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11 Feb

February 11, 2010 |

camp_cotubicCamp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, Ohio, has announced its summer camp schedule.

June 13-18: Teen Camp (grades 7-12). Cost: $260
June 27 – July 2: Discover Camp (grades 5-6). Cost: $260.
July 18-22: Voyager Camp (grades 2-4). Cost: $240.

You can register online.

Camp Cotubic began in the 1970s as a year-round camp operated by Central Conference, which included UB churches in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Though Camp Cotubic is no longer operated by the United Brethren church, it continues serving the United Brethren constituency.

11 Feb

February 11, 2010 |
A building for the Buen Samaritano church in Honduras is well underway, thanks for the 2009 Thank Offering.

A building for the Buen Samaritano church in Honduras is well underway, thanks to the 2009 Thank Offering.

A year ago, the Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan) church in Honduras was meeting under a tree on the property they had purchased. They were able to take the next step using funds from the 2009 Self-Denial Offering.

Today, Buen Samaritano has constructed a building consisting of walls and a roof. Although work remains, the congregation is encouraged and moving forward using their own resources. Pastor Mariano Mondragon told me that the most exciting thing has been seeing people continue to come to Christ over the past year.

11 Feb

February 11, 2010 |
Extensive water damage at Victory Heights UB

Extensive water damage at Victory Heights UB

Steve Henry, Pastor, Victory Heights Church (Franklin, Pa.)
On Monday morning, February 1, I received a call from my Head Trustee saying that I needed to go to the church ASAP because a water line had broken. Actually one line broke (froze) and a water input line came off a humidifier, so it was two water leaks at the same time.

Over 700 gallons of water saturated the foyer, restrooms, nursery, pastor’s office, kitchen, boiler room, much ceiling, and a Sunday school room. Water was flowing out of the air conditioning vents, lights, outlets, and light switches! Minimal damage occured to the fellowship hall and the sanctuary.

We moved our services to a vacant store at our local mall, and we had a great service on Sunday, February 7. We believe God is teaching us that a building is nice, but the church isn’t dependant on a building to be a church. We are a body because of the bond of Christ no matter where we meet.

It will be 4-6 weeks until we can get back into the church, so please pray that this missions opportunity to worship in the mall will be fruitful for the Kingdom of God.

10 Feb

February 10, 2010 |

feedburnerPhil Whipple, Bishop

I’d like to give a little plug for Feedburner. I’ve been using this service to deliver UBCentral straight to my email each day. Anything posted during the previous 24 hours is sent to my inbox.

This works well for people who check email every day, but who don’t necessarily check the same websites every day. It comes to you; you don’t have to do anything except check your email. You can then scan it quickly to see what’s happening in the United Brethren world.

For people who may feel disconnected, Feedburner is a good tool to help them stay informed. I find it very convenient. It’s a free service from Google. About 50 UB people are currently using Feedburner.

It’s easy to signup. You submit your email address, and that’s it. Each email includes a link for removing yourself from the list.

10 Feb

February 10, 2010 |
L-r: Isaac Nugent (Jamaica), Denis Casco (Mexico), and Ajiax Wo (Hong Kong).

L-r: Isaac Nugent (Jamaica), Denis Casco (Mexico), and Ajiax Wo (Hong Kong).

Some of the United Brethren churches in Mexico are in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, two cities which face each other across the Texas border. Denis Casco, Bishop of Mexico Conference, says this work is much different from the work done in central Mexico, because of the drug problems.

“In this area, 30-40 people die every day, including some people from our churches,” he told the General Conference delegates in January. “It’s a very dangerous area.”

He mentioned three difficult situations:

  1. The son of one of his pastors sits in an Indiana federal prison for distributing drugs for a Juarez organization.
  2. A 16-year-old girl from one of the churches was arrested for carrying 120 pounds of marijuana in a backpack.
  3. One of his pastors in El Paso, who often provided transportation for Denis back and forth across the border, always told US immigration officials he was a US citizen. But one day he called Denis from a Phoenix jail cell. He didn’t have legal documents, and finally got caught.

Denis says, “To protect myself, I usually take a taxi from El Paso to the border and walk across. I do the same on my way back. I want to protect my life and reputation, but I cannot abandon this area.”

08 Feb

February 8, 2010 |
J. R. and Cathy Reich

J. R. and Cathy Reich

This summer, Global Ministries will sponsor the first UB mission trip to Germany. The team leaders will be J. R. and Cathy Reich, from The Well UB church in Huntington, Ind. Cathy is administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple.

The team will participate in two five-day English Camps at a school in an area south of the Black Forest. They will use conversational English to build relationships and share their faith.

Date: July 31–August 14.
Cost: $1800 per person.

While in Germany, team members will live with German families from the school where Galen and Maritta Fiedler teach. The Fiedlers are the Global Ministries missionary family with whom the team will work and who will host the team.

