“what do we do? I’ve never been in a coup before…So, our team got together and prayed and worshiped the Lord… Let’s skip the panic part and say ‘the Lord will rescue us’. And you guys came together here and prayed. Then we said, let’s get to work,” – Pastor Steve Miner

“somebody from the embassy said the airport has refused fuel. But make no mistake we are leaving on this plane, today.” – Maria Miner

“The Lord is faithful, and I knew he was going to get us home” – college student Madison Heyer

By Allen D. Payton

During a Welcome Home service Sunday morning, August 13, 2023, 10 of the 11 missionaries from Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian Center and School shared their experiences while stranded for a week in Niger, following a military coup that shut down the West African nation’s borders. The only one who wasn’t there for the reunion was the youngest team member, Madison Heyer, the daughter of Principal Logan Heyer, as she had already returned to college preparing for the fall semester. (See related articles here and here)

Pastor Steve Miner Shares About Trip

“We went to put on a camp for 250 children in the Niamey region. Our theme for this camp was the Kingdom of God over the kingdom of darkness. We felt attacks from the kingdom of darkness from the minute we got to SFO,” Pastor Steve Miner shared Sunday morning about the challenges they experienced on the trip.

“That’s Thursday night,” he continued. “We get to Niger on Saturday and all 22 bags don’t make it. We called Turkish Airlines. Sunday night we get a call from the airport and all 22 bags were there. We get there and they won’t release the bags to us. It was a shakedown. They wanted some money from us. They shake us down for $200. It’s all we had.”

“Then we faced an African rainstorm. By this time, it was well into Monday morning,” Miner said. “But we put on a camp. It was wonderful. The second to last day we were told it was a coup de tat. I think we learned of it from people back here. I thought ‘what do we do? I’ve never been in a coup before’.”

“It was the last day, we were supposed to go on an excursion to see the hippos. We were to go to the Radison Hotel the nicest one in Niger,” he continued. “We learned that day we weren’t going anywhere, and we couldn’t go on the hippo ride.”

“For Americans being told not to go where we wanted to go” was difficult the pastor explained.

But they had the help of “a Christian General from the American Air Force, we had the head of security from Samaritan’s Purse who started to text me. It was such a blessing.”

“Our airline tickets meant nothing, now,” he stated. “The Holy Spirit put a verse in my heart. Psalm 31. It was David who wrote, ‘Praise be to God for he showed me his love while I was in a city under siege,” reading from Psalm 31:21-22. “David was in fear.”

“We forget the thing the Lord brought us through last week, last month,” Miner continued.

“Yet, you heard my cry for mercy,” he finished reading the Bible passage. “So, our team got together and prayed and worshiped the Lord.”

“Let’s skip the panic part and say the Lord will rescue us,” Miner stated.  “And you guys came together here and prayed. Then we said, let’s get to work.”

“We got to put desks together. Fix desks. Sanded, primered. We washed walls,” he explained. “We were getting ready for a new school year.”

“We came back last Sunday. Praise the Lord,” Miner exclaimed.

“Fox News who did the initial interview with us. They asked, ‘Would you do it, again?’ Everybody on the team said, ‘yeah, we’d do it again’. Because they understand what it means to be a disciple.”

“We are on mission here in Antioch. We have been sent,” he continued and saying “As the Father has sent me I am sending you,” quoting John 20:21.

“You feel the weight of people’s prayers lifting you up. You experience the presence of the Lord,” Miner stated.

“I wouldn’t trade living in the middle of a coup for anything. We get interviewed. It gives you a story to tell about God’s faithfulness,” the pastor continued.

“They said ‘yes, we’d go back’. And I said, “yes. We’re making disciples’,” he concluded.

Team Members Share of Their Experiences

Elidia Bird was the first to share saying “My biggest take away from this trip is the power of prayer…the partnership with God. The enemy was trying to stop us at the gate. But God had a plan.”

She then shared about a girl named Zarah (in photo) and that she wrote a letter to one of the girls.

“There’s no language barrier that can stop the Word of God,” Bird stated.

“I wouldn’t want to be led by anyone else,” Nutce Castelluccio said of Pastor Steve and Maria Miner, when sharing of his experiences on the trip. “The kids. They were so joyful. When we worshiped, they’d be dancing and dancing.”

Pastor Steve’s wife, Maria Miner was next to share saying, “This is a faithfulness of God celebration.”

“I do know the reason this team was so amazing was we were supported by your prayers,” she continued.

