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Mark Oestreicher, President of Youth Specialties, is coming to Huntington University on September 25. UB pastors and youth workers are invited to a (free!) luncheon with Mr. Oestreicher from 11:30 – 1:30 pm. It will be held at the Habecker Dining Commons. There will be door prizes to win, and each person will receive a goodie bag.
Tom Blaylock, Director of Church Multiplication
How many of you remember high school chemistry class? Even though I have to go back 20-plus years, I vividly remember my experiences. Our teacher was your classic “nutty professor” type, brilliant but not fully plugged into reality. One day in class an experiment went awry resulting in a fireball about four feet in diameter that left a blackened scorch mark on the ceiling. Now that was cool!
In that class we learned about several laws of physics. One of those laws had to do with gravity, or more precisely, “gravitation.” The Encyclopedia Britannica says “gravity shapes the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the entire universe….On Earth all bodies have a weight, or downward force of gravity, proportional to their mass, which the Earth’s mass exerts on them.”
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Dennis and Debbie Osberg, former UB endorsed missionaries, are back in Honduras serving at Academia los Pinares (Academy of the Pines) outside of Tegucigalpa. Dennis is the elementary school principal and Debbie is a substitute teacher. For the past six years Dennis and Debbie have worked at Westminster Academy, part of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida. The church has taken them on as one of their many missionaries.
Son Eric and his wife are in Denver, where is is looking for a teaching job. Graham is in his last semester at the University of Miami and plans to pursue medical school there. Amanda is a sophomore at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Debbie writes, “Dennis and I have loved our jobs and ministry at Westminster Academy. Several months ago the superintendent from Academia Los Pinares, the school we were at for six years in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, contacted us to see if Dennis would be willing to return as Elementary Principal. After much prayer and thought, we realized our goal for returning to the states six years ago–establishing our kids in high school and college–had been accomplished, so we were available to return to the mission field. We quit our jobs, sold our house, and bought a condo so Graham could live in it while in med school and we’d have a place to call home when we visit the States. Dennis and I have now begun a new chapter in our lives, serving on the mission field with our kids in the States.”
Debbie, the daughter and granddaughter of UB ministers, says that though they are no longer involved in a UB church or UB missions, “I’ll always be UB through and through.”
People expect certain basic amenities in a church. Indoor plumbing. A roof. Chairs to sit on. Telephone service. And now–a website. The younger generations, at least, expect a website. If you don’t have one, then to many people, you don’t exist. Like it or not. That’s just a new reality.
When young adults look for a church, the first place they go is Google, which is pretty much the new Yellow Pages. People will type in the name of a city and state, and perhaps a zip code–“church Huntington IN 46750”–and see what turns up. They can then anonymously research churches at their leisure, 24/7, and decide which one they’d like to visit. By the time they physically attend a church, they’ll feel like they’ve already “visited” five (or more) churches by checking out their websites and reading about them.
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The Olivet UB congregation (New Lebanon, Ohio) and the Park Layne congregation of New Carlisle, Ohio, are holding a Gospel Sing to help raise funds for the rebuilding of the Park Layne church, which was destroyed by arson fire. The two churches are working togather under the leadership of Cluster Leader George Rhodifer.
Four gospel groups are donating there talent to help raise funds for this project. The groups are Air City Quartet, The Barns Family, Beracah & Valley (a bluegrass group), and The Williams Family (also bluegrass).
The sing will be held on the church site on Saturday, September 16. It will be held in a tent being used for revival September 13-15 (Wednesday through Friday).
Pastor Roland Albert is the pastor of the Park Layne Church.
Pastor Greg Helman (right) of Dillsburg UB church sends this update about his daughter Greta, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He writes:
“My daughter, Greta Helman, was operated on in May to remove a tumor the size of a fifty-cent piece. By God’s grace, it was found to be benign. Greta’s recovery time was very short and she has been leading our praise band in worship since early June. My family would like to thank everyone who prayed for Greta. God bless you all.”
