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March 1999 News Archive

Clare, Mich. Chuck Malson, pastor of Brown Corners UB writes: "We have a special relationship with the Welcome Home Orphanage about 180 miles south of Tijuana, Mexico, on the Baja Peninsula. For the second March in a row, we will send four men to work at Welcome Home. They will be fixing, building, and doing whatever is necessary. This summer will be the third that we have sent as many as a dozen people down to conduct Bible school for the 45 or so children, who are mostly Indian and a few Mexicans. One of our young ladies, Traci Jarstfer, has fallen in love with the people there. She will spend 50 days there this summer helping take care of the children of the field workers while the parents work on crops."

Sunfield, Mich. Sunfield UB distributed the Jesus video to every home in town on December 19. Next came eight weeks of follow-up, surveying the community for responses to the film. "God has blessed our church over the last year," says Pastor Mark Ralph. "New people come almost every Sunday. We are expanding our parking lot for 30 more cars, and our building committee is studying the possibility of adding Christian education space."

Tiverton, Ont. Pastor Bob Cotie of Shiloh UB writes: "We wanted to take our youth group to a Sunday afternoon matinee of Prince of Egypt, but the ending time conflicted with our regular Sunday night meeting. However, our local theater owner said that if we could muster 15 people, he would give us our own private showing. And if we found enough people, he'd give us a special price. We spread the word...and ended up with 215 people seeing the film at 4:00 one Sunday afternoon! We had to turn away another 20."

Columbia City, Ind. On January 21, Eagle Quest Church closed on a church property. which once was home to a congregation in the Free Methodist denomination. They bought it for $155,000, and are now completely refurbishing the place. The young congregation is also putting together a computer lab that will enable them to do some things in youth ministry and adult education.

Byron Center, Mich. Banner of Christ held a youth Super Bowl party at the church. After a "soft" tackle game in a muddy field out back, the teens changed out of their muddy clothes, ate pizza, and watched the Super Bowl on a big screen TV. At half-time, a youth evangelist from the area shared a testimony and challenge, and nine youths made commitments to Christ....The week before, Banner baptized 14 persons, eight of them young people....A church vote gave 95% approval for an $850,000 expansion which will include a new entrance, 11 classrooms, a youth lounge, and a prayer chapel.

Bellefontaine, Ohio. Two years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency told Camp Cotubic that they couldn't add any more beds until they installed a new waste treatment system. According to the agency's standards, Cotubic was already over the limit. However, the system installed 25 years ago could handle many more beds, and upgrading would cost over $100,000. This brought to a halt any major plans for improvement. The good news: a foundation provided $125,000 to upgrade the waste system, with excess funds going toward adding a new housing unit.

Angola, Ind. Members of Mt. Pleasant UB enjoyed a progressive supper on New Year's Eve, with services and a meal course in the homes of three members. It ended with a midnight dessert and communion at the home of Roger Buckmaster....Mt. Pleasant started a food pantry to provide emergency assistance, with members donating nonperishable items. Pastor Devon Strine will also use the pantry in a welcome package when he makes pastoral visits to new residents.

Tiverton, Ont. On Valentine's Day, four adults and four youth from Shiloh UB were baptized in a local motel swimming pool. This was a community event, with four evangelical churches participating. "It was a real coming together of the community of churches and a testimony to the whole community," says Pastor Cotie.

Toronto, Ont. From Pastor John Duyck: "Just before Christmas, we held our second annual Community Carol Sing on the church front lawn--a bridging event to our multi-lingual, largely Catholic neighborhood. Hot chocolate, popcorn, and drawings for free gifts rounded out the hour of hearty outdoor singing and mingling between church members and church neighbors."

Mason, Mich. On most Sunday nights at Eden UB, small groups meet in homes. However, everyone gets together at the end of the month for what they call the LAST (Learning and Sharing Together) Sunday. The worship and music commission is in charge of the services, but individual programs have been planned by various groups--the missions commission, youth, WMF, etc. In January, LAST was a Super Bowl Party. Pastor Wes Emerson had devotions for the 50-70 people who came, and they snacked, played games, and watched the game on a large-screen TV.

