05 May Recognizing Local Corrections Officers

For the fifth year, the Findlay First United Brethren Church (Findlay, Ohio) honored a correction’s officer from the Hancock County Jail during a Sunday morning worship service. The person was selected by their peers for their attitude and desire to impact the lives of the inmates in a positive way.

This year’s presentation occurred during the second service at Findlay First and resulted. Also in the attendance were the county sheriff, jail administrator, receipts supervisor, and family members.

This is one way of saying thank you to the sheriff’s department for allowing the church to have a Bible study every Thursday night in the jail’s library.

Also, Pastor Darwin Dunten (right), who is a chaplain of the jail, had been joking with the sheriff for years about getting a gun since he was a “special deputy.” This year, the sheriff presented Pastor Dunten with his official gun during the CO award service. It was orange and shot caps.

On May 17, Findlay First will start a Tuesday night Bible study for inmates who have been released. This came as a result of the inmates’ desire to continue to study God’s Word.

01 May $35,000 Raised for Two Mission Trips

Shoppers perusing the various items for sale inside the Activity Center.

A line formed between the Activity Center and the church building, waiting for the sale to begin at 9 am on the opening day of the sale.

Teens of Hillsdale United Brethren Church (Hillsdale, Mich.) will go on two mission trips this summer. One team will travel to Washington, D.C., June 13-20. The other team will travel to Mexico July 4-11.

To pay for the expenses for these two trips (about $35,000), a number of fundraising activities have been held this year. The rummage sale held April 30 – May 2 in the newly-renovated HUB Activity Center has now put them over the top, so both mission trips are fully funded.

01 May Salem UB Works on Needs at Jamaica’s Regent College

Working on the pump at Regent College of the Caribbean in Mandeville, Jamaica.

Rev. Ron Cook (right), Chambersburg, Pa.

The mission team of Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) asked me to go along with them to Jamaica January 24 through February 3 to help with the dining hall project at Regent College in Mandeville. They asked me to hold a Bible study each morning with them, and also to preach on January 25 at the Salem Church in Jamaica.

When I knew that I was going with the team, the Reflections Sunday school class at King Street wanted to help me with the cost of the trip. They took an offering for two weeks in December, and they gave me far more than the cost of the trip. The remainder was used to purchase materials for the team to work on the dining hall.

I emailed Dwight Kuntz prior to going to Jamaica about some plumbing issues at the college, which he talked to me about two years ago when I went along with Salem team to Jamaica. He told me that the plumbing issues still existed and needed attention.

I asked the New Life Sunday school class at King Street, which I teach once a month, if they would be willing to give some money toward the plumbing costs. They took an offering and gave me a check on January 18 for $900. With that money, I was able to purchase materials in Mandeville hardware store for the various plumbing projects.

One issue was changing the water pump for the campus from a very small area to inside the building beside it. We moved the pump from the small enclosure to the inside of the building, where there is plenty of space around the pump and it can be secured adequately (pumps had been stolen two times). The window was enclosed and bars placed on both window and door.

In addition to changing the pump, there were plumbing issues in commodes, showers, and sinks in almost every bathroom. I was able to fix many of these problems so that they worked adequately. There are still plumbing issues that will need to be addressed next year when I return on a mission trip.

I was able to help the mission team, when not doing plumbing, to get work done on the dining hall. There is still much work to be done over the next several years. There are walls that need to be erected, plumbing and electrical work, concreting of the floor, and steel beams to be placed.

There are two critical needs for this work to be completed: work teams to go to Mandeville, and finances to purchase the materials. I am certain that Dwight Kuntz, who is overseeing this project, would appreciate help in both of these areas. If you are interested, contact Donna Hollopeter in Global Ministries.

20 Apr Raising the Roof in Greenfield, Ohio

Scott Graham (right), senior pastor, Good Shepherd UB (Greenfield, Ohio)

The roof at Good Shepherd UB desperately needs to be replaced. Over 20 years of storms and deterioration have taken a toll, and shingles are peeling off. It won’t be long until it starts leaking.

Members of the church’s facilities team have received bids to replace the roof. The church needs $16,500 and it’s not in the bank. The church had discussed and prayed about the need, and $9700 has been received over the past year through small gifts.

Instead of going through a long capital campaign to raise the rest of the funds, the church decided to receive one special offering, trusting God to provide.

For about six weeks, we shared the Raise the Roof special offering. We asked the congregation to prayerfully consider a sacrificial gift over and above their tithes.

On Sunday, April 19, we received the offering. The one-time special offering was $6,815, which brought the roof total to $16,515—nearly exactly what was needed!

07 Apr Easter at Our Church: Reedsville. W. Va.

Marshall Woods (right), senior pastor, Mill Chapel (Reedsville, W. Va.)

Easter Sunday was an exciting day at Mill Chapel. The attendance exceeded 400. The best news was that approximately 30 made first-time decisions for Christ. Sunrise service was at 6:30, followed by breakfast. Our regular worship services were held at 8:30 & 11am. It was a profitable day for the kingdom of God. Our sermons are now on a local television station.

