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23 Mar

March 23, 2012 |
2012 Horizon Scholarship Recipients at Huntington University

L-r: Reneson Jean-Louis, Vanessa Robles, Brianna Cash, Mirlyne Charles, Corean Sanders, Madison Rhoades. (click to enlarge)

Huntington University has chosen six incoming freshman to receive the Horizon Leadership Scholarship for the 2012-13 school year.

This is the program’s fifth year. The Horizon Leadership Program is a partnership between Huntington University and Youth for Christ with the goal of creating a more racially and ethnically diverse campus. The scholarship covers fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters through a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid. Recipients are required to maintain a 2.5 grade point average, meet with the director of the program weekly, and volunteer at the Primetime Center in Fort Wayne.

“The Horizon Leadership Program provides a tremendous opportunity for ethnic-minority students to become trailblazers for the younger youth within their homes and communities who will follow in their footsteps,” says Arthur Wilson (right), director of urban scholarship and mentoring for the program. “As a Horizon participant, students play a pivotal role in reflecting the diversity of God’s kingdom within the community of Huntington.”

Seven students received the award in 2011. The recipients of this year’s scholarships:

  • Reneson Jean-Louis, from Homestead, Fla., a senior at South Dade Senior High School. He plans to study pre-law at HU.
  • Vanessa Robles, from San Antonio, Texas, a senior at Karen Wagner High School. She plans to study marketing at HU.
  • Brianna Cash, from Lima, Ohio, a senior at Lima Senior High School. She is interested in studying biology pre-med.
  • Mirlyne Charles, from Homestead, Fla., is a senior at South Dade Senior High School. She plans to study biology pre-med.
  • Corean Sanders, from Fort Wayne, Ind., a senior at South Side High School. She is interested in studying graphic design.
  • Madison Rhoades, from New Haven, Ind., is a senior at New Haven High School. She plans to study math education.

Earlier this year, Huntington University received a national award for its programs in promoting racial and ethnic diversity.

15 Mar

March 15, 2012 |

Bishop Phil Whipple (left) and Josh Kesler, senior pastor of The Well (click to enlarge).

Looking at the property from US 24 (click to enlarge).

The current store part of the building. Josh Kesler (right) is bringing in a photocopier for the office area. Cathy Reich, a longtime parishioner, is on the left.

L-r: Jeff Bleijerveld, Frank Y, and Phil Whipple look over one of the additional buildings on the property.

It looks like The Well in Huntington, Ind. will soon have a new home.

The congregation, a fresh restart of the former Good Shepherd UB church, has been meeting in temporary facilities for the past two years, since moving out of the former St Felix Friary which had been their home since 1981. An article on March 5 told what is happening with that property.

For the past year, the Well has been holding services in the Huntington YMCA, and it’s been a good situation for them. But all the while, they’ve been searching for a property which would become their own.

The property of Huntington Lumber, on old US 24, became available. They now have a signed purchase agreement. There are a few conditions which need to be met, so it could, potentially, fall through. But everything looks good.

The owner of Huntington Lumber, Bob Oliver, has even invited Pastor Josh Kesler to move the church offices into the building. Oliver is a member of Emmanuel UB church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Some of the Healthy Ministry Resources staff took a field trip to Huntington Lumber on Monday, March 12. Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple, attends the Well.

It’s quite a large property. There is a main building, which will be targeted first for renovation. It’ll house the sanctuary, classroom space, and offices. Then there are two other fairly large buildings. They’ll have gobs and gobs of paved parking space.

The Well will employ an architect to redesign the main building. Josh Kesler envisions them possibly moving in by the end of the year. Hopefully, everything will work out.

14 Mar

March 14, 2012 |

Huntington University ministry professor Dr. Tom Bergler (right) has released a new book titled “The Juvenilization of American Christianity.”

In his book, Bergler traces the way in which, over the past 75 years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions: African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic.

“In the book, I argue that youth ministries have revitalized American Christianity but at the cost of making American Christians more immature,” Bergler said. “And I call this process the juvenilization of American Christianity.”

Bergler shows how this “juvenilization” of churches has led to “widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither inter-generational community nor theological literacy,” he says. Bergler’s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming this juvenilization.

“I’m in favor of youth ministry, but it needs to be done in a way that fosters spiritual maturity,” he said.

Bergler is an associate professor of ministry and missions at Huntington University. He completed his Ph.D. in American Religious History from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. in theology and church history from Wheaton College. He served as a staff worker for University Christian Outreach for seven years, helping to evangelize and disciple students at the University of Michigan, the University of London, and Michigan State University. He also co-founded the Spring Academy, a Christian theology and ministry camp for students from state universities.

