|
2006 Archived NewsNovember 21, 2006
This year, Global Ministries launched a major leadership development initiative with Sierra Leone Conference. The civil war and ensuing chaos cut short the training and development needed to move them successfully from “mission field” to a “national conference” able to stand on its own. In addition, they also faced a series of leadership challenges. They continue hovering near the bottom of the United Nations list of the world’s poorest nations. And with Islamic nations moving aggressively into Sierra Leone, a major evangelistic task confronts them. The country is 60% Muslim, 30% tribal religion, and 10% Christian. The conference (55 churches, 5000 members) essentially came to Global Ministries and said, “Help.” Early this year, Global Ministries team members Ruth Ann Price (Wycliffe) and Pastor Randy Fennig (formerly of African Inland Mission) did a needs assessment with over 200 persons from Sierra Leone Conference. They identified the most important needs, and a leadership development team went to Sierra Leone this summer for a week of training. During that week, pastors identified the most crucial need of all: a leader around whom they could rally, who would walk with them in “rebuilding the walls,” and who would help them prepare for the future. At the annual conference meeting in September, the lay and clergy delegates unanimously asked Rev. Billy Simbo to return to Sierra Leone to serve as the conference’s highest leader for the next three years. In that role, Rev. Simbo will lead the conference through this transition and preparation period. Billy Simbo is a native of Sierra Leone and former president of the Sierra Leone Bible College. He pastors the Evangel UB church in Kendall Park, N. J., and is a member of the Global Ministries Leadership Team. God unfolded his plan in a way we could not have imagined. We have affirmed Billy and Mamei for missionary service for the next three years in Sierra Leone. This is a unique situation in a very needy time. Both Sierra Leone Conference and Global Ministries are excited about the opportunity to partner in this way. It is our hope that the Simbos can be sent as soon as possible. Support Needs for the Simbos Billy and Mamei need to raise $5,320 per month. This includes salary, housing, medical insurance, money toward retirement, professional expenses, administration, etc. They also need to raise $15,000 toward a vehicle that can handle some of the world’s most rugged roads, plus shipping and airfare to Sierra Leone. To date, $1,500 has been given. Billy and Mamei have had their first three responses for folks joining their support team. Please consider how your church, or persons in your church, could become prayer and financial partners with this family. Excited About the Next Three Years About two years ago, Sierra Leone Conference was going through tough times, and some people asked Mamei and me to consider going back to help in some way. At that time we could not make that commitment. But when word started circulating again last February, we began praying about it. We knew that if this was the Lord’s will, he would work out the details. Now, it is exciting to look back and see how God has worked in every detail. My primary responsibility will be to carry out the duties of General Superintendent. I will lead the Conference Council in vision-casting and planning, so that we can empower our local churches to carry out their mission. I am excited that this assignment gives me an opportunity to lead a group of dynamic young men and women who are doing ministry with great results, despite their difficult situations. I am thrilled, because I have had a teacher/student or mentoring relationship with 75-80% of the current pastors and conference leaders. It will be easy to build on those relationships. My hope and prayer is that after my three-year assignment, I will leave behind a National Conference that is spiritually, structurally, and financially healthy. I believe we can achieve these goals if we emphasize training. We want to invest in the lives and spiritual grounding of many adults and young people. We want to restore people’s confidence in the conference so that churches willingly support it beyond their own expenses. Prayer concerns for Mamei and me include the following.
