Joe Leighton (right), senior pastor, Salem Chapel (Junction City, Ohio)

We set a new high total for our church in collecting 321 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. For the 14th consecutive year, we sent a team of people to Boone, N.C., to help pack and prepare to ship the collected boxes that will go around the world. Our eight-person team was part of a group that processed over 100,000 boxes over the course of one weekend. Our delegate, Bill Morgan, is a prayer ambassador for Operation Christmas Child, traveling and speaking to churches about this ministry. He has also been to Honduras to help distribute the Christmas boxes.

Troy Green (right), senior pastor, Monroe UB church (Monroe, Ind.).

This year our music team wanted to help create a special atmosphere of worship throughout the month of December. To do this, they played Christmas music 15-20 minutes prior to the start of the services. Though this meant extra practices by the musicians, many people enjoyed coming a few minutes early to sit and relax and enjoy the sounds of Christmas. With hearts a little bit more settled, the Holy Spirit began ministering to the congregation, and people in a little town called Monroe were blessed.

Pastor Matt McKeown at the December 21 event.

Pastor Matt McKeown at the December 21 event.

At the ornament/white elephant exchange.

At the ornament/white elephant exchange.

On Sunday, Dec. 21, about 80 people at Daytona UB (Holly Hill, Fla.) participated in an ornament exchange/white elephant  event. Everyone had a lot of fun with all the strategizing and such going on.

Rev. Carus Campbell, 91, passed away January 3, 2015, at a medical center in Clarksburg, W. Va. He served in the European theater during World War 2, and went on to become a pastor, serving churches in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Visitation: 5-7 pm Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Funeral: 10am Wednesday, January 7, 2015.
Visitation and funeral location: Tomblyn-Whitescarver Funeral Chapel, Buckhannon, WV 26201.

ginnykopp200Virginia Kopp, wife of former bishop Clarence A. Kopp, Jr., passed away Friday, January 2, 2015. She is the mother of Dan Kopp, pastor of NorthPointe UB church (Lewis Center, Ohio), and of three other children–Debra, Denise, and Dale. Bishop Kopp passed away in 2007. She has been living in Columbus, Ohio.

Viewing time: 6-8 pm Friday evening, January 9; and 10 am to noon on Saturday, January 10.
Funeral time: 12:00 noon on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

Both the viewing and funeral will be held at:

O.R. Woodyard Funeral Home & Chapel (South Chapel)
1346 South High Street
Columbus, 43207.

A meal will follow at approximately 1:30 at the nearby Living Word United Brethren Church, 145 Obetz Road, Columbus, Ohio. Clarence and Ginny were pastoring this church (then called Redeemer UB) when he was elected bishop in 1981.

Notes can be sent to Rev. Dan Kopp at this address:

Dan Kopp
7509 Storrington Place
Lewis Center, OH 43035
Email: legacydk@yahoo.com

Justin Marva, conference administrator for Sierra Leone Conference (Jan. 3, 2015)

The Ebola outbreak has dropped drastically in Bo, Mattru, Kenema, Kailahun, Moyamba, and Pujehun in the southeast part of the country. Most of these districts are now reporting zero cases for the past week. But for Freetown and the North, the cases are still high.

At the moment, all business activities close down on every Saturday at 12 pm. Sunday is observed as a quiet day except for the usual church services, but no business activity is allowed for the rest of the day. This rule is working well at the moment, and it has discouraged people from gathering in public places on Saturday and Sundays.

Sierra Leoneans are very hopeful at the moment that the Ebola outbreak will soon be a thing of the past. The president has declared a seven-day period of prayer and fasting for God to help in this sad situation in our country.

Please continue to pray for us.

ginnykopp200Virginia Kopp, wife of former bishop Clarence A. Kopp, Jr., passed away Friday, January 2, 2015. She is the mother of Dan Kopp, pastor of NorthPointe UB church (Lewis Center, Ohio), and of three other children–Debra, Denise, and Dale. Bishop Kopp passed away in 2007. She has been living in Columbus, Ohio.

Funeral details will be posted when available.