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30 Aug

August 30, 2011 |

The Boggs family together for the wedding of Nathan and Lindsey. Starting at the front left: Lacy, Titus, Debbie, and Erica. Staring at the back left: Stephanie, Taylor, Hannah, Nathan, and Lindsey.

Rev. Titus J. Boggs, 61, passed away Monday morning, August 29, 2011, at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) hospital in Harlan, Kent. He was 61 years old.

Viewing: Thursday, September 1, at 3 pm.
Funeral: Thursday, September 1, at 7 pm.
Location: Mt. Pleasant funeral home: 122 N. Cumberland Ave., Harlan, Kent. 40831. Phone: (606) 573-1770

Titus and Debbie Boggs

Titus served as director of Laurel Mission for 30 years, 1980-2010. In October 2010, Titus went on medical leave as director of Laurel Mission–he has suffered from diabetes and other physical problems–but he continued as senior pastor of Laurel Bible Church. His son, Nathan, who had been serving as the mission’s youth pastor, and who holds a local conference ministerial license, began serving as executive director of Laurel Mission on October 8, 2010. Debbie Boggs, wife of Titus, became the new associate director of Laurel Mission.

Titus has been described as “a big man with a big heart.” Hundreds of United Brethren, on short-term trips to Laurel Mission, have fallen in love with this man. And they’ve all heard and loved the same stories. Like the one about Chief Running Bear and his daughter Falling Rock, who got lost in the mountains and was never found, which, Titus concludes deadpan, explains the many signs which say “Watch for Falling Rock.”

Titus is also known for his annual Ground Hog Day newsletter, a mixture of corny jokes and interesting information about the mission and the Boggs family.

And he’s known as a man who loves the Lord deeply, and who loves the people who live up and down Greasy Creek. He will be remembered for a long, long time, and missed.

When Titus was born in 1950, both of his parents, Alvin and Ruth Boggs, worked for Laurel Mission. Alvin grew up there, born just three miles down the road from the current mission house. Ruth, who grew up in the Colwood UB church in Caro, Mich., arrived in 1943 as a missionary teacher. Alvin returned from the Army in 1946, and he and Ruth were married that August.

“Being a preacher’s kid, I was expected to live a certain way,” Titus once said. “I was religious on the outside, but I didn’t have a change of heart until my freshman year of high school. Some wonderful, godly teachers were a great influence on my life.”

Titus and Debbie, an Iowa girl, met at Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute. They married in 1973, and spent the next year at Asbury College, where Titus majored in Bible and social work. After that, Titus worked a year in the Public Assistance Office in Lexington. And then they moved back “home,” serving as dorm parents at Pine Mountain Settlement School, where Titus attended grades 1-9 and where his father worked.

In August 1980, Bishop Raymond Waldfogel came for a visit. Titus had been assistant pastor under mission superintendent M. E. Burkett. Now the Burketts were leaving. Would Titus and Debbie take their place? Yes, they would.

Titus and Debbie have six children: Nathan, Hannah, Stephanie, Erica, Lacy, and Taylor.

Cards and remembrances may be sent to:

Debbie Boggs
77 Cedar Chapel Rd.
Big Laurel, KY 40808

Connie Boggs
9632 E Hwy 221
Pine Mountain, KY 40810

Ken & Sharon Smith
9672 E. Hwy 221
Pine Mountain, KY 40810

29 Aug

August 29, 2011 |

The annual United Brethren History course is coming to central Pennsylvania. The two-day course will be held October 27-28, 2011, at the Mount Pleasant UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. That’s a Thursday and Friday.

This course is a requirement for becoming a licensed United Brethren minister. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are free to take the course.

Basic Information

  • The cost is $200 for persons who need licensing, $100 for everybody else.
  • You will need to read the UB history book “Trials and Triumphs” beforehand. It is available through the Healthy Ministry Resources bookstore for $14.95 (plus shipping). Order a copy by calling toll-free: 888.622.3019
  • Register using the online form at: ub.org/events/ubhistory

October 27-28, 2011 (Thursday and Friday)

Location: Mount Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
Time: 9 am Thursday — 4 pm Friday
Teacher: Dr. Daryl Elliott (right), senior pastor of Fountain UB Church (Keyser, W. Va.)

For more information, including nearby hotels, and to register, go to the UB website.

26 Aug

August 26, 2011 |

Beginning in the fall of 2011, the EXCEL Adult Degree Program at Huntington University will offer a TESOL certificate program.

