Marilyn Kettering Badger

Marilyn's Blogs

Church of the Brethren Gifts to the World

Heifer Project, the sharing of animals, the first-born - which is then passed on - involved UNRRA (United Nationals Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) and a large number of volunteer seagoing "cowboys" who cared for the cattle and
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When the Church Serves the World

Coming home from the love feast, Jim and Jane were too excited to be sleepy. The service had been different and interesting and they had many questions to ask...
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When We Settle Differences

Jim slowly plodded along the dusty road. His steps dragged. He really didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to face the questioning eyes of Grandfather, Grandmother, and Jane. How could he explain his...
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When We Go to a Love Feast

The Saturday before love-feast day, Jane skipped out the long lane to get the ail as soon as she saw the carrier drive away from the box. She had a feeling that there might be a letter from...
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When We Go the Second Mile

“We’ll start picking the peaches today,” Grandfather said one morning at breakfast. He looked at Jim and Jane. “I’ll let your kiddies help if you don’t insist on picking on shares to the extent of...
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When We Choose the Way of Peace

Jim and Jane decided that Sundays were special days on the farm. When they got awake in the morning everything was very quiet. The sun seemed brighter; the birds sang more sweetly. There were no tractors in the fields and no trucks on the road, because in the little community where...
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When We Think of Others

On a very hot afternoon Jim and Jane were sitting under the big walnut tree planning for Grandmother’s birthday. “We really ought to do something special,” said Jim. “We are having a wonderful time out here...
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When We Help Others

It was very early in the morning—Jim was sure of that. The birds were twittering outside his window as they did every morning when it started to get light. The sun, which always threw its first rays through the east window beside his bed, was not even peeping up yet. Something had made...
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When We Pray for Others

Jim was very excited. He and David had planned a week-end camping trip up on the mountain. They had been planning it for several weeks and now it was almost time to leave. Jim kept hovering...
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When We Choose the Best Way

One of the happiest times of the day for Jim and Jane was the evening, when all the chores were done and they could sit in the twilight on the porch with Grandfather and Grandmother. They loved to watch...
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When We Keep Our Word

One hot morning in July, Jim and Jane were picking blackberries for Grandmother along the meadow fence. Huge white clouds were raising their heads in the west. There was a distant roll of thunder. The air was very still; not a leaf...
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When We Do Hard Things

One beautiful warm afternoon in June, Grandmother and Jane were shelling peas on the back porch. “All these peas should make a lot...
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When We Share

The next Saturday Jim and Jane went with Grandfather to the town. Jane felt very important and grown up because she was going to buy the groceries for Grandmother. Grandfather had several crates...
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When We Forgive

Jim was swinging along the road toward home in the twilight. He and David had had a wonderful hike to the top of Little Mountain, but it was getting late and Jim was somewhat afraid as he noticed the shadows...
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Baptism

Excerpt taken from Learning the Brethren Way with Jim and Jane by Dessie R. Miller, Illustrated by Harry Durkee, Elgin, Illinois: Brethren Publishing House, 1951.
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You, Too, Can Be Set Free!

Samuel Weir, born a Virginia slave in 1812, was the first African-American minister and ordained Elder in the German Baptist (Dunkard) Brethren (later Church of the Brethren) church. He was sold at age twelve (1824) for two hundred eighty dollars to...
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Samuel Weir Part 2

Of his work and life as a minister, he said little, but that little expressed much in the life of a minister, and especially so with one placed as he was; for his public life was at that time, and in his situation, well calculated to bring out all the variety found in the brief period of one man’s life. He said: “I then preached just wherever...
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Samuel Weir Part 1

If Elder George Wolfe was most of his life masterful in the best sense, Elder Samuel Weir began his life as a slave in the worst sense. Both were courageous, but circumstances called for a different kind of courage from Elder Weir. Where Elder Wolfe always had the freedom...
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Agape Acres:Part 3

A Word About the Donor: Mr. Leon A Beeghly is a leading churchman, philanthropist, and industrialist. He was born in Bloomville...
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Agape Acres:Part 2

As Dedication and Open House approaches we look back on a busy eighteen months of preparation. The schedule was...
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Agape Acres:Part 1

This is the story of two people, a church and their pastor, an idea and a wonderfully generous man. How they all got together and what they did is our story. In the scriptures, we read that the effectual fervent prayers...
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A Student Named Richard

He was a very intelligent sixth grade student; sometimes a little eager boy-learner who got so excited about learning that...
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Coincidence? Or God?

