(260) 356-2312
Pastor Mark Ralph of Sunfield UB (Sunfield, Mich.) reports, “Two years, ago, Sunfield built a beautiful $500,000 fellowship area. This week we payed off our debt and our completely debt-free. We praise God for his provision and for giving the people a desire to give. We are now in the process of establishing an Upwards basketball ministry in our school district. This is a Christ-centered sports ministry.”
Endorsed missionary Ron Anderson sent this report on March 28:
“This year we went to Huesca to a youth event called ‘Mision Posible.’ The organization of the event was tops, as was the preaching and the music program. They had a full team working on the lights, others on the video, and still others on the sound. So when the 750 youth arrived, they were all ready for them. The place rocked with life, love, and a desire to know God.
“Brenda was put in charge of the counseling room, making sure that the designated pastor or Christian leader was there at the appointed time. Many of us were asked to be available one hour a day, so they had 12 hours of continuous counselors available each day.
“At the very end of the weekend Brenda was cleaning up the room and a young lady poked her head in the door. Brenda asked her if she was looking for someone in particular. She said she just needed to talk. So Brenda sat down with her. She then poured her heart out and said that she had for years been putting off a call to serve the Lord, but that now she was no longer afraid to let go and let God take control. ‘I think the Lord is calling me to serve him in the Muslim world,’ she said.
“After many tears and prayer, she left like many of the others with a new zeal to serve the Lord and make their lives count for Christ. Brenda was touched by this because she had prayed all week that the Lord would send her someone just like that. The whole weekend was full of opportunities to bring encouragement and direction to those who were needing it. What a joy it was for us to see this number of young Spaniards together when we remember the early days of the groups of 50s.”
Archie Cameron, 87, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in La Ceiba, Honduras, where he lives. He was suffering from congestive heart failure and kidney failure. His diabetes adds another complication. Over the last two years he has been hospitalized several times with the same problems.
Archie is now back at his home, but, according to daughter Marilyn Reeck, is not doing well. “His kidneys continue to fail, and he is really miserable.” Marilyn is the primary care-giver. At the moment her husband, Roger, is in the United States speaking at several UB churches. The two sons ,Arturo and Bobby, and families have also been a great support. Archie’s other two daughters are in the US–Heather and husband in Idaho, and Sharon in Texas. Marilyn’s oldest daughter, Christy, is a missionary nurse in Honduras but lives one hour away.
Many UB church members have been to see him and they have been a great encouragement to him and to the family.
Archie still runs his music school, and had recently been practicing his choir for an Easter cantata presentation.
Jana sent the following notes from Macau.
Our missionaries in India sent this prayer request regarding the Mission English Medium School (MEMS): “Could you please be praying for the 10th grade students as they start their exams on the 16th of this month. These are the government exams. Next month the 7th grade will have their exams.”
Hillsdale UB (Hillsdale, Mich.) completed its Centennial Year on January 25. As the congregation celebrated their first 100 years of ministry, the Lord blessed the church with over 100 conversions in 2004. There were also a record 71 new church members added during the year and the 32 baptisms were twice the number of the year before. In his annual State-of-the-Church address on January 30, Pastor Les Smith announced plans to break ground this summer on a building addition if funding was secured. The congregation responded with one of the largest offerings in their history.
Pastor Chuck McKeown of the Daytona UB church sent the thank-you note: “I want to personally thank everyone who contributed to the hurricane relief fund for the Florida churches. There will be enough money to replace the damaged roofs on the Holly Hill church and parsonage, as well as the roof on the Lake Brantley church. I cannot find words to express my deep appreciation and gratitude for what the Lord has provided through our sister UB churches. Not only did we receive financial help from the US National Conference churches, but also help from churches in Canada, Jamaica, and Hong Kong.
The roof replacement project will soon be finished in Holly Hill and we will begin the same process at the Lake Brantley congregation in Orlando soon. Thanks again to our many loving friends!
A crew is working to repair the roof of the Daytona UB church and its parsonage. The roof needed to be replaced as a result of hurricane damage. Bishop Paul Hirschy (picture directly above) was on hand to help out a couple of days.
More workers are still needed. If you’re available, contact Pastor Chuck McKeown at: 386-677-6940.
Dan and Marilyn Young formerly served the First and Faith UB churches in Findlay, Ohio. In July, Dan began serving as interim pastor of Crestview UB in Lafayette, Ind.), and was appointed senior pastor in December.
Dan’s son, Shane, suffered an epileptic seizure over the weekend. The severity of the seizure caused a heart attack. Shane, in his 30s, was hospitalized in Findlay, Ohio. His condition digressed to the point, with very little brain activity, that that family had to make a decision regarding life support later today.
Shane passed away early in the morning on Tuesday, February 1.
Fire struck the Eden UB church of Mason, Mich., last Friday, January 28. The fellowship hall and offices burned to the ground, and the sanctuary was also destroyed. Eden has an average attendance of about 240. Pastor Wes Emerson gave the following details to Steve Dennie on Monday afternoon.
The fire started around 3 pm. The secretary and janitor were in the building, along with several parishioners who were doing some work in the new Family Life Center. They heard the fire alarm go off, and when they opened the door into the old area to investigate, they discovered smoke. Investigating further, they discovered that the soundbooth in the back of the sanctuary was on fire. The fire escalated incredibly fast, and they had to run out of the building.
The fire spread first into the fellowship hall, and then made its way back to the sanctuary. The sanctuary looks okay from the outside, but is severely damaged inside and is most likely not salvageable. “Inside, it looks like it was bombed,” says Pastor Emerson. The church held services in the fellowship hall from about 1965 to 1979, when the current sanctuary was built. The congregation just recently completed its Family Life Center.
Pastor Emerson said it appears to be an electrical fire, which may or may not have actually begun in the soundbooth. The offices were lost, along with all the equipment (computer, copy machine, fax, etc.) and church records. Pastor Emerson kept the bulk of his library in his home office. The church employs two part-time secretaries, but all of their equipment was destroyed. Margaret Maybee, the Music director, had an office in the basement of the fellowship hall, so her office was destroyed as well.
“The good thing is, the fire stopped where the new building begins,” says Pastor Emerson. “They were connected. We had a fire wall and sprinkler system in the new building. The firefighters were actually fighting the fire from that part of the building, and it stopped. We still have the new facility, but can’t use it for a while because there was water and smoke damage, and the fire department had to create holes in the ceiling. But in a few weeks, we’re told we’ll be able to use it to hold services.”
In the meantime, the First United Methodist church in Mason invited them to use its facilities. They will meet in the Methodist sanctuary at 11:30 on Sundays (the Methodist congregation holds its service at 9:30). “They’ve been real gracious. They told us we can worship there until we can come back to the Family Life Center.”
The Eden congregation met there on January 30. Pastor Emerson says, “We had at least 340 people, one of our largest crowds in a long time. They filled every pew and were in the lobby and balcony, shoulder to shoulder. There is a real sense that we’re going to be unified and get through this.”
The church had good insurance coverage through Brotherhood Mutual. The church is holding an emergency board meeting tonight (Monday), and will meet with insurance representatives later this week.