She chose the Armor of God as the theme for the week. Maria read from Ephesians 6:10-18 which describes the parts of the armor and then said, “You will be proud to know that all of the children left that camp with that entire passage memorized.”

“I have never felt the schemes of the devil like I did in Niger, Africa,” she stated. “The final day we taught during the storm…all the power went out. There is a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Our weapons are invisible. I felt harassed by the enemy. When I felt weak…I reached out to people to pray with me. We would worship and pray and go do what the Lord had for us to do. We were not battling against flesh and blood.”

“We got to the airport. The airport was closed. There was one plane there, our plane,” Maria stated. “About four hours in somebody from the embassy said the airport has refused fuel. But make no mistake we are leaving on this plane, today. We may have to go to another country to get fueled. It was at that point I felt the Lord saying start praying.”

“Nine hours later we were on the plane and told to unbuckle…when we were refueling,” she continued. “Then they announced we have enough fuel to get to France.”

Jennifer Bartoni shared next saying, “We’re going back. I want to thank all of you guys for your prayers and support. My plan was to go to Mexico on a mission trip. But my passport didn’t come in on time. God had a plan for me to go to Niger.”

“I was scared. I reached out to God for strength,” she stated. “Before the trip I was afraid to fly, afraid to speak in front of people.”

Bartoni then quoted Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

“I asked God to help me face my fears. So, He did,” she stated.

When it was her turn to share Jill Lawrence said, “He knew this coup was coming. We didn’t.”

She spoke of facing health issues before they went.

“I sing on the worship team. Worship really speaks to my soul,” she stated.

“After the coup happened, I was asked to go share my testimony at a church there,” Lawrence continued. “We felt like the early church. We felt like we were in the Old Testament. We were tramping through the sand. The whole church, everyone was one accord. It was after the coup had happened. Had we left we would not have experienced it.”

 “We were able to tune into our local church service and worship with you” while at a home in Niger, she shared with the congregation. “It’s that one accord. God’s got you in the palm of his hand. That was what was so life changing about this trip.”

Margret Rickli shared next, saying, “This is my second year to go on the trip. I know on mission trips I hear God a little bit clearer. This one morning I heard very clear ‘wait’.”

“I’m a planner. I make my plans. My plan was to be home that week and set up my classroom. I was thinking ‘wait’? The plan was to be home. God spoke to me and said my plans are what’s best. This weight came off my back.”

She spoke of cleaning and organizing the classrooms in Naimey.

“I would have never had that experience had I not been there,” Rickli stated.

“A group of girls came running up to me and I said those are my girls,” she continued. “My family was back here…sometimes at 3 and 4 in the morning I was on the phone with them.”

They set up her classroom back here.

“That’s one of the ways God showed me the waiting,” Rickli shared. “God was not just working in us, there he was working in you. I just needed to see, let go, let God. Be patient. I just thank Him for that opportunity, this year.”

Scott Wells, Holly Heyer’s father and Madison’s grandfather shared next saying, “What I learned is God can use you no matter how old you are.”

“We’re missing someone up here. Maddy’s back at college,” he continued. “My wife stayed home. Sheila (his other daughter who lives in southern California) came up and stayed with her.”

“We worked. We couldn’t go home. We prayed. We worshiped every morning,” Wells said. “We said, ‘OK, God. We’re here, what do you want us to do?’”

“I was a teacher, a principal for 41 years and that’s what we did,” he stated. “It was familiar to me to go to the school every day…and fix desks. We worked for the Lord.”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…for it is the Lord Christ you are serving,” Wells said quoting Colossians 3:23-24.

“It was a blessing to me just to help that school. We got to do a little part to help them for that school year coming up,” he added.

Holly Heyer, Wells’ daughter and Madison’s mother shared last saying, “We were a trio. Dad, me and Madison. But this team is my family. We lived that way for a while.”

“Our bonus time we were there, as we called it…some of us were scared. I never felt more peaceful in my life,” she continued. “We’re here. We’re working together and we felt the peace of God. I know that was from your prayers, here.”

“We were just praying. People were in random, different rooms. If a song came up to somebody, we were just singing. Praying for the preschool kids because this is where they’re going to meet Jesus,” Heyer said. “It was a blessing for us just to be praying for the kids. They’re just the same people. They have a school, it’s just in Niger. I got to pray for them. I got to see some of the kids. They’re so precious. I wanted to bring them home with us.”

“Scraping gum for Jesus,” she said with a chuckle.

Bobbi Jennings shared about their trip home.

