geeting400George Geeting was the third most important minister in the earliest days of the United Brethren church, right behind founders William Otterbein and Martin Boehm. Though he never became a bishop, he was highly respected and influential. He was also regarded as Otterbein’s closet personal friend and the person in whom he most freely confided.

Geeting was born on February 6, 1741, in Germany, not far from Otterbein’s stomping grounds. Like Otterbein, he was raised in the German Reformed Church, but the similarities end there. He received what was described as a “fair” education, and became a miner.

At age 18, Geeting immigrated to America. With war raging between England and France, immigration was at a low point. But somehow, Geeting made the trip and ended up settling for the rest of his life in Antietam, Maryland. Geeting taught school during the winter, and quarried stone and dug wells during the summer.

It’s likely that Geeting became acquainted with William Otterbein around 1760, when Otterbein preached at Antietam. Geeting became a Christian, possibly under Otterbein’s preaching, and threw himself into church work. Historian A. W. Drury describes Geeting as a “real Timothy” to Otterbein—sort of a mentor-disciple role. Otterbein frequently stayed at Geeting’s home, which became his personal retreat and his headquarters when he was on the road. We can imagine the discussions they had late into the night.

Geeting was a successful farmer, physically strong, scrupulously attired, and well-read. He developed into a powerful preacher, and traveled extensively to preach in scattered communities. He was described as an earnest and deliberate preacher whose voice combined sweetness and power.

Geeting attended all of the important meetings of the early United Brethren church—the two conferences held during the latter 1700s, the meeting in 1800 which the United Brethren church was organized, and most if not all of the annual conferences after that. He passed away in 1812—a few months after Martin Boehm, and a year before Otterbein.

bernadine-hoffmanOn February 5, 2001, a funeral service was held for Bernadine Hoffman at Crossroads UB church in Charlotte, Mich., where she settled in 1983 after retiring from missionary service. Bernadine had suffered a major stroke and, a few days later, passed away.

Bernadine served 39 consecutive years as a missionary in Sierra Leone. She went to Africa in 1944 and served 12 full terms. It was, at that point, the longest any UB missionary had served under the UB Board of Missions. A missionary serving in a restricted access country finally passed her in 2014.

Over the years Bernadine served at Bonthe, Gbangbaia, Mattru, and Bumpe in various teaching and administrative roles, including a number of years in the conference’s Christian Education office. She also raised several African children, one of whom was Rev. Joe Abu, a UB pastor in Pennsylvania. He wrote:

“Even though from a strong Muslim background, I came to know the Lord through the missionary ministries of Mama. I still remember our daily devotions at home when she sang from the Mende hymnal and read the Word of God to me in my language. There are numerous other Africans in Europe, Africa, Canada, and around the world who came to know the Lord, and are ministers today, because of the missionary work of Mama. We need some Mama Hoffmans today. People ready and willing to invest in the lives of the less fortunate and people around us.”

eli-griffin

Eli Griffin, who served as bishop 1925-1929, passed away on February 4, 1950. He was 82.

Griffin is not a well-known bishop, and left no discernible mark on UB history. But what little we know portrays a pleasant, positive, and spiritual man who was respected and loved. Just a solid, dependable guy–tall, white-haired, distinguished, fatherly. His lasting legacy, though intangible, may be the encouragement and advice he lavished on young ministers.

Griffin was United Brethren to the core. He was born in 1867 into a United Brethren family, and raised and converted in a UB church in Angola, Ind. He sensed God’s call to ministry as a teenager and began preaching at age 18. He graduated from the denomination’s seminary, and later in life was granted an honorary doctorate by Huntington College.

Altogether, Griffin served 58 years as a UB minister. During his four years as bishop, he oversaw the Pacific district–California, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. He visited every church at least once, traveling by train and car. During those four years, he preached 1088 sermons, and held ten revival meetings with 132 conversions.

Griffin and his wife, Nettie Mae, were married 26 years and had five children. She died in 1918 after being crushed by a bull on the family farm, but four years later he married Alice, who was also a minister.

