22 May Over 30 Participating in Associate Summit

The Associates Summit is in progress in Buffalo, New York. Twenty-two persons serving 13 different United Brethren churches in associate roles are attending. They are joined by three persons from the national office–Bishop Phil Whipple, Cluster coordinator Dennis Miller, and Communications director Steve Dennie. This conference is for spouses, too, and seven spouses are attending.

Also participating is Pat Jones, a former United Brethren pastor and Director of Healthy Church Ministries. In 2009, Pat became senior pastor of Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Buffalo, New York. Eastern Hills is hosting some of the sessions, and Pat is speaking each day. That’s why everyone’s in Buffalo. Pat’s keynote addresses are built around the book “The Circle Maker,” by Mark Batterson.

This conference is designed for persons in UB churches working in such staff roles as pastoral care, assimilation, adult education, visitation, counseling, missions, discipleship, children’s ministry, etc. It is not for senior pastors.

While senior pastors participate in periodic cluster meetings, which provide continual training for them, associate staff do not attend cluster meetings. Instead, a series of specialized summits are designed for them. There is the annual UB Youth Workers Summit, and earlier in May there was a summit for persons in worship and music ministry.

This is the first year for the Associates Summit. Two years ago, a summit was held for persons in the spiritual care niche, but only six persons attended. The range was broadened for the Associates Summit. The result was a quadrupling of the attendance.

The conference began on Monday night, May 21, with an opening session at Eastern Hills church. On Tuesday morning, everyone ate breakfast together at the Millennium Hotel, where everyone is staying. After breakfast, Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy, who has worked for Huntington University since 2005, gave a presentation on behalf of the university. At the beginning of June, Hirschy will begin a new role as associate pastor of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. Then Pat Jones gave his second message.

By 11 am, everyone was loaded in a large passenger bus and headed for Niagara Falls. After a lunch at the Edgewater restaurant overlooking both the US and Canadian falls, Bishop Phil Whipple gave a challenge to the associates. Then the participants spent the rest of the afternoon taking tours and rides at the falls.

The summit will conclude after breakfast on Thursday, May 24.