(260) 356-2312
On this date in 1812–which was 198 years ago–Bishop Martin Boehm died. He was 87 years old. Boehm was one of our denomination’s founders. He was the man who preached that fiery message at Long’s Barn in 1767 which caught the attention of our other founder, William Otterbein.
A group get-acquainted activity at the Mission Team Training.
The "Helium Hula Hoop" exercise.
Global Ministries will sponsor another workshop for persons interested in leading short-term mission trips. We did four such events in 2008, and one in February 2010.
Date: August 27-28, 2010
Location: Devonshire Church, Harrisburg, Pa.
Cost: $60
This workshop is open for all persons who either will lead short-term trips in 2010 or who may be considering leading trips in the future.
Participants will receive a lot of material helpful in putting together the trip, team development, dealing with cultural differences, and much more. If your church is considering short-term mission ministry, this is a “must” event.
Jeff Bleijerveld and Donna Hollopeter will be team teaching. The UBGlobal website has more information, including the schedule, a list of nearby hotels, and a brochure you can download. You can also register and pay online.
Seven incoming freshmen to Huntington University have been named recipients of the Horizon Leadership Scholarship for the 2010/11 academic year. This is the third year that the scholarship has been awarded.
Launched in the fall of 2008, the Horizon Leadership Program is a collaborative effort between Huntington University and Youth for Christ designed to attract and retain students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds by providing educational, leadership, and creative outlets.
The Horizon Leader Scholarship covers fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters through a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid.
The recipients of the award are:
Front (l-r): Kathy Bruce, Molly Shull. Back (l-r): Jeanie Helman, Penny Cole, Annette Sites, Stacy Gentry.
This weekend members of the UB Women’s Ministry Team met at Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster, Pa., to prepare for the upcoming Women’s Conference this September. The ladies basked in the sun by a lovely pond (while accomplishing a lot, of course), met with the hotel representative to go over logistics, and sampled a complimentary smorgasbord dinner. Registration for the conference is open and many woman have already registered. Check out ubwomen.org to view a short commercial and register your group today!
Juanita Chavez and pastors during a prayer time.
Juanita Chavez climbing the hill to the church.
A small group session on the mountain.
Juanita Chavez, Superintendent of Honduras Conference
Our trip to the remote region of Cañada Galana was extremely interesting. It was very healthy to conduct a training session with the 13 pastors of District No. 1, experience meeting new brothers, and be together praising the Lord in an open-air service. The service began at 6 pm and concluded at 10 pm. It was held against a background of beautiful mountains, sky, and moon.
The beauty of this is that the places where the Lord is allowing us to visit are enthusiastically embracing the agenda of the “Vision of the Church” (church planting). God willing, on April 23-24 we’ll conduct another training workshop with all of the pastors and two leaders from each congregation.
We are always reviewing and enjoying UBCentral. It’s great to see all photos from General Conference, and we pray that we remain a blessing around the world. May God bless all those who have contributed support for Haiti.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team. L-r: Chuck Wheatley, Robert Bruce, Craig Burkholder, Lee Rhodes (chairman), Chris Little (red shirt, back to the camera), Bishop Phil Whipple, Cathy Reich (secretary, hidden), Terry Smith, Dennis Sites.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team (PMLT) met Monday night and Tuesday, March 15-16. The main agenda item involved pastoral training. The Huntington University Graduate School will discontinue the Pastoral Leadership track in June. That has always been our primary vehicle for training ministers. The PMLT needed to figure out how to replace it.
They settled on a list of 11 core courses for the National Conference license, and 24 core courses for ordination. If no college can be found that offers a particular course, the PMLT may cover the subject through a workshop of some kind. A Masters degree is no longer required for ordination.
