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June 1999 News Archive

Macau Comings and Goings.

  • Eleanore Datema left for Macau in early May to serve three months there as a volunteer. She is the widow of the late Bishop Jerry Datema, and is a member of the denominational Missions Commission. Eleanore is far from being a rookie in missionary work. She spent several decades in fulltime missionary work in Jamaica and Sierra Leone, and has traveled extensively worldwide.
  • Jayne Mote loved Macau so much, she's going back again in August and will stay through December. Again, she'll be there as a volunteer. She previously served in Macau from October 1998 to April 1999.
  • Eve Tang, a member of Living Water church, left Macau at the end of June to begin a three-year seminary program in Singapore. "Eve is committed to returning to Macau to serve in the United Brethren churches here," writes mission director Jana Hoobler. "We are thankful for God's continuing work of providing Chinese coworkers for the churches in Macau."

Ron and Brenda Anderson and their three children are back in the USA on home assignment. They arrived June 7 and plan to return to Spain and their ministry post November 6. Over the past 21 years, they have been instrumental in starting two new churches in southern Spain. Ron and Brenda are now involved in a ministry of leadership and pastoral care for ECMI missionaries in Spain, Portugal, and France. While in the States, they will share with churches their conviction that Europe is a strategic field that can't go unreached.

Fall 1999 Deputation Speakers. In the fall of 1996, the Missions department brought Francisco and Maira Raudales of Honduras to Huntington to speak in churches throughout the denomination during the Thank Offering season. Last fall, Joy France of Jamaica served in that role.

This year, the deputation speakers will be Dennis and Reina Casco, who head up Latin American Ministries. From September through November, they will live (with youngest daughter Pamela) in the Myers Mission House in Huntington and carry out a heavy speaking schedule.

Flint, Mich. The Women's Missionary Fellowship of Richfield Road UB (Flint, Mich.) raised $800 for new mission work in El Salvador through a spaghetti dinner and craft show on April 17.

The Hurricane Mitch Relief Fund hit a total of $272,580. Of that amount, $171,312 has been disbursedÑ$164,190 to Honduras and $7,122 to Nicaragua.

Need Music? The Missions department was given a large quantity of cantata music by a church. There are multiple copies (10-15) of each cantata. Sorry, we don't have a list of the titles. But you're welcome to come to the UB Headquarters during regular office hours and sort through the boxes. If you find anything you want, it's free.

The Reeck Family in Honduras.

  • Roger and Marilyn. July 4 was a big day for Roger and Marilyn Reeck. That's when the Mixtepec Zapotec New Testament was to be dedicated in Mexico. The Reecks spent many years in Mexico translating the New Testament into the Zapotec language
  • Amanda. Amanda Reeck graduated from high school in La Ceiba, Honduras, on June 10. She ranked second out of the 25 seniors. She is headed to Pensacola Christian College in Florida to study pre-med. Amanda was born in Mexico, mostly raised in Honduras, and two years ago went on a missions trip to Madagascar.
  • Chrysti. Chrysti Reeck (right) has gathered about 80 percent of the support she needs for her work as nurse at a Mission to the Americas hospital in Honduras. She hopes to move to Honduras in August. Chrysti, the daughter of Roger and Marilyn Reeck, is a UB endorsed missionary.

After Hurricane Mitch struck, Chrysti traveled to Honduras to help with relief efforts. She recalls, "On several occasions, I went to remote areas to do medical relief, and no doctors were able to come with me. After giving myself a crash course in diagnosing, I went to work. With God's help, I was able to treat many people who otherwise would have had no help. I am doing some studying on my own so I will be better prepared in the future."

The Osberg Family in Honduras. Dennis and Debbie Osberg and family left Honduras on June 15 for their summer furlough, starting with a week in Florida with Dennis's family, then on to Indiana. Dennis will spend some time recruiting teachers for the coming school year at Academy of the Pines, where he is the principal (he needs kindergarten, first, and sixth grade teachers).

Debbie writes, "We'll be returning to Honduras for one more year on August 3. We have decided as a family that after one more year we want to all return to the States to live and get reestablished again. We don't know where this might be yet, but are praying for the Lord's direction as we look into job possibilities. We'll be looking into Christian schools that need an elementary principal, hopefully somewhere in the southern states where winter isn't quite so cold.

