16 Jun Summer Work Groups

Several groups are preparing to head overseas.

June 18. A group from College Park Church (Huntington, Ind.) travels to Honduras, where they will build bunk beds at the camp outside of La Ceiba. Roger Vezeau, associate pastor at College Park, is leading this all-adult group.

June 19-July 2. A group of 26 teens and adults will conduct an English camp in Kutno, Poland. This is the fourth year a group has ministered in Poland. This year’s team includes people from:

• King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.).
• Criders UB(Chambersburg, Pa.)
• Cochranton Community Church (Cochranton, Pa.)
• Lancaster UB (Lanaster, Ohio)
• First UB (Holly Hill, Fla.).

Jody Sarno, who comes out of King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.), is the team leader. The team will partner with a group from Scotland, as they did last year.

June 20-28. A 15-person medical team travels to the Copan region of Honduras, under the leadership of Robert and Fonda Cassidy, from Mount Olivet UB in Mt. Solon, Va. The team includes people from UB churches in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The group includes registered nurses, an EMT, a chiropractor, and various support staff who will help with medical records and other duties. (Fonda Cassidy is a trauma care nurse and does high-risk deliveries.)

The group will start in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the Copan region. Each day, they will conduct a mobile clinic in association with a different United Brethren church. They will hold at least five clinics. Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, is a member of this team.

July 12. Four persons from Heritage UB (Dansville, Mich.), under the leadership of senior pastor Cal Hodgson, will do construction in the Copan region of Honduras.

July 18-August 3. For the second year, a team representing Huntington University and Global Ministries will conduct an English camp for English teachers in Zuhai, a major city in southern China.

15 Jun An Americanized Canadian?

Last Sunday I spoke in Guelph, Ontario, at Parkwood Gardens UB church. Brian Magnus, the pastor, introduced me.

I told the congregation it was great to be back among Canadians, who don’t ask me where I’m from. In the United States, people hear my accent and ask me if I’m from Canada. “It’s nice to fit back in,” I said.

Brian then commented, “You don’t sound like a Canadian anymore.”

I asked the congregation, “Do I sound like an American?”

Their heads went, “Yeah.”

I was crushed.

13 Jun A Canadian Church with an International Audience

The neighborhood surrounding Parkwood Gardens UB church in Guelph, Ontario, looks like the United Nations, with people from all over the world. Guelph is becoming a bedroom community of Toronto, which is exploding with its international presence. This is reflected in the congregation.

Last Sunday, when I spoke at Parkwood Gardens, I told about my trip to the Philippines in May. I commented on how Filipinos are some of the friendliest people in the world and that I enjoyed getting to know them.

I noticed big smiles on the faces of people among the Asian contingent. “Are you from the Philippines?” I asked. “Oh yes yes,” they said. Probably 25-30 Filipinos attended the two services that morning.

I challenged the congregation to keep their eyes and ears open to the immigrant populations around them. Sometimes mission fields are not developed by parachuting a missionary into a foreign country, but by starting something locally among immigrants. This can open doors for missionaries and, in some cases, the immigrants themselves may return to their homeland.

10 Jun Macau Debrief

L-r: Naomi Becker, Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld, Associate Director Donna Hollopeter, and Carlson Becker.

Carlson and Naomi Becker stopped by the Healthy Ministry Resources office today to spend some time with Jeff Bleijerveld and Donna Hollopeter. On May 30, they returned to the States, having completed a three-year term of service in Macau. It’s great to see people, in their retirement years, who can’t sit still when it comes to doing the Lord’s work. 

The Beckers have no immediate plans, except to hang around their home in northern Michigan,  take care of various projects, and spend time with kids and grandkids. They look great, energetic as always.

03 Jun Macau Update from Jen Blandin

Jennifer Blandin sent these updates from Macau on June 3.

• On May 30, Carlson and Naomi Becker returned to the States. Pray for their adjustment back to life in the States and reuniting with family and friends. Pray for the staff and Living Stone Church as we move through this time of transition.
• Starting in June, I will be preaching twice a month at Living Stone Church. My first Sunday will be June 8. I have already started to prepare for that Sunday, and while it has not been easy, I have enjoyed the journey.
• June 3 marks the beginning of the final term of English classes as they have been up until now. These classes will end July 10. Many relationships have been built over the years. English classes brought those relationships together, and now it’s an exciting time to discover new ways to keep them going.
• Please be in prayer for those affected by the earthquakes in China. Beyond the many who have died, there is a great need for food, safe water, and places to live for those who have survived. There is also an acknowledgement of a great need for psychological help as well. Thankfully, Macau was barely affected by the earthquake and has been able to offer assistance and help to the mainland.

30 May Partnership with Samaritan’s Purse

Global Ministries is developing a strategic relationship with Samaritan’s Purse. The goal is to strengthen our relief and development efforts as a mission agency while unifying our denomination’s overall response to humanitarian need around the world.

In order to serve local churches, we will be receiving donations for Samaritan’s Purse and passing them on without charging any administration fees. We only ask that you indicate to which project(s) the amount is to be directed.

