Breaking ground for the new Welcome Center.

Breaking ground for the new Welcome Center.

On April 21, Huntington University broke ground for new Welcome Center, which should be completed by late fall 2016. It’s a 3000-square-foot addition to the Merillat Centre for the Arts, and will cost around $700,000. A member of the HU Board of Trustees gave a $500,000 lead donation to get the project underway.

The Welcome Center will mostly house the Admissions office, which is currently located in the lower-level of the Livingston Residence Hall.

L-r: Tony, Julie Hui, David Kline, Frank Y, and Jeff Bleijerveld.

L-r: Tony, Julie Hui, David Kline, Frank Y, and Jeff Bleijerveld.

On May 12, members of the Global Ministries staff—Jeff Bleijerveld, David Kline, and Frank Y–had lunch with Julie Hui and her brother Tony. Julie completed her MA degree in TESOL in December 2015 and will participate in graduation ceremonies at Huntington University on Saturday, May 14. Julie is one of two people from Hong Kong joining our multinational team of UB workers in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Julie’s brother Tony had never traveled outside of Hong Kong or China. He commented that the town of Huntington reminded him of Main Street USA at Disneyland Hong Kong. He was also taken to the famous Nick’s Kitchen in downtown Huntington and introduced to pork tenderloin sandwiches, a local staple.

The west Michigan cluster is hosting two trips to Israel in June of 2017. There is space available for anyone interested in joining us on this life-changing trip. If interested please contact Joshua Good at HomeFront church (Grandville, Mich.) as soon as possible. We can answer any questions you have and begin the process of including your name on our roster.

June 8-18, 2017
This trip is designed for first-time visitors to Israel. It will hit the most familiar and popular biblical sites, including: Mt. Carmel, Valley of Armageddon, Nazareth, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Mt. of Beatitudes, Caesarea Philippi, Jordan River, Qumran, Swim in the Dead Sea, Masada, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Rabbinical Tunnels, Upper Room, Via Delarosa, Church of the Holy Sephulcure, The Holocaust Museum, and many more!

June 22 – July 2, 2017
This trip is geared for persons making a return trip to Israel. It will include some sites that are a bit off the beaten path. These include Bethsaida, Herodian, Cana, Ein Gedi, the Jewish Market, Megiddo, Jericho, and Beersheba.

Cost
The total cost if $4200. This covers all of your expenses for 11 days, except lunch each day. The trip is planned through Gill Travel, and includes world-class guides, 4-5 star hotels, and comfortable travel.

For more information, download this brochure about the trip.

T&M2
Providing ministry training to village pastors in West Africa presents a variety of challenges. First, many village pastors are unable to leave their families and communities to attend a Bible institute in a large city for a long period of time. Neither do they have the funds to pay for tuition and books. And if they do leave their village and live in the city with their family for a period of years, they may not be willing to return to their small village.

Train and Multiply (T&M) provides on-the-job training for pastors and church members so they can share the Good News, make disciples, and multiply new churches. T&M is not just training for ministry; it is training in ministry. Train and Multiply uses simple, low-cost, and effective New Testament methods to train church leaders.

While T&M is relatively inexpensive to use, training the initial trainers requires that they participate in a training event in the United States. Global Ministries is working in partnership with our United Brethren in Sierra Leone and Liberia to bring a representative from each country to Greenwood, Ind., August 25-27, 2016.

In order to bring two participants from West Africa, we will need to raise $4500. This will pay for their tourist visas, airfare, lodging, and registration fees.

If you’d like to contribute to this project, direct your gift to: TRAIN & MULTIPLY. Send to:

Global Ministries
302 Lake Street
Huntington, Ind. 46750

Honduras Conference, with 115 churches, was instrumental in forming our national conference in Nicaragua and in the development of a mission district in El Salvador. However, they have never sent missionaries to another continent – until now.

Milton and Erika Pacheco (right) are being sent to Chiang Rai, Thailand. There, they will join a multinational team of United Brethren missionaries from Hong Kong and the United States. Over the past year and a half, the Pachecos have been studying English while completing missions studies online. Most recently, they have been raising support among the Honduran churches, finishing up Milton’s work with Habitat for Humanity, and selling their home.

Global Ministries hopes to bring the Pachecos to the United States by early July to begin three to four months of raising additional support to complement what they have raised in their homeland.

During their time in the United States, Global Ministries staff will travel with the Pachecos to meet those interested in becoming supporters. A number of churches and individuals have already indicated their interest in supporting this couple. If you or your church would like to know more about supporting them or arrange for a visit, contact us at info@ubglobal.org.

Dedication of the new parsonage at Brooklyn Park.

Dedication of the new parsonage at Brooklyn Park.

The fire-ravaged parsonage at Brooklyn Park.

The previous parsonage after the tragic fire.

On April 17, Brooklyn Park UB church (Baltimore, Md.) dedicated its rebuilt parsonage. Pastor Samuel Sinnah and his son, Joseph, planned to move in as soon as the county granted a permit for occupancy.

The parsonage burned on February 10, 2015, claiming three lives: Mrs. Letitia Sinnah, 17-year-old son Sundima Sinnah, and a neighbor, Christopher Rickman, who tried to help.

cyle-youngKathy Maybee, Heart O’ the Lakes UB church (Brooklyn, Mich.)