“We land in Washington DC. We’re all still together. Then the separation starts,” she stated. “We came as a team. We wanted to leave us a team. But that was not to be. It was hard. Steve and Maria were frantically trying to get flights for us. So, we went in four groups. I wanted to be with our team, with our family. It was on the last flight, that last plane in Texas we were able to be together.”

She and Elidia were together on the flight. They were able to get into the cockpit and take a photo with the pilots after sharing about their trip and photos.

“I said, ‘you know, you’re our final flight home. Can I pray over you?’ So, I prayed over our pilots,” Jennings said. “I said, ‘when I get home, I’m going to get down on the ground and kiss it’ and I did.”

“I give all the thanks and glory to God,” she added.

Pastor Steve closed out the sharing time and service saying, “I have to say thank you to you and to Hannah (Foster) and Logan (Heyer). I think they lost more sleep than we did.”

“We all had a part in this. My mom in Texas went to her Senator’s office,” he continued. “There’s nothing better than to be a part of the family of God. We had people back home working their tails off. I just want to thank you.”

“We are on a mission and Antioch needs us. And the Lord has placed us here for a reason,” Miner stated. “We’re going to be strong abroad. But we’re going to be really strong, here…where we live. We’re going to get after it.”

College Student Madison Heyer Shares About Her First International Trip

When reached for comment about her experience, Madison Heyer, a 2022 graduate of Cornerstone Christian High School said, “When everything went haywire with the coup, I was thinking, this is a bummer, I have to get home and get back to school. But I had to rethink and change my heart and determine what the Lord wanted me to do. I thought, ‘you have to go where the Lord wants you to go and do’.”

She’s a sophomore at California Baptist University and a Resident Assistant in one of the apartment complexes on campus which required her to return before school starts September 5th. Madison is studying elementary education, following in her grandfather’s, grandmother’s, dad’s, mom’s and older sisters’ footsteps who have all been or are currently educators. She’s also minoring in Christian Studies.

About her trip experience Madison said, “the whole time, I was really excited to go, it was VBS (Vacation Bible School) and something I wanted to do for my career. I was doing the most as possible since I was the kid. No one required me to. But I wanted to be as helpful as I could.”

“This was my first international trip and what a story,” she exclaimed.

“My first thought was disbelief. Especially with the missionaries (Pastor Neil and Dannette Childs) who are there,” Madison shared. “With the news, there, it isn’t always accurate. It was initial fear. Then lots of questions came to mind. How was I going to get back to school? Are we able to fly home? Can we finish Vacation Bible School?”

“I was thinking, I’m going to finish that VBS program, then decide what else to do,” she continued. “We rallied around with the team and prayed. Pastor Steve was really great. We didn’t let the kids know about the coup.”

They did finish the VBS and “we ended up deciding to help even more to get the school ready for when the school year starts in October,” Madison shared.

“I was helping out the same way (as the others on the team), cleaning the classrooms. What I did, specifically was scrape the gum off the floor,” she said with a laugh. “I did a lot of sweeping. I was happy to do it.”

“I was communicating with my boyfriend (who is a student at CBU) through Whatsapp, and he was kind of freaking out. So, he called the White House,” Madison shared with another laugh.

About the trip home she said, “That was one of the scariest points. We were in the airport, and we could see the plane. They said, ‘we don’t have any gas for this plane’. So, I was praying a lot about that. Then we got on the plane, and they said we have enough gas to get to France. That was such a relief.”

Asked about her future plans and what she wants to do with her degree Madison responded, “I’ll go on mission trips in the future. That’s what the Lord has called me to do. I have a strong call for missions. I want to teach overseas, probably teach missionaries’ kids. Teach children in different countries, especially about Jesus.”

“With my mom being there, that was a blessing. It was such a comfort. So was my grandpa. It was so exciting being there with her. It’s something my siblings didn’t get to do. She’s truly amazing,” Madison stated.

“The Lord is faithful, and I knew he was going to get us home,” she added.

Pastor Steve Thanks Senator, Congressman

During the previous week’s service, Pastor Steve offered thanks to those who helped the team leave Niger and return home.

“First of all, I am so grateful to be part of such an incredible family. The support and efforts from people back home have been incredible. We would not be home today if it were not for their prayer and actions,” he said. “Hannah and Logan galvanized so many people into action including our government. If it wasn’t for our people making them aware there is no way they would know we were even there.”

“And I am grateful that Senator Feinstein’s and Rep. Garamendi’s offices listened and went into action,” the pastor continued. “When the State Department called me in Niger to tell me they were going to take our team, I thanked him and he said, ‘You can thank your congressmen and senator for this’. So, I am grateful that they truly did represent their constituents.”

