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Gary Dilley, pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), sent this note on Thursday afternoon, April 18: “Rev. Howard Cherry has been in the hospital for four weeks. Complications continue to keep him from moving on to rehab. Your continued prayers for the family are appreciated.”
Derek Thrush (right) has been named senior pastor of Devonshire Church in Harrisburg, Pa. Derek has served on staff at Devonshire since 1997, and was ordained in 2002.
Derek is a graduate of Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. , and also holds a Master of Divinity from Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, Pa. He and his wife, Kristen, were married in 1997 and have seven children.
Rev. Howard Cherry (right) has undergone surgery today (April 9)–his third surgery in a short span of days. The family is trusting this is the final step toward moving him on toward rehab and regaining of strength. Your prayers are appreciated.
Howard and Sue Cherry have served in the United Brethren ministry since 1966. From 1979-1992, he was a professor in the Graduate School of Christian Ministry. For the past several years, he has served as minister of Pastoral Care at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.
Cards can be sent to:
Howard Cherry
1 Millside Road
Huntington, IN 46750
S. Douglas Birdsall assumed the presidency of the American Bible Society in March 2013. Dr. Birdsall grew up as a United Brethren preacher’s kid, the son of Dr. S. Roger and Mary Lou Birdsall. He has also been a licensed United Brethren minister.
The American Bible Society, founded in 1816, publishes, distributes, and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible. It publishes the Good News Bible and the more recent Contemporary English Version. The ABS had $67 million in revenue in 2010, with total assets of over $400 million (including a headquarters building in downtown Manhattan).
You can read more about Doug on Wikipedia.
Greg Helman celebrates with the final delivery, which gave him a total of 800 points. He needed nine pins, and as you can see, only one is left standing. Greg’s wife, Marty, secretly took this photo while hiding behind other team members.
Thursday, March 28, was quite a night for Greg Helman (right), senior pastor of Blue Rock UB church (Waynesboro, Pa.). Greg and his wife, Marty, participate in a bowling league. And Greg was on fire. He bowled a perfect game of 300 in the first game. Then he followed with a 266 game and finally a 234 game. That gave him a total of 800 for the series.
Greg wrote, “The picture is of me celebrating after throwing the last ball of my series. I needed 9 pins to reach 800, and that’s what I got leaving only a 10-pin. This was my first 300 game and 800 series since I started bowling at 12 years of age. Each of these accomplishments has earned me a ring from the USBC, which sanctions our league at ABC West in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Needless to say, I was very excited, and my wife, Marty, got the first hug.”
My wife took that picture without me knowing as she hid behind the other team waiting for me to complete my delivery.
Crystal Carpenter at work in Qatar.
Crystal Carpenter is nearing the end of her 11-month National Guard deployment to Qatar. She is the wife of Randy Carpenter, senior pastor of Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.).
Ethan Cox, grandson of UB minister Devon Strine, is at Cleveland Clinic. He will undergo surgery to remove a lesion on his brain. Ethan has been experiencing epileptic seizures for the past three years. Please keep Ethan in your prayers.
Elise Atkins, daughter of Andrew and Jennifer Atkins, has been admitted to the hospital with kidney failure. They are waiting on specialists to assist with the reason for this and will keep us updated. Elise is a senior in high school and was a member of the Global Ministries teams that ministered in Germany in 2010 and 2012. Andrew is pastor of Monticello UB church near Spencerville, Ohio.
Dawn Spangler and her husband, Jay.
Dawn Spangler, pastor of Strinestown UB church (Strinestown, Pa.), is mourning the loss of her son Jay, who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. The funeral service was held at 7 pm on Thursday, March 14, at the Church of the Nazarene in New Cumberland, Pa.
Dawn Spangler, an ordained Nazarene minister, was assigned as pastor of Strinestown UB in May 2012. Her address:
Dawn Spangler
5675 Susquehanna Trail
Manchester, PA 17345
New ministerial licensees. Top row (l-r): David Holt, Todd Moser, John Authenreith, Ben Gladhill, Stuart Johns. Bottom row (l-r): Matt Kennedy, Andrew Sikora, Kevin Whitacre, Erin Stringer, Victor Collins.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team approved ten ministerial licenses during their meeting on March 4, 2013. All of these persons currently hold senior pastor or staff positions at United Brethren churches.
Provisional License
David Holt, senior pastor of East Ovid UB church (Coldwater, Mich.).
Todd Moser, Children’s Ministry Director at New Horizons Community Church (Rockford, Ohio).
National Conference License
John Authenreith, Pastor of Worship Arts at Mainstreet Church (Walbridge, Ohio).
Benjamin Gladhill, Associate Pastor of Christian Education at Lake View Church (Camden, Mich.).
Stuart Johns, senior pastor of Idaville Church (Idaville, Pa.).
Matthew Kennedy, associate pastor of Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
Andrew Sikora, senior pastor of Renew Communities (Berea, Ohio).
Kevin Whitacre, Pastor of Spiritual Care at Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
Specialized Ministries
Erin Stringer, Director of Word/Walk Ministries at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
Ordination
Victor Collins, associate pastor of Kilpatrick Church (Woodland, Mich.).
