Category: New Horizons
Rebuilding in Appalachia by Judith M. Dinsmore In rural eastern Kentucky, the tree-covered Appalachians tumble downward to meet in narrow hollows—hollers—that are sometimes only wide enough for a creek, a line of houses on one side, and a road on the other. The town of Neon, where the OPC has had a church plant for twenty-two years, lies a few
Catastrophic Flooding Destroys Neon Reformed’s Building Debris litters the roadside in Eastern Kentucky after record-breaking flood waters rose suddenly overnight on July 27. The watermarks on the wall indicate that over six feet of water rushed into Neon Reformed OPC, submerging the first floor for at least eight hours. The flood swept hymnals and chairs from the sanctuary into the
RETIREES: THE BACKBONE OF DISASTER RESPONSE By Cheryl Wade Retirement is not the end of busy work lives for the men and women who OPC Disaster Response sends around the country to repair damage dealt by hurricanes, tornados, and floods. Church leaders say that these senior citizens make up the backbone of their volunteers. Here are laborers and planners, fixers
Ministry To Those Suffering in Eastern Europe By David Nakhla, Administrator for the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia…begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” II Corinthians 8: 1 & 4 Five countries, nine days, ten organizations; a
From the Resurrection Comes Mercy by Dave Sarafolean, pastor of Christ Community OPC, Midland, MI Spring 2020 arrived in a way no one could have foreseen. When government shutdowns began to occur in mid-March due to COVID-19, life changed dramatically. Like many churches, ours—Christ Covenant in Midland, Michigan—was conflicted about the best path forward. Initially we shut down, then we
The “True Fans” of Disaster Response by Brad Hertzog, video director and communications advisor for Disaster Response An OP missionary, home on furlough, gives a presentation to your church about life on the mission field, reaching the nations for Christ. You feel a tug and wonder if you could get involved. You read and hear about church plants around the
Fifteen Years of Disaster Response: A Labor of Love by David Nakhla, OPC Disaster Response Coordinator Almost from its beginning, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has been concerned with bringing “a cup of cold water” in the name of Christ to those affected by disasters. Yet most would agree that it was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that served as the catalyst
Rebuilding in Midland, Michigan This article was first published in the October 2020 edition of New Horizons magazine. by Cheryl Wade When floodwaters filled Glenn and Michelle Moots’s house with two inches of mud and dumped another six inches into their driveway, the couple wasn’t sure they ever would live in their single-story home in rural Midland County, Michigan, again.
A Sacrificial Gift of Face Masks by Patricia L. Duggan, member at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Bridgeton, New Jersey, and communications coordinator for the Committee on Diaconal Ministries. From the June 2020 issue of New Horrizons During this global crisis, we may not be giving much thought about what we can do for people in other parts of the
by Ross Graham, Stated Clerk of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church From the October 2019 edition of New Horizons David E. Haney was just twenty-six years old when, in 1989, he began employment with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as the controller for the fledgling Committee on Coordination that had been created just five years before. A graduate of the University of
NEW HORIZONS, March 2019: Stirring up gifts in the body of Christ in Houston and throughout our presbytery means helping one another to see the wide-open door for compassionate service in the wake of the hurricane. Having a full-time evangelist here for Harvey households includes his role in equipping all of us to do this work…
NEW HORIZONS, January 2019: Over five hundred men and women from churches all over the United States have endeavored to live out a Christian response to six major disasters since 2011. The testimonies of their love, work, skill, and rebuilding efforts and their examples of Christian charity are continuing to inspire new waves of volunteers…
NEW HORIZONS, December 2019: The development of a response plan by the disaster response team and diaconal committee of the PSE, in conjunction with information from local church officers, allowed us to ensure that each of our church members was accounted for and property damages were assessed once the storm hit…
NEW HORIZONS, June 2018: Not only had God sent them to Houston to serve and to give, but also to be served and to receive the blessings of fellowship awaiting them among the saints in Houston…
NEW HORIZONS, May 2018: …there may be no place in the country as kaleidoscopically, vibrantly, viscerally diverse….Their presence in our country gives the church a unique opportunity to meet the physical needs of our friends while we share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ with them…
NEW HORIZONS, February 2018: “We know that God calls us to do our work with devotion, and we want to spread the gospel where God puts us … Our goal is to be present and minister … “
NEW HORIZONS, December 2017: “Why has God blessed us? So that we would be a channel of God’s blessing to others…”
NEW HORIZONS, December 2017: “We don’t want to be known as ‘OPC Building and Construction’….We want to be known as ‘OPC Building and Ministry…'”
NEW HORIZONS, October 2016: Be a friend. Ask questions. Listen to stories. Share a gospel word. Bring new friends to a spiritual Sabbath feast and introduce them to your Father and to your family. This is positive Christian witness…
NEW HORIZONS: May 2013: With power restored, Faith Bible invited the Redeemer congregation to join them for worship. The response was wonderful! For the first time, the majority of both congregations met together for worship…
NEW HORIZONS, January 2013: It was the “holy chaos” created by the early church’s zeal for mercy ministry that occasioned the first diaconate. It has been a similar zeal for ministries of mercy in the OPC, and the potential chaos that can accompany it, that has occasioned the need for a denominational Committee on Diaconal Ministries . . .
NEW HORIZONS, January 2013: The storm surge flooded homes and churches, shoved houses off their foundations, sparked fires, dumped yachts on roof tops, downed cell towers and tree limbs, and exploded transformers, knocking homes into the dark and cold
NEW HORIZONS, December 2011: For a Christian visiting Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, one of the most heartbreaking sights is also one of the city’s biggest attractions. The famous Sensoji Temple draws some thirty million visitors each year, including throngs of Buddhists futilely worshipping Kannon—the purported “goddess of mercy” . . .