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30 Dec

December 30, 2018 |

Shirley and Emmett Cox and family as missionaries in Sierra Leone.

Shirley Cox, 90, former missionary in Sierra Leone and UB pastor’s wife, passed away December 28, 2018, in Huntington, Ind.

Shirley Cox

Visitation will be held 3-7 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2019. Location: Bailey-Love Mortuary, 35 West Park Drive, Huntington, IN 46750. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Shirley grew up in a United Brethren pastor’s home in Ontario, the daughter of Rev. Glenn and Lillian Betterly. At Huntington College, she met Emmett Cox, and they were married on August 14, 1948. They both graduated from HC in 1951, Shirley with a degree in Education. Emmett went on to graduate from the HC seminary.

Shirley and her family were missionaries in Sierra Leone over a 20-year period beginning in 1957. During those years Emmett served as a high school principal, business manager, general superintendent, primary school secretary, and field secretary. Shirley kept busy with her own various roles, including matron of the Minnie Mull girls’ home and teacher at Centennial Secondary School.

In 1969, General Conference elected Emmett as General Secretary of Missions. He filled that role for four years. Then he and Shirley pastored churches for the next 30 years:

  • 1976-1984: Victory UB church (Burbank, Calif.).
  • 1984-1985: First UB church (Lake Havasu City, Ariz.).
  • 1985-1992: Willshire UB church (Willshire, Ohio).
  • 1992-2003: Six Mile Church, a non-UB congregation in Bluffton, Ind.

In retirement, Shirley and Emmett served short-term as volunteers in Myanmar.

Shirley and Emmett enjoyed 66 years of marriage before his death in 2015. They had four children: son Douglas, daughters Diane and Darlene, and foster son Billy Simbo, from Sierra Leone.

Preferred memorials are to UB Global, the United Brethren in Christ mission organization. Send in care of Bailey-Love Mortuary, 35 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana, 46750.

18 Dec

December 18, 2018 |

Mark Vincenti (right) has published a book titled Pursuing the Third Option: Following Jesus in a Polarized World. Mark, an ordained United Brethren minister, has served since 2011 as youth pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.). Before that, he served 11 years as youth pastor of King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).

The back cover explains:

Are you tired of the relentless rhetoric trying to convince you that one extreme and problem-laden approach to an issue is superior to all others? Do you long to follow Jesus authentically, but wonder if the choices typically presented to you are the only real options? You are not alone….Pursuing the Third Option invites us to consider the possibility that there is another way to approach issues, one which Jesus, himself, option exemplified. It requires a rejection of polarized thinking and the embrace of nuance and opens up new possibilities for following Jesus in this polarized world. More than ever, we need a fresh paradigm to help us engage in a world full of complex issues.

The chapters tackle a variety of subjects–nuance, politics, the church, leadership, the body, sex, disciplines, and more.

Pursuing the Third Option is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions.

12 Dec

December 12, 2018 |

At the Harvest Celebration.

On November 29, the Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies hosted its third annual Harvest Celebration in Huntington University’s Habecker Dining Commons. Mitch Frazier, CEO of Reynolds Farm Equipment, was the featured speaker. His presentation focused on historic waves of innovation in the agriculture industry.

Reynolds Farm Equipment began providing agricultural equipment in Fishers, Indiana, in 1955. Since then, the business has expanded to include locations throughout Indiana and in Kentucky and Ohio and has become a leading equipment dealer.

“This year, we topped attendance records and continue to attract more regional voices in the agribusiness community,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University. “We are honored to host Mitch as our guest speaker. He represents the integration of agriculture and technology in providing our farming industry with emerging tools for use in crop and animal production.”

In addition to Frazier’s keynote address, the Harvest Celebration included a complimentary dinner, a recognition of the Haupert Institute’s sponsors and remarks from current Huntington University agribusiness students and members of the Ag Advisory Council.

The Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies opened in the fall of 2015 and promotes a Christian perspective on agriculture which recognizes the responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation. The Institute is intended to help meet the growing need for agriculture professionals and offers eight concentrations in agribusiness as well as an agricultural education degree.

