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06 Mar

March 6, 2008 |

Anna Geivett, a UB endorsed missionary serving with Food for the Hungry in Peru, learned on Tuesday, March 4, that her father had passed away. She wrote on March 5:

“Yesterday I began my flight back to Lima, just to catch a return flight to Indiana that afternoon. In the midst of my travels, my sister called to let me know that my dad passed away yesterday morning. Today I will be traveling from Indiana to Michigan where we will have his funeral. All of this has come so suddenly and I feel less than prepared to handle this but then again, who is ever prepared for such an occurrence?

“Please be praying for my family and I as we make the arrangements and work through this painful time. I am so grateful to God for His perfect timing and for allowing me to be here with my family. I don’t know when I’ll be returning to Peru, but probably sometime next week.”

06 Mar

March 6, 2008 |

Donelle Raab was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her spinal column in early January, and began radiation treatments. Yesterday, March 5, she underwent thyroid surgery. Her husband, Dick, sent this report:

“The doctor said that it would take 2.5-3 hours, but at the end of the 2.5 hours, a nurse came out to tell me it was more involved than what he had thought. At the end of four hours, he was done and came out to talk to me. He said that the tumor was attached in a different way and that it also was around the right nerve to the voice box. He said that he had to work around that situation and so it took longer to do the surgery. When finished, he tested both of the nerves to the voice box and they both responded well. Praise the Lord! She will probably be in the Hospital (Butterworth) until Friday and will then come home to recoup.”

Dick is battling cancer, too. He went for a CT of his lungs yesterday. “The doctor said that if the cancer in my left thigh (sarcoma) had spread, it would first go to the lungs. I am praying that they will be okay. Surgery is scheduled for March 21. He will take the tumor, some of the muscle, and some lymph nodes. I will probably need radiation plus physical therapy before I am up and running again. Then May 2 has been set for the surgery on my neck to take care of the pinched nerve.

“I will be so glad to have these surgeries and then hopefully begin to feel better by not having the pain and numbness that has been a part of everyday since December 11.”

Dick and Donnelle served 42 years in the pastoral ministry, retiring in January 2007 from their last pastorate, Richfield Road UB church in Flint, Mich. Donelle holds a Specialized Ministries license, and until the end of 2007 was a member of the denominational Women’s Ministry Team. They now live in at 1914 Jack Pine Court, Dorr, MI 49323.

04 Mar

March 4, 2008 |

Ted Doolittle was named senior pastor of Calvary Community UB church in Bridgeport, Mich., effective February 24. He previously pastored the Oak Harbor and Findlay First UB churches in Ohio. Most recently, he has been associate pastor of Zion UB in Wayne, Ohio.

21 Feb

February 21, 2008 |

Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy, now on staff at Huntington University, is offering to local churches the “Good Sense” stewardship training produced by the Willow Creek Association. This is a six hour session which can be offered on Saturday or Sunday.

The Good Sense training helps participants understand biblical stewardship principles and develop a personal spending plan. It clarifies the danger of consumer debt and points out how this debt is keeping many from being able to enjoy the realization that they can be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to them.

The cost to the church or the participant is $15 per manual (couples share one manual). You can contact Paul Hirschy at [email protected] or call toll-free 1-866-213-3710 to schedule the training or ask questions.

20 Feb

February 20, 2008 |

Dr. Ora D. Lovell, 93, a longtime minister in the UB church, passed away February 19 in Circleville, Ohio. Here are the funeral arrangements:

  • Location: Wellman’s Funeral Home, 1455 N. Court St., Circleville, Ohio.
  • Viewing: Thursday, February 21, 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
  • Funeral: 11 a.m. Friday, February 22, at Wellman’s.

20 Feb

February 20, 2008 |

Here in the national office, we’re excited about the upcoming arrival of Jeff Bleijerveld as the new Director of Global Ministries. He’s a quality guy who will fit right in. I’ll enjoy watching him take our missions program to the next level…whatever that is. Jeff starts on March 3.

Tomorrow, the office staff will hold a farewell luncheon for Gary Dilley, who served as Global Ministries director from August 2001 until January of this year. Because of a prior commitment, I’ll miss that luncheon. Pat Jones has offered to eat my pizza for me, and he’s welcome to it. But since I’ll be gone, I thought I’d use this space to say some words about Gary, who has been a beloved friend, in addition to a coworker.

The 1990s were a time of unprecedented expansion in our worldwide ministry. In 1993, Ray Seilhamer was elected bishop and Kyle McQuillen was elected as Director of Missions, and they both served until 2001. At that time, we had churches in eight countries, and had opened only one new field per decade–Nicaragua in the 1960s, India in the 1970s, and Macau in 1987.
But from 1993-2001, the number of fields nearly doubled:

  • 1993: Thailand
  • 1995: Costa Rica
  • 1997: Mexico
  • 1998: Myanmar
  • 1999: El Salvador
  • 2000: Haiti
  • 2000: Guatemala

In addition, the church planting work in India grew by leaps and bounds, and a number of Hispanic churches in the United States arose through the work of Denis Casco. Disclaimer: we in North America can’t take credit for this expansion. Much of it came from the initiative of our churches in Hong Kong and Central America. But in each case, we were involved, often heavily involved. So a great deal of new territory needed to be assimilated into worldwide United Brethrenism, and numerous new demands were placed on Global Ministries funds.
(more…)

11 Feb

February 11, 2008 |

Are you a Facebook member? If so, you might be interested in joining one of the Facebook groups related to Huntington University. Just log-in and do a search for one of these group names. You might even be able to connect with some long-lost friends and classmates.

  • Huntington University Supporters. Currently has 247 members.
  • Huntington College Alumni. Has 178 members.
  • Huntington University Supporters. Has 103 members.

11 Feb

February 11, 2008 |

Darrel Bosworth (right, with his wife, Barbara), senior pastor of Kilpatrick UB church (Woodland, Mich.), was ordained on February 10 by Bishop Ron Ramsey at the church.

11 Feb

February 11, 2008 |

Here are some recent news items from Coleta UB in Coleta, Ill.

  • In early December, 24 youth and adults attended a Casting Crowns concert. Amazingly, though the tickets were purchased by three different people, each buying eight tickets, everyone got to sit together.
  • The church adopted a family through the county health department to bless for Christmas. they sent clothes, toys, food, and cash. Upon delivering the gifts, they learned that the family was in the midst of a tragedy, with the mother dying just days before Christmas.
  • The December 23 service was an “open mic” time, with several persons sharing poems, songs, stories, and scripture.
  • The church members are reading Change Your Church for Good, by Brad Powell, whom several members heard speak in May 2007 at the US National Conference.