"Our years in Honduras have been outstanding for our family, and we have enjoyed them tremendously! But we have been impressed that the time is right for us to return. Eric will be entering college after another year, and Graham and Amanda would like to have some schooling in their culture as well. Pray with us that this year the Lord will open up our next place for ministry."

Heather Boyer, a senior at Huntington College, arrived in Macau in early June to complete her seven-month PRIME internship as an Educational Ministries major at Huntington College. She is helping in summer classes for children and high school students. In the fall, she will teach in the English Language Program. Soon after arriving, she will begin spending two hours a week with a tutor learning Cantonese.

Heather completed her junior year at Huntington College this spring. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and belongs to a United Methodist church there. This won't be her first experience with overseas travel. She previously spent time in both Haiti and Greece on study trips. She has also taught English as a Second Language to Chinese and Indian students at Huntington North High School in Huntington, Ind.

Missionary Positions Open on UB Fields. The Missions department is recruiting missionaries for three of our fields.

  • Macau. We need one couple and two single missionaries to serve fulltime in Macau, starting in January 2000.
  • Honduras. Honduras Conference requested a person to teach English at its Bethel High School in La Ceiba. The term would be one year.
  • Myanmar. Volunteers are needed to teach English with our new mission work in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where we operate an English Language Program similar to the one in Macau. The cost would be about $2000 for a one-month stay.

If interested in any of these positions, please contact: Dept. of Missions, 302 Lake St., Huntington, IN 46750. Toll-free: 888-622-3019. Additional information can be found on the UB web site (www.ub.org).

Shippensburg, Pa. Ignited, the youth group of Mongul UB (pictured above), sponsored a Senior Appreciation Banquet on Friday evening, May 21, for about 60 persons in the congregation 50 years of age or older.

They decorated the church gymnasium all up fancy, cooked and served a full-course meal, and provided live entertainment with singing, Scripture-reading, and verbal expressions of appreciation for the seniors.

The weekend ended on an equally joyful note at Mongul UB, with 12 persons being baptized on Sunday night.

A New Start in State Line, Pa. Living Hope UB held its official Grand Opening on May 9. This church, formerly called Trinity UB, is going through elements of the restart processÑclosing, and then reopening sometime later with all new leadership and a new vision. Of the 66 people who attended the Grand Opening, only 12 (seven adults and five children) had been part of Trinity. The rest included 25 first-time visitors, and 29 other people who, along with those original 12, are part of the launch team (the entire launch team has 58 people).

Pastor Mike Wentz was assigned to State Line in August 1995 with the understanding that things needed to change. "I think most of the congregation knew they were either going to accept the change or watch their church fall apart," he says. Attendance was at an all-time low, and the church had gone into what Wentz calls "survival mode." He says, "They had become an island within the community, constantly retreating inward instead of reaching outward."

About 40 percent of the congregation left after the decision was made to start over. "I was very clear with the people as to what our strategy would be. I wanted everyone to know this church was like a slow-moving train: they could jump on or off anytime they wanted." The church reopened with a more contemporary style of worship and improved community involvement.

Strinestown UB in Pennsylvania Opens a Community Care Center. Strinestown UB, located in a rural welfare community in York County, Pa., developed a unique way to minister to its community. They created a separate nonprofit organization, called the Community Care Center at Strinestown, to provide life-transforming ministry in a non-threatening way.

The Community Care Center (CCC) offers ministries in three formats: one-time large group events, small support groups, and one-on-one counseling. These activities focus on such issues as career counseling, addiction support, health care, personal finance, prisoner rehabilitation, and family problems. Through these practical services, the church eventually hopes to introduce clients to Christ and to the church.

The CCC is located in a new wing of the church, just completed at the beginning of the year. Through some funds from the Merillat Foundation and sacrificial giving from the congregation, the $200,000 project was completed debt-free. That enabled Strinestown to commit initial funds to begin CCC programs. However, the CCC will seek outside funding, primarily through grant proposals, for continuing operations.

Cindy Richard was hired as the CCC's part-time Executive Director. She also founded and chairs the York County Coalition, a roundtable of social service agencies which lead or help with many CCC programs. Rev. Richard Brooks, who also serves as part-time associate pastor of Strinestown UB, is her assistant. The senior pastor is Anthony Blair.

