Stories

Growing up with a legacy of Christ followers in his family, Roger Springer knew every Sunday morning would be spent in the house of the Lord. Shortly after giving his life to Christ, a Sunday School teacher told Roger’s grandmother that he would be a pastor someday. Now he’s celebrating his 20th year of [...]

Five-year-old Mike Drury knelt in his Sunday school class and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Over time, the Holy Spirit wove a calling into Mike’s life that eventually led him to Pine Hills Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he recently celebrated 20 years of pastoral ministry. Pastor Mike is humbled and [...]

In the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, an outreach-oriented church launched in 1948 called Mission Church. Today, the church’s ministry still centers on outreach like providing weekly meals to families in need, an Earn a Bike program, and laundromat services. For the past 25 years, Mission Church has been led by Pastor Tim [...]

Summertime in Hillsboro, Kansas can be busy with sports, recreation, and vacations. In an effort to deepen relationships within the community, Grace Community Fellowship implemented several different initiatives for all ages. Some long-standing events like selling food at a local farmer’s market to raise money for a youth camp in Alaska took place. Other [...]

Church internship is a unique opportunity for a young person to develop ministry and leadership skills. It’s also a way to disciple the next generation of leadership in the church. Launching its first internship this summer, The Remedy in Reading, Michigan is investing in Ariana Wagler through weekly mentoring, serving, and leadership training. Some [...]

At the conclusion of VBS, Brookside Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana celebrates each year with a churchwide combined outdoor service called Summer Blast. It’s a time of gathering for family fun with bounce houses, pony rides, and food, as well as a time of celebration through corporate worship, a message, and baptisms. This year, [...]

Southside Community Church first launched in the southern portion of Wooster, Ohio to reach a populace that generally wasn’t being reached with the Gospel. The church’s heart is to be a place that can be entrusted with new believers. Out of that effort, Southside has launched a new ministry in the form of a [...]

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world,” to his disciples in Matthew 5:14. That invitation of being the “light” is the core message of Pastor Nirup Alphonse’s new book Defiant Lights: How Following Jesus’ Call to Live Differently Remakes Us and Restores Our World. The name Defiant Lights is an invitation to [...]

Every year, several churches within FEC host exchange students from the Basque Country in Spain. This June, a group from Crossview Church who’d previously hosted students, traveled to connect with many of those students and their families, study the language, and develop relationships that could lead to sharing the Gospel. Jared Mehrle, FEC’s Director [...]

Ministry is a powerful and fulfilling vocation, but without proper support in place, it can lead so many hard-working pastors to burnout. That’s why FEC provides THRIVE cohorts for its credentialed pastors and leaders. A THRIVE cohort consists of four retreats over a two-year period at Miracle Camp in Lawton, Michigan. All expenses are [...]