05 Nov Pastor Appreciation Month in Action

Greg Helman, Senior Pastor, Blue Rock UB (Waynesboro, Pa.)
Blue Rock Church held a roast for me at the Mont Alto Fire Hall to celebrate over 20 years of ministry for me. There was a tremendous turnout for the event. Some people who attended were in my Sunday school class when God called me to be a pastor. At that time, I was the teacher.

Photograph albums, posters, and a ministry scrapbook of weddings and funerals were laid out for all to see. A number of people stood up and spoke from the audience. Two of my children did a Top Ten of things they thought were both funny and serious about me. My wife shared her point of view from the call throughout the last 20-plus years.

Of course, they asked me to share some, and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love through cards, gifts, and kind words. It was a wonderful night of good friends and good food.

David Burkett, Senior Pastor, Mount Morris UB (Mount Morris, Mich.)
For Pastor Appriciation Month this year, I received cards of appreciation, some including gifts of cash or gift cards, throughout the month. Then on Sunday, November 1, we had a “Pack-A-Pew” Sunday. We gave a prize to the person who brought the most first-time visitors. The prize-winner brought six new people with her! Following the morning service we had a potluck dinner at which my family and I were the honored guests.

Tell us how your church recognized Pastor Appreciation Month.

03 Nov A Definite “Yes” for Mount Hope UB Church

Early last Sunday morning, I picked up my good friend Wally before heading to Carson City, Mich., where I was scheduled to speak at Mount Hope United Brethren Church. Wally’s wife, Phylis, was sick with the flu and didn’t want Wally doting on her all day. She just needed to rest.

On the way there, Wally asked what to expect. I told him I had no idea. I believed it was a country church and told him the pastor’s name. Wally and I do a lot of wilderness canoeing trips together, so jumping into the unknown is not an issue.

We arrived at the church and were immediately greeted by folks in the parking lot. Within minutes, all of our display stuff was in the church vestibule and we were enjoying cookies and coffee. We met the pastor, Valerie Reynolds, and discovered that she was raised in Chicago near Wrigley Field. That followed with a lengthy conversation about the proper way to dress a hotdog and whether or not diced tomatoes belong on a dog. Wally grew up in Chicago, too.

The service went well. Sincere people with a sincere faith in God. It was great to hear of 14 people who have recently come to Christ, baptisms, and various outreaches to the community. The congregation was a mix of young and old, professional and blue collar. After the service, there was a potluck lunch in the adjacent building and great conversation around the tables.

Once we had things packed up and were on our way back to Fort Wayne, Wally asked, “So was that what you expected?”

I told him I was pleasantly surprised. Although the church has been there for years, it certainly is not a “has been” church but rather one that remains vital and continues to impact its community and world.

I told Wally, “I always come away from a church visit asking myself if I would attend this church if I lived in the community.” This Sunday, the answer was a definite yes!

01 Nov On the Road: in Oak Harbor, Ohio

Sandy and I spent the morning with Shoreline Church in Oak Harbor, Ohio. We enjoyed worshiping with them and sharing a testimony of God’s leading in our lives. Steve Fish is doing a good job of leading this congregation. He spoke out of John 13-14 about the 4 questions that were asked of Jesus by Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Judas.

It is wonderful to see God at work in the life of Shoreline. They are growing and have a vision to impact the shoreline of Lake Erie with the message of hope that comes from Christ.

30 Oct The Well: A New (But Old) UB Church in Huntington, Ind.

L-r: Bishop Phil Whipple, Cathy Reich (administrative assistant to the bishop and a member of The Well), Kim Chapman (office manager), Josh Kesler (senior pastor), Kevin Whitacre (Pastor of Youth and Pastoral Visitation), and Drew Wutke (Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts).

The Good Shepherd building.

The office of The Well.

Good Shepherd UB church of Huntington, Ind., has been undergoing major, major changes.

Last spring, they decided to sell their large property–a former monastery on a large tract of land–and meet in temporary facilities. August 16 was their final service in the building they had occupied for nearly 30 years.

They met for a few weeks in temporary facilities. Then, on September 13, they began meeting at Flint Springs Elementary School in Huntington. They plan to remain there for at least a year.

On that day, The Well was officially established. That’s the name of the church now. Good Shepherd UB church has effectively closed, and The Well has begun.

The office staff moved into quarters on Old US 24 on the east side of Huntington. A large open area can be used for youth meetings, music practice, and other things (since they have access to the school only on Sunday).

They have a buyer for the property, but the sale isn’t finalized. Nothing’s final until it’s final.

Josh Kesler has been the senior pastor since July 2008.

This congregation started in the 1950s under the name Grayston Avenue UB church, which reflected its location. When they bought the monastery, they changed the name to Good Shepherd.

27 Oct 15 Years for Mt. Zion UB in Philadelphia

The Mount Zion United African Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) celebrated 15 years of service to the city’s African community on October 25. This congregation, which includes a number of immigrants from Sierra Leone, is pastored by Joe Abu.

24 Aug Kids Sell Their Possesions for the Poor

Pastor Tim Hallman prepares to unleash the kids, ready to part with their toys.

On August 17, 2009, Pastor Tim Hallman of Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) preached from Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” The message was directed at children, who gathered around the front of the church.

He gave them an assignment: go through their toys and bring some to church the next Sunday. We would then sell the toys and give the money to the poor–specifically, to a micro-business opportunity in Peru which would benefit a poor family. The money would be channeled through UB endorsed missionary Anna Geivett, who serves with Food for the Hungry in Peru.

These were the options provided by Food for the Hungry:

• $25 buys a fruit-bearing tree which can produce hundreds of pounds of food each year, helping feed that family and produce additional income.
• $20 buys 4 rabbits, which can become 80 rabbits in one year’s time.
• $40 buys a sow, which can produce 20 piglets each year, yielding income for the family. In just six months, each piglet can grow to 200 pounds.
• $150 buys a dairy goat, able to produce up to a gallon of milk each day.

On August 23, the children showed up with all kinds of toys, books, stuffed animals, and other items. After a short message, Tim told the children to walk through the sanctuary with their toys. Adults then bought the items from the children–a quarter, a dollar, a couple dollars. The kids then brought their money to the front of the church, where it was counted. Over a period of about ten minutes, the children sold all of the possession they had brought.

When it was all counted, the total raised came to $241–enough to finance each of the four projects!

It was a great lesson not only for the children, but for adults, who have much bigger toys which could be sold to benefit someone in need.

Emily brought a whole bag of stuffed animals, which she placed on this cart and wheeled around the sanctuary until they were all sold.

Two adults count the money as kids bring it to the front of the church.

19 Aug These Kids Raised Over $800 for Missions

We received this letter from a girl who attends Mount Zion UB in Wayne, Ohio. It was addressed to Darlene Burkett, the Global Ministries administrative assistant. I was touched by the letter. We deposited the money the kids raised into Billy Simbo’s support account.

28 Jul Oak Harbor UB’s New Name: Shoreline

Oak Harbor UB (Oak Harbor, Ohio) has changed its name to Shoreline Church. Steve Fish is the pastor. Oak Harbor is near Lake Erie.

27 Jul Former Mt. Tabor Church Moved to Historical Village

The former Mt. Tabor UB church near Hagerstown, Md., ha been closed for a few years. The building was recently reconstructed at the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum, which portrays life in the country around the 1800s.  It was dedicated on Sunday, July 26. An article in the local Herald-Mail tells about it, with a number of photos.