(260) 356-2312
When you submit a ministerial or local church report, you should automatically receive, by email, a copy of the report.
However, this function wasn’t working with the local church report. It’s fixed now. So if you previously submitted a local church report and want a copy, contact Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple, and she’ll send you a copy of the one you submitted.
Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
On December 15, 2013, violence erupted in the capital of South Sudan. The violence quickly spread, dividing the nation along ethnic and political lines. The conflict has resulted in well over 1000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Christian Horizons Global (CHG), the organization with which we partner in Haiti, has worked in South Sudan for seven years and is in a strategic position to help. CHG operates out of five centers in South Sudan, three of them near the capital of Juba. Mark Wallace, a United Brethren minister and member of the Global Ministries Leadership Team, leads CHG.
Neil Cudney, pastor of the Mill Crossing UB church in Cambridge, Ontario, serves on staff with CHG. He writes:
“We’ve had 1,5000 people show up at our centres seeking refuge. The personal stories I’ve been getting out of South Sudan are utterly heart breaking. One of our pastors saw children shot right in front of him because they were from the ‘other’ tribe. After the soldiers left, their school friends carried the bodies away. I can’t fit this in my head! My heart is broken…such great gains were being made in our disability work there.”
CH Global has worked in South Sudan for seven years. Since the nation became independent in 2011 (separated from Sudan), CHG have worked with church, community, and government leaders in various programs. It is heartbreaking how quickly things have changed in the past month. CHG’s local staff and partners face immense challenges as they try to serve where there is a severe shortage of basic life essentials.
At CHG’s two-acre training facility in the rural region of Kejo-Keji, 3000 people have come under the CH Global banner looking for support. Children are baking under the hot sun with no shade or water.
Though the need is overwhelming, CHG is in a unique position to respond. Their local South Sudanese staff and volunteers are in strategic locations to provide such basic life-sustaining needs as food, water, and latrines. CHG’s main priority is to areas where there is no United Nations or non-government-organization (NGO) support.
Global Ministries wants to help. A gift of $29.50 can provide for one individual for the next month. Less than $30 can sustain a life.
Any gifts sent to Global Ministries will be passed on directly to CH Global without any administrative fees being levied, just as we always do with relief projects. Be sure to indicate that your gift is for “South Sudan Relief.”
During the three-week January term, 11 Huntington University students are returning to India for the third year in a row to serve at the Home of Love orphanage in Chennai.
The trip, led by Dr. David Alexander (right) and his wife, Gen, has been one of the most successful service trips in HU history.
Home of Love is an orphanage for Indian girls at risk of living on the streets or getting involved in prostitution. Students have raised thousands of dollars for the orphanage in past years in addition to leading Bible studies and performing on-site construction.
Bishop Phil Whipple sent a note of appreciation to Darwin Dunten, senior pastor of First Church in Findlay, Ohio. Every year, local UB churches must submit a report to the bishop’s office. First Church was, well, the first church to submit their report for the 2013 year.
Licensed United Brethren ministers are also required to submit reports about their own ministry during the year. A number of ministers have already submitted their reports.
All annual reports can be found on the UB website. All of them can be filled out online, or downloaded to be filled out on a computer and then returned by email or FAX. Reports are due by February 15.
Victor Mojica (left) has been named senior pastor of Clearview UB church (Goshen, Ind.), effective January 1, 2014. He takes the place of Hubert Schmucker, who retired after 36 years of service in the United Brethren denomination.
Milt Herrold (right) has been appointed senior pastor of Macedonia UB church (Greencastle, Pa.), following the retirement of Gayle Ruble, Sr. Herrold previously pastored the UB church in Orrstown, Pa., 2004-2011. He then left to take a position in Vermont with Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Norma Newbraugh, Living Water UB church (Winchester, Va.)
Living Water UB church (Winchester, Va.), a congregation of about 25 people, again prepared shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child and contributed to a local organization that provides food and gifts for Christmas for the needy in our community, as we customarily do.
This Christmas we also “bought” gifts from the Samaritan’s Purse catalog. For each item purchased, a photo or drawing of the item was hung on the sanctuary tree in addition to the usual ornaments. We were blessed to be able to provide:
Jason Sheets has been named senior pastor of Avlon UB church (Bremen, Ohio) effective January 1, 2014. He had been serving as associate pastor of Shepherd of the Valley UB church (Logan, Ohio).
Rev. Robert “Norman” Pickett passed away on Christmas Day, 2013. He pastored Bethel UB church (Elmore, Ohio) 2006-2012. After retiring, he and his wife, Cindy, moved to North Carolina, where he died of melanoma cancer. Cindy reports that plans are being made for a memorial service at Mainstreet UB church in Walbridge, Ohio.
(If you are receiving this by email, you’ll need to click on the UBCentral link to view the video.)
Mike Mattox has been named senior pastor of New Life UB church (Chanute, Kansas). He holds a two-year diploma in Pastoral Studies from Rhema Bible Training Center. Mike and his wife, Linda, have five children.
