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12 Apr

April 12, 2013 |
Jeff Bleijerveld (left) and Bishop Phil Whipple (second from left) with Sierra Leone leaders and workers.

Jeff Bleijerveld (left) and Bishop Phil Whipple (second from left) with Sierra Leone leaders and workers.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

During the coming weeks, Sierra Leone National Conference will conduct a month of outreach into the Pujehun Region and Liberia. This is primarily a Sunni Muslim area. The outreach will be led by Rev. Peter Kainwo, the conference director of Evangelism and Church Planting.

The outreach will include 16 days of Jesus Film presentations, plus community visitation among six communities of the Vai People.

In preparation, Sierra Leone Conference will conduct two days of training with 19 participants in soul winning, discipleship, and household evangelism. There will also be two days of follow-up and fact-finding for future outreach in Liberia.

Those participating are United Brethren members who have relocated their families to this border region in order to participate in planting new churches. Bishop Phil Whipple, Donna Hollopeter, and I had the opportunity to spend time with this amazing group of pioneer evangelists this past February.

11 Apr

April 11, 2013 |

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

In February, I visited Sierra Leone to participate in strategic planning regarding Mattru Hospital. Also participating in those meetings was Dr. Martin Salia (right), a very skilled surgeon who works at a hospital in Freetown.

Martin comes from a United Brethren background. In the 1990s, Sierra Leone Conference sent Martin to Burkina Faso to participate in extensive training designed for producing medical missionaries. Every student was set up with a mentor. Martin was mentored by a missionary doctor with years of experience. The idea was not just developing Martin into a good surgeon, but into a follower of Christ.

The Sierra Leone Conference helped support Martin with this training, with the understanding that he would return to work at Mattru Hospital. But then the civil war occurred, and the hospital fell into chaos and disrepair. While decisions were being processed about whether or not to take him on at Mattru Hospital, Martin landed a job at the Kissie Hospital in Freetown.

Working at the same hospital is Dr. Dennis Marke, who previously worked at Mattru Hospital. Both Dr. Marke and Dr. Salia made tremendous contributions to the strategic planning, since they understand what makes an effective missions hospital.

11 Apr

April 11, 2013 |

mtzion-worshipfacilityMt. Zion UB Church (Wayne, Ohio) will dedicate a new worship facility (right) at 3pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

The day will begin with a worship service at 9:30 am with Pastor Howard Munn giving the message. Rev. Munn served Mt Zion for 26 years. There will be a lunch afterwards in the Family Life Center.

At 3pm, Lee Hiney, former pastor of Mt. Zion, will give the dedicatory address. Pastor Hiney pastored Mt. Zion for 20 years. A dessert reception will follow the dedication.

Pastor Mark E. Ralph is the current senior pastor of Mt. Zion.

09 Apr

April 9, 2013 |

Derek Thrush (right) has been named senior pastor of Devonshire Church in Harrisburg, Pa. Derek has served on staff at Devonshire since 1997, and was ordained in 2002.

Derek is a graduate of Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. , and also holds a Master of Divinity from Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, Pa. He and his wife, Kristen, were married in 1997 and have seven children.

09 Apr

April 9, 2013 |

Rev. Howard Cherry (right) has undergone surgery today (April 9)–his third surgery in a short span of days. The family is trusting this is the final step toward moving him on toward rehab and regaining of strength. Your prayers are appreciated.

Howard and Sue Cherry have served in the United Brethren ministry since 1966. From 1979-1992, he was a professor in the Graduate School of Christian Ministry. For the past several years, he has served as minister of Pastoral Care at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.

Cards can be sent to:

Howard Cherry
1 Millside Road
Huntington, IN 46750

09 Apr

April 9, 2013 |

S. Douglas Birdsall assumed the presidency of the American Bible Society in March 2013. Dr. Birdsall grew up as a United Brethren preacher’s kid, the son of Dr. S. Roger and Mary Lou Birdsall. He has also been a licensed United Brethren minister.

The American Bible Society, founded in 1816, publishes, distributes, and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible. It publishes the Good News Bible and the more recent Contemporary English Version. The ABS had $67 million in revenue in 2010, with total assets of over $400 million (including a headquarters building in downtown Manhattan).

You can read more about Doug on Wikipedia.

09 Apr

April 9, 2013 |
Todd Fetters opened the meeting with a devotional.