Christmas in Kenya Pastor Peter and Betsy Martindale from Mt. Hermon UB Church will be working with Kenyan nationals on December 18th through the 30th for the organization, Love to Lazarus. The team will work in medical clinics and open-air evangelistic meetings at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. They would appreciate prayer support, as well as contributions toward medications. Their contact number is (740) 985-9837. October 4, 2006Update from Marshalee (Brown) Loerch - Endorsed missionary working with NEST in Germany My German is improving everyday and I am able to communicate more. Markus and I will start taking part in children's church on Sunday and would really like prayer that this will be a good start to a ministry that will go beyond Sundays and beyond those who now attend children's church. Read more about Marshalee here. September 19, 2006Working Together One of the things we learned in kindergarten was, “When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.” Since that time, many of us have learned the joy of what can happen when we work together on something. Working as partners allows you to do things that you could never do on your own as a “Lone Ranger”. It’s a joy for Global Ministries watching UB churches working along side other parts of the world impacting people for Christ. Well, it’s time to go a step further! Mt. Pleasant UB in Chambersburg, PA is working in Mexico partnering with a UB church with a big vision to make a difference in a city of 70,000 people. Their question is, “Are there other UB churches in North America with similar interests and similar vision who would like to work with us in Mexico? We would enjoy working with others and not just do this on our own.” They have asked Global Ministries to work as a “clearinghouse” for churches and individuals interested in partnerships and ways God’s people can work together. Your church may have a passion for a particular part of the world, such as Brown Corners does for Nicaragua. It may be helpful to know who else shares that passion. This would provide the opportunity of doing a work team together, if desired, or working on a strategic project together. People in your church may have a passion for sports outreach ministry, and you’re wondering if other UB churches feel the same way, and if that can be used in cross cultural ministry? Or perhaps your passion is in kid's ministry, or music, or medical outreach, or leadership development, or assisting pastor's families. The list could go on. We will be preparing to use our website this fall to provide information on interested churches who may want to network with others in places, projects and ministry across the world. Interested in working with others in certain areas, or in certain kinds of ministry? Let us know. Do you have questions? Please contact Gary Dilley at Global Ministries (gary@ub.org or call 888-622-3019). Also, watch for details as we begin to put this into action. Think of what we could do if we worked together! July 7, 2006Christmas in Kenya Pastor Peter and Betsy Martindale from Mt. Hermon UB Church will be leading a short-term ministry team to Kenya on December 17th through the 30th for the organization, Love to Lazarus. The team will work in medical clinics and open-air evangelistic meetings at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the Martindale’s are looking for medical personnel to join the team. June 23, 2006New Thrusts for Global Ministries in 2006 Looking Forward in China The United Brethren Church has been involved with Chinese communities in educational partnerships ever since 1882 when the Women’s Missionary Association began supporting the work of Moy Ling among Chinese immigrants in Portland, Oregon. Over the years, these partnerships have taken us to Guangzhou in mainland China, eventually Hong Kong and finally, Macau. We are excited, once again, to be considering a return to southern China in a new educational outreach partnership. In August, representatives from Global Ministries, Huntington University, and the UB team in Macau will be meeting with education leaders (Zhuhai public schools) in southern China to explore ways that we may work together to meet some of their teacher training needs. We are just in the investigation phase, but over the years, God has given us the opportunity to be influential for the gospel in the lives of teachers, and God has opened the door for us to talk with the people of this school system. Zhuhai is a newer city in China with many jobs available, and people from all over China have moved there looking for opportunities. As a result, the Zhuhai school system has thousands of migrant children attending from all over the country. Many of these families come from areas of China with little or no gospel exposure. Some of these families will eventually return to their home area, and if we could expose them to the gospel while in Zhuhai, it could be carried into areas that missionaries don’t have access to. We’re looking forward to many opportunities to establish friendships in China through this new venture. In the upcoming months, we’ll be suggesting ways that you might become involved in short-term or longer-term educational outreach in the Chinese mainland! Please pray for God to lead us in this venture. Coming Along Side Sierra Leone The Islamic faith continues to aggressively move from North Africa into West Africa. New mosques are popping up all around in Sierra Leone. The Islamic faith is not just investing in buildings, though. They are also investing in people. They regularly assist African religious leaders to travel to the Middle East for additional training in radical Islamic thought. Ruth Ann Price (UB endorsed missionary with Wycliffe) and Randy Fennig (UB pastor and former AIM missionary in Mozambique) traveled to Africa in February and met with over 200 people to decide how we can best assist the conference to go forward. It is their impression that the war left things in such devastation and trauma that they don’t have the ability to “rebuild the walls” without some assistance. In addition to training in country, we will be sending a series of teams over the next three years. The first one (six people) is scheduled for this July. Ruth Ann Price will be the team leader, and the team will be leading in a workshop format. The workshops will include leadership development, biblical decision-making, and financial management and accountability. We will be making you aware of strategic projects with which you can assist your brothers and