This story predates the time of credit cards, gas cards, cell phones, or gadgets like that. My twin brother, Merlyn, decided to delay his final year at Manchester College in ....
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Marinated in God's Love

“But God’s love can happen ANYWHERE. Once it happened to me at the Department of Motor Vehicles office when I was selecting a personalized license plate for my husband Bill. As I looked through the giant book of...
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He Took The Towel

Consider this invitation from an old book in the Maple Grove Church of the Brethren historic library, In His Presence, as you think about our upcoming Love Feast and Communion Service on Thursday, April 13. All believers...
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Paying It Forward

One recent discovery occurred when, as historian, I submitted copies of two old letters to Maple Grove Church found by Annamae Rush Swaisgood in her parents "stuff." (Cloyd and Alice Rush). I sent copies to...
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Special Needs at Maple Grove

I was very young when I learned that God does not make us all alike, but he loves us as we are. As a Japanese teacher friend once noticed, people in the US are like a “flower garden” with many shapes of faces, eyes, noses, bodies, many...
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A Plan for a Peaceful, Loving Invasion of Church Worship as planned by Rev. Sheets

In the 1960's there was a group of Oberlin College students who would come to (frequently) rural churches on Sunday mornings with plans to create a disruption to the morning services to "test" the churches. What their purpose was is...
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Maple Grove Helps with Lord's Acres Projects

The Church of the Brethren with the help of Church World Service (CWS) and CROP (Christian Rural Overseas Program) developed a program in which crops were grown and harvested, and then train cars ...
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Be Like Jesus

I am so glad God does not keep track of when and where and how often I think ...
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Lessons From A Bookmark

The information on this old bookmark was found in an old Bible found in the library books at Maple Grove Church of the Brethren in 2016...
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Sunday School at Maple Grove

Maple Grove had one of the first organized Sunday School programs in Northern Ohio. The date is not officially preserved (since written records did not start until 1876), but in an account written in 1874 for the Young Disciple, the church public...
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Baccalaureate

A definition of baccalaureate is “a sermon to a graduation class or a service before graduation at which a sermon is delivered”. Today some schools call it a “Day of Remembrance” instead, to avoid any religious connotations and...
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On Time - Coming Late

More than one tour leader and/or bus driver has made an announcement similar to this: “If you come early, you are on time; If you come on time, you are late...
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Maple Grove Goes to the Ashland County Fair

The Ashland County Fair is usually the third week of September. Maple Grove has been actively involved in the Fair for many years. We have many church people who participate each year in the showing of animals for 4-H and displays for FFA. Some people...
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Hungry House Café and A Flat Tire

After much work and preparation, Andrea, Dave and Marilyn were ready to make a trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma (OK), soon to be Andrea’s new home town. Mike was already there and already teaching at the University. She had stayed in West...
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Mentoring and My Faith Walk

When I think back over my 73 nearly 74 years I can say that over the years, God directed me to numerous mentors for my life. I say it that way because any person who touches our lives in some way, can be that person called a mentor, if we evaluate...
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Following the Leading of the Lord

Our parents taught us that learning to listen to the Lord's leading was very important to knowing what He wanted of us. Our father helped more than one family or person when he followed the Lord's nudges. Once he was driving down a road...
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GOD in Capital Letters

Many years ago, I was in a meeting in which some decisions were being made about a document for a church group. The subject came up about using capitalization for words referring to God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the I Am ...
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Interesting Facts about the Re-Building Project

DID YOU KNOW? 1.-that before the “old” building was razed, church people worked to remove cement blocks, sandstones, wiring, plumbing, heating ducts, windows, doors, etc. for...
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Steps and Stepladders

May 2003/4, it was time to prepare ourselves for BIG CHANGE at Maple Grove Church. We had reached a goal we had met for money for the new building. We had decided to raze the old building and replace It with a new educational, office, kitchen,...
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