(260) 356-2312

UB.orgUBGlobal.orgChurch Search

17 Jan

January 17, 2025 |

It only took a few nights of rest at the conclusion of the 2023 National Conference before our team began working on plans for this year’s conference that will take place July 15-18, 2025, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Now, after a year and a half of preparation, it’s time to start getting you prepared to join us! The best place to find the all the information you need is on the 2025 National Conference webpage that is now live!

Click the link and learn more about this year’s theme, our keynote speaker and the worhsip team who will be leading our evening sessions. While you are there, you might also take a peek at the conference schedule and lodging information that is also available. But do not get too excited just yet. There is plenty more to come and we will update the site each week with new information and make more of the links live and clickable.

Next week we will share more about the opportunities being made available to middle school and high school students by the summer camp team at Huntington University. If you want a sneak peak, check out the Forester Camps page now.

Registration will open on January 27 and will be available on the National Conference home page. Save the link, bookmark the page and watch your inbox for all the news to come. We are looking forward to the 2025 National Conference and we hope to see you there!

16 Jan

January 16, 2025 |

Park Community Church, located in the community of Bluffton, Indiana, is searching for their next senior pastor. This individual will be an effective communicator who seeks to develop his/her theological and biblical skills and disciple a congregation toward maturity. They must be able to work well with current ministry teams and be skilled in building new teams as needs arise. Most importantly, this individual will be attentive to the Holy Spirit and lead the church as directed. 

Park Community Church is a growing church of approximately 50 adult members and an average worship attendance of 110 people. The worship service is warm, friendly and welcoming to visitors. There is a desire among the people to grow in maturity, serve their community, and, as their vision statement reads, to become a “real church for broken people.”

This senior pastor role is a full time position at Park Community Church with compensation based on the guidelines of the UB Church. If you are interested in exploring this opportunity further, please send a copy of your resume, a cover letter, and a recent photo to bishop@ub.org.

15 Jan

January 15, 2025 |

In July 2025, Fort Wayne, Indiana will host the U.S. National Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Beginning on Tuesday, the 15th, delegates will gather from UB churches across the country to worship, learn, and celebrate together. The business session of the conference will take place on Wednesday, July 16, in which delegates will discuss a variety of proposals, including potential changes to Part V of the U.S. Discipline. Bishop Fetters has formed a select task force to review, study, and recommend relevant changes to this section.

Proposals, which must come from a group or official entity (e.g. local church board, denominational leadership team, denominational task force, clusters, etc.), must be submitted by March 31, 2025, to the Bishop’s office. The Bishop and the Executive Leadership Team will then be responsible for processing and approving each proposal and presenting them to the conference. The timeline from submission to presentation at the conference is as follows:

  • March 31, 2025 – Deadline for submitting proposals to the Bishop’s office.
  • April 15, 2025 – Proposals are finalized and formatted for the Executive Leadership Team.
  • April 29, 2025 – The ELT reviews the proposals.
  • May 1, 2025 – A draft of the proposals, as approved by the ELT, is posted on the conference website.
  • May 2025 – The draft is discussed in regional meetings. Suggested revisions are noted and, at the Bishop’s discretion, revisions are made to the proposals.
  • June 13, 2025 – A final version of all proposals is posted on the conference website.

 

How to Submit Proposals for Revising the Discipline:

  1. Submit the exact wording you would like to see used (rather than just a general idea).
  2. If it is new content, state where you suggest placing it (chapter and paragraph number).
  3. If it is a revision to existing content, state the chapter and paragraph number to be revised.
  4. Include a brief statement of the rationale for making the revision. A sentence or two may be sufficient, depending on the nature of the revision.

 

How to Submit Other Proposals:

United Brethren members may submit proposals that reach beyond revisions to the Discipline regarding the work and ministry of the U.S. National Conference. These proposals must also be submitted by a group (not an individual) and should include specific wording describing what you want to happen.

 

How Proposals will be Processed

  • All proposals will be channeled to the Bishop’s Office.
  • The Bishop will determine the best way to process proposals for eventual presentation to the national conference. Proposals may be referred to other leadership groups, and new committees and task forces may be formed.
  • All proposals will be presented at the April 2025 Executive Leadership Team meeting.
  • Proposals will be passed along to the National Conference delegates, either as proposals for consideration on the floor or as supplemental proposals. A supplemental proposal will not be considered on the floor unless delegates move to consider it.
  • No new proposals will be added after the April 2025 ELT meeting. However, revisions can still be made at the Bishop’s discretion until June 13, and later if he feels it is necessary.

