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19 Jun

June 19, 2018 |

The Mt. Olivet sanctuary.

Portraying circuit-riding bishop Christian Newcomer.

Memories posted on a bulletin board.

Mt. Olivet UB church (Mt. Solon, Va.) recently celebrated 125 years of ministry during its annual Homecoming service. The day’s events included a video message from Bishop Todd Fetters, recollections and testimonies from former pastors, special music, a portrayal of circuit riding preacher Christian Newcomer, a catered meal of barbequed pork and chicken, a display of many old photographs and stories from the past, the opening of a time capsule, a reading of the names of the veterans in the cemetery and taps on the bugle, and wonderful memories share with each other.

We thank God for a fantastic day of worship and fellowship, and look forward to what God has in store for the future.

06 Jun

June 6, 2018 |

HU President Sherilyn Emberton (right) with Margaret Pasko, the 2017-2018 Staff Member of the Year.

On Saturday May 19, Huntington University honored 324 graduates during its 120th Commencement ceremonies. The Commencement speaker was Daniel S. Wolgemuth, president and CEO of Youth For Christ USA. An honorary doctorate was conferred on 1980 graduate Larry Lance, CEO of Youth For Christ of Northern Indiana.

This year marked the first year of graduates from the Huntington University Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies.

Each year after the academic year ends, Huntington University’s staff and faculty come together for a Celebration of Service to recognize the years of service they have given to the university. This is also a time to honor the Staff Member of the Year and the Faculty Member of the Year, as well as those retiring.

  • Margaret Pasko, Administrative Assistant to the VP for Student Life, was named Staff Member of the Year 2017-2018.
  • Dr. Dwight Brautigam, Professor of European History and Department Chair of History & Political Science,was named Professor of the Year 2017-2018.
  • Professors Terrell Peace and Linda Urschel are retiring after 20 and 34 years of service, respectively.

06 Jun

June 6, 2018 |

Registration is still open for a limited time for the 2018 UB Women’s Conference. This conference is filling up quickly, with 200 out of 250 spots already filled.

Date
September 28-30, 2018

Location
Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel
444 N Summit St.
Toledo, OH 43604

The UB Women’s Conference is held every two years. Nearly 250 women attended the 2016 conference in Gettysburg, Pa. As with the last few conferences, things get started on Friday afternoon and conclude on Sunday morning.

Register for the conference at UBWomen.org.

05 Jun

June 5, 2018 |

Marilyn and Roger Reeck (third and fourth from left) with their four daughters and their families, at the wedding of Amanda and Amila.

Amanda and Amila.

Amanda Reeck was married on May 20 to Amila Jayacody. The wedding was held in Comfort, Texas. Amanda is one of four daughters of Wycliffe missionaries Roger and Marilyn Reeck, who are endorsed missionaries with UB Global living in Honduras. Amila is from Sri Lanka.

Roger and Marilyn recently traveled to Colombia to participate in a workshop for 43 Venezuelan translators from six different Indian groups. Marilyn wrote, “Being with this dedicated group of people was truly a wonderful experience. It is sad to hear of their experiences back home in Venezuela–the lack of food and finances. The group of consultants each took gifts for them–clothing, toiletries, etc. Many said that they had not been able to purchase new clothes in several years. There were so many sad stories. The situation is very serious.”

Roger worked with two different translation groups, and Marilyn held Trauma Healing sessions and assisted in other ways.

Said Marilyn, “Praise God that it came at a time in their lives when the Venezuelans really have many hurts. Over one million people have left Venezuela and migrated to other countries in South America. Besides all the daily difficulties, families are now separated and hurting.”

On June 4, Roger and Marilyn traveled to Guinea Bissau in West Africa. They will be there unti July 7. Roger will check the Sonike and Flupe translations. The Sonike people are a Muslim group.

 

01 Jun

June 1, 2018 |

At the YFC center in Beirut

College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.) has begun a partnership with YFC Lebanon and their work. A team of eight persons traveled May 31 to work with YFC targeting 12-18 year-olds.

Because it is Ramadan (the Muslim time of year during which there is strict fasting from sunrise to sunset), all activities will be after sunset. The team will break fast with Islamic families and then lead in camp-type activities. The teaching will be on the contrast between Muslim fasting and Christian fasting, with the desire to point students to Jesus.

They will also spend time with the YFC Beirut Center called Manara (Lighthouse). A quarter of a million people live in 1.6 square miles around the center. Students from many different ethnic groups and religious backgrounds come to the center to be tutored and receive ministry in various capacities. The team will do an outreach night on one evening to high school students (mostly Islamic in background), and one night with middle schoolers. The group return June 10.

31 May

May 31, 2018 |

With so much in the national news these days, there has been little said about the violence that continues to plague Nicaragua. At present, the country remains paralyzed following the recent failure of talks negotiated by the Catholic Church between the government of Daniel Ortega and protesters. To date, 83 people have been killed in violent clashes, the vast majority of whom are youth and university students.

