(260) 356-2312
Paul Hirschy, who served as bishop 2001-2005, dealt with lymphoma cancer during his years as bishop and and before. Now his cancer has returned. He will begin chemo treatments on Thursday, October 21, and it will continue over a period of months.
You can send cards to:
Paul Hirschy
5493 North Goshen Rd
Huntington, IN 46750
Joan Sider has made many trips to Haiti with her fellow Canadians. Now she’s there again, this time with a team of 12 persons from Canada, plus one from Honduras. They are working on the Delmas church in Port au Prince.
We’re beginning work on a redesign of the UB.org website, the official website of the United Brethren in Christ Church, USA. The current design has been in place for over 5 years. Time for an upgrade.
We want your suggestions as we begin developing a new flagship site.
Please send your suggestions to Steve Dennie, the Communications director.
Anything is fair game. So fire away!
UB.org will complement these two new sites:
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team is meeting October 4-5 (Monday and Tuesday) in Huntington, Ind. The PMLT is responsible for issues related to pastoral education, licensing, and ordination. Lee Rhodes, pastor of Countryside UB (Breckenridge, Mich.), is the chairman.
The Convoy UB church (Convoy, Ohio) voted to close during a local conference meeting on Sunday, September 26. Bishop Phil Whipple spoke during the morning service, and then led the local conference meeting.
The congregation attending Family Day at Faith UB
Deon McLennon
On September 26, Faith United Brethren Church climaxed its month-long family celebration with the all day ”Family day” program. The first Sunday in September focused on the role of the mother, the second Sunday on the role of the father, the third Sunday on the role of youth, and the fourth Sunday–Family Day–on the role of the family.
Family Day began with a special 9 a.m. service where Pat Eves-McKenzie delivered an inspirational sermon on the role of the family. After the service, all participants attended a special Sunday school which looked on issues relating to married couples and single people.
The 203 strong attendance then congregated outside to take the group picture for the 60th anniversary magazine. We then enjoyed a wonderful dinner together after which all enjoyed a spirit-filled concert which displayed the variety of artistic gifts God has blessed us with.
The Institute for TESOL Studies at Huntington University has signed a five-year agreement to continue training English teachers in Doumen, a city in China’s Guangdong Province.
Since 2007, Huntington University has provided a three-week training camp to English teachers currently in the country to help them better teach the language. The camp trains approximately 80 teachers each summer and also offers a two-week English camp for children. The children’s camp provides valuable practice time for the teachers.
“We’ve trained over 500 teachers who are now beginning to offer training in their own schools,” said Dr. Luke Fetters (right), director of the Institute for TESOL Studies (ITS). TESOL is the acronym for “Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages.”
The five-year contract, which begins in 2011, allows ITS to consistently work with the Doumen School District in the southern Guangdong Province of China. The relationship will hopefully open doors for an educational exchange between the schools in China and the Huntington County school system, as well as opportunities for Chinese teachers and students to study at Huntington University.
“It gives us the opportunity to plan for the future in ways that are strategic for the training that we deliver and the cultural exchange that we hope to foster,” Fetters said.
Even though Huntington University’s relationship with the Chinese schools began in the early 1990s, the teacher training camp was not officially offered until 2007. 
Valerie Geer (right), associate director of ITS, has been involved each year in the teacher training camps in China.
Through ITS, a group of Huntington University and community educators, along with HU students and other volunteers, travel to China each summer to provide professional development to Chinese teachers who teach English in those schools. The students and other volunteers then help operate the children’s camp which teaches the children English through lessons and other fun activities.
ITS was established by Huntington University in 2009. The program offers certification to students as well as local teachers.
On August 15, after the morning service, the congregation of Liberty UB (Stockport, Ohio) adjourned to Wolf Creek. There, 14 persons were baptized. All 14 are pictured above, along with Pastor Charlie Simmons (in the middle in the back, wearing the white shirt).
Huntington University will celebrate its homecoming weekend October 1-2. This year’s theme, “Celebrating the Arts — HU style,” is in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Merillat Centre for the Arts.
These alumni awards will be presented on Saturday at 12:30 in the lower level of the Habecker Dining Commons:
Also included in the weekend’s itinerary will be several events for people of all ages, including athletic events, theater performances and a parade. Then wrapping up the weekend’s schedule will be Davis Hall Follies, to take place in Zurcher Auditorium.
Saturday’s schedule includes:
Elva L. Whybark Armitage, 92, passed away Sunday, September 19, 2010, in Lewiston, Idaho, from complications related to cancer surgery. For 56 years, she was married to Arly Whybark, and for 37 of those years, they pastored United Brethren churches in northern Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Elva was active in the various Women’s Missionary Societies, often serving as president.
Arly passed away in 1989. In 1990, she married Rollin Armitage; he passed away in 2002. She was most recently a member of the Lewiston First Church of the Nazarene.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, September 23, at Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home of Lewiston, Idaho.
