Visiting Children’s Hunger Fund
Plus, a ‘Shining Light,’ Hampshire College, and more.
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.
The City of Lost Angels. I am in Los Angeles this week. At this stage in my career, I do not love to travel. But I also realize there is no substitute for being face-to-face with readers, donors, ministry leaders, and others. That lesson hit me hard yesterday, when I took a tour of the headquarters of Children’s Hunger Fund, just north of LA. It was a pleasure to meet Lynn Phillips, who — with her husband Dave — founded CHF more than 35 years ago. I also met CFO Jason Hartung, and other senior leadership, including Josh Zeichik, my “tour guide” for the afternoon. CHF is one of the few large ministries to make MinistryWatch’s “Shining Light” list last year (not to mention 2019 and 2022). That means it has the top possible score in all three of our rating categories. To learn more about this excellent ministry, click here.
Hampshire College Closes. A liberal arts college in Massachusetts (not New Hampshire) has closed. According to The New York Times, “Hampshire, in Amherst, Mass., joins an epidemic of college closures over the past two decades. More than 300 U.S. colleges and universities closed from 2008 to 2024, according to an analysis by The Hechinger Report.” Hampshire is not a Christian college, but its closing highlights the challenges small colleges face, and many of them are Christian schools. Among Hampshire’s graduates are documentarian Ken Burns and adventure writer Jon Krakauer.
Zenger House Awards. Zenger House is a Christian foundation that gives awards for deeply reported stories “consistent with a biblical ethic.” The organization looks for stories rooted in “on-the-ground reporting rather than reliance on reading and contemplation only.” You can see the complete list of this year’s winners here. The Zenger House website includes a 16-minute video with highlights of interviews with the winners, plus a 3-minute video on the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism. I have read most of this year’s winners, including one by my friend Mindy Belz, and I strongly recommend them to you.
Colorado GOP Names Ministry Leader in Primary. The Republican Party of Colorado gathered last weekend. Party rules let this convention name primary candidates, and that has proven to be a disaster for the GOP in statewide elections. In this closed system, with little input from rank-and-file voters, party activists usually have in recent years backed candidates who have no chance of winning. Currently, Democrats hold every statewide office, and they control the legislature, even though independent voters make up 50% of registered voters in the state, and Republicans and Democrats split the difference. In other words, winning the middle, not the extremes, is the key to victory in Colorado politics. Normally, we don’t much care about politics here at MinistryWatch, but this year, one of the GOP candidates for governor is Victor Marx, who leads a ministry we’ve written about here. His ministry has made claims that we were not able to confirm. If you are a Colorado voter, you should read our article before you vote.
A Heart for Lebanon. I recently met Dr. Hikmat Koushouh, the pastor of what is likely the largest evangelical church in Lebanon. His multi-site church has 40 locations and serves more than 5,000 families. He is a brilliant man, and his church is one of the reasons that Lebanon is widely considered the “most Christian” nation in the Middle East. (Please note that many others are also doing great work in that country.) That is why I am grieved to hear what is happening to that country. Please pray for Lebanon and also read carefully MinistryWatch writer Tony Mator’s survey of ministries doing relief work there. Support them if you can.
New CEO For Christian Aid Mission. CAM supports indigenous missionaries around the world. The missions agency now has a new CEO. Chris Fedelem comes to CAM from Operation Mobilization USA, where he served as Executive Vice President. I like CAM’s approach, which is to empower indigenous missionaries. I just wish it would be more transparent. Because it doesn’t file a Form 990, MinistryWatch recommends that donors “Exercise Caution” with CAM. Hopefully, Fedelem can lead them in a more transparent direction.
Readers in Knoxville, Nashville, Dallas, Denver. My trip to LA is not the only one on the books. I would love to see you if you are in a city I am visiting. I will be in Jacksonville next week. I will be speaking at the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association in Nashville in May. I will also be in Dallas and Knoxville in May. I will be speaking at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs in June, so I will be doing reader lunches in Denver and Colorado Springs during that trip. Let me know if you would like to join us. My email is [email protected].
