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06 Jun

June 6, 2012 |

Harold and MaryAnn Hancock, a retired couple, have joined the Global Ministries staff. In mid-August 2012, they will begin serving at Jamaica Bible College in Mandeville, Jamaica.

Harold spent his career working in various trades–welding, electrical work, plumbing, etc. He will teach those skills at a vocational high school located on the campus of Jamaica Bible College. MaryAnne will work in the college library.

The Hancocks are members of New Hope UB church in Camden, Mich. MaryAnne has been the longtime administrative assistant for the church and the former New Hope Christian School. A commissioning service will be held at the church no August 5.

At this time, the Hancocks have raised 90% of their needed support. If you are interested in supporting them, send contributions to:

Global Ministries
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

Include a separate note indicating the check is for “Hancock support.”

05 Jun

June 5, 2012 |

Bishop Denis Casco speaking at the May 2012 seminar in Mexico. (click to enlarge)

Gary Brooks (left) and Bishop Denis Casco in Mexico.

Gary Brooks leading a session for Mexican pastors and church workers.

On May 17, 2012, Rev. Gary Brooks, a retired UB pastor and missionary, flew to Mexico to join Rev Denis Casco, bishop of the Mexico National Conference. They conducted a seminar for 35 pastors and church workers. It was held at the Rosa de Saron United Brethren Church in the municipality of Jesus Maria El Marquez, on the outskirts of Queretaro, Mexico.

Gary Brooks taught a chapter by chapter study from Colossians. Bishop Casco taught classes on discipleship, focusing on the difference between unproductive professing believers who fill our church pews and disciples who do all they can to fulfill the Great Commission.

The response was overwhelming and pastors responded frequently with great enthusiasm. As Gary Brooks noted, their excitement demonstrates the need for more training of this kind.

If you would like to support future training events like this in Mexico, send your gift to Global Ministries marked “Mexico – Leadership Development.”

05 Jun

June 5, 2012 |

Not far beyond the multinational fruit company headquarters where seasonal workers wait in hope for temporary jobs, the Honduran village of El Carril is brimming with children. Many of these children come from homes where eating more than one meal per day is considered a luxury, and what is consumed is little more than a basic starch like rice or corn.

However, at this “comedor” (meal program), a local United Brethren church does all it can to provide the children with occasional meals that are more nutritious than they receive at home. Along with the meals, the children are able to hear Bible stories, sing songs, and learn that they are valued and loved by God.

Just a few of our North American churches support feeding programs like this, and yet so much is accomplished as a result.

04 Jun

June 4, 2012 |

Associate pastor Matt Kennedy (left) and senior pastor Tim Hallman (right) with a joyful member after being baptized.

Pastor Tim Hallman (center) with members of the Anchor worship team.

For over ten years, Anchor Community Church has held an annual service at the Stillwater Retreat on the south side of Fort Wayne, Ind. The event begins with a worship service which includes communion, and concludes with a potluck meal and fun times at the camp. But the highlight is the baptism. After the service, everyone heads down to the lake, where they sit on the dock or stand on the shore as various people share their testimonies and then walk into the lake to be baptized.

On June 3, 2012, around 180 people gathered at Stillwater to watch 10 persons be baptized.

A highlight was the presence of Joe Leatherman, who had arrived in town around 4:00 that morning after completing basic training in San Diego, Calif. He was now a Marine, and was proudly wearing his uniform. Joe, Anchor’s drummer for the past several years, talked about the spiritual reawakening which had occurred during basic training, and wanted to be baptized as a testimonial to what God was doing in his life.

Conducting the baptisms were Pastor Tim Hallman and associate pastor Matt Kennedy, with the assistance of several laypersons. Each person gave his/her testimony about how Jesus had changed their life, and why they were taking this step of baptism.

Hundreds of photos of the event were posted on Anchor’s Facebook page: photos of the service, the baptisms, and miscellaneous photos.

04 Jun

June 4, 2012 |

Jane Shutt Mason, 92 passed away on May 29, 2012, after an illness of several months duration. The funeral service was held Saturday, June 2, at the Myers Funeral Home in Huntington, Ind., with Dr. Kent Maxwell officiating.

In 1978, following the death of her husband, Wendell, Jane became the United Brethren Archivist. In 1988, she oversaw the relocation of the Archives from the denominational headquarters to a much larger space at the RichLynn Library at Huntington University, and the integration of the collection with the university archives. For the next 11 years, as an employee of Huntington University, she worked as Archivist for both the denomination and Huntington University.

Jane is responsible for professionalizing the denominational archives. After being named Archivist, she was sent to the National Archives in Washington DC for specialized training in archives management. Under her leadership, the United Brethren history collection was greatly expanded and items of relevance to UB history–books, annual conference minutes, magazines, and other records–were acquired. Many periodicals were put on microfilm.

Numerous people doing historical research appreciated Jane’s knowledge of United Brethren history and her helpfulness in locating the information they needed.

Jane and Wendell were very active in the College Park United Brethren Church, where she was a board member, children’s Sunday school superintendent and teacher, VBS director, and editor of the church newsletter. She also served as a youth leader with her husband. Later she was a member of the New Hope United Brethren Church in Huntington, Ind., close to her home. Since February 2009, Jane lived in Maumee, Ohio, with her daughter Barbara and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Rohrs.