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18 Sep

September 18, 2015 |

Global Ministries is sponsoring a number of short-term trips in 2016. Perhaps you would like to participate in one. They involve a variety of countries and needs.

All Global Ministries sponsored trips have the following built into the cost:

  • Round-trip airfare.
  • In-country travel.
  • Food and lodging in-country (travelers must pay for food in airports to and from the ministry site).
  • Side-trips and entrance fees for special activities in-country.
  • Travel insurance.
  • Materials for ministry.

In some cases, special entry visas are needed. In these situations, that price will also be included in the advertised price of the trip.

Construction

January 16-23: Jamaica
Description: Work on the dining hall at Regent College of the Caribbean.
Team Leader: Dwight Kuntz.
Cost: $800 plus airfare.

January 30 – February 6: Honduras
Description: Work at the conference campground outside of La Ceiba.
Cost: $800 plus airfare.

March 19-26: Nicaragua
Description: Work on construction of the conference center in Masaya.
Cost: $800 plus airfare.

October 6-22: Sierra Leone
Description: Construction at Mattru Hospital in Mattru.
Cost: $2,750.

Medical Team

June 25 – July 2: Honduras
Description: Conduct five free medical clinics in local United Brethren churches in the Tela region.
Cost: $800 plus airfare.

Ministry Teams

June 1-11: Spain
Description: Two teams will conduct English camps in Spain—one in southern Spain, the other in the Basque region of northern Spain.
Cost: $1,000 plus airfare.

June 1-11: Spain
Description: Construction/sports ministry in southern Spain.
Cost: $1,000 plus airfare.

June 10-17: Honduras
Description: Conduct VBS/children’s ministry in Honduras.
Cost: $800 plus airfare.

June 24 – July 6: Poland
Description: Work with an English camp in an area of new outreach.
Cost: $850 plus airfare.

July 23-30: Guatemala
Description: Work with CH Global to conduct children’s ministry in UB churches in Guatemala City.
Cost: $850 plus airfare.

Note: Global Ministries can also connect individuals with a medical/construction/children’s ministry team going to Jamaica. Check with the Global Ministries office for more information.

17 Sep

September 17, 2015 |

Dr. Jody Bowser (right) has been appointed as senior pastor of King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. King Street is the second-largest United Brethren church, with a weekly attendance of over 1500.

Dr. Bowser has been senior pastor for over 12 years at Moses Lake Alliance Church in Moses Lake, Wash. His ministry experience also includes five years as youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Visalia, Calif., and over ten years as director of Student Ministries and Preaching Associate at The Chapel in Akron, Ohio.

He and his wife, Caryn, have six children, three of whom currently attend Christian colleges in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Their oldest son, Jay, is on staff as a video producer at a church in Charlotte, N. C.

Jody’s doctor of ministry degree, with an emphasis on preaching, is from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. His doctoral preaching studies were done under Dr. Haddon Robinson.

Jody’s first Sunday in the pulpit at King Street will be November 1, 2015. King Street Church is excited to see where God takes us under Jody’s leadership. The congregation has been without a senior pastor since Dr. John Beukema left in January 2014 to become pastor of a church in Houston, Texas.

17 Sep

September 17, 2015 |
Frank Y, June Brown, and Jeff Bleijerveld

Frank Y, June Brown, and Jeff Bleijerveld

Jeff Bleijerveld and Frank Y of Global Ministries visited with June Brown on September 16 in Chambersburg, Pa. June was a long-term missionary in rural Sierra Leone, serving for well over 30 years. June taught math to local students, spoke in surrounding churches, mentored many young leaders, and impacted the people and churches of Sierra Leone in many other ways.

June met with Jeff and Frank in a ranch-style home that once belonged to her parents. Although she no longer has a car and it is not easy for her to get around, many families in the local community and church come alongside her–helping her with mowing, buying groceries, getting to and from church, and other life needs. June still faithfully prays for missions, the church, and the people God has given her to steward.

17 Sep

September 17, 2015 |

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

In March 2015, United Brethren leaders from six Hispanic conferences–Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica–gathered in Nicaragua. There, they heard about a new approach to making and multiplying disciples and leaders. Since that time, they have continued to gather regularly, for five days at a time, to continue their training.