Florida. Southeast Conference is exploring the possibility of a Hispanic ministry in Daytona and Bradenton. Pat Farmer, associate at Daytona UB, and Pastor Robert Reid of Lake Brantley UB attended a church planting conference in Los Angeles to become more knowledgeable about Hispanic ministry.

Pixley, Calif. Pixley UB held its annual Christmas Candlelight Musicale on December 22, at which a variety of people do a variety of things--readings, solos, ensembles, instrumental selections, and dramas. Says Pastor Rod Bittick, "The Musicale, though not specifically an evangelistic event, has become something of a community event and is attended by many non-church members."

Lakeville, Ind. One Saturday a month during the school year, Olive Branch UB is holding a children's outreach party. Each has a theme--a Thanksgiving party, a Christmas Caroling Party(with adults), an Everyone's Birthday party, and a Valentines Day party. They mostly use Child Evangelism Fellowship's party programs. Ben Yeo writes, "We hope these parties will open doors to new families for our church."

Fayetteville, Pa. Cold Springs UB started a Wednesday night Good News Club in October. They've been averaging 16 children per week. Five young people accepted Christ as Savior during the third meeting. A balloon launch at a Chambersburg restaurant and a Sundae Night preceded the first meeting. In December, twelve young people and ten adults walked through Piney Mountain Home, talking with residents and singing.

Oak Harbor, Ohio. Oak Harbor UB paid off its mortgage, and now plans to add office space and classrooms.

Baltimore, Md. Brooklyn Park UB presented a Christmas cantata during two nights in December. Another cantata is planned for the Easter season.

Elmore, Ohio. At Bethel UB, over 100 people attended a farewell dinner for Pastor Dave and Cathie Datema on January 10. They are leaving to enter mission work at the US Center for World Mission in Pasadena, Calif., and are currently in the process of raising their support.

Jackson, Mich. Double fudge chocolate cream cheese pie, jugglers, and Sir Gallonhead the Pure were all part of the King and Queen of Hearts medieval banquet, held February 6 at Gethsemane UB of Jackson, Mich. Says Vicki Lorencen:

"Upon arrival, couples had their pictures taken as knight and damsel. They were then escorted to the banqueting hall, where they were announced with a trumpet and great fanfare. Our lords and ladies were then treated to ye old spaghetti and breadsticks (bet you always wondered what knights ate before a quest!).

"Our ever-enthusiastic audience participated in an interactive and totally unrehearsed drama called 'Quest for the Holy Donut,' starring Sir Prancelot, Sir Gallonhead, and our own Pastor Kurt Norris as good King Art. The finale was a Queen of Hearts Dessert Auction."

The event, sponsored by the church's youth, raised over $1100 toward a summer mission trip to Jamaica.

3/23/99

Central Conference Pastors Healing. Dan Kopp, a church planter in north Columbus, Ohio, is recovering nicely from the car accident he was in early this month. Ed Harvey, pastor of Prescott Avenue UB in Dayton, Ohio, suffered a heart attack a few weeks ago while shoveling snow. Superintendent Tom Brodbeck reports that he is on the mend. So is Dan Kopp, a church planter in north Columbus, Ohio, who was in a car accident early this month.

Pastor Accepts Hospital Chaplaincy. Ken Thompson, former pastor of New Hope UB in Huntington, Ind., has accepted a position as chaplain at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind.

3/8/99

Good News for Daryl Elliott. On January 26, as reported earlier, Pastor Daryl Elliott of Mt. Pleasant UB (Chambersburg, PA) was diagnosed with leukemia. Earlier this week, he called with the great news that his doctors have declared him officially in remission. He's officially leukemia free. He's in bone-barrow remission, his body no longer producing (at least right now) leukemia cells."

On Monday, March 15, Daryl begins his outpatient chemotherapy treatments in Hershey, Pa. He'll got for a week of treatments, once every five weeks (four such weeks in all). They're intended to make sure he stays in remission.

"It's good news right now," he says, "but I still covet the prayers of people throughout the church. The first year is the most crucial. Every step of the way, I need prayer."

He knows that there will be side effects with each weeks of chemotherapy. The treatments take the white blood count down to virtually nothing, making him prone to infection and forcing him to be housebound.

