May 2003 News Archive

May 16, 2003

Grand Rapids, Mich. On Sunday, May 4, Banner of Christ UB shared gifts of people and nursery furnishings to the newly forming HomeFront Church. HomeFront is a church under development with Rev. Howard Matthews as pastor. This was the former Maple Hill UB Church. Banner has committed to a partnering relationship with this rejuvenated sister congregation and on this Sunday had a presentation of numerous nursery items to outfit HomeFront's nursery and young children's area. Banner also is sending two families to help with the forming launch team that Pastor Matthews reports is now over 30 adults.

The service included a time of prayer for the launch team and Pastor Matthews, and the presentation of the two new cribs, bedding, and several toys and games for the new church. Banner had collected items that the HomeFront children's ministry team had identified and registered at the local Target store for a nursery shower. An empty crib was placed in Banner's foyer for the month of April with gift tags attached to the crib. Members of the church picked up tags, bought and wrapped the gifts and returned them to the crib during the month long "shower."

HomeFront is poised to begin a series of preview services for the community to come and see during the summer months. Their first preview service was on Mother's Day.

Among Ministers

Darren Duncan resigned as Senior Pastor of Living Word UB in Columbus, Ohio, effective May 18, 2003. He will be going into active duty as a military chaplain. The church will be unassigned for the present time.
Ben Gladhill resigned as Children and Youth Pastor at Atlantic Avenue UB in Franklin, Pa., effective April 2.
Paul Rowe resigned as interim pastor at Mount Olivet UB, Mt. Solon, Va., as of May 7 due to health reasons. The church is unassigned for the present time.

Kitchener, Ontario. Martin Magnus, a retired minister in Ontario, underwent major surgery last Thursday (May 8) for a brain tumor. His son, Brian Magnus, Bishop of the UB Church in Canada, sent this report on May 13.

"I brought my Dad, Martin Magnus, home from the hospital this afternoon. He's physically doing very well. The greatest news is that the surgeon says that the post-operative CT-Scan shows that they got all of the tumor and that he's 'almost certain' that it's benign.

"Dad had only taken one Tylenol in over two days and most of the swelling in front of his right ear has gone down. He's able to eat with the help of some anti-nausea medication. He has 28 steel staples in his head in a question mark design starting at the hairline above his eye and moving back above his right ear, then around to the front and down in the middle of his sideburn.

"In his own words, 'It's going to take a while to become oriented again.' His voice is weak and hoarse (from the anesthetic?) and he's very tired. He is a bit disoriented and felt a bit claustrophobic when he got home. Continue to pray for him after this brain surgery.

"Thanks again so much for all of your phone calls, emails and cards to Mom and Dad. They appreciate your love and your prayers especially."

Macau. Jana Hoobler sent these notes:

Our Bible Study students on Taipa are asking more and more difficult questions about the Bible. Praise the Lord that they are reading the Bible on their own. One student from Thailand told me last week that she looked on the web and found a Thai New Testament that she can look up to read the passage we'll be studying before our meeting each week. Another student came in with questions about this week's story before we even met, because she'd been preparing at home. Pray for wisdom as we respond to their questions. Praise the Lord that they are searching His Word at home as well as at our center.
I'm thankful for my Mom this Mother's Day, and all the time she invested in teaching me about God. She led me to Christ in our kitchen when I was around five years old. I'm so thankful for this Christian heritage that most of my Chinese friends have gone without.
Ava, a member of Living Water Church, is a student at Macau University on Taipa. She is trying to get a small group Bible Study started with some of her classmates and professors that will meet at our center. Pray that they will be able to find a time that they can all meet.

Michigan. A few updates about new churches in Michigan Conference.

HomeFront Church in Grandville, Mich., is a restart of the former Maple Hill UB church. Howard Matthews is the pastor. They have a website at
Michigan Conference is planting a new church in the West Lansing area. It is called Journey Church, and is using a home church model. Tom Blaylock, who previous planted Lighthouse Community UB in Williamston, Mich., is the pastor of Journey Church.
Fowlerville UB is mothering a daughter church in Dansville, Mich. It is called Heritage UB church. Cal Hodgson is the planting pastor.

Dimondale, Mich. Sally Hock-Harrison sent these notes from West Windsor UB:

After the AQUIRE the Fire youth meetings in Breslin at Michigan State University in March 2003, our youth group went from 8-9 kids to 25-plus, and they have had to rearrange and tear down walls in the basement to make a new youth room. The youth group leader is Christy Lambright, a college gal going to Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing.
A Bible study/mentoring group meets on Wednesday night for the youth.
Pastor Dick and Darlene Thorp went on a one-week cruise to celebrate their marriage, and came back refreshed.

