(260) 356-2312

UB.orgUBGlobal.orgChurch Search

19 Feb

February 19, 2013 |

Beth Palmer, daughter of Rev. Charles Malson, Sr. (right, with wife Doris), sent this update on her father’s condition on February 18: “Daddy is fairly well settled in on the third floor at the specialty section of St. Lawrence. He has been breathing on his own for over 24 hours, so they are considering removing the vent machine. He will continue to keep his trach for the next few weeks. He is able to swallow the liquid from small ice chips. Daddy sat in a recliner for a couple hours this morning but is sleeping now. He may do a little more therapy later today. Will be glad to have him better and closer to home. Please pray for a very quick recovery.”

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |

Marvin Schwartz (right), pastor of New Horizons UB church (Rockford, Ohio) since 2008, reports that his father passed away on Sunday night, February 17, 2013. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 20, at 10:30, at the Berne Evangelical Church (Berne, Ind.). The viewing is Tuesday night, February 19, from 2-8 pm at the same location.

Cards can be sent to:

Marvin Schwartz
3555 S 650 E
Monroe, IN  46772

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |
A new Nissan for the work in El Salvador.

A new Nissan for the work in El Salvador.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Gonzalo Alas (right) emailed to say he is doing much better after the heart episode he had earlier this year. He has to pace himself a little better but otherwise seems much better. Rev. Alas, a Honduran pastor, leads our churches in El Salvador.

Something quite timely and practical is the purchase of this Nissan, to which United Brethren people in North America contributed. He sends his sincere thanks to you, knowing that some wished to remain anonymous.

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |

The UB Church in Canada sent two teams, back to back, to Haiti in early 2013. Joan Sider (right), from New Hope Community Church in Toronto, led both teams and filed daily reports. Some of the daily reports were written by other team members. You can read the accounts of both trips in the Features section of UBCentral.

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |

A new logo has been developed for United Brethren churches in the United States. That’s what you see above.

We are not replacing the familiar United Brethren logo (below). That logo remains the official logo of the international United Brethren church, and local churches are free to continue using it. But the new logo applies specifically to the United States National Conference–the UB churches in the USA.

The US logo is easily identifiable with the international logo, and incorporates the three main elements:

  • The linked figures (the “United Brethren” part).
  • The cross, representing Christ.
  • The flame, representing the Holy Spirit.

The Need for a US Logo

The United Brethren churches in the United States haven’t had our their logo since 2001, which is probably news to you. When we adopted an international structure in 2001, with sovereign national conferences in what is now 10 different countries, the familiar logo became the logo of the international church. We have continued using that logo.

Left: The international UB logo. Right: The Canadian logo.

However, it was felt that we should have a logo specifically for the US National Conference. The UB Church in Canada, many years ago, developed their own logo (right), but none of the other national conferences have followed suit. Which is fine. The international logo works universally.

But this new logo, with some modern twists on the international logo, recognizes the US National Conference as a distinct entity within the worldwide body.

As a local United Brethren church, you are free to use the logo on your website, in your publications, and in any other way you see fit. Or, you can continue using the international logo. No need to run out and redo all of your stationery, or make a new church sign. Use the new logo as it fits your needs.

A Little Background

In the 1970s, we produced a denominational logo with three key elements–two linked figures, a cross, and a flame. The logo was refined by a professional design firm in 1979. They actually gave us three versions (right), and churches were free to use any of them. Probably not a great idea, as opposed to settling on a single logo which would be used consistently, but flexibility was desired and that’s what we did.

In the 1990s, we digitized the logo and settled on just one version–entirely black, with no outlined areas. We also changed the font to something less dated. That’s what you see above, beside the Canadian logo. We’ve been using this logo in all publications for about 20 years.

In 2001, General Conference adopted an international structure consisting of sovereign national conferences, and the logo we had been using became the official logo of the international church. The Canadian national conference developed their own logo, incorporating a maple leaf into the symbol, but none of the other conferences adopted a specific logo for their country.

