16 May Martin Magnus Emerges from Surgery

Martin Magnus, a retired minister in Ontario, underwent major surgery last Thursday (May 8) for a brain tumor. His son, Brian Magnus, Bishop of the UB Church in Canada, sent this report on May 13.

“I brought my Dad, Martin Magnus, home from the hospital this afternoon. He’s physically doing very well. The greatest news is that the surgeon says that the post-operative CT-Scan shows that they got all of the tumor and that he’s ‘almost certain’ that it’s benign.

“Dad had only taken one Tylenol in over two days and most of the swelling in front of his right ear has gone down. He’s able to eat with the help of some anti-nausea medication. He has 28 steel staples in his head in a question mark design starting at the hairline above his eye and moving back above his right ear, then around to the front and down in the middle of his sideburn.

“In his own words, ‘It’s going to take a while to become oriented again.’ His voice is weak and hoarse (from the anesthetic?) and he’s very tired. He is a bit disoriented and felt a bit claustrophobic when he got home. Continue to pray for him after this brain surgery.

“Thanks again so much for all of your phone calls, emails and cards to Mom and Dad. They appreciate your love and your prayers especially.”

16 May Three Pastoral Resignations

• Darren Duncan resigned as Senior Pastor of Living Word UB in Columbus, Ohio, effective May 18, 2003. He will be going into active duty as a military chaplain. The church will be unassigned for the present time.
• Ben Gladhill resigned as Children and Youth Pastor at Atlantic Avenue UB in Franklin, Pa., effective April 2.
• Paul Rowe resigned as interim pastor at Mount Olivet UB, Mt. Solon, Va., as of May 7 due to health reasons. The church is unassigned for the present time.

07 May Update on Alan DeCristoforo

Alan DeCristoforo sent this update on his health condition. He is serving as Spiritual Care Pastor at First UB in New Castle, Pa. “Since I know a lot of people have been praying for me, I should let them know that I stood up and preached for 30 minutes during the Sunrise Service. After the service, I was assisted to the main floor where I stood up, with help, and walked out of the sanctuary. I had on my braces, and two gentlemen helped me stand up.”

07 May Death of Ernie Burk

Ernie Burk, a retired minister in Michigan Conference, passed away in April. He was 85. A memorial service was held April 19 at the Mt. Hope UB church in Carson City, Mich. Rev. Burk attended Huntington College and was ordained in 1949. He and his wife, Dorothy, served various churches in Michigan: Harrison, Brown Corners, Ashley, Alma, Jackson St. (now Countryside), Harrison, Caledonia, Eden, and Ithaca. They retired to a home on the Carson City Campground in 1982. Their oldest son, Roger, is the pastor at Mt. Hope. Three of their five children are still living.

06 May Martin Magnus Needs Surgery for Tumor

Martin Magnus, a retired minister and former conference superintendent in Ontario, is undergoing major surgery this week to remove a brain tumor. One surgery is occurring this morning (Tuesday). Martin will then undergo an all-day surgery on Thursday, May 8, to remove the tumor. The tumor was discovered after Martin began experiencing little “seizures” that appeared as absent spells; pressure from the growing tumor was the cause. The tumor is not malignant.

Martin’s son Brian (President of the UB Church in Canada, and pastor of the UB church in Guelph), writes, “They’ll do an embolism at the meningal artery that’s feeding this tumor. I believe they’ll do an angiogram beforehand. He’ll wait at the hospital until Thursday, when they’ll begin at 8 a.m. the all-day ‘intercranial surgery’ to remove the tumor. Dad will probably remain in the hospital to recover for about five days….

“The tumor is under the right sideburn, 2 inches in diameter–larger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball. There are many small vessels leading to the tumour. Since it is so vascular it is thought to be a Meningioma. It is growing off the Meninges (brain lining), not the base of the skull.

“Mom and Dad (and all of us) really appreciate your prayers!”

03 May Among Ministers….

Gary Reed, lay leader at Eden UB (Reedsville, Ohio), is filling the pulpit until a new pastor can be found. Bill Duty, the previous pastor, resigned as of April 13.

Peter Martindale is pastor of Mount Hermon UB (Pomeroy, Ohio) effective May 4.

02 May Roy Atherton Hired at Sunfield

Sunfield UB (Sunfield, Mich.) has hired a new Assistant Pastor. His name is Roy Atherton. The church had a special welcome for him, his wife, Judy, and their two children, Nicole and Kieth.

16 Apr Martin Magnus with Brain Tumor

A CT-Scan has shown that Rev. Martin Magnus, a long-time pastor in Ontario, has a brain tumor. His son, Brian Magnus, President of the UB Church in Canada, sent this report.

“He has a glioblastoma which appears to have been there a while. The report also speaks of vasogenic edema, metastatic lesions and suggestions of necrosis. I think that means it’s a tumor that has some dead tissue within it, swelling of the brain and blood vessels surrounding it, and perhaps a connection to another tumor elsewhere (primary tumor vs. secondary tumor).

“Currently it’s about 5 cm X 3 cm (1″ X 2”) and is on the surface of the cerebrum. Dad goes in to the London University Hospital next Wednesday (April 23) for a biopsy. They’ll decide on their plan of attack after that.

“He had the CT-Scan because he’d had a few ‘absent spells’ where he’d just go into a daze for a minute or so. Not good, especially when you’re driving! His only symptoms to this point were these black-outs over the last eight or ten months, which he thought were ended with a change in his glaucoma medication.

“Dad is a United Brethren minister, pastoring in Canada and Michigan from 1956 to 1990. He and my Mom, Lois, live a very busy retirement life in Kitchener, Ontario where they are active in the Stanley Park Church and also in the United Brethren Church in Canada (Dad just preached for me here in Guelph a few weeks ago). They have five kids, 12 grandchildren and thousands of friends.

“Dad and Mom and all of us would covet your prayers at this time.”

15 Apr Otterbein UB Hires Student Ministries Dir.

Craig Shuler is the new Director of Student Ministries at Otterbein UB in Waynesboro, Pa., effective March 30.