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THIS WEEK IN AG HISTORYBY DARRIN J. RODGERS Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) was one of Nazi Germany’s leading rocket scientists, whose original interest in rocketry was to explore space. He came to regret that his work was being used as a weapon of war. When American soldiers marched into central Germany in May 1945, they found that von Braun had organized the surrender of 500 of his top scientists, along with plans and test vehicles. Von Braun and the German scientists were relocated to the United States, where they became indispensable to the development of American military and space programs. Von Braun’s life had changed

drastically within the course of a year. But it was in a little church in El Paso, Texas, that von Braun experienced a spiritual transformation. In Texas, while living at Fort Bliss, a neighbor invited him to church, where he encountered a vibrant congregation of people who loved the Lord. He realized he needed to surrender himself to God. Von Braun converted to Christianity and was outspoken in his evangelical faith. Read the article by Lee Shultz, “Revivaltime Speaker C. M. Ward Interviews Dr. Wernher von Braun,” on page 26-27 of the June 26, 1966, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel online at s2.ag.org/june261966.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE RODEO

CALVARY CHURCH WINS JBQ TITLEPAGE 3

MARATHON EFFORT HELPS KIDS ATTEND SUMMER CAMP PAGE 5 • THE PRODIGAL RETURNS PAGE 7 • THIS WEEK IN AG HISTORY PAGE 8

SECURING THE CONNECTIONPAGE 4

TRANSFORMED THROUGH TRIALSPAGE 6

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A COLLECTION OF THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES FROM PENEWS.ORG

SUNDAY,JUNE 26,2016

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(L-R) Ward, von Braun, and Shultz

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Stacy Hord forsook her strict Christian upbringing, divorced after 16 years of marriage, and started to regularly stay out all hours of the night, leaving her three adolescent sons to fend for themselves. On her downward spiral to despair, Hord traded her churchgoing friends for non-Christian partygoers, even though she continued to drop off and pick up her sons for youth group at James River Church in Ozark, Missouri. At 2:30 one morning in 2004, Hord hit rock bottom as she drove home after drinking. She knew she didn’t belong in the lifestyle she had adopted a year and a half earlier, yet she felt so estranged from the Lord, she didn’t know how to get back. She just started calling upon the name of Jesus, whispering at first, then shouting by the time she reached home. A couple of nights later, as she pulled into the church parking lot, a mother of other sons in the youth group approached Hord’s car. The mother asked Hord if she was OK, explaining that the Lord had awakened her at 2:30 two nights earlier to pray for Hord. At that moment, the prodigal began her return path home. Her rebellion started when she blamed God for a failing marriage. “I threw off everything I knew to be right,” says Hord, still weepy at the memories of that painful period. “Even when I was still married, I thought if I found the right man to validate me, I would have value.” After she returned to the Lord, Hord devoted time to the sons she had neglected. Now, having been single again for 13 years, Hord is back in lay leadership at James River Church, serving on the prayer team and as a Living Free facilitator. Hord says she finds fulfillment in talking to women on the brink of divorce, urging them to examine their own hearts rather than to merely blame their spouse.

A rodeo in Nashville may not seem like a strange occurrence. But put that rodeo in the middle of a church sanctuary, and it’s likely to turn heads. From June 29 to July 3, Cornerstone Nashville Assembly of God in Madison, Tennessee, will hold a five-night professional rodeo within the confines of the church’s 3,100-seat auditorium. Along with a full slate of bull-riding action, each night also will feature music from Grammy and Dove award-winning country artists, an indoor fireworks display, a state-of-the-art laser light show, and a presentation of the gospel. All entertainment will take place in a full-scale bull-riding arena set up on the auditorium floor. Admission is free. This will be the second such event at the church, which held its first indoor rodeo in 2010 and filled to capacity every night. Pastor Maury Davis says at its core, the event is meant to change the way people think about coming into a church building. “We use that as a drive to get non-

