22 Jul Steve Dennie, “I’m Home!”

The office staff just received a phone call from Steve Dennie. He reports that he is (finally) home from the hospital on Thursday, July 22–very weak and tired, but home.

On July 15, Steve was taken to the Lutheran Hospital ER, where he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. For the next four days, he wasn’t able to eat or drink anything. Then, on July 19, his gall bladder was removed.

Steve will take some more days off to regain his strength before rejoining the office staff again. We’re grateful that he’s recovering and on the road to good health again. You’ve been missed, Steve!

22 Jul Bishop Waldfogel Hospitalized

Bishop Emeritus Raymond Waldfogel was admitted to a local hospital yesterday and has been undergoing tests, with more coming today. The prognosis, according to his daughter Susan Stong, is congestive heart failure. Additional tests today will help determine the course of treatment. Bishop Waldfogel is experiencing improved breathing today and will be visited by a cardiologist later this afternoon. The family appreciates the prayers of the Church.

19 Jul Steve Dennie Undergoes Surgery … Again

It is the “year of the surgeon” for Steve Dennie, Communications Director. He is undergoing surgery today for the removal of his gall bladder. The staff is praying for a speedy recovery.

14 Jun Bishop Whipple in the Midwest

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 Internet Bullying in Hong Kong

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 ECC Bishop Killed in Car Accident

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 Updated Visitation Time for Paul Webster

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 This and That

• 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 Steve Dennie Facing 2nd Surgery in 3 Weeks

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.

14 Apr UB Facebook Page Approaching 300 Fans

During the past week, Facebook says, the United Brethren Facebook page gained 13 fans and had 501 visits (compared to 484 visits the previous week, and 272 the week before that). Ten more fans, and we hit 300!

Meanwhile, the Huntington University page is approaching the 3100 mark!