17 Jul Seven Persons Ordained at 2023 National Conference

On July 14, six men and one woman were ordained during the closing service of the 2023 US National Conference. This is always a highlight of National Conference. It’s inspiring to see men and women ordained as United Brethren ministers–“elders,” we call them.

Ordination is the culmination of years of education, examination, and faithful ministry experience. Some persons choose to be ordained in their local church, among the people who know them best. Others wait to be ordained at National Conference–six in 2011, four in 2013, six in 2015, nine in 2017 (our 250th anniversary conference), four in 2019, and one in 2021 (our “post-Covid” conference).

As bishop, Todd Fetters conducted this year’s ordinations, as he has done since 2017. Candidates select two persons, usually other ordained UB ministers, who have had a meaningful role in their life. These two persons join the bishop in the “laying on of hands.” Scripture is read, prayer is offered, and timeless words are spoken–the same words heard by hundreds of men and women throughout our history.

As the candidate (and spouse, if attending) kneel, the bishop and others lay hands on the person’s head, and the bishop says: “Take authority to execute the office of an elder in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The candidate then stands and is handed a Bible by the bishop, who says, “Take authority to preach the Word of God and to administer the ordinances in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.”

The seven persons ordained on July 14 were:

• Brad North, senior pastor of South Scipio UB church (Harlan, Ind.). Brad was executive director of Camp Living Waters (Luther, Mich.) 2013-2018 before being assigned to South Scipio.
• Jerald Jones, senior pastor since 2018 of McCallum UB church (Delton, Mich.). He is a graduate of Grace Bible College.
• Jennifer Smith, Women’s Pastor since 2016 at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). She holds an Elementary Education degree from Houghton University, and taught for three years at a missionary school in Senegal.
• Aaron deNeui, senior pastor since 2018 of Philomath UB church (Philomath, Oregon). He is a 1982 graduate of Moody Bible Institute.
• Sam Ward, Worship Pastor at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Sam, a 1997 Huntington University graduate, holds a Master of Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He has served at Emmanuel since 2000.
• Rick Tawney, church planter and pastor of First UB church (Columbus, Ohio). He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Akron (1989), a Master of Divinity from Trinity International (1994), and a master’s in Counseling from Philadelphia Biblical University (2003). He started Renew of Columbus in 2019, and in 2022 also became pastor of First UB.
• Eric Griffon, Worship Pastor since 2017 at Fowlerville UB church (Fowlerville, Mich.). He is a 2003 graduate of Wheaton College (Kinesiology/Education), and in 2010 received the Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan.