28 Aug Gary Vanderveen Starts in Florida
Gary Vanderveen, formerly a UB pastor in Michigan, is now pastor of Faith UB church in Port Orange, Fla. His first Sunday was August 13.
21 Aug Sharing Christ in Mozambique
Phil Whipple (right), senior pastor of Colwood UB church in Caro, Mich., recently participated in a trip to Mozambique. He writes:
“On Wednesday evening, July 16, I joined three people from the Lamotte Missionary Church on a journey to London, England. There we met up with nine others from three different Missionary Churches in Indiana and flew on to South Africa and eventually to northern Mozambique. We arrived on Saturday evening safe and sound and ready for almost anything but a plane ride.
“I preached the first Sunday in Montepuez, a city of 65,000, at a church that was going to work with us to plant a new church in the village of Massigir located 13 kilometers from this church. On Monday and the rest of the week, my teammate and I went to Massigir to do an hour of training, and then we hit the streets of our village to share the story of God’s love to a precious people.
“In our village, over 260 people came to faith in Jesus during the week. The last Sunday I had the privilege of sharing in the brand new church in Massigir. Our total team saw over 1200 people come to trust in Jesus Christ.”
04 Aug Pastoral Changes
- Randy Carpenter has resigned as pastor of Oak Harbor UB church in Oak Harbor, Ohio.
- Ron Gonzales has resigned as pastor of Faith Community Church in Findlay, Ohio, effective at the end of August.
- Roger Burk, former fulltime superintendent of Michigan Conference, has been hired part-time to work with worship and small groups at East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich.
02 Aug Heart O’ the Lakes Youth Pastor
Nathan Baumann has been hired as fulltime Assistant Pastor for Youth at Heart O’ the Lakes UB, Brooklyn, Mich., effective June 12.
31 Jul Pastoral Changes
- John Brainard was named supply pastor of Living Word UB church in Columbus, Ohio. His first day will be August 13. He is licensed with the Southern Baptist Convention and is not yet ordained by the UB church.
- Dan Bentz, former associate pastor of Eden UB church (Mason, Mich.), will be assuming the role of senior pastor.
- Gary VanderVeen, pastor of Calvary UB church in Saginaw, Mich., will become senior pastor of Faith UB (Port Orange, Fla.) in mid-August.
- Nathan Baumann was hired on June 13 as the new assistant pastor for youth at Heart O’ the Lakes UB, Brooklyn, Mich.
21 Jul UB Pastor Publishes Book on Daniel
Rev. Bob Conway, a retired United Brethren minister, has published a book called Decoding Daniel, a commentary on the book of Daniel. If you are interesting in obtaining a copy, you can order one for $15 (which includes tax and postage), from: Robert Conway, 597 Houser Road, Fayetteville, PA 17222.
After 17 years as pastor of the Orrstown (Pa.) UB church, Conway retired to write, speak, and teach. He has taught biblical studies to laypersons and pastors for continuing education units for the past ten years.
Bishop Ron Ramsey has granted him permission to continue teaching courses for credit. Some of the studies include:
1. Bible Prophecy.
2. Unsealing Revelation
3. Isaiah
4. Decoding Daniel
5. Probing the Parables
6. The Believer and the Law
7. The Life of Paul and His Teachings
8. The Life of Christ
9. The Passion Week of Christ
10. Biblical Theology.
Each course lasts ten hours, and is usually taught over five evenings or two days. For information, contact Rev. Conway at the above address.
21 Jul Atlantic Avenue Hires New Staffperson
Patrick Daugherty has been hired as Pastor of Church Development at Atlantic Avenue UB, Franklin, Pa., effective September 3.
07 Jul Don and Gloria Dennie Retired (Again)
Don Dennie (above) and his wife, Gloria, concluded their ministry at Olive Branch UB (Lakeville, Ind.) on July 2. The congregation held an appreciation dessert night on June 29, and after the service on July 2, over 40 people went to a nearby restaurant for a going-away meal.
The Dennies first came to Lakeville in 1989, serving there for six years. They returned in an interim capacity in August 2002, and two months later were officially stationed there for what became another four-year stint. They have now moved back to their home in Fort Wayne, Ind.
29 Jun Two Pastoral Appointments
Ken Himebaugh has been appointed senior pastor of Pleasant Valley UB (Lake Odessa, Mich.) effective August 1. Cluster leader Mark Ralph, pastor of Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.) will meet with Pleasant Valley’s personnel team in the next few weeks to work out the salary agreement.
Howard Beaver has been named senior pastor of Mt. Olivet UB Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) effective July 15. Cluster leader Milt Herrold, pastor of Orrstown UB (Orrstown, Pa.), and the Personnel Relations Commission from Mt. Olivet worked through the processes needed to make this appointment.
28 Jun Rev. John Christophel’s Father Dies
John Christophel, pastor of Brooklyn Park UB in Baltimore, Md., has suffered the loss of his father. Wayne Christophel, R., passed away June 27 from a heart attack. It was a shock, since he appeared to be improving after a transplant surgery. Address: John Christophel & Family, 124 W. Hilltop Road, Baltimore, MD 21225.