Hong Kong. Here are a variety of news items sent in April from Hong Kong National Conference.

Myanmar. Planning is underway to raise $50,000 to buy a new Language Center. Carmen Chin will return to Hong Kong in May to prepare for the delivery of her second child.
Thailand. Rev. H. M. Lee has employed another mail preacher to assist the work of the center and the church. A short-term mission trip from Hong Kong to Thailand has been postponed due to the SARS epidemic.
Sri Lanka. Bridget Ho, a member of Hong Kong Conference, is serving with Operation Mobilization in Sri Lanka. She is involved in voluntary work in a children's centre, in teaching English, and in distributing rice. She is looking for suitable churches for mission work.

May 7, 2003

Macau. Jennifer Blandin, a UB missionary in Macau, commented the recent headlines in her latest newsletter.

"The nightly news is full of daily statistics from the SARS outbreak. Yes, Macau is very close to Hong Kong, but yet far enough away to not have a single case of SARS! I know that this unbelievable, but the World Health Organization confirmed it last week. I'm calling it like I see it, a blessing from God. Something that has not been on the nightly news is how it is affecting the people of Hong Kong. I think the initial shock and fear has worn off, but there will possibly be long-lasting affects on people's trust. People don't know who to trust anymore. Their government was slow in reacting, their money could not cure them, and the doctors they trusted were the ones getting sick. While I don't like seeing people get sick or be scared, it is a time when a lot of people in Hong Kong are thinking about who they can trust. A great time to point them to the One they can trust --Jesus!

"Due to this SARS disease and the thought that it is spread by droplets of people's "water" going through the air, there is now a campaign to stop people from spitting. From little babies to grandparents, Chinese people know how to spit. It could almost be considered a sport. But there is now a fine of $60 if you are caught spitting on the streets. Since the new fine has been put in place, I haven't heard of anyone getting fined. But I have wondered if I could charge the fine to anyone I have seen spitting!

"The war in Iraq has brought about mixed views. The topic has brought about some lively discussions, but we've felt no "backlash" because we are Americans. While people may have differing views of the war, we are friends first!"

New Castle, Pa. Barb Clingensmith writes, "Eight ladies and two teens from the First UB in New Castle traveled to Laurel Mission in Kentucky the last weekend in March to assist and encourage Titus and Debbie Boggs. It is phenomenal to see the dedication of this couple to the mission work God has called them to. We were able to do some work in the yard and on the driveway, plus some cleaning in the kitchen/dorm areas. We had collected clothing and household items and were able to boost the clothing store's inventory with what we brought. Also, learning about their Campbell Soup label project and that a van could be obtained with the labels, we were able to assist in getting labels ready to submit. Deciding this was a project we could share in, we began collecting labels. Seeing firsthand the work at the elementary school run by the Boggs family and the young lives they are touching, we have also pledged monthly support to this great effort. This was a rewarding trip."

Macau. Jana Hoobler sent these updates from Macau.

On Good Friday, Living Water Church held a foot-washing service. Living Word Church had a simple potluck at one church member's home, followed by a time of worship and reflection. On Saturday, Living Word Church took over 20 children on a field trip to Coloane, one of Macau's islands.
On Easter Sunday, both churches held evangelistic meetings. In the afternoon Living Water Church had a picnic, hiking, and paddleboat rides at a reservoir.
We had a good Easter Celebration on Taipa on Sunday evening. It wasn't as big of a crowd as we've had for some other events, but most of these are the families of women who are attending English Bible Studies. Pray that a core group of believers will develop on Taipa!
On March 30, the Macau United Brethren in Christ Association celebrated its 15th anniversary. Representatives from Living Water Church, Living Word Church, the ELP, and Hong Kong Conference participated in a worship celebration service. Hong Kong Superintendent Peter Lee gave us a quick history lesson on the denomination and Hong Kong Pastor Mark Choi shared the message for the afternoon. We are thankful for God's faithfulness over the past 15 years!
We need wisdom as we plan for events this summer--English classes for adults, teens, and children, and VBS. Many things are up in the air due to the continuing SARS concerns.
The government still has not accepted our financial reports for our first year-and-a-half of ELP classes on Taipa. They are asking more and more questions concerning how the income from our classes is used to support our church work. Pray that they will approve the reports without us having to make any major changes in how our finances are set up and that we'll be granted non-profit status. This continues to be a stressful and time-consuming process, especially for Jennifer Blandin.

