Volume 9, Number 1

.WINTER 198 amily pjicampment d Canyon ' next summer ' J&: -^See Cover Story on page 2 s A NEWS JOURNAL FOR CHURCHES OF CHRIST ON THE WEST COAST cOVER Family Encampments Continue To Grow 1990 Family he first annual Grand Canyon Family to discover the excitement of Northern Arizona. TEncampment will meet on the Coconino Near the encampment sight are the following Encampments County Fair Grounds at Flagstaff, Arizona, July places of interest: Pioneer Historical Museum; 8-11, 1990. There will be activities scheduled Coconino Center for the Arts; Museum of Red River-June 24-27 in Mather amphitheater on the west rim of Northern Arizona; Fairfield Snow Bowl (ski- Grand Canyon—July 8-11 the Grand Canyon. lift); Sunset Crater National Monument; Yosemite—July 22-27 The new family encampment, co-directed Wupatki National Monument; Monument by Paul Methvin and Edwin White, will make Valley; Oak Creek Canyon—Sedona; Tuzigoot a total of three such programs to serve Christian National Monument; Jerome (an old ghost families in the West. The other two are the town); Montezuma Castle National Monu- Yosemite Family Encampment, directed by Paul ment; Ft. Verde State Historical park; Meteor RCIFIC CHURCH NEWS Methvin, and the Red River Family Crater; Petrified Forest/Painted Desert; Lowell Encampment, directed by Jerry Lawlis. Observatory; Riordan State Park, and others. Volume IX Number 1 The Yosemite Family Encampment The Grand Canyon Family Encampment celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1990. The Red will be a sister to the encampments at Yosemite River Family Encampment, just three years old, and Red River. All three share a common has experienced phenomenal growth. Although leadership and draw life and inspiration from EDITOR not yet as large as Yosemite, thousands gather each other. Jerry Rushford under the tents at the foot of the ski-slopes In recent years the Yosemite Family at Red River for Christian fellowship and fun. Encampment has grown so large that there is The purpose of family encampments is to not enough housing for all who want to attend. provide Christian families an opportunity to In 1989, the lack of available housing resulted ASSOCIATE EDITORS combine their vacation time with Bible study in the denial of numerous Christian families Bill Henegar and Christian fellowship. Mornings are filled who were eager to attend Yosemite. The Grand with classes and theme speeches delivered by Canyon Family Encampment is designed to Mary Speaks outstanding preachers, teachers and educators. provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy Evening services and campfire programs provide the Christian encampment experience. further instruction, as well as entertainment. For information regarding the Grand Most of the day is free for families to see the Canyon Family Encampment, contact: Grand CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS sights. Canyon Family Encampment, 2208 West Rovey Garth Black, Bakersfield, CA Those who attend the Grand Canyon Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85015. Tel. (602) Larry Cain, San Jose, CA Encampment will have an excellent opportunity 242-3025; 253-5578. Kelly Carter, Victoria, B.C. Kelly Deatherage, Portland, OR Walt Fennel, Sacramento, CA Rick Griffin, San Diego, CA Milo Hadwin, Bellevue, WA Billie Silvey, Los Angeles, CA Mel Weldon, San Leandro, CA Edwin White, Phoenix, AZ Bud Worsham, Long Beach, CA John York, Roseburg, OR DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Sabra Jenny PACIFIC CHURCH NEWS is published three times each year by the Department of Church Services at Pepperdine University. Send all correspondence to Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA 90263. PCN 2 MINISTBJES A Legacy of Loyalty b\ Eillie n a highly mobile society where preachers to Malibu in April for the Pepperdine Bible When the school recently dedicated its new I move every two or three years and families Lectureship. The McGrues always arrange building in Uyo, the Sister's Class asked Ava relocate every four or five years, it is becoming transportation for 20 or 30 members in order to attend and planned a series of fund-raising extremely rare to find people who devote their for them to enjoy the spiritual feast together. events to send her. Two other women from the lives to the people and place of their youth. The Vallejo church now numbers about church, Mary Harper and Geneva Broussard, Leroy and Ava McGrue have given a lifetime 150. However, over the years, the McGrues have raised money on their own to accompany Ava. to one church and one community—within a baptized hundreds and trained many in Ava attended graduation and dedication few miles from where they were reared. For 33 personal evangelism. Because of the transient ceremonies for the new building, spoke at the