CHURCH of GOID o CHURCH of GOID o eW(J Chicago -Midwest Edition Volume 3, Issue 2 February, 1964 Feast Days To Be Held in GaryI Ind. New "Panorama Americ:a" To Be Presented Narrators Wilbur Ball and Ken Ellis flank Miss Darothy Bresson whose piano accompanied the Chorale and soloists on songs of many countries. The dramotic finalel Mrs. Joyce Hitch portrays the Statue of Liberty as the Chorale sings "America the Beautiful." Chorale President Fred Mancewicz sings out, "Alouelle -je te plu ma rae." Director Charles Halliar did a fine job after only two months in which to prepare. Shown here are some scenes from the recent production of "Panorllma America," the first annual concert of the Chicago-LaGrange Chorale. The performance was very successful and quite well received by the local area people attending. Now a revised and improved version is to be presented especially for the entertainment and enjoyment of the scattered brethren who will be in the area to celebrate Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. The present plans are to hold the concert the afternoon of Sunday, March 29th. The exact time and place will be given during the annoullcements at the services that week-end. The fine choice of music provided an enjoyable and cultural experience for everyone who attended the first performance. It is quite evident that the chorale is c()ntinuing to improve under the able direction of Mr. Charles Hal/iar. The coming performance should be great. Don't miss this one. by Dean C. Blackwell The Gary Memorial Auditorium will be the site of the Annual Sabbaths in the coming Feast of Unleavened Bread. This location is very convenient for all in the district, as the building can be seen from the Indiana East-West Tollroad. It is also only a few miles north of the Tri-State Tollroad. The building, surrounded by parking lots, is only one block east of main street, Broadway, and one block from the Gary Hotel. Also the train and bus stations are only four blocks away. The dining facilities will be arranged so that all of us can either use the YMCA or YWCA cafeterias or bring lunches and dine together in a potluck fashion in the Moose Lodge, which is only three blocks distant. With the large crowd of 2,500 plus expected, it has become impossible to dine and meet in the same building. This we discovered after weeks and weeks of searching. The auditorium is unusually clean and nice, and has very comfortable, permanent-type seats on the lower level and balcony set out in theatre-style with rising seats toward the rear. Lighting is good for taking notes, as the auditorium was built for school assemblies and meetings. The lobby is very suitable for visiting and fellowshipping. Large, clean rest rooms will add convenience. I am personally really enthused about the facilities, and hope that you are or will be, also. Let us look forward greatly to the Feastdays, and be eager to visit with each other once again, and to meet new brothers and sisters in Christ at these delightful Festivals. How wonderful it will be to see all of our brethren from the outlying, scattered areas once again. These areas are becoming (Continued on page 4) GOD BLESSES CENTRAL ILLINOIS WITH TWO NEW CHURCHES! by Gene Scarbrough On February 1, 1964, one-hundredninety persons attended the Church of God in Bloomington, Illinois. The meeting hall was very over-crowded; something HAD to be done! For several months a larger hall had been sought, but as soon as one was found (Continued on page 4) Two New Bible Studies Sunday, Feb. 9, 1964-God's Work LEAPED ahead, this time with a new monthly BIBLE STUDY in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The meeting was held in the Carpenter's Hall located at 512 Midland in Poplar Bluff and was conducted by one of God's Evangelists, Mr. Dean Blackwell. He was assisted by Mr. (Continued on page 4) Editor-in-Chief ................Dean Blackwell Editor ·········.............................Wilbur Ball News Editor ........................Kenneth Ellis REPORTERS Dick Alexander Emma Lasocha Elisha Crim Gene Scarbrough Elaine Tkach Lyle Vershowske Fred Mancewicz Victor Johnson John Freel David Shell Edward Rudicel Esterlene Holmes Roland Van Slooten James Howell Circulation ........................Gene Madison Hope Brassine Business Manager ................. .Ted Efimov Art ········ .................................. John Moore Food Advisor ...................... Kenneth May Photographer ..................Robert Einerson Wilbur Vandermolen General