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Six Huntington University students spent their fall break, October 11-15, doing volunteer work in Piedmont, Missouri. This small town of 2000 people in the Ozarks was hit hard by flooding in 2008. The students worked with World Renew Disaster Response to help with the rebuilding of homes.
Huntington University’s Friesen Center for Volunteer Service is plunging into inner city Chicago November 8-10 for this year’s Urban Plunge trip. Psychology professor Dr. Tanner Babb and 14 students will work with Emmaus Ministries to serve the homeless population.
“The goal of the trip will be to expand students’ knowledge and understanding of those living in an urban setting,” said Abby Goering, Friesen Center volunteer coordinator. “We will also focus on showing God’s love to those we come in contact.”
Seven of the students come from Indiana, two come from Texas, and one each from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, California, and Kentucky. They represent a variety of majors, including social work, writing, psychology, history education, exercise science, missions, business, and political science.
This is the 17th Urban Plunge trip for Huntington University. The trip serves as an important entry point for students to begin acclimating themselves to urban ministry.
The Friesen Center is a student-directed organization that coordinates HU students in volunteer efforts on a daily basis. The Friesen Center stands to build the idea that every one person can make a difference in the community.
Mike Soltis (left) praying for graduates in May on Graduation Sunday.
Josh Soltis leading worship.
A service at Bridge Fellowship.
At the first Bridge baptism in August.
The Bridge Fellowship, in North Baltimore, Ohio, officially launched Sunday morning services on October 20, 2013. About 80 people attended. The church’s pastor is Mike Soltis, who began working with the church plant in November 2012.
A core group of persons from about 21 households has been meeting informally for over a year. Several more families joined during the weeks leading up to the public launch. A mailer about the new church was sent to the surrounding area to make people aware of the opening service.
“We had about a 30% increase for the launch,” said Mike Soltis. “We’ve seen three weeks now of people who have come from the mailer. We now have 26 households that are part of the group. I am happy with the way visitors have responded, and that some have returned.”
Pastor Mike Soltis doing a baby dedication.
He was hoping they would start off with an even higher number of people. “But a 30% uptick in worship attendance—I’ll take that any day of the week.”
Bridge Fellowship rents meeting space at the local middle school/high school, a brand new facility. They sit around tables, rather than in rows of chairs. The music, led by Mike’s son, Josh, is a blend of songs. Dress is casual.
Several small groups meet at 9:15, prior to the worship service, including Bridge Kids for elementary students and Elevation Student Life, the youth group.
They had quite a bit going on even before the official launch. On Sunday nights a local lady lets them use a building on Main Street, which runs through the middle of North Baltimore. A men’s group meets monthly. They started small groups in June. They’ve run a clothing closet and tutoring for kids. In August, they baptized 12 persons in their first baptismal service.
Three prayer groups meet during the week. “I appreciate their prayer emphasis. It’s hard enough to have one prayer group, let alone three.”
This summer they sent a group of teens to Peru. Last week, the youth group had an attendance of 25, which is very commendable for a congregation of this size.
A pastoral advisory team works with Pastor Soltis in making decisions, and they also have a finance team. They’re looking at a piece of property in the middle of town, to see if they can swing it; the cost is still too high.
“A lot of fellowship happens at the Bridge,” says Soltis. “The people really like each other. It’s refreshing to be with people who like to hang out.”
The core group consists mostly of people who previously attended Mt. Zion UB church in Wayne, Ohio. They contacted Mike Soltis about being their pastor; he had previously pastored Mt. Zion for a short time.
“They asked me to consider it, and I said they would have to talk to the bishop.”
The situation was brought before the Executive Leadership Team during its spring 2012 meeting, and the ELT gave the go-ahead for a church plant. Mike and his wife, Brenda, came aboard in November 2012.
Mike is bi-vocational. He had been working as a detention officer at the Wood County Juvenile Detention Center in Bowling Green, a maximum security facility for kids who really get out of line. He concluded that job on October 26, and will now begin substitute teaching.
Brenda Soltis works in a dental office in Bowling Green, Monday through Thursday. She runs the children’s programs at Bridge Fellowship. They’re looking forward to this Saturday, November 2. It will be the first time they’ve had Saturday off together in over 13 months.
Keep Bridge Fellowship in your prayers, as they continue building a ministry in the community and among the people of North Baltimore, Ohio.
Huntington University has been named to the 2014 Military Friendly Schools list for the second year in a row. The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.
The list comes from Victory Media, an organization for military personnel transitioning into civilian life.
The 1,868 schools on this year’s list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. Now in its fifth year, the list is compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 10,000 schools nationwide approved for VA tuition funding.
HU’s adult programs lowered the cost of degree programs $250 per credit hour for all 100 and 200-level courses for active-duty military personnel and their dependents.
Mill Chapel (Reedsville, W. Va.) celebrated its 40th year anniversary October 19-20.
It was a two-day celebration. Saturdays attendance was 150 and Sundays was 230. It was our first Homecoming.
