20 Sep Lansing UB Votes to Close

Scott Hergert, senior pastor of Lansing UB church (Lansing, Mich.), sends the following:

“At our Local Conference Meeting, we voted to stop services at First UB church of Lansing on October 24. It was also decided to donate all of our resources to the denomination for the purpose of restarting this church or beginning a new church in the Lansing area.

“I would like the month of October to be a celebration of our heritage. I would like to hear stories of how this church has impacted the lives of people, and the churches around Michigan. I would welcome guests to come and share in any of those services.”

20 Sep Golf Tourney Raises $5000 for Camp Cotubic

Tom Datema, senior pastor of Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ohio), writes:

“We want to say thank you to everyone who helped make the 6th Annual Tom Ponsot Memorial Golf Tournament a success. For the last six years, the Zanesville United Brethren Church has hosted the tournament to raise funds for Camp Cotubic.

“This year, the morning of September 11 was cold, and for the first time in several weeks, it looked like rain in Northeast Indiana. But that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 21 four-man teams who had gathered in support of Camp Cotubic. The rain did come, and it was very cold, but the teams soldiered on for a great cause. With the entry fees, hole sponsorships, and generous donations made that morning, well over $5,000 was raised for the camp. Thanks again for your support and we look forward to seeing even more of you next year.”

08 Sep UB Church in Vancouver, Wash., Withdraws

Felida Christian Fellowship, a UB church in Vancouver, Wash., has withdrawn from the denomination. On August 4, the congregation voted to join, and integrate its assets with, Summit View Church, a megachurch located 17 miles away.

Summit had been planning to launch a new campus on the west side of town. For that, they will now use the former UB building, which will be known as Summit View: Felida. Services are being held there at 10 am on Sundays.

Ian McIntosh, pastor of Felida Christian Fellowship, will become a part-time staffperson at Summit View.

The church began in 1976 as a mission church under the sponsorship of the denominational Board of Church Extension. It was named Guiding Light, and Ron Mulles was the founding pastor. For three years, the congregation met in a local Grange Hall, growing to about 65 people. A 3.9 acre piece of land was purchased, and in 1979, ground was broken for a building.

The name was later changed to Friendship Community Church, and then to Felida Christian Fellowship.

07 Sep Over 550 Attend Hillsdale’s Annual Outdoor Service

Pastor Les Smith enacts the Book of James

Kurt Charleville, Hillsdale's new youth and worship director.

On Sunday, August 29, the Hillsdale UB Church held its 11th annual Outdoor Service at Michindoh Conference Center. The day featured the 4 Friends Quartet and a visit from the Apostle James.

Pastor Les Smith’s dramatization of the book of James had an unusual sense of divine timing. As he began the final sentence of James, there was a crashing sound from above and suddenly a huge limb fell to the ground. Since there were no seats left in the amphitheatre, the quartet members were standing to the side under the tree. One of the singers stepped aside just in time, as the branch landed next to him.

The crowd gasped and there was a pause, whereupon “James,” without missing a beat, seized the opportunity and finished his book, “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way, shall SAVE A SOUL FROM DEATH.” Before he could add the last phrase, the crowd broke out in laughter and applause. Then the Apostle concluded, “and shall cover a multitude of sins” and exited.

During the potluck picnic and waterfront activities that followed, the buzz continued. Several people who witnessed it asked Pastor Les if he had somehow arranged this “prop.” The pastor’s reply was, “I think the Lord just wanted to emphasize that last verse to us, about the eternal importance of turning sinners back to him.”

There was a record attendance for the Outdoor Service of over 550, including a large number of guests.

03 Aug Old Home Week in Greencastle, Pa.

About 260 people attended “Good Morning Greencastle,” an event hosted by Otterbein UB church of Greencastle, Pa., on Monday, August 2. The event was among the festivities of the 37th triennial Greencastle-Antrim Old Home Week.

“Good Morning Greencastle” featured singers, a comedy skit, a slideshow of local homes and gardens from the 1700s and 1800, and trivia questions about Greencastle thrown out to the audience.

The Herald-Mail published an article about the event, with photos. Take a look.

26 Jul Baptisms and Conversions in Findlay, Ohio

Pastor Darwin Dunten (left) with a group of baptism candidates at Findlay First Church.

Pastor Dunten with other baptism candidates.

Darwin Dunten, senior pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio), sent the above photos of recent baptisms at his church. He included this report:

“This year, the church has had 7 salvations. (This does not include VBS or the jail ministry.)  We continue to pray that the Lord will grant us at least one genuine salvation a month. I am starting to think that our faith is too low.  Offerings are up by $20,000 over last year at this time.  New visitors almost every Sunday.  Gaining about one new family a month.  Kind of exciting.”

15 Jul Chambersburg Group Off to Mexico

Today (July 15) is the day that 13 people from the Mt. Pleasant Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) begin an 11-day mission trip to Mexico. Their flight to Zacapu leaves at 5:15.

Mt. Pleasant is beginning a partnership with a sister United Brethren Church in our Mexico National Conference. They look forward to developing new friendships along the way. They will doing some construction on the church and run a week of Vacation Bible School.

Bobby Culler, the church’s youth pastor, has been keeping everyone updated through the trip’s Facebook Page, “Mexico Mission Trip 2010.”

29 Jun Bethany UB and Serve FEST

Teams from Bethany Evangelical UB hard at work with Serve FEST.

From June 24-28, Bethany Evangelical Church (Carlisle, Pa.) held its first Serve FEST to meet some community needs. Thirty teens and adults fanned out in work teams throughout Carlisle and surrounding communities.

• One team built an awning over the new client entrance at Project SHARE, the local food bank.
• Another team pressure-washed and sealed a picnic pavilion in a local park.
• A team of artists decorated “The Shack,” a ministry center for elementary school students in Boiling Springs, Pa.
• Another team cleaned and served lunch at Carlisle CARES, a resource center for the homeless.
• Another team washed windows at the homes of a widow and a young couple who had their first child.

Serve FEST was directed by Amy Moreno (right), Associate Pastor of Christian Education at Bethany Evangelical Church. She also led teaching and worship experiences each evening for the work teams. The teams were fed by volunteers from Bethany.

“We were seeking to find tangible ways we could express the love of Christ while exposing our teens to the needs in our local mission field,” says Pastor Paul Dunbar.

29 Jun Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen

Franklin UB (New Albany, Ohio) held its annual Faith and Freedom Sunday on July 27. Pastor Mike Brown says they use the service to to celebrate our God-given freedoms and honor those in the military who fought to keep them. Local leaders and politicians are invited. They also have “Guests of Honor.”

This year, they honored the Tuskegee Airmen, the military’s first black pilots. However, none of the nine surviving Tuskegee airmen from the Ohio chapter were able to attend–most would now be in their 90s.

21 Jun Chambersburg Group Headed to Mexico

Thirteen people from the Mt. Pleasant Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) are headed to Zacapu, Mexico, July 15-26. They are beginning a partnership with a sister United Brethren in the Mexico National Conference. During their 11 days in Mexico, they will do some construction on the church and run a week of Vacation Bible School. A Facebook page is devoted to the trip.