Care and concern for those in the family of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches exemplified the themes of articles accessed the most on graceconnect.us during 2016.
More than 77,764 hits were recorded at the site during the year (as of Friday, December 30). This was up from more than 70,000 hits in 2015. Of the 77,764 hits, there were 65,768 unique page views(the number of visits during which a specified page was viewed at least once), also up from 2015, when 59,363 unique page views were noted.
Several top stories centered around the recovery of well-known and respected Grace Brethren pastor, Bob Combs, who suffered a heart attack in late February 2016. The initial report of his illness on February 29 garnered more than 6,000 views during the year, with follow-up reports noted at number 5 and number 12.
Another topic making the top list several times was the story about Delaware, Ohio, worship pastor Jeremy and Crista Noland, who were injured in a traffic accident on their way to sing at a wedding. The initial report was the second on the list of most-read stories, but follow-up articles, including reports about the Grace College student who stopped to help pull Jeremy from his burning vehicle, ranked at numbers 6, 16, and 19.
The deaths of several individuals associated with Grace Brethren ministries and churches were also in the list of most-read. They include: Nancy Peugh, wife of Grace College and Seminary faculty member Dr. Roger Peugh and former missionary to Germany; Elizabeth Griffith, a member of a Grace Brethren church in Ashland, Ohio, who was the victim of a serial murderer; long-time Grace Brethren pastors, Forrest Jackson (Dayton, Ohio) and Robert L. Burns (Kittanning, Pa.); and Dr. Wayne Beaver, former missionary to the Central African Republic and faculty member at Grace Theological Seminary.
Several stories from previous years appeared in the list of stories most accessed. We are only including those stories that were posted in 2016.
The top 20 articles for 2016 included:
- Pray for Bob Combs (February 29, 2016)
- Delaware, Ohio, Worship Pastor, Wife, Injured in Accident (March 14, 2016)
- Murder Victim Attended Ashland Church (September 16, 2106)
- Services for Nancy Peugh Scheduled (September 28, 2016)
- Continue to Pray for Bob Combs (March 1, 2016)
- Grace College Student To Be Honored for Heroism (March 21, 2016)
- Elizabeth Griffith’s Funeral Scheduled for Friday (September 18, 2016)
- Nancy Peugh With the Lord (September 28, 2016)
- Movement Church Announces First Church-Planting Residents (February 3, 2016)
- Bob Combs Is Recuperating at Home (March 3, 2016)
- Tozer Grave Near Ellet Church in Akron (April 17, 2006)
- Galen Lingenfelter Grandson Being Treated for Burns (June 12, 2016)
- Updated: Rescuers Honored by Kosciusko County Commissioners (March 22, 2016)
- Hines Announces Candidacy for Michigan Governor (February 24, 2016)
- Forrest Jackson, Long-time Pastor, Dies (May 25, 2016)
- Underwoods Head to New Ministry in Akron (June 27, 2016)
- Robert L . Burns, Sr., Former Pastor, Dies (June 26, 2016)
- Haitian Believers Die at Sea (May 3, 2016)
- Update on Nolands Following Accident (March 17, 2016)
- Dr. Wayne Beaver Obituary (April 8, 2016)
Readers came from 134 countries throughout the world, up from 125 in 2015 and 2016. The top three on the list were English-speaking: the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, a change from the previous two years when United States, Brazil, and Canada topped the list. Brazil and Germany rounded out the list of the top five in 2016.
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Brazil
- Germany
- France
- India
- Russia
- Philippines
- Australia
- South Korea
- Mexico
- Austria
- Italy
- Argentina
- Japan
- Cameroon
- South Africa
- Bahamas
- Netherlands