September 1999 News Archive

9/29/99

El Salvador: New and Growing. We now have three churches in El Salvador. They are under the direct supervision of Pastor Walter Recinos (below, with wife), who pastors a church in the capital, San Salvador, where he lives. Two other churches lie within an hour of San Salvador. Those churches, independent congregations headed by laypersons, expressed interest in joining some group and had contacts with Pastor Recinos. Now all three churches are a solid part of our ministry, and several other churches are forming.

Nicaragua Conference provides the primary oversight of the work in El Salvador. Honduras Conference also gives some input. This year, the Missions Commission budgeted $6000 for El Salvador. That was to be raised by the Women's Missionary Fellowship over a two-year period. However, the WMF succeeded in raising far more than that amountÑover $27,000Ñin a mere six months. It won't be spent at the present time, but is designated for the ministry there.

Costa Rica. The work in Costa Rica has taken a new turn. It now includes congregations in two locations, but under new leadership. Elias Guzman, who started the work in Costa Rica, has taken other employment and is no longer a part of the UB ministry in Costa Rica (though he remains a member of Nicaragua Conference). We have a new pastor in place who holds a ministerial license in Nicaragua Conference. The new churches use a clown ministry on the streets of San Jose as an outreach for winning children and their parents to the Lord. The conference council of Nicaragua Conference oversees the work in Costa Rica.

The Angelina Fund. Within the United Brethren pastoral family is a young girl named Angelina, who suffers from leukemia (pictured above, with her parents). The disease seems to be under control right now, but she requires continued treatment on a monthly basis.

Angelina's father, Rev. Lopez, is pastor of one of our churches in Honduras. He receives a mere $72 a month in salary. Of that amount, $55 goes toward his daughter's leukemia treatments. This includes not only the treatments, but medicine, transportation to and from the hospital, and other related expenses. Obviously, this pastoral family has very little money to live on.

Kyle McQuillen presented this financial need to delegates who attended the WMF International Convention held in July. A special offering was taken to help the family, and well over $700 was received. This will be an enormous help to the Lopez family.

"The money received at Camp Michindoh will be disbursed to the family on a monthly basis through the conference headquarters in La Ceiba," Kyle McQuillen says. "As additional expenses are anticipated, should the problem grow worse, we will have a few dollars on reserve to help out."

While the $700 given at the WMF Convention is a significant amount, it will eventually be depleted, since leukemia requires long-term treatment. Churches and individuals are invited to contribute to the Angelina Fund. Send to the following: Angelina Fund, Department of Missions, 302 Lake St., Huntington, IN 46750

Changes Ahead for the WMF. Over 200 people attended the Women's International Conference held July 16-18 in Hillsdale, Mich. In addition to the delegates from the United States and Canada, two delegates came from Jamaica, four from Honduras, and one from Nicaragua.

Margaret Matheson, head of OMS Australia, was the keynote speaker. Various persons presented seminars, including missionaries to or persons from Macau, Romania, Honduras, Jamaica, and Nicaragua. Saturday evening featured a dramatic presentation on the Gospel of Mark by a team from Daytona UB of Holly Hill, Fla. The team included Pastor Chuck McKeown and a company of 18 performers and technicians.

During the WMF business meeting, WMF President Joan Sider presented a plan for expanding the organization into a broader "women's ministry" concept. The WMF will continue functioning as it has in the past, but missions will no longer be the sole ministry opportunity for women.

"The WMF will stay pretty much the sameÑsome changes, but nothing dramatic," says WMF Executive Secretary Donna Hollopeter. "But it will be just one spoke in the larger umbrella organization. Other spokes might include women's Bible studies, mentoring, divorce care, MOPS, and other things." She says the new organization would provide resources and guidance for the various types of local church women's ministries.

A task force comprised of members of the WMF Board of Directors is working out the details of the new umbrella organization, which wouldn't take affect until the summer of 2000, when the WMF holds its next international convention.

Knobby Knees and Pink Flamingoes. When the Missions department sent out the program packets to the various Women's Missionary Fellowship groups, they included ten dollars of "seed money." The women were to find ways to make the money grow. This amounted to an initial investment of $1800. The goal was for the money to multiply to $12,000, which would go to our mission work in El Salvador. The ladies were forbidden to simply use money from their regular funds; they had to "grow" that ten dollars.

The women put their creative juices together and got to work. One enterprising group held a "Knobbiest Knees" contest. They rolled up the pants legs of the church men, took pictures, and people voted for the "Knobbiest Knees" by placing money in the appropriate jar. Another WMF group bought pink flamingo lawn ornaments. Persons who awoke to find a pink flamingo in their yard had to pay a fine to have it removed. Some groups held bake sales. Some put on dinners for the public. The seed money was collected during the WMF International Convention in July. The total: $27,000. And more continues arriving at the Mission office.

La Uba. During the summer, several groups traveled to Jamaica and Honduras to assist in construction and repair of churches and parsonages. The La Uba Housing Project in Honduras, which involves building homes for Hurricane Mitch victims, has benefited from several groups. Others are considering going in early 2000.

College Park UB of Huntington, Ind., took 25 teens and adults to Honduras in June to build homes in La Uba. They dug two foundations, and for good measure, helped build a parsonage for Pastor Rosendo Gonzales at the church in Llamapa.