“I hope everyone can experience the power of Jesus through a healthy church as we during this crisis. If everyone did we would have less coups in the world!” he added.

For more information about Cornerstone Christian Center and School visit their websites at cornerstoneantioch.com and www.cornerstonechristianschool.net.

WHAT: The Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commission seeks applicants for two open alternate seats.

The commission is a voluntary body appointed by the county Board of Supervisors that makes policy recommendations to the board and county staff regarding hazardous materials and hazardous waste.

WHO: The commission’s 14 members and alternates serve 4-year terms and include representatives from industry, labor, civic groups, environmental organizations, environmental engineers, the public and elected officials.

Open seats include the General Public Alternate and Environmental Organization Alternate seats. Alternates must be prepared to fill in as needed when commission members are not available to attend or vote.

Applicants must live or work in Contra Costa, have a demonstrated interest in hazardous materials issues, an understanding and commitment to the principles of environmental justice as defined in county policy, and be able to attend monthly meetings as needed. Candidates for the Environmental Organization Alternate seat should represent an environmental organization to which they belong.

HOW: Applications are available from Michael Kent, the executive assistant to the commission, at 925-250-3227 or mkent@cchealth.org, or from the Clerk of the Board at 1025 Escobar St., First Floor, in Martinez.

Applications may be submitted by email or by mailing them to the clerk of the board. An online application form is also available at contracosta.ca.gov/3418/Appointed-Bodies-Committees-Commissions.

WHEN: The deadline to apply is August 31. Interviews for qualified applicants will take place between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on September 8.

Creating the Blueprint is a key step in developing Plan Bay Area 2050+.

Public engagement is a fundamental element of the plan update process.

September 6th workshop in Contra Costa; Deadline for comment: September 7, 2023

The Plan Bay Area 2050+ Blueprint will integrate strategies across the four elements of the plan — the economy, the environment, housing and transportation — to create a more equitable and resilient future for all.

Beginning in summer 2023 and wrapping up in late 2024, staff will develop the Blueprint over two phases: the Draft Blueprint and the Final Blueprint. Given Plan Bay Area 2050’s solid foundation of 35 strategies, the Draft Blueprint phase for Plan Bay Area 2050+ will focus on making targeted refinements to select plan strategies. (See Plan Bay Area 2050 Executive Summary)

Assumptions for the select Blueprint strategies will be refined to reflect ongoing implementation efforts from Plan Bay Area 2050, while also leveraging findings from previous planning efforts that may be relevant to the post-COVID environment.

Equity and performance analyses will also be conducted during the Draft Blueprint phase to evaluate how the plan’s strategies are supporting progress towards making the Bay Area more affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all.

Furthermore, Transit 2050+ — the comprehensive re-thinking of the six transit-related strategies in Plan Bay Area 2050’s transportation element — will develop an integrated regional transit network that will be incorporated into the Final Blueprint.

While still remaining fiscally constrained per federal planning requirements, the focused plan update approach will consider whether to pursue targeted updates to — or to reaffirm — the Regional Growth Forecast (while maintaining its forecast methodology), as well as to the External Forces, the Growth Geographies and the Needs and Revenue Forecasts.

Culminating in late 2024, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) will consider adoption of the Final Blueprint, which will then move forward in the plan update process as the preferred alternative for environmental review.

Getting Involved

Creating the Blueprint is a key first step toward updating the plan itself, and thus the Blueprint planning phase will require iteration and deep engagement of the public, partners and elected officials.

A first step in developing the Blueprint is to better understand what has changed as the region emerges from the pandemic. This summer, MTC and ABAG staff will be traveling across the region to speak to the community to understand how life has changed for individuals as the Bay Area enters the “new normal.”

MTC and ABAG are taking input from community members and partners to help inform the development of the Draft Blueprint.

You can make your voice heard in a variety of ways! Attend a pop-up workshop near you; participate in our survey; or submit comments via email, telephone or mail.

Find an event near you and join the conversation to help staff better understand how the last three years have impacted life across the Bay Area.

Participate in Our Survey

A first step in updating the plan is to better understand what has changed for you as the region emerges from the pandemic. MTC and ABAG want to learn how the “new normal” may be impacting your life.

• Participate in the survey in English(link is external)
• 快來參與中文版的問卷調查(link is external)
• Participa en la encuesta en español(link is external)
• Tham gia khảo sát bằng tiếng Việt(link is external)

The survey will close on September 7, 2023.

