Latest Bear Tracks

Britton and Kersten Allison (2007 Grads) have relocated their family back to the Denver area. They recently welcomed into the world their second son, Matthias Ryan, on May 15th. Congratulations to Britton, Kerstin, and big brother Elijah!

Dale, Paula and Isabella Babinsky (2014 Grads) moved upon graduation to work with the South Stokes church of Christ in King, North Carolina.

Dale, Leann and Alyssa Kastner (2014 Grads) moved this summer to Malawi to continue the wonderful work Ed Crookshank had done for a number of years.

Nathan, Dara, Blade and Dysen House moved to Orlando, FL, where Nathan (2014 Grad) has accepted the pulpit position with the Concord St. church of Christ.

Alex (2012 Grad) and Linz Warnes welcomed their first child, Preston Wayne, on February 27th. Alex is the preacher for the Morton St. church of Christ in Denison, TX. Congratulations!

Wayne and Tami Roberts (1998 Grads) moved to Ripon, California where they will be working with the Ripon church of Christ and continuing their His Shoes, Her Shoes Marriage Seminars.

Jacob Saarloos (2014 Grad) is working with the Ripon church of Christ in Ripon, California.

Rob Sinclair (2014 Grad) will be working for the Cheyenne church of Christ in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Daniel & Miranda Mayfield are preparing to move to the Cayman Islands to do missions work. Daniel is a 2014 graduate.

Mark Anthony (2014 Grad) moved back to Southern California and is waiting to hear word back about an internship program he has applied for.

Elbert Turner (2014 Grad) will be preaching for the Wray church of Christ in Wray, Colorado.

Dorothy Kennedy Passed Away

Longtime friend and member of the Bear Valley church of Christ, Dorothy Kennedy, passed away in Tyler, Texas on July 14, 2014. Sam and Dorothy Kennedy served the Lord's church in Denver for 38 years. Please take the time to read her obituary from a Tyler, Texas newspaper.

http://obituaries.tylerpaper.com/obituaries/tylerpaper/obituary.aspx?n=dorothy-faye-kennedy&pid=171743013

Long List of Bear Tracks

Catching up on some whereabouts from our alumni!

Brad and Gretchen Toy graduated this past December and are now working with the church of Christ in Stanford, Kentucky. Their family will be a wonderful asset in KY!

Chris & Alicia Krotz and their beautiful family moved to work with the Lord’s church in Troy, OH upon graduation in December, where Chris is working with the youth.

David Malley-Garza (2012 Grad) completed his ministry internship I Durango, Colorado and is now working as the evangelist for the Moab church of Christ in Utah.

Jess & Katie Simpson (2012 Grads) will stay put in Durango, Colorado after completing his ministry internship, Jess will be the pulpit minister with the Durango church of Christ. Guy Orbison, Jr. (1973 Grad, “MU Class”) will be stepping down but remain working in the Lord’s church in Durango.

Rob & Stacy Lester (2007 Grads) moved to Maryville, Missouri as Rob accepted the pulpit position with the congregation there.

Anton & Rachel Fredrickson (2011 Grads) Welcomed their new beautiful baby daughter, Emmilya Dawn, to the world on January 21, 2014. All the big brothers and big sisters adore her!

Steve & Jennifer Schinnerer (2002 Grads) Steve is the new minister with the Cave Springs church of Christ in Cave Springs, Arkansas.

Freddy Klein (2012 Grad) Freddie, Inge and Waylon (Born October 29th, Congrats!) will be moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan where Freddie will be the full-time preacher with the South Side church of Christ.

Adam Dollen (2001 Grad) Adam, Roseanne and family have moved back to Denver where Adam is now the full-time preacher with the Golden church of Christ.

Terry Harmon (1994 Grad, “GIMEL Class”) Terry, Marina and boys have moved back to Denver where Terry has established a Russian ministry near the Denver Tech Center.

Chuck & Bri Ramseur (2010 Grads) Chuck is the new minister for the Lake Oconee church of Christ in Lake Oconee, Georgia.

Andrew & Aimee Lemus (2007 Grads) Andrew is the new minister for the Johnson Ave. church of Christ in El Cajon, California.

