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14 Jun

June 14, 2010 |

Bishop Phil and Sandy Whipple are currently visiting churches in the former Midwest Conference–Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. On Sunday, June 13, they were at the Sabetha, Kansas, church in the morning and Trinity UB in St. Joseph, Missouri, at night. On June 15, they travel on to the church at Garnett, Kansas, then on to Abilene on June 16.

14 Jun

June 14, 2010 |

Our Hong Kong Conference runs several large youth centers in housing complexes through its Social Service division. A survey of 2,629 teens by the Social Service division found that 10% said they had been the victim of internet bullying. The results were published in the English-language edition of People’s Daily Online.

02 Jun

June 2, 2010 |
Kevin Leibensperger

Kevin Leibensperger

Kevin Leibensperger, 53, bishop of the Evangelical Congregational Church since 2008, was killed Tuesday, June 1, in a car accident. According to police, he apparently lost control of his vehicle while traveling in central Pennsylvania; the car hit a tree and caught fire.

The United Brethren church has a long association with the Evangelical Congregational Church. Many of our ministers have attended seminary at ECC-owned Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, Pa. (whose president have included UB ministers Ray Seilhamer and Kirby Keller). We have cooperated with the EC Church  in missions and in other ways over the years, and the idea of merger has arisen from time to time.

Bishop Leibensperger leaves behind a wife and four grown children.

27 May

May 27, 2010 |

We just received word that there has been a change to the visitation hours for Paul Webster. The updated information is as follows:

  • Visitation Date: Thursday, May 27
  • Location: White Funeral Home, 403 South Main Street, Reading, MI 49274-9803
  • Time: 4:00-6:00 pm – change due to awards night at Reading High for daughter, Martha, who is graduating from high school this weekend.

17 May

May 17, 2010 |
  • The first Children’s Leaders Summit kicks off today in Holly Hill, Fla.
  • The first Warmth Summit, for staffpersons who work in areas related to spiritual care, begins tomorrow (May 18) in Wheeling, W. Va.
  • Bishop Phil Whipple and his wife, Sandy, are on their way back to Indiana from Pennsylvania. They’ve been on the road for about a month, beginning with the Youth Workers Summit in Florida in mid-April.
  • Jeff Bleijerveld is flying back today from a four-day visit to Haiti.
  • Former bishop Paul Hirschy has come down with pneumonia.

04 May

May 4, 2010 |

Steve Dennie, the UB Communications Director, is undergoing surgery May 5 for a torn cartilage in his left knee. It’ll put him on crutches for a few days, and keep him out of the office at least through the weekend. The surgery’s at around 8 a.m.

On April 16, Steve had surgery in which an “endolymphatic shunt” was placed behind his left ear. Since 2004, Steve has battled Meniere’s Disease, which causes vertigo, hearing loss, and a constant ringing in his left ear. The vertigo can be incapacitating at times. There is no cure for Meniere’s, but several surgical procedures can lessen the symptoms. The endolymphatic shunt is the least invasive procedure and has a high success rate.

Everything went well with that surgery, but it’s still too early to tell how much affect it will have in preventing future spells of vertigo. But, he’s pretty sure he’s noticed a positive improvement already.

29 Mar

March 29, 2010 |

Mabel Mundy, who has worked at the national office since 1987 (most of that time in Global Ministries), became a great-grandma this morning.

08 Mar

March 8, 2010 |

It’s always interesting to get outside perspectives on the United Brethren church. Here’s a blog post from the Church of God General Conference which makes envious reference to our Confession of Faith and other governing documents.