(260) 356-2312

UB.orgUBGlobal.orgChurch Search

07 Nov

November 7, 2011 |
Participants in the Central Asia trip (l-r): Annette Sites, Abbey and Sam Rocke, Anna and Pete Edgar, Laura Leichty, Letha Chambers, Bob Bruce, and Global Ministries director, Jeff Bleijerveld (all from Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Participants in the Central Asia trip (l-r): Annette Sites, Abbey and Sam Rocke, Anna and Pete Edgar, Laura Leichty, Letha Chambers, Bob Bruce, and Global Ministries director, Jeff Bleijerveld (all from Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

A multi-tasking team of nine left Monday, November 7, for Central Asia. We will return on November 19. During out time in Central Asia, we will offer a leadership development event, conduct programs for children in our leprosy and AIDS ministry, and teach English in a local high school.

Pray for the team as we have multiple flights and an overnight train ride before they reach their destination. But primarily, pray for Christ’s love to be demonstrated across all cultural, linguistic, and spiritual barriers.

All but one of the team members are from Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. The exception is Annette Sites, from Jerusalem Chapel in Churchville, Va.

07 Nov

November 7, 2011 |

Front row (l-r): Audrey, Jillian, Bronwen, Lauren. Second row (seated): Barbara and Paul. Third row: Jordan, Lisa, Todd, Brooks, Barbara, Melissa. Back row: Bridger, Quinn, Luke, Piers.

Nick Kight, Class of 2012 Student at Huntington University

It all began in Shakespeare class. Paul “Papa” Fetters and Barbara Mull did not fall in love immediately. Yet Paul and Barbara would eventually begin a relationship that would leave behind a legacy of future Fetters family members — most of whom would one day enroll at Huntington University.

Paul heard about Huntington College from Zion United Brethren in Christ Church in Willshire, Ohio. Walter Winkler, Paul’s Sunday school teacher, frequently took his students to Huntington’s campus for college events, conventions and Christian Life Emphasis Week.

Paul never intended to enroll in college. However, during his junior year of high school, he became a follower of Jesus Christ and felt the call to Christian ministry.

“I reckoned if I wanted to be a United Brethren pastor, I should go to a United Brethren college,” Paul said.

Paul worked his way through college at Schacht’s Rubber Company in Huntington, and spent his spare time volunteering with Gospel Volunteers and Clericus, campus organizations dedicated to preparing people for ministry and missions.

Following 16 years of pastoral ministry, Bishop George Weaver of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and then-Huntington College President E. DeWitt Baker requested Paul return to direct the new Graduate School of Christian Ministries. Under his care, the program took new directions coupled with the fulfillment of requirements for accreditation. Soon, that five-year stay extended to a 25-year appointment.
(more…)

04 Nov

November 4, 2011 |

Gary Brooks (right), Retired UB Minister and Missionary
Sent November 4, 2011

Denis Casco and I were in Mexico for a Pastors’Training Seminar this week. I flew to Mexico City on Thursday, October 20, and was met by Denis Casco, Bishop of Mexico Conference of the United Brethren in Christ. After a bite to eat at the airport, we boarded a bus for the three-hour ride to Querétaro. Security was tight and efficient. Once passengers were seated, he went through the bus taking a photo of every passenger, just in case.

A couple hours after we checked into our hotel, Brother Guadalupe picked us up and took us to the site where the first session was about to begin. Denis preached on Thursday night. There were over 50 people in attendance.

The next morning, I began a series of messages from I and II Peter, and Jude, dealing with a pastor´s preparation to confront the false teachers who had secretly worked their way into the early Church.

Denis began teaching about the dangers of the G-twelve movement, many of whose false teachings have been embraced by evangelical pastors seeking fast numerical growth in their churches. This movement is very strong in Spanish charismatic churches. It was a subject that was very close to the participants in the seminar. Those who attended did not miss a single session. Our average attendance during the 2.5-day seminar held steadily at 25-30 church workers.

After the last session on Saturday afternoon, Denis and I returned to Mexico City. Sunday morning, we walked along the Avenida (Paseo) de La Reforma, the broadest avenue in the city. We never felt in danger at any time during the four hours we spent on the streets of this huge city. The government closes off the avenue to motorized traffic on Sunday mornings, leaving the length and breadth of the road open for pedestrian and bike traffic. We saw hundreds of entire families riding bikes along the way.

(more…)

04 Nov

November 4, 2011 |

Huntington University’s EXCEL Adult Degree Programs has launched an Online Writing and Learning (OWL) lab to assist students with their writing assignments.

EXCEL students can now email their work to the OWL to receive suggestions and feedback. The submissions are reviewed by EXCEL instructors with English/writing teaching backgrounds.

“Students have the opportunity to acquire feedback tailored to their specific needs before their paper is turned in and graded,” said Nilah Horner (right), an EXCEL instructor and facilitator of the OWL program. “Content-area instructors can then focus their time on instructing their subject matter rather than on writing improvement.”

02 Nov

November 2, 2011 |
"Refresh"

"Refresh"

Huntington University animation students are taking the festival circuit by storm. The Toronto International Student Animation Festival has announced their decision to feature “Refresh,” an animated film created by Huntington University seniors Sean Cruse of Melville, N.Y., Benjamin Kroll of Mount Lake Park, Md., and Matthew Weener of Hudsonville, Mich. This recognition marks the film’s fifth festival approval.

“Refresh” deals with the disparity between people who are privileged and those who live without. Without delving into politics in any way, the film simply asks audiences to take a hard look at how people use limited resources and if there is any way to help those with less.

“I came up with the idea after feeling a need in my heart to help those without clean water,” Cruse said. “Water is essential for life, and I believe in Jesus’ teachings to help those in need.”

The following festivals selected to feature “Refresh”:

  • 2011 Stop Motion Magazine Film Festival in Los Angeles, Calif.
  • 2011 Philadelphia Film & Animation Festival in Philadelphia, Pa.
  • 2011 Toronto International Student Animation Festival in Toronto, Canada.
  • 2011 Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kan.
  • 2011 Columbus International Film & Video Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

“Making festival pieces was one of the goals we set for ourselves when building the digital media arts program,” said Steve Leeper (right), associate professor of Digital Media Arts. “It has taken a few years, but we’re finally starting to see films like ‘Refresh’ reach a wider audience. This is a significant milestone for us. We tell our students from the beginning that being an artist and finding an audience is what we do now, not just something to think about off in the future. Sean, Ben, and Matt are making that statement true. We’re very proud of them.”

01 Nov

November 1, 2011 |

Rocky Spear (right), Senior Pastor, Mongul UB Church (Shippensburg, Pa.)

On September 11, 2011, Mongul Church began 40 Days of Community. During the next 40 days, 10 home groups met, along with two Sunday school classes and one Wednesday night small group. Over 110 individuals participated in small groups, with each group making plans to serve their community in a meaningful way.

Celebration Sunday was held October 23. Our volunteers prepared a breakfast held between the two morning services. The total morning attendance was 242, with 20 first-time guests.

Excitement is building for reaching into our community. God is working in Shippensburg, Pa.