The initial treatments were very rough on Daryl. Chemo patients are susceptible to infections, and he got a dilly of an infection in his liver with very high fevers (he had to be packed in ice). They gave him a heavy-duty antibiotic to combat it, and that had severe side effects, but it did clear up the infection. They removed him from the antibiotic this past Saturday, and he felt much better. "I feel pretty normal right now," he says.

"I've never been as sick in my life, but I experienced God's grace like I haven't in years. Even during the highest fevers, I sensed His presence all the time."

Daryl plans to talk to Mount Pleasant congregation this Sunday, sharing his experiences and where things are headed. It will be his first such opportunity since he was diagnosed with leukemia. Daryl has been back in the office several days a week, and feels very good and extremely upbeat.

"Ask people to pray that I won't get infections," he says. "I can avoid that, I know it'll go a lot easier."

Daryl is amazed at the support he has received from individuals and churches across the denomination. One small church in Ohio sent him a card signed by everyone in the congregation. Such things have been an enormous blessing Daryl.

An Accident. Pastor Dan Kopp, a church planter in north Columbus, Ind., was in a fairly serious automobile accident last week. His car was totaled, and he was banged up badly. But he's home now.

A Death. Many UBs remember Terry Bakner, a former pastor of Ebenezer UB church in Greencastle, Pa. Information was received that Terry's wife, Stephanie, died of cancer.

Theater Seats Available. The Morning Star church of Kokoko, Ind., has 140 theater style seats and a big Rogers organ that need new homes. The organ comes with a price tag, but the seats are free. If you know anyone that might need something like these items, call Morning Star directly at: (765) 452-7166.

3/8/99

Arson Declared to be Cause of Church Fire. Early in the morning on Saturday, January 23, a patrolling deputy noticed an "orange glow" in the Otterbein UB church of Rockford, Ohio. That glow turned out to be a major fire which gutted the north end of the building, which housed the church offices, restrooms, and foyer.

On Sunday, January 24th, the church met for worship at 1:00 p.m. in a nearby Presbyterian Church, which itself had been destroyed by a fire 12 years ago. Plans are to hold future worship services in the former Calvary UB Church (which is used as a youth center by Otterbein currently).

Initial reports seemed to rule out arson, but now it's official: the fire was the result of an arsonist. A man from Muncie, Ind., was arrested recently for setting numerous fires in churches in the south and midwest--perhaps over 30, including one in the Huntington, Ind., area. He is reported to be a Satanist. He kept a list of the churches he burned, and the Rockford church was on that list.

The sanctuary suffered major smoke and heat damage. Sap dripped from the wooden ceiling onto the pews, carpeting and pew upholstery were ruined, the finish on the pews blistered, walls and other furniture turned black. The basement, where all of the educational and fellowship areas were located, suffered minor damage.

The fire apparently began in a couch in the pastor's office. They received an estimate of $300,000 to repair the damage (though they would always have some lingering smell of smoke). But the Otterbein congregation doesn't plan to return to that building.

Even before the fire, the congregation was thinking about relocating. They had even voted to buy 13 acres of land about three miles north of the current facility.

"We were going to buy the land and wait on building the church," says Jeff Long, a member of the building committee. "In our building plans, we were waiting for a sign from God. I guess we got it. We were divided on what to do, but now, with the fire, we know what we have to do. We will definitely rebuild." They hope to begin construction in early summer.

Interim pastor Wayne Goldsmith says, "The countdown I suggested is to dedicate the new church on Easter Sunday of 2000. That would provide ample time to do everything that needs to be done." The board affirmed that timetable.

They have now closed on the land, which is adjacent to the village of Rockford and will be annexed into Rockford. They are interviewing architects and engineers, and are visiting other churches to get building ideas. A fundraising campaign will be in the works. They'll just try to sell the old building as-is.

In the meantime, the congregation is holding services in the former Calvary UB church in Rockford (Otterbein is located out in the country). Calvary and Otterbein merged in 1993, and the Calvary building has been used as a youth center. That's where they'll be meeting for the next year or so. "We don't have as much Sunday school space as we would like, but we'll get by until the new building is ready," says Jeff.

