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27 Jun

June 27, 2012 |

Linda Carter, wife of Al Carter (right), senior pastor of First UB church (Columbus, Ohio), will undergo surgery on Friday, June 29. She has been diagnosed with cancer, and a kidney will be removed.

The Carters have served First UB since August 2011. Prior to that, Rev. Carter pastored the West Pleasant Hill UB church (Rockbridge, Ohio) for seven years. They had signed up for the Germany mission trip, which begins July 27, but had to back out after Linda’s cancer diagnosis.

Please remember Al and Linda in your prayers.

Cards can be sent to:

Linda Carter
519 E. Second Street
Logan, OH 43138

You can also contact Pastor Carter by email.

27 Jun

June 27, 2012 |

The team from ReNew Communities. Pastor Andy Sikora is on the far left.

Andy Sikora, senior pastor, ReNew Communities (Berea, Ohio)

Renew Communities sent a team of 13 people to visit Haiti Bible Mission in Jeremie, Haiti. The trip was a “missions exposure” trip, so we had the opportunity to see all the ways that HBM is working in Jeremie and the surrounding areas. While there, we were able to visit multiple church plants that HBM has started, and to help with construction on the church at Kolimo that Renew Communities is helping to plant.

The church in Kolimo was about a 45-minute drive and a 35-minute hike up a mountain. It’s ultimately about 15 miles outside of town, but with bad roads and hiking, it takes time. Hundreds of people live within a five minute walk. The Haitian pastor is deeply invested in that village. It was inspiring for sure.

Along with visiting these churches, we were able to do some work projects at a school HBM started and around the HBM compound. We also played soccer with kids in many different parts of Jermemie, visited sick and malnourished children in the hospital, gave support to widows that HBM cares for, bought a motorcycle for the pastor of the Kolimo church plant, and had a chance to meet many of the people that HBM works with on a regular basis.

The connection with Haiti Bible Mission comes through Chris Solyntjes, ReNew’s worship pastor. He has served on the board of HBM for 3 years and handles all their communications. Chris has known Mark Stockeland, director of HBM, since high school. The more I got to know about HBM, the more I realized that they’re about the same things we are in reaching a city by raising up indigenous leaders in church planting. For us this partnership was a no brainer, and we’re actually learning a lot from them.

Most church plants in that area cost about $6000, but the mountain makes it more expensive–$15,000 for this plant. We raised $7000 in December and another church raised $1500. They still need about $7000 to complete the project. We’re about to launch a kick starter style campaign to raise the rest by year’s end.

We look forward to partnering with this amazing church planting movement in Haiti and can’t wait to see what God will do in the future!

Here are some scenes from the trip.

27 Jun

June 27, 2012 |

The Spain team includes pastors Todd Fetters (far left) and Chuck Malson (standing next to him).

Honduras. The Honduras Medical Team returned to the States on Saturday, June 23, after nine days in Honduras, where they conducted several medical clinics.

Spain. On Sunday, June 24, a group of seven persons left for Spain. They are conducting an English Camp alongside UB endorsed missionaries Ron and Brenda Anderson. The group includes two United Brethren ministers:

  • Chuck Malson, senior pastor of Brown Corners UB church in Clare, Mich.
  • Todd Fetters, senior pastor of Devonshire UB church in Harrisburg, Pa.

Nicaragua. On July 1, a group of ten persons from Monroe UB church (Monroe, Ind.) will travel to Nicaragua, where they will work with Jeff Dice on several different projects for the Nicaraguan UB churches.

Germany. On July 27, a group of 11 persons leave for Germany. Tom and Kim Datema (right), former missionaries in Sierra Leone who have served the Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.) since 1998, are leading the trip. They will conduct an English camp, working with Galen and Maritta Fiedler, Global Ministries non-traditional staff who serve at a school in Germany. A similar camp was conducted in 2010. Cheryl Lamport, a UB ordained chaplain, participated in 2010 and is also part of this trip.

26 Jun

June 26, 2012 |

Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, led a prayer for the new officers elected for the annual Michigan Missions Conference.

The missions conference was held in the tabernacle at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich.

A BBQ lunch for everyone!

About 60 people attended a one-day missions conference held Saturday, June 23, at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich. The event was designed for persons from United Brethren churches in Michigan. This is the second year for the event.

A number of people spoke on behalf of missions. They included:

  • April Dice and her son, Camden, who spoke about their ministry in Nicaragua. Camden told about the baseball team which played and ministered in Nicaragua in January 2012.
  • Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld.
  • Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries.
  • Several former missionaries in Sierra Leone, including Julie Burkett, Nancy N’Gele, and Lee and Beth Palmer.
  • Former Macau missionaries Pauline Gibbs and Carlson and Naomi Becker.
  • Sally Hock-Harrison, from West Windsor UB (Dimondale, Mich.) represented a fund which provides scholarships to teens wanting to do short-term missions work. Several recipients of scholarships spoke about their experiences.

