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14 Mar

March 14, 2014 |
The HU ministry team in Nicaragua. Josh Kesler and Jeff Dice are kneeling in front, 3rd and 4th respectively from the left.

The HU ministry team in Nicaragua. Josh Kesler and Jeff Dice are kneeling in front, 3rd and 4th respectively from the left.

In January, 21 persons participated in a baseball ministry team which spent about two weeks in Nicaragua. The team included 12 members of the Huntington University baseball team, five soccer players, and two United Brethren ministers–Jeff Dice, associate pastor of Brown Corners UB church (Clare, Mich.), and Josh Kesler, pastor of The Well (Huntington, Ind.). A similar team went in 2012.

They conducted baseball and soccer clinics for Nicaraguan children, and also competed against Nicaraguan semi-pro baseball teams.

It’s am amazing story in several ways, but especially in what happened within the team of Americans. Twelve members of the team were baptized in the Pacific Ocean by Josh Kesler.

The complete story has been posted here.

14 Mar

March 14, 2014 |
The Huntington University ministry team and their Nicaraguan friends.

The Huntington University ministry team and their Nicaraguan friends.

Steve Dennie, Communications Director

Baseball is the national sport in Nicaragua. Soccer reigns in most Latin American countries, but baseball is king in Nicaragua. And in Panama, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, for that matter. But this is about Nicaragua.

One day last September, two United Brethren ministers showed up after a Huntington University baseball practice. Are you interested in spending January Term in Nicaragua? they asked. Playing baseball against Nicaragua teams and holding clinics for children?

Austin Clem, a freshman from Walton, Ind., population 1200, felt apprehensive about the idea. He had never traveled out of the country, except for a cruise, which hardly counts. He knew Nicaragua had experienced turmoil in the past.

“It was out of my comfort zone, not in the American culture I knew and loved,” Austin said. “But I felt I needed to go, that I belonged there.”

It helped that a bunch of his teammates also signed up. Twelve of them, in fact, seven of them freshmen. They were joined by five soccer players—four current players, and one recent graduate, Isaac Beal. Plus those two ministers, both of whom participated on a previous baseball trip in 2012.

Jeff Dice is associate pastor of Brown Corners UB church in Clare, Mich., and also spends a chunk of each year in Nicaragua coordinating mission trips, among other things. He and his wife, April, are “non-traditional” staff with Global Ministries.

Josh Kesler is founding pastor of The Well, one of the three UB churches in Huntington. He’s also an assistant coach with the Huntington University soccer team. Josh did most of the legwork in getting guys signed up for the trip.

There was no hesitation from Dustin Rutledge, a catcher. He went in 2012—the only current student to return.

Dustin grew up in Frankfurt, Ind., in a very religious family. However, his parents separated when he was young, and the family strayed from the church for about five years. But toward the end of his high school years, they reconnected with church.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really understand everything about my faith,” Dustin said. “But when we returned to church, I was getting it figured out. I think God wanted me to come to Huntington to expand on it and become a follower of him.

“I proclaimed my faith the first time we went to Nicaragua. Shortly after returning, I was baptized by Josh at The Well, along with other athletes. I’ve stayed connected with God, and have continued to grow and build my relationship with him.”

(more…)

13 Mar

March 13, 2014 |
L-r: Sherilyn Emberton, Luke Fetters, and Shoshannah McKinney.

L-r: Sherilyn Emberton, Luke Fetters, and Shoshannah McKinney.

On Friday, March 14, three persons from Huntington University will travel to China during Spring Break, wanting to seek possible partnerships with various school. They are:

  • Sherilyn R. Emberton, president of Huntington University.
  • Luke Fetters, professor of ministry and missions.
  • Shoshannah McKinney, associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies and international student admissions coordinator.

“We are going to talk with them about the possibilities of us establishing a stronger relationship,” Emberton said, “which may be recruiting some of the students to come here.”

This will be Dr. Emberton’s first visit to China. The group will spend a week mostly in China’s southern cities, where they will talk to leaders from middle schools, universities, and institutions. The schedule includes middle schools in Zuhai and Doumen, a private prep school called Global EILTS, United International College, and Jilin University.

In Doumen No.1 middle school, they will be talking about HU’s international program for students and the Master of Education program for teachers. Meanwhile, they will explore the possibility of giving teachers more training and more education by providing various programs such as a TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification program.

In Zhuhai No.1 middle school, they are seeking a partnership for this summer. Students will possibly have an English summer camp locally which opens a door for them to come to Huntington in the future.

Private institutions like Global IELTS have also showed interest in doing a summer camp on HU’s campus and sending students to HU in the future.

In addition, HU will talk about starting an exchange student program with universities like UIC and Jilin University’s Zhuhai campus.

“I am excited that Dr. Emberton is coming on the trip,” Fetters said. “One school in particular that we are going to visit, we’ve been talking with them for couple years, and they said, ‘Well, bring your leaders.’ And that’s the reason why Dr. Emberton is coming with us.”

13 Mar

March 13, 2014 |

MaryAnn Hancock underwent a 12-hour surgery on Tuesday, March 11. A routine physical in January led to a diagnosis of parotid glandular cancer, located behind the left ear. The physical was in preparation for returning to Jamaica, where she and her husband, Harold (right), are Global Ministries staff working at Regent College of the Caribbean.

