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Mark Beers has been named senior pastor of Decatur UB church (Decatur, Ind.). He had been pastor of Gaines UB in Caledonia, Mich. Mark is originally from Emmanuel UB in Fort Wayne, Ind. He will start at Decatur in mid-September.
Jim Sturgeon, the current pastor at Decatur, will officially retire on Sunday, August 31. Dr. Paul Fetters will serve as Minister of the Word for the Decatur church until Mark’s arrival.
Dirk Small, pastor of the Idaville UB church (Idaville, Pa.), and his wife Julie were in an accident August 13. Dirk wrote on August 19, “I am now home, but incapacitated. Julie is fully recovered, praise the Lord! On Wednesday, August 13, Julie and I were relaxing on our bike before prayer meeting, and I lost control on a newly paved road. We were traveling around 35 miles per hour and had no impact on anything.
“The slide did major damage to my body. I was taken to Hershey via Life Lion and there my spleen was removed. I have several broken ribs also. I’m on a heavy regiment of percacet, but the pain is still hard to manage. My incision, which runs from my chest to the groin, is healing nicely. I expect to be laid up for a couple of weeks yet. God does some wonderful things in your spirit when you become completely vulnerable to Him.”
David Meece will be in concert at Pleasant Valley United Brethren Church (Lake Odessa, Mich.) on Saturday evening September 20, starting at 6:30 pm. There are 200 reserved seats and 100 additional seats available on a first-come basis. Reserved seats can be requested by calling pastor Gary Taylor at 616-693-2366. A free will offering will be taken at the concert with proceeds going to the local pregnancy resource center. The church is located 10 miles west of Lake Odessa, Mich., on highway M-50.
The Eagle’s Wings church (Brice, Ohio) has disbanded. Central Conference is in the process of selling the property and dissolving the membership roll.
Ken Smith (right) and Titus Boggs.
Ken Smith, pastor of the Cedar Chapel UB church in Big Laurel, Kent., was involved in a serious car accident over a year ago. But after 17 surgeries (with more on the way), Ken has recently been released to drive. Due to his need for a wheelchair, he asked the Lord for a van with sliding doors on both sides. Titus Boggs, director of the Laurel Mission, took this request to the July meeting of Central Annual Conference.
The Monticello UB church, near Spencerville, Ohio, worked with Tom Ahl of Lima, Ohio, on purchasing a van that would allow Ken to pull his wheelchair into the van through the sliding door. Several other UB churches in the area played a part.
On July 26, Monticello group delivered a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan to Laurel Mission. They had the privilege of seeing Ken drive to church on his own for the first time in over a year.
Kathy Bruce, chairperson of the Women's Ministry Leadership Team, addressing the conference.
The International Women’s Conference, July 25-27, brought about 140 United Brethren women to Huntington, Ind. They came from eight states: Indiana (40), Ohio (25), Michigan (29), Pennsylvania (16), plus others from Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, and Virginia. In addition, eight women came from Ontario.
The conference featured a variety of seminars and keynote addresses, complemented by drama by the group “All for One,” and music by the group “One Faith.”
Presenting the van keys to Francisco Raudales, superintendent of Honduras Conference.
A group from King Street UB in Chambersburg, Pa., delivered a new van to Honduras. Ray Ankerbrand reports:
“We arrived late on Tuesday, July 15, a little late since we were held up at the Mexican border. The paperwork was not complete for permanent use, but the van can be used while it is being completed. The bus remains at the Guatemalan border pending completion of the paperwork, but it is just across the border in Honduras. We had a very good trip. One tire blowout on the bus.”
On Sunday, August 3, New Hope UB (Huntington, Ind.) dedicated a new church sign. After the morning service, everyone gathered around the sign, and Rev. M. E. Burkett conducted the dedication ceremony, assisted by Rev. Kent Maxwell and Rev. Ron Evans. To end the ceremony, all believers received communion.