Bret Carter (1996 Grad, “ZAYIN Class”) Bret is the new minister for the Miller St. church of Christ in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Joe Slater (Chi Class, 1978)

Joe Slater (chi 1978) is in his fourth year of work with the Lord's church in Justin, TX (NW of Ft. Worth). He recently completed writing a 36-lesson Bible Correspondence Course on the book of Exodus. It is designed primarily for use in jail/prison ministry, where students often need study material that goes beyond the basics. The course would also be appropriate, however, for use with teens or adults in a classroom setting. It is available from www.unboundword.com Joe's 26-lesson course on Genesis can also be ordered there. He is currently preparing a series on the Beatitudes which he hopes to complete in the next several months.

Doug Hall passes away (Alpha Class)

Paul Douglas Hall, 81, formerly of Vernon, passed away in Lubbock Friday, February 15, 2013. He was born August 19, 1931 in County Line, Oklahoma to Edward “Fat Daddy” and Florence “Granny” Hall; soon after the family moved to Vernon. Doug, at the time of his death, was a member of South Plains Church of Christ in Lubbock. He served as minister of the Lockett Highway Church of Christ for eighteen years; and previously for congregations in Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, California and Texas. In 1965 he enrolled as a student in the Alpha class of the Bear Valley School of Preaching in Denver and later attended graduate classes at Sunset School of Preaching in Lubbock. Various times of his life he worked for the Post Office. Doug enjoyed life, and dearly loved his Lord, his wife and his family.

He married Helen Brown in Vernon on December 25, 1950, and recently celebrated 62 years of marriage.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister Violet Madison of Phoenix, Arizona; three brothers J.T. of Lubbock, Texas, Edward of Grand Prairie, Texas and Roy Van of Vernon, Texas; one son Andrew of Denver, Colorado; and son-in-law Don Maxey of Lubbock, Texas.

He will be missed by his wife; one sister Cathryne Priest of Kyle, Texas and one brother Herbert and his wife Betty of Midland, Texas; two daughters Paula Maxey of Lubbock, Texas and Keli Stewart and her husband Murray of Kearney, Missouri; two sons Mike and his wife Lynn of Maryville, Tennessee, Timothy and his wife Brenda of Rockwall, Texas; one daughter-in-law Rita of Denver, Colorado; eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren; and countless friends and family all over the world.

Honorary Pallbearers will be his grandchildren: Deone LaFollette of Seymour, Tennessee, Jason Hall of Maryville, Tennessee, Kayla Wimberley of Lubbock, Texas, Cody Hall of Denver, Colorado, Valari Skinness of Louisville, Kentucky, and Brittany Stewart of Kearney, Missouri, and their spouses.

Shane Belanger update (New Hampshire)

Dear Brethren,

I am happy to announce that on February 4th at 8:00 pm Raymond Keel was buried in the waters of baptism!  This was not an easy task due to the fact that Ray is burdened with many unique and challenging health issues.  Ray suffers from cellulitis as well as advanced diabetes, and is almost completely housebound except for his necessary routine trips to the doctor in order to receive his medical treatments.  Ray carries an oxygen tank with him at all times and his legs are tightly wrapped with ace bandages
that absolutely cannot get wet.  After studying with Ray for some time in his apartment, he became fully committed to the Gospel call.  With the help of Pete Farley, we wrapped him up in blankets and warm clothes, with oxygen tank in hand, and drove him the ¼ mile it took to get to the building, where a warm baptistery awaited him.  Ray’s eyes were aglow as he emerged from his water burial completely sin free.  All praise and glory to God for the amazing gift that He offers through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Alan & Ree Nalley (Brazil Update)

REJOICING IN HEAVEN CONTINUES

     Tatiane was baptized December 27!  She is the teenager daughter of Ademir and Marcia, graduates from the Bible Institute of Southern Brazil.  Pray for this family as they are helping to lead the church plant in Fazenda Rio Grande.