The survey also will help inform the development of Transit 2050+, a parallel long-range planning effort that will produce a first-of-its-kind plan to re-envision the future of the public transit network in the nine-county Bay Area, and the expenditure plan for a potential transportation revenue measure. The revenue measure is key in advancing implementation of Plan Bay Area.

Join a Pop-up Workshop

This summer, MTC and ABAG staff will be traveling across the region to speak to the community to understand how life has changed for individuals as the Bay Area emerges from the pandemic. Attend a pop-up workshop near you and tell us what the “new normal” means to you.

Contra Costa County

Diablo Valley College — Pleasant Hill Campus

Wednesday, September 6, 12 to 3 p.m.

321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill, CA

About Plan Bay Area

Plan Bay Area is a long-range regional plan jointly developed and adopted by MTC and ABAG every four years.

But will discuss potentially hiring retired cops to supplement depleted force

Council will also consider adding traffic calming improvements, approving speed limits from 15 to 50 MPH on some streets

By Allen D. Payton

After issuing a Notice of Public Hearing, last Friday, announcing a discussion by the Antioch City Council of directly hiring the police chief during their meeting next Tuesday, August 8, the only police matter on the agenda is a discussion of potentially hiring retired officers to supplement the depleted force. District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica requested the agenda item at the end of the last council meeting on July 25 in response to the 16 current vacancies out of 115 sworn approved in the budget and the 35 officers on paid leave for the two investigations. The matter is listed as Item 9, the last one on the agenda. (See agenda packet)

UPDATE: Mayor Lamar Thorpe said he pulled the item since District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson will not be attending Tuesday night’s meeting. In addition, the second reading of the tenant anti-retaliation and harassment ordinance on the Consent Calendar will require District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock’s vote to continue the item or the process to pass it will be required to start over. That’s because it passed on a 3-1-1 vote with Wilson’s voting yes, Ogorchock voting no and District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica, who owns a rental property management company in Antioch, recusing himself during the July 25th council meeting. He said he will have to request it be pulled from the so he can vote on the other Consent Calendar items, requiring a separate vote on the new ordinance.

Before the regular meeting which begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 200 H Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown, the council will meet in closed session to, among other matters, once again, conduct the performance evaluation of the city attorney.

Proposed Speed Limit Changes

The meeting’s agenda includes other public hearings such as Item 1 for adopting an Ordinance amending the Antioch Municipal Code “Special Speed Zones” in order to change the speed limit on certain streets. City staff is proposing approving the speed limits from as low as 15 MPH to as high as 50 MPH on certain streets. See list on chart, below:

No Increases to Street Light and Landscape Maintenance District Assessments

Another public hearing, listed as Item 6, will be to adopt a resolution ordering improvements and levying annual assessments for Street Light and Landscape Maintenance Districts for Fiscal Year 2023-24 with no increases from the current 2022-23 Fiscal Year

In addition, the council will consider under Item 2, approving the proposed traffic calming improvements for Sycamore Drive, James Donlon Boulevard and West 10th Street. That item was carried over from the July 25th meeting. The proposal is to spend $1.4 million but no infrastructure such as speed humps are included.

City Council meetings are televised live on Comcast channel 24, AT&T U-verse channel 99, or live stream on the City’s website. In order to speak during the meeting members of the public must attend in person.

Nothing on next Tuesday’s meeting agenda about the matter; Barbanica, Ogorchock want open process

By Allen D. Payton

During the closed session before their regular meeting Tuesday, July 25, 2023, the Antioch City Council voted to give direction to the City’s Human Resources Director Ana Cortez regarding recruiting a new, permanent city manager. But no other details were provided. They also discussed the city attorney’s performance evaluation, but no reportable action was taken.

Regarding recruiting the city manager, City Attorney Thomas L. Smith reported that the council gave direction to the human resources director, but not what it was or how many council members voted to do so.

Several questions were emailed Wednesday afternoon, July 26 to Smith, Mayor Lamar Thorpe and the other four councilmembers. They were asked, “What was the direction given to Human Resources Director Ana Cortez regarding the recruitment of a new city manager during last night’s closed session as reported out by Thomas? If it wasn’t to offer her, (acting city manger) Kwame (Reed) or another current city employee the position or enter negotiations with a specific individual, and it’s merely about the process, including possibly issuing an RFP for hiring a firm for a nationwide search, why was that not announced? Why aren’t you being more transparent and allowing the public to know what’s going on with the recruitment and hiring of the next, permanent city manager? How is that rebuilding trust with your constituents after your last hire of the friend of certain council members?”

