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Randy Carpenter, from Walbridge, Ohio, is leading a trip to Israel November 1-13, 2009. Currently, 14 people are signed up, but there is space for others who may be interested in going. The cost is $3200 per person (not including taxes and tip to tour guides). The trip is using Bible Lands & Reformatin Group Travel. If interested, contact Randy at: (419) 708-7994. Or email him. (Itinerary in a MS Word file)
If you search for it, you can find a lot of United Brethren stuff on YouTube. Here are some videos which show the worship team of Mainstreet Church in Walbridge, Ohio. This team provided music during Thursday and Friday nights at the 2009 US National Conference. It also shows the platform setup for Mainstreet’s new facility. These videos were uploaded by John Authenreith, the worship pastor at Mainstreet.
Church planter Gordon Kettel spoke during the business session of the 2009 US National Conference about Imagine This LLC, the church he started in Grand Ledge, Mich.
Some of you may remember Phyllis Lahr, who was executive secretary for nearly 20 years to bishops C. Ray Miller, Wilber L. Sites, Clarence Kopp, and Ray Seilhamer. Phyllis’s husband, Mert, passed away June 8, and the funeral was held last Friday. They had been married since 1963.
Mert had been in a nursing home in Markle, Ind., but Phyllis wasn’t content with the care he was receiving. So she sold their home in Markle, bought a place in Fort Wayne, and moved Mert into this new home where she could take care of him herself. That’s what she did for the past several years.
At Corunna UB, the church my husband Jason pastors, we started Vacation Bible School last night. I am co-teaching with another person.
During the lesson, as I talked about what sin is, I asked the young children, “How many of you have never sinned?”
One little five-year-old girl shot her hand up.
“You’ve never sinned?” I asked her.
She answered, “I’ve been naughty, but I’ve never sinned.”
Jeff Bleijerveld was in Macau last week, visiting our missionaries, and he spent some time at the home of David and Melissa Kline. Dave Kline sent the above photo, showing Jeff with the Kline kids, with this subject line: “The work of Jeff Bleijerveld in Macau. There was some other stuff, too.”
Andrew Atkins, pastor of Monticello UB (Spencerville, Ohio), sent us this testimony. It happened on Saturday night, June 6, after the evening service at the US National Conference. Andrew said we could publish the story, but emphasized, “I just want to make sure that the focus is about the fact that God provides opportunity when we are obedient to Him.”
My wife and I arrived back at our hotel around 11 pm, and in the parking lot were the “Bikers.” There were guys doing burnouts, drinking, and basically kickin back. As I walked back to my van to get some pop that I had forgotten, God began to break my heart for these guys and ask me what I was willing to do to reach them with the Gospel.
I walked into our hotel room and told my wife that we needed to go out and bless some bikes.
About three years ago at Monticello, we started doing a Biker Sunday. At the end of the day we have guys pull through on their motorcylces and we pray for them to be safe and encourage them to follow Christ on the highway of life. I never realized how important that was to guys that ride, but because of our Biker Sundays, I have learned that.
So at about 11:15 pm, my wife and I headed into the parking lot to the first group of guys. I asked them if they had been prayed for, that they would ride safely. They said, “You mean, blessed? No, we haven’t had that yet.” I told them I was a pastor and I would love to do that for them.
Immediately they said, “That would be awesome, but go down there and ask those guys too!”
So in two separate locations, my wife and I watched bikers stand by and even kneel at their bikes as we prayed that God would keep them safe, and that they would know the joy that comes from riding with Christ as their Saviour. We went back to our hotel room knowing that the reason we were at National Conference during bike week was to reach out to those guys.
The following morning before the closing service, we went down to check out of our room. One guy that we prayed for was looking at the back tire of his bike; it was in pretty bad shape. I asked if it was rideable, and he said it was. Then, as I turned to walk away, he said, “Hey hold on.” Then a very big, bald biker came over and wrapped his arms around me and said, “Thanks so much for praying for us last night. We won’t forget it.”
During the Friday business meeting at National Conference, Dennis Miller introduced Anna Evenzahav, who has been arranging trips to the Holy Land for him and Emmanuel Community Church for many years. She works with Bible Lands & Reformation Group Travel. If you’re interested in contacting her, you can do so at:
Toll-free: 800-801-4795
Email: annae@giltravel.com
The UB Discipline, with the changes made this past week during the US National Conference, has been updated online. The print version, which you’ll be able to download as a PDF file, will (hopefully) be available later next week. But for now, you can at least view the updated chapters on your screen.
We will not produce a printed version which you can purchase. We haven’t done that since the 2001-2005 edition. The only printed copy available will be the PDF version.
The US National Conference business session started at 8:00. Here is what has happened so far:
