24 Jul Jeff Pelley Convicted of Four 1989 Murders

On April 30, 1989, Rev. Robert Pelley didn’t show up for church. Eventually, two men went over to the parsonage, where a grisly scene awaited them. Robert Pelley (38), wife Dawn (32), and two of Dawn’s daughters from a previous marriage, Janel (8) and Jolene (6), were found dead. They have been killed with a shotgun. Jeff’s sister Jacqueline and stepsister Jessica were not home at the time.

Jeff Pelley (center) with sister Jacqueline and private investigator Scott Campbell

Seventeen years later, Jeff Pelley was convicted of the murders. The case was reopened four years ago, and after a six-day trial which included nearly 40 witnesses, jurors returned a guilty verdict after deliberating for 34 hours. Jeff, the son of Robert Pelley, is now 34 and has been living in Florida with his wife.

The evidence was mostly circumstantial. No murder weapon has been found, and no fingerprints linked Pelley to the crime itself. Rather, the prosecution relied on a carefully constructed timelime which put Jeff Pelley at the parsonage during a particular 20 minute period. After murdering his parents and stepsisters, the prosecution contended, Pelley went to high school prom with his girlfriend. The motive, argued the prosecution, concerned arguments with his father over weekend restrictions which would allow Jeff to go to the prom, but to no other activities. Police located him at the Great America theme part with friends the day after the murders.

After spending a few minutes with his wife and sister, Jacqueline, Pelley was led away in handcuffs. Sentencing is set for September 15.

21 Jul Youth/Worship Staff Opening

NorthPointe Community Church (Lewis Center, Ohio) is seeking to hire a Celebration (Contemporary Worship) and Youth staffperson. NorthPointe is located in the Greater Columbus area. If interested, contact Lead Pastor Dan Kopp for a ministry description and to submit a resume. Email him or write to: Dan Kopp, 7509 Storrington Place, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035.

17 Jul Franklin UB’s Freedom and Faith Sunday

On Sunday, July 2 Franklin UB Church (New Albany, Ohio) held its second annual Freedom and Faith Sunday. The purpose of Freedom and Faith Sunday is to celebrate the freedoms we have in America, including the freedom to worship God and practice our faith as He directs us. Many political guests were invited, including Ohio’s Governor Bob Taft and area politicians. Though the Governor was unable to attend, a special congratulatory note was sent on his behalf.

The church is located in the city of New Albany and the mayor and city council declared in a proclamation that July 2 was Freedom and Faith Sunday for the city, recognizing Franklin Church. Guests included the City Council President (the Mayor had to be in Canada), a township Trustee, two of the three Franklin County commissioners, City of Columbus Mayor’s representative Rick Isbel, and several other special guests. The local NBC TV affialiate, Channel 4, gave favorable coverage to the event on both their Sunday and Monday news broadcast.

14 Jul Renovations and “40 Days” at Hillsdale UB

On July 8, Les and Linda Smith moved out of the parsonage at Hillsdale UB (Hillsdale, Mich.), so that it can be renovated into an office complex; the attached garage will become a conference room/classroom. The Smiths have lived next door to each of the three UB churches they have served during the past 25 years.

Currently, two staff members must share one office and a part-time pastor does not have one. The six offices at the church are scattered throughout the building in four areas. The new office complex will provide an office for each staffperson. The new office for Pastor Les will be his former bedroom.

Hillsdale UB has two Sunday morning services in two locations of the church–a more traditional service in the sanctuary and a contemporary service in the Worship Center (gym). For three years, 400 chairs have been setup and taken down each week for the second service. The parsonage renovation will allow the church offices to be used for additional lobby space and will relieve the bottleneck between services.

Two new parking lots have just been completed. One was a large expansion of the existing lot at the rear of the church, while the other replaced the front lawn of the former parsonage, so visitors to the new office complex will be able to park close by.

In June, Hillsdale completed a 40 Days of Purpose Campaign. Prior to the campaign, the congregation had eight home groups with about 80 participants. During the six-week campaign this number grew to more than 400 participants meeting in over 40 small groups. This included about three-quarters of the adult congregation as well as a number of unchurched people. Most of the groups are continuing to meet despite the end of the 40 days, while others plan to resume in the fall.

At the Ministry Fair held on the fifth Sunday of the campaign, around 350 signed up to serve in one or more of the dozens of ministry opportunities being offered both within the church and community.