Clarksburg, W. Va. Two weeks prior to Easter, Living Water UB began the process of knocking on every door in the city--all 7000 of them. Pastor Chris Mullett writes, "We began with the 415 homes closest to the church. Twenty-four adults and ten youth members participated in the visitation. We bought a packet of flower seeds for each of the homes to be visited and attached an invitation to our Easter service.

"Our Easter service was our largest attendance in our 28-month existence. We had 140, many of them visiting for the first time. Our next neighborhood outreach, in May, will target getting people to church for Memorial Day. This summer we will target a neighborhood with an invitation for children to attend a Bible school in a local park."

Haiti. Luanne Brooks, missionary to Haiti, writes about Easter activities she was part of. ÒOn Good Friday we visited the pool of St. Jacque. This is a voodoo holy place. My heart broke as I watched a couple of men and women worshiping Satan. I cried as I watched a woman dip a cup into that filthy slimy pool and drink from it as an act of worship.

"On Saturday we went to a village and passed out Bibles and radios that are fixed-tuned to the Christian radio station. I spoke to a young man who thought he was too young to be converted to Christianity. He believed he still had time to have fun. I read to him from John 3:16 in Creole. I asked him if he were to die today, would he not want to spend eternity with God. He said he didn't believe there was life after this one. There are hundreds of thousands just like this young man. People who have been tricked by the witch doctors into believing that they should live only for today, that there is no tomorrow.

"Many of the local missionaries gathered on Sunday morning for a beautiful sunrise service on the lawn of the radio station. Afterwards we fellowshiped together with a carry-in breakfast."

New Carlisle, Ohio. Park Layne UB held a five-day revival which resulted in three conversions and some rededications. An average of 30-40 people attended each night. Associate Pastor George Rhodifer was the speaker.

The Easter Services on Sunday was well, attended. There were 25 for the Sunrise Service and about 35 for the Breakfast that followed. Pastor Roland Albert brought the Worship Morning message. His theme was "He is Risen, He is Alive, What About You?" This rebuilding church set a new attendance mark of 51.

Carson City, Mich. Ernie Burk, a retired minister in Michigan Conference, passed away in April. He was 85. A memorial service was held April 19 at the Mt. Hope UB church in Carson City, Mich. Rev. Burk attended Huntington College and was ordained in 1949. He and his wife, Dorothy, served various churches in Michigan: Harrison, Brown Corners, Ashley, Alma, Jackson St. (now Countryside), Harrison, Caledonia, Eden, and Ithaca. They retired to a home on the Carson City Campground in 1982. Their oldest son, Roger, is the pastor at Mt. Hope. Three of their five children are still living.

New Castle, Pa. Highland Heights UB in New Castle has changed its name to Neshannock Community Church. Rev. Ron Lambright is the senior pastor there.

Laurel Mission. Titus Boggs, director of the Laurel Mission (Big Laurel, Kent.), reports that the missionÕs clothing store has almost no summer clothing. The residents who shop at the clothing store are beginning to request such items. Any help would be appreciated. Titus can be contacted at: titus@ub.org.

Breckenridge, Mich. Lee Rhodes, pastor of Countryside UB, sent this report. "Our youth group, TLC (Teens Loving Christ), held an activity day at Central Michigan University's Student Activity Center. We rented two buses from the school to transport 74 middle school and high school students. There were 28 adults that chaperoned. Events included wallyball, swimming, bowling, basketball, pool, volleyball, eating donated food and purchased pizzas, and two sets of devotionss for each group. During the day, there were five conversions and eight recommitments to Christ.

"This is an annual event. This is the first year both age groups went on the same day. The Student Activity Center was quite empty until we arrived. The youth were pumped. TLC youth come from various churches in the area. For this event we had 13 youth come from a different school district as well. Kurt Peters, 19, has been leading TLC for several years. He is now on staff part time. John Cole is assisting him by leading the middle school age group in devotions and some activities on a regular basis. The two halves of the group meet at the same time on Sunday evenings, sharing worship time but split for most of the other activities."

Carson City, Mich. Valerie Reynolds, associate pastor of Mt. Hope UB in Carson City, writes, "In our effort to make an impact in our small community, we have changed our focus to trying to become friends to our neighbors. One of the things that we are doing is having a 'Project Night' the first and third Mondays of each month. One night, for instance, we did scrapbooking and quilting. So far around 30% of the participants have been unchurched women. We are intentionally looking for ways to become friends with our neighbors and looking for ways to invite them to a non-church activity where we can get to know them more personally. The excitement is spreading within our church as we are being challenged to live the lifestyle of Jesus."