CURITIBA CHURCH

     During the month of January the church leadership here asked me to outline four sermons for the church from the Book of Matthew concerning evangelism.  I preached two of the lessons and two other brothers finished the series.  My help gave a little relief to the regular preachers during the summer so they can take a break.  One of the lessons I did was concerning the call of Matthew and his first action as a follower of Jesus.  He prepared a meal in his home then invited his friends from work and also Jesus and the other disciples to eat together.  By having a meal he made the first connection between sinners and the saved that would lead to knowledge about how to follow the Master and eternal life.  I was amazed at the application by the members.  Right after worship a sister came up and said, “Today is my birthday and I am having many family members over for a meal and dessert.  Can you and your family come?  I have also invited other Christians to come and meet my family.”  New contacts were made for possible Bible studies.  During the week another brother called and said they he was hosting a meal at the building.  He invited about ten of his neighbors to worship and to the meal and also invited about ten members of the church to eat together with them.  More contacts were made for possible Bible studies.  The next Sunday another member invited our family to go to a birthday party for her granddaughter and since there would be lots of non-Christians there, she invited brothers and sisters in Christ to participate in the fellowship as a first step to leading someone to Christ.  Pray for fruit to come from these “Matthew Meals.”

     During the summer month of January, instead of having our regular weekly small group meetings around the city, the groups take a break and there is a Wednesday evening prayer service at the building.

     On January 25-26 there was a Men’s Retreat for small group leaders and those we want to influence to participate.  A family in the congregation purchased part of a Bible camp and it is a great place for retreats.  About forty men came for the weekend meeting.  We prayed, praised and played together.  Two of our evangelists, Mauro and Ramos, gave several motivational lessons.  One of the highlights was the experience given to everyone on how to write small group lessons.  The forty men were divided into groups of four or five.  Each group had a small group leader involved with inexperienced brothers.  Each group was given a text to study, talk about and produce a small group lesson.  We had about three to four hours to work on the lesson together.  The men learned about context, asking the right questions about the original meaning of the text, then moving on to how to apply the text.  The final step was putting this Bible study into question format ready for small group use.  By the end of the retreat, the men had produced a new series with eight lessons about the difference Jesus makes in our lives.  It was emotional at the end, as each inexperienced brother was asked to stand and share one thought about how he felt with this experience.  Men that had never stood to speak in public rose with encouragement and courage and shared thoughts beyond our imagination.  God is so good!

GUARAPUVA CHURCH

     The small congregation in Guarapuava has been saddened and has rejoiced.  Last month a young teenage sister passed away suddenly.  The day before one of the member’s non-Christian mother passed away.  This month another sister in the congregation lost her non-Christian sister to death.  Then another woman that the congregation was evangelizing suddenly died.  Pray for their comfort!

     The good news is that these new converts in Guarapuava have been sowing the seed.  They have set up studies with seven people in the past year.  One finished the lessons and stopped, but the seed is in her heart.  Three others started and quit.  Another studied through the lessons and is counting the cost.  Pray for him, Tuca struggles with alcohol.  Two others they taught were baptized January 19.  Brandinor and his teenage daughter Sabrina are now citizens of the Kingdom.  Sabrina’s mother was counting the cost when she had to go to the hospital for a treatment and died there.  A member of the congregation called me with the good news about their decision to follow Jesus and asked if I would go and baptize them.  I told them I could come, but that they could do the baptisms.  They had never baptized anyone before and were unsure of themselves.  When Ree and I arrived (January 18-21) we met at Brandinor’s house, had a Bible study about perseverance in following Jesus as a disciple, then I explained to the men what to do and say.  We walked down a dirt road, pushed back vegetation and tree limbs that took us down a little trail to a creek that flows into the Jordan River near their house (yes that is the name of the river . . . Rio Jordao).  Jhonatan baptized Brandinor and Antonio baptized Sabrina.  What a great day for the Guarapauva chuch!  Antonio will now teach them a series of lessons to help them grow in Christ.

    Where did these contacts come from?  Antonio and his wife Viridiana always have “Matthew Meals” for family and friends in their home.  While we visited in Guarapuava we visited in five non-Christian homes to make new contacts for Bible studies.  Pray for the families of Josemar e Mara, Josenilson e Meri, Celso, Juarez e Sabastiana as the Christian Family influences them with the Word.  I also preached on Sunday during worship.