10 Jul Update on the Pelley Murders

In 1989, Rev. Robert and Dawn Pelley, along with two daughters, were murdered in the parsonage of the Olive Branch UB church in Lakeville, Ind. On July 10, son Jeff Pelley is scheduled to go on trial for the murders.

14 Jun Pews and Hymnals – For Whoever Needs Them

Church Pews. PraisePoint UB church of Willshire, Ohio, has sold its former church building, and the new owners are not interested in the pews. They plan to convert the building into a home. So, PraisePoint is looking for someone who could use the pews. They ask only that a donation be made, as their means provide.
The pews are light oak. They all match, and have medium blue-green padded seats. They have 16 11-foot pews and 4 14-foot pews. If interested, please respond by email.
United Brethren Hymnals. Grace UB church of Manlius has closed. They have 58 copies of the red-cover 1973 United Brethren hymnal, plus two three-ring binder hymnals for piano and organ use. June 19 Update: Ruth Faber reports that the hymnals have been mailed to the Liberty UB Church in Stockport, Ohio.

07 Jun Arrests Made in Yesterday’s Park Layne Fire

Two men were arrested Tuesday, June 6, for starting a fire early that morning at the Park Layne UB church in New Carlisle, Ohio. Both men, David Taylor and Brandon Marlow, are accused of breaking into the church and setting it on fire. Investigators say tips from the community led to the arrests.

Tom Brodbeck, superintendent of Central Conference, visited the church site yesterday. He reports: “The building is a total loss. I didn’t go down into the basement, but the upstairs is gone. The fire was started in the pastor’s office, and everything there is a pile of ashes. All of [Pastor Roland Albert’s] books and files were lost. The front half of the sanctuary is ruined due to the heat. The keys on the organ are melted together. Things like hymnals and offering plates are singed or warped.”

The Bethel Township Fire Department has offered its firehouse to the church as a temporary worship facility. Prince of Peace UB church in Springfield, about 20 miles away, offered Park Layne the use of its facility. However, according to Brodbeck, “At this time, the church is thinking that if the weather is good, it would like to worship in a shelter house on its property as a symbol to the community that it is still present.”

Brodbeck offered two interesting side notes. “Auglaize Conference had three churches built from the same set of blueprints: Park Layne, Otterbein, and Monroe. Arson fires have now happened in two of those churches. The fire at Otterbein led to the relocation of the congregation into what is now New Horizons Church (Rockford, Ohio).”

In addition, Park Layne is in the same cluster as the Pleasant Hill UB church near Muncie, Ind., which suffered a fire in May of 2005. Brodbeck says, “Pastor Roland Albert attended the May 7th dedication of the rebuilt Pleasant Hill Church and was rejoicing at how God used the ‘evil’ of a fire to bring about something wonderful for that congregation. He told me that he is certain God will do the same thing for Park Layne.”

Echoing that thought, Pastor Albert told a reporter, “We’re very positive. We know that God is in charge and we’re going to keep on doing what we do best and that’s saving souls.”

06 Jun Another Fire: Park Layne UB in Ohio

Arson is suspected as the cause of a fire which started about 4:00 this morning (Tuesday), causing extensive damage to the Park Layne UB church in New Carlisle, Ohio. The pastor is Roland Albert. That is all the information we have at this time.

02 Jun More Info on the Fire at Jerusalem Chapel

Here is some more information regarding the fire that struck Jerusalem Chapel UB on Thursday, May 29. Jerusalem Chapel is a congregation with an attendance of 375 located near Churchville, Va.

• The oldest part of the church, including the sanctuary and Sunday school area, is what burned. Firefighters took a stand to protect the new sanctuary at a firewall between it and the already-engulfed oldest portion of the structure. The new sanctuary was built in 1990.
• Jerusalem Chapel held its usual two morning worship services on the Sunday after the fire, but Sunday school was canceled. Projected on a screen above the pulpit were the words: “We praise God that we are able to worship today in this sanctuary.”
• Congregation members Mitch Acord and Craig Smith were praying in the church about 5:30 a.m.–a regular ritual–when they heard a crackle. When they investigated and smelled smoke, they called the fire department.
• At the time of the fire, Pastor Dennis and Annette Sites were returning from Alaska, where a daughter has been serving as a missionary. They learned about the fire from their daughter Tabitha, back in Virginia, who called them in Denver.
• The damage is estimated at $750,000. The church is insured for $2 million.
• Investigators pinpointed decades-old wiring as the cause. They think a wire running from underneath a floorboard to the attic burned through its coating, and shorted after brushing up against a nail or another wire.
• The church dates back to around 1902, though a church has occupied that site since the 1850s.