New Castle, Pa. Alan DeCristoforo sent this update on his health condition. He is serving as Spiritual Care Pastor at First UB in New Castle. "Since I know a lot of people have been praying for me, I should let them know that I stood up and preached for 30 minutes during the Sunrise Service. After the service, I was assisted to the main floor where I stood up, with help, and walked out of the sanctuary. I had on my braces, and two gentlemen helped me stand up."

Pixley, Calif. During the Easter holiday, Pixley UB looked for a way to reach out to neighborhood families. Pastor Rodney Bittick writes, "Originally we considered running a three-day VBS on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But knowing that our small number of workers could be easily overwhelmed by a daily increasing volume of children, we decided to try a more modest one-day carnival-type event. Our goal was two-fold: to establish a connection between the church and its largely Hispanic neighbors, and to get scriptures and Christian materials into the homes.

"Setting aside the same three days, we set to work on Monday making take-home bags. We made bags for children and adults in both Spanish and English. They contained Scripture portions and tracts as well as treats and other prizes.

"On Tuesday, we canvassed the homes in the immediate neighborhood of the church, passing out flyers and inviting them to the party. We decided to call it ÔFiesta de Vida' (Festival of Life).

"Wednesday was party day! The church parking lot was decorated with colorful signs (in Spanish) and helium balloons. Activities included games, coloring pages, and a flannel graph story telling of Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection. Hot dogs and sodas were served and the party ended with the breaking of a pi–ata. The party ended at noon, and each person present was given a gift bag.

"In all, about 35 children and approximately 17 adults attended. Most of the grown-ups and many of the smaller children spoke only Spanish."

Reedsville, Ohio. Gary Reed, lay leader at Eden UB, is filling the pulpit until a new pastor can be found. Bill Duty, the previous pastor, resigned as of April 13.

Pomeroy, Ohio. Peter Martindale is pastor of Mount Hermon UB effective May 4.

May 6, 2003

Kitchener, Ontario. Martin Magnus, a retired minister and former conference superintendent in Ontario, is undergoing major surgery this week to remove a brain tumor. One surgery is occurring this morning (Tuesday). Martin will then undergo an all-day surgery on Thursday, May 8, to remove the tumor. The tumor was discovered after Martin began experiencing little "seizures" that appeared as absent spells; pressure from the growing tumor was the cause. The tumor is not malignant.

Martin's son Brian (President of the UB Church in Canada, and pastor of the UB church in Guelph), writes, "They'll do an embolism at the meningal artery that's feeding this tumor. I believe they'll do an angiogram beforehand. He'll wait at the hospital until Thursday, when they'll begin at 8 a.m. the all-day 'intercranial surgery' to remove the tumor. Dad will probably remain in the hospital to recover for about five days....

"The tumor is under the right sideburn, 2 inches in diameter--larger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball. There are many small vessels leading to the tumour. Since it is so vascular it is thought to be a Meningioma. It is growing off the Meninges (brain lining), not the base of the skull.

"Mom and Dad (and all of us) really appreciate your prayers!"

Camden, Mich. A Mini-Missions Conference for kids K-12 will be held Saturday, June 21, at the Lake View UB church in Camden, Mich. It is being sponsored by the Michindoh Missions Commission. There will be crafts, games, food, and a focus on missions around the world. Kids will be taught a new game called Soccette, which is a combination of soccer and basketball. A missionary invented the game, and he and his family use it to create a bridge to share the gospel in Northern Africa.

There will also be a picnic lunch, plus a variety of activities for kids. The kids will also fill shoeboxes with such things as crayons, coloring books, markers, hand towels, hygiene products, small games and toys, and gospel tracts. These shoeboxes will then be distributed in places like Laurel Mission or to inner city ministries. Actual missionaries will be on hand for the kids to meet.

Caledonia, Mich. On March 28, eleven people from Gaines UB traveled to Slovakia with The International Needs Network. Pastor Mark Beers writes, "We worked on the third floor of a community center at the church in Lucenec, Slovakia. The center will be used as an outreach for the church. The 11 people stayed with families from the church and had several opportunities to speak in local churches. The highlight was being able to take communion with the people of the Ruzemberok church. Communion in that culture was taken from a common cup and was real wine. Both were a surprise to all, but what a great way to proclaim our oneness in Christ. The team returned to Grand Rapids on the evening of April 13 with a team of senior high youth waiting at the airport to welcome us home."