NALLEY NEWS

     I have been swamped writing new material.  I will be teaching homiletics to the Curitiba men next month and also an intensive study on Spiritual Leadership in the northeast of Brazil.  My calendar also has four to five more intensive studies at three preacher training schools planned.  This past month I also celebrated another year of life.  Thank you for all those cool birthday cards!  Ree and I have been taking our walks for exercise a few times a week and I have even begun to run again.  I had to stop running for three years because of my lower back, but it seems to be fine now.  Naiane is enjoying the break during the summer.  She has been inviting and helping to pick up her friend and her friend’s grandmother to go with us to Wednesday evening prayer night.  In March Naiane finally begins her cooking school in Curitiba.

                                                                 Serving Jesus Our Master, 

Alan, Ree and Naiane Nalley

Josh & Divine Austin (Mission Update)

Dear brethren,

Welcome to 2013! We pray your year has begun in a great way. We are looking forward to what lies ahead and the plans that the Lord has in store.

This is our first newsletter for the new work in Phoenix. Even though we are not in Phoenix yet, we are making preparations in every way to get us ready for the opportunities ahead. We hope that over the years there will be many great stories demonstrating the mighty works of God in the lives of many people.

Now that I am no longer the coordinator for Cameroon, I have been spending a lot of time researching Phoenix and the Native Americans who live there. We are also gathering information about church planting in a metro area verses a rural community. There is a lot to learn and we are making some good progress. We have been able to narrow Phoenix down to two or three main areas where there are more Native American people than others. We are now trying to decide where to locate our home and meeting places.

We have also been working on raising the rest of our support. We are at 75% of our needed budget. We are thankful for all of you who are helping us through this transition period into Phoenix. We appreciate your confidence in us in taking on this work. We are still planning on moving the first week of June, Lord willing.

The work here in Morenci continues to be blessed. We have been working in getting ready to find the next preacher upon my departure. There have been a couple of home Bible studies that are going good. The congregation is really a pleasure to work with, as there are so many who are doing the work of a Christian.

Unfortunately, our children all came down with colds. Fevers, coughs and runny noses take a lot of attention to help them through it. We are thankful they are on the up and up; nothing too serious so we praise God. The kids are enjoying all their sports classes and they are also taking a community Science class that they really liked. My parents and our family went to Phoenix to watch Disney On Ice. The Community had a special pricing for those that live here, which made it much more affordable to go. Everyone really enjoyed the show as well as getting some time with cousins in Phoenix.

We are especially praying for wisdom as we make decisions that affect the future of many souls. We are trying to do what is best for the future of our children, we are trying to do our best to reach people that we love and care about and we are trying to help congregations be a part of a work that brings glory to God. Please know you are in our continued prayers.

Fred Coulter (1972 Grad) passes away

Prayers for The Fred Coulter family. Fred graduated in 1972 from Bear Valley and served the community as a counselor.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/obits/2012/09/13/fredrick-coulter

Terry Sanderfur passed away

This is to inform you of the death of a former Bear Valley student: Terry Sandefur.  I think he was a student there in the late 70s.  Terry died suddenly Friday morning while working as a substitute teacher in Forbes Middle School, Georgetown, TX.

You can go to the following address and read his obituary and see a recent picture:

http://gabrielsfuneral.com/fh/print.cfm?type=obituary&o_id=1574673&fh_id=11011

Terry was a faithful Christian, lover of the Lord and the Scriptures.  Though he had not been preaching for several years, he was deeply respected among members of our congregation.

As I reviewed the people on your staff, I don't think there is anyone who was teaching at BV when he was a student.  That would have been folks like Monroe Tharp, Warren Wilcox, Norman Gipson, and I can't recall what year Roy Lanier, Sr. died.  The only one on your staff whom I know [and might remember me] is Dr. Dennis Petrillo - whom I knew as Denny when he was in high school and SYD. At the time I was preaching for the University congregation [1968 to 1976 (that may have been the year Denny graduated from high school)].  Give him my greetings!

Unfortunately our loss of Terry while still a young man was difficult not only for his family, but for the congregation.  Thanks for the training you provided for him; he used it all the time.

Yours in the Lord,

Max Hughes

Baker Family to Foristell, Missouri

Congratulations are in order for Aaron and Cindy Baker (2004 Grads) and their family! Aaron has accepted the pulpit position with the Foristell church of Christ in Foristell, Missouri starting July 1st. Aaron, Cindy and children have spent the past 6+ years in mission work in the country of Vanauatu. If you are ever in the St. Louis area, drop by and see them! Foristell is about 45 minutes west of St. Louis and just 5 minutes south of I-70. 

