Our Family
Welcome to the home page of the Ken Hines' Family.   We both attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, South  Carolina.  Ken has over 25 years of experience as an evangelistic puppeteer, playwright, dramatist, in radio/TV, and in electronics engineering.  Lydia is a working mom who has written a tract and a narrative entitled "My Hope Is Still Alive", a short chronicle of her miraculous and merciful survival after a giant brain aneurysm rupture and subsequent emergency surgery at the brain stem in April 1999.  We have three children, Michael, 22 (Cinema/Video Major at Bob Jones University), Mark, 18, and Meredith, 13,  who have weathered the storms, riding the tumultuous waves with us.  God is good.  He is faithful.  We all continue to grow.

In May 2004, after serving on staff and in laymen positions at Emmanuel Baptist Temple in Maryland for 13 years, the Lord opened the door for our family to return to full-time Christian service as well as back to the evangelistic ministry of THE ACADEMY OF ARTS in Taylors, South Carolina, serving with Dr. Nicky Chavers and his wife, Sheri. It is through this unique Christian drama ministry that we serve local, New Testament bible-believing churches, Christian schools, Home School Groups, and individuals all across America. 

Our Burden
Out of our experiences and through the biblical principles we learned during the times of horrific testing in our lives grew the MHISA concept. Our burden for people in crisis broadened significantly during this time. A “great and effectual door” was opened to us through the opportunities given to us to share the testimony of God’s miraculous working in our lives. This site is intended to direct those who have a need in their life — whatever that need might be — to the only One that can give them the strength, the grace, and the courage so desperately needed to face personal moments of challenge and growth. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast…” Hebrews 6:19 There is no other source of true hope in a time of crisis.  There is no hope apart from Christ!

Our Hope
My Hope Is Still Alive - Why the name?
Several reasons.  In April 1988, Mallory Hope Hines, 2 lbs. 4 oz., was born prematurely to us.  My third pregnancy, Mallory was not due until July.  But I experienced pre-term PROM, an event that only happens in about 10% of all pregnancies..  Mallory lived on this earth barely 30 minutes while the neo-natal intensive care doctors worked diligently to save her fragile life.  Our tiny 13 inch, blonde-haired baby girl never stabilized enough to leave the delivery room.  She entered heaven's gates Sunday morning, April 10, 1988, at around 1:30 in the morning.  I later thought how appropriate it was that she would be delivered to heaven on Sunday.

Ken and I had already planned to name her Mallory -- the middle name, Hope,  was chosen just before I was taken for the emergency c-section and her delivery.  It appeared to be an afterthought -- chosen to accentuate the hope that she would live, the hope that we have in Jesus Christ,  but the chosen name became, in reality, a icon of the hope of seeing our little girl one day in eternity.  As we look back now, we can see the beginning of how God would continue to work in our lives -- teaching us great truths about the "Blessed Hope."  We buried our dear precious baby a week later in a Greenville, South Carolina graveyard -- her body contained in a petite, pink casket -- but we knew that our "Hope" was alive "forevermore", cradled in the arms of Jesus.  We have never forgotten the lessons that we learned from our brief relationship with her while she was carried in my womb, nor have we forgotten the schooling received after her birth and her death.  Though she was small, her influence was very great.  She had an impact on our lives.  We claimed a verse that carried us through this great trial  ~ Romans 10:15 "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"   The gifts that were given to THE ACADEMY OF ARTS Ministries in Mallory's name in lieu of flowers at her graveside were used to purchase thousands of dollars in stage lighting equipment.  The lights literally traveled tens of thousands of miles and were used in hundreds of churches and Christian schools to help "Make the Bible Come Alive" for many years, enabling Mallory's tiny feet to representatively spread the good news of Jesus Christ.   J. Vernon McGee wrote, "A brief life is not an incomplete life."  We believe that statement with all of our hearts.  God knew Mallory's "end" from her "beginning" and her "times were in His hand."  Her rewards are in heaven.  Her life was complete.  God's grace is sufficient.  

Almost 11 years later, God brought us back to the reality of our hope in Jesus Christ -- at a time when our hope and our faith were being challenged during one of the weakest moments of our married life. During that time period, God used His Word and many godly people to help guide us through this raging storm. In particular, the music ministry of Majesty Music was an encouragement and a blessing to our family -- specifically a new CD that had been released entitled "Worthy of Praise."  The first song captured my attention during one of Ken's choir practices, so once I obtained the CD, I listened to the song over and over during some of the darkest hours of my recovery. The first song is entitled "My Hope Is Still Alive" - a powerful song about Christ's resurrection.  Coupled with verses from God's Word that I was daily clinging to, God used the message in that song to strengthen my "inner man" and to build my resolve to overcome, by His grace, the challenges that were before me.  My heart was challenged and revived.  We invite you to read the narrative found at MY HOPE , with our sincere prayers that God will use the truths to increase your faith and restore your hope in Jesus Christ.  There is hope.

Our Thanks
Our special thanks to our former Pastor Emeritus and friend, Dr. Ed Hampton, for his personal integrity and unwavering affirmation in the truths of the Word of God and to his dear wife, Coleen, for her genuine display of practical, graceful Christianity. Our admiration and our love has grown significantly for Dr. Larry Aikens, who is now the Senior Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Temple in Hagerstown, Maryland. His genuine love and encouragement — for us, personally — helped spawn the decision to create this site and to take the giant step of faith back into full-time Christian service. 

We are very forever grateful for our dear friends and “parents” in the Lord, Dr. and Mrs. Nicky Chavers, for their unwavering love and support through the years.