HOUSTON, Tex. (BNc) – Micky Bell lost a two-year battle with cancer last evening about 5:30. Micky moved from Nashville to Houston in Jan., 2008, to work with the Jersey Village congregation. He found out he had cancer in June of that year.

Micky’s faith and writings over the last two years have been an inspiration. His family has loved him and stood with him as has the Family at Jersey Village.  He called it his greatest work.

Often in great pain and weak, he preached powerfully up until the last time he was able, 17 days ago.

Micky leaves behind his wife Linda and three children: Micah, Taylor and Aaron.

He spoke on the Freed-Hardeman University Bible lectureship in February on “Paul’s Motivation for Ministry” (2 Corinthians 5:14). He felt honored with the invitation and went to great lengths to make it there.

The address for the church at Jersey Village is 8810 Jones Road, Houston, TN 77065.

Micky dictated a final Facebook post to Linda:

Don’t look for me here. I am no longer trapped in this cancer ridden body. I love you all and thank you for all the prayers and support to me. I am sorry that I did not write this but my wife, who knows my heart like none other, knows what I want said. Now, I can finally say, “I don’t hurt and I’m not tired”. Make sure you are on the right path so that we can all sit down together again. I love you and will be waiting.

IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine (BNc) – One congregation does its benevolent work by the bucketful.

The Judsonia, Ark., church, together with other congregations, is involved in benevolent aid to Sudan, Ukraine, Nigeria, India, Honduras and a number of other nations. With the shipments of aid, they include “family buckets,” five-gallon plastic buckets filled with a variety of household items.

The brainchild of Kathy Cadden in Columbus, MS., the buckets are contributed by numerous congregations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and Missouri.

“These have really been an excellent way of getting urgently needed commodities to those in great need,” said John Kachelman, Jr., preacher with the Judsonia congregation.

Recently, Ivan and Sveta Skoleba from Ivano-Frankivsk reported the following story:

“We were distributing humanitarian aid and a young man came to us. He was from Iraq and came to Ukraine to get an education and then got married in Ivano-Frankivsk. His name is Mohammed. He and his wife are poor and could not afford to buy a stroller for their child. When he found out we were giving away things free of charge he asked us for a stroller and a bucket. I told him that aid had come from American believers. We talked at length with Mohammed and I told him that the churches of Christ help different people, no matter who they are or where they are from. He asked me to thank believers from America who had collected buckets and clothes.

“The next day he came back radiant with joy and said that he was astonished to see so many valuable things for their home that they found in the bucket: dishes, soaps, tooth paste, dish washing detergents, towels and even a cheese grater. He said that he and his wife could only dream about such things but they did not have money to buy them. We talked about God with him and he asked for a Bible.”

“The Lord works through humanitarian aid, creating different situations to share the Gospel even with Muslims,” said Skoleba.

WINONA, Miss. (BNc) — We’re getting the gospel into the tightest spots … like 140-character posts.

Twitter is one of the most popular social network and microblogging services on the Internet.* It’s so influential that Venezuela’s president Chavez has targeted it for state control. The US president’s press secretary has been releasing some White House news first through the service.

“I would say Twitter is a quick medium to get information out, and we’ll probably use it more often,” press secretary Robert Gibbs said March 12.

In that spirit of a quick medium to get information out, Quick Bible Truths (QBT) uses the 140-character limit of the mini-posts to get information out about the Bible’s truths, commands, principles and facts.

The objective of QBT is to use the medium of Twitter to broadcast Bible truths in the condensed format appropriate for Internet messages, so that curiosity may be aroused and interest created to discover more about the gospel of Christ.

A recent sample of a tweet, as the posts are called, is this one posted March 14:

Don’t let the timid keep the church from doing God’s will. “Afraid or worried? … go home before you frighten anyone else.” Dt 20.8 NLT

Denominational and Catholic efforts that publish Bible verses and readings are popular on Twitter. QBT takes advantage of this trend to share the truths of the gospel through this medium.

The usual QBT format, as illustrated in the sample above, is to have a short statement of a principle or truth, backed up with a quotation from a Bible passage.

The Twitter Grader gives QBT a 95.6 rating, out of a possible 100, the best ranking of all our Twitter accounts.

QBT uses the NRSV or NLT Bible versions as part of the effort to reach people who might not otherwise be reached through other means.

The format of QBT also makes its tweets ideal for use as church bulletin fillers, thought-provoking discussion points and sermon zingers.

If governments see Twitter as a powerful instrument, Christians should consider it as yet another tool for the gospel of Christ.

*Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. -Webanalysis

Editor’s Note: Reprinted from GoSpeak.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Gloria June Hunter Gieseke; a son, Rob Gieseke; two brothers, Bill Gieseke and Ray Gieseke; and two sisters, Lou Soaper and Mary Voss.

