On Friday, July 16, delegates to the US National Conference will gather at Huntington University for an afternoon and evening of tours, food, music, presentations, and other activities. It’s gonna be a great deal of fun. There will be an evening service at 6:30 in the Merillat Centre for the Arts, with President Sherilyn Emberton speaking.

This event is open to anyone. You don’t need to be registered for the US National Conference.

With rain in the forecast, all activities have been moved indoors…just in case. Below is the revised schedule.

You can also download the schedule in PDF, and view the HU campus map.

The 2021 US National Conference begins Wednesday, July 14, in Fort Wayne, Ind. The main services will all be livestreamed, so people can watch them online. Go to: http://nc.ub.org

This applies to four services:

  • 6:30 Wednesday, July 14. Speaker: Mike Dittman, UB Director of National Ministries. Topic: “The Disciple-Maker as an Apprentice of Jesus.”
  • 6:30 Thursday, July 15. Speaker: Frank Yang, executive director of UB Global. Topics: “The Disciple-Maker as a Foreigner in a Strange Land.”
  • 6:30 Friday, July 16. Speaker: Sherilyn Emberton, President of Huntington University.
  • 9:00 Saturday morning, July 17. Speaker: the bishop-elect (delegates will elect a bishop on Thursday morning, July 15).

Huntington University has an opening for a Campus Pastor. This is a fulltime position with benefits. The campus pastor is responsible for fostering the spiritual formation of students. Under the direction and leadership of the VP for Spiritual Formation, the campus pastor will oversee day-to-day ministry programs and outreach experiences including worship, student discipleship, chapel programming, and small groups.

Qualifications

  • Growing Christian with a track record of discipleship and accountability relationships.
  • A ministry/theological graduate degree or its equivalent.
  • Licensed or ordained UB minister. If not licensed/ordained through the UB denomination, willing to transfer license/ordination to the UBIC.
  • A minimum of three to five years of successful full-time pastoral leadership in a university ministry or church setting.
  • A deeply held sense of calling to ministry with college-age students in an intellectual community.
  • Gifted in spiritual counseling, preaching, creative worship, discipleship and small group ministries.
  • Understanding of and commitment to the goals and character of Huntington University.
  • Evangelical in theological orientation, in general accord with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ’s Confession of Faith and willing to become a member of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.

To apply, send cover letter, resume, and STAFF application to Human Resource Office, Huntington University, 2303 College Avenue, Huntington, IN 46750 or by email to employment@huntington.edu.

Staff application and job description may be found here. :

Huntington University is an equal opportunity employer.

As part of the 2021 US National Conference, a Golf Outing will be held on the opening day, July 14. However, you can participate whether or not you are registered for the conference.

Time: 12:30 am
Location: Chestnut Hills Golf Course, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Cost: $50 for 18 holes, with cart

As of June 24, ten teams (20 players) have signed up. There’s room for more. The registration deadline is July 1.

Go here for more information and to register.

Rev. Steve and Amanda Henry and children.

Rev. Steve Henry passed away the evening of May 31. He has been pastor of Victory Heights UB church (Franklin, Pa.), since 2006, and was ordained as a United Brethren minister in 2014. Steve leaves behind a wife, Amanda, to whom he has been married since 2001, and five children.

Amanda posted the following on June 1: “I got a call last night with news I never wanted to hear. Steve had a massive brain hemorrhage. It caused fluid to back up in his brain and did irreparable damage. The surgeon said he was brain dead and that surgery wouldn’t be able to correct it. Steve passed away last night. He now is the presence of his Savior and rejoicing without pain or struggle.”

A funeral service will be held sometime Friday afternoon, June 4, at Atlantic Avenue UB church in Franklin, Pa. Bishop Todd Fetters will officiate. The exact time and other details are still being worked out.

According to Facebook posts from Steve and Amanda, Steve tested positive for Covid on May 8, was hospitalized the next day, was moved to ICU and placed on a ventilator on May 13, and was transferred to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on May 15, where he remained until his death.