church people to come to church,” says Davis, who accepted Jesus as Savior while imprisoned. “The big-picture goal is to turn people who are outside the church positively toward the church.” Cornerstone Nashville AG has held large-scale community events before. The church, which has an average Sunday morning attendance of 3,260, is known for illustrated sermons that include wild animals, ballet dancing, and trapeze artists. The auditorium is also home to an annual Independence Day fireworks show. In addition, the church holds a yearly Memorial Day celebration and large productions at Easter and Christmas. “I believe that every church ought to find a unique way to reach people,” Davis says. “We’ve used big events and illustrated sermons, as well as small groups and television outreach. This is just one event at one point in time to continue to reach people that we’ve not reached at the other events.”

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THE PRODIGAL RETURNSBY JOHN W. KENNEDY

NOT YOUR AVERAGE RODEOBY IAN RICHARDSON

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“I absolutely hated running,” Isaac Olivarez states emphatically. Olivarez serves as a Missionary Church Planter and Developer with AG U.S. Missions in Denver with his wife, Jaime, and their three children. “But one of our team members at Urban Outreach Denver (UOD) kept inviting me.” Finally, about four years ago, Olivarez, who is the director of UOD, gave in and took a test run. “I couldn’t even run a quarter mile . . . it was awful,” he says. But he began running to become active again. Olivarez ended up shedding 55 pounds and taking part in area races; however, a marathon wasn’t something on his bucket list. That is, until God revealed a way to use running to raise awareness about UOD and help kids at the same time! UOD is an inner-city church full of hurting and broken people. The church offers them a meal and a gospel message every Thursday. Olivarez says he was praying about ways to raise awareness about UOD and raise funds to help inner-city kids be able to attend the church’s annual summer camp. The camp (June 27-July 22) provides healthy meals and fun activities, teaches character, shares the gospel, and provides each child

with a backpack full of school supplies and a kids’ Bible. Someone suggested Olivarez run a marathon to raise awareness and fund the camp — that’s how “run a marathon” was added to Olivarez’ bucket list. Denver’s annual Colfax Marathon includes numerous races/distances and was held on May 15. UOD became a charity partner with the marathon and as a partner, people could run one of the event races to raise funds for the kids’ camp. “I had people who I didn’t even know who signed up to run and raise funds for us,” Olivarez says. “About mile 22 or 23 . . . I was hurting really bad,” Olivarez admits, about the race. “But then, I began thinking . . . about those who had told me that they couldn’t believe I was running for them . . . I wanted to be able to tell them that I finished for them, that God loves them!” Through the teams’ efforts, a little over $5,000 was raised — about half of the amount needed. Following the marathon, Olivarez put together a short PowerPoint presentation featuring all those who ran for UOD and the camp. When he concluded, the church erupted in cheering.

The roles of women within the family, workplace, politics, and countless other institutions have changed drastically in recent decades. It’s no surprise that how women relate to church is changing, too. The phenomenon is highlighted by a Barna Group research report that states last year 4 in 10 American women had not attended church in the past six months. In addition, 46 percent of unchurched adults in the United States are women, up from 40 percent in 2003. Stephanie L. Nance, adult spiritual formation pastor at Chapel Springs Church in Bristow, Virginia, attributes the decline in women’s attendance, in part, to a cultural divide between the modern woman and the modern church. “We’ve seen a huge cultural change with women — they’re in a totally different place than just 15 years ago,” Nance says. “But in many cases, [the American Church] is still ministering to women as if we’re in the 1960s.” According to Kerry Clarensau, director of Assemblies of God National Women’s Ministries, the need for

emotional engagement specifically is fundamental for women, and therefore essential to a fulfilling church relationship. “Women are relational by design and tend to process emotion verbally and through connections with other women,” Clarensau says. “The Church is losing its ability to build those personal connections.” As a pastor, Nance challenges colleagues to find time to hang out with people, listen to them, and teach them to do the same for others. “We have to find more time to sit with people in our churches and ask good questions,” Nance says. “Jesus asked good questions.” When personal connections are made and women feel valued and part of the church, additional benefits may result, including better health. Nance and Clarensau agree that churches must also make an effort to connect with women who fall into every demographic: divorced, widowed, and especially those who have never married.

