Kyle McQuillen (right), Director of Global Ministries 1993-2001, has been having quite a battle healthwise. On Thursday, June 28, he sent this encouraging update:

It’s been a bit of a difficult journey these past 7-8 weeks. Following the good news in April that my lymphoma had gone into remission after four four-day treatments of chemotherapy, I thought the worst was over. But then the effects of the chemo on my immune system began to hit me like a freight train!

I spent the next 6 weeks in hospitals in New Smyrna and Daytona Beach. In addition to viral pneumonia, my blood work just went out of wack. Finally a couple of weeks ago my oncologist suggested that I have a bone marrow biopsy, a rather unpleasant experience where the doctor inserts a 7” needle (large) into the hip and goes as far as he can into the bone marrow to collect marrow and blood. (This without any major sedative –just some topical lydacane.) Those samples were then sent out to various places for pathology examination to discover in what way my bone marrow may have been compromised.

As Mar Louise and I prepared to sit down with the oncologist today, we had all kinds of possibilities dancing in our heads: leukemia, bone marrow cancer, lymphoma in the bone marrow. We were prepared for the worst news but hopeful for the best. Well, the best news was shared by the oncologist: my bone marrow is totally normal and there is absolutely no indication of any abnormality. We’re still not sure why the blood counts are low in some areas, but the doctor feels that the chemo and the large number of drugs I had over the past two months have contributed to the problems. He feels that with rest and care I’ll be back to my pre cancer days eventually.

In the meantime, I will not be able to return to work at the prison or at the church for at least another month. But that will give me time to work on projects I have long put on the back burner. Thank you all so much for your love and prayers through this journey!

You can write to Kyle at: Kyle W. McQuillen, 299 Casa Grande, Edgewater, FL 32141.

Here is an update on Jeff Dice, hospitalized in Managua, Nicaragua (see earlier report).

Jeff’s wife, April, has been in Spain with a mission team there. She was supposed to fly from Madrid to Managua on Friday. First the flight was delayed, then cancelled due to mechanical problems. She is due to depart today (Saturday, June 30). That has meant they delayed Jeff’s procedure until Sunday. Jeff wrote that they were using the extra time to run more tests and balance his blood sugar level.

You can check Jeff’s updates on Facebook.

Dawn and Jay Spangler

Dawn Spangler, an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, has been named supply pastor of Strinestown UB church (Strinestown, Pa.).

Dawn was born in Dundalk, Md., and moved to New Cumberland, Pa., when she was in junior high. Dawn’s first career was in food service. She managed a school cafeteria, directed the food service at a large retirement community, and ran a catering business out of her home.

In 1996, Dawn felt God calling her to the ordained ministry. She served ten years as associate pastor of the New Cumberland Nazarene church, during which time she took the classes which enabled her to be ordained in 2002. After retiring from New Cumberland in 2006, she served two years at a Nazarene church in Carlisle, and has spent the past four years doing pulpit supply.

She and Jay, a high school classmate and “the love of my life,” have a daughter and a son living in the area. They also adopted and raised, from age 10, a grandson; Dawn will conduct his wedding in September. Jay originally worked in manufacturing and then started his own landscape business.

June Brown, a longtime missionary in Sierra Leone, will undergo heart surgery on Tuesday, July 3. Please keep her in your prayers.

You can contact June at: June Brown, 2716 Rocky Spring Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201.

Jeff Dice (right, with his wife, April), serving in Nicaragua with Global Ministries, suffered a minor heart attack on Tuesday, June 26, during a stress test. Jeff Bleijerveld talked to him Wednesday morning. Jeff Dice is doing well, he’s in a good hospital in Managua, and he will be undergoing a heart catheterization later today (Thursday, June 28) or Friday morning.

His wife, April, is in Spain with a mission team conducting an English camp with missionaries Ron and Brenda Anderson. The children are back home in Clare, Mich. The Dices are nontraditional Global Ministries staff, helping the various UB ministry teams which come to Nicaragua.

Frank Y, Associate Director of Global Ministries

Imagine raising up the next generation of Christian leaders in Eastern Europe through Bible training. That’s what Marion and Candy Hall (right) do through Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary.

The Halls are from the Harrison UB church in Harrison, Mich. During the 2011-2012 school year in Hungary, Marion served as the Dean of Students while Candy taught English and worked with interns. Last school year, over 50 students from 13 countries attended the school.

The Halls feel led to return for a second year in the same roles, while taking on the additional responsibility of leading the internship program for these students. They are currently raising support for the coming school year during the summer break.

If you’d like more information or would like to join the Halls’ support team, contact the Global Ministries office at info@ubglobal.org or call toll-free 1-888-622-3019.

Linda Carter, wife of Al Carter (right), senior pastor of First UB church (Columbus, Ohio), will undergo surgery on Friday, June 29. She has been diagnosed with cancer, and a kidney will be removed.

