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Ted Doolittle was named senior pastor of Calvary Community UB church in Bridgeport, Mich., effective February 24. He previously pastored the Oak Harbor and Findlay First UB churches in Ohio. Most recently, he has been associate pastor of Zion UB in Wayne, Ohio.
Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy, now on staff at Huntington University, is offering to local churches the “Good Sense” stewardship training produced by the Willow Creek Association. This is a six hour session which can be offered on Saturday or Sunday.
The Good Sense training helps participants understand biblical stewardship principles and develop a personal spending plan. It clarifies the danger of consumer debt and points out how this debt is keeping many from being able to enjoy the realization that they can be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to them.
The cost to the church or the participant is $15 per manual (couples share one manual). You can contact Paul Hirschy at phirschy@huntington.edu or call toll-free 1-866-213-3710 to schedule the training or ask questions.
The prayer chapel in Huntington University’s new residence hall will be called the Paul R. Fetters Chapel after Dr. Paul Fetters, who has spent his career serving the United Brethren in Christ Church as a pastor and in the Graduate School of Christian Ministries.
The Huntington University Board of Trustees adopted the resolution naming the chapel Jan. 26. President G. Blair Dowden (left, congratulating Dr. Fetters) shared the news with the campus community February 15 at the annual Honors Convocation.
“It is my privilege to recognize a colleague who epitomizes Christ-centeredness in his scholarship, his teaching, his ministry, and his personal life,” Dowden said.
Enrolling at Huntington in 1951, Fetters earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1955, followed by a Bachelor of Divinity from the Huntington College Theological Seminary in 1959. He earned a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist, now Palmer, Theological Seminary in Philadelphia; a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of St. Francis in 1975; and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. During the past 10 years, his studies have continued at the University of British Columbia, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Joining the faculty in 1960 as a part time instructor in the Huntington College Theological Seminary, he filled several adjunct faculty positions during his 18 years of pastoral ministry. Later in 1972 as a full-time professor of practical theology, he was instrumental in the seminary transformation into the Graduate School of Christian Ministries, serving as director and dean from 1972 until 1997.
A contributor to a variety of denominational publications, religious periodicals and journals, Fetters served as general editor of several UB-related books, including Trials and Triumphs: History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and Theological Perspectives: Arminian-Wesleyan Reflections on Theology. He has taught in many of the countries where you’ll find UB churches, including Canada, Sierra Leone, Honduras, Jamaica, and Hong Kong.
He continues to invest himself in the students of Huntington University as a professor in the Bible and Religion Department and through mentoring young adults at College Park Church in Huntington, Ind.
The prayer chapel will be housed in the new residence hall, Livingston Hall, named after the historic dormitory of the same name. The building was demolished in 1988, and RichLyn Library was constructed on the site.
“What an honor!” Fetters said. “The chapel located in Livingston Hall will perpetuate the memories of the early beginnings of the Graduate School of Christian Ministries, which was housed in the original Livingston Hall, 1977-1987.”
Dr. Ora D. Lovell, 93, a longtime minister in the UB church, passed away February 19 in Circleville, Ohio. Here are the funeral arrangements:
Are you a Facebook member? If so, you might be interested in joining one of the Facebook groups related to Huntington University. Just log-in and do a search for one of these group names. You might even be able to connect with some long-lost friends and classmates.
Darrel Bosworth (right, with his wife, Barbara), senior pastor of Kilpatrick UB church (Woodland, Mich.), was ordained on February 10 by Bishop Ron Ramsey at the church.
Here are some recent news items from Coleta UB in Coleta, Ill.
Robert Schubert retired as pastor of Center Hill UB (Mount Carroll, Ill.) at the end of December 2007. Floyd West has been appointed as interim pastor for January through April 2008.
Peggy Richardson, whose husband John Richardson pastored UB churches for many years, has passed away. The funeral will be Monday, February 11, in Van Wert, Ohio. Cowans Funeral Home in Van Wert is in charge of the arrangements.
Yesterday we announced through the denominational email list the appointment of Jeff Bleijerveld (right, with his wife, Charlene) as the new Director of Global Ministries. Starting March 3, he’ll head up our missions work, joining a staff which already includes Donna Hollopeter and Darlene Burkett.
Jeff is currently Assistant Director of World Partners USA, the mission arm of the Missionary Church USA, with headquarters just up the road in Fort Wayne, Ind. He is an ordained minister in the Missionary Church, served eight years as a missionary in Spain, has served as a pastor at two churches, and has worked with World Partners USA since 2001. His responsibilities at World Partners include managing the daily operations and all human resource functions for the 130 staff (missionaries mostly) scattered around the world. He is fluent in Spanish, which will be a big plus for us, since we have so much work in Central America.
I feel confident that Jeff is the right person for the job, and believe God will use him to take our missions efforts to the next level. I’m excited that God provided someone of Jeff’s caliber.
The Director of Global Ministries is a staff position, and as bishop, I am responsible for appointing all staff. Until 2005 we elected the Director of Global Ministries; Gary Dilley, who served in that role until January of this year (when he became senior pastor of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.), was originally elected in 2001, but then appointed by me in 2005. So it was my responsibility to appoint a replacement for Gary.
Let me tell you a little about the process we used in filling the position.
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