The doctor told the family that all of the cancer was removed. He did not have to remove and transplant the facial nerve, which they originally thought would be necessary. Also, the mastoid bone did not have to be removed, just shaved so MaryAnn’s hearing was not impaired.

Next come six weeks of radiation treatments, five days a week. That will start once MaryAnn has had time to heal and recuperate. She will be in the hospital at Ann Arbor until next Tuesday.

Cards can be sent:

MaryAnn Hancock, Room # 4123
University of Michigan Medical Center
1500 E Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5066

13 Mar

March 13, 2014 |
L-r: Kevin Poole, Mitchell Owens, and Jeremiah Ketchum.

L-r: Kevin Poole, Mitchell Owens, and Jeremiah Ketchum.

The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team has granted three new ministerial licenses.

  • A specialized ministry license has been granted to Kevin Poole, the children’s coordinator at Fowlerville UB church (Fowlerville, Mich.).
  • A provisional ministerial license has been granted to Mitchell Owens, executive pastor of New Hope Community Church (Bryan, Ohio).
  • A national conference license has been granted to Jeremiah Ketchum, recently appointed as lead pastor of Brown Corners UB church (Clare, Mich.).

11 Mar

March 11, 2014 |

Travis Ambrose (right) has been named lead pastor of New Hope Church in Camden, Mich. He will also continue in a part-time staff status at Hillsdale Church (Hillsdale, Mich.), where he has been Family Life Pastor since June 2011. Prior to that, Travis was associate pastor of Lake View UB church (Camden, Mich.).

11 Mar

March 11, 2014 |

The new conference center under construction in Masaya, Nicaragua. (click to enlarge)

The new conference center under construction in Masaya, Nicaragua.


Jeff Dice (right), a member of the Global Ministries staff who spends part of each year in Nicaragua, stopped at the national office in Huntington and talked about progress on the new conference center in Masaya.

“We have progressed quite a bit. When we first floated the idea, it was mainly because after having been there numerous times and seeing how much money we invested in using other people’s buildings, I thought it would be good to invest in our own building. Along with that, we want the conference to become self-supporting. If someday the US becomes less involved than it is today, the church in Nicaragua could still flourish.”

Masaya is a city of over 140,000. Other groups in the city would no doubt be interested in renting the building for meetings and other events. The conference could then use the income for church planting and conference ministries.

“It’s a two-story building,” Jeff explains. “When completed, it will have two dormitory style rooms which can sleep 12 in each one, 24 total. Then there are three hotel-style rooms with their own bathrooms. Two of them are basically doubles, and the third is a larger room which a family could stay in. Downstairs is a dining room and meeting room.”

How will the conference use the center? The conference, of course, will use the center for training purposes (like seminars for ministers and laypersons). But it will also provide a safe place for foreigners to stay, when they come for ministry opportunities. Jeff mentions three types of groups.

1. Mission groups. Two major logical needs confront every group that comes to Nicaragua to minister—where to stay, and what to eat. The center answers both questions.

2. Retired people. “Nicaragua is a wonderful place to spend the winter months,” Jeff says. “If people want to combine the desire to be warm and the desire for ministry, we have a ready-made place for them to stay.”

3. College students. The center would be ideal for college students who want to spend a semester or summer in a cross-cultural experience.

The three hotel-style rooms are completed. Additional work remains to finish the dormitories. All the rough plumbing and electrical work is done, but work remains with tiling, toilets, and sinks. They also want to build a couple of balconies—not necessities, but nice to have.

A youth group from Brown Corners will work on the center this summer, and will stay in the hotel-style rooms.

“Latin America is a great place to visit,” Jeff says. “If you’re a friendly person, they are a friendly people. My experience in Nicaragua is vast acceptance of the aid foreign people are trying to give.”

If you or your church are interested in serving in Nicaragua, you may contact Jeff Dice at:

Office phone: (989) 386-2702
Email: [email protected]

28 Feb

February 28, 2014 |

Cody Knapik has been serving as supply pastor of Garnett UB church (Garnett, Ks.) since February 2014. He took the place of Anne Loewe, who retired after serving at Garnett for 14 years.

27 Feb

February 27, 2014 |

Missions Moments – Easter 2014 from Global Ministries on Vimeo.

Jeff Bleijerveld (right), Director of Global Ministries

It may not seem like Easter is just around the corner, but it is. In the coming weeks, United Brethren churches will receive bulletin inserts and other materials for our annual Easter Missions Offering.

This year, we will raise support for the following projects, all of which involve the UB international fields:

  • Mexico: leadership development,
  • Nicaragua: completion of the new conference center in Masaya.
  • Sierra Leone: continued renovations at Mattru Hospital.
  • India: HIV/AIDS ministries.

Along with the inserts and other materials your church may have requested, we will send a DVD promotional video. You’re welcome to preview the video above.

27 Feb

February 27, 2014 |

Five persons from Blue Rock UB church (Waynesboro, Pa.) went to Honduras on Sunday morning, February 23. Three more persons leave on Friday morning, February 28. This work team will help Juanita Chavez, superintendent of Honduras Conference, enlarge a building at the national compound in La Ceiba. They will return to the States on Saturday, March 3.