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04 Apr

April 4, 2013 |
The Findlay Seder service (click to enlarge).

The Findlay Seder service (click to enlarge).

Darwin Dunten (right), senior pastor, Findlay First UB (Findlay, Ohio)

Findlay First UB held a Seder Observance on Maundy Thursday with 60 persons attending. The observance was led by Craig Kupferberg, a Messianic Jew who attends Findlay First.  Craig used videos from “The Prince of Egypt” to correspond with certain aspects of the Seder. A Jewish woman attended the service, and in the middle of the service, she blurted out, “Now I understand!”

On Easter Sunday, over 700 Easter eggs filled with candy were thrown onto the church lawn. Breakfast was held, and the church was packed. Visitors attended as a result of the men canvassing of the neighborhood the week before.

All in all, it was a great Sunday.

03 Apr

April 3, 2013 |
Greg Helman celebrates with the final delivery, which gave him a total of 800 points. He needed nine pins, and as you can see, only one is left standing. Greg's wife, Marty, secretly took this photo while hiding behind other team members.

Greg Helman celebrates with the final delivery, which gave him a total of 800 points. He needed nine pins, and as you can see, only one is left standing. Greg’s wife, Marty, secretly took this photo while hiding behind other team members.

Thursday, March 28, was quite a night for Greg Helman (right), senior pastor of Blue Rock UB church (Waynesboro, Pa.). Greg and his wife, Marty, participate in a bowling league. And Greg was on fire. He bowled a perfect game of 300 in the first game. Then he followed with a 266 game and finally a 234 game. That gave him a total of 800 for the series.

Greg wrote, “The picture is of me celebrating after throwing the last ball of my series. I needed 9 pins to reach 800, and that’s what I got leaving only a 10-pin. This was my first 300 game and 800 series since I started bowling at 12 years of age. Each of these accomplishments has earned me a ring from the USBC, which sanctions our league at ABC West in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Needless to say, I was very excited, and my wife, Marty, got the first hug.”

My wife took that picture without me knowing as she hid behind the other team waiting for me to complete my delivery.

03 Apr

April 3, 2013 |
Todd Agnew

Todd Agnew

Friday, June 28, will be a special day at the US National Conference. We’ll have workshops in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, everyone will travel down the road to Huntington University, where we’ll have the run of the campus. There will be tours of various buildings. An open house at the UB Historical Center. Inflatable games for kids. A picnic BBQ supper.

And a concluding worship concert with Todd Agnew.

Todd Agnew is a contemporary Christian musician and songwriter from Dallas, Texas. He is best known for writing the song “Grace Like Rain,” a version of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Agnew has put out seven albums.

Agnew was born in Dallas, Texas, to a Native American mother, but was adopted at birth by a Caucasian couple. In 1999, Agnew began traveling to Memphis to help with a city-wide Bible study for college students and singles. During this time he began writing and introducing songs to the group which would later become songs on the record “Grace Like Rain.” He eventually move to Memphis to help plant a church, which developed through the Bible study into Highpoint Church. After a number of years touring out of Memphis, Agnew was married in 2008 and moved back to Texas. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Jenny, and two children.

We look forward to worshiping under Todd Agnew’s leadership on that Friday night.

03 Apr

April 3, 2013 |

Global Ministries is looking for someone to teach elementary school children in a creative access country during the coming school year. If you have teaching experience and/or a TESOL degree, we invite you to join God’s work in this way. This paid teaching position with housing is available for at least one year. If interested, contact Frank Y in Global Ministries.

02 Apr

April 2, 2013 |

Francis George, from the Church Emeric Young in Freetown, Sierra Leone, writes: “Easter was very exciting at our church. The good news is that 8 people accepted Christ as their Savior and were baptized on Easter Sunday morning. And a beautiful certificate was issued to each of them, signed and dated by our minister in charge.”

02 Apr

April 2, 2013 |

colwood-easter2013

Jason Garwood (right), senior pastor, Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.)

Typically, churches will boast in how many attendees come to their services. We oftentimes get caught up in the “hype” of an event instead of the Person behind it all.

So this year, I wanted to end our Easter services on a different note. Instead of worrying about how many people showed up, I ended with a benediction (Rom. 15:13) and commissioned those who came to remember that simply coming doesn’t achieve the mission of God–we must go as well. We must go and make disciples.

I asked, “What if instead of counting how many of you came, we counted how many of you were sent on mission to make disciples in your places of work, play, and school? The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and well inside of you.”

Many had never heard nor seen such a thing, and I’m glad we were able to give them something to think about. Making disciples is our mission, even on Easter.

02 Apr

April 2, 2013 |
Members of the nominating committee (l-r): Kevin Cherry, Jody Harr, Craig Burkholder, Greg Helman, Randy Carpenter.

Members of the nominating committee (l-r): Kevin Cherry, Jody Harr, Craig Burkholder, Greg Helman, Randy Carpenter.

A nominating committee is at work developing two ballots for the upcoming US National Conference:

  1. Bishop. Every four years, we elect a bishop. This is the year for that.
  2. ELT members. Every two years, we elect 8 members of the Executive Leadership Team–a minister and a layperson from each of the four regions. (Here is the current ELT.)

The nominating committee consists of:

  • Kevin Cherry (chairman), senior pastor of Heart O the Lakes UB in Brooklyn, Mich.
  • Jody Harr, senior pastor of First UB church in Van Wert, Ohio.
  • Craig Burkholder, senior pastor of Hudson UB church in Hudson, Ind.
  • Greg Helman, senior pastor of Blue Rock UB church in Waynesboro, Pa.
  • Randy Carpenter, senior pastor of Sunfield UB church in Sunfield, Mich.

The nominating committee will present its report directly to the National Conference. When the report is finalized (probably not until May or June), it will be published on the US National Conference website under the “Business” tab.

02 Apr

April 2, 2013 |

Gary Brooks (right), a former UB pastor and missionary, is currently pastoring the Mantee RV Park Community Church in Ruskin, Fla. He sent this report about their Easter service:

“Shortly after dawn on Resurrection Sunday, we had a coffee and pastry fellowship. Sixty-six people were present for the worship service. During that service we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. The message was taken from Matthew 28:7 and Isaiah 62:6, and was titled, ‘No Time to Be Silent, No Time To Rest.’ In short, the message encouraged believers to ‘Go and tell’ the good news of Christ’s resurrection rather than remaining silent.

“Immediately after the service, we went to the community pool for a baptismal service. We chose the pool over the nearby lake because a seven foot alligator was basking on the shore of the lake just 50 or 60 yards from the pool.”

02 Apr

April 2, 2013 |
Pastor Les Smith conducting one of the 15 baptisms at Hillsdale UB on Easter Sunday.

Pastor Les Smith conducting one of the 15 baptisms at Hillsdale UB on Easter Sunday.

Lester Smith (right), senior pastor, Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.)

The HUB in Hillsdale, Mich., holds two services each Sunday in two different locations in the church building. The 9:30 service is held in the smaller sanctuary and the 11:00 service takes place in the Worship Center (gym). A SON-Rise breakfast was held in between Resurrection services at the HUB Activity Center building.

There were four baptisms in the first service and eleven more in the second. The first service attendance was close to 200 and the second service was completely filled with over 500 present. A grand total of 728 were ministered to by the Children’s Choir in the two services.

Two of the 15 baptized were women who were saved earlier this year at the HUB.