During the past few years, the US National Conference developed logos for the national office (Healthy Ministry Resources) and for Global Ministries. Then, in late 2011, we began working on a logo to represent the US National Conference.

We hired a Christian graphic designer out of Dallas to develop the initial concepts, with these requirements:

  • The logo needed to be easily identifiable with the international logo.
  • The logo needed to include the official name of the US churches: “Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA.”
  • The symbol needed to incorporate the three main elements of the international logo: the linked figures, the cross, and the flame.
  • The symbol needed to be usable by itself, without the words.
  • The logo needed to be institutional yet modern.

And so, after going through a variety of concepts, we narrowed it down to a specific design, which was then refined. Then we passed everything on to another designer for a few further refinements.

And now you see the result–an official logo specifically for the United States churches.

Ready for You to Use

The logo has been posted in the Resources area of the UB website in a variety of formats and sizes (JPG, PNG, GIF, EPS). This includes formats with the words, and formats with just the symbol. The official logo includes the words “Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA.” However, you may have needs for which the symbol, by itself, works better.

The vector formats (EPS) can be scaled to very large sizes. The other formats–JPG, PNG, and GIF–can be reduced in size without distortion, but will lose some clarity if you increase them in size.

The United Brethren logo is being used by UB churches around the world. In many cases, local people have drawn or painted the logo onto church walls, signs, and banners. And the have taken some creative liberties with the logo, adding their own interesting twists to the familiar design.

The video above shows photos of the logo as used and adapted in various countries. The two concluding slides are the official international logo, and then the new US National Conference logo.

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |
The Cayes medical team (Team #11).

The Cayes medical team (Team #11).

The UB Church in Canada sent two teams, back to back, to Haiti in early 2013. The first team worked mostly on construction issues (read their story here). The second team held medical clinics, and you can read their story here. Joan Sider (right), from New Hope Community Church in Toronto, led both teams and filed daily reports. Some of the daily reports were written by other team members.

Tuesday, February 4, 2013

Merrilee Trussler was the first writer for Haiti Team #11. This is her first visit to Jamaica.

The travel from Toronto to Montreal to Port au Prince went smoothly. We all got called into customs at Haiti and most of the bins were opened and inspected. Several bins were set aside, and there was concern that they would be kept. But God works in mysterious was! A customs official let us and all of our bins with supplies go for a soccer ball, a pump, and a stuffed animal for his son. A very small price to pay.

We arrived at the guest house and quickly settled in. We unloaded all 14 bins and started sorting. It was great to be joined by Dr. Germain, his friend, and his son. Halfway through we got a welcome relief of dinner. It included a very nice green salad, rice, bean sauce and roasted turkey. Joan shared that she missed the main event but was able to see the turkey alive and well in the morning and on the plate at night.

After dinner the team finished the bin sorting. It is amazing how quickly everyone is working together. We then had a brief devotional time outside (there was a nice breeze).

Today has been a great start and I pray that we will be able to bless the Haitian people through our stay.

The for locations where clinics were held in Cayes.

The for locations where clinics were held in Cayes.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

(more…)

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |
The work team from Union Chapel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

The work team from Union Chapel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Dwight and Patti Kuntz are standing in the middle.

The work team from Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).

The work team from Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).

Dwight Kuntz

Dwight and Patti Kuntz (right) are Global Ministries JumpStart staff serving in Jamaica. They filed this report on behalf of Regent College of the Caribbean. The school was formerly called Jamaica Bible College, but underwent a name change to appeal to a broader base of students throughout the Caribbean region.

Construction began in June 2012 on the new dining hall complex with the site preparation and the laying of the foundation in solid rock. We returned in January 2013 with a team of seven from the Union Chapel UB church in Fort Wayne, Ind. We began by laying block, starting at the ground floor level, and did backfill around the building foundation and in some rooms to bring them to floor level.