They were also asked to please explain the process they’re planning to follow.

At the end of the Tuesday July 25th meeting during Council Communications (see 4:33:35 mark of video), District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica stated, “The hiring of city manager, moving forward, I’ve had requests from the public, is that going to be open session or closed session. What I can tell you is there’s times when that will be in closed session, there’s times that can be done in open session. Hopefully, we can bring those to you in open session.”

“When things can be done in a public setting, I want them done in public,” he added later.

District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock offered the only other response saying, “I can’t share what happened in closed session. But if it’s council’s decision to hire an outside search firm and they offer a list of say, five candidates, we should use a scoring system like we’ve done in the past, with allowing staff to have an interview process. They are the ones who will be working under direction of the new city manager. So, their input is invaluable.”

Asked about public input she said, “I believe in having an open, transparent process with public input.”

“This is a top priority because we have several directors and the chief that the new city manager should be hiring,” Ogorchock added.

As of today, Friday, August 4, no one else responded to the questions. Next Tuesday’s council meeting agenda was released, today but there is nothing included about recruiting a new city manager.

Antioch currently has an acting city manager, acting assistant city manager, acting community development director, acting public works director and no assistant city attorney. As of August 12, the appointment of an acting police chief following the retirement of current Chief Steve Ford on the 11th. So, as the City’s slogan reads, Opportunity Lives Here, especially for senior city staff positions.

8/5/23 UPDATE: Mayor Lamar Thorpe said he wants to wait and hold a press conference on the city manager recruiting process until after Acting City Manager chooses a new acting police chief, this Friday.

Niger had refused to refuel plane, State Department negotiated

“Just pulled up from the runway. Super emotional.” – Pastor Steve Miner of Cornerstone Christian Center

“They have passed the borders and are three-and-a-half hours out of Paris.” – Logan Heyer, Principal, Cornerstone Christian School

By Allen D. Payton

A team of 11 missionaries from Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian Center and School were stranded in the West African country of Niger, following a military coup, last week. They were supposed to fly back last Friday, July 28 and be home by Saturday. But they were not permitted as the borders had all been closed. (See related article)

According to Ron Eckstein, spokesman for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Office in Washington, D.C. in a phone call at 11:45 AM Friday, August 4, 2023, “the 11 individuals are on a flight to France. We were told by the State Department. It departed about 11 AM Pacific Time. Our office has been working on it since Tuesday, August 1.”

“I was not expecting such a positive resolution. But good news,” he added.

A post on Corrnerstone Christian School’s Facebook page at  11 a.m. Friday reads, “On behalf of Cornerstone Christian Center and Cornerstone Christian School we are so incredibly grateful to be able to announce that our Niger Mission team is safely on their way home. We would like to thank the offices of Senator Feinstein and Congressman Garamendi for their consistent support and vital information over these trying days. We are so thankful for the help of the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Niger. We would also like to recognize the effort of KTVU FOX 2, KRON 4 and the Antioch Herald for their assistance in spreading awareness of this serious situation and their care and attention for our family members back home. The professionalism and concern that was demonstrated for this situation by our local media was truly amazing. Last, and most importantly, we would like to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his continuous protection and care for our team while they were serving in Niger.

Our focus now turns solely to the people of Niger and our thoughts and prayers will be directed for peace in that nation and that democracy will continue to be pursued so that the nation of Niger can be free. Thank you for all your prayers and support during this challenging time. The people of Cornerstone are what make this place one of a kind and I am personally grateful to be a part of such a special place. Our team landed in Niger 16 days ago with the goal of making much of the name of Jesus and we return knowing that His name was high and lifted up.”

School Principal Says Niger Was Not Going to Refuel the Plane

When reached for details at 12:15 p.m., school principal Logan Heyer, whose wife, Holly and daughter, Madison are among the 11, exclaimed, “They have passed the borders and are three-and-a-half hours out of Paris.”

“They got to the airport about 2 AM our time, which was 10 AM their time and sat there for about an hour but Niger was refusing to refuel the plane,” he shared. “So, I got a hold of Senator Feinstein’s office and they said they had been in contact with the State Department who were already negotiating with whoever is in charge of Niger, at this point.”

“I got a Whatsapp from Holly saying, ‘we’re on the plane. We don’t know where we’re going,’” Heyer stated. “Then a few minutes later she shared ‘it looks like we have enough fuel to get to France.’”