The Carters have served First UB since August 2011. Prior to that, Rev. Carter pastored the West Pleasant Hill UB church (Rockbridge, Ohio) for seven years. They had signed up for the Germany mission trip, which begins July 27, but had to back out after Linda’s cancer diagnosis.

Please remember Al and Linda in your prayers.

Cards can be sent to:

Linda Carter
519 E. Second Street
Logan, OH 43138

You can also contact Pastor Carter by email.

The team from ReNew Communities. Pastor Andy Sikora is on the far left.

Andy Sikora, senior pastor, ReNew Communities (Berea, Ohio)

Renew Communities sent a team of 13 people to visit Haiti Bible Mission in Jeremie, Haiti. The trip was a “missions exposure” trip, so we had the opportunity to see all the ways that HBM is working in Jeremie and the surrounding areas. While there, we were able to visit multiple church plants that HBM has started, and to help with construction on the church at Kolimo that Renew Communities is helping to plant.

The church in Kolimo was about a 45-minute drive and a 35-minute hike up a mountain. It’s ultimately about 15 miles outside of town, but with bad roads and hiking, it takes time. Hundreds of people live within a five minute walk. The Haitian pastor is deeply invested in that village. It was inspiring for sure.

Along with visiting these churches, we were able to do some work projects at a school HBM started and around the HBM compound. We also played soccer with kids in many different parts of Jermemie, visited sick and malnourished children in the hospital, gave support to widows that HBM cares for, bought a motorcycle for the pastor of the Kolimo church plant, and had a chance to meet many of the people that HBM works with on a regular basis.

The connection with Haiti Bible Mission comes through Chris Solyntjes, ReNew’s worship pastor. He has served on the board of HBM for 3 years and handles all their communications. Chris has known Mark Stockeland, director of HBM, since high school. The more I got to know about HBM, the more I realized that they’re about the same things we are in reaching a city by raising up indigenous leaders in church planting. For us this partnership was a no brainer, and we’re actually learning a lot from them.

Most church plants in that area cost about $6000, but the mountain makes it more expensive–$15,000 for this plant. We raised $7000 in December and another church raised $1500. They still need about $7000 to complete the project. We’re about to launch a kick starter style campaign to raise the rest by year’s end.

We look forward to partnering with this amazing church planting movement in Haiti and can’t wait to see what God will do in the future!

Here are some scenes from the trip.

The Spain team includes pastors Todd Fetters (far left) and Chuck Malson (standing next to him).

Honduras. The Honduras Medical Team returned to the States on Saturday, June 23, after nine days in Honduras, where they conducted several medical clinics.

Spain. On Sunday, June 24, a group of seven persons left for Spain. They are conducting an English Camp alongside UB endorsed missionaries Ron and Brenda Anderson. The group includes two United Brethren ministers:

  • Chuck Malson, senior pastor of Brown Corners UB church in Clare, Mich.
  • Todd Fetters, senior pastor of Devonshire UB church in Harrisburg, Pa.

Nicaragua. On July 1, a group of ten persons from Monroe UB church (Monroe, Ind.) will travel to Nicaragua, where they will work with Jeff Dice on several different projects for the Nicaraguan UB churches.

Germany. On July 27, a group of 11 persons leave for Germany. Tom and Kim Datema (right), former missionaries in Sierra Leone who have served the Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.) since 1998, are leading the trip. They will conduct an English camp, working with Galen and Maritta Fiedler, Global Ministries non-traditional staff who serve at a school in Germany. A similar camp was conducted in 2010. Cheryl Lamport, a UB ordained chaplain, participated in 2010 and is also part of this trip.

Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, led a prayer for the new officers elected for the annual Michigan Missions Conference.

The missions conference was held in the tabernacle at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich.

A BBQ lunch for everyone!

About 60 people attended a one-day missions conference held Saturday, June 23, at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich. The event was designed for persons from United Brethren churches in Michigan. This is the second year for the event.

A number of people spoke on behalf of missions. They included:

  • April Dice and her son, Camden, who spoke about their ministry in Nicaragua. Camden told about the baseball team which played and ministered in Nicaragua in January 2012.
  • Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld.
  • Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries.
  • Several former missionaries in Sierra Leone, including Julie Burkett, Nancy N’Gele, and Lee and Beth Palmer.
  • Former Macau missionaries Pauline Gibbs and Carlson and Naomi Becker.
  • Sally Hock-Harrison, from West Windsor UB (Dimondale, Mich.) represented a fund which provides scholarships to teens wanting to do short-term missions work. Several recipients of scholarships spoke about their experiences.

Ted Beck, a representative of Samaritan’s Purse who attends East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich., told about his church’s success with Operation Christmas Child. The number of shoeboxes collected each year has continued multiplying, leading to a collection of 10,000 shoeboxes in 2011. He told of trips to flea markets and other events, looking for items for the shoeboxes, and coming away with contacts for persons who donated items or sold them for, say, a penny each.