April 2003 News Archive

April 16, 2003

Kitchener, Ontario. A CT-Scan has shown that Rev. Martin Magnus, a long-time pastor in Ontario, has a brain tumor. His son, Brian Magnus, President of the UB Church in Canada, sent this report.

"He has a glioblastoma which appears to have been there a while. The report also speaks of vasogenic edema, metastatic lesions and suggestions of necrosis. I think that means it's a tumor that has some dead tissue within it, swelling of the brain and blood vessels surrounding it, and perhaps a connection to another tumor elsewhere (primary tumor vs. secondary tumor).

"Currently it's about 5 cm X 3 cm (1" X 2") and is on the surface of the cerebrum. Dad goes in to the London University Hospital next Wednesday (April 23) for a biopsy. They'll decide on their plan of attack after that.

"He had the CT-Scan because he'd had a few 'absent spells' where he'd just go into a daze for a minute or so. Not good, especially when you're driving! His only symptoms to this point were these black-outs over the last eight or ten months, which he thought were ended with a change in his glaucoma medication.

"Dad is a United Brethren minister, pastoring in Canada and Michigan from 1956 to 1990. He and my Mom, Lois, live a very busy retirement life in Kitchener, Ontario where they are active in the Stanley Park Church and also in the United Brethren Church in Canada (Dad just preached for me here in Guelph a few weeks ago). They have five kids, 12 grandchildren and thousands of friends.

"Dad and Mom and all of us would covet your prayers at this time."

April 15, 2003

Michigan. Rev. Ernest Burk passed away on April 12. He was a retired pastor from Michigan Conference, and father of Dr. Roger Burk, pastor of Mt. Hope UB in Carson City, Mich.

Waynesboro, Pa. Craig Shuler is the new Director of Student Ministries at Otterbein UB in Waynesboro, effective March 30.

Macau. Jana Hoobler sends these notes from Macau:

• On Wednesday evening, a young man who's been having Bible Study with our secretary, Michael, prayed to accept Christ as his Savior. I think he's still unclear on some things, but it was a good first step for him. Pray that that Holy Spirit will continue to work in his heart as Michael does follow-up Bible studies with him.
• We started an English class at a local primary school this week for 5th grade students. It meets after school. Pray that we'll be a good testimony to these students.
• Pray for special Easter services next weekend at Living Water, Living Word, and on Taipa. Pray that people will respond to the gospel message.

April 11, 2003

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Dan Wust, director of Arise & Shine Ministries in Honduras and an endorsed UB missionary, has been working on his Masters degree from the Huntington College Graduate School of Christian Ministries. He completed his work on March 28 and plans to graduate in May. He writes, "This training will greatly help me in my teaching role with the ministry."

Two Honduran coworkers are also pursuing further training. "Both Tomas and Gerardo have enrolled at the Tegucigalpa Theological Seminary in their Pastoral Ministries program. They have been attending classes since March three nights a week and are working towards a two-year degree that is a preparatory program for those who do not have a high school degree and want to go on to study for their Bachelors degree. Both have expressed satisfaction in being able to study, but at the same time fear and trepidation because they, like most Honduran men, do not have a solid education background and are finding that the classes are hard and require a different kind of effort than what they expected."

The Wust family will be in the States from June 6 through the end of July, and are available for speaking engagements. Contact Dan by email at: wust@ub.org

Shippensburg, Pa. On Saturday, April 5, 35 children attended an Easter Egg Hunt at Prince Street UB. The children hunted for 600 hidden eggs. The children also viewed a puppet show entitled The Soldier and the Centurion. The Legend of the Easter Egg was read to them, followed by crafts and food.

Temperance, Mich. Mike Dennis has been named Interim Pastor of Morocco UB Church, Temperance, Mich.

April 9, 2003

Macau. It has been 15 years since the work in Macau began. Jana Hoobler, director of the Macau English Language Program, writes about a special service to commemorate this landmark. "The 15th Anniversary Celebration went very well. Around 80 people attended. It was a good time of reflection on how God has worked and all the special memories our church members have gathered over the years."

Jana also commented on the SARS epidemic, which has been centered in nearby Hong Kong. "So far there aren't any official cases of SARS in Macau. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your concern for us. We're all doing well. While many cases of the atypical pneumonia have occurred in Hong Kong, they don't represent a very large percentage of the population. We're being careful to wash our hands a lot!"

Among Ministers

• James Mack, former part-time Youth Pastor at Ebenezer UB Church in Greencastle, Pa., resigned that position as of March 1.
• Chris Moore was hired, as of January 2, as part-time Technology Coordinator at Emmanuel Community UB (Fort Wayne, Ind.). He had previously served as pastor of Good Shepherd UB in Huntington, Ind.
• Julie Sattison was hired, as of January 13, as part-time Director of Preschool Ministries at Emmanuel Community UB (Fort Wayne, Ind.).