09 May International Revival at Brooklyn Park

Abdul Kamara takes a picture of, from left, 5-year-old Fatmata Somtir with Rosaline Cook and Mamie Sowa during a luncheon following a revival service at Brooklyn Park United Brethren in Christ Church on Sunday. All four are members of Mount Zion United African Church in Philadelphia. The Brooklyn Park church held the revival as a way to celebrate its growing international community and its partnership with Mount Zion. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli.

Jennifer Donatelli, correspondent for the Maryland Gazette. Used with permission.

Leading a group of about a dozen women and girls from her Philadelphia church, Katie Kamara invited worshipers at Brooklyn Park Church of the United Brethren in Christ to join her in singing during a revival service on Sunday, May 5.

“Praise God! Alleluia,” she told the crowd of about 100. “Get on your feet! You are going to dance the African way.”

Some in the crowd looked around, perhaps a little nervously.

“Hey, ay, ay. My God is good,” the members of Mount Zion United African Church’s praise and worship group began singing.

By the end of the service, which marked the end of the four-day revival, most were singing, clapping and dancing along with the Philadelphia church members, many of whom were from Sierra Leone in Africa. And that was exactly the idea behind the revival — to celebrate the Brooklyn Park church’s growth among people from other countries, said Rev. John Christophel (right), its pastor.

“It’s representative of what heaven is like. We should all be praising God together instead of waiting until we get there,” he told the crowd as they murmured and nodded. “We are united in faith, in God, and in our belief in each other.”

The seed for the expanding international focus was planted years ago when Christophel and Rev. Joseph Abu, Mount Zion’s pastor, attended college together, Abu said. Abu needed a place to host a group of alumni, and Christophel offered his church.

Abu (right) said the Brooklyn Park church made his church members feel right at home.

“It’s a joy. This is how it’s going to be in heaven. It starts now, so when we’re in heaven, there’s no problem,” he said.

During a meeting with Bishop Phil Whipple in January, he recognized the Brooklyn Park church’s growth among people from other countries, Christophel said. Besides people from Sierra Leone, the church has seen members from Jamaica, Trinidad, Nigeria and Liberia, as well as Puerto Rico.

The church even brought in a missionary from Africa, Rev. Samuel Sinnah, in November to help with the new focus. At times, the transition hasn’t been easy, he admitted. Americans typically are a little more reserved in their celebrating during services than Africans, who like rapid, upbeat songs and dancing, he said.

After the revival, Sinnah said the service was like a marriage of African and American traditions.
“It becomes a way of learning from each other,” Sinnah said.

Some longtime members of the Brooklyn Park church said they enjoyed the revival and listening to Abu preach.

“You get an assimilation of how they worship. They’re basically the same,” said Louanne Porter of Brooklyn Park, who has been attending the church for seven or eight years. “God’s behind it, and he made all races of people. We have to get together.”

11 Apr Mt. Zion to Dedicate New Worship Facility

Mt. Zion UB Church (Wayne, Ohio) will dedicate a new worship facility (right) at 3pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

The day will begin with a worship service at 9:30 am with Pastor Howard Munn giving the message. Rev. Munn served Mt Zion for 26 years. There will be a lunch afterwards in the Family Life Center.

At 3pm, Lee Hiney, former pastor of Mt. Zion, will give the dedicatory address. Pastor Hiney pastored Mt. Zion for 20 years. A dessert reception will follow the dedication.

Pastor Mark E. Ralph is the current senior pastor of Mt. Zion.

05 Apr “Combat Devotions”–by a UB Marine

 “Combat Devotions” is now available to encourage your family or friends who are serving in the military. The author is John Dale Gardner (right), a member of Jerusalem Chapel UB church (Churchville, Va.). Gardner served in the US Marine Corps from 1999-2005. He wrote this inspirational book to encourage others who are going through similar demands and challenges in the military.

“Combat Devotions” is now available through Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.

Denny Sites, senior pastor of Jerusalem Chapel, writes, “We commend you, John Dale, for continuing to serve your country in this manner and for remaining active in your Christian faith and witness of your Savior, Jesus Christ.”

05 Apr Easter Story: Fort Wayne, Ind.

A prayer time after the service was held for the teens and adults who would be attending the Acquire the Fire conference the following weekend.

Julia, a teen from Anchor presented a beautiful dance to the song “Once Again” during the Easter morning service.

The sanctuary of Anchor Community Church is not large, but it is packed on most Sundays. So for Easter, something had to give. The church leaders widely decided to hold two services just for that Sunday morning. The usual Easter sunrise service and breakfast were scrapped to make this possible.

It was a good move. The total attendance hit 170 (which may be a Sunday morning record for Anchor), divided evenly between the two services. A highlight of the service was a dance presentation by Julia, a talented young dancer, to the song “Once Again.” Associate pastor Matt Kennedy gave the message; senior pastor Tim Hallman has been on a four-month sabbatical since January 2013.

After the service, people gathered for a prayer time around the teens and adults who would be attending the Acquire the Fire conference the following weekend in Muncie, Ind. This conference has had a major impact on a number of Anchor youth over the years.