Ted Beck, a representative of Samaritan’s Purse who attends East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich., told about his church’s success with Operation Christmas Child. The number of shoeboxes collected each year has continued multiplying, leading to a collection of 10,000 shoeboxes in 2011. He told of trips to flea markets and other events, looking for items for the shoeboxes, and coming away with contacts for persons who donated items or sold them for, say, a penny each.

26 Jun

June 26, 2012 |

Randy and Crystal Carpenter with daughter Marlee (right).

Among the 130 soldiers at the Call to Duty Ceremony on June 23.

A Call to Duty Ceremony was held Saturday, June 23, at Bowsher High School in Toledo for the 323rd Military Police Company, which is getting set to deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Among the 130 soldiers is Crystal Carpenter, wife of Randy Carpenter, who is senior pastor of Sunfield UB church in Sunfield, Mich.

Crystal has been a member of the Army National Guard for about seven years. This deployment, which will last 9-11 months, will be her first with the National Guard.

26 Jun

June 26, 2012 |

Caleb Kennedy

Huntington University 6’6′ senior forward Caleb Kennedy was named the first-ever Male Athlete of the Year in the Mid Central Conference. The award recognizes athletic and academic excellence. Kennedy was chosen by the league’s athletic directors from among the 1600 male student-athletes in the MCC.

Kennedy, from Charlottesville, Ind., graduated this year with a business management degree. He averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, and was the only member of the MCC to be named to the NAIA First Team All-America team. He was also named the MCC Player of the Year for this past season. Kennedy had a high of 43 points against Saint Xavier in December 2011, and ranks 21st on HU’s all-time scoring list.

The Mid Central Conference, in which Huntington competes, consists of these schools:

  • Bethel College (Mishawaka, Ind.).
  • Goshen College (Goshen, Ind.).
  • Grace College (Winona Lake, Ind.).
  • Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.).
  • Marian University (Indianapolis, Ind.).
  • Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Mount Vernon, Ohio).
  • Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, Mich.).
  • Taylor University (Upland, Ind.).
  • The University of Saint Francis (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

A volleyball player from Taylor University received the Female Athlete of the Year award.

21 Jun

June 21, 2012 |

As of Thursday, June 21:

  • 14 people have registered for the UB Staffing Course, to be held July 11 in Huntington, Ind. Two-thirds are taking it as a requirement for ordination. The others are taking it (at half the cost) as a CEU.
  • The UB Women’s Conference is still three months away, but already 160 women have registered.

21 Jun

June 21, 2012 |

Frank Y, Associate Director of Global Ministries

Jennifer Blandin has been a UB servant in Macau for 16 years. Over the past years, Jen has played many roles: teaching, preaching, discipling, and team leading. In that largest gambling city in the world, her faithful work has produced deep relationships and plenty of fruit.

Last year, Jen returned home for an academic leave and obtained a Master’s degree to better equip herself in developing disciples overseas.

Jen is back in Macau now, but finds that her financial support has been greatly depleted due to a decrease in support and increase in costs last year. If you would like more information about Jen’s ministry, or would like to become a part of her support team, please contact the Global Ministries office at by email or by calling toll-free 1-888-622-3019. Or, you can drop a check in the mail, with a note explaining that it is for Jennifer Blandin’s support, to:

Global Ministries
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

20 Jun

June 20, 2012 |

Donna Hollopeter, Associate Director of Global Ministries

I had an email this morning from Fonda Cassidy (right) giving me an update on how things are going for the medical team in Honduras. This team of 21 persons is in southern Honduras in the midst of some very poor, remote villages. They have had three clinics so far and have treated almost 1400 patients with varying problems. The really neat thing is that there have been several first time decisions for Christ as they minister not just to physical needs but spiritual ones. The team members are all doing well.

A team of 7 persons will depart for Spain on Sunday, June 24. They will work with Ron and Brenda Anderson (right), missionaries with European Christian Mission, in an English Camp. The 7 are: April Dice (team leader), Chuck Malson, Beth Palmer, Mallory Jones, Todd and Quinn Fetters, and Joann Gardner. They will be gone for 8 days.

On July 1, a team of 10 youth and adult leaders from the Monroe UB Church will travel to Nicaragua to work with Jeff Dice on a couple of projects there.

The Germany team led by Tom and Kim Datema will depart on July 27 for a week-long English Camp and then a week of ministry with the Sierra Leonean Church plant in Berlin.

19 Jun

June 19, 2012 |
  • Because of growth at Mill Chapel in Reedsville, W. Va., the church hired Mike Charlton as associate pastor.
  • Walter L. Marshall, whose son Terry E. Marshall is pastor of Pen Mar UB church (Cascade, Md.), passed way May 28 in Hagerstown Md.