Services were at 1 p.m. today at Gary’s Funeral Home in Greenville. Burial was at the Unity Cemetery in Graham, KY.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BNc) — Well-known Christian evangelist and author Jim Bill McInteer died on Monday, March 8, according to the website of 21st Century Christian.

Funeral services for McInteer will be held Wednesday, March 10, at 2 p.m. at Brentwood Hills church of Christ, 5120 Franklin Pike, Nashville, Tenn. Visitation opportunities will be on Tuesday, March 9, from 2-9 p.m. and on Wednesday, March 10 from 12-2 p.m. at Brentwood Hills.

McInteer preached for the West End church of Christ in Nashville for about 30 years. He was the former president and publisher of 21st Century Christian and Power for Today. He also served on the board at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., for many years.

Commenting on the passing of such a giant of the faith, Dale Jenkins said, “One of my heroes died today. Brother Jim Bill McInteer was a prince of a man, a gentleman, a man of God’s Word. Where do you start in remembering this godly man?  He casts a long shadow and in the minds of many he the last of small group of preachers who so strongly influenced our brotherhood – Ira North, Willard Collins, BC Goodpasture, Batsell Barret Baxter and Jim Bill McInteer. His life entered into so many spheres.”

Like Jenkins, many Christians have been influenced by the dedicated service of McInteer. And though he has passed from this physical life, his work and legacy will continue to expand among those who have been touched by his life.

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (BNc) – Captain Anthony Holloway, Family Life Chaplain, reported in a letter back home of the goings on with the church in Kandahar Air Field (KAF), Afghanistan.

A major from the unit they replaced began the service at the Chapel Ministry Center (CMC), which is something of a general purpose building used for Bible studies, classes and meetings. At that time it was basically an informal Bible study around a table with about six people attending.

When the 135th arrived, the numbers grew to about 10-12. They were able to find a time slot on Sundays in Fraise Chapel.

They have managed to increase attendance each week by one or two as word about the service has spread.

On February 7, 2010, Captain Holloway reported that they had 21 in attendance.

Holloway, better known as Craig back home in Alabama, shares the preaching responsibilities with a major from their unit who is a minister in his civilian life at a church of Christ in Tennessee. If neither of them is available they have a Marine colonel who can preach as well as a SFC from the unit who is an elder in the states.

Holloway reports that there is also another church of Christ chaplain who can fill in if needed. However he mainly concentrates his efforts on another part of KAF.

Holloway supplied the picture of a group who recently gathered to worship. Captain Anthony Holloway is pictured as tallest on back row.

Editor’s Note: Anthony Craig Holloway is the son of Duncan and Mary Holloway of Geneva, Ala., and the husband of Kim Holloway, Montgomery, Ala.

In a recent sermon, a fellow officer delivered a message that made me sit back and think. Maj. Jerry Sayre said that one can tell a great deal about a person by looking at the things that bother him. In other words, those things that make us uncomfortable say a great deal about us. I find Maj. Sayre’s statement to be quite profound.

While conducting my first ramp ceremony, I found myself ill-prepared for the wave of emotion that swept over me. “Amazing Grace” played on the bagpipes as the fallen soldiers were slowly carried past a solemn line of their comrades.

Of the things that passed through my mind, none is greater than the thought of the impact on the lives of the family members and friends of each soldier. Their lives will be changed forever. Big plans developed by husbands and wives or brothers and sisters will never take place. Plans for vacations, plans for college, plans to spend more time together will never materialize.

I also think about the other soldiers who face the fight every day. I think of how they deserve the best that we at our level can provide them. They are the reason we are here.

I was fortunate to spend two weeks at a base in the vicinity of Herat last month. I slept in a tent with young soldiers from the 82nd Airborne. Many of them face the same problems common to all who are separated from friends and family. However, they often face those challenges without the benefit of easy Internet access and the additional 30-plus years of life experience that many of us have.

Overall, I found them to be a good group of young Americans who do dangerous jobs for a living. I know this: I pray that nothing bad happens to any of them. I want each of them to one day chase those big dreams and big plans they have made.

Take Maj. Sayre’s comment to examine your own conscience: what bothers you the most?

I know that I speak for most, if not all, military members: ramp ceremonies.

We pray that they will always bother us.

Capt. Holloway is the son of Duncan and Mary Holloway, of the Geneva, Ala., congregation.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BNc) – The earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12 took more than 230,000 lives, injured approximately 300,000 and left an estimated one million people homeless.

An update from Roberta Edwards, of the Son-Light Orphanage in Haiti, appeared in an email Feb. 24 from the Estes church in Henderson, Tenn.

Edwards reported, “Things are very hard in Haiti. Those that had jobs have lost them. Those that are working are not getting paid. Medical needs are growing as infections and sickness grow from overcrowded tent camps. Aftershocks have been hitting pretty regularly the last 24 hours. The kids are having a difficult time sleeping. We continue to pray and reassure.”