It was a great sight to watch the walls going up all around the building and getting a feel for just how big the building would be (126-by-80 feet). After two weeks, the building was really taking shape.

The Fort Wayne team was followed by a team of eight from Salem UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. They spent six days continuing the work by building and filling columns around the building and extending the height of a few short walls. Between the two teams and three Jamaican masons, over 3000 blocks, a ton of steel, tons of gravel, sand, marl, and cement were used, plus hundreds of gallons of water.

We are happy with what has been accomplished to this point, but sad to say that we have run out of funds for now. We do not know from where or from whom more funds will be coming, but our God does. So we ask for your prayers that hearts will be open to his voice and leading. We are in need of more teams to come in with working funds to help with the construction, or churches/individuals who can contribute any amount to the project.

If you would like more information about the project, please email me, Dwight Kuntz. Or you can send contributions through Global Ministries, 302 Lake St. Huntington, IN 46750, marked for RCC Dining Complex. We will be back in the States after March 20 for 2-3 months and I will be happy to speak to any group or church about the work at Regent College of the Caribbean, and how you can be a part of God’s work here in Jamaica.

18 Feb

February 18, 2013 |
Sen. Jim Banks (right) presenting the Sagamore of the Wabash award to Dr. G. Blair Dowden on January 25 during a special luncheon with the Huntington’s Board of Trustees.

Sen. Jim Banks (right) presenting the Sagamore of the Wabash award to Dr. G. Blair Dowden on January 25 during a special luncheon with the Huntington’s Board of Trustees.

Huntington University President G. Blair Dowden was recognized with one of Indiana’s top honors, the Sagamore of the Wabash. The award is the highest honor the Governor of Indiana can bestow, and is given to those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor.

The term “sagamore” was used by the American Indian tribes of the northeastern United States to describe a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice. The Sagamore of the Wabash award was created during the term of Gov. Ralph Gates, who served 1945-1949.

Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels selected Dowden for the award because of his contributions to education over his 22 years as president of Huntington University. Dowden will retire at the end of the school year.

“Not only is Dr. Dowden’s contribution to HU substantial, but his impact on the State of Indiana over the past two decades in leading a great institution has made higher education in Indiana among the best in country,” said Indiana Sen. Jim Banks, who nominated Dowden for the award.

Banks presented Dowden with the award on Friday, January 25, during a special luncheon with Huntington’s Board of Trustees.

Dowden came to Huntington in 1991 as the university’s 12th president. Under his leadership, the university achieved a reputation for academic excellence, moving from the second tier to the Top 15 among the Midwest’s baccalaureate colleges ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Huntington was recognized five times on the magazine’s list of best values in the region. Huntington also earned recognition from The Princeton Review as a “Best Midwestern College.” Forbes includes Huntington on its elite list of “America’s Top Colleges.”

A recognized leader in Christ-centered higher education, Dowden has served as chairman of the Board of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and currently serves on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the American Council on Education (ACE).

16 Feb

February 16, 2013 |
Huntington University award winners in the Fort Wayne ADDY Awards on February 16, 2013.

Huntington University award winners in the Fort Wayne ADDY Awards on February 16, 2013.

Huntington University’s digital media arts students shined at the Fort Wayne ADDY Awards Saturday night, February 16, 2013, taking home 13 student golds and eight student silvers in the annual creative advertising contest. Senior Tyler Johnson also took home the People’s Choice Award for “Epic Adventures of a Heroic Man.” This is the largest representation by Huntington ever at this event.

This annual competition recognizes advertising creative excellence from students and local advertising and media professionals. Entries are judged on creativity, originality and creative strategy.

“We are so proud of our students who pour themselves into their films and animations. This is a terrific way to celebrate their art and accomplishments,” said Dr. Lance Clark, professor of digital media arts film and communication. “Our digital media arts program is really getting a reputation for excellence.”

The Student ADDY Awards Competition is a unique national awards program designed specifically for college students. Work entered at the local level can move up to the regional and national judging.