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FALL 2000 The Benton Era Begins atPepperdine SEE COVER STORY, PAGE 10 A NEWS JOURNAL FOR CHURCHES OF CHRIST ON THE WEST COAST NEWS Woodward Park Church of Christ Hosts Third Annual Spiritual Growth Workshop Volume XVII Number 1 The Woodward Park Church of Christ hosted their third annual spiritual growth workshop Septem- PACIFIC CHURCH NEWS is ber 28-30 in Fresno, California. This year's work- published periodically by the Depart- shop theme was "Faith That Overcomes The ment of Church Relations at World... Strengthening Our Faith and Rekindling Our Pepperdine University. Send all cor- Passion to Meet the Challenges, and Seize the Op- respondence to Pacific Church News, Department of Church Relations, portunities Before Us." Ronney Wheeler Jack Exum Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA Keynote speakers included Ronney Wheeler, Jack 90263-4270. Exum, Mike Crowley, Kenneth Hoover, Neale Pryor, J.J. Turner, and Kevin Withem. A variety of classes were held each morning and afternoon, and there was an area-wide teen program on Saturday, September 30. EDITOR Jerry Rushford \buth and Family Conference Draws Large ASSOCIATE EDITORS Crowds to Cascade College Bill Henegar Agnes Gibson Large and enthusiastic crowds attended the annual Youth and Family Conference that was hosted by Cascade College in Portland, Oregon, October 11-14. This event grew out of Cascade's successful Conference on the Family, and fea- CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS tured a program that resonated with the life-styles of today's Garth Black, Bakersfield, CA active families. Participants gathered for worship and a key- Larry Cain, Yuba City, CA note address Wednesday and Thursday evenings and for a fam- Kelly Carter, Victoria, BC ily worship service involving all ages on Friday evening. Day- Kelly Deatherage, Portland, OR time sessions were conducted on Saturday only. A compli- Walt Fennel, Sacramento, CA Rich Griffin, San Diego, CA mentary dinner for church leaders and spouses was conducted Milton Jones, Seattle, WA 'I hursday evening, and the conference concluded with a ban- Emily Lemley, Westlake Village, CA quet on Saturday. Billie Silvey, Los Angeles, CA Kevin and Creg Woods, brothers who have more than half Mel Weldon, Longview, WA a century of combined years in ministry to youth and families, Edwin White, Phoenix, AZ Rick Atchley were the featured speakers, along with Rick Atchley, pulpit Bud Worsham, Long Beach, CA minister for the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas. Greg Woods John York, Roseburg, OR currently serves the Metro Church of Christ in Gresham, Oregon, as family minister, and Kevin Woods is youth minister for the Andresen Road congregation in Vancouver, Washington. DESIGN & PRODUCTION The Conference included presentations by Cascades music and drama ensembles Agnes Gibson each evening, an early-morning breakfast series and three messages drawn from 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways..." The annual area-wide worship service, "Together with Love in Christ," followed COVER the conference on Sunday, October 15. Rick Atchley preached for that service, which Although he took office on June 16, 2000 Andrew K. Benton was officially drew over 2,000 Christians from more than a dozen Churches of Christ in the greater inaugurated as Pepperdine University's Portland-Vancouver area. seventh president on September 23, All Youth and Family conference sessions took place in the Eastside Church of 2000. He is shown here with his wife, Christ building adjacent to the campus. The "Together with Love in Christ" service Debby, along with daughter Hailey and was held in the Oregon Convention Center. son Christopher. PCN2 MEMORIES Remembering Bethel Smith at Work, a women's support group at Bethel Maye Smith was born on June Southwestern, and she was involved in 27, 1917 in Victoria, Texas, and died on raising large amounts of money for the August 22, 2000 in Los Angeles, Califor- college. She served as Commissioner for nia. She was 83 years old at the time of Otis Art Institute and also as the only her death. Bethel grew up and received African-American Commissioner on the her formal education in Houston, Texas. County of Los Angeles Business License Following her baptism into Christ, she Commission for over 30 years. became an enthusiastic worker in the Among her greatest accomplish- church for the rest of her life. Bethel's ments and pride was the Little Angels/ dedication to the church inspired her Angelic Chorus which she founded in brother James, and two of her sisters, 1968. The chorus was made up of girls Pansy and Helen, to become Christians. and boys between the ages of four and Bethel and her late husband, Will- fourteen. Under her leadership, they be- iam, and only child, Raymond, moved to came nationally renowned for their