Staff Grace Sienkiewicz Winifred Keough -Dwyer @ 1964 by Radio Church of God Address all correspondence to the Editor. Published monthly by Chicago, South Bend, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Bloomington Spokesman Clubs. Notify us immediately of any change of address. Circulation over 1900 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Mr. Ball: Please accept enclosed check as donation for publication of Church of God News. I enjoy this paper very much and hope I may continue; at least some support, in the future. You do an excellent job in your "bits of interest," to all of us; and thanking you, I am Sincerely yours, Ann E. Wright Box 246 Bristol, Indiana 46507 Dear Sir, I thank you with all my heart for having received the Church of God News, Chicago-Midwest Edition, thru the mail for approximately the last two years. However, we now can get it at the Cincinnati Church, so please take us off of your mailing list. I'm sure I speak for all of the brethren when I say that we certainly look forward to each new edition, and thank you all for the work you are doing. Very gratefully, Mrs. Ralph E. Wetzel Dear Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell, Today I just received the January Church newspaper. It is really jammed full of wonderful and exciting news. It's also so full of spiritual meat it's going to take a couple of times more to get it all down. ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER by Will Vandermolen Here is a good suggestion for you bachelors! Mr. Edmund Stout of the Saturday night Spokesman Club gave a speech on how to make delicious whole wheat pancakes in a hurry. With a few basic ingredients, you can prepare them on those cold crisp mornings when the temperature takes a nosedive and your appetite soars. His speech was so convincing, we thought he was going to make some for us to sample. It was so good, he received the cup for the best speech. His recipe is simple: first you need some whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, good buttermilk, a mixing bowl and a little imagination, with a limber wrist to flip the flapjack. OR, find a helpmate who has her own recipe and can serve them up piping hot and done to a turn just for you. Now for some of the thrilling news from out here. You know your article, "Campus Humming With Construction Activity" here is something else to hum about. We went to the Official Ground-Breaking for the Gym (last week, February 10th). And they are really working hard on the building. The Freeway is going to miss the College and it will take out the slums to the East of us, by the handball course. This is going to really make the campus a lot safer and more beautiful all around. The Ambassador College Auditorium (God's House) is going to be beautiful. We saw the plans in color -(like the clipping Mrs. Atlas sent you). It will seat 1250 people and there will be counselling rooms and other rooms in here. There will be a lake around the Auditorium and the building will be 70 feet high with big white pillars rising out of the water! Thank you again for such a wonderful Church newspaper. We all really enjoy it. Laodicean Jones is especially good. Time to go now. So we can feed our ever hungry Ambassadors. Much love always, Ruth Ann P.S. What a wonderful picture of you both. SPOKESMAN MEMBER TAKES A WIFE by Barbara Ellis Just after the Spokesman Club meeting of Monday, January 27th, the men and guests were happy to witness the wedding of one of the Club's members, Oleh Karpowycz to Shirley Baillie. It was the second wedding within a month in this area. The ceremony was held in the Oval Room of the Keymen's Club, which was decorated with flowers a!1d stream ers. Mrs. Jack Schurr at the piano accompanied Mrs. Lloyd Regnier in her vocal solo, "I'll Walk With God" and then played the processional for the wedding party. The matron of honor, Mrs. Allen Bush, wore a pink dress and carried a matching nosegay bouquet. The bride, on the arm of her father, wore a floor length white gown, pearl crown, and veil, and carried a white bouquet centered with an orchid. The ceremony uniting the couple in marriage was performed by Mr. Dean C. Blackwell. Best man was lhor Karpowycz, brother of the groom, and ushers were men from the Monday evening club. The newly -formed band headed by Mr. Elmer Davis, played dance music for the reception which followed the ceremony, and added a festive note to an already joyous occasion. NEWS BRIEFS There was great rejoicing when