Griffin declined to run for re-election in 1929 because of his wife’s illness. But she recovered, and he continued serving the church as a pastor and in other leadership roles, including 1925-1949 on the Board of Missions.

A grandson reflected, “When Bishop Griffin came to visit, there was a very different atmosphere in the house. He brought peace, tranquility, and kindness. To a little boy, there was something very different about him. From a present adult standpoint, he exuded a special aura.”

During March 2017, the United Brethren History Course is being offered in two locations.

March 6-7, 2017 (Monday/Tuesday)

Location: New Hope Community Church, Bryan, Ohio
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm both days
Instructor: Bob Bruce, Pastor of Spiritual Care, Emmanuel Community Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Three nearby hotels are recommended–Holiday Inn Express, Colonial Manor Motel, and the Plaza Motel. The UB website has information about all three.

March 21-22, 2017 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Location: King Street Church, Chambersburg, Pa.
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm both days
Instructor: Daryl Elliott, senior pastor of Fountain UB Church, Keyser, W. Va.

The nearby Holiday Inn Express is recommended for lodging. They’ll give course attendees a special rate.

Cost

The cost is $200, if you are seeking a ministerial license, and $100 for everyone else.

For ministers, there is a $50 discount if you pay fully in advance of the class, making your cost just $150.

Trials and Triumphs Book

You’ll need a copy of Trials and Triumphs, a history of the United Brethren Church. You can order a copy for $20.70 from the National Office ($14.95 for the book, $5.75 shipping for the US). Order a copy by calling toll-free: 888-622-3019, ext 301. Or order a copy with your registration below.

Register

You can register at the UB website.

The United Brethren History Course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are welcome to take the course. The course is held periodically in regional settings. During the past five years, 150 people have attended the course in 20 different sessions.

For UB ministers, the UB History Course qualifies for 12 credit hours.

Christian Newcomer (left) and Ray Seilhamer.

Christian Newcomer (left) and Ray Seilhamer.

Two United Brethren bishops were born on February 1, but nearly 200 years apart. Both were committed to church planting, and both saw the denomination greatly expand during their years in office–domestically for one, internationally for the other.

Christian Newcomer was born on February 1, 1749, the son of Swiss Mennonites. He began preaching in 1777, and soon became associated with United Brethren founders Martin Boehm and William Otterbein. In 1813 he became the third United Brethren bishop, and served until his death in 1830.

Newcomer is credited with leading the expansion of the church beyond Pennsylvania. He even made it to Canada in 1826. He was kind of our Apostle Paul, constantly traveling and organizing churches. Is it estimated that Newcomer traveled 150,000 miles on horseback between ages 46 and 81.

Ray Seilhamer was born February 1, 1938, and served eight years as bishop, 1993-2001. Under his watch, we nearly doubled the number of countries with United Brethren churches.

As World War 2 ended, we added outreaches in Jamaica (1944) and Honduras (1945). We then settled into a pattern of venturing into one new country every decade: Hong Kong in the 1950s, Nicaragua in the 1960s, India in the 1970s, and Macau in the 1980s. It wasn’t an intentional strategy, but just the way it worked out.

Then came the 1990s. No more big gaps. During that decade, beginning in 1993, the year Seilhamer was elected, the seeds were planted for United Brethren ministry in another nine countries: Thailand (1993), Costa Rica (1995), Mexico (1997), Guatemala (1997), Germany (1997), Myanmar (1998), El Salvador (1999), the Philippines (1999), and Haiti (2000).

It was an exciting time. And it was no longer only the United States taking the lead. Hong Kong initiated work in Thailand and Myanmar, Sierra Leoneans spearheaded a church in Germany, and Honduras and Nicaragua initiated expansion into Costa Rica, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Two men, same birthday, and a very similar legacy.

If you are looking for an opportunity to serve alongside the international church, then consider being a part of this short term mission trip to the heart of Mexico. During our time there we will participate in ministry projects associated with United Brethren churches in and around the city of Queretaro, Mexico, including children’s ministry programs. Come explore the possibility of developing your own ministry partnership between your home church and a United Brethren church in Mexico.

