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30 Jul

July 30, 2012 |

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.

18 Jul

July 18, 2012 |

Visitors from Devonshire in Puerto Cortes five years ago. Derek Thrush is in the front on the right.

Derek Thrush (right), associate pastor, Devonshire UB Church (Harrisburg, Pa.)

This week, a team of 11 individuals from Devonshire Church in Harrisburg, Pa., will travel to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. We will spend 10 days reconnecting and ministering with our sister church, Iglesia Luz. Our primary ministry focus throughout the week will be to lead a week-long Children’s Bible School, build relationships in the community, and serve the surrounding communities. We will also help construct a wall at the church, minister at an orphanage, and help the needs of elderly in the community.

18 Jul

July 18, 2012 |

Al Carter, senior pastor, First UB Church (Columbus, Ohio)

My wife, Linda (right), came home from the hospital on Sunday, July 1. She had had radical surgery on June 29 to remove a tumor that was attached to her kidney. She is doing well and can move about on her own. We are praying for a full recovery and will know more about the tests on the tumor in about 10 days.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and thank our loving and meriful God for His marvelous hand in working through all we have been going through.

17 Jul

July 17, 2012 |

Please say a prayer for Cathy Reich (right), administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple. And for Cathy’s mother, Carol Brandon.

This Saturday, Cathy’s daughter, Emily, is getting married–a big day for the family.

However, last night Cathy’s mother, Carol, suffered a stroke. She underwent surgery at Parkview North Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. That’s where Cathy is now. A stint was placed and a blood clot apparently removed. Cathy says her mother came through the surgery, and Cathy reported around 9:45, “Mom and I are resting til ct scan at noon. Praying for great results and no more bleeding.”

Cathy is keeping people informed through her Facebook account.

17 Jul

July 17, 2012 |

Huntington University is joining four other schools in what is called the Life Science Education and Research Consortium of Northeast Indiana.

The schools will use space on Parkview Hospital’s Randallia campus, near downtown Fort Wayne, as a regional center for a variety of initiatives. They want to develop a world-class center focused on rehabilitation, senior care, and behavioral health.

Huntington University and Trine University (in Angola, Ind.) will begin classes in August 2012. The other three schools will launch in 2013.

Huntington will start these programs at the end of August:

  • Master of Arts in counseling.
  • Adult bachelor’s degree programs in human resource management.
  • Adult bachelor’s degree program in not-for-profit leadership.
  • The adult RN to BSN degree program.

A TESOL/ESL certificate program will launch later this year. By the fall of 2013, Huntington hopes to open a master’s and doctoral-level program in occupational therapy.

Trine University will offer new programming (at various degree levels) in healthcare management, emergency management, biomedical engineering, engineering technology, biomedical regulatory affairs, non-profit management, healthcare systems, and physical therapy, plus a biomechanics and movement sciences research center.

Fort Wayne Community Schools, Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast, and the University of Saint Francis are also partners in initiative. Huntington and Trine will locate their programs in the main hospital building.

16 Jul

July 16, 2012 |

Huntington University has named Julie Hendryx (right) as the interim vice president for business and finance. She replaces Tom Ayers (left), who has left the university after 17 years to become the vice president for administration and business at Kettering University in Flint, Mich.

Hendryx, a 1999 graduate of Huntington University, joined the staff in 2002 as the director of human resources and auxiliary services. In her new role, which began July 1, 2012, she is responsible for the oversight of university finances, the physical plant, auxiliary services, human resources, and technology services. More about her here.

This interim role will continue through May 2013 while a search process is conducted.

12 Jul

July 12, 2012 |

Dave Kraft

A seminar led by Dave Kraft, author of “Leaders Who Last,” will be held September 21-22 (Friday and Saturday) at New Hope Community UB church in Bryan, Ohio. For ordained UB ministers, it qualifies as six “contact hours” toward their yearly continuing education requirement.

Kraft has spent 35 years leading, teaching leadership, and coaching dozens of Christian leaders. Kraft notes that only 30% of Christian leaders finish well. Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off the track. Concise, anecdotal, and packed with wisdom, this seminar will help you aim your ambitions, refine your character, and position yourself to be an effective leader who endures.

There will be three main sessions, with these topics:

  • 7-9 pm Friday: A Credible Life
  • 8:30 – 10:30 am Saturday: A Compelling Vision
  • 10:30 am – 12:30 Saturday: A Cohesive Team

Cost: $25 per person.

You can register from this page.

Born in Los Angeles, Dave Kraft became Christian at age 20, and served with the Navigators for 38 years before retiring in 2005. He currently lives in Orange County, Calif., and travels around the country conducting “Leaders Who Last” seminars and working with several churches in Orange County in leadership development and coaching.

You can buy the book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for about $11. It’s available on the Kindle and Nook electronic readers. (Copyright 2010, 160 pages.)

Above is an interview with Dave Kraft by Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Wash.

11 Jul

July 11, 2012 |

We have a new system for sending United Brethren news by email. We’re calling it UB Daily News. Every day around 11:30 am, you’ll receive an email containing all items posted to UBCentral.org during the previous 24 hours. If nothing was posted, you won’t receive an email.


You will receive an email with a confirmation link. You must click on the link to activate your subscription.

We’ve been using Feedburner, a free service from Google. This system is better–easier signup process, better control of how it looks. We’ll keep Feedburner active, but will point new people to UB Daily News.

Every email contains an “unsubscribe” link so you can remove yourself from the emails. We’ll never add you to other email lists without your permission.

11 Jul

July 11, 2012 |

Jeff Dice returned to Michigan on July 5, along with his wife April, after undergoing a heart procedure in Managua. On Facebook, he reported on Monday, July 9, “Great news for me–my doctor thinks he can treat my heart arrhythmia with a tiny pill. We’ll know for sure in two weeks when I undergo another stress test. Dr. Machado grew up in Nicaragua, coming to the States in 1979 at age 18. It was fun speaking Spanish and relating to him as he has worked with Dr. Rivas, my doctor in Nicaragua. God is good and I am thankful.”