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First UB church is expanding its food pantry ministry, and did a nice little video about it. Pastor Chuck McKeown wrote on Facebook on February 10, “The pantry building is almost finished. We were able to use it yesterday. Looks like the cost will come in just under $20,000. We need about $8,000. to finish the project.”
Phil Whipple, Bishop of the US National Conference
In July 2011, I concluded two years as bishop. When I started in this role, I decided I wanted to see things for myself. So I set a goal of visiting every United Brethren church in the United States during my first two years. I wanted to meet our pastors on their turf.
I accomplished that goal. Here are some observations from my travels.
1. I found our pastors to be enjoyable people with a strong love for the Lord and his church. Our pastors are mostly male and of the baby boom generation. They are committed to their families and have a fairly strong commitment to the UB church. We have some strong pastoral leaders among us and many who want to learn how to lead more effectively.
2. It is no surprise that many of our churches exist in rural locations. Most of them have been maintained very well, both inside and outside. Many are developing their facilities to reflect the changes that have emerged in the methodology of doing church today.
3. We are slowly and with some struggles moving into a balanced style of worship in many churches. Some churches are far ahead of others. Some remain very traditional.
4. We have many good cooks among us. I can attest to that from many potlucks.
5. Our people are friendly. I was impressed by the warm hearts of so many of our people.
6. We have some sharp leaders at the local church level. These men and women desire to see the church advance and impact their community.
7. A number of churches are changing their structure to an accountability governance model.
8. I saw churches and people engaged in the Great Commission. This clearly needs to be the rallying cry for UB churches everywhere, so that we reach the people Christ wants us to reach in these days.
9. I have met with a number of our cluster groups. The cluster system is still a work in progress, but it has made some huge strides forward in the last two years.
Denny Miller, in his role as Cluster Coordinator, has helped keep the connection with our cluster leaders. We have many cluster leaders who are doing a great job with their clusters, and who are being the first point of contact when issues arise with pastors and churches.
I have concluded that while we have some significant issues and room for improvement, we have a bright hope for the future.
I believe our commitment to the Great Commission is improving. But we can do more to reach people for Christ and grow strong disciples in our churches.
Our churches must do a better job of outreach to open the front door, and be more effective in assimilation and discipleship to close the back door. We need to move discipleship away from just a learning experience. Discipleship should be a lived-out relationship with Jesus that impacts everything we do.
I want us to remain committed to our confession of faith and our core values. At the same time, I want us to aggressively move into the flow of God’s Spirit to see the church advance. We began as a movement of the Spirit of God, and that is where we must return.
A previous post mentioned Matt McKeown and the theme song he wrote, on contract, for the city of Palm Coast, Fla. Matt is associate pastor of First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla., and also heads up Sound Mind Studios, a recording studio in Holly Hill.
The online News-Journal of Daytona Beach published a feature article about Matt and the song, titled “Holly Hill Musician Carries Tune for Palm Coast.” Some tidbits from that article:
Dr. Del Doughty (right), longtime professor of English at Huntington University, has been named the interim senior vice president for academic affairs, effective June 1, 2012.
In this role, Doughty will be responsible for leading the faculty and developing new academic programs. Doughty will continue in this interim role through May 31, 2013.
Beginning this fall, the university will launch a national search for a new vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Norris Friesen (right), who has held that position for the past 10 years (and has worked at Huntington University for 26 years), 
will assume the role of professor of German and director of cross-cultural programs beginning in the 2012-13 school year.
HU President G. Blair Dowden explained in a student meeting that he wanted a change in the position, and will be searching for a person to better focus on strategic thinking and innovation in academics.
Doughty joined the university faculty in 1996. He currently serves as professor of English, chair of the Division of Humane Studies, and the self-study coordinator for reaccreditation. He teaches courses in creative writing and world literature. He earned his Ph.D. in comparative literature from Penn State in 1995.
David Holt has been appointed senior pastor of East Ovid UB church (Coldwater, Mich.) effective February 1, 2012. He and Kim (right), his wife of 28 years, have 3 children, ages 16-23. His ministry background includes the Algansee Lower Light Mission of Petersburg, Mich. (which first licensed him to preach), the Zion Wesleyan Mission in Hazel Park, Mich., the Old Time Religion Group in Michigan (which ordained him in 2006). He has been pastor since 2005 of the Ball Road Tabernacle Church of Romulus, Mich.
Marcus and Stacie Flood, with Brooks the beagle.
Praise Point Church (Willshire, Ohio) has hired Marcus Flood as Associate Pastor for Youth and Family Ministries. He was previously youth pastor of a church in Saline, Mich., and has been a leader with different youth ministries for over 10 years.
Marcus and his wife, Stacie, were married on July 4, 2009. They met while attending Huntington University. Marcus graduated in 2008 with a Youth Ministry major and minors in Educational Ministries and Bible & Religion.
Stacie graduated in 2009 with a Social Work major. She continued her education by getting her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan.
A team of 8 persons from UB churches in Canada has been in Haiti since January 30. Joan Sider (right), a retired schoolteacher from New Hope church in Toronto, is sending back daily reports. Here is Joan’s report about attending church on Sunday morning.
The service begins with the singing of a hymn or two and Scripture reading. Then the worship team leads in a time of singing–the difference in tempo is quite remarkable. The volume is as high as it can be. We know–we were sitting directly in front of the speakers.
It is interesting to hear the singing–often the leader begins and then the musicians catch up and finally find the key we are singing. It sounds somewhat discordant and it bothered me at first. But God reminded me that often my life is out of tune with him and I need to catch up and get on the same page as he.
