(260) 356-2312

UB.orgUBGlobal.orgChurch Search

10 Aug

August 10, 2011 |

Dave Datema, a UB endorsed missionary, was named General Director of Frontier Mission Fellowship in May 2009. He succeeded Dr. Ralph Winter, who founded the organization and its various subsidiaries. Here is a paragraph from Dave’s August newsletter:

Trying to evaluate and organize 35 years of Ralph Winter’s activism has been a challenge. Nevertheless, the onion is getting peeled layer by layer and new clarity is emerging. Please keep me and our leaders in your prayers as hard decisions are made and complex issues understood. I’m excited about what God is doing in our midst. We have a great opportunity in these days to re-engineer and re-invent ourselves with old values and new vision.

10 Aug

August 10, 2011 |

Renew Communities, a church plant in Berea, Ohio (Cleveland area), is really big on serving the community, and they’ve been doing that in a variety of ways. Says senior pastor Andy Sikora, “We believe that one of the way that communities are renewed is that we serve together, whether you belong to Jesus already and have been made new by the gospel, or you haven’t, we want to create atmosphere where we can all work together.”

One group from Renew, while serving in a thrift store, got the idea of filling a 50-foot semi trailer with supplies for tornado victims in Alabama. They talked about it for a few days before mentioning it to Andy. The project took off.

Sort of. The first time they collected supplies, all they got was four bottles of detergent and four bucks. But they kept at it. Fourteen businesses partnered with them, along with others, and the supplies came in.

In the video above. Andy tells about the whole project. It gives you a good flavor of what Renew Communities is all about.

While you’re at it, read this article about how Renew helped clean the flooded basement for a family with a cancer-stricken seven-year-old daughter.

09 Aug

August 9, 2011 |

Thirty bands are expected to perform during the first Fandana Festival, to be held on the campus of Huntington University this week. The festival begins on Thursday afternoon, August 11, and continues to Saturday morning, August 13. The biggest day will be Friday, with Todd Agnew, Superchick, and Switchfoot performing in the evening starting at 6 pm.

There will be two stages–one by the soccer field, and another in the Merillat Centre for the Arts

Tickets are:

  • $19 for adults, in advance, or $25 at the gate.
  • $5 for ages 6-10.
  • Free for ages 5 and under.
  • $15 for groups of 15 or more.

Bring your youth! They’ll have a great time, and will get acquainted with our church college at the same time.

09 Aug

August 9, 2011 |

Bishop Phil and Sandy Whipple anchor the the front row.

Cathy Reich (left) and Peggy Sell.

Donna and Jason Hollopeter

The Healthy Ministry Resources (national office) staff headed out to the ballgame on Monday night, August 8–specifically, to Parkview Stadium in Fort Wayne. There, they saw the minor league Fort Wayne Tin Caps take on the Lansing Lugnuts (and, unfortunately, lost 8-2).

The staff, spouses, and a few other family members occupied a concourse suite, with a great view of the action. And when it rained, they were covered.

The only persons missing were Jeff Bleijerveld, who was in Haiti, accounting clerk Mabel Mundy, and cluster coordinator Denny Miller.

07 Aug

August 7, 2011 |

The August 7 Sunday morning service at the Delmas church, concluding a three-day conference for our Haitian churches.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Hard to believe that just four short years ago a gathering of 30 or so held an evangelistic service on the land that now occupies the 800-seat church and conference center in Delmas, Haiti.

Although this is just an iPhone snapshot from Sunday morning’s worship, it gives a sense of the celebratory atmosphere as our 30 churches gathered for three days and nights of fellowship, teaching, and worship (as only Haitians can do).

Attending the service this morning was the mayor of Port Au Prince, the President of Haiti, and delegations from UB churches in Canada and a partner congregation from Paris, France.

The church in Haiti is alive and well. The theme for the three days was from Matthew 14:27, “Don’t be afraid; take courage; I am here.”

Tomorrow we plan to visit schools and micro-economic projects our Haitian UBs are operating with the help of Global Ministries’ partner, CH Global.

04 Aug

August 4, 2011 |

On July 31, Pastor Marshall Woods baptized 11 people at Mill Chapel (Reedsville, W. Va.). More will be baptized in August.

The church is now raising money to blacktop the parking lot.

04 Aug

August 4, 2011 |

The Mid-Atlantic Annual Missions Day will be held August 23, 2011, at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. The missionary speaker wil be Jennifer Blandin, who is home on furlough from Macau.

A noon meal will be followed by an auction of baked goods, home-grown items, crafts, and good used items. All donations will go to missions. Come and bring your friends.

01 Aug

August 1, 2011 |

The 2011-2013 UB Discipline is available for download. However, no changes were made at the recent US National Conference. So if you already have the 2009-2011 version, that will suffice for another two years. The only change is the date on the cover.

01 Aug

August 1, 2011 |

The Eighth Annual Animation Block Party festival in Brooklyn, N.Y., accepted Huntington University animation graduate Brett Swanson’s short animated film, “Flora,” into the festival, which is to take place July 29-31 at Rooftop Films and BAMcinématek.

The Animation Block Party is the largest animation film festival on the East Coast. It is dedicated to screening the world’s best professional, student and independent work of all genres. “Flora” was selected as one of the top 100 films to be featured during the festival out of more than 650 other submitted films.

The film is about a young girl who sets out to decorate her bedroom with origami flowers. However, she is in for a surprise when the room begins to take on a life of its own and transforms into a beautiful garden.

“It is exciting to have my film in a festival and crazy to think about how many people will get to see it,” Swanson said. “I put so much of my time and energy into this project, and getting it into a festival is a reminder that all of the stress and long hours were worth it.”

Swanson, of Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Canada, is a 2011 animation graduate of the digital media arts program.