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17 Apr

April 17, 2007 |

I believe that healthy churches grow. I do not believe that every growing church is necessarily a healthy church. But healthy churches grow!

Tom Blaylock, our Director of Church Multiplication, recently sent me a review of the book, The Forgotten Ways, by Alan Hirsch. The author lists church growth principles if you want to grow a contemporary church. I don’t believe he was referring to worship style, but simply a church in this contemporary society. He says there are several things you must do and constantly improve upon:

  1. Expand the building to allow for growth.
  2. Ensure excellent preaching in a contemporary style dealing with subjects that relate to the life of the hearers.
  3. Develop an inspiring worship experience by having an excellent band and positive worship leaders.
  4. Have excellent parking.
  5. Ensure excellent programs for children and youth (do so and people will put up with less elsewhere in the-mix).
  6. Develop a good program of cell groups built around a Christian education model to ensure pastoral care and a sense of community.
  7. Make sure that next week is better than last week, to keep people coming.

(more…)

17 Apr

April 17, 2007 |

Just when you think nothing could happen that would shock you, something happens that is a tremendous shock. Of course I am talking about the shootings at Virginia Tech. While I don’t know anyone who was shot, it still caused me a sense of great grief when I heard the news. We live in such a violent and depraved culture. My thoughts and prayers go out for the families and friends of those shot. I trust that you too will join me in praying for the families and friends as well as the administration and faculty of Virginia Tech.

Thank You!

12 Apr

April 12, 2007 |

Dave RahnDr. Dave Rahn, professor of youth ministries at Huntington University, has collaborated with Youth for Christ to create a series of materials for young adults focusing on how to build relationships with Jesus Christ and their friends.

The program, titled “3Story®,” was first introduced to students at the Youth for Christ DCLA conference in 2003 and 2006. DCLA is a conference that is held in both Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles for middle school and senior high students. The program proved to be effective and had many students asking how they could take the program back to their friends.

“‘3Story®’ is a way of understanding and seeing how we lean into key relationships that influence us,” said Rahn, “especially as we lean into the key relationship – a relationship with God.” Rahn and YFC took the curriculum from DCLA and polished it into a set of eight one-hour sessions. Each session is used mainly in a small-group setting and includes resources to stimulate discussions and support clips.

The “3Story®” curriculum, published by Zondervan and Youth Specialties, is available at YouthSpecialities.com and booksellers nationwide. The kit includes the two-disc curriculum course and five participant guides.

11 Apr

April 11, 2007 |

Cal Hodgon (right), pastor of Heritage UB church in Dansville, Mich., also plays basketball for the Lansing Capitals, a minor-league pro basketball team. Last weekend they played the Grand Rapids Fight, which boasts the world’s tallest basketball player–Sun Ming Ming of China at 7 feet, 9 inches. The online Daily Press and Argus published an article about the game, which included comments from Hodgson about Sun Ming Ming.

09 Apr

April 9, 2007 |

Registrations for the US National Conference now stand at 715, which is pretty incredible. Unfortunately, this means we outgrew the accommodations available at Sawmill Creek. However, a number of hotels are located within just a few miles, and we have secured rooms from several different hotels (two of which have their own waterparks!).

If you still need to register, contact Administrative Assistant Marsha Biard about lodging. The rates vary, depending on the motel.

Thus far, people from 123 of our 210 United States churches have registered (plus two churches in Canada).

A number of churches have either not submitted the National Church Covenant, have not submitted their 2006 report, or have not reported their election results.

27 Mar

March 27, 2007 |

Tim and Tara Hallman are the parents of a new baby boy, their fourth child. Eli Martin was born at 12:40 am on Monday, March 26, weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and 21 inches long. Everyone is doing fine. Tim Hallman is pastor of Anchor Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., and the son of longtime UB minister Gerald Hallman.

