28 Sep Death of Missionary Ellen Saufley

Ellen Margaret (Bressler) Saufley passed away at 5:30 pm on Monday, September 21, 2015. Ellen and her husband, Aldean, served as missionaries in Haiti for 45 years under One Mission Society and were partially supported during part of their time by United Brethren Global Ministries.

Ellen had been a resident of the Menno Haven Nursing Center in Chambersburg, Pa., since September 30, 2010. She became a resident there after suffering a fall in 2010 and spending two months in unsuccessful rehabilitation.

Ellen was born on July 7, 1930, outside of the town of Herndon, Pa. She gave her heart to Christ around the age of five, and at age 11 sensed God telling her to prepare to be a missionary/Bible teacher. Her studies beyond high school were all directed toward becoming the best teacher she could be.

One of her instructors at the Intercession City Bible College invited her to spend a year in Haiti working with a mission the instructor had established. Ellen said she moved ten times in eleven months as she worked in different areas of Haiti. The Creole language of Haiti has at least five different dialects, depending on which part of the country the speaker comes from. While traveling across Haiti that year, Ellen learned Creole and throughout her lifetime was able to identify people by the dialect of Creole they spoke. However, very few were able to identify Ellen’s dialect because she spoke such a universal Creole.

When she returned from that year in Haiti, Ellen enrolled at the Transylvania Bible School at Freeport, Pa., north of Pittsburgh. Her three years of study culminated in a three-year certificate for Biblical Studies. In 1979, the school upgraded the value of that certificate to a three-year Bachelor of Theology Degree and at the end of a special convocation week, Ellen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

When the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society) opened its Bible school in Haiti, Ellen transferred from the correspondence department for the mission’s Radio 4VEH ministry to become a fulltime professor in the school. She taught, at one time or another, every subject in the school’s catalogue and at several times she was assigned to serve as Director of the school.

Ellen and coworker Aldean worked together in various job assignments. On January 1, 1963, they were united in marriage. Although they each had their own responsibilities—Aldean in the radio station and Ellen in the Bible School—they helped each other. Ellen served as recording technician in the radio station, and Aldean taught English and provided music training for the Bible School students.

Ellen had a thirst for knowledge and was constantly talking about the need to upgrade her teaching qualifications. This resulted in her spending a lot of time during each of their furloughs in furthering her education. This is a partial list of her achievements:

• 1958: Three-year Bible Certificate (Transylvania Bible School).
• 1979: Upgrade of Three-year Bible Certificate to 3 Year Th.B. (Transylvania Bible School).
• 1976: Upgrade of Three-year Th.B to Five-year Th. B. In Allentown, Pa.
• 1986: Master of Christian Ministry degree (Huntington University).
• 1991: Master of Arts in Religion Degree (Evangelical Seminary, Meyerstown, Pa.).
• 1994 – Doctor of Religious Education Degree (Florida).

In spite of suffering from fibromyalgia, Ellen carried through with her work assignments at the Bible School in Haiti until the Saufleys retired from missionary service in 2002. At that time, the daily pain from her fibromyalgia prevented her from doing much of the work she would have liked to have done, and her fall in 2010 resulted in her spending her days sitting in a wheelchair or lying in a bed at Menno Haven.

Ellen often told her husband that she would like to have engraved on her tombstone the words which our Lord spoke of the woman who anointed his feet in Bethany before his crucifixion: “She has done what she could” (Mark 14:8).

The memorial service for Ellen Saufley was held at 2pm on Friday, September 25, 2015, at Salem United Brethren Church in Chambersburg, Pa.

06 Aug Video: In Memoriam from the 2015 US National Conference

The above video was shown during the business session of the 2015 US National Conference as a memorial to United Brethren ministers, missionaries, and others who passed away since the 2013 US National Conference. They are presented in the video, and listed below, in the order of their passing.