After the time of worship, visitors are welcomed and each visitor, Haitian or Canadian, is given an opportunity to speak. Announcements and offering come next. Pastor Oliam Richard is trying to encourage his people to be givers and not just takers. Once a month, a special offering is taken and the people are to give 100 Haitian or 50 Gourdes–half of which will go for Delmas 33 church and the other half to our general church in North American for projects outside of Haiti. I think this is very commendable. Today’s offering was the special one.
A guest speaker spoke on Psalm 23. Of course, we couldn’t understand it, but it was a familiar passage upon which we could reflect ourselves. It appeared that the message was resonating with the people by their laughter at times, and very loud and frequent amens.
Dr. G. Blair Dowden (left) receives the Andringa Award from Paul Corts, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Huntington University has been recognized with The Robert and Susan Andringa Award for Advancing Racial Harmony for its “best practice” programs in the area of racial and ethnic diversity.
The Andringa Award is presented each year by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The award recognizes an initiative or program that helps create a welcoming climate, improves retention, or provides support for ethnic/racial minority students, faculty or staff.
“Huntington University is pursuing racial harmony and diversity at multiple levels with a variety of programs and with the clear commitment of its senior leadership, faculty and Board of Trustees,” said CCCU President Paul Corts. “We congratulate Huntington University for its significant achievement and impressive commitment to racial harmony and diversity.”
In 2008, the university launched the Horizon Leadership Program. The program is a partnership between Huntington University and Youth for Christ USA with the goal of creating a more racially and ethnically diverse campus. A cohort of students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds is selected each year to receive the Horizon Leadership Scholarship, a combination of federal, state and institutional aid. The scholarship covers all fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters.
The university also helped develop the Harmony Initiative, an ad hoc group of local business leaders, elected officials, clergy, educators, and social-service workers advancing values of the City of Huntington’s mission statement, which declares Huntington to be “a community of civility and inclusion, where diversity is honored and differences are respected.” President G. Blair Dowden serves as chair of this task force, and two other university personnel are members.
“This work is ‘a marathon and not a sprint,'” said Dowden. “But by sustaining this momentum and building on early successes, we are transforming the university and its surrounding community. By sharing our experience and learning from others, we can all better serve ethnically diverse students. This award is a significant milepost along this journey.”
The area where our Gonaives church is located still hasn’t recovered from the affects of several hurricanes.
Top: Working in a salt basin. Middle: The team and a few Haitians outside a salt storage hut. Bottom: a salt basin ready for harvesting.
A team of 8 persons from UB churches in Canada has been in Haiti since January 30. Joan Sider, a retired schoolteacher from New Hope church in Toronto, is sending back daily reports. Here is her report for Saturday, February 4.
The team visited the salt-harvesting project, an exciting money-making project for the Haitian churches. Pastor Wedemarc started a business harvesting salt, and used it to support himself and 50 schoolchildren, and also provide some funding for the church he had planted. Seeing that this was such a viable business, it was expanded with the help of micro loans from UB members in the US and Canada–about $50,000 so far. The salt buyers include the Northwest Salt Company, out of of Kansas City, and a for-profit salt venture in Port Au Prince by Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind. Pastor Wedemarc is now looking for a manger so he isn’t involved in the day-to-day operations.
We left the hotel around 9 or so, and set off for a part of Gonaives which was very obviously the poor area of the city. We drove out to the area where the surface salt harvesting happens.
We passed a lot of basins until we came to ours. We have 5 done–3 shallow ones and 2 deep ones. A reservoir of salt water is used to fill the shallow basins. It is pumped from the reservoir. The shallow ones have a depth of about 10-12 inches with a surface area of about 450 sq. meters. One of the guys paced it off and he feels it is larger than what Pastor Wedemarc said–more like 1200 sq. m.
The harvested salt is bagged like this.
There are three salt colors–pink, gray and white. It fetches the same price and the quality is equal, but maybe a slightly different taste.
We saw men digging the basins–such hard work whether a deep or shallow one. Women gather the salt with baskets or just use their hands. Imagine yourself standing in a knee-deep saline solution! Imagine digging one of these basins–having to throw the clay-like soil up and out of the basin! We were able to watch several basins being harvested.
One knows when it is time to harvest the pink salt when the water turns a reddish color. I guess the other colors have water that turn gray or white. Our basins will be harvested in March. It is expected that our storage crib will be filled twice a year off the harvests.
After our visit, we began the journey back to Port au Prince. Even with an air conditioned van, it was a hot trip. We were well packed in. We ate lunch and then relaxed most of the time. Oh the men went out and began tuning up Pastor’s car by changing spark plugs and air filter, and caulking around the sun roof to keep it from leaking. I think they want to try and do something with the fan belts at another time.
The men went for a walk to see George, a man who owns a little corner store. We have befriended this sightless man for a number of years. He lost a number of fingers during a robbery where a machete was used on them.
There is a kitten in the yard here. I have been making friends with it–not touching it, but talking to it and seeing that some water is out for it. The male helper here takes the cat inside with him at night. I sure am glad to hear that.
Last Thursday, February 2, Jim Kendall underwent a heart catheterization. He had been having some issues with his heart–partly with low sodium and electrolyte imbalance, which causes heart arrhythmia. Jim is a retired Michigan pastor living in Charlotte, Mich.
Everything went well. Jim reported, “I have no blockage, nor any evidence of a previous heart attack. I’m grateful to the Lord for the good report. Evidently, my heart arrhythmia was due to my electrolyte imbalance. Thankfully, my sodium level is now within its normal range. I still have to take it slow for a few days while the incision heals. They ‘sealed’ it with a new device, a plug, instead of using the old sandbags. The incision is still a bit sore and tender. The Lord is good, all the time.”
