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In a short-term world, we’re grateful for those who make long-term contributions to God’s work. Jennifer Blandin has completed ten years as one of our missionaries in Macau. Director Gary Dilley (right, with Jen), during his August trip to Macau, presented a framed certificate recognizing Jen’s ten years of service there. The presentation was made at the new Living Stone UB church on Taipa Island. Jen is from the Mainstreet UB church in Walbridge, Ohio.
We need another 15 sponsors for children in India, so they can attend school. This is part of what is called the Beautiful Family–children of parents who have leprosy or AIDS. Sponsorship for one child involves $20 a month ($240 a year). If interested, contact Darlene Burkett in Global Ministries.
We need a teacher to serve in Macau in 2007, from March 1 to June 15 (or longer). The responsibilities include teaching in the English Language Program, and helping with Bible studies and children’s ministries. A college degree (doesn’t need to be a teaching degree) is required for a work permit. If interested, please contact Global Ministries. We would need to begin working very soon on acquiring the permit.
A 4.5 minute video or DVD is available from Global Ministries. It features Director Gary Dilley giving an update on our investigation into mainland China. This video was made for Thank Offering, but is equally suitable for a short UB mission update in your worship service, apart from Thank Offering. If you’d like a copy, contact Darlene Burkett.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s “Kids Helping Kids” VBS project. We have received $10,850 so far. You are making a meaningful difference in the lives of kids in India, Haiti, and the Philippines who really need your assistance. In Haiti, 20 children from a new church plant have enrolled in school because of the VBS gifts. Additional funds will be going to Haiti, as well as to the Philippines to help pastoral families, and to India to help children with AIDS.
The Cumberland Times-News of West Virginia carried a September 15 article about Mark Elliott, son of Pastor Daryl and Ruth Elliott of Fountain UB Church in Keyser, W. Va. Mark excels in academics (now a semi-finalist in a national merit scholarship program, plus various other honors), sports (regional doubles tennis champ), and music (third-chair trumpet in the All-State band).
A major project will begin in January: working with the Jamaica Conference church camp at Malvern. One of their main buildings, a 100-year-old wooden structure (above)), has become unsafe. The goal is to replace this building with a cement structure in time for their summer children’s ministry.
Heart O’ the Lakes Church (Brooklyn, Mich.) and Mainstreet Church (Walbridge, Ohio) have been involved with the camp for years. They, again, are rising up to help their brothers and sisters in Christ, but will need help from other UB churches. This ambitious project will take about six weeks to complete.
If you or your church are interested in helping, please contact Donna Hollopeter at Global Ministries or Don Coward (Heart O’ the Lakes) at 517-529-4462.
Huntington University has a record enrollment of 1,084 for the fall semester of the 2006-2007 school year. That includes 251 first-time freshman, a 10 percent increase over last year and topping the previous high of 240. Students are coming from 30 states, and 36 students come from 16 countries beyond the United States.
“Several factors contributed to our record enrollment,” said Jeff Berggren, vice president of enrollment management and marketing. “Our new academic programs accounted for a significant part of the increase in our freshman class over last fall. Affordability was also a significant factor. Our tuition has risen only two percent since the fall of 2004.”
“When asked why they chose Huntington University, the most consistent theme with these students is our unique academic programs,” Berggren said. “For example, our major in digital media arts brought students from places like California, Texas and Maine. Film studies attracted a student from Alaska, and theatre design and technology brought a student from Montana.”
The University has set a goal of 2000 students by 2016.
| Total Enrollment (Headcount) | ||||
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | |
| Undergraduate | 861 | 844 | 819 | 838 |
| Graduate | 87 | 70 | 60 | 53 |
| EXCEL (Adult) | 136 | 105 | 96 | 89 |
| Total | 1084 | 1019 | 975 | 980 |
Mark Oestreicher, President of Youth Specialties, is coming to Huntington University on September 25. UB pastors and youth workers are invited to a (free!) luncheon with Mr. Oestreicher from 11:30 – 1:30 pm. It will be held at the Habecker Dining Commons. There will be door prizes to win, and each person will receive a goodie bag.
Tom Blaylock, Director of Church Multiplication
How many of you remember high school chemistry class? Even though I have to go back 20-plus years, I vividly remember my experiences. Our teacher was your classic “nutty professor” type, brilliant but not fully plugged into reality. One day in class an experiment went awry resulting in a fireball about four feet in diameter that left a blackened scorch mark on the ceiling. Now that was cool!
In that class we learned about several laws of physics. One of those laws had to do with gravity, or more precisely, “gravitation.” The Encyclopedia Britannica says “gravity shapes the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the entire universe….On Earth all bodies have a weight, or downward force of gravity, proportional to their mass, which the Earth’s mass exerts on them.”
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