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06 Oct

October 6, 2011 |

Steve Dennie, Communications Director

Churches frequently contact me for advice on technology needs, particularly in regard to the internet. Just yesterday, a church contacted me about their website. They need a new website, but also want some kind of online contact management system which several people could access (they are currently just keeping records in a Word document). Did I have any advice?

Those are basic needs for churches of any size–a website, and tracking people.

Our churches are using a lot of different things in both areas, from do-it-yourself tools to purchasing full-blown systems.

I told that church I would find out what some other UB churches are doing, especially in contact management, and get back with them. That’s what I’m doing now.

How is your website done? And what do you use to track people? Whether or not you’re happy with what you use, I’d like to know.

I created a form so you can respond.

I’ll compile results and post them on UBCentral.org. I’m sure it’ll be helpful to lots of churches that are asking the same questions this church asked of me.

06 Oct

October 6, 2011 |

The Huntington University Women’s Auxiliary will hold its 21st annual garage sale benefit October 21-22:

  • October 21: 3-8 pm
  • October 22: 8am – noon.

Attracting more than 50 donors, the sale will be in the Huntington University fieldhouse in the Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex. The proceeds will benefit the 2011-12 Auxiliary project. The goal is to raise $2000 to reupholster the furniture in the Roush and Wright hall lounges.

Donations for the sale will be accepted at the fieldhouse from 3-6 pm October 20, and 7-11 am October 21. Clean, usable items are to be marked clearly with reasonable prices. (Exception: jeans, slacks, shirts, blouses, skirts, sweaters, children’s clothes, shoes, and books do not need to be marked.)

Furniture, jewelry, household items, bedding, crafts, Christmas décor, records, games, office supplies, gardening and yard items, and even fresh plants or produce are especially useful.

Unsold items are donated to various charities, including Habitat for Humanity, Love INC., and the Salvation Army.

For more information, contact Pat Jones at 260-359-4061, Diane Frame at 260-356-7491, Judy Campbell at 260-344-1300, or Ruth Seilhamer at 260-672-8605.

06 Oct

October 6, 2011 |

Steve Dennie, Communications Director

Today, everyone’s focused on the death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. He’s a religious figure in that he started the Apple Cult. It started with Mac users, who (like me) could be extremely obnoxious in their evangelistic zeal. It has since spread to include iPod, iPhone, and iPad users. I am all of the above (though the iPad is actually my wife’s).

The Healthy Ministry Resources office has been entirely Macintosh since 1988. Prior to that, I produced the monthly United Brethren magazine on an AT&T PC with two 5.25″ floppy drives (no hard drive). I composed the articles in Wordstar, then sent the disc to a printshop, which printed out the typeset articles in long strips of heavy paper. I then spent up to two weeks doing layout, bent over a light table laboriously pasting everything down, with regular trips to the chiropractor.

When Denny Miller came to the office in 1987 as Associate Director of Church Services, he was already an Apple user. In mid-1988, he dragged me along to a computer store. I believe we went to look at Apple II computers. But instead, we were blown away by the insanely great Mac. I soon had a Mac II on my desk (2MB RAM, 40MB hard drive, monochrome monitor) and a LaserWriter Plus nearby. Within a month, with no training whatsoever, I learned this new computer, along with Pagemaker, and cranked out the October 1988 United Brethren magazine entirely on-screen.

The Mac, truly, changed my life. Or Denny did.

Today, every employee in the office uses a Mac. Gary Gates works here one day a week, and I believe he brings a PC laptop, for which he’s been given a special dispensation. We have a PC in shipping, because UPS requires PC software, and Finance Director Marci Hammel, in addition to her iMac, keeps a PC laptop open for banking purposes. But everyone else uses Macs entirely.

We basically do no training. And since problems are few, I provide support out of my back pocket. So, as a small office, the Mac serves us well. Bishop Whipple came to the office in 2009 as a veteran Mac user. Jeff Bleijerveld came from a PC office, but is now a devoted (but not yet obnoxious) convert. And now we’re working on newcomer Frank Y. It’s just a matter of time.

One more thing: we’ve not had a computer virus since 1991.

05 Oct

October 5, 2011 |

The United Brethren History course is coming to Flint, Mich. The two-day course will be held October November 28-29, 2011, at the Richfield Road UB church in Flint, Mich. That’s a Monday and Tuesday.

This course is a requirement for becoming a licensed United Brethren minister. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are free to take the course.

Basic Information

  • The cost is $200 for persons who need licensing, $100 for everybody else.
  • You will need to read the UB history book “Trials and Triumphs” beforehand. It is available through the Healthy Ministry Resources bookstore for $14.95 (plus shipping). Order a copy by calling toll-free: 888.622.3019
  • Register using the online form at: ub.org/ministers/ubhistory

November 28-29, 2011 (Monday and Tuesday)

Location: Richfield Road UB church (Flint, Mich.)
Time: 9 am Monday — 4 pm Tuesday
Teacher: Robert Bruce (right), associate pastor of Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

For more information and to register, go to the UB website.

05 Oct

October 5, 2011 |
L-r: Dawn Routledge, Larry Russell, Jason Eberly, and Nathan Hartman.

L-r: Dawn Routledge, Larry Russell, Jason Eberly, and Nathan Hartman.

Huntington University will recognize four alumni during Homecoming festivities this weekend. The recognition ceremony will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, October 8, in the Merillat fieldhouse.

  • Dawn M. Routledge, a 1993 graduate from Reading, Mich., will receive the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Citation. She and her husband, Doug, created a nonprofit community youth program called Crossroad Farms to minister to teens around their community of Reading.
  • Larry A. Russell, a 1971 graduate from Franktown, Colo., and a native of Peoria, Ill., will be recognized with the 2011 Alumnus of the Year Award. He will be recognized for his service with Youth for Christ and, more recently, with the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism. He was associate director for Cape Town 2010, the Third World Congress on Evangelism.
  • Jason Eberly, a 2010 graduate from Los Angeles, Calif., and a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., will receive the 2011 Young Alumnus Award. As a student, director and producer, Eberly helped create more than a dozen narrative short films and one feature film. His work has been shown in more than 16 international film festivals. He currently works as an assistant to a senior talent agent at International Creative Management, one of the largest and most reputable talent agencies in the world.
  • Nathan Hartman, a 2010 graduate from Huntington, Ind., and a native of Berne, Ind., will also receive the 2011 Young Alumnus Award. He has created six films and has received 14 festival and showcase awards. Hartman has returned to HU as an adjunct professor in the digital media arts department.

You can read more about these Huntington University alumni on the University website.

05 Oct

October 5, 2011 |

Pastor Al Carter (right) of First UB (Columbus, Ohio) writes:

“The entire roof of First UB must be repalaced. We have a tentative estimate concerning this of about $40,000. There has been water damage to the facility both inside and outside. We are seeking a loan to finance this project. In addition, we are purchasing the lot just to the south of the complex for a mere $5,000 plus back taxes. We invite anyone who can assist us in using these oportunities to enhance the facility and reach the community for Christ to contact: First United Brethren Church, 496 South Wheatland Ave., Columbus, OH 43204.”

05 Oct

October 5, 2011 |

Pastor Josh Kesler (right) and two other men from The Well.

The elders wore fluorescent orange hats.

The Well in Huntington, Ind., held a “Meet the Elders” hog roast and picnic from 5-8 pm on Sunday, October 2, at the home of Mark and Peggy Sell outside of Huntington. The various elders wore fluorescent orange baseball caps.

The Well, a restart of the former Good Shepherd church in Huntington, holds Sunday morning services at the Huntington YMCA.