Steve Dennie, Communications Director

Two United Brethren ministers in two countries passed away within a day of each other, both from cancer. And there was a strong bond between them. They had been partners in ministry 40 years before.

wust_haroldYesterday, September 21, Rev. Harold Wust was laid to rest. He passed away last Thursday, September 17. Each of the five Wust children spoke about their father. Then Josh Kesler, pastor of Good Shepherd  UB church, which Harold attended, gave a message.

Harold’s father immigrated from Germany to Alberta, Canada, around 1930, and Harold was born there. However, the family returned to Leipzig, Germany, in 1939. In 1940, at age 10, Harold became part of the Hitler Youth, though at that age the Nazi ideology meant little to him.

After the war Harold, a Canadian citizen, returned to Canada on his own. He ended up in Fort Erie, Ontario, where he met Ray Zimmerman, pastor of the Garrison Road United Brethren church. Under the preaching of evangelist Paul Graham, Harold gave his heart to Christ.

Harold went on to become an ordained United Brethren pastor. Then, in 1966, he and wife Dee went to Honduras as UB missionaries. They served one term, 1966-1970. Then Harold accepted a position as Associate Director of Missions, which he held for about 20 years.

The Wusts served in Honduras when the Soccer War broke out between Honduras and El Salvador in July 1969. All Salvadoranians living in Honduras were rounded up and imprisoned. That included several United Brethren pastors in the La Ceiba area.

martinez_guillermoGuillermo Martinez was one of them. Harold and Guillermo often traveled together to villages and churches throughout northern Honduras. Guillermo pastored the large Ebenezer UB church in La Ceiba, but always loved traveling with Harold to visit the country churches.

After the war broke out, Harold walked with Guillermo to the city’s soccer stadium, where Salvadoranians were being kept in very poor conditions. Guillermo became a leader among the prisoners, and began holding services. During two months of captivity, over 125 men became Christians.

Meanwhile, Harold and Hondurans at the Bethel church (located across the street from the soccer stadium) brought food and other aid to the prisoners.

After the war, the Salvadoranians couldn’t stay in the country. Most returned to El Salvador. But Guillermo Martinez, with his Honduran wife, couldn’t go there. Instead, God opened a door for them to move to Nicaragua, where the UBs had begun work.

Guillermo and Linda Martinez moved to Masaya, Nicaragua, in March 1970 to start a church. During the first ten months, 60 people found Christ. He later became superintendent of Nicaragua Conference, leading them through the turbulent years of the Sandinista revolution and toward the thriving national conference they are today.

Guillermo Martinez passed away September 18 from stomach cancer. Just 36 hours earlier, Harold Wust had died.

Harold had been diagnosed with cancer in January 1999. A surgery removed parts of seven organs. But doctors said his liver was filled with inoperable cancer, and he had 6-12 months to live. But three months later at a cancer center in Texas he was told that there was no sign of cancer in his liver. He had been miraculously healed and given another ten years on this earth.

Now, both Harold and Guillermo have been reunited in heaven.

The annual Mid-Atlantic Pastoral Resource Day will be held November 8-9 at Rhodes Grove Camp near Chambersburg, Pa.

The event begins 7-9 pm Sunday night, November 8, with a Fireside Chat with Bishop Phil Whipple and Dr. Anthony Blair of Eastern University of St. Davids, Pa.

On Monday morning, Bishop Whipple will give devotions. The rest of the day, 9 am – 4 pm, will focus on the topic “Addiction in the Pews: Understanding the secret struggles of addiction and how to bring ‘hope to the hopeless.” The presenter will be Carol Reinertson, formerly director of the Addiction Studies Program in the Campolo College of Graduate and Professional Studies of Eastern University.

martinez_guillermoGuillermo Martinez, former superintendent of Nicaragua Conference, passed away about 1 p.m. on September 18, 2009. He was suffering from stomach cancer.

Marilyn Reeck, UB endorsed missionary in Honduras, writes, “I visited  him and his children around 2 hours before he died. I was able to pray for him and for his children. It was a blessing. Otoniel, Sarah, and Heather live here and Esther arrived a few days ago form Guatemala. Guillermito was on his way from Nicaragua and will only make it in time for the funeral.”

newsboys_smallSTAR 88.3 and Huntington University have partnered to present an evening of music and message with the Newsboys at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

The Newsboys, with new lead singer Michael Tait, have teamed up with Global Tribe to travel the U.S. to bring an event called “Reach” to various cities. “Reach” partners with local radio stations, community ministries and neighborhood churches to bring the Gospel message to towns across America and beyond. This ministry is wrapped up in a Newsboys concert that includes a Gospel presentation followed by a call for new believers to connect with a local church.

