Local Church News
Recent events held by Church family and news from members.
Elements of a Godly Man
On the weekend of Aug. 8-10, the Portsmouth, Ohio congregation (25 men and boys ranging in age from 13 to 87) held our second annual men’s weekend at “Tyler’s Camp” near Ironton, Ohio. Many thanks to the Brumfield family for their generosity in providing such a peaceful, beautiful venue for our weekend!
This year’s discussions were based around application of 2 Timothy 1:6-7 with special focus on: integrity, humility, love and boldness working together in harmony.
Friday evening, we kicked off the weekend with an awesome dinner of BBQ beef sliders prepared by our master chef, Stephen Warren.
That night, we gathered around the firepit as our pastor, Kevin Call, led us in an energetic, interactive problem-solving exercise. He helped us discover how the four elements from our theme verse cannot effectively stand alone, but rather depend upon and support each other in proper application.
On Sabbath morning, we rose at various times to enjoy a casual continental breakfast and individual leisure time. Mid-morning, we gathered once again for very inspiring round table discussions led by Ben Shoemaker, Joe Shoemaker, Tyler Brumfield and Tim Sipes. Afterwards, lunch consisted of hand-crafted deli sandwiches and chips.
Sabbath services began promptly at 2:30 p.m. Hymns were led by Stephen Warren.
Our speakers were Jim Call Sr., Wesley Call, Wally Browning and Kevin Call, who each offered a message focused on how to apply various aspects of our theme in real life.
That evening we enjoyed another fabulous dinner once again prepared by our head chef Stephen, along with the assistance of his sous chefs, Wesley Call and Brandon Slocum.
As Sabbath ended, we held a rousing cornhole tournament under the spotlights in the field. Later that night, we gathered around the firepit once again and held open discussions covering a large range of biblical topics. Many of these discussions lasted well after midnight.
As we arose on our final morning for breakfast we were all stating what an awesome weekend it was and could hardly wait to see what the men’s weekend in 2026 might bring.
Wally Browning
Let it Shine
The ladies of the Cleveland, Ohio congregation hosted a women’s enrichment weekend for 95 women from Ohio and nearby states from Sept. 5-7, 2025. Our theme was “Let it Shine”—and we did! Exuberant and warm from the start, the camaraderie only grew as the weekend progressed.
Festivities began Friday evening with slides by B.J. Thomas, which gave an overview of what would be covered at the event. After the slides, each of the ladies lit a small tealight as they introduced themselves to those at their table. Then the overhead lights were turned off to show the impact of all our small lights combined together. It was a very pretty sight! Next, Sarah Bouchette led a “get-to-know-you” activity. Half of the room was instructed to write their middle names on individual Post-It notes. Then those notes were given to the other half of the ladies, who walked around the room and found the lady with the middle name they were assigned to find, followed by a “getting to know you” conversation. The excitement and enthusiasm, not to mention the volume of nearly 100 voices, made it delightfully challenging. What a way to start the weekend—many friendships got their start that evening. The evening was capped off with refreshments and a mimosa/juice bar with lighted champagne glasses!
In the morning, we assembled for very special Sabbath services. Mr. Andy Lee gave an insightful sermon on the value of light. Instead of a sermonette, there was a selection of special music presentations. This included a choir piece titled “Father of Lights” written by Mark Graham specifically for this women’s enrichment weekend. Others also shared their musical talents throughout the course of the weekend.
After lunch on the Sabbath, we enjoyed a variety of presentations related to the theme. Lisa Skapura, assisted by Rachelle Black, spoke about the purposes of lighthouses and how Christ fulfilled each of these purposes in His ministry. His beacon of light guides us through the stormy times in our lives. The next presentation was titled “Brilliant in Different Ways” by Diane Webber. God gave us different personalities and gifts, which each have a different way of shining. Next, we heard about real life experiences of “Being a Light in our Community” from Susan Miller. We finished the Sabbath presentations with the topic of “Bringing the Light Home”—to our mates, children, friends and neighbors—presented by Kathleen Robinson. Our Sabbath afternoon program concluded with a very special pre-taped presentation (complete with a blooper reel). It was a skit titled “A Parody of a Parable—The Ten Virgins” written by Reagan Mango. The 10 virgins, the messenger, the bridegroom and narrators were all brought to life by some of the younger people and women in the Cleveland congregation. Hilarious does not do it justice—it was a smash hit.
Saturday night was devoted to fellowship, crafts (snowmen, luminaries and crystal keychains) and, of course, fundraising. We had a marketplace of craft items made and donated by many of our attendees. We also had a silent auction of about three-dozen themed baskets as well as four handmade quilts of extraordinary quality and beauty. Altogether, we raised $5,000 which was donated to the Good Works project of digging a borehole in Zimbabwe.
We began Sunday morning with a presentation entitled “Remove the Basket—Uncovering the Light Within” by Karyn Standering, which brought out four things that can keep us from shining our light and strategies to defeat these roadblocks. Our final activity was a panel presentation with four ladies sharing who has made an impact on their lives through their shining, what to do when the light within grows dim and the different types of light (a match, a candle and beacon), each with a specific purpose. The ladies on the panel were Lisa McKinney, Debbie Kuhns, Connie Sipes and Tanya Winger.
We closed with a video of photos taken throughout the weekend, a prayer asking for safe travel and lots of heartfelt good-byes with promises to keep in touch. It was a wonderful weekend—and one that generated a whole lot of light!
Diane Webber and B.J. Thomas
