Pam and I have been on a two and a half week journey. We left home two weeks ago yesterday and will not return home until Tuesday. During most of this time, we have not had internet connection, and I have been unable to keep up with email or communicate through this tremendous medium. I have gotten so used to being connected, that this has made me feel extremely disconnected.

This reminds me that there are some who find themselves in positions of becoming disconnected from the Lord after being extremely connected. Some, like my feelings toward the internet, could not wait to get connected again. I was uncomfortable and rather anxious about being disconnected. I was not able to fulfill my purpose and responsibilities in that disconnected state. That is true of believers who become disconnected. They can’t fulfill the purposes God has for them. The unfortunate thing is that some never reconnect. They remain out there somewhere — lost, roaming, out of touch.

People and churches are the same in this sense. Some are connected and working well. Some remain disconnected and floundering. Some function somewhere in between. Our goal needs to be to help all people (and churches) become and remain connected to the Lord in a humble attitude, serving Him and His agenda.

Some of the workers. Pastor Tim Hallman of Anchor is third from the right, and Pastor Bob Bruce (Emmanuel) is second from the left.

On Saturday, April 22, landscaping trucks and equipment and about 30 workers descended on Third Street in Fort Wayne, where they relandscaped five homes. This was a joint project between two United Brethren churches: Anchor Community Church, which is located on Third Street, and Emmanuel Community Church. The crew cleaned up yards, laid lots of fresh mulch, put in new plants, raked up leaves, and generally left the homes looking great.
Pastor Tim Hallman of Anchor and Chris Moore, an associate staffperson at Emmanuel, initiated the project. But Tom Clounie, an elder at Emmanuel who owns a large landscaping company, Clounie Landscaping, then made it happen. Hallman identified five homes along Third Street and talked to the owners for permission to relandscape their yards. Tom then brought in the equipment and organized the work. They started early that Saturday morning and finished by noon.
About 15 people from Anchor participated. The others came from Emmanuel, with Tom Clounie adding a few of his regular employees.
Anchor Community Church started in 1998 with a core group of about 40 people from Emmanuel. The church had existed there since the 1930s as Third Street UB church. It was closed in May 1998 for five months, underwent extensive renovations, and then reopened with new leadership and a new vision in October 1998.
For more photos from the project, follow the link below.

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The following churches are in need of senior pastors.

  • Monroe UB Church (Monroe, Ind.).
  • Living Word UB church(Columbus, Ohio).
  • Mongul UB Church (Shippensburg, Pa.).
  • Ebenezer UB Church (Greencastle, Pa.).
  • Mt. Olivet (Franklin County) UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).
  • Sabetha UB Church (Sabetha, Kansas).
  • Trenton Hills UB Church (Adrian, Mich.).
  • Fifth Street UB Church (Staunton, Va.).
  • Pleasant Valley UB Church (Lake Odessas, Mich.).

In addition, PraisePoint UB church in Willshire, Ohio, is looking for a part-time youth pastor to work 20 hours a week.
For any of these position, contact Bishop Ron Ramsey at:

United Brethren Offices
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750
Phone: 1-888-622-3019

burnett_mike.jpgAre you looking for a different kind of summer camp? This coming July the Huntington University Department of Theatre Arts will host its inaugural Huntington University Summer Theatre Youth Camp.  From June 26 to July 21, campers ages 6 to 15 will learn basic theatrical training from theatre professionals and perform a fully produced musical theatre production. This summer’s performance will be a junior version of the “Music Man” in which every camper will have a part.
The camp will run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Huntington University Merillat Centre for the Arts, with performances on July 22. There will be no camp session on July 3 or 4.

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Ann McPherrenDr. Ann McPherren has been appointed vice president for Huntington University Planning and Strategy. She will report directly to President G. Blair Dowden and will be part of the Senior Leadership Team. The position gives McPherren responsibility for coordination, development, implementation, and monitoring of the new strategic plan and process. She will also continue serving as professor of business and economics, teaching six hours each semester. McPherren celebrates 25 years of service at the University this year. She graduated from HU in 1979.

Huntington University held its annual Forester Night recognition program on May 2. Outstandng Senior awards are given to a person in each academic department. In addition, the student body votes on the following three awards:
Mary Ruthi

  • Dr. Mary Ruthi (right), professor of sociology, was chosen by the student body as Professor of the Year. Ruthi, who has taught at Huntington for over 24 years, is chair of the Division of History, Social Sciences and Education.
  • Jenna Rodgers, a senior educational ministries major from Franklin, Pa., was named Female Forester of the Year.
  • Andy Vaught, a senior history major from Roanoke, Ind., was named Male Forester of the Year. Vaught also received the Outstanding Senior recognition from the Department of Bible & Religion.

Megan Crawford, a sophomore broadcasting major at Huntington University, invited her grandmother to make the four-hour drive from Oakwood, Ill., to attend Huntington University’s first ever Grandparents Day, held April 25, 2006. Crawford, a native of Danville, Ill., says her grandmother, Diana “Granny” Jameson, is “a very curious person, and I knew she would like to have a different atmosphere for the day and see what I do here.”

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The old cliché “It’s not what you know, but who you know” is especially true in entertainment. That’s one reason why Huntington University senior Jonathan Herr decided to get a head start on breaking into the film industry by spending his last semester in Hollywood.

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wood_josh.jpgPlaying sports, watching movies and taking road trip adventures sounds more like summer vacation than an internship. But for Huntington University senior Josh Wood, it’s all part of the job.
Wood, a youth ministry major from Mishawaka, Ind., is currently serving at First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., as a high school ministry intern. Wood is interning there for his PRIME experience, a seven-month immersion into ministry that all Huntington University ministry majors participate in during their senior year. 

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The Pleasent Hill Church just outside Muncie, Ind., is having a special service on Sunday, May 7 at 2:00 p.m. to honor the fireman and police departments that did so much to save most of the building during the fire last year, and also those contractors who did the work to rebuild the building that was distroyed by the fire.