• Ruth Benner, missionary in Sierra Leone.
• Pauline Stephens-Hall, pastor.
• Richard LePage, pastor.
• Norm Picket, pastor.
• Pauline Gibbs, volunteer missionary in Macau.
• Dr. C. Stanley Peters, pastor, Director of Publications.
• Robert Blaine, pastor.
• Darlene Eberly, missionary in Sierra Leone.
• Eleanor Laughlin Morey, missionary in Sierra Leone.
• Marylou Birdsall, pastor’s wife, volunteer missionary.
• Dave Stephens, minister, Camp Cotubic director.
• Howard Munn, pastor.
• Virginia Kopp, wife of Bishop Clarence Kopp, Jr.
• Carus Campbell, pastor.
• Letitia and Sundima Sinnah, pastor’s wife and son.
• Keith Davis, pastor.
• Mary Carter, missionary in Sierra Leone.
• Burton Lange, pastor.
• Robert Staup, pastor.
• Emmett D. Cox, missionary in Sierra Leone, director of Global Ministries.

(If reading this by email, you’ll need to click on the link below or here to view the video on UBCentral.org.)

13 Jul Obit: Rev. Emmett D. Cox

Emmett D. Cox, 89, passed away during the night on July 10, 2015.

Emmett and Shirley Cox served as missionaries in Sierra Leone over a 20-year period beginning in 1957. Emmett served as a secondary school principal, business manager, general superintendent, primary school secretary, and field secretary.

From 1969 to 1973, he served as the elected General Secretary of Missions for the denomination, overseeing our mission work around the world.

Visitation: 3-7 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Visitation location: Bailey-Love Mortuary in Huntington, Ind.

A memorial service and burial will be held at a later date.

Emmett Cox grew up in the Garnett UB church in Garnett, Kansas, and was converted in 1943. He graduated from Huntington College in 1951, and from its theological seminary in 1964. In 1969, he received a Masters in Missions from Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission in Pasadena, Calif. He was ordained in 1964.

He subsequently pastored several United Brethren churches:

• 1958-1960: Fredonia UB church (Muncie, Ind.).
• 1976-1984: Victory UB church (Burbank, Calif.).
• 1984-1985: First UB church (Lake Havasu City, Ariz.).
• 1985-1992: Willshire UB church (Willshire, Ohio).

From 1992-2003, he and Shirley served Six Mile Church, a non-UB congregation in Bluffton, Ind. In retirement, they also served short-term as volunteers in Myanmar.

Emmett and Shirley were married on August 14, 1948. Shirley is from the North Bruce UB church in Port Elgin, Ontario, and graduated from Huntington College in 1951 with a degree in Education. They have three children: son Douglas, daughter Darlene, and foster son Billy Simbo, from Sierra Leone.

10 Jul Death of Emmett D. Cox

Rev. Emmett D. Cox passed away during the night. He and his wife, Shirley, were United Brethren missionaries in Sierra Leone 1954-1957, and 1960-1968. In 1969, he was elected General Secretary of Missions, which made him overseer of all UB missionary work around the world. He continued in that position until 1973. In subsequent years, he served as a United Brethren pastor. In retirement, the Coxes served as volunteer missionaries in Myanmar.

Funeral details will be published when available.

09 Jul Obit: Catherine Hawbaker, Widow of Rev. Laban Hawbaker

M. Catherine Hawbaker, 94, passed away Saturday morning, July 4, 2015, at a nursing home in Newville, Pa. She was the wife of former United Brethren pastor Rev. Laban Hawbaker, who passed away in 1999.

The funeral was held at 11 am on Wednesday, July 8, at Prince Street UB church in Shippensburg, Pa., where Catherine was a member.

06 Jul Obit: Rev. Robert Staup

Robert W. “Bob” Staup, 89, died July 3, 2015, at his home in Angola, Ind. Bob retired in November 2012 after 55 years of ministry as a United Brethren pastor.

According to denominational records, Bob served these UB churches:

• 1958-1967: Union Chapel (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
• 1963-1969: South Scipio (Harlan, Ind.).
• 1969-1982: Hudson (Hudson, Ind.).
• 1972-1982: Corunna (Corunna, Ind.).
• 1982-1995: Nettle Lake (Montpelier, Ohio) and Mt. Pleasant (Angola, Ind.).
• 2001-2012: Mt. Pleasant (Angola, Ind.).

Bob was born January 23, 1926, in Adrian, Mich. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the LST 670 during World War II and participated in several Pacific Island invasions. He graduated from Huntington College in 1963 and was ordained in 1963.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, whom he married in 1948. Also surviving are two daughters, two sons, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Visitation time: 3-7 pm Tuesday, July 7, 2015.
Visitation location: H.E. Johnson & Sons Funeral Home, 108 S. West Street Angola.
Funeral service time: 11 am Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Visitation one hour beforehand.
Funeral location: Mt. Pleasant UB church, 2140 S. 850 E. Angola, IN 46703.

