10 Dec Among Our 44 Churches in Mexico

Bishop Denis Casco at the Valle de Santiago church.

Mexico is said by many to be in crisis. Corruption at multiple levels and drug trafficking have a major impact on our near neighbor to the south, but we’re rejoicing in the growth of the United Brethren in Christ.

I visited Mexico last week with Rev. Denis Casco, Bishop of the Mexico National Conference. Rev. Casco continues to provide outstanding leadership to our churches in Mexico. Our ministry currently consists of 34 registered churches and another 10 church plants. They are divided into seven districts from El Paso/Juarez in the north to Oaxaca in the south.

Large concentrations of UB churches can be found in Queretaro and Michoacan to the north and west of Mexico City. We also have 3 indigenous works among Purepecha peoples in Michoacan, and among Tarazco peoples in Chihuahua.

We visited Valle de Santiago, where Mount Pleasant UB in Chambersburg, Pa., is currently completing a five-year partnership with Pastor Ramiro Negrete and the Centro Familiar Evangelico. They recently completed the construction of a sanctuary to accommodate 500 attendees, and it’s filling quickly.

Along the way, I heard the testimonies of new believers who had come to faith in Christ through the care and compassion of UB church members who came to them and loved them through struggles with abuse, drugs, and the chaos of broken family relationships. God is doing a tremendous work among his people.

This week, a team from Mount Pleasant will be in Mexico helping distribute nearly over 500 Operation Christmas Child boxes from Samaritan’s Purse. This will be the largest distribution our Mexican UB churches have ever been involved with. We currently have a number of opportunities for churches or individuals interested in partnering with a local church and participating in a short-term project.

08 Dec Helen Villanueva Nears Her Journey’s End

We received word that Helen Villanueva is near death, and could pass away at any time. Helen lives in Belize.

Helen (left) is the mother of Maira Raudales (right), wife of former Honduran superintendent Francisco Raudales. She is also the daughter of James Elliott, the minister whose influence brought the United Brethren denomination to Honduras. For a number of years, Helen pastored the Puerto Cortes UB church in northern Honduras.

08 Dec Jeff Bleijerveld in Mexico Until Dec. 10

Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld has been in Mexico since last Thursday (Dec. 3), spending time with Bishop Denis Casco and the churches of the Mexico National Conference. He’ll return to the States tomorrow, December 9.

08 Dec Jamaican UB Churches Raise Money for Missions

UB people file to the front to contribute their money.

L-r: Dr. Coril Warmington and Marian Stewart, representing missionary work in Liberia, with host pastor Rev. Dr. Lloyd Spencer.

The congregation watches a video presentation about the flooding in the Philippines

United Brethren churches in Jamaica Conference, from the Eastern District, held a combined missionary service on Sunday, November 29, to raise funds for two concerns:

• To help UB churches in the Philippines affected by recent floods.
• To help support missionaries in Liberia.

People from the 12 churches of the eastern district held this service at the Washington Gardens church in Kingston, the capital city. The theme this year was, “Reaching the Lost and Needy, with Open Hearts and Hands.” The service included:

• A video presentation by Mr. Andre Saunderson about the devastation in the Philippines.
• Presentations about missionary work in Liberia by missionaries Dr. Coril Warmington and Ms. Marian Stewart .

The service was coordinated by Pastor Barrington Johnson, moderated by Rev. Courtney Morgan, and hosted by Rev. Dr Lloyd Spencer.

03 Dec Mudslide Destroys Home of El Salvador Pastor

Mrs. Walter Recinos at the site of the mudslide.

Torrential rains hit large areas of Central America this fall. In El Salvador, Pastor Walter Recinos and his wife lost their home in a mudslide. Nearly everything was lost as a result. We’re gathering funds to take with us to General Conference in January to present to Pastor and Mrs. Recinos, who will be attending as guests. El Salvador is a mission district, with oversight by Honduras Conference.

03 Dec A Vision Worth Keeping

Sometimes visions die with the visionary. But then there are visions worth hanging onto and passing on to future generations. Such is the vision of Dr. Ralph Winter, founder of the US Center for World Mission in Pasadena, Calif.

While visiting with Dave Datema, the newly named General Director of Frontier Mission Fellowship, of with the US Center for World Mission is a part, he showed me a “stone of remembrance” that the staff erected soon after Dr. Winter’s passing last May. The stone reads:

This stone is a witness that on July 14, 2009, after the death of our founder, Dr. Ralph D. Winter on May 20 that same year, the members of the Frontier Mission Fellowship reconsecrated themselves to the vision of the gospel of the Kingdom being proclaimed by word and deed among all peoples to bring about the obedience of faith among all peoples. Joshua 24:26-27

I count it a privilege to have United Brethren people like Dave and Cathie Datema and family serving with an organization that continues to do so much to serve Christ’s Church in the work of sharing the gospel among all nations. The US Center for World Mission continues to have a vital role in mobilizing, educating, and training churches and missionaries from around the world to accomplish the mission of God. Continue to remember them in prayer.

20 Nov Roger Reeck in a Cast for Six Weeks

Marilyn Reeck, UB endorsed missionary with Wycliffe in Honduras
We arrived back form Africa and after one week in Honduras traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica where Roger has been helping lead a One Story workshop for 7 different language groups. I have been one of the facilitators. It is being held at the Youth with a Mission base.

Two days ago (on his 61st birthday) Roger fell on his knee. Yesterday, November 19, a doctor determined that he had a quadriceps tendon rupture. Last night he was taken in to surgery and the tendon was reattached.  He is in a complete leg cast and in considerable pain. He will need to stay in the cast for 6 weeks.

When he leaves the hospital, we will need to decide how to get him home to Honduras. Our return date was to be a week from now, but we might possibly leave earlier. We praise the Lord that this happened in a country with such excellent medical care. We are in the Clinica Biblica hospital, a large and modern hospital.

12 Nov Two Global Ministries Staff Changes

We continually have changes in the Global Ministries staff, as people conclude their service with a particular organization. Here are two recent changes.

Mike and Jenny Burtnett no longer serve with Wycliffe. They had been stationed in Mexico, but new restrictions on foreign workers made it impossible for them to stay there. We understand that Mike is taking a position with a local church.

Anna Geivett went to Peru in 2006 with Food for the Hungry. She is back in the States, no longer serving with that organization. She has taken a position as Missions Director at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

12 Nov Nov 29 Combined Missionary Service in Jamaica

The United Brethren churches of Jamaica’s Easter District will hold a joint missionary service at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, November 29, at Washington Gardens church in Kingston. The theme is “Reaching the Lost and Needy, with Open Hearts and Hands.”

Deon McClennon writes, “We hope to sensitize the individual Christian and churches to the urgency of reaching the lost and needy (whether near or far), in every way possible as God blesses and enables us.”