04 Mar Prayer Needed for Rev. Oliam Richard

Jeff Bleijerveld (left) and Oliam Richard

Joan Sider, from the UB church in Toronto, keeps in close contact with Rev. Oliam Richard, our superintendent in Haiti. Our Canadian conference provides primary oversight of the work in Haiti, and Joan has been involved with Haiti for many years. She’s also a member of the conference Global Outreach Leadership Team.

Joan sent a note saying that Pastor Richard attended a successful convention in the north with about 40 people, but returned to Port-au-Prince with a fever. He hoped to see a doctor yesterday (March 3).

Joan writes, “We need to pray for Pastor Richard’s health. His involvement with our work is so very essential. I’m sure he is thoroughly run down with all the added pressures due to the earthquake. I assured him that our church people would be much in prayer for him.”

02 Mar On Walking on Water and Second Baptisms

Billy Simbo, bishop of Sierra Leone Conference, demonstrates the fine art of walking on water.

Billy Simbo attempts to rebaptize David Raudales.

The General Conference delegates visited the Honduras Conference camp on January 11, 2010. While there, Billy Simbo, bishop of Sierra Leone Conference, entered the pool to show everyone how to walk on water. When David Raudales of Honduras joined him, Billy thought it might be good to rebaptize him.

01 Mar Our Ministry in the Philippines, 2005-2009

Members of the Philippine National Conference, known there as the Looking Unto Jesus Church.

Rev. Prudencio Lim (right, with his late wife, Restituta), superintendent of the Philippine National Conference, wasn’t able to attend General Conference in June. He had a stroke last September, so his son Aaron planned to accompany him. However, the US wouldn’t grant Aaron a transit visa so he could fly through an American airport on his way to Honduras. Rev. Lim, having traveled to the US before, had all the clearances he needed. But without his son to accompany him, he cancelled the trip.

However, Rev. Lim did send a report on the work in the Philippines during the past four years (they became a UB national conference in 2005). Here are some notes from it.

• Over 120 people were baptized during this period.
• Over 150 people became Christians through crusades, vacation Bible schools, youth camps, and weekly equipping services in the various churches.
• In 2007, a Pastors and Leaders conference was held in the province of Laguna, with 60 pastors and leaders attending.
• In 2009, they published the “Finisher Bulletin,” a brochure given to church members to be used in weekly devotions. It is written by Rev. Lim and son Aaron Lim.
• Rev. Lim’s wife, Restituta, passed away on July 7, 2009. Rev. Lim himself suffered a mild stroke on September 12, 2009, brought on by his intensive schedule of ministering in Metro Manila.
• On December 23, 2009, the church in Catimon, in the province of Nueva Ecija, was built. It took 18 months. The pastor is Edison Sumaoang.

The report concludes: “2010 is another year of challenge in reaching Filipino people for our Lord Jesus Christ. This will be another year of soul-winning and equipping of the saints of God, and the passing of the anointing to our new breed of leaders. We envision raising effective servant leaders that God will raise in these last days.”

27 Feb Bridger Fetters Leaves for Macau March 1

On Monday, March 1, Bridger Fetters will fly to Macau to begin his first term as a Global Ministries staffmember there. A commissioning service will be held Sunday morning, February 28, at his home church: College Park UB in Huntington, Ind. Actually, a commissioning will be held in both of the two Sunday morning services.