Hillsdale, Mich. On Easter Sunday, Hillsdale UB presented a procla-drama called "Crises and Cross Roads" which set an attendance record for the church of over 700. Procla-drama is a creative ministry tool for proclaiming the gospel. Live drama, video, special effects, and solos were interspersed at various points during the resurrection sermon of Pastor Les Smith. The Easter attendance was two-thirds larger than last year.

Ashley, Mich. East Washington UB dedicated its new facility on April 13; they moved into it last October on their 100th anniversary. Bishop Paul Hirschy delivered a message which challenged them to be a praying church.

On Good Friday, East Washington participated with three other churches in a community service. The service included personal confession at a cross. Persons attending symbolized their personal confession by driving a nail into the cross and then taking the Lord's Supper.

Chambersburg, Pa. Criders UB dedicated its new Family Life Center on May 4. The facility adds classrooms, a nursery, gymnasium, stage, and kitchen. Bishop Paul Hirschy was the guest speaker.

Idaville, Pa. Idaville UB presented the musical drama "Fish Tales" on Palm Sunday. The program was performed by the "Praise Kids," 13 children in grades 1-6....On Easter Sunday, Pastor Dirk Small was pleased to have 203 people attending. Several persons made decisions to accept Christ....April 27 was Rally Day. The group "The Praisin Puppets" presented a program to the children's department.

Brazil. Wes and Jean Bell write about Easter in Brazil. "Here in Brazil, Good Friday is considered a Catholic holiday and is not celebrated in many Protestant circles. Traditional Easter hymns are not sung unless there is strong missionary influence. Some churches are adopting the early morning breakfast, but not a sunrise service. The church we attend did a play along with choreography of two modern music pieces. Chocolate eggs are highly commercialized, but the general atmosphere does not seem nearly as festive as at New Year's."

Decatur, Ind. Mt. Victory UB officially lit a new church sign on April 16 during a church picnic and hotdog roast. The new sign is the latest in a series of property improvements. Within the past four years, the church has installed new siding, replaced the roof of the sanctuary, put up a new steeple, and completely remodeled the church basement into three classrooms and two utility rooms. The next step will be mounting the church bell on a stand near the front doors of the church. The bell had been in the original church steeple for over 100 years. Ed Gebert is the pastor.

Safford, Ariz. Ron Gonzales, pastor of Open Bible Fellowship, reports on the exciting things happening as this booming Hispanic church. "We had our first services in our newly remodeled 15,000 square-foot facility during the Easter weekend. We didn't receive our certificate of occupancy for the property until Friday at 4:30. Without that we couldn't have had our Easter services there. The work on the property was done over a period of 20 months by volunteers from the church.

"We had a 7:00 Saturday evening service and, on Easter Sunday, a 10:40 morning service. We did a drama production called 'Victory Symphony.' The combined attendance hit 650, with 29 conversions. Now we are making plans for our dedication service."

Haiti. Luanne Brooks, UB missionary serving with OMS in Haiti, sent this report, which is both heart-rending and heart-warming.

"Today I met a young girl named Ketteline. Ketteline is 16 years old and she is dying. Maybe within the next few days. She weighs 65 pounds and is the thinnest person I have ever seen. She had difficulty walking into the clinic, and her breathing is labored. We ran a very simple test that confirmed our worst fears: she is dying of AIDS.

"When Ketteline was just a small child, a horrible monster (my words, not hers) violated her. She is one of the countless s who are suffering the consequences of this hopeless disease. Her mother was devastated by the news. Ketteline sat quietly, numb I am sure. Not a tear from her eyes, though mine were running over so much I could hardly see. I told her Jesus loved her and is looking forward to taking her home with him. I walked with Ketteline and her mother to the chaplain as they expressed the wish to ask Jesus into their hearts. This is what it is all about, folks. The angels are rejoicing. They will soon welcome this earth angel into heaven.

"Please pray that God will send comfort to Ketteline. I pray that she will pass along peacefully into her Savior's arms. She will never suffer again at the hands of a monster. Please pray for her mother as she has to be able to let her child go. This will not be easy for her. I have noticed the great sacrificial love these Hatian women have for their children. I know that she would take her place if she could. But very soon Ketteline will be in a safe place."

Sunfield, Mich. Sunfield UB has hired a new Assistant Pastor. His name is Roy Atherton. The church had a special welcome for him, his wife, Judy, and their two children, Nicole and Kieth.

Phoenix, Ariz. Corona de Gloria Church in Phoenix is now called Corona de Victoria Church. The pastor is Enrique Lopez.