“Then we got the photos from them in the airport and one of Holly and Madison in the plane,” he continued. “Then I got a Whatsapp message from Pastor Steve that read, ‘just pulled up from the runway. Super emotional.’”

Asked if they expect to be back in Antioch tomorrow Heyer said, “She didn’t even have time to tell me the rest of it. She just knew they were going to Paris. They’re expected to arrive in about three hours.“

“Senator Feinstein’s and Congressman Garamendi’s office have been very helpful. They’re everything you could hope for in a representative. I was proud to be an American, today,” he added.

Team of 11 from Cornerstone Christian Center and School

“We sent our team to Niger to make much of the name of Jesus in that country and believe they are still doing that, and we are trusting in Him to bring them home, safely,” Principal Logan Heyer

By Allen D. Payton

A missionary team from Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian Center and School, led by Pastor and Superintendent Steve Miner has been stranded in Niger, Africa following a military coup.

In a post on her Facebook page on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, Hannah Gabrielle wrote, “My family is stranded in Niger Africa. The US government has evacuated part of its embassy staff but has been unhelpful in helping us get our family out! Help me spread the word. Share and pray. Whatever you can do. Email a congressman or senator. Call the local news. Anything helps. They are in a group of 15 US citizens ages ranging from 11 to 73.

On Friday, the team posted a photo from capital city Niamey, Niger, on the church’s Instagram page that reads, “Our Cornerstone Team has had an amazing week serving at Vie Abondante kids camp in Niger!”

A Sunday report by the Marine Corps Times confirmed her information about the U.S. Embassy that reads, “The Marine security guards stationed at the American embassy in Niger will remain there as the United States evacuates all but essential staff because of a coup in the country.”

A Wednesday, Aug. 2 post on X (formerly Twitter) by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reads, “Today, we ordered the temporary departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members from Niger. The U.S. is committed to our relationship with the people of Niger. The embassy remains open, and our leaders are diplomatically engaged at the highest levels.”

Logan Heyer, Principal of Cornerstone Christian School, said about the missionaries, “They were supposed to be back on July 29.”

He learned of the coup, early last week.

“I looked at an article in the news that there was a coup in Niger, and I heard about it on the 25th,” he stated. “The coup closed all the borders in Niger.”

The team left for their trip on July 20th.

“They were supposed to leave on Friday, July 28th to return,” Heyer shared.

Asked if any students are on the trip, Heyer said, “No. One former student, my daughter, Madison. My wife, Holly is also there and my father-in-law, Scott Wells. School starts again on Aug. 21st. No teachers. But our head pastor and school superintendent is over there, Steve Miner, with his wife, Maria.”

“There are 11 from our church and school, about 15 total,” he added.

“We have partnered with a missionary that lives there in the country,” Heyer explained. “They went to do a Vacation Bible School and get their school ready for the fall, too.”

This is the second time the team has gone to Niger.

“Pastor Steve has led two teams,” he added.

“It sounds like, from what I understand, the Royal Guard kicked out the president. It’s not targeted at Christians.

According to a July 27 report by NPR, “Soldiers in Niger have announced a coup, imposing a curfew and closing borders in a country that is a key U.S. ally in West Africa. The president of…Niger was removed in a coup late last night, local time, despite frantic diplomatic efforts to save his government.”

Asked about efforts to get the team out of the country Heyer said, “We saw online that Senator Ted Cruz got missionaries out from Niger – teenagers on a mission trip not from our group. But they met up with them. Their parents were very frightened, like we are. Senator Cruz was able to get them out of the country on an Italian plane. We saw that the Italians and French got people out.So, we contacted Senator Feinstein and Congressman Garamendi on Tuesday, and they have been pushing whomever at the State Department to get our people out.”

A KRON4 News report about the stranded missionaries, quotes Garamendi saying, “My team is working closely with the state department and the constituents to get them home safely. However, I cannot share additional details at this time due to operational security issues.”

According to a report by Reuters early Wednesday, Niger has reopened it’s borders with several neighboring countries “a week after a coup that has sent shockwaves across West Africa’s Sahel region, one of the poorest and most unstable in the world.”

‘The land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya and Chad are re-opened from today, August 1, 2023,’ junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a televised address.”

“We sent our team to Niger to make much of the name of Jesus in that country and believe they are still doing that, and we are trusting in Him to bring them home, safely,” Heyer stated.

Private prayer vigils are being held for the team, he shared.

