I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word… (2 Tim 4.1-2a)

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God calls people from every generation to lead his church.  While we trust God to be faithful for tomorrow as he has in the past, we can’t be passive. God calls us to partner with him in the calling, equipping and sending of Christian leaders to build the Church. This has been a key part of the United Brethren’s past and we long to make it an integral part of our future.

We invite you to join in this work.

In the month of May, we are inviting the United Brethren Church to pray for the next generation of Christian leaders. Pray on your own, with your family, and in your church and small group gatherings. There is a need for more pastors and leaders, and we know the first critical step to identifying those individuals is prayer.

Please join us.

What can you pray for?

  • Pray that God would continue to make his call into ministry clear to the next generation.
  • Pray that people would have the courage and faith to respond to God’s call.
  • Pray that the Church would help identify the call in people.
  • Pray that the Church would equip, train, and encourage those called into ministry.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for video reminders and specific prayer prompts on Thursdays throughout the month.

Thanks for joining in this prayer focus for the month of May. We are excited to see how God moves!

Article submitted by:

Ryan Koch

Senior Pastor, Hopewell Church

 

The United Brethren National Conference (NC25) is fast approaching, and to get everyone up to speed and informed, we are once again hosting a series of regional preview meetings. These meetings are designed to give you a taste of what to expect at the conference, including key speakers, workshop topics, and any proposals that will be presented during the business session at NC25.

While no votes will be taken at these meetings, they do provide a space for more interaction and dialogue than would otherwise be possible at the national conference business session where the voting does take place. 

There are four regional preview meetings scheduled and one online meeting for anyone unable to attend one of the others. These gatherings are open to anyone, but we would especially love to see ministers, staff, and the lay delegates that will represent your churches. The dates and locations for each of these meetings are listed below. Find the one that best fits your schedule and register here.

Preview Meeting Dates and Locations

  • Monday, May 12 at Sunfield UB Church, 9:00-11:30AM
    8436 W Grand Ledge Hwy, Sunfield, MI 48890
  • Wednesday, May 14 at Living Grace Community Church, 9:00-11:30AM
    13726 Coldwater Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46845
  • Monday, May 19 at Atlantic Avenue UB Church, 9:00-11:30AM
    160 Atlantic Ave, Franklin, PA 16323
  • Wednesday, May 21 King Street Church, 9:00-11:30AM
    162 E King St, Chambersburg, PA 17201
  • Thursday, May 22 | Virtual Zoom Meeting, 7:00-8:30PM
    (All virtual meeting registrants will receive an email ahead of time with the Zoom invitation link. Our plan is to send this the day before as well as one hour before the meeting.)

For the latest updates and announcements about the 2025 National Conference including any changes to these preview sessions, visit the official conference website or follow us on social media.

If you still need to register for the conference, click here.

 

Roger Reeck, a longtime United Brethren missionary serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators, passed away March 28, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. A celebration of life will be held at 8:00 p.m. on April 21, 2025, at the Bethel Evangelical Education Center in La Ceiba, Honduras.

Roger and Marilyn Reeck met at Fort Wayne Bible College in Fort Wayne, Ind. Marilyn was born in Canada, but spent much of her childhood in Honduras, where her parents, Archie and Maisie Cameron, were United Brethren missionaries. Roger and Marilyn were married in 1971 in Honduras, and two weeks later began linguistic training to become Bible translators with Wycliffe.

Their first assignment was with the Zapotec language spoken in southern Mexico. There was no written language, so Roger crafted an alphabet, and then they taught the people to read in their own language. They spent 19 years on that project. Mark, the first Bible book to be translated, was published in 1981, and more books followed.

During those years in Mexico, four daughters were born to Roger and Marilyn. In 1990, the family moved to La Ceiba, Honduras, where they worked on the Garifuna Bible translation and could also care for Marilyn's aging parents. They returned to Mexico in 1999 for the dedication of the Zapotec New Testament. In 2002, back in Honduras, they dedicated the Garifuna Bible. In the years ahead, they also created a Garifuna version of the Jesus film, which was shown up and down the Caribbean coast, along with sundry other materials.

From 2006-2021, Roger and Marilyn served as translation consultants, starting with a project in Guinea Bissau, West Africa. That required many trips across the Atlantic. Other consulting projects opened up—in Mozambique, Belize, Venezuela, Brazil, Columbia, Surinam, Nicaragua, Trinidad, and Aruba. After Covid hit in March 2020, all consulting work was done via Zoom.

Today, tens of thousands of people can read the Bible in their own language because of Roger and Mariyn Reeck.

Instead of flowers, it is suggested that you consider donating to a future Bible translation project which was close to Roger's heart. Information can be found on the Everloved.com online obituary page.

(submitted by Steve Dennie)

Brown Corners Church in Clare, Michigan, is searching for a lead pastor. This individual will be responsible to the church for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, maintaining a consistent focus upon disciple-making as commanded in the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20), and providing biblical leadership for the church. He shall serve as the chief under-shepherd and, along with the Elders, he shall provide Brown Corners Church with care and leadership in keeping with 1 Peter 5:2-4.

Brown Corners Church is a church of approximately 250 adult members and an average worship attendance of 300 people. It is a community-minded church with great facilities that are made available for use by partner organizations throughout the week. The church seeks growth through intentional community outreach and developing a robust small group ministry according to the vision and leadership of their next lead pastor.

This lead pastor role is a full time position at Brown Corners Church. A more detailed job description can be found here.

If you are interested in exploring this opportunity further, please send a copy of your resume, a cover letter, and a recent photo to [email protected].

(First posted 2/6/25)