God is doing great things.

05 Apr Easter 2015 at Your Church

The Lent and Easter season is always a great time of the year for United Brethren churches. A time of special emphases, meaningful services, and, often, record attendances.

Let us know what happened at your church during Lent and Holy Week. Write up a little description, and we’ll get it posted on UBCentral.org. Other United Brethren will enjoy hearing about it.

30 Mar Groundbreaking at Atlantic Avenue

Bishop Phil Whipple (left) with Pastor Gary Small.

Gary Small, pastor of Atlantic Avenue, throwing a shovel of dirt.

Bishop Phil Whipple turning a shovel of dirt.

Atlantic Avenue UB (Franklin, Pa.) held a groundbreaking service on Sunday afternoon, March 29. Associate pastor Patrick Daugherty explains:

“We are about to begin an expansion project that will increase the size of our facilities by approximately 17,000 square feet. The new addition will connect both of our existing buildings, which will allow for easier access to our facilities. The new area will include much-needed classroom space for adults and youth, as well as a large multipurpose room that can accommodate 200 people.”

Rev. Gary Small has been pastor of Atlantic Avenue since 1991. During that time, attendance has grown from the 100s to nearly 600.

Bishop Phil Whipple was on hand for the groundbreaking.

23 Feb Sinnah Funeral Arrangements. How to Help.

Funeral arrangements have been finalized for Lettitia and Sundima Sinnah, who died February 10 in a parsonage fire in Baltimore, Md. Lettitia was the wife of Rev. Samuel Sinnah, pastor of the Brooklyn Park UB church in Baltimore, and Sundima was their 17-year-old son.

Funeral: Saturday, March 21, 2015.
Time: Visitation 10-11 am. Funeral 11 am.
Location: North County High School, 10 East 1st Ave., Glen Burnie, MD 21061.

A vigil will be held at the Brooklyn Park UB church on Friday night, March 20, from 7-9 pm. Bishop Phil Whipple will speak at the funeral the next day.

Lettitia’s mother and sister are coming from Sierra Leone. Efforts have been made to expedite the securing of passports and visas. The Ebola crisis complicates matters, though it’s uncertain whether any 21-day quarantine will apply in this situation. However, the funeral home could keep the body for a limited period of time, so they had to go ahead with scheduling the funeral.

How You Can Help

We invite you to help with some costs related to the funeral and the ongoing needs of the Sinnah family.

1. Rev. Sinnah and his remaining son, Joseph, are currently living at a hotel. They will be relocating to an apartment, and will need money for furnishings and other costs.
2. Travel costs will be significant for Lettitia’s mother and sister.

If you would like to help with these expenses, you can channel donations through the United Brethren National Office. Send checks to:

UB National Office
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

Write checks to “United Brethren in Christ,” and include a note saying the donation is for Sinnah Family Relief. Note: these donations will NOT be tax-exempt.

18 Feb The Order Matters: Teaching Marriage at Hillsdale UB

Lester Smith (right), senior pastor, Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.)

The second Sunday of February is World Marriage Day and also the week of Valentine’s Day. I always address marriage on that day. To introduce my message to the congregation, we showed the amazing video testimony above. It is about a young couple in our church.

The sermon topic was taken from the very first principle of marriage stated in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

There is a clear order in this progression: The leaving of the parent’s home, then the wedding or being “joined to his wife,” and finally becoming one flesh. It’s worth noting the next verse informs us of the outcome intended by God: “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Jesus also pointed to this principle when questioned about His position on divorce in Matt. 19:5. Finally, Paul referenced it in Eph. 5:31 as the foundation stone in the most famous marriage passage of the New Testament.

The problem in today’s culture is we have reversed the order of the first principle of marriage. The man and woman do leave their parents, but often for the purpose of cohabitation. Therefore, for all practical purposes they have “become one flesh” before, not after, the wedding ceremony.

This means when most couples are joined together in marriage today, the foundation has been built on a shame-based relationship. The result is just the opposite of God’s original design expressed in Gen. 2:25 for newly weds to be “not ashamed.” All the research confirms a much higher divorce rate among couples who violate this biblical principle.

17 Feb Blue Rock UB’s Partnership with a Local Elementary School

Pastor Greg Helman (right) presenting a check for Mowery Elementary School to Dr. Barbara Martin, the school principal.

Greg Helman, senior pastor, Blue Rock UB Church (Waynesboro, Pa.)

Blue Rock Church (Waynesboro, Pa.) contributed over $1300 to the Mowery Student Fund to help children in need. Each year, we receive an offering to bless those less fortunate at the school. The fund has no strings attached to it. So, the teachers and principal can decide how the money is distributed. It could go towards a coat, book bag, or a pair of shoes or clothing, to mention a few things.

In addition to the money, Blue Rock Church hosts Mowery Elementary for Bible Release Time. Also, one of our Sunday school classes takes snacks and/or subs along with cards of encouragement to the staff periodically throughout the school year.