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Sandy Whipple, wife of Bishop Phil Whipple, fell on ice this afternoon and broke both bones in her wrist. She will have surgery around 5 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 16). Please keep her in your prayers. She and Phil were scheduled on Friday for a two-week trip to Israel.
George Rhodifer, pastor of Olivet UB Church (New Lebanon, Ohio) is in Veterans Administration hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He was having some gall bladder difficulties, but is doing well and is expected to be released today. This report comes from Roland Albert, pastor of the nearby Park Layne UB church. Please keep George in your prayers.
A United Brethren women’s conference will be held September 17-19, 2010, at the Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster, Pa.
The theme is “I Do, Do You?” It is not a conference about earthly marriage or male-female relationships. Rather, it is about women living with joy in the knowledge of who they are in Jesus Christ.
Join women from across the country for a weekend that promises to change your life, challenge the way you see yourself, and captivate your senses as you experience the beauty of the Lancaster area and all the amenities that Willow Valley Resort offers.
Your total cost depends on how many people share your room:
The first 20 pastors’ wives to register will receive a $50 discount.
Brochures about the conference have been mailed to all UB churches.
The Women’s Ministry website has complete information–speakers, schedule, costs, area attractions, directions, and more. You can also register online. Go to: UBWomen.org
Jamaica Conference held its annual Youth Rally on February 13 at the York Town UB church. Deon McLennon writes, “It was a blessed day of youth fellowship and competition. Youth representatives from all of the districts competed in song, drama, elocution, group song, junior and senior quiz, youth preaching, choral speaking, and dub poetry. The top church was the Greater Portmore UB Church.”
In my opinion, “When Helping Hurts” is the single best book I’ve read on the topic of working with the poor. Not only should every Christian worker read it; every Christian ought to read it whether or not they work directly with the poor.
The authors of the book, Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, are community development specialists with the Chalmers Center for Economic Development and professors at Covenant College. Striking to me were the misperceptions we often have regarding the true needs of the poor. Summarizing the results of a polls, they comment:
Poor people typically talk in terms of shame, inferiority, powerlessness, humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness. North American audiences (or the wealthy) tend to emphasize a lack of material things such as food, money, clean water, medicine, housing, etc.
The result of such misconceptions is that we seek only to bring relief or aid, when what is ultimately needed is rehabilitation and restoration in relationship with God and others. They write that there are three reasons we do this:
Key to their approach to relief and development is assessing local assets. Too often we ask, “What do they need?” and fail to ask the even more important question, “What do they have?” They point attention to Colossians 1:16-17, where we’re told the Christ is holding all things together and that he does not allow the effects of sin to completely destroy the inherent goodness of the assets he has created. In Christ, God is reconciling to himself all things–natural resources, individuals, neighborhood associations, schools, businesses, governments, etc. All are being liberated from their “bondage to decay” (Romans 8:12).
The process of assessment involves appreciating, envisioning, co-constructing and sustaining, and can only be done together. We need to move from “doing for” to “doing with” so that eventually they will be able to do it for themselves and even assist others in the same way they have been helped.
Finally, they wrap up the book with a chapter entitled, “Doing Short-term Missions Without Doing Long-Term Harm.” This is a Must Read for anyone going on a short-term trip. The key here is quite simple: don’t do for people what they can, or should, do for themselves. The goal is for the work to be done primarily by the community members with the team in a helping role. Stay away from the “go-help-and save-them” and maintain a “go-as-a-learner” attitude.
The two-day Mission Team Leader Training is underway at Mainstreet Church in Walbridge, Ohio. Jeff Bleijerveld and Donna Hollopeter are teaching 12 people, who have come to learn how to effectively lead a short-term mission team. Three other persons from the east were signed up, but had to cancel out because of the blizzard.
Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, Ohio, has announced its summer camp schedule.
June 13-18: Teen Camp (grades 7-12). Cost: $260
June 27 – July 2: Discover Camp (grades 5-6). Cost: $260.
July 18-22: Voyager Camp (grades 2-4). Cost: $240.
You can register online.
Camp Cotubic began in the 1970s as a year-round camp operated by Central Conference, which included UB churches in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Though Camp Cotubic is no longer operated by the United Brethren church, it continues serving the United Brethren constituency.
A building for the Buen Samaritano church in Honduras is well underway, thanks to the 2009 Thank Offering.
A year ago, the Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan) church in Honduras was meeting under a tree on the property they had purchased. They were able to take the next step using funds from the 2009 Self-Denial Offering.
Today, Buen Samaritano has constructed a building consisting of walls and a roof. Although work remains, the congregation is encouraged and moving forward using their own resources. Pastor Mariano Mondragon told me that the most exciting thing has been seeing people continue to come to Christ over the past year.
Extensive water damage at Victory Heights UB
Steve Henry, Pastor, Victory Heights Church (Franklin, Pa.)
On Monday morning, February 1, I received a call from my Head Trustee saying that I needed to go to the church ASAP because a water line had broken. Actually one line broke (froze) and a water input line came off a humidifier, so it was two water leaks at the same time.
Over 700 gallons of water saturated the foyer, restrooms, nursery, pastor’s office, kitchen, boiler room, much ceiling, and a Sunday school room. Water was flowing out of the air conditioning vents, lights, outlets, and light switches! Minimal damage occured to the fellowship hall and the sanctuary.
We moved our services to a vacant store at our local mall, and we had a great service on Sunday, February 7. We believe God is teaching us that a building is nice, but the church isn’t dependant on a building to be a church. We are a body because of the bond of Christ no matter where we meet.
It will be 4-6 weeks until we can get back into the church, so please pray that this missions opportunity to worship in the mall will be fruitful for the Kingdom of God.
Phil Whipple, Bishop
I’d like to give a little plug for Feedburner. I’ve been using this service to deliver UBCentral straight to my email each day. Anything posted during the previous 24 hours is sent to my inbox.
This works well for people who check email every day, but who don’t necessarily check the same websites every day. It comes to you; you don’t have to do anything except check your email. You can then scan it quickly to see what’s happening in the United Brethren world.
For people who may feel disconnected, Feedburner is a good tool to help them stay informed. I find it very convenient. It’s a free service from Google. About 50 UB people are currently using Feedburner.
It’s easy to signup. You submit your email address, and that’s it. Each email includes a link for removing yourself from the list.