The 15-credit hour TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate will equip adult students to work effectively with English language learners in their churches or social service organizations.

The program involves four courses and a practicum, and is offered on the university’s main campus in Huntington. Courses, available in an accelerated, evening format, include intercultural communication, instructional methods for listening and speaking, as well as instructional methods for reading and writing.

Classes are now enrolling for the fall. For more information, call 800-600-4888 or visit huntington.edu/EXCEL.

The Institute for TESOL Studies at Huntington University was founded in 2009 as an outgrowth of long-term relationships between Huntington University faculty and educators in China.

25 Aug

August 25, 2011 |

Andy Stahl has been named senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chanute, Kansas, effective September 1, 2011. Michael Longfellow resigned from that position earlier this summer to take a church in another denomination.

Andy is a 2007 graduate of Huntington University, with a degree in Bible and Religion. His wife, Jennifer, graduated from HU in 2006 with a degree in Recreation Management.

25 Aug

August 25, 2011 |

 

Mark Wilson, senior pastor, Fowlerville UB (Fowlerville, Mich.)

Each year we have an outdoor baptism service, that is often a highlight in our summer. This year was the first in the history of these outdoor baptisms that we had to cancel due to impending severe weather. After deciding to move the service and picnic indoors to the church. We planned to make the best of the day and still proceed with the baptisms.

God met with us in a very powerful way as He moved on the hearts of people. We celebrated God move as 34 individuals were baptized. As we reflected on the day, we were reminded that when God chooses to move, men’s plans are nothing. We are rejoicing in the celebration of these steps of obedience.

24 Aug

August 24, 2011 |

Bryan Ballinger, associate professor of digital media arts at Huntington University, has published a collection of vintage recipes and recipe booklets.

Kooky Cookery: An Archive of Irregular Recipes from Yester-year features recipes such as Bologna Cups with Peas, Sausage-Eyed Apple Winkers and Cheese-Burger Pancakes.

“I collect vintage recipes and recipe booklets and have been for years, in particular, ones that were put out by food companies trying to come up with more and more ways to use their products, and that is a ‘recipe’ for some really absurd food creations,” Ballinger said. “When I was getting my Master in Fine Arts in creative writing, I decided to write a humorous book about these recipes as part of my final thesis. Since then, I’ve been working on the design and layout of the book.”

Ballinger teaches in the digital media arts department at HU. His specialty is in the design and illustration work of digital media, including 3D CGI skills in modeling, texturing, lighting and animation.

Before coming to HU, he was a freelance illustrator with clients such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Disney, and Harley Davidson. He was also the lead 3D designer for five years at Big Idea Productions, the creators of VeggieTales. He also spent six years as a senior designer and illustrator at the Microsoft Corporation where he was awarded a patent for development of multimedia buttons.

“Kooky Cookery” is available in print, Kindle, Nook and PDF formats at kookycookery.com.

23 Aug

August 23, 2011 |

Josh McKeown (left) at the US National Conference in July with (l-r): his brother Matt, Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld, and father Chuck McKeown, pastor of First UB of Holly Hill, Fla.

Josh McKeown, 32, youth minister of First UB in Holly Hill, Fla., was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2010. His attitude, in his own words: “Cancer has made me a better parent, a better husband, and a better pastor.”

Josh and Julie McKeown

The Daytona Beach News-Journal published a lengthy, and quite inspiring, story about Josh, called, “Pastor Credits Faith, Cancer for Making Him ‘Better’.” Some tidbits from it:

  • Josh is participating in a clinical trial for an experimental chemotherapy at the M.D. Anderson cancer center in Houston, Texas. That saves about $9000 a month in medication.
  • He started a support group for persons with cancer, their caregivers, and loved ones.
  • A donation program called Josh’s Journey provides fellow cancer victims with any needs they might have, from orange juice to motorized scooters.
  • Josh has written a 127-page memoir about his life since being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, called, “The Gift of Cancer.” He started it two weeks after being diagnosed.
  • Josh has been filling the pulpit of a nearby Baptist church whose pastor recently died, an opportunity which has led to other cooperation between First UB and the Baptist church.

23 Aug

August 23, 2011 |

Jason Sheets (right), associate pastor of Shepherd of the Valley (Logan, Ohio), reports, “We baptized 18 people at a nearby pond in Sugar Grove, Ohio. We sang a different chorus as each person emerged from the pond. We all shared in eating homemade ice cream during a time of fellowship following the service.”