South Scipio UB of Harlan, Ind., opens a youth center. South Scipio UB has opened a youth center in Harlan, Ind. In April 1998, the board voted to buy property that had been used as a machine shop and convert it into a place for local kids to meet. They formed a board of directors, with an advisory board consisting of leading people in the community, and the ball began rolling. With $1200 in the bank and an $80,000 debt, it looked like a real leap of faith. But thanks to overwhelming support from the community and area churches, the Center was debt-free in 203 days. The value now stands at $250,000.

The operating expense of $85,000 includes a fulltime director's salary. That person is Debi Knoblauch, a member of South Scipio. Steve Smith is the church's pastor.

The Youth Center opened in March, and is growing constantly. In May, over 600 kids came through the Center, and 28 of them made decisions for Christ. The summer activities include a Beach Party, Demolition Derby, Volley Ball Clinic with Coach Arnie Ball from nationally-ranked Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, the Mudsock Little 500 Race, and a retreat in Michigan where the kids will spend the night on a World War II submarine.

Byron Center, Mich. On May 16, Banner of Christ UB celebrated 75 years of ministry in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area. Former pastors were invited to share in the morning worship services. After a potluck, everyone went outside to break ground for a new education wing. To top off the festivities, the Building Committee announced that over $75,000 of the $100,000 goal had been reached. The education wing is the second phase of the original expansion plan (a new sanctuary is the third phase). The church was built in 1924 on Banner Street in Grand Rapids, and was called Banner Street Church until 1991, when they moved to the present facility in the southwest suburb of Byron Center.

Fort Wayne, Ind. About 20 people from Anchor UB walked through the community on May 16 with plastic trash bags, picking up litter and striking up conversations with anyone they could....On June 16, about 130 people came to an outdoor carnival and BBQ chicken dinner held at the church.

Guelph, Ontario. For the sixth summer in a row, Parkwood Gardens is switching one of its two Sunday morning services to 7 p.m. Thursday night. Says Pastor Brian Magnus, "The Thursday evening service is a great opportunity for those who leave for vacation on Friday afternoon after work, for those who head to their lake cottage for the weekend, and for those whose jobs include working Sundays." Each year, he says, the Thursday night attendance increases.

Fulks Runs, Va. Mt. Carmel UB participated in a prayer vigil during the Easter Holy Week, with 39 people committing a half-hour of solitary communion with God in the church sanctuary. The spiritual Care Commission set up prayer stations featuring different prayer agendasÑworld issues, local church needs, UB mission concerns, conference needs, etc. The stations included items appropriate to that station, such as pictures of missionaries, district superintendents, the bishop, the pastor, UB literature, etc. The Easter service itself drew a record attendance without any special push.

Orlando, Fla. Chuck Causey reports: "Good things are starting to happen. Faith Academy has been going strong for two years and is looking for an even stronger enrollment for next school year. We now have youth and children's meetings on Sunday evenings. We start with some activities, have a meal, and then split into age groups for our lessons and praise time. After the singing, Pastor Robert Burns and our other group leaders conduct a study time."

Temperance, Ohio. The Clubhouse Kids of Morocco UB (above, with Pastor Don and Arlys Ross), grades 1-6, made parade floats based on countries in which the UB church has a presence. Then they paraded into the sanctuary carrying all 14 floats, as the national anthems of those countries played through a computer. The kids had been studying missions in their meetings, with an emphasis on UB missionaries....On June 6, Morocco UB broke ground for an addition to the church annex.

Findlay, Ohio. For two years now, Ann Wilson of First UB in Findlay has emailed her Daily Devotions to persons throughout the world. She also sends editions for youth, children ages 7-12, and youngsters ages 3-6 within the church (weekly). If interested, contact Ann at: ashirley@ bright.net.

Middleton, Mich. Nellana Prichard of Maranatha UB (above) is spending JuneÐAugust in the Ivory Coast with Christian Missionary Fellowship. A student at Central Michigan University, Nellana will work with missionaries affiliated with the Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism. The focus is evangelism, leadership development, and medicine. Nellana says, "I was led to go on the trip by having gone on one-week mission trips and the desire to see if life-long missions is right for me. God calls us to make disciples of all the nations, and I am doing my best to follow his directions."

