15 Jan January 13: Day 4 of General Conference

Ajiax Wo gives his report as superintendent of Hong Kong Conference. L-r: Brian Magnus (chair), Donna Hollopeter (secretary), Ajiax, and Orville Brown (translator).

Theresa Musa and Billy Simbo (Sierra Leone) during the prayer time for Haiti. Billy also opened with the day's devotional.

Juan Pavon Pavon (Nicaragua) speaking.

Laughter: the universal language. L-r: Isaac Nugent (Jamaica), Denis Casco (Mexico), Ajiax Wo (Hong Kong).

The Honduran women fed everyone well, three meals a day.

Juanita Chavez, Honduran superintendent, talks about her country's long-range plan.

The closing prayer time.

Wednesday’s General Conference meeting opened with a devotional from Billy Simbo, bishop of Sierra Leone conference. He used the story where Jesus brought a huge catch of fish to an astonished Peter and his fellow fishermen.

The group then spent some time praying for Haiti and for Superintendent Oliam Richard, who at that point was traveling to the La Ceiba airport with Denis Casco (bishop of Mexico), hoping to get a flight to Haiti. (He eventually opted to stay in La Ceiba. The January 13 posts tell about that.)

Ajiax Wo, superintendent of Hong Kong Conference, was welcomed to his first full day of General Conference. He got hung up in New York City, needing a Honduran vissa. He reported on the ministry in Hong Kong. Karis Vong, the other Hong Kong delegate, had reported in his place, but restricted her report to Macau, where she ministers.

The delegates discussed, and unanimously passed, two changes to the international governing documents:

1. Changing the frequency of General Conference from 4-3 years.
2. Reducing representation to just two persons for each national conference–the highest governing leader, plus one other person (doesn’t need to be a minister).

Next: they approved changes to the governing documents of the various national conference. One role of the General Conference is to monitor changes in the member documents to make sure they remain in conformity with United Brethren doctrine and core values.

Each national conference mentioned any significant changes to its governing documents. There were various structural changes in some conferences, but nothing that caused any concern. All changes were approved. As expected.

A few miscellaneous matters were cared for. Then Brian Magnus called for someone to adjourn this 50th meeting of the General Conference.

They adjourned.

But before you drive away….

The executive committee met for a while. They re-elected Brian Magnus as chairman of the International Executive Committee, a position he has held since 2001. The executive committee will decide where the next General Conference is held, in 2013.

The delegates reassembled for a presentation on the long-range plan of Honduras Conference by Abdiel Lopez, a Guatemalan whose organization is assisting the conference.

And THEN everyone was done for the afternoon. Most of the delegates squeezed time in at the local mall–just like any modern mall in the United States–before supper and the evening service.

14 Jan The Dwindling Fellowship of the Meeting

L-r: Jeff Bleijerveld, Phil Whipple, and Alan Simbo in Chicago.

Steve Dennie (left) and Jeff Bleijerveld waiting for the flight to Fort Wayne...home,

A tired group of General Conference delegates left the Gran Paris Hotel in La Ceiba, Honduras, at 4:15 a.m. The conference bus (“Followers of the Lord” in bit white letters across the windshield, but in Spanish) came to pick us up. David Raudales, director of the Bethel Band and son of Francisco and Maira Raudales, tagged along with the bus driver to see us off.

The two Guatamalans, Francisco Najera and Rolando Valenzuela, deboarded at the bus station on the outskirts of town. The rest of us continued on to San Pedro Sula.

In San Pedro, the Americans, Jamaicans, and Sierra Leoneans boarded a flight for Miami about 9:30. they left four persons behind. Carlos Quesada, a workshop leader, would be catching a flight to Brazil to continue his presentations on behalf of Operation Mobilization. Jeff Dice waited for a flight to Costa Rica. And the two Canadians, Brian Magnus and Paul Plato, also had a later flight back to Canada.

In Miami, we lost Winston Smith and Isaac Nugent, who continued on to Jamaica. That left five Americans and three Sierra Leoneans.

On to Chicago. There, the Sierra Leoneans and Americans parted company. Billy and Alan Simbo were heading to Philadelphia, while Theresa Musa caught a flight for Baltimore.

Phil Whipple waiting for the flight to Fort Wayne.

That left the Americans waiting for a tiny American Eagle flight to Fort Wayne, Ind. Phil Whipple, Jeff Bleijerveld, Jason and Donna Hollopeter, and Steve Dennie arrived in Fort Wayne just after 8:30.

Meanwhile, back in Honduras….

• The Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans left Wednesday night, driving home.
• Oliam Richard would left this morning from La Ceiba, hoping to make his way to stricken Haiti. (We were happy to see, in Miami, that a scheduled flight to Port au Prince was On Time.)
• Denis Casco left Thursday from the La Ceiba airport, heading back to Mexico.
• Ajiax Wo and Karis Vong began their journey back to Hong Kong in late afternoon.

And that’s it. The end of a great meeting.

12 Jan Jan 12: Day Three of General Conference

Bishop Winston Smith of Jamaica gives the morning devotions.

Billy Simbo (with the Sierra Leonean flag) reported on the work in Sierra Leone.

Steve Dennie (with translator Orville Brown) leading a seminar on "Communications in the Age of the Internet."

L-r: Ajiax Wo (Hong Kong Superintendent), Jeff Dice (UB missionary), Karis Vong (Hong Kong delegate).

David Raudales (on keyboard) and Orville Brown led singing during the Tuesday night service.l

Bishop Phil Whipple preaching Tuesday night.

The highlight of Tuesday was most definitely accepting Guatemala as a new United Brethren national conference. But a lot more happened.

Bishop Winston Smith (Jamaica) began the day with devotions.

Three national conferences still had to report on their countries.

• Superintendent Juan Pavon Pavon reported on the work in Nicaragua and its two mission district, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
• Bishop Billy Simbo told about the work in Sierra Leone.
• Bishop Phil Whipple reported for the United States. He told the delegates, “As I give this report, I am largely telling you things that have happened over the past four years, and I have only been there four months. But I’m excited about where God is taking us with the United Brethren church in the USA.”

After lunch came two workshops.

• Carlos Quesada, a Costa Rican who works with Operation Mobilization and has lived in Mauritania for nine years, gave a fascinating presentation on Muslims.
• Steve Dennie, UB Communications Director, led a discussion about technology and the internet.

Other highlights of the day:

• For the second day in a row, we had sunshine.
• As we prepared to begin the afternoon excursion, Superintendent Ajiax Wo of Hong Kong arrived. It was great to see him join the group, although belatedly.
• Bishop Phil Whipple spoke in the evening service, held at one of the United Brethren churches in La Ceiba.

12 Jan Guatemala Becomes the 10th UB Conference

The General Conference delegates pray over Francisco Najera (left) and Rolando Valenzuela of Guatemala Conference.

L-r: Translator Orville Brown, Supt. Juan Pavon Pavon of Nicaragua, Brian Magnus, Donna Hollopeter.

Francisco Najera talking about the work in Guatemala.

On Tuesday afternoon of General Conference, January 12, the 13 United Brethren churches of Guatemala were officially accepted as the 10th national conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ International. The recommendation was signed by the various national conference leaders attending.

Up to this point, Guatemala has been a mission district of Nicaragua Conference. Juan Pavon Pavon, superintendent of Nicaragua, gave the background.

A leader from his church in Masaya, Nicaragua, was on his way to Mexico, but had to stay in Guatemala for a couple days. He met a family that was interested in starting a church, and they inquired about the United Brethren. One thing led to another, and Juan Pavon received an invitation to come visit Guatemala.

Juan spoke to them about United Brethren doctrine and the way we work, and they liked what they heard. Things took off from there. A church started in that neighborhood, and now there are many branches in that neighborhood. They also worked to secure the proper legal documentation, and to organize a board of directors according to Guatemalan law.

Juan then asked Superintendent Francisco Najera to share more about the work in Guatemala.

Francisco was there from the beginning. “When the work was starting and I arrived at the location, I reconciled to God at that church.” He said some new churches started when members relocated, others through friendships they developed with other Christians who have now joined them and accepted the United Brethren vision.

“In Guatemala, it is not very hard to establish a church,” he said. “I live in an area with 50,000 people. There are no churches with 1000 members. That tells me a great outreach can be done. There are many churches, but more people to reach.”

He also gave this information:

• There are now 13 churches and church plants in Guatemala.
• “This was a very good year for growth. We had 176 baptisms.”
• The combined attendance of the churches is 580.
• Out of our 13 churches, 11 own their own properties, with legal documents in the name of the mission.
• All of the churches have children’s ministry, with 295 children in all.
• Each church has its own pastor.
• There are three ordained ministers, and three with a license.

The recommendation from the examining committee stated:

Having reviewed the governing documents and interviewed representatives of the General Conference, we do hereby recommend their acceptance as a national conference of the United Brethren in Christ.

Together with this recommendation, we would also recommend that we continue working with this new conference to provide opportunities for continuing education for its pastors and leaders, particularly in regard to United Brethren theology and doctrine.

Bishop Billy Simbo of Sierra Leone said, “I move that we accept the recommendation.” It was approved unanimously.

Bishop Brian Magnus of Canada then directed everyone to gather around the two Guatemalan delegates, Francisco Najera and Rolando Valenzuela. They laid hands on them in prayer as Rev. Jose Ramirez of Honduras prayed.

Five years ago, there were 7 national conferences. We added 2 in 2005. And now there are 10.

12 Jan General Conference: A Praise, a Prayer Need

We’re rejoicing that Ajiax Wo, superintendent of Hong Kong Conference, finally made it to La Ceiba. He’s getting checked into the hotel now. He’s running on just a couple hours of sleep, having slept overnight in the New Orleans airport before catching a flight this morning to Houston, and then on to Honduras. But he’s here, and very happy about it.

Bishop Phil Whipple will preach tonight at one of the Honduran churches here in La Ceiba. Last night, Francisco Najera of Guatemala gave a dynamic message in a highly energetic service.

Unfortunately, Phil has been having some stomach problems–nothing serious, but enough to be very discomforting. You might say a prayer, that he’ll be just fine tonight.

11 Jan Translating from Spanish to…Spanish?

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries, translating at General Conference.

As Juanita Chavez began her Monday morning devotional, the Honduran translator hadn’t yet arrived. So Jeff Bleijerveld began translating.

Juanita said something in Spanish, Jeff took it in, evidently translated it mentally to English…and then spoke it back to us in Spanish. This happened several times, and Jeff had no idea what he was doing…until people started chuckling. Then he finally realized what he was doing.

“I told you I wasn’t a good translator,” he laughed.