We are excited to introduce Pastor Cyle Young (right) as the new Lead Pastor at Heart O’ the Lakes Church. Cyle and his wife Patty have three children; Carver (9), Cyleigh-Anne (7), and Carrick (4). Cyle will be with us on May 1 and his family will join him here on May 8. They have secured housing and are working through the process of making the move from Springfield, Ohio.

Cyle is an ordained minister with over 16 years of fulltime ministry experience. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Michigan where he graduated with honors, and was a four-year student athlete. He has an M.A. in Christian Leadership from Liberty University, and an M.R.E. in Religious Education from Liberty University. Cyle and his wife Patty have authored several books, and Cyle has been a keynote speaker at many conferences, colleges and universities.

Cyle previously served as Executive Pastor of Family and Sports in a large multi-campus church. He also served as Pastor of Children, Students, and Sports in a church of 1,400. He was an Executive Pastor of Youth and Family, and the Lead Pastor for an inner-city church plant. Cyle has led mission trips, managed multiple staff and volunteers, and even plays bass guitar.

We are excited to welcome Cyle and his family to Heart O’ the Lakes Church. May God truly bless them as they join our family at Heart O’ the Lakes Church.

Two ministerial summits begin Monday night, April 25, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Both conclude on Thursday.

About 55 persons are attending the Pastors & Spouse Summit, for pastoral couples from churches with an attendance below 150. About 26 people attended the summit April 11-14 for pastoral couples from churches of 150-300 attendance. This week’s event begins with supper Monday night and concludes Thursday morning, April 28.

Bishop Todd and Lisa Fetters are attending. Also participating from the UB National Office at Finance Director Marci Hammel, and Director of National Ministries Mike Dittman and his wife, Pam. Mike joined the National Office staff on April 1. Pastors and spouses are coming from six different states.

About 25 persons are attending the annual UB Youth Workers Summit. It begins tonight and concludes Thursday evening. The keynote speaker is Dr. David Rahn, a professor at Huntington University and nationally known youth ministry expert.

150x210-4196221Rev. Christopher T. Little IV, senior pastor of Mt. Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.), passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. He was 51 years old.

The funeral will be held Sunday, April 24, at Mt. Pleasant Church.

Visitation time: 2-7 pm Saturday, April 23; and 1-2 pm Sunday, April 24.
Funeral time: 2 pm Sunday, April 24.
Visitation and funeral location: Mt Pleasant UB Church, 2509 Black Gap Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201

Rev. Dr. John K. Smith and Rev. Dennis A. Sites will officiate at the funeral. A graveside service will be held at noon on Monday, April 25, at Eagles Mere Cemetery.

Chris was born December 2, 1964 in Williamsport, Pa. In 1997, he received a degree in electrical engineering from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., and began working at the Naval Service Warfare Center in Silver Spring, Md. The family moved to Chambersburg in 1992, and he was employed at Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg and at Fort Ritchie in Maryland.

Chris was called to the ministry and began serving as associate pastor of Mt. Pleasant United Brethren Church in 1996. He graduated from Evangelical Theological Seminary in 2000 and, in 2001, became senior pastor of Mt. Pleasant.

Since 2011, Chris and his wife, Keri, have operated The Sweet Shop in Eagle’s Mere, Pa., where Chris worked growing up. He enjoyed coaching his children in soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball throughout the elementary school years.

Chris and Keri were married August 13, 1988, and have three children: Samantha Little of Lewisburg, Christopher Little V of Chambersburg, and Tabitha Baer of Clarion. He is also survived by his mother and two sisters.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mt. Pleasant Church Missions, 2509 Black Gap Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201; Eagles Mere Historical Village for The Sweet Shop, PO Box 362, Eagles Mere, PA 17731; or to Eagles Mere Community Church, PO Box 305, Eagles Mere, PA 17731.

Chris and Keri Little

Chris and Keri Little

Chris Little, senior pastor of Mt. Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.), died suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 19. His son, Christopher, found him unconscious and unresponsive in the garden. He was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead at 6 pm. Chris was 51 years old.

His wife, Keri, was on her way to Pittsburgh for a mission conference with ladies from the church. She returned to join their children, Samantha, Tabitha, and Christopher at the hospital.

Chris and Keri were married in 1988 and raised three children, all of whom are now adults. He began his ministry in 1996 as associate pastor of Mt. Pleasant UB church. Chris was ordained in 2000, and became senior pastor in October 2001. Today, Mt. Pleasant has an attendance of 350 and a multiple staff, including son Christopher, who is Pastor of Outreach and Assimilation.

In addition to his role as a pastor, Chris provided leadership to the denomination as a cluster leader and member of the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team. In those ways, he invested in the spiritual health and vitality of pastors and in their preparation for ministry.

“This devastating news will affect many, many people,” wrote Bishop Todd Fetters. “I, for one, am grateful to the Littles for their sacrificial and faithful service to the UB church. Keri told me, ‘Chris loved being a UB pastor.’”

Please keep the Little family and the Mount Pleasant congregation in your prayers.

Cards can be sent to Keri and Christopher at the church:

2509 Black Gap Road
Chambersburg, PA 17202