11 Dec

December 11, 2018 |


Sarah Jo Fairchild (right) has published a book The Story of the Spirit: Knowing Who He is Transforms Who You Become (Resource Publications, Eugene Oregon). Sarah is the wife of Teddy Fairchild, senior pastor of Banner of Christ UB church in Byron Center, Mich. The book is available on Amazon.

The book examines the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of various Old Testament persons. Through the eyes of leaders like Moses and Gideon and lesser-known heroes like Jephthah and Bezalel, we discover a Spirit who champions second chances, emboldens the insecure, restores lost peace and purpose. and transforms places of wounding into places of worship. Bishop Todd Fetters wrote the introduction.

The appendix includes resources for group discussions, and for sermon or teaching series. A digital media package, which includes imagery for teaching slides, is also available for purchase. However, Sarah is making it available free of charge to any UB pastor or teacher who purchases the book during its first six months of release.

Sarah completed her bachelor’s degree in biblical studies at Huntington University, where she met and married her Marine. She earned her master’s in ministry from Bethel College and draws on diverse leadership experiences in worship and women’s ministries, international missions, and more. Sarah believes adventurous Bible study is best shared with others, and thrives on seeing God’s truth transform people in ways they never imagined possible.

11 Dec

December 11, 2018 |

Greg and Cerise Reed

By order of the Mayor, August 26, 2018, was declared “Pastor Greg Reed Day” in Kokomo, Ind. It recognized the 40 years Greg Reed had served on staff at Morning Star UB church—1978-1990 as associate pastor, and senior pastor since 1990. That’s the longest tenure of any UB minister at a single church.

06 Dec

December 6, 2018 |

Sierra Leone Conference is preparing to send teams to investigate starting ministry in The Gambia. Over the years, a number of United Brethren from Sierra Leone have relocated to the Gambie for work, and they have requested help to start churches. Sierra Leone Conference is now acting on that.

The Gambia is a small nation of less than two million people on the coast of West Africa. It is the smallest country on the African continent, extending about 200 miles from the Atlantic coast. The Gambia River runs down the middle of the country, with about 10-15 miles of territory on each side of the river. Except for the coast, Gambia is totally surrounded by the country of Senegal.

One of the smaller ethnic groups is the Krio people, who are descended from the Creole people of Sierra Leone. The are concentrated in the capital city of Banjul, near the coast.

About 95% of the people are Muslims, mostly Sunni. Christians, predominantly Catholic, account for 4% of the people. The evangelical community is very small.

03 Dec

December 3, 2018 |

Mattru UB Hospital in Sierra Leone continues to serve the medical and spiritual needs in the Bonthe district of Sierra Leone. Over the last two years, electrical power has been installed through a solar grid, a water packaging plant has contributed to salaries, and Sierra Leonean and American medical staff have worked together to provide compassionate, quality care.

Short-term teams give a helpful boost to the long-term staff, but medical workers with cross-cultural experience who can commit to a year or longer are still needed to train and develop the work at the hospital. Contact us at info@ub.org for more information!

28 Nov

November 28, 2018 |

November 15 was Huntington University’s second annual Day of Giving. With the help of 142 donors (up from 130 in 2017), they raised $76,675 for the Forester Fund (the goal was $75,000). Over 90% of HU students receive funding from the Forester Fund.

27 Nov

November 27, 2018 |

The United Brethren bookstore at the UB National Office was discontinued at the beginning of 2018. A large number of items remain in stock–books, Bibles, candles, card sets, offering envelopes, children’s materials, and more. All of it must go by the end of the year. These items are being made available to United Brethren churches at discounted prices.

The list was originally published in early November. Since then, some of the items have been sold. This PDF lists the items still for sale.

Here is a PDF list of all items for sale. To order, call 888-622-3019. Or, send your order to: orders@ub.org. Shipping costs will be determined based on your order.

We will continue providing various UB-related materials—books, certificates, seals, and more. You can read about them on the UB website.