Daytona, Fla. Daytona UB presented its Easter drama five times to a packed sanctuary. Over 100 people participated in the drama itself. "The consensus is that this year's drama has been the most moving and impactful ever," writes Vicki McKeown. Each child who attended had a Polaroid snapshot taken with the person who portrayed Jesus. They attached a label to the bottom which said "Me and Jesus," and included the church name. This year, they took 40-60 photos at each performance (costing the church about a dollar per kid). Just before the Sunday afternoon performance, the man who portrays Jesus, a plastering contractor, had a new $2500 mixer stolen from a work site. He had to rush out to meet with the police and a witness. Back at the church, the drama crew knelt in prayer, and then decided to donate the money themselves to replace the uninsured piece of equipment. He was so affected by their love that he was able to focus again on the drama.

Update from the Wusts in Honduras. For the first time in five years, Dan and Petie Wust and family are spending the summer back in the States on furlough (they normally take their furlough in November and December).

Easter was a special time for them in Honduras. After the morning worship service, the congregation went to a nearby swimming pool (loaned by US Marines) for a baptismal service. Among those baptized were two Wust children: Andrew (age 13) and Sarah (10).

May 15 is the official start of the rainy season. This year, Dan writes, people are feeling more anxious than happy.

"The problem is that Hurricane Mitch's rains left a lot of unfinished business. Tegucigalpa sprawls along an oblong bowl-shaped valley. The margins of the city are today found on the slopes of the surrounding mountains. That is where the majority of the poor live. When Mitch's deluge washed through, most of the destruction was caused by massive landslides from the saturated soil on these slopes. Many of these slopes were left with gaping wide cracks. The fear is that new rains will cause those loose areas to give way, causing more destruction. One thousand families have already been evacuated from those danger zones.

"There is yet another complication left behind by Mitch. The torrential rains caused so much erosion that when the water receded, the river beds were left full of debris, boulders, and stone. There is a fear that if we receive a normal rainy season volume of water, the rivers will not drain the water fast enough, resulting in more flooding. Work crews are doing their best to drag the river bottoms, but the job is overwhelming with the equipment available.

"Two days ago, we had a good soaker which lasted about an hour. The next day, the newspaper headlines read, 'Tegucigalpa Residents in a Panic.' I can understand what all the commotion is about."

Work Crew Activity.

  • June 11-30 (Honduras). A group of teens and adults from Grace Brethren Church in Winona Lake, Ind., worked on the La Uba Housing Project. The work group leader was Dennis Crumbley, son of former UB missionaries Lamar and Karen Crumbley.
  • June 20-30 (Honduras). Teens and adults from College Park UB (Huntington, Ind.) worked at La Uba and Illampa under the leadership of youth pastor Roger Vezeau.
  • July 11-18 (Jamaica). Teens and adults from Gethsemane UB (Jackson, Mich.) will work at Yorktown Training Center. Sam Durocher, the youth pastor, is the crew leader.
  • August 15-22 (Honduras). Teens and adults from First UB of Blissfield, Mich., will work at La Uba, under the leadership of youth pastor Jim Fleming.

Several crews are making plans for early 2000. The Missions office has information packets available for churches which are interested in work crew adventures. Call toll-free: (888) 622-3019.

6/15/99

New Volunteer for Macau. Heather Boyer (above), a Huntington College senior, arrived in Macau in early June to complete her seven-month PRIME internship as an Educational Ministries major. She will assist in summer classes for children and high school students, and in the fall will teach in the English Language Program.

Eve Tang, a member of Living Water church, will leave Macau at the end of June to begin a three-year seminary program in Singapore. Eve is committed to returning to Macau to serve in the United Brethren churches. Says missionary Paul Coy, "We are thankful for God's continuing work of providing Chinese co-workers for the churches in Macau."

A Newborn in the UB Missionary Family. Doug Weber reports from Ecuador: "I would like to announce the arrival of David Ross Weber! He was born on Fri., June 11th 1999, at 8:53 a.m. local time. He wieghed in at 7 lbs, 7 1/2 ozs and very healthy. He was 52 cm long (about 20.5 inches). Mom is doing well and is now resting at home. David was born via c-section, as were all of the kids, so the recovery time for Ruthy is a bit slower than in normal deliveries, but she is doing quite well under the circumstances." Congratulations to the Webers for this new addition to their family, and to the United Brethren missionary family. The Webers serve wtih HCJB radio near Quito, Ecuador.

Todd Yoder is the new youth pastor at Monroe UB, Monroe, Ind. He recently received a local conference license from Monroe UB;he is currently working on his education at Taylor University. Wes Kuntzman is the senior pastor.