26 Aug Chuck Causey Named Interim Pastor
Chuck Causey has been named as interim pastor at Faith Church in Port Orange.
20 Aug Dirk and Julie Small in Car Accident
Dirk Small, pastor of the Idaville UB church (Idaville, Pa.), and his wife Julie were in an accident August 13. Dirk wrote on August 19, “I am now home, but incapacitated. Julie is fully recovered, praise the Lord! On Wednesday, August 13, Julie and I were relaxing on our bike before prayer meeting, and I lost control on a newly paved road. We were traveling around 35 miles per hour and had no impact on anything.
“The slide did major damage to my body. I was taken to Hershey via Life Lion and there my spleen was removed. I have several broken ribs also. I’m on a heavy regiment of percacet, but the pain is still hard to manage. My incision, which runs from my chest to the groin, is healing nicely. I expect to be laid up for a couple of weeks yet. God does some wonderful things in your spirit when you become completely vulnerable to Him.”
14 Aug Among Ministers
- Calhoun Hodgson has been assigned to plant a church in Dansville, Mich., effective August 1. The church is called Heritage UB Church.
- Al Carter began his tenure as pastor of West Pleasant Hill UB (Rockbridge, Ohio) on August 3. He concluded his ministry as senior pastor of Hillsdale UB (St. Mary’s, Ohio) on July 31. The Hillsdale church will be unassigned for now.
- Dennis Rowe began serving as senior pastor of Living Word UB (Columbus, Ohio) on August 3.
- Todd Yoder announced his resignation as youth pastor at Monroe UB (Monroe, Ind.) to accept a similar position at Jerusalem Chapel UB (Churchville, Va., Mid-Atlantic Conference). That resignation is effective August 31.
14 Aug Monticello UB Provides Van for Ken Smith
Ken Smith (right) and Titus Boggs.
Ken Smith, pastor of the Cedar Chapel UB church in Big Laurel, Kent., was involved in a serious car accident over a year ago. But after 17 surgeries (with more on the way), Ken has recently been released to drive. Due to his need for a wheelchair, he asked the Lord for a van with sliding doors on both sides. Titus Boggs, director of the Laurel Mission, took this request to the July meeting of Central Annual Conference.
The Monticello UB church, near Spencerville, Ohio, worked with Tom Ahl of Lima, Ohio, on purchasing a van that would allow Ken to pull his wheelchair into the van through the sliding door. Several other UB churches in the area played a part.
On July 26, Monticello group delivered a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan to Laurel Mission. They had the privilege of seeing Ken drive to church on his own for the first time in over a year.
30 Jul Among Ministers….
- In May, David Leraaen became part-time associate pastor of HomeFront UB in Grandville, Mich.
- Rick Fischl will assume the role of Superintendent of Pastoral Development for Mid-Atlantic Conference as of July 1. He is replacing John Shubert.
- John Lang has been named the Appointed Leader of Rock River Church Extension District, effective immediately. He is taking over for Ralph Faber.
- Brian Allbright is the new senior pastor of Freeport UB (Freeport, Mich.) effective July 6. He will continue pastoring the Woodbury UB church in Lake Odessa, Mich.
- Paul Dunbar is serving as interim pastor of Lurgan UB (Shippensburg, Pa.) as of July 1.
- Edsel Calhoun, Jr. is the new senior pastor of Crellin UB (Crellin, Md.) as of July 1. David Shisler had been serving as interim pastor at Crellin.
- Harold Fry is retiring as of July 1 and will no longer be employed as visitation pastor at Jerusalem Chapel (Churchville, Va.).
- As of June 28, Kent Haines is Pastor of Assimilation and Evangelism at Cochranton Community UB (Cochranton, Pa.).
30 Jul Among Ministers….
- Dennis Rowe is senior pastor of Living Word UB in Columbus, Ohio, effective August 3. He had been pastoring a UB church in Florida.
- Jeff Dice is fulltime Discipleship Pastor of Brown Corners UB (Clare, Mich.) effective July 1.
- Gary Gates is the new senior pastor of South Scipio UB, Harlan, Ind.
03 Jul Martin Magnus Undergoes Surgery
Brian Magnus sent this update on his father, Martin Magnus, who underwent major surgery in May to remove a brain tumor. On June 25, they learned that test results on the tumor show that it was benign. “His head is healing up nicely and he doesn’t need to return to see the doctor for a full year. On the cautious side, the doctor said that the base of the tumor was pretty big, so there’s a chance it could grow back. They also need to keep a close watch on his blood clot medication. He has his blood tested every three days to check that medication level.”
12 Jun Martin Magnus Has Surgery
Retired minister Martin Magnus underwent major surgery in May to remove a brain tumor. He was doing well, but had a set-back over the weekend. Martin’s son, Brian, sent this note Monday morning:
“He had been steadily improving after the removal of his brain tumor one month ago, and had even travelled to Port Elgin, Ontario, for our United Brethren National Conference this weekend. But before he and Mom could return home to Kitchener, he began experiencing chest pains, shortness of breath, and heartbeat irregularity. He was rushed by ambulance to the Owen Sound hospital and from there to St. Mary’s hospital in Kitchener, Ontario.
“They discovered that he has blood clots in both lungs and one leg and immediately put him on blood thinners. Unless things change he’s predicted to be in St. Mary’s hospital (7th floor) for about 10 days.”
12 Jun Among Ministers….
- Donald Barrett resigned as senior pastor of Bethel UB (Elmore, Ohio), effective May 25.
- Josh Kesler will be assigned as the senior pastor at Bethel beginning sometime in September.
- James Pryor is the new senior pastor of Mt. Olivet UB (Franklin Co.) in Chambersburg, Pa., effective July 1. He was previously associate pastor of Dillman UB (Warren, Ind.).
- We received word that Robert W. Mueller, a retired pastor from Central Conference, passed away recently. His last address was in Indianapolis, Ind.
- Jim Pryer has been named senior pastor of Mt. Olivet Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) in Mid-Atlantic Conference effective July 1, 2003.
- Ben Geiser, as of May 1, is Associate Pastor of Christ Fellowship UB in Westerville, Ohio. this is a part-time position. Ben holds a local conference license.
- Also as of May 1, Carolyn Monsul is Children’s Ministries Director (part-time) at Christ Fellowship UB (Westerville, Ohio).
- Kevin Gift was named Supply Pastor of Mount Olivet UB (Mt. Solon, Va.), effective May 14. He was previously the associate pastor at Mt. Olivet.
- Peter Martindale was named senior pastor of Mount Hermon UB (Pomeroy, Ohio), effective May 4.
- Josh Good accepted a position as Pastor of Discipleship and Youth at Banner of Christ UB (Grand Rapids, Mich.), starting June 15.
05 Jun Brent and Loretta Liechty Welcome Twins
Brent and Loretta Liechty are the parents of twin baby girls. Lauralei Elizabeth and Susanna Elyse Liechty were born June 2. Brent writes, “Unfortunately, they had some lung problems from being early and were transported to Hershey Neo-natal unit. But everything is going well; they are breathing on their own, but still need oxygen.” Brent is Youth Director of Criders UB in Chambersburg, Pa.