04 Apr Easter Story: Pomeroy, Ohio

Ricky Hull (right), senior pastor, Mt. Hermon UB church (Pomeroy, Ohio)

We started off being challenged by Adam Will in our Sunrise service as he reminded us of the truth of Romans 8:31 that “if God is on our side, who can be against us?” and how God’s awesome power was seen in the resurrection and in our own lives. We then celebrated what God has been doing in our lives over the past year with a PowerPoint slideshow that was set to the worship song “One Thing Remains.” People in our church turned in praises that were put into the slideshow, and we celebrated all that God was accomplishing in our midst.

During our worship service, we continued to celebrate and remember all that God has accomplished for us through the eyes of witnesses to the resurrection. We looked at Mary Magdalene (and the skepticism she initially had), we looked at Thomas (and the doubts he originally had), and we looked at Peter (and the mistakes that he made). We considered how each of us were like them in some way,  how Jesus helped them overcome all those areas, and how he can help us overcome them too, if we are willing to receive it like they did. We had a number of moving musical specials that helped us celebrate the morning as well.

All in all it was a wonderful morning of celebration, where we left feeling both encouraged and excited about what Jesus accomplished on the cross and resurrection, and what he will continue to accomplish in our lives. We had 107 people join us for our morning worship service, which was about 40 people more than we had been averaging.

04 Apr Easter Story: Columbia City, Ind.

The Easter drama at Eagle Quest.

Christine Scroggs (right, with husband Tim), Eagle Quest UB church (Columbia City, Ind.)

God showed up in a mighty way this year at Eagle Quest! We almost doubled our usual attendance of 45, with many visitors.

For the first time in years, our church put on a Easter drama. This was a huge undertaking for our small congregation, requiring many hours of practice, sets, and sound effects. The play was awesomely done, mixing many different ages of people. One of our members, Don Hart, directed youth and adults together to portray the blessing Christ gave us through his sacrifice and resurrection! It was a great message that blessed many, and it was conveyed by great people.

We also had our worship leader, Janessa Janke, do special music. Her beautiful voice graced the service with Nicole C. Mullins’ “My Redeemer Lives.” The service was then capped off with a terrific message titled “Living a Resurrected Life,” delivered by Pastor Tim Scroggs, and ended with communion given individually in the “tomb.”

What a beautiful day. Praise God that we were able to share His message with so many people!

04 Apr Easter Story: Findlay, Ohio

The Findlay Seder service (click to enlarge).

Darwin Dunten (right), senior pastor, Findlay First UB (Findlay, Ohio)

Findlay First UB held a Seder Observance on Maundy Thursday with 60 persons attending. The observance was led by Craig Kupferberg, a Messianic Jew who attends Findlay First.  Craig used videos from “The Prince of Egypt” to correspond with certain aspects of the Seder. A Jewish woman attended the service, and in the middle of the service, she blurted out, “Now I understand!”

On Easter Sunday, over 700 Easter eggs filled with candy were thrown onto the church lawn. Breakfast was held, and the church was packed. Visitors attended as a result of the men canvassing of the neighborhood the week before.

All in all, it was a great Sunday.

02 Apr Easter Story: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Francis George, from the Church Emeric Young in Freetown, Sierra Leone, writes: “Easter was very exciting at our church. The good news is that 8 people accepted Christ as their Savior and were baptized on Easter Sunday morning. And a beautiful certificate was issued to each of them, signed and dated by our minister in charge.”

02 Apr Easter Story: Caro, Mich.

Jason Garwood (right), senior pastor, Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.)

Typically, churches will boast in how many attendees come to their services. We oftentimes get caught up in the “hype” of an event instead of the Person behind it all.

So this year, I wanted to end our Easter services on a different note. Instead of worrying about how many people showed up, I ended with a benediction (Rom. 15:13) and commissioned those who came to remember that simply coming doesn’t achieve the mission of God–we must go as well. We must go and make disciples.

I asked, “What if instead of counting how many of you came, we counted how many of you were sent on mission to make disciples in your places of work, play, and school? The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and well inside of you.”

Many had never heard nor seen such a thing, and I’m glad we were able to give them something to think about. Making disciples is our mission, even on Easter.

02 Apr Easter Story: Ruskin, Fla.

Gary Brooks (right), a former UB pastor and missionary, is currently pastoring the Mantee RV Park Community Church in Ruskin, Fla. He sent this report about their Easter service:

“Shortly after dawn on Resurrection Sunday, we had a coffee and pastry fellowship. Sixty-six people were present for the worship service. During that service we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. The message was taken from Matthew 28:7 and Isaiah 62:6, and was titled, ‘No Time to Be Silent, No Time To Rest.’ In short, the message encouraged believers to ‘Go and tell’ the good news of Christ’s resurrection rather than remaining silent.

“Immediately after the service, we went to the community pool for a baptismal service. We chose the pool over the nearby lake because a seven foot alligator was basking on the shore of the lake just 50 or 60 yards from the pool.”