About 135 children in India are being sponsored through the Beautiful Family ministry. These are children whose parents (or they themselves) have leprosy or whose parents are HIV positive (or have died from AIDS). The sponsors include United Brethren individuals, churches, WMF groups, and Sunday school classes.

Global Ministries has information about seven more children who need sponsors.

$20 per month supplies one child with all school supplies, books, clothing, food, and medical needs. They stay in a “hostel” which is like a dorm, and only go home periodically for holidays. They are taught Bible stories, songs and Bible verses, so they are receiving a Christian religious background as well as their regular education through this support.
Contact Darlene in the Global Ministries Office for more information and a pledge sheet.

Toll-free: 888-622-3019, ext. 312
Email: darlene@ub.org

Instead of a week at the beach or at home relaxing during the March 15-19 spring break, Huntington University students have their eyes set on various service projects. They include:

  • Working with Habitat for Humanity in Benton Harbor, Mich.
  • Traveling to the Dominican Republican, just across the border from Haiti, to work in local schools and churches.
  • Partnering with Christian Service International in Jamaica to build new rooms in a children’s home and work alongside Jamaican Christians to address needs in the community of Highgate.

The Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) brought the national Upwards Basketball/Cheerleading outreach ministry to Hillsdale County. About 150 elementary age children participated in the eight-week program on Saturdays.

An Awards night was held Saturday, March 5. Thirty children responded to the gospel invitation to receive Christ. New families have come into the church as a direct result of the Upwards ministry.

Naomi Taylor passed away March 4, 2010. She and her husband, Willis Taylor, who passed away in 1983, served in the United Brethren pastorate for ten years in the 1950s. Funeral services will be held today, March 8, in Carson City, Mich. Lux Funeral Homes has a link to her online obituary.

It’s always interesting to get outside perspectives on the United Brethren church. Here’s a blog post from the Church of God General Conference which makes envious reference to our Confession of Faith and other governing documents.

We received a newsletter from Roger and Marilyn Reeck, endorsed missionaries with Wycliffe serving in Honduras, on March 2. Some excerpts:

It is now more than three months since Roger fell and severed his quadriceps tendon (above the knee). For him, these have been very difficult times as the pain has been quite intense. This has been aggravated with the rainy weather that we have had all during this time.

On December 31 the cast was removed, but unfortunately he did not receive the correct physical therapy. He tried out several places here in La Ceiba and saw different doctors. We became more convinced that something was wrong because of the swelling and redness of the knee, and finally an MRI was taken. This revealed that liquid had accumulated in the affected area and that the healing process was not progressing as fast as normal. He is now receiving the physical therapy that he needs.

Roger had planned to travel to Suriname, South America, on February 17 to hold a two-week One Story workshop for two different language groups. A few days prior we had to call it off. The next trip planned is to spend six weeks in Africa, leaving on March 21! Two of those weeks are a One Story workshop, and then he will check three different translations.

At the moment we are seeking the Lord’s will in this. Please pray that the Lord will guide us in this important decision. At this moment it is hard to know of the advisability of this and if he will be ready to travel by then.

In the middle of this difficult time, many wonderful things have been happening!

  • A follow-up One Story workshop was held here January 14-22 for two language groups who are now on the way to finishing up their story sets.
  • A construction crew of 12 men from Minnesota came to build a home for a lady in a wheelchair, replace the roof on the Garifuna Bible School building, and do several other projects.
  • The Garifuna Bible School started their new school year last week with 20 enthusiastic students. The school is now in its second year and is a wonderful dream come true.
  • At the moment there are only 120 Garifuna Bibles left of the 5000 that were printed. Soon there will be a shortage. The Bible Society plans a reprint. We are anxious to see that happen, since more and more people are purchasing Bibles and we will run out fast.
  • Tomorrow Marilyn and team will travel to a Garifuna town five hours away where a Scripture Use Worshop for 50 plus pastors will be held. The purpose of the workshop is to encourage the pastors to use their Garifuna Bibles. Many still tend to use the Spanish Bible more.

Dr. Terrell Peace, professor and director of teacher education at Huntington University, has been elected president of the Association of Teacher Educators. He is the first president to come from the University in the ATE’s 90-year history.

Peace, who has taught at the University since 1998, will serve one year as president while promoting his theme of “Re-igniting the Passion and Purpose of Teaching.”

“What I’ve seen over the last couple of years is teachers getting discouraged,” he said. “What we can do is help people re-establish that passion and realize why they became teachers in the first place.”

As president, Peace will represent 2,000 educators in K-12 education as well as higher education from across the country as a voice before governmental agencies and education organizations. ATE members represent more than 700 colleges and universities, 500 major school systems and the majority of state departments of education.

One of the Bethel women and Bible School children

Four women from Bethel UB (Elmore, Ohio) traveled to Jamaica February 16-23 to work at the Craighead United Brethren church: Melissa Blausey (over a dozen previous visits), Vicki Kreinbihl (her first trip), Paula Shaffer (3rd trip), and Betty Brown (6th trip). They worked with a Bible School in the church and built relationships in the area.

They took $651 to help pay for steps to the church, which are being finished now. They also took about 55 pairs of shoes, 136 boxes of crayons, and other supplies.

The Bethel church has been involved at Craighead for many years, since Dave Datema was the pastor. Several years ago they put a good-sized addition on the church, minus the floor and roof. A group of women returned about three years ago with $6000 so they could add a roof. The men of Craighead did all the work. Last year they took money to get the windows put in.

Follow the link to read excerpts from Betty Brown’s journal, starting from their arrival at the Montego Bay airport on February 16.
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