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13 Sep

September 13, 2011 |

Chet Conley, associate pastor, First UB (Findlay, Ohio)

As associate/music pastor of First UB church, I spent a vast number of hours putting together a Powerpoint presentation, timed to Don Moen’s “God Will Make A Way.” I mention this only because I viewed it in part so many times during the process that I almost knew at each beat of music what slide should be up and for how long. With each run through, I discovered my focus was on producing a well thought out presentation. When I completed it and viewed it from start to finish, I became so emotional, I couldn’t play it again. Thinking it was just me, I asked my wife Carol to view it and tell me what she thought. As she saw it, she too became very emotional.

I did not want to open or end our service on such an emotional note. Indeed, memorializing a monumental event in our nation’s history merits such a presentation. But, in lieu of all the preparation, it did not really tell a story of Christ’s compassion and mercy like the story of the cross does.

Empowered to make the musical decisions for our church, and after much prayer, I believe the Spirit led me to this conclusion: the best way our church might honor those who lost their lives that dreadful day was simply to observe a moment of silence. We used a Powerpoint slide of a young lady wearing a commemorative tenth anniversary 9-11 T-shirt shirt as a backdrop. Far less elaborate than I had planned. But the impact confirms that God is always on time. It proved a very poignant but effective opening moment in our worship service.

13 Sep

September 13, 2011 |

Mark Smith, Morocco UB Church (Temperance, Mich.)

Morocco UB church held an outdoor service on September 11, with 64 people attending. We allowed time to remember 9/11. Four young people were baptized in a pond. A carry in dinner was held following the service.

Pastor Todd Greenman is the pastor at Morocco, where exciting things are happening! We have a roof project going on, ordered 25 worship chairs for our overflow area, replaced railings on our outdoor deck, and are busy making preparations for our annual Family Fun Fest on September 24 (2-6 pm). This event will include live music, games, crafts for children, food, and lots of fun. If your in our area come celebrate with us!

What did your church do to recognize 9/11? Write up something on this form.

12 Sep

September 12, 2011 |

Jonathan Ford (right), pastor of Worship and Arts at King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.)

We invited first-responders in our community and church family to attend in uniform and took time to recognize and express our appreciation to them for their service. We also gave each a DVD titled “The Cross and the Towers” as a thank you.

We used 2 video elements in our service:

  • “Why We Remember,” that was followed by Taps and the choir anthem “Salute to our Fallen Heroes” (from the collection, “Sweet Land of Liberty”) which included “America the Beautiful” and “The Lord’s Prayer.”
  • An 8-minute short feature with testimonies of some first responders in New York City.

Our service included communion, which was followed by bagpipes entering from the rear of the church playing “Amazing Grace.”

Dr. Beukema preached a sermon titled, “When Towers Fall” (see http://www.kingstreetchurch.com/sermons for a copy).

We have heard already that the service was helpful to people who were looking for hope and consolation.

12 Sep

September 12, 2011 |

Jen Blandin, a member of the Global Ministries Staff in Macau for the past 14 years, has been on educational leave from the field for most of this year. This summer, she was among the 19 students who graduated from Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio. She writes:

Nine years after starting the race towards a Master’s degree, I finally crossed the finish line and graduated on August 6! It has been a journey that God has definitely used to shape my life. One word of advice, do not…unless absolutely necessary…do not try to complete 26 credits in two semesters! Should you choose to do so, be sure to buy stock in your favorite coffee provider!

12 Sep

September 12, 2011 |

Our Global Ministries team in Macau is currently attending a week-long conference on evangelism in Asia hosted by the Chinese Coordination Center on World Evangelism. More than 2000 participants from all over Asia are attending these meetings in Indonesia.

When the team returns to Macau, they will relaunch the Taipa English Language Program (ELP). Classes will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The center has had a good history of connecting with the community of locals and expatriates, and the team is praying it will continue to have a positive impact and lead to evangelistic opportunities.

12 Sep

September 12, 2011 |

Teddy Fairchild (right), the new pastor since July 1 of The Rock in Findlay, Ohio, reports that they took in 11 new members on Sunday, September 11.