In the city of Masaya, where the United Brethren in Christ are headquartered, protests, looting and violence continue day and night. Masaya has symbolic significance to Nicaraguans, as it was here, 40 years ago, that the Sandinista National Liberation Front, launched a fearless and violent uprising against dictator Anastasio Somoza and troops loyal to him, which later plunged the country into a near civil war.

We received an email from the United Brethren national leader, Rev. Armando Lopez (right), who lives in Masaya. He said mortar fire has destroyed the roof of the Aposento Alto UB church and parsonage. Stores have been looted, barricades block traffic, government buildings have been burnt to the ground, and what food is available is extremely expensive. Throughout the country businesses, schools, and factories are on lock down.

Rev. Lopez is asking for our financial assistance so that they can provide food packets for the most needy in their communities and materials to repair the damage at the Aposento Alto Church. He believes they can repair the church and parsonage for about $500. We’re hoping to raise another $1500 to help them provide 100 families with packets of food.

You can send your gift marked “NICARAGUA RELIEF” to:

UB Global
302 Lake Street
Huntington IN 46750

31 May

May 31, 2018 |

UB missionary Erika Pacheco painting with a Thai youngster.

Thai children proudly display their painted creations.

Our team of missionaries in Chiang Rai continue building relationships with neighbors in an effort to gain their trust and establish rapport. One of many ways they have been doing this is by having children in to paint pictures. Looking at these photos makes us wonder which of these children might be the first to become a follower of Jesus, or perhaps even a leader of the church in Thailand.

Does your church have an activity or special skill they could pass on to the team? Perhaps you could even travel to Thailand to share your talents. Contact UB Global us if you have some ideas.

30 May

May 30, 2018 |

Lester Smith prepares to baptize a young woman.

Pastor Smith leads a young girl into the baptistery.

Mayor Adam Stockford

As previously noted, Lester Smith is retiring on June 1 after 38 years of United Brethren ministry. On May 20, as he prepared to conclude 20 years as pastor of Hillsdale UB church–or the HUB, as they call it–Pastor Smith baptized eight persons.

Bishop Todd Fetters preached to the congregation that morning and prayed for the new pastor, Josh Good.

Among the persons being baptized was the mayor of Hillsdale. Said Smith:

I imagine this will be the last time you will be receiving any submissions from me. These are pics of the 8 baptisms we performed at my last HUB Service on May 20th. The Bishop delivered a great challenge to our congregation on praying for our new pastor, Josh Good.

The guy waving his arm from the baptistry tank is the mayor of Hillsdale.

“Ironically, the last time the Bishop spoke at the HUB was also the first time Mayor Adam Stockford attended our worship service. It was February 25 when we dedicated our new Children’s Wing. Mayor Stockford was one of our invited guests along with our state representative and state senator. He must have liked what he saw (or maybe it was the Bishop’s preaching), because he has continued coming with his family to worship at the HUB ever since. The mayor’s two sons were also baptized.”

He added, “His first public confession of faith was my final public act as HUB senior pastor. Nice way to go out!”

29 May

May 29, 2018 |

Neal and Carol Brinneman

Richard Neal Brinneman, 83, a longtime United Brethren endorsed missionary, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2018, after several days in hospice care.

Neal, a 1957 Huntington University graduate, spent 1966-1969 as a teacher and principal at Bumpe High School in Sierra Leone. In 1970 he joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and went to Togo to begin translating the Bible into the Lama language spoken by 200,000 people in West Africa.

Meanwhile Carol, a graduate of Houghton College, joined Wycliffe in 1970 and ended up spending seven years translating the Bible for the Godie people in Ivory Coast, a West African country to the west of Togo.

Neal and Carol were married in 1979 in Ivory Coast, and worked together in Togo. They helped complete the Lama New Testament in 1994, and then moved to North Carolina to work with JAARS, the aviation and technical support service of Wycliffe. Neal helped translators with computer and software needs, while Carol was a talented writer and editor.

Carol wrote, “Neal and I had an extraordinary chance to serve God together so that others might have God’s Word, God’s promises, in their own language. We worked together well as a team. We anticipated seeing the entire Bible completed by the Lama (Togo) team within three years. At 83 years old, Neal had still not retired from Wycliffe. He loved helping others complete Bible translations, and loved attending church and teaching Sunday school.”

11 May

May 11, 2018 |

Les and Linda Smith in front of the lighthouse replica.

Lester Smith is retiring on June 1 after 38 years of United Brethren ministry, and 20 years as pastor of Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.).

On April 30, a Sunday evening, the Hillsdale congregation celebrated Les and Linda Smith with a retirement “roast.”

Smith writes, “The lighthouse on the platform behind my wife and I is a smaller size replica of the one they are having installed in honor of my almost 20 years of service at the HUB. A 12-foot lighthouse will be the centerpiece of a new playground that will replace the existing one in front of our church. It symbolizes a combination of my twin passions of spreading the gospel light to our community, and my love for ministry to children. I’m truly a blessed man to have served such a wonderful congregation. Their gift is both creative and inspiring! “