February 2025

BREAKAWAY

Breakaway 2024 was nothing short of incredible! For two and a half days 315 youth students and 95 adult leaders gathered at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines, IA, for our winter youth conference: Breakaway.

Twenty-five youth groups from the Central Region of Open Bible came together to worship, pray, hear powerful messages, participate in games and activities, make new friends, and reunite with old ones. It was truly a life-changing experience.

On the final night, we held a brief memorial moment to honor the life of Jannali Bear Don’t Walk, a youth student who tragically lost her life in a car accident just 10 days after summer camp. Though she is greatly missed on this earth, we find comfort in knowing that Jannali believed in Jesus Christ as her Savior, and even publicly displayed her belief by ringing the Hidden Acres “Salvation Bell” while at camp.

“Ringing the Bell” signifies the outward expression of our decision to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Believing in Jesus is a decision that unites us in relationship with Him and gives us eternal hope and joy. At one point, nearly every student rang the bell (if not all of them). Some rang the bell after receiving salvation for the first time, some after recommitting their lives to Christ, and others as a reminder of who Jesus is in their lives. Though many different emotions were experienced, the peace of an eternity with Jesus became the main theme of hope for this service.

A special thank-you to our event speaker, Jeff Grenell, and the worship band from First Church in Clear Lake for helping us put on an amazing event! We look forward to future events and cannot wait to do it again in Cedar Rapids, IA, for Breakaway 2025!

CONGRATULATIONS

Tiana Miller, Cultivate Church, Troy, MO – transfer of certified ministerial license

This Sunday, Robin and I had the privilege of worshiping with Kingdom City Church in Des Moines, IA. Kingdom City Church is the outcome of a merger last year between Lifesong Open Bible and Kingdom Life Church. Pastor Chris Cavan has served as the Senior Pastor and Pastor Bay Khanthavixay as Associate Pastor. This past Sunday Pastor Bay received his ministry license with Open Bible Churches and the Kingdom City Church voted unanimously to have Pastor Bay become the Senior Pastor and Pastor Chris become the Associate Pastor. This truly has been a beautiful story of two churches becoming one and then navigating the transition with wisdom and grace.

If the story ended there it would be wonderful. However, there was more. Before the service, I met a man named Scott who approached me after the service and said “you and I crossed paths years ago.” I looked in his eyes and he said, “I am Scott West and you were instrumental in me coming to Christ years ago.” It all came rushing back. I was pastoring Highland Park Open Bible Church in 1990 and a gal from our church brought her boyfriend and he came to the altar and decided to follow Jesus. They were married and a short time later, federal authorities arrested him from a drug investigation that occurred three years earlier before Scott’s life was changed. I went to the federal courthouse where Scott stood before the judge and pled guilty and shared his testimony of coming to Christ and his life being changed. The judge said he was bound to the minimum sentence required and Scott was sent to a South Dakota prison. I drove to that prison several times to encourage and disciple him. When Scott was released and returned to Des Moines we had left Highland Park and were pastoring in Boone, IA. Scott and I never reconnected… until yesterday. Thanking God for fruit that remains! -Bruce

Comfort

Jimmy Kennedy Jr., brother of Teya (Michael) McDougal, pastors of Shalom Hill Church in Richfield, MN, passed away unexpectedly on December 23, 2024. Jimmy’s Celebration of Life service was held on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 1:00 PM.