09 Sep

September 9, 2011 |

Here is a video slideshow about Titus Boggs, which was shown at his memorial service on September 1, 2011 (see his obituary announcement). This slideshow was prepared by Titus Smith, a newphew of Titus Boggs. It’s long–over 14 minutes–but if you knew Titus, you’ll probably enjoy watching it.

08 Sep

September 8, 2011 |

Huntington University’s Women’s Auxiliary’s Fall Breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. Sept. 17 in the upper level of the Habecker Dining Commons on campus. The speaker will be Dr. Matthew Ruiz of the Huntington University Exercise Science Department.

Ruiz’s topic is “Energy for Everyone! Exercises for Your Comfort Zone that can strengthen your body, mind, and spirit.” He will be showing types of exercises for various types of “comfort zones.”

Ruiz was a competitive baseball player, basketball player and personal trainer for 14 years. He has conducted applied sport psychology consultations since 2001 with various athletes and teams including volleyball, swimming, baseball, gymnastics, football and tennis.

The breakfast is a buffet and costs $7. Please make a reservation with either Pat Jones, 260-359-4075 or 260-356-7365, or Linda Bordeaux, 260-672-2598 by Sept. 14.

The Huntington University Women’s Auxiliary exists for the purpose of linking campus and community. It provides help with amenities in university dorms, as well as maintaining some scholarships. The project for this year is to sponsor reupholstering of the furniture for Roush dorm lounge.

08 Sep

September 8, 2011 |

After 34 years in Brazil, UB endorsed missionaries Wes and Jean Bell have accepted a Stateside role with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Wes will serve as an Application and Placement Specialist and Jean as Care and Recruitment Specialist. Before beginning those roles, they will work on raising their support level back up to 100%.

They write:

As we left Brazil, saying good-bye to our friends was difficult. Initially, we went to Brazil in 1972 with the Peace Corps. Then we returned to Brazil on August 3, 1977, to begin our missionary service there.

Oh, what a hospitable culture Brazil has. We made many friends in all the cities where we lived–Cuiaba in Central West Brazil, Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, and Vianopolis, not far from Brasilia, the federal capital. In each place we found a church where we made many friends and learned the locations of places where we could buy what we needed.

Upon our return to the US, the Lord helped us find a 2007 Ford Focus with low mileage and a fifth wheel trailer, both at remarkably low prices.

Knowing we were returning to work with Wycliffe Stateside, family and friends have been helping us get set up for living in the U.S. Both of Jean’s sisters had collected linens, kitchen items, and some furniture for us. When our daughter Sarah heard we’d sold our glassware in Brazil, she bought a set of glasses and a crystal pitcher and some other items to help replace some of the items. Others are helping with furniture too.

For more than 20 years, Tom and Carole Knowlton have stored things we have left behind as we journeyed to Brazil in their pole barn’s second floor loft. It has been such a blessing not to worry about where to leave these things.

Blessings during our last days in Brazil:

  • Enjoying a farewell party of a barbecue from our church.
  • Receiving memoirs from Brazilian friends who sacrificed to give us gifts.
  • Being presented a special book with “thanks” from students and parents, both past and present.
  • Being recognized for our service in Brazil by our mission colleagues.

08 Sep

September 8, 2011 |

From Dr. G. Blair Dowden, President of Huntington University:

“I am sad to share with you that long time trustee and alumnus of Huntington University, Fred Geyer, unexpectedly passed away at 7:15 p.m. this evening at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne. Fred has been an avid Huntington University supporter since his graduation in 1950 with a degree in biology. He served on the Board of Trustees for 15 years and continued to serve as a Trustee Emeritus, always taking an interest in our students and our growth and development as a Christ-centered institution.

“Fred was the founder and president of Geyer Instructional Aids for 40 years and donated significant scientific equipment and classroom materials to the university throughout the years. He was a true gentleman and a strong servant of our Lord. He will be greatly missed. Please pray for Pauline, his spouse of 60 years, and the family as they deal with this tremendous loss.”