The Cornerstone University board of trustees unanimously appointed Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño as its 12th university president. Moreno-Riaño succeeds Dr. Joseph M. Stowell, who retired this month after 13 years.

Moreno-Riaño joins Cornerstone after serving for over seven years as executive vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. There, he was also a tenured professor of government.

The selection of Moreno-Riaño comes after a six-month, nationwide quest coordinated by executive search firm Carter Baldwin. The exploration produced 70 viable candidates, which, after extensive interviews, was narrowed to three names, of which the board unanimously chose Moreno-Riaño.

Rachel j VerWys has joined Safe Haven Ministries as its executive director. She possesses an array of nonprofit leadership experiences over the past 20 years. She most recently served as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SEE Human Trafficking Coalition and chairs the Kent County Area Human Trafficking Coalition. VerWys was named one of the Top 50 Influential Women in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal in 2020 and received a Diversity Award from Wedgwood Christian Services in May 2021. As a student at Calvin College, she volunteered at Ramoth House, which later evolved into Safe Haven Ministries, bringing her career full circle.

Safe Haven offers comprehensive domestic violence services throughout Kent County, Michigan. Our 24/7 hotline number is 616-452-6664. We offer emergency safe shelter, nonresidential programming, and education & prevention for the entire community.

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, Ionia County Youth Advisory Council, and Wyoming Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council have each selected Wedgwood Christian Services as a recipient of their annual grants.

Each area Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is made up of local teens who review all grant applications and select recipients based on the organization or project's impact on youth in their community.

The grants from each YAC will support the Children's Hope Annual Fund which makes it possible for Wedgwood to provide 100% donor-funded Transforming Services, including: Recreation & Wellness, Prevention, Manasseh Project Outreach, Employment Training, and Chaplaincy & Young Life.

Holland Home Executive Vice President for Home and Community Based Services Carolyn Flietstra was inducted into the Michigan Homecare and Hospice Association Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated to honor those individuals who have excelled in the home care and hospice profession, those who bring honor and recognition to the MHHA and those who inspire and mentor individuals and students to consider or continue their careers in home care and hospice.

This recognition comes as Flietstra has announced her retirement this year, leaving behind a legacy of exceptional leadership in the home health care profession.

GAYLORD - After taking a COVID year off – as did nearly every major live music event – the Big Ticket Festival (BTF) is back in 2021 with a two-day array of music in a new July weekend slot.

"We hedged our bets a bit on when everything would be clear," said the Christian festival's president Drew Spanding of plans made months ago when pandemic restrictions were still in force.

"The July 9-11 weekend lined up with when the (Otsego County) fairgrounds were available."

With a shorter than usual timeline to produce and promote the festival, BTF nevertheless has come up with a fine artist roster. Front and center is singer-songwriter Zach Williams. The award-winning artist and his pack of forceful songs were the most listened to catalog on Christian radio last year.

This is the column in which West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-inspired arts/entertainment/enrichment events in the coming month. Here are a few possibilities for July:

Cory Asbury opened the WOW series with an indoor concert at Beechwood ChurchA venue change for one concert series has led to the creation of another.

The move of the Worship on the Waterfront (WOW) Sunday music series from Grand Haven to Holland gave the impetus for another series to spring up in Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium.

The new "Praise by the Pier" debuted June 13 at the downtown location along the channel. More on that in a bit.

Meanwhile, the Grand Haven waterfront space came open when the WOW weekly concerts featuring national Christian music artists found themselves dealing with tighter restrictions in accommodating its growing spectator numbers.

"It was a succession of reasons," said WOW coordinator Kathleen Bobeldyk of its decision to change venues. "From working with city officials, we saw the look of this year's concert area would have been totally different."

A drones-eye view of the new amphitheatre at Ridge Point Community Church in HollandRidge Point Community Church east of Holland wanted to offer a gift to area residents.

And its new summer concert series is only a part of it.

"We have this large property here and we wanted to complete it with features for the community," said series coordinator Vicki Ekdom.

A concert-style amphitheatre (built behind the church's main building and the site of its current "Music in the Backyard" concert series) is only one of the outdoor features on the church's 160-acre campus.