 

Send proposals to Bishop Todd Fetters at: bishop@ub.org. Or mail to:

Bishop Todd Fetters
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

 

10 Jan

January 10, 2025 |

Rev. Robert Shook

Rev. Robert Shook, 84, a United Brethren minister since 1965, passed away January 7, 2025, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He graduated from Huntington University and was ordained in 1981. Bob retired in 2005 after pastoring nine different UB churches in Ohio and Indiana. Most recently, he pastored the Mt. Zion Bobo UB church of Decatur, Ind., 1986-2005.

Rev. Shook was born in 1940 in Van Wert County, Ohio. He and Nancy, who survives, were married in 1961, and enjoyed 63 years of marriage before his passing.

Preferred memorials are to the Laurel Mission in Kentucky or Operation Christmas Child.

You can read the online obituary here.

Visitation

  • Friday, January 10, 10-11am at Adams Woodcrest Porter Auditorium, 1300 Mercer Ave., Decatur, IN 46733.
  • Friday, January 10, 2-7 pm at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, 520 N 2nd St, Decatur, IN 46733

Funeral

  • 1-2pm Saturday, January 11, at Rockford Belle Community Church, 135 W Market St., Rockford, Ohio 45882. Viewing one hour beforehand.

 

(submitted by Steve Dennie)

06 Jan

January 6, 2025 |

Countryside United Brethren Church in Breckenridge, Michigan, seeks to hire their next youth pastor. The core function of the role is “to build relationships with youth and provide support for them and their families as they grow in Christ with the intent to integrate them into the larger body of believers.”

This is a 20-30 hour per week position. A full job description can be found here.

Interested candidates can submit a resume and cover letter to pastor@countrysideubc.org.

16 Dec

December 16, 2024 |

The US National Conference of the Church or the United Brethren in Christ will once again convene in Fort Wayne, Indiana, July 15-18, 2025. Every two years we come together around a particular theme that is meant not only to unify the body at the event, but also to cast a vision that will propel UB churches in a unified direction for the next two years. So what is the theme that will do that for us in 2025?

 

 

Let’s Move is a call to action. It is a call to multiply disciples, multiply leaders, and mulitply churches. Rob Wegner, Movement System Director for NewThing, one of our strategic partners, will be our keynote speaker and will help cast that vision and offer some practical tools and resources to help us move.

The conference website will be live early in January. Registration for this event, which will open soon after the website goes live, will be $100 for adults (18+) and $50 for children (17 and under). Childcare will be provided for children up through 5th grade.

Keep an on ub.org for more information.

Huntington University is hosting several events that same week for our middle school and high school students. Middle school students will have the opportunity to participate in a one-day getaway on campus to catch a glimpse of high school camp (more on that in a moment) and life at the university. High school students are invited to attend the four day UB Youth Camp taking place the same days as national conference where they will focus on mind (asking good questions about the fatih), mission, mental health, and marketplace readiness. Registration for these events hosted by Huntinton University is separate from the national conference registration and is currently open. You can find that here.

Students attending the UB Youth Camp do not need to register through the national conference website.

 

18 Oct

October 18, 2024 |

We have an exciting opportunity at Fowlerville United Brethren Church in Fowlerville, Michigan, for a Lead Pastor to foster unified relationships across the pastoral team, elders, and Operations Director while maintaining a discipleship-focused culture. Embrace the tranquil setting of Fowlerville, offering a blend of small-town charm and urban convenience near bustling cities like Brighton and Lansing. Make a difference by nurturing relationships, empowering individuals for service, and leading the congregation towards a deeper reflection of Christ’s love and truth.

– As Lead Pastor, prioritize equipping both congregation and staff for service while fostering collaborative relationships and inclusive community bonds.
– Showcase your abilities in inspiring, educating, and empowering individuals for meaningful service and growth in their faith journey.
– Embrace the opportunity to nurture a welcoming church environment that encourages individuals to deepen their understanding of God’s truth and actively participate in His Kingdom work.

For those with a missional focus connecting outreach with ministry practices, this role at Fowlerville United Brethren Church offers the platform to integrate teaching, team building, collaboration, and equipping for church growth and community impact. Apply now for the Lead Pastor role and be part of a dynamic ministry focused on proclaiming the good news of Jesus and making disciples for His Kingdom.

 

Apply now. 

08 Oct

October 8, 2024 |

(post by Steve Dennie)

Philip Burkett, age 67, passed away October 4, 2024, in Marlette, Mich. He had been in hospice care after a lengthy battle with a brain tumor. He was an ordained UB minister for many years, and he and his wife, Darlene, were part of the team that founded the United Brethren mission in Macau.