sisters in Christ in Africa. Evangelism plans are being developed and help will be requested for musical instruments, and the use of the Jesus film in villages. We are also considering sending a UB missionary that would not be “over” the African church, but would assist us in partnering with the Sierra Leone Church. This person might teach at the Bible College, work in agricultural development, or pursue other kingdom possibilities. The Sierra Leone Conference is very excited, and we would appreciate your prayer as we approach this "by faith". June 15, 2006Brazil Trip Report On March 30, Donna Hollopeter and four others traveled to Cuiaba, Brazil on a short-term missions trip with a two-fold purpose. The five met Jean and Wes Bell and Dave and Becky Spencer, all missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators serving in Cuiaba. One of the ministry opportunities was to travel with the Bells to a remote camp about 2 hours outside of Cuiaba where the group taught classes to the students of the SIL mission school during their Spiritual Emphasis Retreat. The theme for the retreat was “Using Your Giftedness for the Lord”. The students had classes and activities that centered around learning their spiritual gifts and how, though still young, they can use those gifts in ministry right now and in the future. Following the retreat, a number of students reported that they had made rededications to the Lord and in two cases, there were first time commitments to Jesus Christ. The other reason for the trip focused on surveying what potential there is for Global Ministries to partner with SIL/Wycliffe in Brazil for future short-term ministry/work trips. Some of the needs that are immediate are: Teachers for the school – both for short-term classes that would be offered and also for long term positions. The Bells mentioned that teachers who may have retired early from teaching in North America might find using their teaching expertise at the mission school a great way to be involved in being a role model/mentor to the children of Wycliffe Translators. Housing is available both on and off the SIL/Wycliffe Compound in Cuiaba, a city of about 100,000 people. (See an excerpt from their newsletter at the end of this article.) Hospitality Coodinators – individuals who would go for 3 – 6 months and help cook, provide lodging, act as host/hostess, to visiting missionaries and tribe members coming to the compound for rest and/or training. Helping with maintenance- the SIL compound is large and there is always a need for work teams who would want to come and help with some of the maintenance projects on the compound. One very large project right now is the need for replacing old water lines between the buildings. David Spencer would be the contact for groups desiring to be involved in this type of ministry. Spiritual Emphasis Retreat, 2008 – every other year, the school goes off campus for a retreat. The next one will be in 2008 and a group of five or six would be needed to help teach the main sessions. Data Entry Persons – Short-termers could help with typing and record keeping in the offices of SIL in Cuiaba. Financial Assistants – Individuals who have perhaps had a career in finance and are now retired are needed to help do bookkeeping, etc. for the center and missionaries. (Excerpt from a newsletter by Dave & Becky Spencer, UB Endorsed Missionaries in Brazil) " Need for teachers of missionary children in Brazil" Would you like to make a difference in the lives of missionary kids (MKs)? You can invest in their lives by coming to teach or actively sending others in your place. Good teachers are fundamental to the success of missionary families on the field. Right now we have a critical need for two secondary teachers, starting in the Fall of this next school year at our Cuiaba School. We also need two elementary teachers, one at our Center in Porto Velho and one in Cuiaba. You can make all the difference! You say, “But how?” First of all, you can pray that those who are able and wanting to teach would hear about the need. Secondly, you can help in getting the word out by sharing this need with your family, friends, church, and Sunday school class! Please contact us by email at: personnel_dept_brazil@sil.org if you know someone who might be interested. The missionary kids here are anxiously waiting to hear that a teacher is coming! June 14, 2006Update on the Sierra Leone Women’s Training Centers The North American WMF groups rallied in support of their sisters in Christ in Sierra Leone and raised the $10,000. The photos included with this update show the buildings that have been built which house the training centers. These are now in use and it is here that women are trained in sewing skills; cooking and baking; and secretarial skills. According to Rev. Joe Abu who recently traveled to Sierra Leone and visited the training centers, all are providing great opportunities to the women and are busy each day. He mentioned that the women even participated in the actual building process. Donna Hollopeter, WMF Executive Secretary, has received several letters expressing thanks and appreciation from the women in Sierra Leone for the opportunity to learn new skills and assist their families. All have said that these centers have made a difference in their lives and their ability to feed and care for their families. Thanks to all of you for your participation in this project that has made a difference in lives in many ways.
Everyone helps with the work
|
|||||||||
A New Start and New Leader in Sierra Leone
sousaphone that arrived as a gift for the Bethel Christian Academy Band. The horn, along with a case of sports equipment and gym shorts was brought to LaCeiba by a work team from King Street Church in Chambersburg, PA. The team of 12 men and women visited Mt. Hebron to encourage the church and their pastor, as well as the ladies who graduated last year from a 2 year course in sewing. They also visited the UB Campground and spent time with the children who are part of the feeding program at Wall Street.
are newly endorsed missionaries and will be serving at Wycliffe's World Mobilization Center in Orlando, Florida. Mike (who has been the youth pastor at Hillsdale UB Church in Hillsdale, Michigan) will serve as Short-Term Trip Director for the GET Global and Discovery mission trips which send high school students and young adults to various Wycliffe translation sites around the world. Jenny will serve in the Communications area as a graphic artist. 
Endorsed Missionary Abby Farmer heading for the field