It's a Girl! (Walker Family)

Congratulations are in order for Wesley and Amanda Walker. Amanda gave birth to Presley Jannelle on Monday, November 14th in Nashville, TN. Their beautiful baby girl weighed in at 7lbs., 11 oz. and 18 1/2" long. Wes is the full time minister at the Woodson Chapel church of Christ in Nashville and a 2005 BVBID graduate.

Congratulations, Justin Blevins!

Justin Blevins, 2011 BVBID Graduate, has been hired on as the full-time preacher at the church in Delta, Utah!

You can reach Justin at cael44@comcast.net and wish him a great big CONGRATULATIONS!!!

It's a Boy! (Robertson Family)

Travis and Carley Robertson (Class of 2006) are the proud parents of Ethan Josiah, born on July 19, 2011 in Englewood, CO. Travis serves as the preacher for the Columbine church of Christ in Littleton, CO. Ethan joins big sisters, Payton and Brooklyn. Congratulations!

Gary & Dottie Anderson (Class of 1975)

Gary & Dottie Anderson (1975 graduate) update:

We have 3 grown children and almost 3 grandchildren.  I am busy preaching and teaching for the Kern High School District.  I teach older adults and GED classes.  My wife works in a county Psychiatric ER.  We would love to hear from others. Gary continues to preach in Lamont, California.

It's a Girl! (Samford family)

Carey and Bonnie Samford (Class of 2007) are the proud parents of Kylie Elizabeth. She was born on July 2 at 12:14am in the family’s home in Inringa, Tanzania, East Africa. This little blessing is welcomed by big sister, Aubrey and big brothers, Ayden and Ryan

It's a Boy! (Warnes family)

Anthony and Andria Warnes (Class of 2007) are the proud parents of Owen Ray Warnes, born on June 9^th in Englewood, Colorado. Owen’s big sister, Brooke is so glad to have a playmate at home. Congratulations to you all on your blessing!

Ed Linebaugh (Class of '94) Update

Greetings in the Lord from Huntsville, Alabama!  I hope and pray you and the BVBID family are well.  It's been a long time since we left our BV family and moved to the Tennessee Valley.  We miss everyone and look forward to visiting again one day but if not here, then in our eternal home!
 
Our daughter, Nicole and her Polish husband Lukasz, live in Warsaw, Poland and would be greatly encouraged to receive well-wishes and prayer on their behalf.  Their address is:
 
Lukasz and Nicole Kondracki
ul. Gornoslaska 3/165
00-443 Warszawa, Poland
nicolelukasz@hotmail.com 
 
They are faithful workers for the Lord in Warsaw.  Nicole graduated from Freed Hardeman University in 2002 with a double major in World Culture and Vocational Ministry and moved to Poland in 2006.
 
May the Lord continue to bless your efforts in expanding the Kingdom!

Ed Linebaugh

Ministry Director
U.S. Army (Retired)
GOD'S ARMY STRONG

Military OutReach & Encouragement (M.O.R.E.)

"Strengthen & Encourage" (1 Thessalonians 3:2)

Mayfair Church of Christ

Huntsville, Alabama

www.militaryoutreach.info

more@militaryoutreach.info  

It's a Boy! (Castle family)

Eric and Jamye Castle (Class of 2005) are proud parents to Titus Allen Castle. He was born on May 4th at 3:34am. Congratulations to entire family. What a beautiful addition to an already beautiful family!

Ron & Louise Maynard (Class of 1972)

Ron (1972 Graduate) and Louise Maynard's address has changed to 58117 238th Street, Mankato MN 56001. We are moving from the Twin City area back to Mankato where I served as evangelist from 1974 to 1991. We refer to our house as the "storage facility" since we travel six to nine months of the year as a full-time instructor for the Fishers of Men ministry. Louise has retired from school teaching and travels with me, living in an RV, teaching personal evangelism training classes that meet once a week for three months. Last year we taught classes in Tennessee, Alabama, and Minnesota, and this year we plan to be in Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and Syktyvkar, Russia. If you are interested in a class with your congregation (free of charge) call (612)963-2808 or email fomrlm@aol.com.