He currently serves as senior associate editor of The Journal of Youth Ministry, and is the author of numerous articles and papers on the topic of ministry.

13 Mar

March 13, 2012 |

Here’s a 14-minute video about the first year of Renew Communities, a UB church plant in Berea, Ohio (the Cleveland area). Listen to church planter Andy Sikora tell what they’re about.

09 Mar

March 9, 2012 |

Dave Stephens, Director of Camp Cotubic (Bellefontaine, Ohio)

The summer of 2011 was one of the largest ever in terms of numbers of kids attending camp at Cotubic. It appears that the summer of 2012 will be another very busy time. Please pray for all the staff as they host around 3,000 kids this summer. There will be many meals to cook, activities to run, worship and teaching services to lead, songs to sing, toilets to clean, etc. Something special happens when a young person goes to church camp.

We have several large projects to take care of before summer. Between now and June, we will probably be working every Saturday on the following:

Water Slide. The camp was given two commerical water slides last summer. We have removed the old slide, cut down some trees, and are trying to prepare the hillside for the construction of all the pieces of slide laying in a pile. This will be a big job and we need many strong backs to help. Give us a call if you have a crew of men who could help for a day.

Cabin Roofs. We hope to replace the roofs and side exterior walls on three of the A-frame cabins this spring with metal. This will also be a big job.

Mowing. In a couple of weeks, the mowers and tractors will be running non-stop trying to stay ahead of the growing grass. If you have a few hours to spare and can sit on a riding mower, we could use your help probably right after Easter.

Picnic Table Remodeling. I have no idea how many picnic tables are around the camp. There are many. I do know that many of them need new tops and seats. We could really use a few retired men (and women) who have a couple of days to spare this spring to come work on some tables. We have all the tools and boards that are needed. We just need some folks who can operate saws, drills, nail guns, etc. This would be a huge help to the camp.

Painting. We could use a few folks that know how to scrape and paint. Several buildings need some interior help.

Drinking Fountains. Thanks to one of our camp friends, we will be digging up some water lines to install drinking fountains around the camp. If you have a day or two to spare and don’t mind getting a little dirty, come and help. This is a long overdue project.

Staff House Support Beam. Last summer, the middle support beam under the girls staff house broke. We must get under that building and repair or replace that beam. We could use a few guys for a day or two to help with this job.

Discovery Lodge Flooring. A big thank you goes out to the Discovers Sunday school class at College Park church in Huntington, Ind. This group donated this building back in the 90s and continues to help maintain it. They will be laying new ceramic tile in two of the rooms this month.

Nurses Needed. The camp provides 24-hour protection for our campers by having trained medical staff on hand for every event. We are looking for nurses, EMTs, doctors, etc., to volunteer for a week of our three weeks of camp this summer. If you might be available and willing, please contact me at the camp.

05 Mar

March 5, 2012 |

Several students from Huntington University plan to spend their spring break traveling. Some will see the lights of the big city, while others will venture to exotic locations–all with the goal to serve.

HU’s Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service will send three teams of students to Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Philadelphia; and Zacapa, Guatemala, from March 12-16. These groups will volunteer in area orphanages, clinics, schools, and with local missionaries. The HU softball team will travel to Tucson, Ariz., where head coach Doug Gower hopes to find small ways for the softball team to minister on top of training for the upcoming season.

“We try to do little things while traveling such as anonymously pay for an unsuspecting person’s meal when we go out to eat,” Gower said. “It could be an older couple or anyone, really. We try to make it a team choice. We try to represent Huntington in all we do while out for an extended period.”

Jessica Stearns, an HU graduate counseling student and assistant for the Joe Mertz Center, organized all the mission trips this year.

Rebecca McIlwain, a sophomore psychology major from Albany, Ind., will lead six students in a trip to Guatemala, where they will volunteer with His Hands International Inc.

The Guatemala team will serve lunch to the community and volunteer at the local children’s home and malnutrition center.

Mallory Jones, resident director for Baker and Roush halls, also feels exhilarated about advising a missions team to Haiti. Jones and her team will work with Mission of Hope, one of the largest missions organizations in Haiti.

“I have a big passion for travel, ministry and other cultures, so it was an easy answer to give when I was asked if I wanted to lead the trip,” she said. “I want to help students experience something that could impact their lives and change their worldviews.”