Here are the course subjects. If you have questions, ask them in the “Comments,” and Bishop Whipple will respond.
| National Conference License |
Ordination |
| Spiritual Formation | Bible Study |
| Old Testament Survey | Mentoring and Time Management |
| New Testament Survey | Christian World View |
| Systematic Theology | Christian Ethics |
| UB History | Church History Survey |
| Pastoral Care and Counseling | Missions |
| Preaching | Worship |
| Ministry Internship | Relationship Building |
| Evangelism | Equipping the Church for Service |
| Bible Elective | Conflict Management |
| Bible Elective | Leadership of a Governing Body |
| Leadership of a Congregation | |
| Staff (Lay or Paid) Management |
L-r: Scott Hughes (from Mainstreet Church, Walbridge, Ohio, Dr. Owen Gordon (Western District superintendent), Rev. Isaac Nuggent (Central Distrist superintendent), Rev. Lebert Thompson (Eastern District superintendent), Bishop Winston Smith, Rev. Jeff Bleijerveld (Director of Global Ministries).
UB members from all across Jamaica gather at Kendal Camp to fellowship in the Lord
The message on "Godly Leadership" by Bishop Winston Smith.
The prayer for the pastors and their families.
Written by Deon McLennon
Jamaica National Conference concluded its 59th annual conference on Sunday, March 14. UB members from all across Jamaica gather at Kendal Camp for the event.
The worship service began with praise and worship being led by the Burnt Savannah praise team, after which Rev. Courtney Morgan opened in prayer. This was followed by the welcome by welcome by Dr. Owen Gordon the western district superintendent. The scripture reading was taken from Ezekiel 34:1-16.
The songs “We will Remember” and “A New Hallelujah” were sung by the combined senior choir and combined junior choir respectively. Jeff Bleijerveld brought greetings from Global Ministries.
Bishop Winston Smith delivered a sterling sermon on godly Leadership which inspired us all to aspire to be godly leaders. After the sermon, the congregation sang “Sound the Battle Cry.” We then had a communion service.
The evening session included the best of youth rally 2010 and was highlighted by the charge from Rev. Dr. Lloyd Spencer and the ordination of Pastor Baldwin Peterkin. The resolution was read by Sister Carolyn Johnson, which was followed by a prayer for the pastors and their families, followed by the close of the conference.
Youth workers from United Brethren churches throughout the US will gather in Florida April 26-30 for the annual UB Youth Workers Summit. It’s a great time for networking with fellow youth workers, sharing ideas, and learning how to do it better.
The Summit is held at First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla.
You can register online. The registration fee is:
Before April 1: $90.
After April 1: $110.
The registration fee covers the cost of:
Because of space limitations, this is designed for the “lead” youth worker at churches. Send the person who leads your youth ministry, whether fulltime, part-time, or volunteer.
You can register and get more information at: UBTeens.org
I’ve been attending Jamaica’s annual conference this week. I don’t usually report on finances when I visit a national conference, but Jamaica Conference deserves special recognition.
Until 2004, Jamaica Conference was receiving an appropriation of about $20,000 from Global Ministries. But the practice of giving appropriations for conference operations ended that year.
The follow year, Jamaica ended the year with a deficit of approximately $23,500 US. However this situation has improved steadily. In 2008 they finished the year with a surplus of $8600 US.
In 2009 they ended the year with a surplus of $11,300 US. But note that last year they also paid off debts on three properties (Malvern, Hazard, and Iterboreale) and raised $24,000 for missions for a total of $11,400 in spending beyond what they had budgeted. All this during a time of recession.
In 2010 they plan to continue improving their pastors’ pensions and provide life insurance. They also hope to hire an administrative bishop to free Bishop Winston Smith to spend more time coaching pastors and encouraging the growth of the conference. All this while maintaining their commitment to raise funds for missions.
What a tremendous model for other conferences! Congratulations to Bishop Smith and his team.
Huntington University will begin offering a new Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree this fall. Classes will focus on the principles of marketing, salesmanship, market research, consumer behavior, business communication, financial management, advertising, and promotion. Enrollment is currently under way.
“Students are going to be exposed to people who have real ‘street knowledge’ of marketing who can provide practical experience in addition to the educational experience,” said David McEowen, associate professor of business.
Business professors David McEowen and Jim O’Donnell bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to the program, having more than 50 years of marketing experience between them at companies such as Fidelity Investments, Dreyfus, and Fuji USA.