Details

Dates: June 2-11, 2017
Cost: $1200 per person (includes airfare, lodging, ground transportation in Mexico, meals, and materials for the ministry projects)
Team size: Limited to 20 people.
Application Due Date: February 15, 2017.

Other Things to Know

  • Available to people from all United Brethren churches in the United States.
  • Must be 16 years old or older to participate.
  • Pre- and post-trip meetings will be held online and in person.
  • Speaking Spanish is helpful but is NOT a requirement.

For more information, call Bobby Culler at (717) 264-8414 ext. 204 or email at: bobbyc@mtp-church.org. Visit the Global Ministries website.

Materials at the FAME warehouse.

Materials at the FAME warehouse.

On January 26, Global Ministries staffers went to Indianapolis to pick up over $18,000 worth of medical equipment and supplies for Mattru Hospital. It all came from FAME (Fellowship of Associates in Medical Evangelism), an organization that receives medical, dental, and other healthcare supplies from generous donors and channels everything to mission hospitals and medical missionaries.

The same day, Global Ministries received $5000 in medical supplies from DeKalb Memorial Hospital of Auburn, Ind. Dr. Richard Toupin, a former UB doctor at Mattru, works at that hospital. He and his wife, Cathy, will lead a medical team to Mattru in February.

Global Ministries did an inventory and created a shipping list of all items, and then delivered everything to West African Education and Medical Mission for shipment to Sierra Leone. Directors Drs. Karen and Tom Asher generously offered us 20 feet of space in a 40-foot shipping container they are sending to Sierra Leone this month.

centennial-alumni-funeral

The funeral for Evelyn Baker–former UB missionary in Sierra Leone and First Lady of Huntington University–was held Saturday, January 28. (Full obituary.) The funeral was held at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.

While serving as missionaries in Sierra Leone during the 1950s, DeWitt and Evelyn started Centennial Secondary School in Mattru, the country’s first United Brethren high school (read more about Centennial’s beginning). At the funeral, a delegation of alumni from Centennial, who now live in the States, traveled through the night from the east coast.

They blessed the funeral service with two songs. The first was sung in the Mende tribal language spoken in that part of the country. For that song, they invited DeWitt and Evelyn’s son Ron, who is fluent in Mende, to sing with them.

ruf-truck

On January 30, 1995, rebels captured the town of Mattru Jong in Sierra Leone. Everyone saw it coming. Rebels had taken Bumpe, then the nearby Sierra Rutile mining camp. It was only a matter of time before they came to Mattru.

In mid-January, Mattru Hospital essentially closed down. Nadine Hoekman, a UB nurse, paid all the workers and locked things up. Then she and the only other remaining missionaries, Joe and Rachel Beah, headed to Freetown. Two staffers stayed to give daily medication to tuberculosis patients.

Rebels ransacked Mattru Hospital, taking everything of value. They even dismantled the X-ray machine. They loaded it onto a boat and headed toward Guinea to sell it, but the launch sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mattru, like many towns throughout the country, was deserted as residents fled into the bush. Many United Brethren people were among them. Two UB ministers were taken prisoner.

The RUF settled in for eight months, establishing its own government and turning Mattru Hospital into a training base.

drm-teaching

On January 29, 1989, Dennis Miller preached his first message as pastor of Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. It was a congregation of about 100 people primed for growth–good leadership, nice facility, great location in a growing area. Miller was exactly the right person to help Emmanuel fulfill its potential. He brought leadership, vision, a strong pulpit teaching ministry, and a focus on discipleship.

Within seven years, Emmanuel had grown to 600 people and completed two major building campaigns, including a 700-seat sanctuary. And in 2009, 20 years after that first sermon, Emmanuel became the UB church with the highest average attendance, shooting past the 1400 mark (King Street church in Chambersburg, Pa., had been the largest church for many decades). In 2011, attendance went past 1800, with 71 conversions and 93 baptisms for the year.

Soon after he came to Emmanuel, Miller developed the church motto “His Word, Our Walk.” Nowhere was that theme more clear than in the many weekly GROW discipleship groups which systematically led people through the whole Bible and helped them grow deep in their Christian walk. It accounted for the ever-broadening leadership base, which in turn fueled the church’s growth.