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During a recent trip to Sierra Leone, Rev. Joe Abu delivered four lawnmowers to the Centennial Secondary School in Mattru. The mowers were purchased with donations from former Centennial students now living in North American and Europe. Joe Abu is pastor of Mount Zion United African Church, a UB church in Philadelphia, Pa.
Rev. Bob Conway, a retired United Brethren minister, has published a book called Decoding Daniel, a commentary on the book of Daniel. If you are interesting in obtaining a copy, you can order one for $15 (which includes tax and postage), from: Robert Conway, 597 Houser Road, Fayetteville, PA 17222.
After 17 years as pastor of the Orrstown (Pa.) UB church, Conway retired to write, speak, and teach. He has taught biblical studies to laypersons and pastors for continuing education units for the past ten years.
Bishop Ron Ramsey has granted him permission to continue teaching courses for credit. Some of the studies include:
1. Bible Prophecy.
2. Unsealing Revelation
3. Isaiah
4. Decoding Daniel
5. Probing the Parables
6. The Believer and the Law
7. The Life of Paul and His Teachings
8. The Life of Christ
9. The Passion Week of Christ
10. Biblical Theology.
Each course lasts ten hours, and is usually taught over five evenings or two days. For information, contact Rev. Conway at the above address.
Patrick Daugherty has been hired as Pastor of Church Development at Atlantic Avenue UB, Franklin, Pa., effective September 3.
Arek and Donna Delik are UB endorsed missionaries serving with Operation Mobilization in Kutno, Poland. Here are excerpts from a recent newsletter.
When you are in the mission field, sometimes you are forced into a position which you may feel inadequate and not comfortable with. This is how we feel this year. We are so thankful that the team has expanded from two of us to six adults altogether in the last eight months. And we realize that instead of being leaders with no members to lead, we now have four co-workers with us. We had been working alone for the last five years, and so used to do everything by ourselves and sometimes even wearing ourselves out. Then we had to learn to work differently when there are others in the team. We don’t feel very comfortable with this shift in responsibility and we know that our inadequacy may disqualify us as leaders.
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Dave and Cathie Datema are endorsed UB missionaries serving with the US Center for World Mission in Pasadena, Calif. They sent this update on July 7.
“For the past year, we have been considering our ability to care for Cuyler’s needs while living in the rented house we currently occupy. We have considered moving to a different part of the country where housing is more affordable. We’re still not sure what the final solution is, but as we seek God’s guidance it doesn’t seem that we should leave the work here in Pasadena, for now. In the meantime, we have peace about Dave continuing on with the INSIGHT program.
“For INSIGHT’s first four years Dave was the Program Director (August 2001 to May 2005). During this past year, Dave served as INSIGHT Coordinator, helping to facilitate other INSIGHT programs beginning elsewhere. One will begin in Minneapolis this fall and another is slated to begin in Detroit in the fall of 2007.
“Beginning in mid-June, Dave once again resumed the position of Program Director for the site here in Pasadena. Dave missed the daily interaction with students and is looking forward to taking on this role again. There is much work to be done in the next seven weeks to be ready.”
Jennifer Blandin, UB missionary in Macau, sent this update on July 7.
“During the month of June, our staff took a short trip to Hong Kong for a team retreat and to check out the new Disneyland. Like most things in Hong Kong, Disneyland is compact. But we still had a lot of fun! We also gained a new appreciation for Mickey, Minnie, and the gang! I’m guessing even the best trained athletes wouldn’t last 10 minutes of being in those costumes! But it would be a quick way to lose weight!
“Besides visiting Disneyland, we enjoyed walking around Hong Kong, hanging out at the hotel room, and playing a marathon game of Phase 10. It was nice to have some down-time together.
“Before Carlson and Naomi Becker headed back to the States for the summer, Living Stone Church had an outing into China for a steak dinner. The food was close to steaks you get in the States, and the time with people was a definite bonus.”
NorthPointe Community Church (Lewis Center, Ohio) is seeking to hire a Celebration (Contemporary Worship) and Youth staffperson. NorthPointe is located in the Greater Columbus area. If interested, contact Lead Pastor Dan Kopp for a ministry description and to submit a resume. Email him or write to: Dan Kopp, 7509 Storrington Place, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035.
Rhodes Grove Camp, the United Brethren camp located outside of Greencastle, Pa., will holds its traditional campmeeting August 20-24. The speaker is Michael W. Sigman, bishop of the Evangelical Congregational Church. Nursery service will be provided, along with children’s lessons for grades K-6 taught each night by Rev. James Herman.
Services will be held in the air-conditioned Meadows Conference Center Sunday through Thursday, beginning at 7 pm. the Macedonia Messengers will provide special music on Sunday evening. Rev. Bob Conway will lead a morning Bible study on the Parables of Jesus in the conference center on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 10 am.
I’ve come alongside some broken situations lately. My heart aches. I’ve seen it all through the years, and there are some patterns that continue to make no sense to me. A spouse is told that the “feeling” is gone and suddenly feelings have developed for a person that they’ve just met. This rush of “feelings” supersedes any vow of commitment that was ever made. Forget the vows, forget the kids, forget the oneness, forget the commitments. It all comes down to what I “feel.” Love has lost the buzz. It’s gone, and it won’t return. (At least that seems to be the logic.) And the number one priority is “my happiness.”
I’ve seen it in broken spiritual lives too. No work is put into developing the relationship. Other ventures and voices seem fresh and alluring. And suddenly Jesus is not worth following any longer. Pull back from fellowship. Pull back from Bible reading and prayer (the conversational aspect of relationship with Jesus). Pull back from serving anyone in any way. Listen to the voice that says, “Its all about you.”
And we walk away, chasing after our new friend.
The amazing thing to me is that while this scenario has failed to deliver on this ominous promise of happiness for people throughout the ages, everyone who walks through it feels it will be different for them. It is right for them, because it “feels” right.
Feelings are deceptive. They can change directions like the wind. That is why a wise man once said, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its path leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).
The prophet also observed, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
The key for all is to revisit the commitments and vows taken at the beginning. We must begin to do the things that we were doing at the start (Revelation 2:5). Marriages, believing communities, relationships with Jesus, all take work. They take daily investments. Rather than walking away, get back to work!
The one reassuring promise is His: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Matthew 28:20).
On Sunday, July 2 Franklin UB Church (New Albany, Ohio) held its second annual Freedom and Faith Sunday. The purpose of Freedom and Faith Sunday is to celebrate the freedoms we have in America, including the freedom to worship God and practice our faith as He directs us. Many political guests were invited, including Ohio’s Governor Bob Taft and area politicians. Though the Governor was unable to attend, a special congratulatory note was sent on his behalf.
The church is located in the city of New Albany and the mayor and city council declared in a proclamation that July 2 was Freedom and Faith Sunday for the city, recognizing Franklin Church. Guests included the City Council President (the Mayor had to be in Canada), a township Trustee, two of the three Franklin County commissioners, City of Columbus Mayor’s representative Rick Isbel, and several other special guests. The local NBC TV affialiate, Channel 4, gave favorable coverage to the event on both their Sunday and Monday news broadcast.
