The life of God’s family in the Charis Fellowship is evident in the most accessed stories on graceconnect.us in 2019. Prayer requests, news updates, and other activities the Charis Fellowship (formerly known as the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches) dominated the top stories this year on the only site devoted completely to news and information in the network of congregations in North America.
In 2019, these were the top stories accessed on graceconnect.us. Several stories from previous years appeared in the list of stories most read, however, we are only including those stories that were posted in 2019, not including death notices.
- GoFundMe Account Set for Dave Bogue (Jan 14, 2019)
- Continued Prayer Requested for Rod Finster (Jan 9, 2019)
- Bogue Challenges Conference to Do Hard Things (Jul 26, 2019)
- Operation Barnabas Teams Announced (May 15, 2010)
- Church on Life Support (Mar 26, 2019)
- Prayer Requested for Jan Bell After Broken Hip (Jun 3, 2019)
- Revisiting the Brethren Church in Washington D.C. (Jul 8, 2019)
- Access2019 Begins in California (Jul 24, 2019)
- It’s Not Up to Flesh and Blood (Oct 30, 2019)
- Osceola Church Dedicates New Playground (May 26, 2019)
- Nor-Cal Pastors Visit Chico Church, Tour Camp Fire Site (Apr 16, 2019)
- Lingenfelter Remembered for Sharing God’s Love (Apr 20, 2019)
- Osceola Grace Marks 90th Year (Sep 9, 2019)
- New Seminary Dean Has Surprising Heritage (Feb 13, 2019)
- Scott and Jodi Feather Host Seminar at Momentum (Jul 17, 2019)
- Grace Brethren Christian School Leaves Athletic Conference (Mar 25, 2019)
- Grace College Reduces Workforce (Jul 19, 2019)
- Operation Barnabas Gives Award To Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church (Sep 19, 2019)
- Jan Bell Recuperating at Grace Village (Jun 7, 2019)
- Prayers Requested for Ministries in New England (Oct 2, 2019)
Among the notable deaths in 2019 were: Jerry Michael, who died on January 10 and was a layman who served many years on the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation board, and Lester E. Pifer, who led church planting efforts in the Charis Fellowship (Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches) for more than 30 years and who died December 25.
A familiar voice who answered the phone at Grace Brethren Home Missions and the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation for many years, Jeanette S. (Junie) Scofield, died August 1. Marion Forrest, who was instrumental in the beginning of the Grace Brethren Church in Worthington, Ohio (now Grace Polaris Church) and who later served on staff there, died on July 27. Ralph Hayes, who had served as administrator at Brethren Christian School in Osceola, Ind., died on June 8. Dr. John Stoll, who had served on the faculty at Grace College, died January 17.
In Winona Lake, Ind., two laymen who’d worked with Charis Fellowship ministries in the past died. Terry Alan Howie, who had worked at Grace College after graduation, died on December 2. Warren Earl Zellner, who worked with the Brethren Architectural Service designing facilities for churches, died November 16.
Charis Fellowship pastors who died this year include Rodney D. Finster (April 12), Rod Lingenfelter (April 17), Darrell Anderson (May 9), and Norris Mason (October 5). Retired or former pastors who went home to be with the Lord include Dennis Beach (January 28), Ronald P. Carnevali, Sr. (February 20), Eloy Pacheco (June 6), and Jack Peters, Sr. (October 22).
Women who had served alongside their husbands in ministry and died in 2019 include Colleen (Trent) Abshire (February 11), Beverly McCarthy (March 8), Nancy V. Placeway (February 26), Wanda Lee Heller (March 26), Beth Webb (May 22), Ruth Snyder (June 19), Sharon R. (Witzky) Koser Matthes (July 3), Betty Ogden (August 9), and Dorothy Lee “Dottie” Rough (December 9).
A number of individuals who served with international ministries died in 2019. They include: Willetta “Willie” Edmiston (January 5), Dr. Trevor Craigen (April 26), Betty Ruth Hocking (October 16), Dr. Austin Robbins (October 22), and Karina Corrales (December 29).
More than 75,663 page views were recorded at the site during the year, up from 69,747 in 2018. Of those hits, there were 65,181 unique page views (the number of visits during which a specified page was viewed at least once).
Visitors to the site came from 155 countries around the world. The top 20 countries included United States, Canada, Germany,United Kingdom, Australia, India, Nigeria, Philippines, France, South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya, Ghana, China, Japan, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico, and South Korea.