26 Mar

March 26, 2007 |

WestPleasantHill_450.jpg
Pictured are (first row, from left) Kaitlyn Coomer, Erika Waugh, Kristen Godby, Kelsey Reno, Steve Goss. (Second Row) Corina Donaldson, Billie Brooks, Shane Meyer, Elijah Williams, Kelly Herring. (Third Row) Tanner Kline, Chelsea Williams, Heather Wyckoff, Justin Clark Samantha Guerrette, Gary Brooks. (Back Row) Seth Tobias, Cody Joy, Shaylyn Allen, Natalie St. Clair and Jeremy Grove.

The West Pleasant Hill UB church of Rockbridge, Ohio, sponsored a 30 Hour Famine in which 21 teens representing ten different local churches participated. They joined approximately 500,000 teenagers nationwide, aiming to raise $12 million while getting a real taste of hunger as they helped feed and care for children living in extreme poverty around the world.

Now in it’s 16th year, World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine raises awareness and money to fight hunger overseas and in the United States.  During the 30 hours, participating teens go without food (consuming only liquids), learn about world hunger and poverty, and perform community service projects.

According to youth director and organizer Sheila Meyer, this group of teens was one of the greatest  to work with since starting this program at West Pleasant Hill about ten years ago. This local group boxed 10,750 pounds of food by working at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Food Center in Logan. They raised $3,080 in donations to send to World Vision. Every dollar raised is matched by U.S. Government grants, which give Famine donations raised in 2007 four times the effectiveness!

The entire congregation gets involved along with the teens and their families by holding a carry-in dinner at the end of the famine.

26 Mar

March 26, 2007 |

Gary Dilley, Director of Global Ministries, writes:

“Global Ministries set April 26 as the target date for Billy Simbo to leave for Sierra Leone and begin his role as the highest leader of our churches there. Billy is going as a United Brethren missionary and will serve for three years. He will work with 55 churches, many schools, the Mattru Hospital, and new church planting ventures.

“Billy will likely leave first. Mamei will finish dealing with some medical issues, and then will join her husband.

“We are at a critical time in Sierra Leone’s history, and believe, by faith, that God will raise up sufficient financial partners for their departure at that time. Their outgoing expenses have been funded, and they have partners for almost 50% of their monthly support. One-time gifts toward their monthly support are very helpful, as well.”

23 Mar

March 23, 2007 |

Delmon was a sharp young man from one of our United Brethren churches in Haiti. For four years, he prayed for the chance to study for the ministry. He finally got that chance, and was able to enter Jamaica Bible College.

On March 22, Delmon underwent surgery for an aortic aneurysm, and the need to replace his aortic heart valve. Owen Gordon, President of Jamaica Bible College, informed us this morning that Delmon was unable to overcome the complications. He died last night.

Gary Dilley, Director of Global Ministries, writes, “I grieve the loss of sharp young guy preparing for leadership in the Haiti UB work, a person who very much loved Jesus.”

19 Mar

March 19, 2007 |

The Indiana State Board of Nursing has approved Huntington University‘s application to begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program in the fall of 2007. The board announced its decision at a meeting in Indianapolis on March 15.

“Nursing will be a very strategic addition to our academic programs and will expand our ability to educate students to impact the world for Christ,” said Dr. G. Blair Dowden, president of Huntington University.

This state approval process involved providing extensive evidence of the appropriateness of the curriculum, the faculty, the nursing director and resources to support the program.

“I want to congratulate Dr. Pat Pierce, who authored our lengthy application to the State Board of Nursing and has worked tirelessly to lay the groundwork for our nursing program,” Dowden said. Pierce is the university’s interim director of nursing. In January, Huntington announced that Margaret Winter had been hired as the director of the Department of Nursing.

Next, the university will seek professional accreditation for the new program from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. CCNE is an independent accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency. CCNE assesses baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.

Meanwhile, construction on the university’s nursing facilities will be completed in the coming weeks. The program will be housed in the lower level of the state-of-the-art, 93,000 square foot Science Hall. Equipment and supplies will be moved in before classes begin in the fall.