01 Feb Happenings in Rockford, Ill.

Barry Skinner, pastor of Kilburn Avenue UB (Rockford, Ill.), sent this note:

In November 2009, I had the honor of baptizing my ten-year-old grandson, Spencer, and a friend’s daughter, 18-year-old Rose. My younger son Joshua is resurfacing our baptismal tank, and we are redoing the plumbing and top to make it easier to use. We have finished painting the children’s Sunday school room, and now we will add trim and border and an interlocking colorful floor mat system. Little by little, we will keep updating as we can.

In addition:

• Eight of us from the church, along with three others, will attend the Iron Sharpens Iron conference in Rockford on March 13.
• We will be collecting a special offering this month for Haiti, and we will send that to the UB headquarters to make sure the money is applied where it is needed.
• We are participating in the Rockford Rescue Mission services. I will preach there this Easter.

18 Jan Good Things Happening in Reedsville, W. Va.

Marshall Woods, pastor of Mill Chapel UB (Reedsville, W. Va.), sent this report:

“Two years ago we added a $260,000 addition, which included classrooms, restrooms, a large fellowship hall, and expansion of the sanctuary. We baptized 45 people in 2009 and 30 in 2008. Ministries to teens, children, men, and women are active. God is great and doing great things!”

18 Jan Brooklyn Park Dedicates New Youth Center

Brooklyn Park UB (Baltimore, Md.) dedicated its new after-school youth center on Sunday, January 17. Using $28,000 in donations, they built a 2000-square-foot addition to the parsonage basement. It features several pool tables, Skeeball, a shuffleboard table, and video games. A bar serving soda occupies one corner, and a wood-burning stove occupies another.

It’s named in memory of Maranda Callendar, a local 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head and later died. “If the kids had somewhere to hang out, maybe things would have gone in a different direction,” says Maranda’s stepmother, Chrissy Callendar.

They had been using the parsonage basement as a youth center. About 20 teens would gather there to hang out and play games. By 2006, about 180 different youth, ages 6-18, and come there. But they needed more room. The center was closed for several months so they could complete the expansion.

Local businesses donated walls, flooring, concrete for the foundation, and the wood-pellet stove. Local residents and even other churches contributed. Youth helped with the construction.

15 Jan Rejoicing in Heaven, and in Holly Hill

Josh McKeown, from First UB church of Holly, Hill, Fla., sent this note on Wednesday, January 13:”Tonight during our youth service called The F.L.O.K. we had four youth accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. We were all so excited to be a part of this awesome experience in their lives and thank God for allowing us to be involved in His plan.”

04 Jan New Websites: Colwood and Banner of Christ

Two Michigan churches recently published new websites. Nice ones. You might want to take a look.

• Banner of Christ UB (Byron Center, Mich.).
• Colwood UB (Caro, Mich.).

28 Dec The Eve of Christmas Eve

Michael Mitchell of Lighthouse Community (Williamston, Mich.) says. “We always have a Christmas Eve’s Eve Candlelight service on the night before Christmas Eve, with desserts and appetizers afterwards. That way, everyone can be with their families on Christmas Eve and still be with their church family during this special season.”

28 Dec Over 650 Nativity Sets in Rockford, Ill.

Barry Skinner, pastor of Kilburn Avenue UB (Rockford, Ill.), reported concerning their Christmas activities: “Our annual nativity walk went well December 12-13. We had over 650 nativity sets and scenes from around the world. The church gave out cookies, drinks, and candy canes along with a nativity story book and three-dimensional nativity scenes with instructions for assembling them.

“We did a series (4 weeks) on the true Christmas story about the character of Mary, Joseph, the wise men, and the shepherds and wrapped it up with the reason Christ came.”

17 Dec Closing of Fountain Hills Community Church

Fountain Hills Community Church (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) voted to close on December 8, 2009.Bishop Phil Whipple was on hand to lead the meeting.

Fountain Hills UB, in the Phoenix area,  was founded in 1974 by Rev. Ed Mast. Other pastors over the years have included Don Dennie, Steve Gilbertson, and most recently, Jim Fitz.

That leaves just one United Brethren church in Arizona: Templo Cristiano Corona de Victoria, a Hispanic congregation that meets in the building which formerly housed the Anglo Faith UB church. Nohemi Peralta is the pastor.

15 Dec Christmas Jazz at Morocco UB

Morocco Church (Temperance, Mich.) is reaching out to the community and sharing the joy of Jesus!  For the last few years, Morocco has invited the Ida High School Jazz Band to perform, and they did that again on December 14.

After the band played several Christmas hymns and songs with a jazz flare, everyone went to the fellowship room for free hot coca, punch, and lots of goodies. It’s a great way to celebrate Christmas and get people into the church, which was beautifully decorated for the holidays.

08 Dec Christmas Shoeboxes and the Pastor’s New Clothes

Judy Fortner, Pastor Greg Voight, and all the shoeboxes.

L-r: Pastor Greg Voight with Joe Crawford and John Fortner and the loaded SUV.

Lancaster UB pastor Greg Voight will be wearing his Sunday best, at least during December.

In October, the local WMF president, Judy Fortner, decided to make Operation Christmas Child a high priority. She challenged the congregation to donate 75 shoeboxes for the Franklin Graham organization, Samaritan’s Purse.

Not to be outdone, Pastor Greg Voight opened up his rather considerable mouth and challenged the congregation to double it…150 boxes. In fact, he made a friendly bet with the congregation that if they could do 150 boxes, he would wear a suit and tie every Sunday in December.  If the congregation fell short, they would have to sit up front for the whole month.

Shoeboxes began to pour in. The eventual Grand Total: 185 boxes for kids around the world (including enough postage in a special offering to cover all the shipping). As a result, Pastor Greg got his best duds ready and God is reaching around the world through one local church.

“Our people really rallied around the challenge of putting their faith into action in a real and tangible way,” says Pastor Voight. “As so often happens with God, we have been blessed far more than the blessing we’re sending. It started a renewal and a sense of joy and purpose that is amazing. Praise God!”