Todd Fetters opened the meeting with a devotional.

Jeff Bleijerveld giving an update on Global Ministries.

Jeff Bleijerveld giving an update on Global Ministries.

Bishop Phil Whipple (right) with his sons Josh (left) and Mike, both of whom are on staff at Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.).

Bishop Phil Whipple (right) with his sons Josh (left) and Mike, both of whom are on staff at Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.).

About 50 people attended a regional meeting at East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich., on Monday, April 8. This was the last of four meetings held to review proposals which will be presented to the US National Conference this summer. Attendees came from various UB churches in Michigan, along with four persons from the national office.

The meeting began at 9:30 and ended after a lunch provided by the East Washington church. It included:

  • An opening devotional from Todd Fetters, Director of National Ministries.
  • An update on ministerial education and licensing issues from Gary Gates, Director of Ministerial Licenses.
  • An update on the work of Global Ministries from Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries.
  • A review by Bishop Phil Whipple of the proposals for revising the Discipline (our “manual of operations,” so to speak, which can only be amended by the National Conference). Everyone had a copy of the proposals. The Bishop walked through them and invited discussion.

05 Apr

April 5, 2013 |

John Dale Gardner  Combat Devotions“Combat Devotions” is now available to encourage your family or friends who are serving in the military. The author is John Dale Gardner (right), a member of Jerusalem Chapel UB church (Churchville, Va.). Gardner served in the US Marine Corps from 1999-2005. He wrote this inspirational book to encourage others who are going through similar demands and challenges in the military.

“Combat Devotions” is now available through Barnes & Nobles and Amazon.

Denny Sites, senior pastor of Jerusalem Chapel, writes, “We commend you, John Dale, for continuing to serve your country in this manner and for remaining active in your Christian faith and witness of your Savior, Jesus Christ.”

05 Apr

April 5, 2013 |
A prayer time after the service was held for the teens and adults who would be attending the Acquire the Fire conference the following weekend.

A prayer time after the service was held for the teens and adults who would be attending the Acquire the Fire conference the following weekend.

Julia Vergon of Anchor presented a beautiful dance to the song "Once Again" during the Easter morning service.

Julia, a teen from Anchor presented a beautiful dance to the song “Once Again” during the Easter morning service.

The sanctuary of Anchor Community Church is not large, but it is packed on most Sundays. So for Easter, something had to give. The church leaders widely decided to hold two services just for that Sunday morning. The usual Easter sunrise service and breakfast were scrapped to make this possible.

It was a good move. The total attendance hit 170 (which may be a Sunday morning record for Anchor), divided evenly between the two services. A highlight of the service was a dance presentation by Julia, a talented young dancer, to the song “Once Again.” Associate pastor Matt Kennedy gave the message; senior pastor Tim Hallman has been on a four-month sabbatical since January 2013.

After the service, people gathered for a prayer time around the teens and adults who would be attending the Acquire the Fire conference the following weekend in Muncie, Ind. This conference has had a major impact on a number of Anchor youth over the years.

04 Apr

April 4, 2013 |

Ricky Hull (right), senior pastor, Mt. Hermon UB church (Pomeroy, Ohio)

We started off being challenged by Adam Will in our Sunrise service as he reminded us of the truth of Romans 8:31 that “if God is on our side, who can be against us?” and how God’s awesome power was seen in the resurrection and in our own lives. We then celebrated what God has been doing in our lives over the past year with a PowerPoint slideshow that was set to the worship song “One Thing Remains.” People in our church turned in praises that were put into the slideshow, and we celebrated all that God was accomplishing in our midst.

During our worship service, we continued to celebrate and remember all that God has accomplished for us through the eyes of witnesses to the resurrection. We looked at Mary Magdalene (and the skepticism she initially had), we looked at Thomas (and the doubts he originally had), and we looked at Peter (and the mistakes that he made). We considered how each of us were like them in some way,  how Jesus helped them overcome all those areas, and how he can help us overcome them too, if we are willing to receive it like they did. We had a number of moving musical specials that helped us celebrate the morning as well.

All in all it was a wonderful morning of celebration, where we left feeling both encouraged and excited about what Jesus accomplished on the cross and resurrection, and what he will continue to accomplish in our lives. We had 107 people join us for our morning worship service, which was about 40 people more than we had been averaging.