Dr. Paul Michelson (right), professor of History at Huntington University, with the new Alpha Chi inductees.
Two United Brethren students were among the 20 Huntington University students inducted into the Indiana Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi during a convocation held Oct. 16.
Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor at Huntington University. It recognizes scholastic achievement, a commitment to promoting academic excellence and integrity on and off campus, and service.
The three North Americans with the Nicaraguans who participated in five days of small business training.
Nicaraguan participants in the training.
Victor Mojica leading a training session in Nicaragua.
Jeff Bleijerveld (right), Director of Global Ministries
Exponential growth of the Church is occurring in many non-Western countries. Three factors seem to be consistently present:
Many look at the use of small business as a way for pastors and church planters to simply support themselves. But there are many other advantages.
Acts 18:1-4 gives the example of Paul and coworkers Aquila and Priscilla, who supported themselves as tentmakers. In this way, they gained access to people in the Corinthian marketplace among whom they could evangelize and make disciples. Their example and integrity earned the respect of outsiders and believers.
Global Ministries has been providing training for pastors and church planters who want to use small business to transform their communities for Christ.
Last week, three of us from the United States spent five days in Nicaragua. I was joined by Jeff Dice (non-traditional Global Ministries staff member) and Victor Mojica, a Hispanic pastor who leads the Clearview UB church in Goshen, Ind.
We conducted five days of small business training with 11 pastors and church planters in Nicaragua. The small business training provided everything they would need to know to effectively start and manage a small business, but also focused on how to use the business to expand their ministry. It’s what is known as the dual bottom line – successful business and successful ministry.
The training this past week was the second such effort. The first was conducted in Sierra Leone. Global Ministries hopes to continue offering similar training events in Central America, Africa, India, and Asia.
If you’re a small business owner and would be interested in knowing more about serving as a trainer, contact Jeff Bleijerveld in Global Ministries.
Gary Brooks (right)
Gary Brooks, a former United Brethren pastor and missionary in Honduras, recently returned from Mexico, where he helped Bishop Denis Casco conduct a leadership training seminar for members of our churches in Mexico. Gary, who currently lives in Florida, has participated in a number of training events for Mexico Conference. Here is Gary’s report about last week’s event.
Twenty adults participated in the seminar that was held in Dr. Mora, Guanajuato. This is a rural area about an hour or so out of Queretaro. I taught about the dangers of carnal leadership. The focus of this mini-series of lessons was King Saul. Our study included most of 1 Samuel. Bishop Denis Casco taught a series of lessons from Nehemiah.
While I taught about the hazards of being a carnal leader, Denis focused on the characteristics of a spiritual leader. Among these are found:
We closed out the seminar by setting aside a brother for the gospel ministry.
The following day, we drove to Celaya to visit an elderly man and his daughter. Denis shared the Gospel with them, and they both readily made professions of faith.
Saturday evening, we boarded a bus and returned to Mexico City. Sunday was a day of relaxation. As is our custom, we strolled along the Paseo de La Reforma. We saw a colorful parade, line dancing, and a “professional” Mexican wrestling match, and even got a free hug that I’ll never be able to explain to my loving wife.
These seminars are valuable opportunities to provide continuing education for lay church workers and pastors in the churches of the United Brethren in Christ scattered throughout this beautiful country south of our border.
This is just one of three outreaches led by Bishop Denis Casco in Mexico. Another is the Vacation Bible School that reaches out to children. The third is the moral and spiritual support our Mexican brethren receive from periodic visits made by Brother Denis.
If people would like to contribute to the leadership development needs of Mexico Conference, they can do so by sending a gift marked specifically for Mexican Leadership Development.
Top row (l-r). The four out-going members: Lee Rhodes, Dennis Sites, David Burkett, Chuck Wheatley. Continuing members: Phil Whipple, Chris Little, Terry Smith. Bottom row. Continuing members: Bob Bruce, Craig Burkholder. New members: Gary Gates, Mark Wilson, Randy Carpenter, Jim Bolich, Mike Brown.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team is meeting today and tomorrow (October 21-22) in Huntington, Ind. The PMLT deals with various issues involving ministers, in particular licensing and education.
The PMLT consists of ten ordained UB ministers. They include the bishop, the chairman, and up to eight persons appointed to two-year terms by the Executive Leadership Team.
Five changes have occurred on the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team for the 2013-2015 period.
Leaving the team are:
Taking over as chairman is Gary Gates, the Director of Ministerial Licenses. He had previously served only in an advisory role. Also joining him on the team are:
You can see the complete team here.
Bridge Fellowship has been meeting at the North Baltimore High School.
Bridge Fellowship held its first baptismal service in August. Pastor Mike Soltis is on the left.
Bridge Fellowship, a church plant in North Baltimore, Ohio, will officially launch on Sunday, October 20. The core group has been meeting for some time, using the North Baltimore High School. Now they are going public.
The congregation is led by Pastor Mike and Brenda Soltis. Their son, Joshua, is the worship leader.`
Please keep Bridge Fellowship in your prayers this Sunday as they make this important transition.
