Charlie and Ruth Snider (seated) with family members on their 70th anniversary celebration on September 15.

Charlie and Ruth Snider, from Toronto, Ontario,  celebrated their 70th anniversary on August 15, 2012. They knew each other as children, and were married in 1942 just two weeks before he went off to serve in the military.

Ruth Snider is an ordained minister and former pastor in Ontario Conference, as well as a former member of the denominational board of missions and former director of Food for the Hungry Canada. Charlie has worked on numerous building projects throughout the world. Charlie turned 90 in 2009, and Ruth in 2010.

 

At the national office in Huntington, Ind., we’ve had a small public bookstore for 30 years. Most business involves shipping Sunday school materials to UB churches throughout the country. But for local people, and for visitors from out of town, we had the walk-in bookstore.

However, the public bookstore is closing within a couple months. There will no longer be a room in which people can browse for materials.

We will continue carrying and shipping Sunday school literature, and will continue ordering Bible study books upon request. We will also have available:

  • A variety of United Brethren items (certificates, booklets, etc.)
  • GROW materials.
  • VBS materials.
  • Bulletin and envelope services
  • Communion supplies

Jane Seely will continue as manager of the marketing operation. To place an order, you can reach Jane in these ways:

E-mail, jane@ub.org,
Phone, 260-356-2312 ext. 314,
Fax 260-356-4730

Or, stop in the building and ask for Jane Seely.

On October 1, we begin an inventory reduction sale to get rid of the materials in the bookstore. We’ll have 25% off of books, gifts, and other non-UB items.

Thank you for all your support in the past. We hope to continue to service you in the areas listed above.

The baptism at Carmichael Pond.

Jason Sheets (right), associate/youth pastor, Shepherd of the Valley UB (Logan, Ohio)

On August 26, we had a baptism service at the Carmichael pond, a farm pond near Sugar Grove, Ohio. Senior pastor Doug Stull welcomed everyone and opened the service with prayer. We sang some hymns as a group, and I shared a short message about baptism from Matthew 3.

Then pastor Doug (left) and I baptized 9 people. One of those people was a woman who came to our church for the first time on August 18 to our Third Street Community Festival. The next day, following our Sunday morning service, she prayed with pastor Doug and received Christ and wanted to be baptized.

As our baptism service was wrapping up, a couple who were driving by pulled off the road and asked us if we were having a baptism. After talking with pastor Doug for a few minutes, they both received Christ and wanted to be baptized. Just a random couple driving down a country road, this meeting was definitely a God moment.

While pastor Doug was talking with them, I (pastor Jason) was talking with my oldest daughter, Sarah, who was saved last year at our VBS. She, too, was inquiring about baptism. So Doug and I proceeded to baptize 3 more people, bringing the total to 12.

It was an honor and a privilege to be able to assist in baptizing so many, including my daughter. Following the baptism, we shared in a time of fellowship and eating ice cream.

Dan Paternoster (right) continues to improve after being hit by a car while bike-riding on August 28. Dan’s wife, Nancy, posts daily updates on CarePages. Here are updates from the weekend (Sept. 15-16). Dan from the UB church in Fowlerville, Mich., has been a member of the denominational Executive Leadership Team since 2001.

Saturday (Sept. 15). Dan breathed on his own all of last night and today! His condition has been changed from critical to stable, now that he is off of the ventilator. He is still coughing frequently, but the coughing fits have become less severe. Dan was moved to a chair twice today so that he could have time out of his bed. Sitting up tires him out at this point. Contine to pray with us for complete healing for Dan and strength for us as we care for him during this process.

Sunday (Sept. 16). Nancy, Rachel, and Sarah went to church this morning while Dr. Currey spent the night and morning with Dan. They had a good night and morning. Dan sat in the chair for two hours this morning and saw the speech therapist at that time. They are making progress toward being able to put a cap on the trachea that would allow Dan to talk. When Dan was back in bed, he moved his left arm up from his side to his chest on his own! This is the first movement of that kind that has been seen from his left arm.

Michael R. Brown, senior pastor, Franklin UB church (New Albany, Ohio)

Two weeks ago in a sermon entitled “The Path to Spiritual Maturity,” I challenged my congregation to practice a personal media blackout September 9-15. The purpose? To stop “pouring so much of the world” into our heads and have more time to converse with God. I didn’t issue the challenge September 2-8 (the Sunday I preached), because the Democratic National Convention was on. Maybe we should have blacked-out both weeks of the conventions!

I committed to the blackout September 9-15, and it’s almost killin’ me! Here’s why.

