07 Jan Pastoral Change at Corunna UB
Jason Hollopeter retired as senior pastor of Corunna UB (Corunna, Ind.). The new senior pastor is Kevin Whitacre, who started on January 1, 2011. Kevin was previously youth pastor of The Well in Huntington, Ind.
07 Jan Christmas at Our Church: Blissfield, Mich.
Christmas basket outreach in Blissfield, Mich.
Rochelle Jensen, Zion UB, Blissfield, Mich.
We joined with the Catholic Church to provide grocery bags full of supplies for their Christmas basket outreach program. Our children preformed in a wonderful Christmas Musical Program with singing and choreography. And on Christmas Eve, we had our annual worship and praise service with communion and candlelight ending. There were 141 in attendance for the service, which ended at midnight!!
06 Jan Christmas at Our Church: Temperance, Mich.
Mark Smith, Morocco UB, Temperance, Mich.
Christmas at Morocco is always a busy exciting time.
- The first Saturday in December is the Christmas In Ida Parade. We designed and had a float in the parade with several walking behind handing out candy and showing our love to all with a “Merry Christmas.”
- Our annual Christmas Program was held December 19, with many from the congregation performing specials, and as always our Mark and Company Skit was a hit!
- Then Christmas eve our beautiful decorated sanctuary was the spot where several came to a beautiful service and message by Pastor Todd Greenman.
06 Jan Billy Simbo Awarded Honorary Degree
Dr. Billy Simbo (left) and the honorary degree.
Billy Simbo, bishop of Sierra Leone Conference, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Theology degree from the Evangelical College of Theology in Sierra Leone (a school for which he once served as president). The degree was bestowed on Saturday, December 18.
Dr. Simbo will conclude is wrapping up his three years of service in Sierra Leone and will return to the United States on January 14, 2011.
06 Jan UB Retiree Keeps Busy with Volunteer Work
Judy Alchin, 70, a member of Fowlerville UB (Fowlerville, Mich.), volunteers her time at the Christian-based Family Impact Center in Fowlerville. The center provides a variety of services–food, clothing, spiritual counseling, and basic needs assistance. Alchin serves on the board of directors and runs the office when the executive director is away.
“It’s a joy to come in here knowing I am helping someone,” she says.
An article about Judy Alchin and her volunteer work was published on LivingstonDaily.com.
06 Jan Pastoral Transitions
Michael Sturgill was appointed supply pastor at Olivet UB (New Lebanon, Ohio) after the passing of former senior pastor George Rhodifer in July 2010. Michael holds a local license and was being mentored by George.
Bill Blue has been appointed senior pastor of Shoreline Church (Oak Harbor, Ohio), effective January 1, 2011. Involved in the stationing process were Bishop Phil Whipple, cluster leader Brad Kittle, and Personnel Relations chairperson Tally Gallogly. Bill, formerly youth pastor of Fowlerville UB (Fowlerville, Mich.), replaces Steve Fish, who concluded his ministry at Shoreline on November 14 (as reported earlier).
Mike Stine resigned as pastor of Mt. Carmel UB (Fulks Run, Va.) effective December 31, 2010. The stationing team consists of Bishop Phil Whipple, cluster leader Dennis Sites, and local PRC chairperson Lynn Mohler.
05 Jan Christmas at Our Church: Reedsville, W. Va.
Marshall Woods, senior pastor, Mill Chapel, Reedsville, W. Va.
Our church has a wonderful director of plays and director of music. We had a play/cantata, “It All Happened in the Country.” There were such large turnouts that we had to do the play 2 nights. Also, we had a Christmas Eve service at 10 pm. It lasted about 30 minutes and ended with a candlelight service. About 100 people attended.
We also collected bags of new socks to send to a Guatemala orphanage.
05 Jan Christmas at Our Church: Rockford, Ohio
Marvin Schwartz, senior pastor, New Horizons Community Church
Christmas is always a special time of the year for us at New Horizons Community Church. The highlight of the season (Jesus’ birth) is our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. However, this year was different from previous years (unplanned).
We had scheduled a Children’s Christmas program for an evening service on December 11, but because of the weather we had to cancel that night. This left us scrambling for another date and time. Because of scheduling and other church events, our only option was December 24 during the Candlelight Service. This rescheduling brought with it some uncertainty with regard to attendance and the amount of time needed for the added program.
The LORD knew what He wanted with this event, and we could not have planned this any better. Our church was full! We had over 300 in attendance with a wide range of ages. We most likely will plan this way for another year.
05 Jan HU Students Reach Out to Haitians in the Bahamas
A group of Huntington University students and faculty are taking medical supplies and Bible school resources to Haitian people and others in the Bahamas during the January term. Here’s a link to their blog.
05 Jan Christmas at Your Church: Tell Us About It
United Brethren churches do a lot of special things during the Christmas season. What did your church do special? Other UB churches would be interested in hearing about it.
While the Christmas season is still fresh in your mind, write up a little description about any special events, services, activities, etc. at your church.
Type in your information and send it. You can even attach digital photos. We’ll get it posted on UBCentral.org so others can read about it.