Mrs. Plache, after many months of convalescence from an almost fatal stroke, attended services again. She is under the nursing care of Mrs. Iris Field. The Thursday evening Spokesman Club is planning to meet in the Rockford area one evening so that scattered members may see a club session for the first time. PIONEER OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY by Fred Mancewicz The best fiction written would seem insignificant to the true life stories of some of our brethren. Let's take a look at Mrs. Minnie Meisenbach. Her story would even make Zane Grey blush. She was born in Arkansas nearly 80 years ago. Her father was a timber baron and furnished the hickory lumber to make the famous Studebaker wagon, whiskey barrels, and railroad ties for the Santa Fe. The family received a free Studebaker wagon each year. As a girl she always rode a horse, and at age 10 could pick 250 pounds of cotton a day. When just 15 years old, Mrs Meisenbach became a school marm, and taught 63 students in the Indian territory. Among her students were Indians from the Pottowattomie and Choctaw tribes. The family sold its timber lands in Arkansas and a hotel in Hot Springs, and moved to a 400 acre ranch in Texas. It was here that Mrs. Meisenbach helped her father plant the first rice in Texas. People thought him crazy, but they're still doing it today. The family name of Spivey is well known in the South. There is believed to be a connection with a place called Spivey Gap in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the killing of Grandfather Spivey by a Yankee Colonel during the Civil War. Mrs. Meisenbach married but some years later her husband was killed in an explosion in the oil fields. She became a secretary to support herself. As you might expect, this woman's drive, coupled with her ability and good business sense, led her. to open a school of typing and shorthand in Brownsville, Texas. She later moved to Chicago where she became a real estate broker. She was a real go-getter and sold many homes in the southeast part of Chicago. She attempted to sell the famous Edgewater Beach Hotel but the parties could not agree on the price. Her biggest accomplishment, which earned her the title of "Miracle saleswoman," was her sale of land in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Here she sold many acres. Mrs. Meisenbach planted the first grapefruit in this Valley, which today is the fruit basket of the nation. It is this kind of personal initiative, drive, and enthusiasm which many Americans had to have in those early days to develop this land of ours. Mrs. Meisenbach is today as sharp as ever, and keeps up with world developments, Evangelist Visits St. Louis -Harrisburg The St. Louis and Harrisburg Churches were delighted with Mr. Dean Blackwell's visit. The newer people, meeting and hearing him speak for the first time, were rapidly won over by his frank, down-to-earth personality. Arriving Thursday, Feb. 6th, for a four-day visit, Mr. Blackwell gave his personal evaluations of both sections of the St. Louis Spokesman Club. His manner of giving deep-reaching, personal, and yet POWERFULLY constructive pointers is well known and respected. Again, Mrs. Blackwell, his charming and very personable wife, accompanied him from Chicago. Sabbath morning, Feb. 8th, Mr. Blackwell delivered a powerful sermon on understanding human nature and the devices that Satan uses to ensnare us. Mr. Ray Roenspies, Local Elder from Chicago, flew Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell and Mr. Baird to Harrisburg in his four-place, single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza. They returned by plane the same evening, in time for the St. Louis Social. A certain deacon (this is not one' of the Beatles) at age 5. Guess who?? Last month's deacon was the newly ordained Mr. Phillip Fowler. and events, and is still today actively working and helping her neighbors. She has many more exciting stories to tell so why don't you stop by and visit with her? She would love to have you. over. With this exciting past, Mrs. Meisenbach says the most interesting part of her life is yet before her-her life in God's Church. At Last -Our Own Band by James Howell The Chicago area church social on Saturday, January 25th, had a bright, new ingredient -A REAL LIVE BAND -but composed of several familiar faces! It was the first appearance of the newly-organized group. It was a smashing success! Currently the group has six members. Mr. Elmer Davis is the leader, vocalist, and