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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.
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.
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 [email protected] for more information!
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.
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: [email protected]. 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.
A baptism during Homefront’s 15th anniversary service.
On November 4, Homefront UB (Grandville, Mich.) celebrated its 15 anniversary. The church is a restart of the former Maple Hill UB church.
Two youth and three adults were baptized as part of the service, and another student was baptized the next week. Video testimonies of God’s work in and through HomeFront were shared. They included a couple who were part of the launch team, another couple joined the family along the way, and recent new members.
Avlon UB church and its new flag pole.
Says Pastor Jason Sheets, “During the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month we remembered and honored the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. During the service the new flag pole was dedicated ‘To all the Veterans of Avlon Church past and present who have served our great nation to defend our freedom, may this be a lasting tribute to you.’ The service ended with the congregation singing ‘Grand Old Flag’ together.”
Today is Giving Tuesday. Please consider a gift to UB Global to support United Brethren missionary work around the world. It’s a great cause. Generous donors have agreed to match our giving, dollar for dollar, up to $1500. Double your dollars today!
Greg Helman, senior pastor, Blue Rock UB Church (Waynesboro, Pa.)
After realizing that we had no baptisms in 2017, the leadership at Blue Rock Church made a goal of six baptisms for 2018. However, the goal wasn’t high enough. God allowed us to baptize a total of 16 people (6 children/youth, 10 adults). Praise God for His answer to our prayers.
In July 2019, delegates from United Brethren churches in the United States will gather for the 2019 US National Conference. This year, we are meeting at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. You will be able to register at the beginning of the year.
The 2019 US National Conference will hold its business meeting on Thursday, July 18, 2019. Among other things, the delegates will consider various proposals, including proposed revisions to the United Brethren Discipline.
The United Brethren constituency is invited to submit proposals for consideration by the US National Conference. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 1, 2019. A proposal needs to come from a group or official entity — not from an individual. Examples: a local church board, cluster group, a denominational leadership team or study committee, etc. The Bishop’s Office and the Executive Leadership Team are responsible for processing and approving proposals for presentation to the conference.
Complete information for submitting proposals can be found on the UB website.