I am a news junkie. Every morning starts with a quick Columbus Dispatch review (maybe 5 minutes). On the way to the office I often listen to a pastor, James MacDonald (5-10 minutes). During the day in the car, I listen to 700 WLW. My wife will never understand why I live in Columbus but listen to a Cincinnati radio station. I got hooked in 1975 listening to the Reds. It’s so bad I didn’t even listen to the Christian radio station I used to have a talk show on!

I subscribe to the following magazines; Fortune, Money, The Saturday Evening Post, Readers Digest, The Smithsonian (all of them were $10, one-year subscription deals). I also subscribe to Travel and Leisure because I’m too lazy to cancel it.

On the way home each day I listen to WLW, 610 WTVN, or 97.1 FM The Fan (sports). I only have two regular TV shows I watch. But I never miss at least one newscast, and will catch rerun shows while I do 10 pm dishes. The weekends is sports, and through the week I’ll catch both Fox and CNN news (conservative and liberals). The blackout also includes internet news. There you have it, my addiction.

It is Wednesday of blackout week, and I’m in serious withdrawal. The Reds could clinch the division this week and I can’t watch the Buckeyes: BUMMER!

But really…what a blessing! I am praying a lot more, driving a little more focused, and my head, heart, and soul just feel cleaner–less contaminated.

Try the blackout. You will be amazed at how much you hear–especially from God.

On July 11, we reported that Duane Walter, an ordained minister in Sunfield, Mich., had been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning chemotherapy treatments.

On September 12, this message from Duane arrived.

“In July, I had a pet scan which showed cancer. Last Friday I had a second pet scan. When I met with the oncologist yesterday after my chemo, she showed me both scans. The new scan showed only one small spot by my thyroid, and she did not think it was anything to be concerned about. However, she was going to have an ultrasound just to be on the safe side.

“God is faithful. Thank you to all who have been praying.”

Huntington University’s physical education students are offering a homeschool P.E. program for area children in grades K-5, with a special preschool class for children ages 3 and 4 this fall.

Children will split into one of four developmental levels: preschool (ages 3 and 4), grades K-1, grades 2-3, and grades 4-5. The nine class sessions will be offered from September to December. Class time is from 2:15 to 3 p.m. in the fieldhouse of the university’s Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex. The dates for the sessions are Sept. 27; Oct. 4, 11 and 25; Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 29; and Dec. 6.

The class is free to all participants. Preschool children must be accompanied by a parent, and the parent needs to be prepared to participate along with their child.

Huntington University students conducting the elementary physical education class are either physical education majors or elementary education majors. Curriculum development and supervision of the classes are provided by Dr. Jody Davenport, assistant professor of physical education.

The upcoming UB Women’s Conference, Sept. 28-30, is about two weeks away. Right now, 226 persons are registered.

The conference will include a silent auction. A silent auction at the 2010 conference raised over $1000. The money was used for women’s ministry and to keep down the cost of lodging at the conference.

Women attending are invited to:

  • Bring new or gently used items to donate for the auction. They can include handmade items and baked good.
  • Bring some extra spending money.

Some ideas: books, décor, scarves, plants, handmade items, baked goods.

The money raised in 2010 was a tribute to the quality of items donated, and to generous bidding.

Complete information, including a schedule revised as of September 13, can be found on the UB website.

Mark Ralph has been assigned to a one-year interim position as senior pastor of Mount Zion UB church in Wayne, Ohio. This follows the recent departure of Michael Soltis as pastor at Mount Zion.

Ralph accepted the position on September 12. His first Sunday at Mount Zion will be September 30, 2012.

Mark Ralph and his wife, Ruth (right), previously served three United Brethren pastorates in Michigan–in Clare, Charlotte, and Sunfield–along with several years in Birmingham, Ala., as UB church planters. He was ordained in 1976. Since leaving Sunfield in 2009, he has pastored a congregation in Transfer, Pa., with the Evangelical Congregational Church. Ralph has roots in the EC Church, where his father pastored for 28 years.

Ralph graduated from Huntington University in 1974, and later earned a master’s degree from Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Dr. Mark Fairchild, a professor at Huntington University, has become quite an authority on early Christianity in Turkey. In a September 11 article by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, he talks about his discovery of Jewish synagogues in Turkey, and gives insights into the possible work of the Apostle Paul and about the exodus of Jews following the conquest of Israel by Babylon.

Fairchild discovered in the city of Catioren what may be the oldest synagogue ever discovered, dating back to the time of King Solomon. He wrote about his findings in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Catioren is located 30 miles from Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle Paul. Fairchild believes it’s quite possible that Paul preached at this synagogue.