BILD is a discipleship and leadership development resource based on the model Paul presented to his disciple Timothy when he wrote, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

For the past three years, Honduras Conference has used BILD with great success. This local church-based training makes possible the exponential multiplication of disciples and leaders at very little cost and without the need for elaborate infrastructure.

The third of six trainings to mentor our Hispanic leaders into the program takes place September 21-25 in Masaya, Nicaragua. Each country has been raising funds to send their delegation to the quarterly training, but we’d like to provide you the opportunity to contribute a gift to get them over the hump, so to speak. Any gift you provide toward this project will be used to supplement their fundraising efforts.

Send to:

Global Ministries
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

11 Sep

September 11, 2015 |

August 30 was a big day for Mill Chapel UB church (Reedsville, W. Va.). Pastor Marshall Woods reports that they baptized 31 people and dedicated 15 children. The attendance that day was approximately 300.

10 Sep

September 10, 2015 |

The 2015-2016 school year is a record year for international student enrollment at Huntington University. There are a total of 47 international students representing 24 different countries. Of those, 23 students are new this year.

International students are considered to be any student coming from outside the United States. They may be students with international citizenship or students who are U.S. citizens living abroad.

International students help “broaden the worldview of our entire campus community,” says Daniel Solms (right), vice president for enrollment management & marketing. “Engaging with students from Europe, Asia, South America, etc. allows our students, as well as faculty and staff, to better understand the world we live in, helping us to become better at relating to others and assisting with world concerns.”

Shoshannah McKinney (right), as the international admissions counselor for the past three years, carries specific responsibility for international recruitment. Previously, international admissions was absorbed by other admissions counselors; no one person was focused on recruiting and supporting those students. “My sole region or territory is focused on international students, so I can give those prospective students a lot more focus and attention and walk them through the process, which is much different than that of a domestic student.”

During the past three years, she has seen a steady enrollment rise from 37 to the current 47 international students. She works part-time in that role, while also serving as associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies.

Huntington University has gained international students through athletic recruitment, word-of-mouth from alumni, and the HU website. HU has also had a focused recruitment effort in China for the past three years, capitalizing on HU’s existing partnerships with schools and individuals in China, and on McKinney’s own experience living in China.

There were no Chinese student at HU during the 2011-2012 academic year, and hadn’t been any for several years. But over the past three years, HU has had:

  • 8 fulltime Chinese students.
  • 22 Chinese university students.
  • 12 Chinese high school students visit HU for one month during January Term.

To better serve these students, HU expanded the international orientation program. They started an international mentor program and are exploring ways for students to practice English.

This year’s new Intensive English Program will enable HU to accept students who need additional tutoring and support with the English language before they begin their classes.

Having this international population, says McKinney, “brings the world to HU in a sense and allows our domestic students, faculty and staff a cross-cultural experience right here. This better prepares them to go into the world to be all things to all people and to be loving and compassionate representatives of Christ.”

08 Sep

September 8, 2015 |
Phil and Sandy Whipple with the drawing by Barbara Bosworth.

Phil and Sandy Whipple with the drawing by Barbara Bosworth.

Staff and spouses.

Staff and spouses.

Staff and spouses praying Numbers 6:24-26 over Phil and Sandy Whipple.

Staff and spouses praying Numbers 6:24-26 over Phil and Sandy Whipple.

On Thursday evening, September 3, the staff of the National Office held a farewell get-together for Bishop Phil and Sandy Whipple. Bishop Whipple led the US National Conference, including overseeing the National Office, for six years, 2009-2015.

Staff and spouses met the Whipples at the home of Jeff and Charlene Bleijerveld in Fort Wayne, Ind. All of the current staff, and all but one spouse, attended.

The evening began with a catered meal of brisket, pulled pork, and beans. Melissa Hull provided cheesecake and cupcakes for dessert, while her husband, David, mixed homemade ice cream.

After the meal, everyone gathered in the family room as some gifts were presented to the Whipples. A primary gift was a copy of a pencil drawing which will be placed in the National Office. On the walls of the main hallway are pencil drawings of every bishop going back to Martin Boehm and William Otterbein, the first two United Brethren bishops when the church officially organized in 1800. There were 23 bishops prior to the division of the church in 1889, and 31 bishops since then, making Bishop Whipple the 54th bishop to serve our denomination.

