With the Lord
Harold D. Painter was promoted to his eternal home on June 8, 2006, at the age of 95. Painter committed his life to Christian service at about age 36 when he left a managerial career in Ohio with his wife and four children to enroll in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. While a student at Biola, he assisted his brother-in-law, Charles Mayes, in nurturing the new Grace Brethren Church in South Pasadena, California. He later pastored Grace Brethren Churches in Modesto, CA; Sunnyside, WA; Tucson, AZ; and Montclair, CA. In retirement he served as pastor to seniors at the First Baptist Church of Perris, CA, where his memorial service was held on June 8, 2006. His wife, Margaret, had died one year earlier.
Charles Covington, associate pastor of the Community Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach, CA, died July 6, in Seattle, Washington, after having taken ill on an Alaskan cruise during the night. Covington, who had previously pastored a Grace Brethren church in Cypress, California, came to the Long Beach church as pastor in 1996. He was responsible for Dale Workman, who had been an elder in the church, joining the church staff as associate, and Workman later switched roles with Covington after Covington experienced a serious stroke in 1999. Covington was a prolific writer, and archived copies of his “Pen Pulpit” messages from a number of years are available on the Long Beach church website at www.cgbclb.org. Covington’s wife, Eva, wrote, “We have been blessed with passels of kids that call us Mother, Dad, Gramma and Grampa. God is, indeed, very good.”
Pastoral Changes
Carlos Peralta, church-planting pastor at Coatesville, PA, is changing his ministry focus to training Hispanic believers for church planting and pastoral ministries. He is re-locating to Florida.
Lawrence (Larry) M. Weber will serve as interim pastor of the Waynesboro, PA, Grace Brethren Church through the end of 2006. His first Sunday in the pulpit was July 9. Weber, the son of the late Russell H. Weber, had a career in business and higher education prior to accepting the call to Waynesboro. He was president of Ketchum, Inc. during a 23-year tenure, and had served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh for four years. Prior to joining the Waynesboro church Larry had his own fund-raising consulting firm. He is also a musician, and directs an ensemble called “Seasoned Grace.” Weber is married to the former Nancy Nigh who has been a member of the Hagerstown, MD, Grace Brethren Church for 40 years. Both Larry and Nancy were widowed after long marriages. They were married on January 19, 2003. Between them they had seven children, and now have 19 grandchildren.
Melvin VanOrman is the new pastor of the Everett Grace Brethren Church located at 14 West Main Street, Everett, PA 15537. His home address is 350 Route 36 South, Duncansville, PA 16635.
Winona Lake (IN) Grace Brethren Church has announced that, by congregation vote, the church has adopted a “Pastoral Leadership Team” concept in which a team of pastors will report to the Board of Overseers and will be led by a Lead Pastor. Bruce Barlow, who has been serving as associate pastor, has been named Lead Pastor. In addition to existing full-time pastoral staff of Dave Rank (music and worship) and Tim Wright (youth), the church has also called Kip Cone to serve in the area of proclamation/preaching, Tom Julien to serve in discipleship/equipping, and Jay Bell to serve in outreach and evangelism. These three men will continue their employment with Grace Brethren International Missions and will serve with the church part-time.
Drew Waggoner is the new associate pastor at Grace Fellowship, the Grace Brethren church in Pickerington, Ohio (Keith Minier, pastor). Most of Waggoner’s time will be focused on youth ministry, but he will also oversee the children’s ministry, fill the pulpit occasionally, oversee the care ministry, and will “share the load” with Minier.
Randy Todd, formerly pastor of the DayStar Grace Brethren Church in Union City, Ohio, is the new pastor at the Grace Brethren Church of Dallas Center, Iowa, as of August 1.
Matt Strader is the new youth pastor at the Greenville Grace Brethren Church of Greenville, Ohio (Danny Wright, teaching pastor). A recent Grace College graduate, Strader began at Greenville in May.
Brad Comstock is the new associate pastor at the Norwalk, California, Grace Brethren Church, joining pastor Wayne Ayer. Comstock was previously at the Los Altos church in Long Beach. He and his wife, Bethany, began at Norwalk in mid-August.
The Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California (Don Shoemaker, pastor) recently announced two new staff additions. Lisa Latham is the new Director of Women’s Ministry. A physical therapist by occupation, she has been working with Campus Crusade for Christ since 1984, serving in Swaziland, Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Mali. Her official start date at Seal Beach was August 1.
The new Pastor of Young Adult Ministries at the Seal Beach church is Bob Wriedt, as of June 1. Wriedt will minister to college students, post-college young adults, and young marrieds. He and his wife, Rebecca, have been serving with Campus Crusade for Christ at U.C.L.A. and at several southern California Presbyterian churches. He is completing an M.Div. degree at Talbot School of Theology.
Grace Professors Contribute Study Notes
Professors Tiberius Rata and D. Brent Sandy of the Grace College and Seminary faculty have written notes for a new study Bible. The work is based on the Holman Christian Standard Bible (a translation completed in 2004), and will be published by BandH (formerly Broadman and Holman) Press. Dr. Rata, who is professor of Old Testament Studies, prepared the notes for Leviticus 13
