the measures about 140 m2), we would need to pay rent that would be 2 or 3 times superior to that which we now pay. ($700).

4. It would be a negative thing for the neighborhood. The Italians are very traditionalists and habitual and the fact that we have been present in this location for more than 40 years, for many it is an indication of seriousness and stability.

The owner of the building, recognizing the good relationship that he has had with us in all these years, has declared that he is willing to sell the building to the church at a very advantageous price. In fact, he has asked $1750/m2. In this area of the city the average price is $2250-3000/m2. Therefore, the asking price is about $250,000.

The church in Ferrara, after having prayed and evaluated the situation, has decided to buy the building. Presently the church is composed of 11 family nucleuses and counts a total of 30 members with an average Sunday frequency of 38 people. In these days we are going to all the banks to ask if they are willing to give us a loan and with which conditions. For sure we must find 20-50% (depending on the bank) of the total to be able to have a loan. These numbers can help you to understand how difficult it will be for us to confront and resolve this situation without your precious help. What are we asking?

1. First of all we would like to ask you to unite with us in prayer so that the will of the Lord will be done also in this occasion. We are convinced that the Lord is offering us a marvellous opportunity, but we know how many difficulties we must face. Therefore we would appreciate receiving your prayers and your encouragement.

2. We need donations and financial help to be able to get the lowest loan possible.

3. We need to know if there are any churches or brethren who would be willing to loan us the amount (or part of it) that we can give back monthly.

4. We need to know if there are other possibilities for buying a building of which we have no knowledge.

We would be happy to provide further details or information to all those interested in helping our congregation in this project.

Thanks for all that you can do to assist us in this necessity. God bless you.

In Christ,

Paolo Di Luca Casella Postale 124 44100 Ferrara Italy e-mail: dilpao@texnet.it

The House to House / Heart to Heart (HtH) publication reached a new level: 440 churches are now distributing the 8-page, 8.5 X 11", full-color, bi-monthly publication under the oversight of the Jacksonville Church of Christ in Jacksonville, AL, Todd Clippard, Promotional Director, said today. HtH enjoys a circulation of over 1.2 million copies per issue.

According to the website, the paper was begun in 1994 to expand local evangelism efforts in the Jacksonville community. It is a sound, balanced, and practical means of promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ in our communities.

"Our goal for 2003 is to get to 500 congregations and 1.5 million circulation," Todd said in an email.

My thoughts on the anniversary of the Islamic terrorist attack on the WTC and Pentagon are published in Forthright Magazine today.

World Evangelism missionary J. C. Choate wrote today to say he has just returned from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., for cancer surgery. He said, "The doctor was able to remove all of it and recommended no radiation kemo treatments. I am very thankful that it was found in time. I am doing fine."

He asks for prayers, and we'll certainly be praying for him.

I received this email today. If I were Ivan, I would appreciate many prayers.

Dear Christian friends,

Please, put on your prayer list our fellow worker and evangelist to the church in Zapresic, Ivan Tesic, who had a serious car collision, a couple of days ago. Brother Tesic is presently hospitalized in Zagreb, Croatia. His situation is stable, and doctors believe he will recover well. Brother Ivan Tesic and his wife Ruth have been long time workers for the Lord in Croatia.

You may contact by email Ivan and Ruth Tesic at: Ivan.Tesic@public.srce.hr

Yours in Him,

Mladen and Dragica Jovanovic