July 1998 News Archive
Posted 7/29/98
A New Pastor for Living Word Church in Macau. On September
1, Miss Connie Sung begins as fulltime pastor of the Living Word
Church (the second UB church in Macau). She received her pastoral
training from the Macau Bible Institute.
In August, the pastor of Living Water Church, Karis Wong, will
travel with two other members and some Hong Kong UB pastors and
church members to Thailand and Myanmar for a short-term missions
trip. They are preparing for evangelistic opportunities in those
locations.
Jayne Mote is Headed to Macau as a Volunteer Missionary. Jayne
Mote (above), a member of Pleasant Valley UB in Lake Odessa,
Mich., left for Macau on September 9 to serve as a volunteer
teacher in the Macau English Language Program.
A Child Gives Up Her Shoes for Missions. Idaville UB
church was among the many churches which helped pack bags of
clothes for families in Sierra Leone. As the ladies of the Women's
Missionary Fellowship prepared for a rummage sale, they picked
out the best items to send to Africa.
It was a cold day, but that didn't stop Tara Toms (pictured,
above) from going home barefooted as she gave her good black
shoes for Africa. It was a reminder of Matthew 25:36, which says,
If a brother is naked, clothe him.
7/27/98
Third Street Gets Ready for a ReStart. The members of
Third Street UB in Fort Wayne, Ind., accepted a proposal from
Central Conference which involves the work there coming under
the leadership of Emmanuel UB.
Help for a Brother. Rev. Billy Simbo of Willow Grove,
Pa., needed to replace his car, which had just died. A member
of Idaville UB of Idaville, Pa., had a big nine-passenger used
Chevy stationwagon for sale. The Mid-Atlantic Conference (of
which Simbo is a part) gave $500 to the cause, and Idaville UB
gave $1300. In the picture above, Billy Simbo is receiving the
car keys from Idaville pastor and Mid-Atlantic superintendent
Dirk Small.
7/24/98
Tidal Waves Didn't Affect Our Missionaries. According
to Wycliffe, none of their missionaries--including UB partial-support
missionaries Jonathan and Kathy Wilson--were affected by the
tidal waves in Papua New Guinea.
7/20/98
Returning the Help. The Daytona UB church in Florida,
which has been the recipient of much help recently in the wake
of the fires, has come to the aid of the Bronx church. Pastor
Chuck McKeown says, "We are sending 150 hymnals that are in very
good condition. We're also proving a new communion set. It's
nice to have this opportunity to help."
Need Pews? Contact Eagles Quest, a new church in Columbia
City, Ind. They have enough pews to seat 225 people, plus a pulpit,
communion table, altar, and platform furniture. Pastor Russ Wagner
says you can have it free of charge. All you have to do is haul
it away and make a donation to the Northeast Indiana Center for
Church Planting. If interested, contact Rev. Russ Wagner.
7/14/98
Fire Destroys Jamaican Meeting Place. Early in the morning
of July 11, fire ripped through the store-front meetingplace
of First UB of the Bronx in New York City. This is our first
Jamaica congregation in the US. There was heavy damage, and they'll
be displaced for some time.
The Florida Fires. Chuck and Vicki McKeown sent an update
concerning the ministry of First UB of Daytona Beach amidst the
fires which have afflicted Florida for several weeks now.
Church Organizes. The Eagles Wings church of Pickerington,
Ohio, formally organized on May 3, 1998.
Church Closing. The Oakdell UB church of Dayton, Ohio,
has been closed. The conference will sell the property.
Internship Program. Part of the Graduate School of Christian
Ministries program now includes a two-year internship in a local
church. Central Conference has affirmed this process by granting
a $5000 credit from assessments to churches which hire an intern
through this program.
Central Annual Conference met July 12-14 at Huntington
College. Here are some changes regarding ministers.
Ron Evans, pastor of Mount Zion UB of Somerset, Ohio (Central
Conference), accepted a new position as director of maintenance
at Inspiration Hills, a church camp operated by the Church of
the Brethren.
