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20 Jan

January 20, 2010 |

You may have seen this compelling report Tuesday night (Jan. 19) on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams in their “People Making a Difference” segment. Brad and Vanessa Johnson are Huntington University graduates (1993 and 1994 respectively). They, and their organization Mission of Hope, are on the front lines of the earthquake relief effort in Haiti, truly impacting our world for Christ.

Mission of Hope–orphanage, medical clinic, school, and church–is located about 20 kilometres from Port-au-Prince. For now, scores of orphans are living outside until they can be sure the buildings are safe. Says Vanessa, “We’ve pitched tents and have tried to make it as fun as possible, like a camp-out experience.”

They have enough fuel to keep the generators going for a few weeks. Donations have poured in.

On Friday night (Jan. 22), a concert in Nashville by Christian artists Michael W. Smith, Nicole C. Mullins, Dave Mullins, Cindy Morgan. and Tommy Sims will raise money for Haiti. Three charities will split the proceeds. Mission Hope is one of them.

Some other links about Mission of Hope:

19 Jan

January 19, 2010 |
Bishop Phil Whipple leading the ELT meeting.

Bishop Phil Whipple leading the ELT meeting.

Andy Sikorra (right), who will be planting a UB church in the Cleveland area, with Huntington University president G. Blair Dowden.

Andy Sikorra (right), who will be planting a UB church in the Cleveland area, with Huntington University president G. Blair Dowden.

The Executive Leadership Team met Monday night and Tuesday morning (January 18-19) at Huntington University. This was the first time the ELT has met since Phil Whipple was elected bishop, though they’ve handled several items of business over the internet.

The plan was to handle all business during the two hours on Monday night, and reserve Tuesday for talking about church planting. They stuck to that plan.

On Tuesday morning, after a devotional by Bishop Whipple, the ELT heard from Andy Sikorra, who will be planting a church in the Cleveland, Ohio, area starting next fall. Andy is originally from Texas, but his family moved to northwest Ohio and attended New Hope UB church in Bryan, Ohio. He attended Huntington University, and is now on staff with a Southern Baptist church in Cleveland.

Bishop Whipple then guided the ELT members into an open discussion about church planting. Our denomination was born out of aggressive church planting, but in recent years we’ve not done so well at starting new churches. It’s something everyone agrees we need to get a better handle on.

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |
Denny Miller (far right) leading the cluster leader training.

Denny Miller (far right) leading the cluster leader training.

Today, 22 cluster leaders came to Huntington, Ind., for several hours of training with Bishop Phil Whipple and Denny Miller, pastor of Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). They met in the Habecker Dining Commons at Huntington University. Denny Miller works one day a week as Director of Healthy Church Ministries. He led much of the training.

Here are some photos from the event.

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |

Haiti’s priority, right now, is the initial relief and recovery that professional aid and medical organizations are carrying out. Once we get past that, teams will be needed to help with clean up and reconstruction. We hope to send teams as soon as possible, and will let you know when we have more information.

If you are interested in participating on a work team to Haiti, it would be wise to begin getting the necessary vaccinations so you can respond quickly. For example, Hepatitis B requires two vaccinations before you leave the country.

Visit the Center for Disease Control website for complete information.

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |

Marshall Woods, pastor of Mill Chapel UB (Reedsville, W. Va.), sent this report:

“Two years ago we added a $260,000 addition, which included classrooms, restrooms, a large fellowship hall, and expansion of the sanctuary. We baptized 45 people in 2009 and 30 in 2008. Ministries to teens, children, men, and women are active. God is great and doing great things!”

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |

Chet Conley, associate pastor of First UB (Findlay, Ohio), almost lost his grandson, Ethan, on Saturday, January 16. Several days earlier, the eight-year-old developed viral mialytus, a virus that attacks the muscles.

Today, Monday, they are removing the breathing tube and some of the sedation. He is responding.  He still has the feeding tube and kidney dialysis. There will be much physical therapy when this is completed.

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |

eric-church300Last May, Eric Church earned a degree in digital media arts from Huntington University. Now, he’s in the running to win a share of $5 million as part of the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ad competition.

Church was part of a team that produced “Casket,” one of the top six finalists (out of 4000 entries). It features a man who stages his own funeral to eat Doritos and watch football.

People can vote for their favorite of those six finalists. The top three will then air during the Super Bowl. Voters also earn a chance to win Super Bowl tickets.

The “Casket” commercial was produced by Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic, a church in Whittier, Calif. Eric Church attends there.

“Shooting it was a blast,” Church says, “especially the whole falling out of the casket stunt. We used 70 bags of Doritos to cover him up inside. It was great!”

18 Jan

January 18, 2010 |

Brooklyn Park UB (Baltimore, Md.) dedicated its new after-school youth center on Sunday, January 17. Using $28,000 in donations, they built a 2000-square-foot addition to the parsonage basement. It features several pool tables, Skeeball, a shuffleboard table, and video games. A bar serving soda occupies one corner, and a wood-burning stove occupies another.

It’s named in memory of Maranda Callendar, a local 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head and later died. “If the kids had somewhere to hang out, maybe things would have gone in a different direction,” says Maranda’s stepmother, Chrissy Callendar.

They had been using the parsonage basement as a youth center. About 20 teens would gather there to hang out and play games. By 2006, about 180 different youth, ages 6-18, and come there. But they needed more room. The center was closed for several months so they could complete the expansion.

Local businesses donated walls, flooring, concrete for the foundation, and the wood-pellet stove. Local residents and even other churches contributed. Youth helped with the construction.

17 Jan

January 17, 2010 |

Alan McDonald, former UB endorsed missionary, said on Facebook, “I just spoke with our missionary friend there and they are desperate for more help. Three surgeons there have been working non-stop for three days doing amputations.”

17 Jan

January 17, 2010 |

Joan Sider, from one of our UB churches in Ontario, spoke for 12 minutes on January 16 with Rev. Oliam Richard, our superintendent in Haiti. She reported the following to Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries.

  • Pastor Richard got to Haiti from the Dominican Republic with three other people. They hired a van. The Dominican occupies the east end of the island.
  • Their home is standing, but they are not staying inside because of continued aftershocks (two on Saturday). They are living in the yard of their home.
  • Esther Richard, Oliam’s wife, has a bad cold and her voice is hoarse, possibly from having lived outside since the earthquake.
  • Esther will probably be flown back to France on Sunday, January 17. The French Embassy will care for that flight. Rev. Richard feels he must stay in Haiti.
  • The Delmas church is standing intact. The only damage was the gate wall, which came down. The courtyard is filled with people. Rev. Richard doesn’t know if all of the church people are safe, though someone told him they were. They planned to worship on the site on Sunday, but not inside.
  • The UB church in City Soleil is completely destroyed. Pastor Baptista and family are well, though their house suffered some damage.
  • Several other churhes were reported to be fine.
  • No contact has been made with the churches in the North.
  • Rev. Richard affirmed postponing the planned work crew from Canada. Says it was the wisest decision.