A friend told me today about a bull he raised on a farm when he was younger. This bull had a several foot wide set of horns. If you challenged him by walking straight up to him, he would wave those horns back and forth and attack. He felt threatened and went into defense mode. That is probably what happened to Steve Irwin this week when he was killed by that stingray. The ray was fine until it felt threatened.
My friend told me that if he came alongside that bull, he could pet it, walk with it, and lead it around anywhere. It was not threatened by someone walking alongside.
People are like bulls. When we seek to effect change to their established position or preference, if we take it head on, they resist, go into a defensive posture and attack. They are shut down immediately. But if we come alongside and show them the benefit of the new approach in fulfilling the vision, they tend to be more open and will walk with you.
I encourage you to come alongside people rather than take them head on. Periodically, you will find a bull that cannot be dealt with in any other way than head on. At that point, God will give you flint for a forehead (see Ezekiel). But for the most part, we will get further ahead in effecting change if we come alongside people and watch the Lord change their hearts and attitudes.
Steve Dennie and I have been on a mission. The shipping area of our building was in need of some cleaning. Yesterday we finished phase two of what will turn out being a four or five phase project. As we tossed, rearranged, choked, and organized, I found myself drawing many parallels to us as people, and our lives. Let me share some of my observations:
1. It is possible to continue to function in life even when our life is cluttered with the unnecessary or with junk from the past. But not to our potential.
2. Our capacity for better, newer or greater things is stymied by trying to hold on to our past, even if we think that the things from our history may prove useful in the future.
3. Like ourselves, others near us are aware of the tremendous need to deal with the clutter of our lives. But while there may be quiet murmurings among them, they never seem to push the issue.
4. We hold onto things that represent people, events, and methods that once held great importance to us. While remembering can be good, those things belong put into perspective in the archives and not taking up space in our present.
5. It takes time to work through processing the junk in our lives, but it is well worth the investment.
6. Others see the hard work you are doing and celebrate the value of it with you.
7. It is possible for us to lose track of all the available resources we have because they get so spread out. If we took a little time periodically to bring life back into order, it would help us know what we have.
8. Cleaning up one area of life spurs you on to tackle other areas of life. Life is a continual process.
9. The tools we need to move the heavy loads are available if we ask.
10. Cleaning up our lives helps us help others more effectively.
These are a few observations that flew past the dust balls that were circulating in my head during the process. We have a plan to continue our work over the next months.
What areas need addressed in your life or in the life of your church? Why not take the initiative to do something about it now, before you go through another year of life or ministry functioning below your potential?
Jesus makes available all the tools that we need.
As I ended the last entry, I mentioned my granddaughter. Actually, I have 3 grandchildren: 2 boys and 1 girl. They are probably the most handsome, beautiful, smart, intelligent, thoughtful, and loving children. And did I mention smart?
I don’t get to be with them nearly as much as I would like. My grandsons live in Omaha, Neb. while my granddaughter lives in Wheaton, Ill. But I see them as often as I can. And one of the things that EJ and I are concerned about when we see them is whether or not they have grown. I want their parents to be very sure they see the doctor on a regular basis for checkups including their growth rate. I want to be sure they are healthy and growing. And if they are not growing, is something wrong? That is important to me and to their parents, too, I am sure.
It is interesting that every living thing in God’s creation grows in some form or fashion. If there are the required environmental elements, and if they are healthy, they grow. This growth leads to maturity that in turn leads to reproduction. Funny how that works. And everything grows after its own kind. For example, a seed of corn doesn’t grow apples.
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Emmanuel Community Church is sponsoring a golf outing on Sunday, October 1, to benefit UB endorsed missionary Anna Geivett. The outing will be held at the Chestnut Hills Golf Course in Fort Wayne, starting at 1:30. A banquet will be held at 6:30. The total cost is $65 per person (18 holes, cart, and banquet).