The $1800 cost includes airfare, in-country transportation, food, travel insurance, and ministry materials.

There are still a few positions available for this trip. If you are interested in joining this team, it is important to mail your completed application form by mid-March. You can download the application in two formats: PDF, or a fillable MS Word form.

For more information, you can contact either of these persons by email:

Cathy Reich, Administrative Assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple.
Donna Hollopeter in the Global Ministries office.

08 Feb

February 8, 2010 |
The City Soleil UB church, which was destroyed. A work crew from Canada was coming to work on the roof, but the earthquake forced the cancellation of that trip.

The City Soleil UB church, which was destroyed. A work crew from Canada was coming to work on the roof, but the earthquake forced the cancellation of that trip. The pastor is Rev. Baptistin.

Another UB church in City Soleil, this one led by Pastor Supreme. The building is believed to be unusable.

Another UB church in City Soleil, this one led by Pastor Supreme. The building is believed to be unusable.

The church yard of our newest church, in Delmas, still under construction.

The church yard of our newest church, in Delmas, still under construction.

A church in the Delmas rea. Part of this gate wall was destroyed. A large number of Haitians came here for refuge.

A church in the Delmas area. Part of this gate wall was destroyed. A large number of Haitians came here for refuge.

The Delmas church. this is the future main church and conveniton center. It was not destroyed. The team from Canada would have been working on this, too.

The Delmas church. This is the future main church and convention center. It was not destroyed. The team from Canada would have been working on this, too.

08 Feb

February 8, 2010 |
Isaac Stevenson

Isaac Stevenson

I received an email this morning from Jeannie Browning, whose husband, Fred, is pastor of the Cream Ridge United Brethren church in Lenore, Idaho. She told me about Isaac Stevenson, a six-year-old boy from their church who saw pictures of children suffering in Haiti and wanted to do something for them.

Isaac raised over $450. Jeannie asked me if Global Ministries could send the funds to Samaritan’s Purse. I assured her that 100 percent of the money would go to Samaritan’s Purse.

Here is the story, taken from a local newspaper account.

Wanting to help the children of Haiti, Isaac gave the contents of his piggy bank, which came to $4. His parents decided to help him by holding a bake sale.

Isaac went to the city park and began selling baked goods to local residents.

One man asked him how much it cost for a loaf of bread. “Two dollars,” Isaac said.

“Is your goal to make $100?” the man asked.

“Yes,” Isaac told him.

The man handed Isaac a $100 bill and said, “Your goal is met.”

But it didn’t stop there. Altogether, Isaac raised $459.36 for Haiti.

07 Feb

February 7, 2010 |
Bob Bruce shows Din Wan, a recent Burmese immgrant, how to eat an ice cream cone.

Bob Bruce, Pastor of Spiritual Care at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.), shows Din Wan, a recent Burmese immigrant, how to eat an ice cream cone.

My wife and I, along with Bob and Kathy Bruce from Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) are involved with a family of Burmese immigrants. A couple days ago, Bob and I took the five children to McDonald’s for ice cream. They had never eaten ice cream before.

To to honest, the reaction was somewhat mixed. Some thought ice cream was pretty tasty; others couldn’t figure out why anyone would eat something that cold on a winter night.

But the biggest challenge seemed to be eating it. However, not to fear, Bob Bruce (or Mr. Bob to the Burmese kids) demonstrated with fine fashion the most effective method of eating an ice cream cone.

06 Feb

February 6, 2010 |
L-r: Paul Plato (Canada), Bishop Phil Whipple, and Juan Pavon (Nicaragua) during the Tuesday night service at General Conference.

L-r: Paul Plato (Canada), Bishop Phil Whipple, and Juan Pavon (Nicaragua) during the Tuesday night service at General Conference.

Bishop Phil Whipple speaking during the General Conference business sessions.

Bishop Phil Whipple speaking during the General Conference business sessions.

I enjoyed attending General Conference in January. I thought it went very well.

Every country, regardless of size, sent two delegates to Honduras. That was a change from before, when the number of delegates was based on size. It was healthy that the United States church agreed to that change. If the United States had come with far more delegates than any other conference, it would have been hard to see each other as partners. Instead, we were just one among equals.

We shared ideas and information about what was happening in our separate countries. We all wanted to support, learn from, and cooperate with each other.

Delegates from Canada and Jamaica were interested in the materials we are developing for clusters. I told them, “If it applies to your situation, great. You know what works for your people.” It’s good when we can create a resource and share it.

The Hondurans were warm and gracious hosts. They set a high standard for a host nation, particularly with the opening service, which both wrapped up their national conference and launched the international meeting.

We didn’t talk about where to hold the next General Conference in 2013. However, I suspect it’ll be a while before we come back to the United States. The visa problems people had were all American issues. I’d like to continue going to other countries, as long as cost isn’t prohibitive. I look forward to the next meeting in three years, wherever we end up.