16 Sep Fund Established for Jamaica Relief

Further reports from Jamaica, in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, tell of much damage to UB churches and homes. in addition, at least 7 buildings lost their roofs at Jamaica Bible College (where Owen Gordon is the president, and where Bishop Emeritus Wilbur and Mossie Sites are currently serving as volunteers), and there is also much water damage.

A fund has been set up for Jamaica Hurricane Relief. You can donate via credit card online, or send a check to: Jamaica Relief, 302 Lake St., Huntington, IN 46750. Make checks payable to “United Brethren Headquarters,” and be sure to indicate whether it is for Jamaica or Florida hurricane relief (since we have funds set up for each).

16 Sep Macaur Updates

Jana sent the following updates on September 14:

• Last week over 20 children attended the first Kids’ Klub. We’d only set up 15 chairs, so God worked beyond our expectations! Praise the Lord for these children who will be learning God’s Word each week.
• ELP enrollment is much higher than it was last fall. The overall atmosphere is also more upbeat with Michael, David, and Melissa here also building relationships. Praise God for all these people He’s bringing into the center to hear about Him.
• David and Melissa Kline are still waiting for their permits from the government to be able to teach legally. Continue to pray for that whole situation. Also pray for missionaries with other mission organizations in Macau who are facing similar struggles.
• This Friday night, Michael will start a Cantonese-speaking Care Group. As with Kids’ Klub, our goal is to start having some activities that are not using English instruction as the main attraction. Pray that people who are spiritually hungry will come. Also pray for wisdom for Michael as he begins this new ministry.

16 Sep Hurrican Relief Funds Update

As of Thursday afternoon, September 16, UB people and churches had contributed about $6000 to the relief funds for Florida and Jamaica. This is only money channeled through the United Brethren Offices; others funds have been given directly. The Jamaica fund was established and publicized on Wednesday. Here is the breakdown thus far:

• Florida Hurricane Relief Fund: $3219 donated.
• Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund: $2785 donated.

16 Sep Three Needs for Jamaica After Ivan

Darlene Burkett, who works in Global Ministries, was able to speak today with Owen Gordon, a UB minister in Jamaica who is also president of Jamaica Bible College. Phone service is back up, but that is all. There is still no electricity and no water. Owen said that they have no idea when those things will get restored because of the extreme damage.

Owen said that if there is someone who absolutely wants to come to Jamaica right now to help, here are three things that they could bring with them that would be of immediate assistance:

• Generator. If they had a generator, they would be able to pump water from a holding tank that they have. Right now there are no generators to be found anywhere. They were purchased almost immediately. The government has said that they will not charge duty on any item like this for an extended period of time because of the great need.
• Chlorine tablets for water purification. These, too, are unable to be obtained in Jamaica.
• Battery powered lamps and their batteries. This would help, especially at night.

The airports are open on a limited basis. Owen isn’t sure what travel from the airports would be like. Most roads are still impassable for the large part. He thinks that individuals familiar with Jamaica might be able to get through.

13 Sep News from Jamaica After Ivan

Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, made contact with Janet Smith, wife of Jamaica superintendent Rev. Winston Smith. As we know, the island of Jamaica was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan. Here are some notes Donna took from her phone conversation with Janet.

“Janet said that no part of the island escaped damage, but she feels that the Kingston area was one of the more fortunate areas. Along the bay in Kingston they experienced 15-foot swells and there is a great deal of debris that will need to be removed from the roadways, especially out to the airport in Kingston.

“The Golden Springs area of Jamaica is okay. They had high winds and a lot of rain, but everyone is safe. Mandeville was hit very hard. Rev. Don Dacres and Rev. Trevor Williams had heavy damage to their homes. Many of our churches sustained heavy damage, but it has been difficult to assess the damage because of debris on the roads. Janet knows that the Mt. Pleasant and Mt. Prospect churches sustained heavy damage. Montego Bay was also hit quite heavily.

“The whole island is without power. Electricity was cut before the hurricane came so as to help prevent fires from downed lines. There is no idea when power will be restored. They have limited phone service.

“As far as she knows, none of our UB people lost their lives and no one sustained injuries. There are many, however, who are without homes.

“Winston Smith will be calling into the office and keep us informed about needs. Mrs. Smith says she is confident one need will be work teams to help repair and rebuild homes and churches.”

08 Sep Luanne Brooks Returning from Haiti

Luanne Brooks will return to the States from Haiti sooner than previously reported–either the second or third week of September. The doors have opened for her to return to the nursing job she held before going to Haiti, and she will also be continuing her education to prepare for fulltime ministry in another field. Luanne had previously announced her decision to conclude her work with OMS International at the end of November.

07 Sep Haitian Village Wiped Out

When the recent hurricane struck Haiti, it wiped out a village where one of our churches is located. People were killed. The government has ordered that the village not be rebuilt in the same location.

15 Jul Global Ministries Slides of Missionaries

A growing number of UB churches run announcement loops prior to services–PowerPoint slides, shown via an electronic projector, which contain announcements and information about upcoming events, birthdays, etc. This is like the slides often shown in theaters before the movie. You have a captive audience, and people will watch whatever’s on the screen. It’s a good communication vehicle.

Global Ministries has produced slides for all of our missionaries, as well as for a number of our international leaders and countries. These can be added to your announcement loop to help people become more familiar with the things we are doing in missions, and particularly with our missionaries. The slides are available on the website, and can be downloaded directly to your computer. Or, Global Ministries will be happy to burn a CD containing all of the slides currently available and mail it to your church. You can find the slides here.

15 Jul Angela Oesterle Returning to Jamaica

Angela Oesterle is returning to Jamaica Bible College in September, and plans to serve there for a year. She is from the Eden UB in Mason, Mich. Jamaica Bible College is a primary training institution for many of our Jamaican UB pastors, along with students from many other denominations. Rev. Owen Gordon, a pastor and leader in Jamaica Conference, also serves as president of the college. Angela previously served six months at JBC, and returns now to help organize their new library, reach out to women students, and assist with occasional teaching responsibilities. Angela is raising support for her year of service, and would appreciate any financial support from UB people and churches. You can contact Global Ministries about supporting her. Call toll-free: 1-888-622-3019.

15 Jul Macau Updates

• Michael Chan is a new Chinese coworker in the English Language Program. Using his training in small group development, Michael will work with Bible studies and outreach events on the island of Taipa, where we are in the process of starting our third church in Macau. Michael is initially working in an internship role, but it will evolve into full employment with the ELP.
• Mee Fong Ngai was sent by Hong Kong Conference to spearhead outreach to the poor and lower classes of Macau, especially women. She is working under the authority of the Living Water UB church in Macau.
• A group from the Brown Corners UB church (Clare, Mich.) is currently in Macau working with VBS and doing kids classes. The group includes senior pastor Chuck Malson and associate pastor Jeff Dice (a former UB missionary in Macau). When they leave, another church group will arrive to do much the same thing.
• Macau is enjoying a very encouraging round of outreach classes for children this summer. There are English language classes for kids, plus chapels which expose kids to the Gospel.