The drawing was done by Barbara Bosworth, whose husband, Darrel, is pastor of Kilpatrick UB church in Woodland, Mich. Barbara is a very talented artist who specializes in pencil drawings. She has her own studio in Lake Odessa, Mich. The portrait features the new United Brethren logo with the “All for Christ” tagline, which was adopted under Bishop Whipple’s watch.

The drawing also includes very appropriate words from Acts 20:2, “He traveled throughout the region, speaking many words of encouragement to the people.” Bishop Whipple made a point of visiting every UB church during his first two years, and was constantly traveling on behalf of the Church. Much of his work was done personally with pastors and spouses, and with congregations.

After the presentation of gifts, everyone gathered around Phil and Sandy, laid hands on them, and together prayed Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT) as a benediction for them:

May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Amen.

Later in the evening, Bishop Whipple was given opportunity to make some remarks of appreciation to the staff and spouses. Gary Gates, director of Ministerial Licensing, then led in prayer for Phil and Sandy and whatever their future holds, after which the staff broke into a spontaneous verse of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

It was an evening filled with much fun and laughter. But it was also an emotional time, as the staff bid a very fond farewell to this couple who gave so much of themselves to the Church during the past six years. Nearly 40 photos can be viewed on the UB Facebook page.

03 Sep

September 3, 2015 |

john-townsendAbout 400 people attended the first Symposium for the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling on August 29. It was a great way to kick off this major new program at Huntington University. Participants received top-tier leadership and counseling training by Dr. Townsend (right) and several of his colleagues and fellow authors.

A second Symposium will be held later this month:

Date: Friday, September 18.
Time: 8:30 am – 5 pm.
Location: Merillat Centre for the Arts, Huntington University.
Cost: Free.

On Friday, September 18, Huntington University will host the second Symposium for the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling. Dr. Townsend will be joined by these Institute Fellows, either in person or by video:

  • Ray Hilbert, CEO and co-founder of Truth at Work, an association which helps Christian business leaders build strong organizations.
  • Richard Halderman, CEO of Teays River Investments, a food and agribusiness company with over 1,200 employees.
  • Daniel Amen, M.D., psychiatrist, brain disorder specialist, best-selling author, founder of the Amen Clinics.
  • John Baker, co-founder of Celebrate Recovery with Rick Warren, on pastoral staff at Saddleback Church, popular author.
  • Jim Daly, President and CEO of Focus on the Family, and popular author, including the book Finding Home.

Although this training event is free, but you will need to register.

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) are available through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) for two presentations (one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon). The cost is $25 per hour ($50 for 2 hours total). Check the schedule for more specific information about CEUs. You must preregister and pay for CEUs prior to the event.

There is limited seating for a luncheon with Dr. Townsend, the Institute Fellows and Faculty. It will include a Q&A period.

31 Aug

August 31, 2015 |
The annual outdoor service at Camp Michindoh.

The annual outdoor service at Camp Michindoh.

Pastor Lester Smith delivering the book of Philippians.

Pastor Lester Smith delivering the book of Philippians.

The annual outdoor service at Camp Michindoh.

The annual outdoor service at Camp Michindoh.

Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) held its 17th annual outdoor service at Michindoh Ministries Camp & Conference Center on Sunday, August 23. A capacity crowd of about 450 packed into the Fireside Memorial Chapel (amphitheater) to see Pastor Lester Smith, clad as the Apostle Paul, deliver his letter to the Philippians.

Earlier in the day, about 100 people attended an indoor service at the church. That gave Hillsdale an attendance of 538 for the day, including guests from Ohio and Indiana.

27 Aug

August 27, 2015 |
Maintaining the solar panels which power Radio Douentza. This radio station was opened in 1993 and broadcasts in local languages.

Maintaining the solar panels which power Radio Douentza. This radio station was opened in 1993 and broadcasts in local languages.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

USAID is providing an opportunity for small organizations like ours to be provided funding to improve healthcare in Ebola ravaged West Africa. We are currently involved in preparing a grant proposal that would provide the funds needed to install a solar electricity system with sufficient capacity to supply the needs of the Mattru UBIC Hospital and a surplus that can be sold to the surrounding community.

If you know of a public organization or for-profit company that might be interested in providing support, pass the following letter on to them. Please note that we have a deadline of September 20, 2015, to submit our application, so letters of intent would need to be received in our office no later than September 7th.