05 Mar Former UB Church Becoming a Nunnery

The former St. Felix Friary and Good Shepherd UB church

Members of the Sisters of Mary order.

In 1980, the Grayston Avenue UB church in Huntington, Ind., bought the former St. Felix Friary. They changed their name to Good Shepherd UB church, and moved into the former monastery for the next 20 years.

Good Shepherd left the property in 2009 and began meeting in temporary locations. Now using the name The Well, the congregation holds services at the Huntington YMCA while looking for a permanent location.

In 2010, they sold the friary to the Mary Cross Tippman Foundation, run by a Catholic businessman in Fort Wayne, Ind. The foundation poured over $1 million into renovations. The foundation modernized the kitchens and restrooms, upgraded the wiring, painted, brought the facility up to code, and added new pews, statuary, an altar, and other items.

And now, it will become a nunnery. The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, an order founded 15 years ago and based in Ann Arbor, Mich. They will place about 40 novices in the west wing, which Good Shepherd used a a retreat center. The order states, “Our community exists for the salvation of souls and the building of the Church throughout the world.”

The order, which has about 100 sisters, focuses on teaching. Women joining the order go through an eight-year process before taking their final vows; they all earn a teaching degree during the formation process. The Huntington center, by providing housing for novices in the second and third years of the process, will relieve overcrowding at the main center in Ann Arbor.

The sisters serve in Catholic schools around the country, and currently work in six states: Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, California, and Arizona. According to a local Catholic spokesman, they are very much in demand.

The friary was home to Father Solanus Casey 1946-1956, a Capuchin monk who has gone through the first of three stages toward sainthood in the Catholic church. His second-floor dorm room in the east wing has been kept the way it was when he lived there.

01 Mar Over 700 Attend Hillsdale’s Upwards Awards Program

Hillsdale UB's Upward Awards Program (click to enlarge)

On Saturday, February 25, the Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) held an awards program to conclude the Upwards Basketball/Cheerleading season. This was the third year for Upwards at Hillsdale UB, with about 250 elementary age children participating this year. Over 700 came out for the closing program in the Worship Center.

Over 60 children responded to the invitation given at the conclusion of the awards program. Among them were a dozen players who made first-time commitments to Christ.

Each year, the Hillsdale congregation has gained new families from the Upwards ministry. This season, Pastor Les Smith (right) coached a kindergarten team, and the family of one of his players are now regular attenders. The father is superintendent of the local school district.

01 Mar Camp Living Waters Day at Sunfield UB

Scenes from Camp Living Waters Day at Sunfield. (Click photos to enlarge)

Leigh Pearson (right), Administrative Assistant at Sunfield Church (Sunfield, Mich.)

On Sunday, February 26, Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.) hosted a “Camp Living Waters Day” to promote summer camp and raise money to help send to summer camp area youth who may not otherwise be able to go and “experience God in His creation.”

Chad Saxton, Executive Director of Camp Living Waters, was our guest speaker. A “Silent Auction” was held, and the inside of the church was transformed into a makeshift Camp Living Waters. Picture were hung from the ceiling throughout the entire church showed smiling faces and activities available at camp. Areas throughout the church were renamed lodges or cabins that are actually at Camp Living Waters. The Kitchen became the Camp Store where camp-like refreshments–freshly made smores, rice krispie treats, trail mix, fruit snacks, popcorn, chips, juice boxes and hot chocolate–were served in lieu of the normal Sunday morning coffee and cookies.

The Silent Auction was open from 9 am to 12 pm. We asked the congregation to provide auction items (services or goods). We had over 65 items to bid on–dinner and a movie with Pastor Randy Carpenter and his wife (right), lots and lots of home-baked goods (pies were going for over $40), lawn mowing services, goodie baskets, food baskets, and more. One small group made homemade lasagna and had it available for taste-testing, and then took orders to provide homemade lasagna, haircuts, bowling, tie blankets, kids’ toys, etc.

There was something for everyone! We sold every item and at the end of the day, we raised over $1,800 in scholarship money for summer camp. It was a great day and everyone had a lot of fun. We are excited that the success of the day will benefit many youth to possibly meet Jesus for the first time or grow closer in a relationship with him while at camp this summer.