“But we have been able to share over 100,000 lbs of food with 11 churches of Christ and many other local groups. We have received 48 tents and a handful of tarps that were also shared. We have been able to help hundreds in mini medical clinics that have been held by the groups from Estes. We are expecting two containers this week with food and supplies. We have 5000-6400 tents coming in Fri. or Sat. The tents were collected through a joint effort with CRF, Harding University and Manna Global. To date since the earthquake we have had 21 baptisms. Last Sunday night we had 300+ folks attend service,” said Edwards.

Jesse Robertson, an Estes deacon in charge of logistics, said, “From the beginning it has been clear that all of our donors were concerned about emergency food and medical care. That has been our primary focus so far.”

However, focus is shifting to more permanent needs, such as housing and equipment for job creation. The Estes congregation is asking for ideas on how to fulfill these needs.

If you would like to help, you can contact them by email or call 731-989-7990.

GENEVA, Ala. (BNc) — Ernie Brooks is the present reigning Ms. Senior Geneva County. She is as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside. Ernie’s Christian beauty radiates with her smile and good deeds. A quiet, unassuming person, Ernie goes about doing good things for other people.

Ernie has been going into the local Geneva County jail, and teaching the ladies on Friday evenings for three years. In times past she has had others who have gone with her, but usually she goes alone.

The ladies have two picnic-type tables with benches that they sit around to study the Bible with Ernie. She says her classes range from 3-12 each week. When asked how many she thinks she has taught during the years, she said, “I think approximately 75.”

“While they are confined, they can see what you are talking about. It’s like a light bulb has gone off. I can tell a difference in their countenance. When I go back the next week, I have had them tell me they have been studying all week and waiting for me to come back,” Brooks recalls.

She looks forward to studying with them each week.

On Friday, Jan. 29, another one of Ernie’s converts was baptized into Christ at the Geneva, Ala., church building. Terri Webb felt a special bond to Ernie as they sat on the front pew waiting for her baptism. A close friendship often develops between student-inmates and teachers.

In thinking about her jail ministry work, Ernie said: “The downside is seeing those who make a full circle but come back in, like a revolving door. Deep down they haven’t made that commitment, and that is disappointing. If we had a program where we could be over them for a year after they get out and help them …” and her mind trailed off with that thought.

Some inmates get out and some go on to larger prisons. Ernie said, “We often lose contact with them when they move on, but we have to keep trying and teaching them, believing and hoping that we’ve made a lasting impression on their lives. At least we have done what we could. That’s all we’re commanded to do is go and teach.”

A smile came across her face when she thought of the one she has taught and seen baptized who she calls her “star.”

Ernie said, “I had high hopes and expectations for Brandi. After two relapses, she has gotten her head on straight.”

Ernie recalled how this past Christmas Brandi went with her to buy gifts to give the inmates.

“She has made drastic changes in her personal life, enrolled in a nearby college and is studying to be a drug counselor. I’m proud of Brandi.”

“That makes it all worthwhile,” Ernie said.

At one time Ernie said all her students were people she had already taught and baptized. She doesn’t let that discourage her from continuing to go and teach. She goes week after week, at 6:00 p.m., and encourages those who have returned to “get back up one more time than you fall down.”

May Ernie’s example inspire us all to reach out to those confined to jails. Those fields are indeed “white unto harvest” (John 4:35). “I was in jail and you visited me,” (Matthew 25:36) surely must mean more than stopping by to say hello on visitation day.

When asked how many she has taught and seen baptized, Ernie said, “I don’t know. I haven’t kept records.”

God has kept records, and he knows them by name.

We did and invited a speaker to discuss sermon preparation and give sample sermons. Interest increased; more speakers were invited. We moved to a hotel conference area. We dreamed big. “Let’s invite the best speakers in the brotherhood and see who we can get.” They came. Wives wanted in, so we added women’s classes. While these great speakers were assembled in one place, we decided to offer classes for elders. They loved it. People began coming from all over the country.

Youth workers and deacons became interested. We added tracks for them. PTP moved to a large event center in the Smoky Mountains. Attendance approached 1000. Christians from other nations began coming.

“Why don’t you have classes for regular members?” we were asked. So we added a Spiritual Renewal Weekend, as well as tracks for members, teens, and children. Attendance surpassed 1400.

That brings us to 2010. The largest PTP ever is in the works – 102 speakers and worship leaders, 10 concurrent sessions each hour, 375 separate classes spread over seven days. Our attendance goal is 2000.

What does God have in store for PTP now? Come and see!

The scheduled PTP for 2010 will be from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.

View the PTP Schedule.

Register online or call 1-877-338-3397.