In October 2006, on a trip to Africa, church leaders shared with Dwight Hall, president of Remnant Publications, a request for printed Bible study guides for the southern countries of Africa.

By Marcia Segelstein, Guest Columnist

A Christian survey organization, the Barna Group, recently conducted research to determine what perceptions young people have about Christianity. It’s a fascinating idea from a public relations point of view: what image do Christians have among American youth?

By Grant McClung

In recognition of Black History Month, we salute and appreciate the contributions of outstanding leaders in the Church of God. One ministry couple, Edmund and Rebecca Barr, deserve closer attention for the missions lessons emerging from dedicated lives.

Dear Dave,

My wife and I have gone from not having two pennies to rub together to making about $90,000 in the last few years. The problem is that I can’t get her interested in saving money. What’s worse, her father is the preacher at our church and he has convinced her that he knows the Lord is coming back in our lifetime. Thinking this, she says there’s no reason to save because it will all be gone anyway. What can I do?

Jack and Carol Hanes were forced to make lots of cultural adjustments when they arrived in Australia in 1987. The couple moved to the Sydney area from Arizona to start a church, knowing that the Christian population was tiny.

Curtis Runny Humphries, 58, a former resident of Michigan, passed away Saturday, Feb. 23 at his home. He had been involved in deaf ministry for more than 30 years ministering to deaf children, youth and adults through camps, Runny’s Recreation, Bible studies, and various other mentoring opportunities. He also taught sign language at Lee University and was one of the founders of Lee’s Deaf Ministry Association.

The Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) recently had a retreat at the Rizal Re-Creation Center. The relaxing atmosphere and sumptuous food was a welcomed treat, but the real blessing was the way the Lord weaved the messages together to create continuity and flow, as if the speakers had discussed their messages with each other prior to the retreat.

There’s a new “theme park” people are flocking to in order to give their souls a boost. Its name? Jesusland. David Jeffers’s Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland (paperback, 1-60034-487-9) encourages and challenges evangelicals to put their faith to work in the marketplace of ideas to bring about positive change in America.

This year, 2008 is a pivotal year, and the question, “Can we mix religion and politics,” is central. Some believe that the church should be used as a political platform; others advocate passivity. So, what’s the answer?