29 Aug 555 Attend Friends and Family Day at Hillsdale UB

Part of the crowd at Hillsdale’s Friends and Family Day on August 26. (click to enlarge)

Pastor Lester Smith gave a dramatic presentation of 1 Peter.

All afternoon, fun on the camp waterslide.

The Hillsdale UB Church in Hillsdale, Mich. (known locally as the “HUB”), held its 14th annual Friends and Family Day at Michindoh Conference Center on Sunday, August 26. With the exception of Easter, no other HUB worship service brings in more guests than the last Sunday of August.

Music was provided by the Vanderveen Family. Gary Vanderveen is a United Brethren pastor in Florida. Les Smith, HUB senior pastor, appeared as “Peter” and dramatized I Peter. He had just finished a summer preaching series from the same book.

There was a combined attendance of 555 at the indoor (held earlier at the church) and outdoor (at Michindoh’s amphitheatre) services. Over 450 people were served at the free picnic. Afterwards, a long line formed at Michindoh’s waterslide all afternoon.

28 Aug VBS: the Giant Bubble and the Lion’s Den

A giant bubble around the children helped illustrate how God protected Daniel in the lions’ den.

During the week of August 6 -10, International UB church (Allentown, Pa.) held its annual VBS, in partnership with St. John’s Evangelical Congregational Church here in Allentown. This year’s theme was Babylon Daniel’s Courage in Captivity.

The kids enjoyed the acting, games, lessons, worship, and crafts. However, one game made a mark on them. They were covered with a giant bubble to show how God protected Daniel in the lion’s den.

The hit song was “Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone.” Many were very touched and teary during the singing. At the closing service, Pastor Neville Tomlinson gave a brief message on how the church must prevent re-education of our kids by secular society.

Pastor Tomlinson adds, “One highlight of the month was our first infant dedication (right), which was very moving to us because it was the daughter of our spiritual son whom we discipled over 10 years ago.”

27 Aug Four Pies for $825

Seated, l-r: Derek Bostick, Dan Henley, Jim Bolich, and Cherie Finkey. Photo by Matthew Ciccocioppo of the Shippensburg Sentinel.

Four members of the Prince Street church staff (Shippensburg, Pa.) took a pie in the face on July 18. It was all a belated part of the church’s Vacation Bible School, which this year used the theme “Amazing Wonders of Aviation.”

This year’s charity was a local food pantry. As an incentive, this year they offered to throw a pizza party for the kids if they met the goal. By day 3 of the 5-day VBS, the goal was met. So, to motivate them further, they told the kids that for each $100 raised, they would get to put a pie in the face of a church staffer. In this order:

• $200: Derek Bostick, vacation Bible school master of ceremonies.
• $300: Dan Henley, pastor of youth and worship ministries.
• $400: Jim Bolich, senior pastor.
• $500: Cherie Finkey, director of children’s ministries.

By the end of VBS, the kid had raised $825. Which meant four pies in four faces.

Who, among the 100 children attending, would get to throw the pies? They decided it would be the kids who brought the most friends to VBS.

Although VBS was held June 10-14, these four staffers wouldn’t all be together until July 18. So that’s when the pie-throwing occurred. The staffers sat in chairs on the sidewalk behind the church. Pies were thrown, and with each one, the children roared with laughter.