A capital campaign nearly two years ago raised funds for the church to finish landscaping and other work on the church grounds. The result is completion of a mini-sports/recreation complex: basketball and pickleball courts, an outdoor discovery play place and play structure, Frisbee golf, fire pit, and mountain bike and other nature trails.

"It's a beautiful piece of property with all stuff that the community can just come and enjoy," Ekdom said. The concert series is a natural invitation for residents to come and see the new amenities.

In my other earlier life as a Christian educator, I remember Christian organizations or ministries including churches, colleges, camps, missions, para-church organizations, etc. nearly always possessing and periodically citing key, foundational statements.

Doctrine, Lifestyle, Position
These foundational statements are carefully written expressions of:
   • theological understanding = doctrinal or faith statements,
   • employee behavioral conduct = lifestyle statements,
   • ethical perspectives on contemporary issue = position statements.

Christian organizations, especially denominations, sometimes also issued:
   • declarations for statements about current issues,
   • policy or social statements regarding broad issues,
   • resolutions or social messages addressing specific issues, or
   • proclamations for significant announcements.

CEO of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Grand Rapids Jim Sprague and medical services director Karley Wood were among those who met on the Capitol lawn with community partners from around the state and state lawmakers to highlight the work carried out by pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and adoption agencies. Think of Jim Sprague as a myth buster.

The CEO of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Grand Rapids met with state lawmakers in mid-May for the Empowering Women, Strengthening Communities event.

Coordinated by the Michigan Catholic Conference and Michigan Family Forum, adoption agencies, maternity homes and pregnancy care centers — more than 30 organizations from across Michigan — showcased the essential services they provide to pregnant women, new moms and adoptive families in their communities.

Sprague and PRC of Grand Rapids' and medical services director Karley Wood took the opportunity to inform legislators and the public about the good work the PRC has been doing since it was founded in 1985.

Sprague addressed the House of Representative's Health Policy Committee about the benefits that all pregnancy resource centers in Michigan bring to residents of the state. Many representatives are prolife, but others are skeptical of PRCs.

This is the column in which West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-inspired arts/entertainment/enrichment events in the month of June. Here are just a few of them.

Heddens leads worship at South Harbor Church in Byron Center.The task of leading worship/music in a church is much more than notes on a score or lyrics on a screen.

"There's also the shepherding of people ," said Jared Heddens, worship director at South Harbor Church in Byron Center.

"My real job is to equip the saints. And that's not just a congregational perspective but for my team as well," said Heddens, 42.

His South Harbor worship team roster consists of about 50 players, vocalists and technical folk, although there are usually only five to seven people on the worship platform at any one time. Heddens is in the front on a typical Sunday, but that's actually a fairly small part of his full-time job. "It's about resourcing and equipping teams to do the work of ministry," he said in a recent interview.

And in that process he is developing leaders.

Dr. Jennifer Hampton, age 48, of the Hope College physics faculty, who was killed in an automobile accident in Holland on March 14, has received this year's Hope Outstanding Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award from the graduating Class of 2021.

The H.O.P.E. award, first given in 1965, is presented by the graduating class to the professor who they feel epitomizes the best qualities of the Hope College educator. This year is the first time that the honoree has been chosen posthumously.

Mel Trotter Ministries announced Immeasurably More, a $14.9 million fundraising campaign to fund the construction of a renovated shelter. It has been 54 years since any kind of significant renovation has occurred

Launched in 2019, the Immeasurably More campaign has raised more than $9.8 million over the last year, 66% of the campaign goal. Over 240 community donors, local businesses, and area foundations have supported the campaign.

For the 16th consecutive year, Hope College in Holland has been named one of West Michigan's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. The National Association for Business Resources selected the winners for having the most innovative and thoughtful approaches to human resources. They represent industries as diverse as the automotive, construction, financial, healthcare, manufacturing and non-profit sectors.

An independent research firm evaluates each company's entry, based on various categories, including compensation, benefits and employee solutions; employee enrichment, engagement and retention; employee education and development; recruitment, selection and orientation; employee achievement and recognition; communication and shared vision; diversity and inclusion; work-life balance; community initiatives and strategic company performance.

