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Hospice Chaplain Likens Ministry to Handrail

Written by Paul R. Kopenkoskey on 30 September 2016. Posted in Local

Rev. Vila “Vi” Daniel understands the reasons why God equipped her to be a hospice chaplain.When it comes to working as a chaplain for Faith Hospice, Rev. Vila "Vi" Daniel thinks of herself as a handrail.

"Some people are very unsteady in this point in their lives and can't even support themselves, so they need someone to hold onto so they can progress," said Daniel, a chaplain for Faith Hospice since January 2012.

"That helped me with what my purpose is: I'm the handrail and I'm just there for that moment for them to find a place to hold onto, and a lot of time that's through faith. Sometimes it's something inside of them, their spirituality, and me being present with them helps steady them for that moment."

Church Ramps Up Art Prize Effort

Written by Terry DeBoer on 30 September 2016. Posted in Local

“Understanding the Whole” by Kim Kleinhardt Art Prize 2016 certainly has brought new people into church.

"Foot traffic has been good through here," said Alex Fernandez, pastor at Cornerstone - Heritage Hill in downtown Grand Rapids.

Fernandez said through the first weekend of this eighth annual art competition, nearly a thousand visitors had seen the church's 16 art displays both indoors and out.

The upstart congregation (a campus of the multi-site Cornerstone Church in Caledonia) featured only outdoor pieces the previous two years with Art Prize. But this year the church took a big step and added indoor displays as well.

"We've got enough staff and volunteers here during the open hours that we can be good hosts and even are giving interested people a tour of our historic building," he noted.

Band Finding “Where the Light Shines Through”

Written by Terry DeBoer on 25 September 2016. Posted in Local

Switchfoot worked through a daunting creative process on its latest album and arrived at a place "Where the Light Shines Through."

The hopeful song titles the new release, which is the Grammy-winning band's 10th album.

"We've been through a lot as a band, and in writing these new songs we went through some mountains and some valleys," said keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas during a call from a tour stop in Minneapolis, Minn.

Prodigal Son Art Collection Illustrates Need for ‘Huge Dose of Forgiveness’

Written by Paul R. Kopenkoskey on 24 September 2016. Posted in Local

Larry Gerbens discusses artist Robert Barnum’s rendering of the prodigal son parable. Gerbens said Barnum was drawn to God’s racial grace, so depicted that the buildings are shaken off of their foundations.The parable of the prodigal son is sourced only in the gospel of Luke, but as Larry Gerbens' art collection attests, the allegory about forgiveness resonates with artists and people from around the world.

"This country needs a huge dose of forgiveness and people seeking forgiveness," Gerbens said at a recent afternoon talk titled, "The Art of Forgiveness" that was hosted by AMDG Architects in downtown Grand Rapids.

"Forgiveness is huge and untapped in today's world. Art elevates us culturally."

Master Arts Exec Stepping into Roles On and Off Stage

Written by Terry DeBoer on 24 September 2016. Posted in Local

Tim Van Bruggen in his role last spring as Dietrich BonhoefferBYRON TOWNSHIP - Master Arts Theatre (MAT) executive director Tim Van Bruggen is nearly a full year into his new position with the faith-based community theater group.
And he's overseeing a season of stage productions which includes him as an actor and director – both simultaneously in the opening musical "Horizons of Gold," playing now through Oct. 8 (details below).

"When I came on board (late last year) they were making the final decisions on the coming season," recalled Van Bruggen, 48, from his MAT office on 77th St. SW. But he did have some influence in the resulting schedule.

"I was so excited about this show ("Horizons") that I ended up directing it," he said.
The musical is a re-telling of the biblical book of Ruth, and set in rural Kansas of 1940 in the middle of the devastating "dust bowl" era.

Terry’s Picks: October 2016

Written by Terry DeBoer on 24 September 2016. Posted in Local

West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-based arts and entertainment events over the coming month. Here are three highlights for October:

New Music: Music Video Review

Written by Terry DeBoer on 19 September 2016. Posted in Local

The West Michigan based gospel rap/hip-hop artist Beacon Light has released his fourth album, titled "Lit." Its boisterous song "Haters" is showcased in a remarkable new video.

The video version pictures the artist fleeing from an SWAT-style group of armed soldiers in an abandoned building. With some cool slow motion and other special effects, he stands up to the threat proclaiming, "I love the haters."

There are plenty of beats, drops, dance moves and other of the genre's stylish features.

‘Same Kind of Different As Me’ Author to Speak at Guiding Light Banquet

Written by Paul R. Kopenkoskey on 15 September 2016. Posted in Local

Hall’s feature film will be released early next year.There was a time when Ron Hall would have been an unlikely guest speaker for Guiding Light Mission's Oct. 5 annual banquet.

Equally improbable was him becoming an advocate for the homeless and a New York Times best-selling author, as well as a new feature film to be released early next year.

High finance, owning his own art gallery and working as an international art dealer who bought and sold museum quality masterpieces in major countries were Hall's career priorities years ago.

Best Seller's List September

Written by WMCN Editor on 12 September 2016. Posted in Local

Bestsellers – September, 2016

Fiction
1. Without Warning – Lynette Eason
2. Selfless Act – Wanda Brunstetter
3. Guide Me Home – Kim Vogel Sawyer
4. 2nd Half – Lauraine Snelling
5. Witness – Robert Witlow
6. Until I Love Again – Jerry Eicher
7. Traces Of Guile – Dee Henderson
8. Sensible Shoes – Sharon Brown
9. If I Run – Terri Blackstock
10. Gone Without A Trace – Patricia Bradley

From Mellow to Metal: A Packed Christian Concert Menu for Fall

Written by Terry DeBoer on 11 September 2016. Posted in Local

Josh WilsonAs the fall season sweeps in, there are plenty of musical offerings from faith-based artists in a variety of West Michigan venues.

Just compiling and listing them all in a single column is a challenge.

From Muskegon to Holland to Grand Rapids, there's music from Southern gospel to classical, aimed at audiences from youthful to senior citizen and everything in between.

‘Who I am In Christ’ Pocketbook Points Readers to Lord’s Promises of Victory

Written by Paul R. Kopenkoskey on 11 September 2016. Posted in Local

Evangelist Mike Benson holds the Spanish and English versions of “Who I am In Christ.”Some 25 years ago, an elderly woman who lived in Florida handed Kathi "Kibby" Byker a stack of lined paper with a string of Bible verses handwritten on them.

The woman made it clear the reason why she was giving the pile of papers to Byker.

"She had written them out in her shaky little handwriting," recalled Byker, who now lives in Grandville with her husband of 45 years, Dave. "She said to me, 'Here honey, you're going to need to know who you are in Christ.' I was a new Christian then, and after I became a Christian, I started listening to God's voice and felt it (the scriptures) needed to be in book form."

W.O.W. Ends Season on High Note

Written by Terry DeBoer on 06 September 2016. Posted in Local

A huge crowd saw Mark Schultz close this year’s W.O.W. series Four long-term volunteers are retiring after years of service with the summertime "Worship on the Waterfront" (W.O.W.) series at Grand Haven's Waterfront Stadium.

At this year's final event on Sun. Aug. 28, a crowd of more than 2,500 gathered to hear inspirational singer-songwriter Mark Schultz. And the audience also showed its appreciation to volunteers Irv Boersen, Bob Bennett, Sharon Yonker and Carolyn Manting.

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