17 Oct Huntington University Inaugurates Dr. Robert Pepper as Its 14th President

On Friday, October 17, at 3:00 p.m., the Huntington University community will gather to celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Robert Pepper, elected in January 2025, as the University’s 14th president. For the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, which founded Huntington University in 1897, this event represents the continuation of a cherished legacy and the beginning of a new, hope-filled chapter.

The inauguration ceremony will take place at the Merillat Center for the Arts on the Huntington University campus. Bishop Todd Fetters, will speak on behalf of the denomination, offering words of encouragement for the University’s next season of ministry and academic excellence. 

“This University was born from a dream our church held tightly: to create a space where Christ, scholarship, and service come together to shape lives for Kingdom impact,” said Bishop Fetters in an address to Dr. Pepper. “And now, it’s your turn to lead… We believe in you. And, we believe in the God who called you here.”

The ceremony will be streamed live on Huntington University’s YouTube Channel.

Dr. Pepper steps into this role at a pivotal time in the life of both the University and the broader church. As higher education faces new challenges and opportunities, his leadership brings renewed energy and innovative thought to HU’s mission of “impacting the world for Christ through scholarship and service.” 

As the University community gathers to celebrate this historic moment, the UB Church does so with deep gratitude and great expectation. Indeed, this inauguration marks not just a change in leadership—but a renewed commitment to the timeless mission that has guided both the Church and the University for more than a century.

08 Oct Good Reads from United Brethren Authors

We’re excited to share a few books recently published by folks right here in our United Brethren family. It’s inspiring to see the diverse gifts God has given us, and I encourage you to check out these titles that span fiction, spiritual encouragement, and history.

First up is Sunrise Mountain, a novel by David Kisamore, Senior Pastor at Mill Chapel UB Church in Reedsville, WV. In this young adult fiction novel, David tells the story of a young man’s journey with Jesus in a world of drama and dysfunction.

Next up is Companions in the Darkness: Seven Saints Who Struggled with Depression and Doubt by Diana Gruver. Diana, a board member at Otterbein Church in Greencastle, PA, offers a powerful look at historical figures who wrestled with the very real issues of depression and doubt, reminding us we aren’t alone in our struggles.

Finally, if you want to deepen your understanding of where we come from, pick up Essentials of United Brethren History: 10 Events, 10 Bishops, and 10 Issues You Should Know About by Steve Dennie. In this book, Steve, our former communications director and a dedicated UB historian, has compiled a concise and essential look at the history of the United Brethren in Christ denomination.

If any of these books pique your interest, you can find the links to each of them in the article above. Supporting these authors is a wonderful way to celebrate the talent within our denomination. Happy reading!

12 Sep Revised Discipline Available Now

The Discipline revision work that began late in 2024 has been completed and the newly revised US Discipline is now available as a pdf to view online or download to your device (more on that in a moment). 

The process started late in 2024 as a team of ministers and professors gathered to do some difficult work to help us more clearly define what we mean as United Brethren, when we talk about a church. That team took a deep dive into history, theology, and the bible to craft a definition of church that would be clear, while allowing freedom for new expressions of church. Their work yielded fourteen proposals which were presented to the national conference in July and voted upon after any amendements were made.

Since then, the document has been revised, reviewed and is now ready for download (and now we return to what I hinted at before). 

If you have visited ub.org to read previous versions of the Discipline, you would have seen a table of contents page with each chapter listed as a clickable link that would take you directly to a separate page containing that one chapter. You would also have seen a version of the discipline that you could download directly to your device.  Having both was extremely handy. 

However, with this revision we have opted to provide the downloadable resource only. But this change is not forever. In fact, we just launched a project this week that will result in a brand new website and provide a fresh viewing experience for visitors looking for information about the United Brethren Church and ministers looking for next steps in their licensing process. In the meantime, we will be consolidating information on our current site which may result in changes similar to this one with the Discipline document. 

10 Sep Youth Leader Position Open in Wayne, OH

Mt. Zion UB Church is seeking a passionate and spiritually grounded youth leader to disciple and mentor students in grades 6–12. This part-time position (approx. 30 hours per month) is ideal for someone who loves Jesus, connects well with teens, and desires to help the next generation grow in their faith and navigate life with biblical wisdom.

For a more detailed job description click here.

If you are interested in the position, contact Senior Pastor André Laird for more information.