lead accordion player. Mr. Joe Holly plays those sweet notes on the saxophone and the clarinet. Mr. Leslie Marshall handles the drums while his son, Mr. Dick Marshall, does the guitar picking. Mr. Robert Skaggs plays the clarinet and Romeo Maggi squeezes the other accordion. The band practiced only nine hours before its first appearance. They were so well received that they also played at the reception following the wedding of Oleh Karpowycz and Shirley Baillie two days later. Mr. Davis is looking for additional talent to give the troup more balance. If you have a musical talent and like to play, he would be glad to hear about it. COLORED NEWS BRIEFS Mr. George Bailey and Miss Marjorie Robinson were joined in holy matrimony at the Wabash Avenue YMCA on Sunday, January 26. Performing the marriage was Mr. Harold Jackson, Co-Pastor and Preaching Elder of the Colored Church. Mr. Bailey was the fifth bachelor to be taken out of circulation since the Colored Church was formed. * * * The Colored Church welcomes James Wilson and Edward Herndon from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. It's a pleasure to add these two young men to our growing number. Two New Bible Studies ... (Continucd (rom page I) Hal Baird, Jr., pastor of the St. Louis and Harrisburg Churches. This MOMENTOUS occasion was attended by 106 people and had a total of FIVE of God's Ministers present!! Mr. Dean C. Blackwell also started a Bible Study in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 60 attended the first meeting. Many in the eastern half of Iowa who have been listening to the World Tomorrow broadcast over KXEL, Waterloo, or WMT, the local station, now have the opportunity to attend a regular study. We all rejoice to know that more of our scattered brethren will have an opportunity to have their questions an swered and to be exhorted and taught by one of God's servants Two New Churches . .. (Continucd (ro m page I) the door was firmly shut. This clearly indicated to those whom God has chosen as His servants that the Church in Bloomington should re-locate. Due to the fact that Bloomington is near the center of the state, many members traveled long distances each Sabbath. So during the ministerial conference, God's ministers decided to establish two new churches according to where God would open the door for them. God did open two doors, one in Peoria, and the other in Danville. Now many will not have to travel so far every Sabbath and others who were unable to attend a local church are able to do so. The last church social was enjoyed very much on Saturday evening, Feb ruary 8th at the Western Avenue Yo.uth Center in Bloomington. When the tIme came to part, there was a certain amount of sadness, but greater joy. Everyone knew that by having two churches instead of one, God's work would grow faster than ever. .More people would have the opportumty to serve and to be served. It will be with even greater joy when we meet old friends and brethren from the former Bloomington Church of God at the Feast Days. These two deacons each went to one of the new churches. Mr. Jean Dawson now attends in Peoria, and Mr. Gene Scarbrough serves Danville. The Peoria church, which has the larger number of members attending, will have the Spokesman Club meeting there. As the attendance grows in the Danville area it is expected a new Club will be formed. The first meetings of the new churches were held the Sabbath of February 15th. -~: J;;hes! )'Our work j.t terrible. Don't ),ou. like ),01(1' job? Col. 3: 22.+23 Feast Days . .. (Continued Irom Page I) fewer and smaller as we have more churches and Bible studies. but many still have to travel hundreds of miles to their nearest assembly. How \l1rilled these people must be with the sotnness of the next festi'.al season. What a family reunion it will be to hav~ all of our churches together once agall~ as well. There will be Cincinnati, Indla?apolis, Grand Rapids, South Bend, Milwaukee, Peoria, and the new ch.urches in Danville Illinois, and Lexmgton, Kentucky, ~eeting as brothers ~nd si~ters and future kings and pnests m Christ in Gary in just a few more weeks. How thrilled we should all be! News Briefs ... The first sewing party for the young girls held by Mrs. Kreidich was successful. This is a wholesome endeavor to help teach our youn~ .girls pO.ise and enhance their fememmty, helpmg them grow into fine young ladies. More new members -Mrs. Stapleton delivered a fine baby daughterand so did Mrs. Gauker, all are doing fine.