Both visitation and the Celebration of Life service will be held at the Cass City Missionary Church. Address: 4449 Koepfgen Road, Cass City, MI 48726

Visitation: 4-8 pm Friday, October 18.
Funeral: 11 am Saturday, October 19, with visitation one hour beforehand.

Phil’s life was wrapped around ministry. He grew up as a United Brethren preacher’s kid and missionary kid. He was born in Sierra Leone May 4, 1957, as the fourth son of Marion and Frances Burkett. They returned to Michigan in 1958, serving pastorates in Michigan and Kentucky. They returned to Sierra Leone in 1971. Phil spent his first three years of high school there, and finished up in Michigan.

Phil graduated from Huntington University in 1979 as a music major. As a senior, he received the top student awards in music, drama, and Alpha Chi. He and Darlene Connor, a fellow music major, were married in 1979, and then relocated to Louisville, Kent., where he earned a Master of Church Music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

His first pastorate was at Gethsemane United Brethren Church in Jackson, Mich. He started as an associate pastor, and eventually became senior pastor. In 1986, he received the Master of Christian Ministry from the HU School of Christian Ministries.

In 1987, Phil and Darlene joined Luke and Audrey Fetters and a Chinese coworker in starting United Brethren mission work in Macau, a peninsula on Mainland China which, until 1999, was under the control of Portugal. Phil and Darlene served four years in Macau. They then accepted a UB pastorate in Toronto, Ontario, where they also helped start a Chinese ministry.

In 1996, Phil became Worship Arts Pastor at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. During the next 14 years, he taught classes at HU at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and completed a Doctorate of Worship Studies from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

In 2011, Phil became lead pastor of Cass City Missionary Church in Michigan. He had a significant and powerful impact on many lives and was loved by his congregation as he continued to serve his Lord there. His ministry of 13 years in Cass City found him involved in community ministries as well, including directing community choirs.

Phil and Darlene celebrated 45 years of marriage this past May. Both children are married. Jeremy’s family lives in Baltimore, Md., and Carissa’s family lives in Portland, Ore.

27 Sep

September 27, 2024 |

Ewart Carlson Becker passed away, at the age of 87, on Monday, September 23, 2024 in his home in Traverse City, Michigan. 

Carlson was a longtime minister in the United Brethren Church, but prior to that he served as the senior pastor for Union Church in Huntington, Indiana (1964-68). His service as a UB minister began in 1968 when he stepped into the Minister of Camping position in the Michigan conference. He served at Camp Living Waters from 1968 to 1977. While there, he was ordained as an elder in the UB church (1970). In 1977, he moved to Huntington, Indiana to serve as the Director of Stewardship for the UB national office. Then in 1989, Carlson began four years of service as the Associate Director of Missions. The next move for Carlson was back to Michigan to serve as the senior pastor of Northland Church in Traverse City. 

He and his wife, Naomi, served side by side since their wedding day in 1959. In retirement, Carlson and Naomi were compelled to serve in Macau to provide pastoral leadership to Living Stone Church and to mentor another individual to take over leadership there. In 2008, the couple returned to their home in Michigan and remained active in their local church.

A Celebration of Life service for Carlson will be held on Saturday, October 19 in Traverse City, Michigan at Bayview Wesleyan Church (720 Wayne Street). Visitation begins at 10:00 am and the service will follow at 11:00 am.

More information can be found in his obituary. 



25 Sep

September 25, 2024 |

Fowlerville United Brethren Church in Fowlerville, Michigan is searching for their next student ministry pastor. The job description is below.

Embark on an exciting journey as the Student Ministry Pastor at Fowlerville United Brethren Church in Fowlerville, Michigan, to provide vision and leadership for Jr. High and High School Ministries. You will lead programming, recruit leaders, and encourage discipleship within a vibrant and faith-filled community dedicated to spiritual growth and deep relationships rooted in Christian values. The ideal candidate will excel in teaching, team building, and collaboration to equip and empower students effectively while aligning with the church’s focus on ministry work.

As a staff member of Fowlerville United Brethren Church you will:

  • Demonstrate a collaborative and relationally stable presence in student ministry, fostering positive connections and spiritual growth among students.
  • Join a community that prioritizes authentic worship, discipleship, and service to others, committed to sharing the Gospel and making disciples who reflect God’s love and truth.
  • Serve as a mentor, disciple, and leader to students, guiding them in their faith journey and empowering them to live dedicated lives for Jesus.

Apply now for the chance to be part of a ministry focused on fostering spiritual growth, inclusivity, and equipping the next generation for impactful service in the Kingdom.