Seventh Day Slumber, Meinmotion, Bread of Stone, and In Honor of Him will join the Newsboys for “Reach’s” Fort Wayne event.

No tickets are needed for “Reach.” A suggested donation of $10 will be taken at the door, although no one will be turned away for the inability to give.

Organizers also will collect nonperishable food items for the Associated Churches Food Bank.

Newsboys has 14 albums, a score of Grammy and Dove awards, seven gold albums and 21 number one songs to their credit.

Chris Moore has been named senior pastor of Mount Zion (Bobo) UB church near Willshire, Ohio. This church is a part-time position.

Chris previously served on staff at Emmanuel UB (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Good Shepherd UB (Huntington, Ind.). His wife, Brenda, holds a fulltime job in Fort Wayne.

Harold Wust passed away early Thursday morning, September 17. He had been battling a final attack of leukemia and had been home with family for the past few days.

Harold served as a missionary in Honduras for many years, and later as Associate Director of Missions for the denomination. His son Dan and daughter Lynn Razor have also served as missionaries in Honduras.

Here are the arrangements:

Visitation: Sunday, September 20, at Myers Funeral Home in Huntington, Ind.
Time: 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.
Funeral service: Monday, September 21, at Good Shepherd UB church in Huntington, Ind.
Time: 2 pm, with visitation one hour before the service.

Dave Knittle from Spencerville, Ohio, was killed in a motorcycle/car accident Friday morning, September 11, on his way to work. Dave is the son of retired minister Carey Knittle, a longtime pastor in the United Brethren church. Dave’s sister is Amy Riddle, wife of Dave Riddle, who has been pastor of Element UB church in Blissfield, Mich. Dave Knittle’s son is in the military in Colorado and has been ill. The entire family would appreciate your prayers.

Each year we start out with 52 weekends where we have the opportunity to gather with other believers and seekers. We get the chance to show off our God and to bring glory to him. Those 52 weekends seemed to crawl along when I was young, but now they race by with increasing speed.

I want to encourage each of our churches to take a good look at your worship services and to do all that you can to maximize their effectiveness. There is no such thing as a throw-away Sunday.  We only have 52. Somebody might only come into your church once. Make sure that you have prayed like it is the last service you might have. Eternal destinies are at stake.

It is not all on our shoulders. But it is imperative that we do our part to pray, plan, and strategize about what you are doing on the weekend. Then trust God and leave the results in his hand. It is an amazing partnership that God allows us to be a part of. To join united with the Spirit of God to see lives transformed by the gospel.

I’m in Chicago attending MinistryCOM, an annual conference for Christian communications professionals. Nearly everyone is on staff at a megachurch. They are a tech-savvy bunch. They carry laptops, consult smartphones, use Twitter and Facebook, write and read blogs. Very connected. And highly competent.

This is my fourth year attending MinistryCOM. I always learn valuable stuff.

Yesterday I attended the “Branding 101” workshop, something they do every year. The topic of branding crops up constantly. Large churches focus a lot of attention on their brand identity–how they are perceived, and the experience people have in attending. This was my third time attending Branding 101. Today, it was led by two guys from CHANGEffect, a Christian firm based in Chicago. They hit the subject from some new angles.

Here’s one thought I found interesting. It concerns our consumer mentality.

They said we often present Christ as a transaction–you accept Christ, you get a ticket to heaven. But we shouldn’t be surprised, then, that so many of our people take the attitude, “What does the church do for me?”

Isn’t that true? Our pews are filled with folks who just take take take, and if they don’t like the meal you provide, they complain. Like people griping because their steak is medium and they asked for medium well.

Rather than view themselves as consumers, people need to understand that they are becoming part of a movement. They need to view themselves as citizens, rather than as consumers. They are citizens of a community to which they belong, and in which they have responsibilities.

In your church, do you have consumers or citizens?

They also cited several trends in society which churches need to adapt to. Let me mention two of them.

  • We need to move from products to experiences. Products meet needs. Experiences fulfill desires. What are people experiencing at your church? To reach younger generations, you need to provide a total experience, not just a collection of well-done elements.
  • From communication to dialogue. Communication involves telling. Dialogue is sharing; it’s two-way. When people attend your church, are they just sitting there watching the show, or is there interaction?

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The bottom picture shows Rev. Prudencio Lim, superintendent of the United Brethren Philippines Conference, speaking to some of his people. In the Batangas province, they baptized 25 people on Holy Thursday last April. Notice the setting–a very public place. That photo should inspire.