me- Los Angeles in 1944. Bethel began work- lodic and unique acappella performances ing as secretary to R.N. Hogan without at community and civic events of distin- monetary compensation. She continued guished audiences. The group also ap- in that role as the congregation grew and peared on local and national television. relocated to other sites in South Los An- Pepperdine University honored Bethel Smith She accompanied the youngsters geles and to its current location as the with the Distinguished Christian Service Award throughout the United States to the An- Figueroa Church of Christ. She served during the annual Bible Lectures in 1996. nual National Youth Conferences. She as his secretary until his death in 1997. also traveled abroad with the Angelic Bethel was also co-editor and admin- while waiting to undergo surgery earlier Girl's Glee as Goodwill Ambassadors for istrative secretary of the Christian Echo this year. the Mayor and the city of Los Angeles in with the publisher R.N. Hogan and edi- In addition to her many philan- Auckland, New Zealand. She was affec- tor J.S. Winston. The Christian Echo is a thropic and civic involvements, she was tionately called "Grandmother" by every- national monthly religious publication a Bible school teacher and a charter mem- one in the chorus. founded in 1902 by the late renowned ber and lead soprano of the Radio Cho- Bethel was a wonderful friend to evangelist G.P. Bowser. For nearly 50 rus. She was a member of the board of Pepperdine University and she was hon- years, she gave her time and money to as- trustees of Southwestern Christian Col- ored by the university for her distin- sist in helping to keep the publication in lege in Terrell, Texas, and was the first guished service to the cause of Christ and circulation after the death of Brother woman appointed to serve on that board. to Christian education in 1976 and again Hogan. She continued to work even Bethel was Chief Coord inator ofWomen in 1996. Pepperdine Honors Southside Church of Christ on its 44th Anniversary The Southside Church of Christ in Los Angeles began with only nine members in 1956 and today is a thriving congregation with a membership of nearly one thousand. Dr. Carl Baccus has served as the minister of this grow- ing and vibrant congregation for all forty-four years of its history and he looks forward to serving for many years to come. At a special homecoming celebration on June 25, Pepperdine University honored the Southside Church and its dedicated minister for forty-four years of faithful service to the cause of Christ. In the adjacent photo, Dr. Carl Baccus and his wife, Geraldine, are shown receiving the Pepperdine commendation from Dr. Jerry Rushford director of Church Relations at the university. PCN3 PEPPERDINE BIBLE LECTURES Gravity Lifts Us of a great enterprise, a by Bill Henegar shared history, a com- We had entered the third Christian mon destiny." millennium. And by springtime of this There certainly watershed year, fears of computer melt- was the feeling that the down and widespread disaster had evapo- pulse of a religious rated into sunny, hope-filled days at movement was being Malihu. taken and refinements From Tuesday afternoon, May 2, to were being suggested late Friday evening, May 5, Christians and made. And there gathered in anticipation of renewal and also was the sense that refreshment from the Spirit of God. They the Spirit of God was were met with these words: "You see, at breathing on His M Mil Ml - I k'UM Illl II Ml k' 10 just the right time, when we were still people. But it was not powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. only a time of corpo- Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous rate revival; there was man, though for a good man someone a great deal of personal might possibly dare to die. But Cod dem- recommitment, as onstrates his own love for us in this: While well. A woman from we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Northern California With that incredible thought from related, "Every year I Romans 5, the 57th Annual Pepperdine leave Pepperdine a University Bible Lectures set out to ex- changed person. God plore "The Gravity of Grace." What bet- has used the lectures to ter to study in this historic year of A.D. bring conviction and 2000 than great themes from the Letter growth in my Chris- to the Romans? In addition to the chal- tian walk." lenging theme lectures by Mark Once again the Henderson, Ross Thomson, Rick Bible Lectures lived up Atchley, Kelly Carter, Mike Cope, David to their reputation. A Fleer, and David Davenport, there were man from Missouri re- Mark Henderson from Oklahoma City set the tone for the 2000 scores of classes on crucial subjects, from marked, "The Pepperdine Bible Lectures with his message, "Nothing in My Hand I "Finding God in Times of Illness and Pepperdine Lectures Bring," based on Romans 1:16-3:26.