Seventy-five female patrons from Heartside organization Dégagé Ministries recently received free clothing and accessories thanks to donations from the nation's largest social selling apparel company.

Dégagé's Open Door Women's Center, 144 Division Avenue South in downtown Grand Rapids, had women's clothing company cabi provide up to five articles of free clothing or accessories to 75 women. The endeavor is funded by the Heart of cabi Foundation and is part of Heart of cabi Foundation Week, where cabi stylists from around the world host donation events to support women in need in their communities.

Muskegon-based Love N Grace Healing Centers, a nonprofit for adults and children that teaches them how to overcome life's hurts with scripture, prayer and Jesus Christ, has received a $4,675 grant from Community Foundation for Muskegon County to support its Empowered Kids – Go Pro and Grow program.

Rev. Debra Yonkers, executive director of Love N Grace Healing Centers, said the funds would be used to build resilience in students suffering from adverse childhood experiences and the extra trauma brought on from the COVID-19 pandemic. While meeting in schools was limited, the grant will allow students to receive tools and care virtually. More information is available at https://lovengrace.org.

"Now we can reach the students that desperately need care from any school whether they're at school or at home," Yonkers said.

As the pandemic gradually loosens its grip on scheduling of large-gathering events, major concert tours are slowly returning to venues around West Michigan, including Christian music artists.

The inspirational pop-band MercyMe is joining the chorus with its 30-city fall tour that stops in Grand Rapids on November 5 (details below).

The award-winning band comes with a new album – "inhale (exhale)" – and its hit song "Say I Won't."

Job Title: Lead Pastor, Pastor of Embracing at Maple Avenue Ministries in Holland

Calling: To be a prophetic voice and a missionary to the Church

Denise Grier has many titles. She's called lead pastor, prophet, mission liaison, mom, foster mom, board member, Mama D, and Big Mama. She happily embraces each one, stepping into her many roles that allow her to reach into the church, community, and individual lives.

"My prophetic role in the Holland community has been key to bringing in like-minded partners around the church," said Grier. "And I get to pastor the greatest people in the world. I'm so grateful God trusts me and gives me innovation and inspiration in my roles."

Grier spent her first five years in foster care, a time she remembers as abusive and traumatic on many levels, before being adopted at age seven with her brother. She grew up in New York City, but moved to North Carolina while in high school. There she "connected to a church and gravitated to the God who loves me," she said. She asked herself, "How are you going to live your life according to how God has designed you?'"

From left: Dave, oldest son James, Benjamin and Krista Mason. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Hope is sown throughout the 40-acre Benjamin's Hope, a Christian nonprofit in Holland where 30 autistic adults call home.

Planted are a thriving church, a farmstead and an inspired model for those who live there: Live. Learn. Play. Worship.

"The farm is the fulfillment of what God put in my heart so many years earlier," said Krista Mason, executive director of the nonprofit who co-founded Benjamin's Hope with her husband, Dave. Mason spoke during a recent Zoom talk hosted by AMDG Architect.

Mason recounted how she went through an emotional and spiritual metamorphosis when she learned her son was autistic in 1997

Pastor Chris Hall: “We’re trying to see a movement of new church plants in the urban footprint of Greater Grand Rapids.” Pastor Chris Hall sees the Greater Grand Rapids area bursting with potential when people see themselves as missionaries immersed in the very neighborhoods they lives in.

Hall is among a handful of other local ministers who have locked arms to help birth a movement of planting new churches among the poor in urban Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood and beyond. That's a key reason why they're hosting their inaugural ecumenical Plant 616 conference slated for May 26. (See end of story for details.) The seminar is for church leaders who believe God is nudging them to establish new church plants.

Bill Sterk Both fans and friends are mourning the loss of William "Bill" Sterk, singer and co-founder of the area gospel group The Heralders. Sterk passed away on April 5. He was 82.

They are recalling his clear bass voice that was as deep as he was tall.

Dete Tilma of Byron Center sang tenor with The Heralders for 14 years. He had a long relationship with Sterk both as a colleague and a friend.

"Bill always made us relaxed on stage," recalled Tilma, 68. "When I would play an intro to a song and he wasn't quite ready to come in, he would say 'O Dete, that's so pretty....why don't you play that again?'"