New Church to Start on Easter Sunday. A new UB church will get started on Easter Sunday, April 4. It's called Lighthouse Community Church, and you can find it in Williamston, Mich. The pastor, Tom Blaylock, was invited to comment on this new church plant.

"I was recruited by Steve Malson at Fowlerville UB to plant a church for Michigan Conference. Fowlerville is a sponsoring church in that they have brought me in to speak on a number of occasions and have given me the green light to recruit people to join the plant. This has been a huge help to us. They do not give a lot of direct financial support, but have helped us in many ways, the chief being by providing a fishing pool of believers from which to start forming a core group.

"My wife, Sandi, and I came over to the UB church with ministry partners--John and Beth Carpenter. John, our Pastor of Student Ministries, has launched our youth ministry. The plan is to bring him on fulltime in September. Beth, our creative/administrative person, is in the office about four days a week. It has proven invaluable to start with a team. We ministered with them for five years in our previous church.

"We have a core group of about ten families. Thus far, we have held two preview services, averaging around 80 in attendance. We will hold seeker-sensitive services on the weekend. We have assembled a worship team with a rock sound that we trust will appeal to the seekers coming to the services. We also use PowerPoint video projection and other forms of media.

"We will hold two more preview services, on February 20 and March 20, and then launch on Easter. We have been heavily influenced by Saddleback Valley Community Church in California [he and Sandi attended a Purpose Driven Church seminar there the same month they attended Church Planters' Boot Camp] and by the Willow Creek church in the Chicago area.

"We rent a middle school auditorium for services, hold small group meetings in homes, and use leased office space in town."

Tom and Sandi have two daughters, plus another child on the way. The Carpenters are in the process of moving to Williamston. Lighthouse has its own web site at: www.thelighthousechurch.org

Pastoral Changes.

  • Jody Harr is the new pastor of First UB in Blissfield, Mich.
  • Richard Raab will become pastor of Richfield Road UB of Flint, Mich., on March 28. The previous pastor, Lester Smith, is now serving at First UB of Hillsdale, Mich. Rev. Raab had previously served the Ithaca, Mich., church.
  • Charles Lyons will become pastor of Ithaca UB (Ithaca, Mich.) on March 28. He has been serving the Harvest church in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. That church has closed.
  • Margaret Maybee, wife of former Michigan Conference superintendent Milan Maybee, is the new music director at Eden UB of Mason, Mich.
  • Strinestown UB hired these persons on a part-time basis: Rev. Bryce and Valerie Wickard (youth ministers), Rev. Richard Brooks (associate pastor), and Linda Hammond-Deckard, Director of the Community Care Center. Anthony Blair continues as senior pastor.
  • Robert Loar will become new senior pastor of Otterbein UB, Rockford, Ohio, on April 11. He has been associate pastor of First UB in Blissfield, Mich. Wayne Goldsmith has been serving as interim pastor of Otterbein since February 1, and Tom Stricker was interim pastor before him.
  • William Connor, a longtime pastor in Sandusky Conference, passed away January 10.

Staff Position Openings. These churches are all looking for staff positions: Parkwood Gardens (Guelph, ON), Blue Rock (Waynesboro, PA), Mt. Olivet (Chambersburg, PA), First UB (Hillsdale, MI), Jerusalem Chapel (Churchville, VA), Idaville UB (Gettysburg, PA). Rhodes Grove Camp (Greencastle, PA) is looking for an administrator. To read more, go to the Position Openings page.

Name Change. Trinity UB of State Line, Pa., has a new name: Living Hope Community Church. The pastor is Michael Wentz.

3/2/99

Update on Daryl Elliott. John Shubert, a superintendent in Mid-Atlantic Conference, provided this update on Daryl Elliott, pastor of the Mt. Pleasant church in Chambersburg, Pa. Daryl was diagnosed with leukemia in February. "Daryl Elliott came home from the hospital on Tuesday evening, February 23, and is continuing his recovery at home. He is still on an IV. He will return to the hospital for further bone marrow testing on Monday, March 8. The results of this test will determine whether the term 'remission' can be used or not. Regardless of the results, Daryl will continue chemotherapy over the next four months on an outpatient basis. Continue to remember Daryl and his family in your prayers. Cards are greatly appreciated. Visits and phone calls are discouraged during his recovery."