As part of the NAE Financial Health initiative, Brian Kluth, national spokesperson, will travel to over 100 cities across America on the Bless Your Pastor Tour to encourage greater financial health and generosity of churches and pastors.

Emmanuel UB church in Fort Wayne, Ind., will host one of these events.

Date: Friday, June 4
Time: 2-4 pm (doors open at 1:30)
Location: Emmanuel Community Church 12222 W US-24, Fort Wayne, IN 46814

The cost is free. You can register here.

We’re looking forward to an exciting National Conference July 14-17 in Fort Wayne, Ind. Registrations arrive every day. As of Friday, May 7, the in-person registrations included 121 families and 42 individuals. In addition, 3 families and 9 individuals had registered to attend online.

To register, go here.

To help prepare people for the conference, Bishop Todd Fetters will lead three Zoom meetings–on May 24, 25, and 27. He will discuss the business meeting and other aspects of the conference, and a representative of the Nominating Committee will present their report.

Here are the times:

  • Monday, May 24 @ 11:00 am
  • Tuesday, May 25 @ 11:00 am
  • Thursday, May 27 @ 7:00 pm

You must register. Prior to the online session, you will receive an email with the link for connecting to the Zoom meeting.

You can register for a Zoom meeting here.

First UB of New Castle, Pa., erected a steeple atop the church in honor of Rev. David Bell, who pastored the church for 28 years. Bell died in September 2018 of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

The church held a dedication service for the steeple in April. Ann Bell, Dave’s widow, attended along with 33 other family members. Rev. Marc Stephenson, the current pastor, presented to her a collection of memories assembled by members of the congregation.

Read the article about the steeple in the New Castle News.

Judy Dyer (left) and Jennifer Furnish

Judy Dyer retired April 30 after seven years at the United Brethren National Office. As accounting assistant, she worked closely with Finance Director Marci Hammel to handle the various financial needs of the US National Conference and of UB Global.

Judy grew up in Huntington, graduated from Huntington University, and attends the local College Park UB church. She and her husband Phil, who retired from the Norfolk & Southern Railroad in 2019, have two daughters—one living in Warren, Ind., with three children, and another living in Columbus, Ohio, with a wedding scheduled for September. In retirement, Judy says she plans to spend a lot of time with family, including those three grandchildren. She and Phil also hope to do some traveling, and already have planned two trips to Florida.

“Seven years—wow!” says Judy. “It will be interesting to see where God takes Phil and me on our next journey.”

Taking Judy’s place is Jennifer Furnish, who joined the staff in mid-April. Jennifer is a 2008 graduate of Indiana Tech. She most recently worked at Innovative Pension Consulting in Roanoke, Ind.

Jennifer was born in Huntington and grew up here. In 2014 she married Derek, who is from nearby Warren. He works out of Bluffton with the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Jennifer and Derek have three young children—Eden, born in 2016; Rhett, 2017; and Wyatt, 2019. They attend Bethel United Methodist Church in Huntington.

The UB National Office gives best wishes for a well-deserved retirement to Judy, and a hearty welcome to Jennifer.

Rev. Wayne Goldsmith, 91, passed away April 16, 2021. He and his wife, Mary, who died in 2018, enjoyed 66 years of marriage together. A celebration of life service will be held June 12, 2021, in Fort Wayne, Ind. Details below.

For 45 years, Wayne served congregations fulltime in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Ontario. After retiring, he spent another 15 years serving many congregations as an interim minister, including in Fountain Hills, Ariz., in 2002.

The first United Brethren church he pastored was Parkwood Gardens UB church in Guelph, Ontario, 1985-1988. He went on to pastor churches in the former Michindoh Conference, which included churches in southern Michigan, northwest Ohio, and northern Indiana. He also served a number of stints as an interim pastor for UB churches.

Visitation: Friday, June 11, 2021, from 1-3 pm and 5-7 pm.
Visitation location: D.O. McComb and Sons Maplewood Park Funeral Home, 4017 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Celebration of Life service: 10:30 am Saturday, June 12, 2021. Visitation one hour beforehand.
Location: Central Ministries, 5801 Schwartz Road, Fort Wayne, IN.

Online obituary here.