New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, Gainesville, FL, hosted an "Assimilating New People" seminar on Feb. 24, conducted by Randy Bloom (a member of the CAD Ministry Development Team). People who attended this event learned about practical ways to welcome guests into God’s "household," help them become disciples of Christ, and participate in the life of a local congregation.

It was a joy to observe how the Lord blessed this activity, which was attended by 41 people from the Gainesville, Jacksonville and Tallahassee congregations, as well as other invited guests, including Larry Hinkle, District Pastoral Leader. It was a labor of love, and our thanks go out to everyone for the help they extended as we all worked together and learned together. Randy also conducted this workshop for Abundant Grace Fellowship in Ft. Myers, FL, on Feb. 23. We share here some of the comments we received.

• "What attracted me to this particular seminar was the topic under discussion: ‘Assimilating New People.’ All of us have had the privilege of meeting and greeting new people, and were once new people ourselves. I came to this seminar with a desire to learn and be more effective in serving in this way."

• "I benefited a lot by realizing that even though God gives the increase, we still have our part to do by being friendly, courteous and kind."

• "Besides the fellowship, I also learned some ways to attract people to come to church, how to welcome visitors and help give them a sense of belonging."

• "When God sends us new people, they are his guests, not merely our visitors. We need to make them feel welcome and appreciated as they come to Christ’s table."

• "I learned that our congregation is doing some things right, but also learned how we can improve."

• "This time together was a blessing. We were able to share ideas and had a joyful time with our learning."

To schedule a ministry development workshop for your congregation or district, contact Church Administration & Development.

William (Bill) Hicks, 87 years young, a 49-year member and deacon of the Pittsburgh, PA, congregation, was among 27 veterans in southwestern Pennsylvania honored for being members of the elite Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. This was a group of black soldiers who became pilots and mechanics in the specially commissioned 99th squadron, which later merged and became the 332nd. They flew over 15,000 sorties, escorted bombers and performed air-to-air dogfights with remarkable results. They trained hard and proved their keen abilities.

They wanted to be known as a unit, so they painted the tail of their planes bright red. By 1944, bomber squadrons were requesting the "Red Tails" as their fighter escorts, because of their superior record. Near the end of the war, German fighter pilots refused to engage the feisty "Red Tails" because of their high reputation, and the fear of being shot down by a pilot of another race.

Bill Hicks was a Red Tail mechanic. He scored so high on his aptitude test that his application had an unusual footnote: "White Man!" When these black pilots returned to the United States, many scoffed at their claims to have been pilots. The major airlines refused to hire black pilots until 1965, 20 years after the war, though they had more than proven themselves capable. A few were hired as mail carrier pilots.

The local Public TV station, WQED, did an excellent 57-minute DVD program called the Tuskegee Airmen. Bill was interviewed at his home, and is on the video for about three minutes. He also shared his experience in a sermon, "Don’t Give Up," on Jan. 27. He was honored at the Soldiers and Sailors Museum History Hall on Feb. 1 and 2.

The congregation honored him on Feb. 3 after services. Bill is proud that he can still wear his uniform after all these years. We are proud to have Deacon Bill as a pillar in our congregation and our community.

On Dec. 16, 13 members of the East Suburban Community Church of Pittsburgh, PA visited Mary Ellen Stewart after the morning worship service (photo above). She has had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) for six years. The members sang Christmas carols and fellowshipped with Mary Ellen, her daughters and a nurse. Mary Ellen cannot communicate with voice, nodding, hand nor eye signals, but the family can read her facial expressions.

Nearly 200 members representing 17 congregations attended a conference with theologian Baxter Kruger in Big Sandy, TX on Feb. 23. The New Beginnings Christian Fellowships of Big Sandy, TX, and Texarkana, AR, hosted the conference at the former Ambassador Hall located on the ALERT Academy campus just east of Big Sandy (formerly Ambassador University). Morning and afternoon sessions with Dr. Kruger featured gospel overview presentations and Q&A opportunities.

The Ambassador College Class of 1978 is planning a 30-year reunion Aug. 1-3, 2008, near Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Students who entered AC Big Sandy or AC Pasadena for the fall 1974 semester and students who joined our class at any time before graduation in June 1978 are welcome to attend. Faculty and staff are also welcome.

Registration information and a registration form are available at www.acreunion.info. Select "registration" and you should receive basic information about costs for the hotel, meals, entertainment, etc. plus a second page that you should print, complete and mail by July 1.

We need your help to locate classmates. Click "Lost & Found" on the website to see our list of ’74-’78 Big Sandy and Pasadena classmates. If you have contact info for anyone on the list, please encourage them to respond to acreunion78@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you August 1-3 in "BIG D"!

The Italian church invites members and friends from all over the world to join them in their festival, which will be held in the town of Ferrara. For information about the town, see www.ferrarainfo.com.

Aug. 23 is arrival day; Aug. 30 is departure day. There will be worship services and seminars with simultaneous translations into English, youth activities, fellowship meals and excursions to the surrounding areas, including Venice. John Halford and James Henderson hope to join us as guest speakers.

During our stay, Ferrara is also host to another major event in the evenings: the Ferrara Buskers Festival, a parade of the best street musicians in the world (see www.ferrarabuskers.com).

Housing costs are about 50 Euros ($78 US) per person per day for a double room. For more information, see www.wcg.org/events, or contact Joseph Caristi at Jcaristi@cs.com; phone (908) 362-7650.

We are pleased to make two announcements. Our online graduate program will now be known as Grace Communion Seminary; secondly, we are opening enrollment to members who have bachelor degrees.

The name Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) has been adopted as an appropriate description of the theological content and level of our online graduate program. Ambassador College, a California Corporation, will now be doing business as Grace Communion Seminary.

Our office in Australia will continue to administer Ambassador College of Christian Ministry, or ACCM (www.ambascol.org), as our educational program for anyone who has not completed a bachelor’s degree.

Graduate courses will be available this fall for any member with a bachelor’s degree. Program details, including application, class descriptions, schedules, and course registration information, are now available at www.gcs.ambassador.edu. You must go through the application process before you can take a course.

At GCS, three graduate programs are available. New students should apply for the Certificate of Theological Studies, which requires two theology courses and two biblical studies courses.

The second level is the Advanced Diploma in Christian Ministry. It requires three more courses (one in church history and two in ministry).

The third level is the Master in Pastoral Studies, which requires seven more courses (a total of 14).

Requirements for each program can be seen on the website.

Administrators and professors of GCS are members of our denomination. You can view their brief biographies on our website, which can also be accessed from the our homepage.

Grace Communion Seminary emphasizes God’s great gift of grace and the communion we have in Christ with the Father and Jesus and one another through the Holy Spirit.

GCS Purpose Statement:

Grace is the essence of our lives. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ reveals God to us, grants us life in him, leads us in forgiving and being forgiven, and gives us salvation.

Communion defines the relationship we have with God, Jesus, and one another. The communion of the Holy Spirit binds us with Jesus who is the head of the Church, enlivens God’s love in our hearts, and unites us as followers of Jesus Christ.

Seminary describes the scope of our educational goal. We are committed to enabling pastoral ministry in the universal church that effectively shares the love of the Father with the world.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor. 13:14).

Copyright 2008