The group traveling to Philadelphia will serve with the Center for Student Missions, which is an organization that connects students wanting to volunteer with various projects around the community. The team also will assist with afterschool programs.

“I hope our team will be able to get out of our comfort zone and get a feel for inner-city life in the U.S.,” said Doris Walker, student leader for the trip and a junior entrepreneurial small business management and business management double major from Kandern, Germany. “I want our team to see how the Philadelphia inner-city population experiences poverty and for them to experience Christ in that environment.”

05 Mar

March 5, 2012 |

The former St. Felix Friary and Good Shepherd UB church

Members of the Sisters of Mary order.

In 1980, the Grayston Avenue UB church in Huntington, Ind., bought the former St. Felix Friary. They changed their name to Good Shepherd UB church, and moved into the former monastery for the next 20 years.

Good Shepherd left the property in 2009 and began meeting in temporary locations. Now using the name The Well, the congregation holds services at the Huntington YMCA while looking for a permanent location.

In 2010, they sold the friary to the Mary Cross Tippman Foundation, run by a Catholic businessman in Fort Wayne, Ind. The foundation poured over $1 million into renovations. The foundation modernized the kitchens and restrooms, upgraded the wiring, painted, brought the facility up to code, and added new pews, statuary, an altar, and other items.

And now, it will become a nunnery. The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, an order founded 15 years ago and based in Ann Arbor, Mich. They will place about 40 novices in the west wing, which Good Shepherd used a a retreat center. The order states, “Our community exists for the salvation of souls and the building of the Church throughout the world.”

The order, which has about 100 sisters, focuses on teaching. Women joining the order go through an eight-year process before taking their final vows; they all earn a teaching degree during the formation process. The Huntington center, by providing housing for novices in the second and third years of the process, will relieve overcrowding at the main center in Ann Arbor.

The sisters serve in Catholic schools around the country, and currently work in six states: Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, California, and Arizona. According to a local Catholic spokesman, they are very much in demand.

The friary was home to Father Solanus Casey 1946-1956, a Capuchin monk who has gone through the first of three stages toward sainthood in the Catholic church. His second-floor dorm room in the east wing has been kept the way it was when he lived there.

01 Mar

March 1, 2012 |

Hillsdale UB's Upward Awards Program (click to enlarge)

On Saturday, February 25, the Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) held an awards program to conclude the Upwards Basketball/Cheerleading season. This was the third year for Upwards at Hillsdale UB, with about 250 elementary age children participating this year. Over 700 came out for the closing program in the Worship Center.

Over 60 children responded to the invitation given at the conclusion of the awards program. Among them were a dozen players who made first-time commitments to Christ.

Each year, the Hillsdale congregation has gained new families from the Upwards ministry. This season, Pastor Les Smith (right) coached a kindergarten team, and the family of one of his players are now regular attenders. The father is superintendent of the local school district.

01 Mar

March 1, 2012 |

Scenes from Camp Living Waters Day at Sunfield. (Click photos to enlarge)

Leigh Pearson (right), Administrative Assistant at Sunfield Church (Sunfield, Mich.)

On Sunday, February 26, Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.) hosted a “Camp Living Waters Day” to promote summer camp and raise money to help send to summer camp area youth who may not otherwise be able to go and “experience God in His creation.”

Chad Saxton, Executive Director of Camp Living Waters, was our guest speaker. A “Silent Auction” was held, and the inside of the church was transformed into a makeshift Camp Living Waters. Picture were hung from the ceiling throughout the entire church showed smiling faces and activities available at camp. Areas throughout the church were renamed lodges or cabins that are actually at Camp Living Waters. The Kitchen became the Camp Store where camp-like refreshments–freshly made smores, rice krispie treats, trail mix, fruit snacks, popcorn, chips, juice boxes and hot chocolate–were served in lieu of the normal Sunday morning coffee and cookies.

The Silent Auction was open from 9 am to 12 pm. We asked the congregation to provide auction items (services or goods). We had over 65 items to bid on–dinner and a movie with Pastor Randy Carpenter and his wife (right), lots and lots of home-baked goods (pies were going for over $40), lawn mowing services, goodie baskets, food baskets, and more. One small group made homemade lasagna and had it available for taste-testing, and then took orders to provide homemade lasagna, haircuts, bowling, tie blankets, kids’ toys, etc.

There was something for everyone! We sold every item and at the end of the day, we raised over $1,800 in scholarship money for summer camp. It was a great day and everyone had a lot of fun. We are excited that the success of the day will benefit many youth to possibly meet Jesus for the first time or grow closer in a relationship with him while at camp this summer.