Notice of Public Hearing published last Friday but not all council members were aware

By Allen D. Payton

Before starting the process to hire a new city manager, at the Antioch City Council’s August 8, 2023, meeting, they will consider taking on the authority to hire the next police chief. Last Friday, July 28, 2023, without all council members knowing of it, the City published in the East Bay Times a Notice of Public Hearing on a a proposed ordinance that “changes the organizational structure of the City’s administration by transferring, from the City Manager to the City Council, the authority to appoint, supervise, and remove the Chief of Police.”

Currently, as is done in most cities with a Council-Manager form of government, the city manager hires the police chief as well as all of the City’s other department heads.

The hearing follows the council majority’s direction to City Attorney Thomas L. Smith, during their April 11, 2023 meeting, to return with an ordinance to make the change. At that meeting, Mayor Lamar Thorpe, Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker and District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson all expressed support while both District 2 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock and District 3 Councilman Mike Barbanica said they opposed it.

Regarding next Tuesday’s public hearing, both Ogorchock and Barbanica said they were unaware of the notice.  Torres-Walker and Wilson were also asked via email late Monday afternoon if they were aware of the notice and public hearing.

State law only requires government agencies to publish a public hearing notice 10 days ahead in one newspaper of general circulation. But only those who subscribe to the print edition of the Times received the notice. There is currently no option on the City Clerk’s Office Antioch Notification System webpage on the City’s website to request public hearing notices by email.

Ogorchock said she was informed of the notice in the newspaper by a councilmember from another city in the county.

When asked if he was informed of the notification Barbanica said, “No, I was not. I am totally opposed to this. We should first hire a city manager and then let the city manager hire the new chief. I will hear input during the public hearing. But I have raised my opposition to this twice, now.”

“I would prefer that we are all noticed by the city attorney and city manager, that we don’t first get noticed by the media,” he added.

Thorpe who, along with the city manager, sets council meeting agendas and the notice was issued by City Clerk Ellie Householder and copied to City Attorney Smith. Thorpe was asked, “on such an important matter to the city, shouldn’t your fellow council members be informed of a public hearing without having to first learn of it from other council members in the county or the media? More importantly, shouldn’t more of the public be made aware of such a matter?”

Householder and Smith were asked why all council members weren’t provided with the notice so they didn’t have to learn of it from the media. An auto-response email from Smith shows he was out of the office Monday afternoon.

The complete notice reads as follows:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Antioch will hold a public hearing in the CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, City Hall, 200 H Street at 7:00 P.M. or thereafter on TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2023, on the following matter:

The proposed Ordinance changes the organizational structure of the City’s administration by transferring, from the City Manager to the City Council, the authority to appoint, supervise, and remove the Chief of Police.

Members of the public wishing to provide public comments, may do so the following ways:

1. IN PERSON – Fill out a Speaker Request Form, available near the entrance doors, and place in the Speaker Card Tray near the City Clerk before the City Council Meeting begins.

2. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT – If you wish to provide a written public comment, please email the City Clerk’s Department at cityclerk@antiochca.gov by 3:00 p.m. the day of the City Council Meeting

Please note: Written public comments received by 3:00 p.m. the day of the City Council Meeting will be shared with the City Council before the meeting, entered into the public record, retained on file by the City Clerk’s Office, and available to the public upon request. Written public comments will not be read during the City Council Meeting.

If any person challenges the decision of the City in these matters in court, he or she may be limited to raising only those issues that were raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence, delivered to the City at, or prior to, the public hearing.

Copies of the documents relating to the draft ordinance are available for review at the City Attorney’s Office, 200 H Street, Third Floor, Antioch, CA, between the hours of 8:00am – 5:00pm. If you have any specific questions concerning these documents, you may contact the City Attorney’s Office at 925-779-7015 or CityAttorney@antiochca.gov. Written statements in favor of or in opposition to this matter, may be emailed to: cityclerk@antiochca.gov, or mailed to the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 200 “H” Street (P.O. Box 5007), Antioch, CA 94531-5007, prior to the hearing.

ACCESSIBILITY: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law, it is the policy of the City of Antioch to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and require information or materials in an appropriate alternative format; or if you require any other accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator at the number or address below at least 72 hours prior to the meeting or when you desire to receive services. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility. The City’s ADA Coordinator can be reached @ Phone: (925) 779-6950, and e-mail: publicworks@antiochca.gov.

/s/ ELIZABETH HOUSEHOLDER

ELIZABETH HOUSEHOLDER, City Clerk

Publication Date: 7/28/2023

cc: City Attorney’s Office

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None of the other city council or staff members responded prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.

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ACCESSIBILITY: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law, it is the policy of the City of Antioch to