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SECURING THE CONNECTIONBY RACHEL DAWN HAYES

MARATHON EFFORT HELPS KIDS ATTEND SUMMER CAMPBY DAN VAN VEEN

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Calvary Church (AG) of Naperville, Illinois, survived a close challenge to take home the Junior Bible Quiz (JBQ) team quizzing title. The 2016 National JBQ Festival was held June 9-11 at the Sheffield Family Life Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Calvary Church edged out Living Word Community Church (AG) of Mechanicsville, Virginia, for the title. Both teams finished with a 7-2 record in the Level 1 quizzing finals, but Calvary won the head-to-head match 160-145 to give the team the championship. Central Assembly of God, Springfield, Missouri, finished third. According to Calvary Church JBQ program leader Bonnie Papendick, the church has had at least one team

qualify for nationals every year since 1988. This is Calvary Church’s fifth national title. Bobbie Barnes of First Assembly of God, Benton, Arkansas, was the top individual scorer for the festival, with 2,875 points. Gabi Acevedo of Church in the City (AG), Milwaukee, was second in scoring with 2,830 points, and Ryan Yumang of Hyland Park Assembly, Fayetteville, Arkansas, was third with 2,820 points. “I tell kids and parents that our JBQ program is not about the competition,” Papendick says, “it’s about what they learn and what they live — that’s the bottom line, and that’s what I want for these children.”

Davis says as a church in the country music capital of America, reaching out to those who enjoy country music and bull riding is an essential aspect of ministry. “In this city, not to reach the country crowd would leave out a large segment of our population,” the Texas native says. “What would reach a country crowd? There’s nothing more attractive than a rodeo.” The International Professional Rodeo Association has sanctioned cornerstone’s extravaganza. Musical acts during the five nights will include the Isaacs, the Gatlin Brothers, and other professional musicians.

Davis says in 2010, the church auditorium filled to capacity each of the four nights of that outreach. In all, Davis says, 71 people made salvation commitments to Jesus during the previous rodeo event. While the planning and setup is a tremendous amount of work for all departments of the church, Davis says the church’s staff and volunteers have been working hard to make it happen. This year, the church will add another night to accommodate the crowds. Davis is expecting about 15,000 people to attend, enough to pack the auditorium every night.

When a church grows from a dozen regular attendees to over 200 in just six years, the change is monumental. But when that church is in a town with a population of only 600, it can be transformational for the town itself. Throw a devastating fire into the mix, and a picture of God’s grace working through a fellowship of believers who are committed to sharing His love with their neighbors is evident. In 2010, Pastor Amos R. Self and his wife, Melodee, responded to a call to help get what was then called Verndale Assembly of God in Minnesota back on its feet after a time of hardship. A name change to Family Life Church came a year later. The new leadership and new focus helped a healthier congregation begin to emerge. However, just when it looked as though the church’s ministry had stabilized, faulty wiring installed during an upgrade to the sound system started a fire that burned the 80-year-old building to the ground. Two weeks

earlier, the church held a Communion service outside and leaders pondered how the building might be expanded because all 90 available seats had been maxed out. While Family Life Church held services in a school, church leaders began looking for a new building in which to worship. A 28,000-square-foot rafter factory had been empty for five years and looked promising. “We did a prayer walk around the building for seven days and asked for God’s will,” Self says. “People told us it wouldn’t work, but we voted unanimously to buy it for $220,000!” With 80 percent of the remodeling work done by volunteers, Self says Family Life Church managed to stretch the insurance settlement so that virtually the entire building was paid for in cash. The increase in attendance has coincided with FLC reaching out to the community by building a playground in a town park, purchasing flashlights for each firefighter, and donating a stun gun to the police department.

TRANSFORMED THROUGH TRIALSBY ANN-MARGRET HOVSEPIAN

CALVARY CHURCH WINS JBQ TITLEBY DAN VAN VEEN