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Recent NewsFebruary 4, 2008Letter from Abby Farmer In January, I returned to the United States after serving a two year term with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. I taught art at Ukarumpa International School. I enjoyed my time in P.N.G., and God challenged me in a number of ways. For me, this is a time of growth and transition as I learn more about what God has in store. During my time in P.N.G. I had opportunities to see translation and literacy teams in action. I believe that providing the Bible in one’s mother tongue and providing tools to read it is an important part of evangelism. My hope is to return to Papua New Guinea as a literacy worker. This month, I moved to the Wycliffe’s Dallas center, home of the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (G.I.A.L.). Missionaries serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators are supported by churches and individuals. I am looking for people who would like to become either prayer or financial partners. If you are interested in joining in my ministry or learning more about the work of Bible translation, please contact me at: Abigail_Farmer@sil.org December 4, 2007"Finisher's" Movement (Article written by Donna Hollopeter) April 4, 2007Report from Philippines Evangelistic Mission Trip. A group of four gentlemen from UB churches in southern Ohio traveled to Manila in the Philippines (March 14-24) to work with Pastor Prudencio Lim, head of our Philippine National Conference. Rev. George McCombs, First UB in Columbus; Rev. Joe Leighton, Salem Chapel UB near Lancaster; Carl Morgan, a layman from Salem Chapel and Adam Will who serves as lay pastor of the Eden UB Church in Reedsville, Ohio worked with Pastor Lim in an evangelistic crusade in Manila. Each night they would assist in the crusade and then during the day would do follow-up work with those who made commitments the night before, or would canvas neighborhoods inviting people to come to the crusade. March 29, 2007Randy and Toni Fennig Testimony A note from Gary Dilley: Sierra Leone has been trying to crawl out of last place having the lowest median income for nations of the world. I see the potentiality of Toni working in Business as Mission as a way not only to be a small economic lift, but also to model additional and new ways for economic development as well as outreach through Christian mission. From the Fennigs: The road people travel to reach the destination of “missionary” is varied. None go down the same road. But along the journey, there must be a place where the thought comes, "I want to make a difference in people’s lives for the Kingdom of God, particularly those who have had less opportunity than I have had to know God’s plan of redemption for the world and to see His Kingdom built.” February 21, 2007Emmaus Bible Correspondence Work in India God continues to work through the Bible correspondence courses in India. Over 108,100 adult courses have been sent out and 55,200 people have completed these courses. Fourteen different courses are offered including the advanced courses, which are Romans, Acts, Daniel, and Revelation. More people are taking these advanced classes, showing an increased desire to study the Bible. For the children, 6 courses are offered. Altogether 17,250 have been sent out with 8,775 being completed. Here is an example of an individual involved in Bible correspondence. R., a 20 year Hindu man, wrote asking questions about God. He was confused and wondering who the true God is since Hinduism leads him to worship so many idols. He became depressed and tried to commit suicide twice. He asked that we send him the lessons and a Bible to enable him to study. He requested prayer, that he would find peace. Three of the adult courses have recently been reprinted and a reprint of the first course for children, “Things Jesus Said and Did" is needed. Display boxes have been placed in various institutions and churches introducing these courses. This has helped to add new students. Two ladies work fulltime in the office. They pray on a daily basis for those who write in with a variety of problems or joys. The work of Bible Correspondence for an entire year is $3780. Your investment in this project is most appreciated. Let me share with you regarding some of the lives that touch us through the correspondence work. P., a boy dealing with his 10th grade exam, was convicted of sin when he heard the Good News on the Radio through the story of the Prodigal son. He has lost interest in his studies and fallen into sin. He had always ranked first in his class. His parents do not know that he has written to us. They would not be happy that he is studying about Jesus Christ. So he asked us to mail material to the address of a friend who also believes in the Lord and he wants to begin studying the Bible through these courses. L., who is also studying, was baptized on January 1, 2007 and he decided to change his name after baptism, as L. is a Hindu name. He has been telling his friend about Jesus and is praying that he too would be baptized. He wanted us to send courses for both of them, along with a Bible. Many write in asking for Bibles and for literature to share with others. Some are running Sunday Schools. So we send them the Children’s courses to be used as their lessons, since they do not have any special books. A young man wrote that his sister had recently died and his father was very upset over this and needed much prayer so he would come out of this depression. These heartbreaking stories show how important it is for God’s Word to go out to the lost and for them to know that people are interceding in prayer for them and their needs. January 15, 2007Update on Simbo Support The Simbo’s are grateful for the many gifts that have come toward the one time ministry expenses for getting on the field (vehicle, shipping, office, etc.). Their greatest need right now are churches, Sunday School classes and families who will invest in them for their ongoing support over the next three years. They currently have partners for 30% of their monthly support. If a church or family makes a one time gift toward their monthly support, that is still very helpful. You can contact Global Ministries at 888-622-3019 or e-mail Donna Hollopeter at donna@ub.org. You can contact the Simbo’s at bksimbo2001@yahoo.com or call 215-206-6621. New Church Plant in Port au Prince, Haiti A major initiative this year in our Haitian work has been to establish an urban church in the growing capitol city of Port Au Prince. A group from Canadian UB churches joined together with Pastor Oliam Richard, along with other Haitian pastors and lay leaders in an evangelistic crusade. Over three nights, 73 people came to Christ. A follow up meeting was called for the next day for those making a profession of Christ. They all came back! Plus five more people. A second follow up meeting was called for four days later. A total of 83 came for this meeting. The first service of this new congregation was held Sunday, December 10th at 6:00 a.m. with over 125 in attendance. We praise God for this new church in the heart of the city. November 21, 2006
by Gary Dilley 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 By Billy Simbo 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!
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A New Start and New Leader in Sierra Leone