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05 May

May 5, 2016 |
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.

26 Apr

April 26, 2016 |

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.

25 Apr

April 25, 2016 |

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.

22 Apr

April 22, 2016 |

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.

20 Apr

April 20, 2016 |
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

14 Apr

April 14, 2016 |

foreman_dottie200Dorothe “Dottie” Foreman, a former UB missionary in Sierra Leone (with her husband Clinton), passed away February 28, 2016. She had been in hospice care since November 2015.

Clint and Dottie spent most of their life in Ohio. In 1975, they retired to Fountain Hills, Ariz., where they became members of Fountain Hills UB church. There, they sensed God calling them to the mission field.

From 1979-1982, the Foremans served in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Clint was business manager while Dottie served as hostess for up-country missionaries and staff. They returned for six months in 1983.

The Foremans served on denominational committees and on the board of Huntington College. They also spoke in churches and conferences about their mission experience. In Arizona, they took an active role with the Hispanic UB church which started at the former Faith UB church in Phoenix.

After Clint passed away, Dottie moved back to Indiana.

14 Apr

April 14, 2016 |

nelson_mildred200Mrs. Mildred (Rawley) Nelson passed away April 3, 2016, at age 92. She served as a United Brethren missionary in Sierra Leone 1947-1949. The funeral was held at 4 pm on April 8, 2016, at Trinity Evangelical Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Mildred, raised in Mt. Solon, Va., felt called to mission work, but didn’t see how it would be possible. But she entered Huntington College, and on March 8, 1947, she arrived in Sierra Leone to become principal of Minnie Mull School for Girls in Bonthe.

Jearl Nelson went out a year later, in 1948. He and Mildred were married on April 22, 1948, on the field by fellow missionary (and future UB bishop) Rev. Clarence E. Carlson.

Nearly all missionaries experienced malaria, but Mildred was relentlessly pursued by the disease. It became necessary for her to return to the States. She and Jearl settled in Mooreland, Ind., where they taught school and raised a family. Jearl passed away in 1996. In her later years, Mildred lived in Fort Wayne near her son Steve. She is survived by seven children.

01 Apr

April 1, 2016 |

gravedance-risen

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gravedance-priests

gravedance-crowd

gravedance-womanhandsout

Vicki McKeown, First UB church, Holly Hill, Fla.

With Deronda Meyer’s original script and Pastor Matt McKeown’s original music, our cast and crew blessed our church and community with five performances of “Grave Dance.” The resurrection story is told from the prospective of transformed Zacchaeus, the families in Jerusalem, the adultress thrown at Jesus’ feet, and the disciples. As the resurrected Savior comes out of the tomb, the audience is thrilled to see him dance in joy and victory over the grave.

31 Mar

March 31, 2016 |

Harold Hancock, New Hope UB church (Camden, Mich.)

On Maundy Thursday, our weekly prayer group met as usual. We were expecting the regular prayer time. When we arrived, the communion set was on the table and Pastor Travis Ambrose told us that since it was Maundy Thursday, we were going to take communion as the disciples did with Jesus on that day.

We had a time of silent prayer and then took communion together, followed by our regular prayer time. After ending our time there, we went into the Sanctuary and prayed over every pew and the entire sanctuary asking for God’s blessings on our Sunday service.

On Sunday morning, we were blessed to have many people there who had not been in our church for years. We are so thankful that one of our ladies and Pastor Travis were on the same page about communion on that special day.

30 Mar

March 30, 2016 |
Mike Dittman leading a training session for UB cluster leaders.

Mike Dittman leading a training session for UB cluster leaders.

Todd Fetters, Interim Bishop

I love the United Brethren in Christ family. Always have. Always will. Since my arrival at the National Office in 2013, I’ve imagined and prayed that the wind of the Holy Spirit would carry us into a new season of fruitfulness where our churches become stronger and we are successful at starting new ones.

Dr. Mike Dittman

Dr. Mike Dittman

With this vision in mind, I’m excited to announce that Dr. Mike Dittman will join the UB National office team as Director of National Ministries, effective April 1, 2016.

Mike brings ministry experience and qualifications that will help us build strong churches and start new ones that are transforming lives, connecting God’s people to one another, and on mission together in our communities. He has been part of planting and developing churches in traditional and non-traditional ways for over 30 years. For 17 years, Mike helped to build the graduate school at Philadelphia Biblical University where he focused on pastoral ministry, discipleship counseling, organizational leadership, and Christian education. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Since 1992, the Dittmans have been providing encouragement, training, and coaching to Christian leaders through their ministry, Haven for the Heart.

As you can see, Mike brings a wealth of experience to the role of National Ministries director. But beyond that, he brings a heart for God that I desire for all of our churches and the pastors who serve them.

I’ve known Mike since 2007. He was an integral part of my own personal, spiritual, and ministry renewal at Devonshire Church in Harrisburg, Pa. His wise guidance set me on a path to rekindle my love for Jesus, restore my relationships with folks in my congregation, and regain a vision for ministry that was a blessing during my last five years as pastor of Devonshire. I’m happy to say that I remain on that same path today in my role as interim bishop.

Mike brings a broader evangelical perspective to the United Brethren church from his many years of ministry experience. But he also knows us well, having spent the past three years working as my primary equipper for our cluster leaders. Together, Mike and I want to see our churches experience greater fruitfulness. Pastors and their leadership teams are key. To that end, we have focused on the heart of a leader and cultivating a life of prayer. It is on this foundation that Mike and I direct our attention to building discipling communities.

I’m thrilled about Mike’s partnership, and he’s excited to serve the United Brethren in Christ. He and I continue to be amazed at how the intersecting of our lives bears evidence of the continual, firm hand of the Lord. We covet your prayers, as we team together to ask and imagine what Jesus wants to do in strengthening UB churches and starting new ones.