Central Conference granted retirement status to three persons:
- Bishop Emeritus Raymond Waldfogel, who in recent years has
served on staff at College Park UB in Huntington, Ind., and
as chaplain for the local hospital.
- Ray Crawford, an unassigned pastor who has served churches
in Central, Sandusky, and Southeast conferences.
- Edward King, an unassigned Central Conference pastor living
in Spencerville, Ohio.
The conference recognized the ordinations of two persons transferring
from other denominations:
- Russell Wagner, a UB church planter in Columbia City, Ind.
- Rhett L. Butler, director of the UB mission in Macau.
Annual Conference licenses were granted to three men in Central
Conference:
- Barry McCune, who transferred from the Missionary Church
and now pastors the UB church in Van Wert, Ohio.
- Darren Duncan, who is transferring from the Free Will Baptist
Church. He is senior pastor of Living Word UB in Columbus,
Ohio.
- Scott Stover, a local conference licentiate from Christ Fellowship
UB of Westerville, Ohio.
Other changes:
- Luke Fetters transferred his ministerial credentials from
Sandusky Conference to Central Conference.
- Karen Miller transferred her specialized ministries license
from Central Conference to Michigan Conference.
- Gayle L. Ruble, Jr., transferred his credentials from Central
Conference to Mid-Atlantic Conference.
- Central Conference dropped the following ministers from its
roll: Robert Oliver, Jr., Robert Ross, David Ruxer, Dale Wheeler,
and Rose Wolf.
7/9/98
A little catch-up: As of April 1, Charlie Matthews is
the fulltime pastor of Youth and Music at Victory Celebration
Center, Burbank, Calif. Charlie and his wife, Angie, hail from
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he served as a junior high pastor. At
Victory, he has the challenge of starting a youth group from
scratch. During the past three months, the group has grown from
0 to 8, five of whom Charlie personally led to the Lord.
Gary Graham was elected superintendent of Michindoh
Conference on July 2. He'll continue as pastor of East Ovid UB
of Coldwater, Mich. He replaces outgoing superintendent Don Merillat.
Matt Sargeant, pastor of Clearview UB of Goshen, Ind.,
is beginning a two-year internship at King Street UB of Chambersburg,
Pa. He started July 1. Victor Mojica, who has been leading the
Hispanic congregation which meets at Clearview, was named pastor
of Clearview.
7/6/98
Relief for Florida. First Love UB of Reynoldsburg, Ohio,
collected money on Sunday to help support Daytona UB's ministry
to people affected by the fires ravaging Florida. Also: the youth
group designated all of their "Youth funds," which they had raised
through car washes and other means, to be sent to Daytona UB.
Aftermath of Michigan's Storm. Walker, Mich., was among
the places hit hard by the huge storm which swept through Michigan
on May 31. (See the article about the severe damage to the UB
Carson City Campground.) The storm destroyed 28 homes, damaged
400 homes, and destroyed 93 businesses. Fresh Breeze UB, located
in Walker, put together crews which went to the homes of 13 elderly
and handicapped people who had indicated to the city or a relief
network that they needed help. For two-and-a-half weeks, crews
went out with chainsaws and helping hands, clearing trees and
brush from yards. Pastor Dan Maas received a call from the mayor
asking him to be part of a group of ministers providing counseling
for persons hit the worst. That gave him opportunites to present
the Gospel to individuals and groups on front porches, and to
respond to such questions as, "Why did the storm blast my house,
but my neighbor's house is untouched?" The Fresh Breeze facility
wasn't damaged, though power poles leaned into the parking lot
at a 45-degree angle.
7/3/98
Gary Graham was elected superintendent of Michindoh Conference
on July 2. He'll continue as pastor of East Ovid UB of Coldwater,
Mich. He replaces outgoing superintendent Don Merillat.
Matt Sargeant, pastor of Clearview UB of Goshen, Ind., is beginning
a two-year internship at King Street UB of Chambersburg, Pa.
He started July 1. Victor Mojica, who has been leading the Hispanic
congregation which meets at Clearview, was named pastor of Clearview.