"It was a powerful sight to see the damage Hurricane Mitch left behind," says College Park youth minister Roger Vezeau, who led the team. "Much of Honduras was well on its way to life as usual, but the remains of the devastation were prevalent. Yet as much as the devastation was visible, so was the incredible resolve and joy of the people to carry on. Our group was set on helping our brothers and sisters, and we did. But He also used the people of Honduras to minister to us in a very powerful way. The value of exposing our youth to the third world and the world of UB missions was worth the trip all by itself."

If your church is interested in scheduling a trip to a mission field, please contact the Department of Missions for a list of projects approved by conference councils on the fields. Dates and projects need to be coordinated so transportation and housing on the field can be arranged and materials purchased for building needs. A packet of materials is available giving details and information.

The Macau Staff.

• Jana Hoobler, the Acting Director in Macau, is on furlough through mid-December. She has a busy speaking schedule during those months.
• Eleanore Datema returned to her home in Huntington, Ind., in August. She had spent three months as a volunteer in Macau. She taught three English classes, taught a Sunday afternoon Bible study, and worked in the Living Water Church. Meanwhile, son Dave Datema, along with wife Cathy and children, were set to fly to California on September 13 to begin their work with the U. S. Center for World Mission. As of the beginning of September, they had raised about 85% of their support, and were still working on the rest.
• Jayne Mote returned to Macau on August 25 for her second term as a volunteer missionary teacher (her first term ended last April). She'll be there until December 6. Linda Burns is back, too, after a summer in the States.
• Russell and Nellie Birdsall left September 1 for their fourth term as volunteer missionaries in Macau. They will teach in the English Language Program and assist in other teaching and church roles.

Youth Group in Kentucky. In August, Heart O the Lakes UB of Brooklyn, Mich., took twelve senior high youth and seven coaches to Laurel Mission in Kentucky for a week-long work trip. They were involved in construction, demolition, painting, fence-building, and other projects. They concluded the week by tubing on the South Fork River.

Headed to Myanmar.

• Emmett and Shirley Cox plan to leave for Myanmar on October 6 to spend a month teaching English in that country (providing no political situation prevents their presence). The Coxes served ten years as missionaries in Sierra Leone between 1954 and 1968, and Emmett later served as Director of Missions for the denomination, and then as a pastor. Shirley is a retired teacher. They live in Huntington, Ind.
• Girve Fretz, a former member of the Canadian parliament and an active member of Garrison Road UB in Fort Erie, Ontario, will also travel to Myanmar for a volunteer teaching assignment. He will be joined by a grandson, and will spend two weeks in Myanmar during November.

VBS Offering for India. The Department of Missions received nearly $4000 for India from Vacation Bible School offerings (as of mid-August). Missionaries Richard and Miriam Prabhakar report that translation of the Book of Daniel is completed and the Children's Bible Correspondence Courses have been printed and distributed.

John and Debbie Siegel, with sons Jake and Kurt, are back in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They began their missionary career there, then served a couple years at a missionary school in Germany. Now they are back in St. Pete, where John works at the International Christian School. The Siegels are partial-support missionaries.

Wilma Monroe, a former missionary to Sierra Leone, passed away in August. She served in Sierra Leone 1941-1944, and 1946-1947 (illness forced her to return just 18 months into her second term). Wilma was a member of the Victory Chapel UB church of Celina, Ohio.

Roger Skinner, a UB partial-support missionary, is the new head of the United States arm of OMS International.

9/26/99

Mrs. Emma Hull, 105, passes away. Mrs. Emma Hull, age 105, passed away Saturday morning, September 25, 1999. This former pastor's wife is practically a legend in Michigan Conference, beloved for her humor and dedication to the Lord.

The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 29, at the tabernacle of the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich. (Mrs. Hull had a house on the grounds.) Visitation will be at the Mt. Hope UB church of Carson City at these hours:

• Monday, September 27: 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
• Tuesday, September 28: 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.

Another Service will be at the old UB church at Hart, Michigan, located in the Historical Park. It will be held on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. under the direction of the Hull Memorial Chapel.

9/24/99

Hong Kong's Typhoon. You may have heard about a typhoon which hit Hong Kong about the same time Hurricane Floyd was terrorizing the US east coast. Missionary Jennifer Blandin said it was a "signal 10" typhoon, the highest level, and the first typhoon of that magnitude in 16 years. However, it didn't do a whole lot in Macau. "A lot of wind, some trees blew over, and everyone had the day off from work."

9/23/99

Pastor Andy Grant Passes Away. Andy Grant, former pastor of Chicora UB near Allegan, Mich., died Monday, September 20. The funeral was held Thursday, September 23, in Allegan. He is survived by his wife, Helen. Her address is: 4323 Swan Lake Dr. Allegan, MI 49010.

Free Car Wash. Victory Heights UB of Franklin, Pa., held a free car wash with free refreshments on September 11. Pastor Roger Overmyer says, "There was no bucket at the end of the driveway. One lady forced $5 upon us and we told her we were giving it to the next lady. She went away telling how she got paid for having her car washed. One fellow wanted us to pray with him over some problems he had in his life. Over 30 people helped throughout the day, and we washed their cars in slack times."