years, they have been builders of the Kingdom nature of the community, the fruits of their school, met with the teachers, reported on the of God in Vallejo, California. labor can be found all over the country. work in Vallejo, and lectured in the village Lerov McGrue, an outstanding arhlc-te who Actually, their efforts have never been through an interpreter. "Meeting the Nigerians grew up in Richmond, California, across the limited to strictly local ministry. "We traveled we support was the highlight of the trip" Ava San Francisco Bay, was the first black com- across the United States in the early years of said. "I had the chance to put my arms around mencement speaker at Richmond Union High our ministry," Leroy explains, "getting them—that was worth the trip." School. That was in 1946, and in December acquainted with members of the Church of Highly respected by his preaching peers, of the next year he married his high school Christ." He has preached in many cities in Leroy McGrue is now the senior minister sweetheart, Ava Russell. They have two sons, California, the Mid-West, and Texas, and in among Churches of Christ in the Bay Area. Leroy III and Anthony, and five grandchildren. the early '70s he accompanied F. F. Carson to In fact, only a tiny handful of preachers in all The McGrues were baptized into Christ Haiti. The Vallejo congregation continues to of California have labored with the same in 1951 by the late F. F. Carson. Carson was contribute to mission work in Haiti and Nigeria. congregation for as many years as Leroy. one of the great pioneer preachers of Northern Ava, who studied under the late Robert Last year, Leroy began a 15-minute sermon California, devoting 38 years to the Southside R. Price for a number of years, has taught junior broadcast every Sunday morning on a new radio church in Richmond. Leroy began studying high and high school girls for over 20 years. station near Stockton. The station has ties with under Carson in preparation for the ministry. For the past four years, she has co-taught a Africa, and after his sermon has aired locally, Five years later, he started work with the ladies Bible class called the "Sister's Class" and it is sent to a college in Nigeria where it is Church of Christ in Vallejo, a congregation has spoken on lectureship programs in the Bay broadcast every Friday night. The McGrues of eight members who met in a rented room Area and at Pepperdine. get more responses from the program in Africa in the Labor Temple Building downtown. The When she began the Sister's Class, Ava's than from the local program. little church had only $105 in the bank. motto was, "Let's study the Bible, and then This year when the Vallejo group makes Within three years, attendance had let's put it to work." The class began sending its annual trek to Malibu, they will have the increased to between 50 and 75, and a bank $25 a month to Christian widows in Nigeria. opportunity of hearing their own minister who account of $10,000 allowed the purchase of 1 When they learned of a group of orphans in will be teaching a class on the Pepperdine Bible 1/4 undeveloped acres in North Vallejo. A the church, they sent contributions to them Lectureship. company building homes in the area asked to as well. Later, they added the regular support In October 1988, Ava retired after 24 years trade lots with the congregation—McGrue was of a teacher at Nigerian Christian Institute. of work in a dress shop. Now she is able to so cooperative they named the street for him. devote her full time to her joint ministry with A building was constructed on the land, Leroy. Together, they are building a legacy and the house next door, which had been used of faith, courage, diligent effort. but as the construction company office, was most of all, a legacy of loyalty to the purchased as the minister's residence. The people and the land of their youth. McGrues still reside at 100 McGrue Avenue, where they have lived for over 30 years. Vallejo is a bedroom community called the Hub, serving the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, etc.) on the west and Sacramento and Stockton on the east. A transient town of 100,000 residents, it is known primarily as the home of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The McGrues' ministry there has centered primarily on door-knocking and home Bible Leroy and Ava McGrue, classes and on helping the needy through builders of God's Kingdom donations of food and clothing. They in the Bay Area for 33 years. participate in area congregational singings, and Leroy preaches on the radio every Sunday. A highlight of each year is the eight-hour trek PCN 3 L IFESTVLE Gene Stallings—The NFUs Tough, Caring Coach by Edwin White ene Stallings got his opportunity to coach Jackie Sherrill.

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