09 Jul Polly Dunten to Undergo Surgery

Polly Dunten will undergo surgery July 28 to remove a non-malignant tumor from her brain. Polly is the wife of Darwin Dunten (that’s them on the right), senior pastor of First UB church in Findlay, Ohio.

The Duntens traveled to the Cleveland Clinic on July 3, where they learned the following:

• The tumor is larger than they thought.
• It is in a more difficult location and is causing more damage than they thought.
• Polly has lost eye functions and hearing on her left side.
• The tumor is pressing on the brain stem, and is grown into a part of the ear canal.

The tumor must be removed. Darwen reports: “Cleveland’s surgeon will not take all of the tumor, but most of it. He stated that once the surgery is complete, he will reevaluate (at a later date) the tumor to determine if radiation is needed. Currently, radiation is not an option because of the size of the tumor. It would require such a large dose that it would certainly damage the nerve and possibility the brain.  With most of the tumor out, a much smaller dose would be needed.”

Darwin added in a July 3 note, “Please continue to pray as the pain is returning even with the medication. She will be starting a new medication tonight on top of the other meds and its side effect.”

The surgery on July 28 will take 4-5 hours, and Polly will be hospitalized for at least three days. If you want to send a note or card to Polly, you can use this address:

Polly Dunten
701 Cynthia Court
Findlay, OH 45840

06 Jul Congratulations to Bishop Wilber Sites, Jr.

Bishop Emeritus Wilber L. Sites, Jr., was named “Citizen of the Year” by a local Lions Club in Chambersburg, Pa. (Please forgive the Public Opinion newspaper for saying he had served at United Methodist churches, rather than United Brethren.)

06 Jun Welcome, Micheal Dean

Last weekend, Pat Jones and I traveled to Kansas to examine Micheal Dean, a young man applying for a local license. He is pastor of the UB church in Sabetha, Kansas. (Yes, “Micheal” is the correct spelling.)

Micheal is actually a former prison convict, and he and his wife met in an alcohol recovery program at another church. The Lord gloriously saved and redeemed them. Micheal has such a fine spirit. Over dinner, he almost wore me out explaining all of the plans he has for reaching the community, including going back into prisons. Micheal is the real deal.

Michael Longfellow, the cluster leader, and I interviewed Micheal while Pat met with the board downstairs. Then we came together to sing and have prayer. It was a privilege to grant a local license to Micheal.

At one point, Sabetha had lowered its ceiling. They took it out and refurbished the tin roof. It’s now one of the neatest, cleanest small churches we have. I told him as soon as I walked in, “This doesn’t smell like a church.”

19 May Death of Marie Else

Marie Else, wife of Warren Else, who pastored in Kansas, passed away early in the morning on May 19 in Abilene, Kansas.

• Viewing: Thursday, May 22, 6-8 p.m., at Martin Becker Carlson Funeral Home, Abilene, Kansas.
• Funeral: 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Abilene United Brethren church.

13 May Congrats to Tim Hallman

Congratulations to Tim Hallman, pastor of Anchor Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. On Saturday, May 10, he received his M.Div from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. He wrote about the experience on his blog.