From year to year we will be able to report to you how much was given to relief needs as a denomination and individual churches. In addition, the only follow up mailings from Samaritan’s Purse will be those received by Global Ministries, not the local church or donors. We’ll be sure to keep you informed of the continuing needs and opportunities to contribute.

Currently, Samaritan’s Purse is heavily involved in caring for the needs of those in Myanmar who were victims of Cyclone Nargis and earthquake survivors in Szechuan Province in China. More information can be found at SamaritansPurse.org.

30 May The Japanese Man in the Next Seat

Mike Brown, pastor of Franklin UB church (New Albany, Ohio), joined Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld in the Philippines in early May, as our churches there celebrated their 25th anniversary. That’s Mike in the photo, preaching in the Philippines in 2006. As Mike began the 13-hour flight from Detroit to Japan, he prayed for an opportunity to witness. Here is what happened, in his own words.

The first 4-5 hours I slept and did some work. Sitting beside me was a Japanese man who appeared to be in his early 30s. Sitting beside him were a man and woman in their 60s. While I was working, the three of them engaged in a lot of conversation. When I wrapped-up my work and leaned my head back to rest, the woman asked if I was a Sunday school teacher or a minister.

“A minister,” I said.

We chatted briefly, and the Japanese man, who spoke pretty good English, appeared interested. When the lady turned to talk to her husband, the Japanese man started asking me nice, general questions–where I was from, my family, where was I going. I noticed he was reading a Christian book about the meaning of life, so I assumed he was a Christian. I asked him some questions from a Christian perspective, but his answers (and confusion) quickly told me he was not a Christian. As we talked, I learned that he was a very successful businessman, with degrees from the University of Michigan and Georgia Tech, and he had taken some Harvard business courses. He was flying home to Japan where he and his family lived.

I learned about the Japanese way of life, the seven-day work week, and the five-and-a-half day school week. He shared with me about his childhood; his father was a very successful construction company owner. He told me he could never remember his father eating dinner with the family, and only once does he remember “playing” with his father. Now that he was in his mid 40s (so much for my age estimate), he wanted to be more that just a money maker for his family.

I asked him how he got the book he was reading. He said his favorite business author, Peter Drucker, seemed to quote this book often. Where God took our conversation from there was fantastic. For about two hours we talked back and forth about the spiritual side of life.

He confessed that he practiced no religion. If he claimed any religion, it was a mix of Buddhism and ancestor worship. He said he really felt some “hole” in his life. What he was beginning to learn (and believe) from the book he was reading is that significance was far more important that success in life.

I shared my testimony, how at the age of 16 I became a Christian. He said, “It must have been wonderful to be at peace in your heart for so long.” I learned he had very little knowledge of God, had only heard of Jesus vaguely, and had real trouble believing a person could rise from the dead. I also learned that neither he nor his wife owned a Bible (nor even read one).

I wish I could say he prayed to receive Christ right in his plane seat, but he didn’t. The truth, is he knew almost zero about God, Christ, or Christianity. But he knew he was searching for more than what this world could offer. I asked him to receive Christ, but he still didn’t understand. Evangelism starts with seed planting.

After our conversation, we both put our head back on our seats and attempted some sleep. I prayed, and while praying God said, “Mike, when you get off the plane, give him your Bible.” I said, “But Lord, this is my preaching Bible–only my second preaching Bible in 26 years. Besides, I need it in the Philippines.”

But you never win an argument with God. As we went our separate ways in the Japan airport, I handed him my Bible and told him, “You will find significance if you read this book.” He was humbled as he received it, and I was humbled as I gave it. Amazingly, I was at peace, too, about giving away the only preaching Bible I currently own.

God taught me a lot of lessons in my encounter with the Japanese gentleman. One of the neatest lessons: my mission work began in mid-air, hours before I landed in the Philippines.

13 May Macau and the China Earthquake

Melisssa Kline sent this note from Macau:
“A few of you may be wondering about the earthquake in China that happened yesterday and if it effected us at all. Macau is quite a distance from the epicenter, but at 2:30 pm on Tuesday I did feel our building sway. Our fish didn’t know what to think as they went sloshing from one side of the tank to the other. Nothing other than a slight movement though so that was a blessing.

“But from what the Macau paper said today, 8700 people have so far been found dead in mainland China and I would guess that number will increase over the next few days as they dig through the rubble. Please keep this situation, the families who have lost loved ones, and the believers in those areas in your prayers.”

10 May Filipino Smiles

Everywhere we go in the Philippines we are met with smiles. This morning Pastor Prudencio Lim, superintendent of the Philippine Conference, took Pastor Mike Brown and me to visit pastors and churches around the greater Manila area.

Our day ended in Sucat Paranaque, a Manila slum area where Pastor Noel Bartolata, his wife and six children have been serving for 19 years. The church, along with all other homes and shelters, is built on squatter’s land. The neighborhood is a maze of alley ways and stairways. Cooking is done over small fires and families sleep together in the same bed or on floors. Yet Pastor Noel and his family wouldn’t think of leaving their community.

If you saw these smiles each day, you may not want to leave either.