Officiating will be two grandsons, along with Rev. Devon Strine, pastor of Mt. Pleasant UB church.

Memorials are to Mt. Pleasant United Brethren In Christ Church, 2140 S. 850 E. Angola, IN 46703 or Honor Flight NEI, P.O. Box 5, Huntertown, Indiana 46748.

03 Jul Death of Rev. Robert Staup

We received news of the death of Rev. Robert Staup, a United Brethren pastor for 55 years. He began pastoring the Union Chapel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.), in 1958, and served five other UB churches in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio until retiring in 2012. His final pastorate was at Mt. Pleasant UB church (Angola, Ind.), 2001-2012.

Rev. Staup had been sick for some time, and was in hospice care. He was 89 years old.

Funeral details will be posted as available.

25 Jun Burton Lange: Memorial Services June 26 and June 27

Rev. Burton M. Lange, 82, of Chambersburg, Pa., passed away Monday morning, June 22, 2015, after an extended illness. He was a pastor, radio personality, entertainer, and extraordinary Gospel pianist.

Burt served 58 years as a United Brethren pastor–in Kansas, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, he was visitation pastor at Salem UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. He was also a long-time radio personality on WKSL radio as well as Christian station WNLR in Virginia. Burt was known as a pianist and entertainer, providing piano comedy programs to many civic and church groups.

For a number of years, he traveled extensively as the piano accompanist for singer Tony Fontane, as well as for other Christian singers.

Burt Lange was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1932, but shortly thereafter his family moved to Peoria, Ill., where he grew up. He was a member of First UB church in Peoria. He entered Huntington University in 1950, where he majored in music and graduated in 1954. He and Esther were married in August of that year. He then studied for the ministry, graduating from the Huntington seminary in 1957.

In 1957, the Langes relocated to Kansas, pastoring the UB church in Abilene for one year followed by four years at the church in Colby. He was ordained in 1960.

In 1962, they returned to Indiana, where Burt pastored a Methodist circuit in Mt. Etna for two years. Then he moved east in 1964 to resume pastoring United Brethren churches:

• 1964-1968: the UB church in Rohresville, Md.
• 1977-1981: Jerusalem Chapel in Churchville, Va.
• 1983-1987: Mt. Olivet UB church in Mt. Solon, Va.
• 1988-1998: Mt. Olivet UB church in Aspers, Pa.
• 2002-2009: Cold Springs UB church in Fayetteville, Pa.

Burton Lange is survived by his wife of 60 years, Esther, and his two sons, Roger and Jerry.

Memorial services will be held June 26 and 27 in different locations. In both, the family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Memorial service time: 11am Friday, June 26.
Service location: Salem United Brethren Church, 4349 Letterkenny Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201. Senior pastor Art Page will officiate.

Memorial service time: 11am Saturday, June 27.
Service location: Bunker Hill E.C. Church, Bunker Hill, PA.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be sent to Salem United Brethren Church.

22 Jun Obit: Rev. Burton Lange

Rev. Burton Lange, who spent 40 years pastoring United Brethren churches in Pennsylvania and Virginia, passed away Monday, June 22, 2015. Since 2010, he had served on staff as visitation pastor at Salem UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.

Funeral arrangements are still being made.

Rev. Lange was well-known as an outstanding pianist. He accompanied Tony Fontaine on many of his gospel tours in the 1960s and 1970s, including performing at the White House. Every year at Pennsylvania annual conference, he would entertain people with his playing and his amazing wit.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Esther, and sons Roger and Jerry.

22 May Death of Father of Pastor Tim Scroggs

Fred P. Scroggs, 95, of Columbia City, Ind., died Wednesday, May 20, 2015. He was the father of Tim Scroggs, senior pastor of Eagle Quest UB church in Columbia City.

Visitation: Noon – 3pm Saturday, May 23, 2015.
Funeral: 3pm Saturday, May 23.
Visitation and funeral location: Smith & Sons Funeral Home, Columbia City, Ind. 46725. The burial will be at Fairview Cemetery, in Huntertown, Ind.

Condolences can be sent to Pastor Tim Scroggs at:

Timothy E. Scroggs
1120 N SR 109
Columbia City, IN 46725