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The funeral service for Rev. Russell Birdsall will be held Saturday, February 13, at 11:00 a.m. It will be held at College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), and will be livestreamed on the church’s Youtube channel at 11 a.m. You can watch it here.
The 2021 US National Conference will be held July 14-17 in Fort Wayne, Ind. We are returning to the downtown Grand Wayne Center, where the 2013 conference was held.
This will be a “hybrid” conference. You can attend in-person, or attend online. The registration cost is the same either way. Both options have their perks and advantages.
For complete information and to register, go to the conference website.
The format will be similar to previous conferences–start on Wednesday night, business meeting on Thursday morning, workshops on Friday morning, keynote addresses each night, concluding service Saturday morning. We’ll spend Friday afternoon and evening at Huntington University, our college, where some exciting things are planned. There is a youth track, and childcare will be provided at specified times.
Business is being kept to a minimum this year, but delegates will still need to elect a bishop and four members of the Executive Leadership Team. Mostly, we’ll focus on reports and vision.
Choose from three hotels, ranging from $115-$130 per night. The Hilton is integrated into the Grand Wayne Center, and the Courtyard and Hampton Inn are located across the street. All very convenient.
For the keynote evening messages, we are using three of our denominational directors: Mike Dittman (National Ministries), Frank Yang (UB Global), and Sherilyn Emberton (Higher Education). All will address aspects of the theme, “Make Disciples.” The bishop-elect will speak on Saturday morning.
Read more about the keynote speakers.
Registration is now open. Go here to register.
In-person: Individual: $75
In-person: Family: $115
Online: Attendee (maximum 1 vote per link): $75
Online: Attendee & Spouse (maximum 2 votes per link): $115
Go to the conference website for more information about Schedule, Lodging, Business, Youth and Childcare, Speakers, and more.
Rev. Russ and Nellie Birdsall
Rev. Russell Birdsall, 93, passed away Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at his home in Huntington, Ind. He was a United Brethren missionary in Sierra Leone, Dean of Students at Huntington University, a UB pastor in Huntington, fulltime superintendent of Central Conference, short-term UB missionary in Macau for a number of terms…and beloved by everyone who knew him.
A funeral service will be at 11 am Saturday, February 13, at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. Dr. Ray Seilhamer will officiate. Visitation will be available 3-7pm on Friday, February 12, at the Bailey-Love Mortuary in Huntington (35 West Park Drive).
Russ grew up in a United Brethren preacher’s home, a son of Rev. Stanley Birdsall. He and Nellie, his wife of nearly 70 years, met at Huntington University and were married in 1951. He graduated from HU in 1953, and was ordained in 1957 after graduating from the HU seminary.
On September 4, 1957, Russ, Nellie, and their young daughter, Sharon, boarded a ship for Sierra Leone, where they served as UB missionaries for the next 11 years.
In July 1968, the family returned to Huntington at the request of Dr. DeWitt Baker, another former Sierra Leone missionary, so Russ could become dean of students. He did that until 1976, followed by two years as director of church relations for the college.
In 1979, Russ began ten years as pastor of New Hope UB church in Huntington, Ind., followed by three years, 1990-1993, as fulltime superintendent of Central Conference.
Between 1994 and 2006, Russ and Nellie served seven times in Macau as short-term missionaries, always going at their own expense. They taught in the English Language Program, conducted Bible studies, and provided pastoral care for the other missionaries.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bailey-Love Mortuary in Huntington.
Steve Fish (right) has joined the UB Global staff as an associate director, as of February 1, 2021. He has served in United Brethren ministry since 1989, and for the past five years has been Teaching Pastor and Director of Missions at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Steve is at least a third-generation UB; he recalls hearing that his grandparents were strong supporters of UB missions. He grew up in Temperance, Mich., a few miles from the Ohio line, but the family drove into Ohio to attend the former Emmanuel UB church in the Toledo area.
Steve entered Huntington University in 1985, and as a sophomore chose Bible & Religion as his major. When he attended Challenge ’88, the UB denominational convention in Knoxville, Tenn., he sensed a definite calling to the ministry.
At Huntington, he met Kim Maxwell, daughter of Dr. Kent and Carol Maxwell, who had served several decades in United Brethren ministry. Steve and Kim were married in 1989. That year, Steve joined the staff of Morning Star UB church in Kokomo, Ind., where he worked under the leadership of senior pastor Greg Reed. Over the next 12 years he served in various roles, including singles minister, adult education, missions, and preaching.
In 2001, Steve and Kim relocated to Wilmore, Kent., where he entered Asbury Theological Seminary. He graduated in 2005 with a Master of Divinity degree, was ordained that year by Bishop Paul Hirschy, and in November became senior pastor of Oak Harbor UB church (now Shoreline) in Oak Harbor, Ohio.
In 2010, Steve decided to step away from the ministry for a while. He and Kim moved back to Indiana, where Steve worked in secular employment for four years. In 2012, Kim joined the staff of Emmanuel UB church as a counselor and as Director of Women’s Ministries, and served five years in that role. In 2015, Pastor Dennis Miller invited Steve to also join the staff.
Growing up in the United Brethren church, Steve heard presentations from UB missionaries who were home on furlough or preparing for overseas service. His first overseas trip was to Honduras, while serving at Morning Star. He has now visited Honduras five times. Other overseas missions experience includes visits to Jamaica, Nicaragua, Columbia, Poland, and a preaching tour with Bishop Denis Casco to UB churches in Mexico. Emmanuel Community Church has been active in UB missions, with members Jenaya Bonner serving in Macau and the Glunt family in Thailand.
For the past several years, Steve has been a member of the UB Global board, and has joined members of the UB Global staff in attending the big Missio-Nexus missions conference for three of the past four years.
In February 2020, Steve joined Frank Yang, now the UB Global executive director, in a visit to Thailand to spend time with the Glunt family and see the new Good Soil Community Center. They left just as the country went into lockdown.
Steve and Kim Fish have two children, Alyssa and Johonna. Kim works in private practice with Clarity Counseling LLC, based in Fort Wayne, Ind.
A date has been set for the next UB History Course:
Date: March 15-16, 2021 (Monday and Tuesday).
Time: 9 am to 4 pm both days.
Instructor: Rev. Bob Bruce.
The course will be held online via Zoom.
About the Course
The UB History Course is held periodically, either online or in regional locations. This course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination, and qualifies for 12 credit hours.
However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are welcome to take the course. Laypersons, especially local church leaders (board chairpersons and members, lay delegates, etc.), are encouraged to attend. It’s valuable to have an understanding about United Brethren history.
The cost is $200, if you are seeking a ministerial license. There is a $50 discount if you pay fully in advance of the class, making your cost just $150. Three books are also required.
For everyone else, the cost is $100.
Lamar and Karen Crumbley as missionaries in Honduras.
Rev. Lamar Crumbley, 87, a former UB missionary in Honduras, passed away January 24, 2021, in Canton, Ga.
Visitation: 10:00 – 11:30 am on February 9, 2021.
Funeral: 11:30 am February 9, 2021
Location: Darby Funeral Home, 480 East Main Street, Canton, GA 30114
Lamar and Karen Crumbley became involved with the UB work in Honduras in 1974, leading a series of short-term teams from their Baptist church in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Fifi and in the years following. Field Superintendent Archie Cameron finally invited them to join the work fulltime. They sold their business and, in 1978, settled in La Ceiba.
The Crumbleys served in Honduras over a 15-year period, and also served a short-term stint in Macau in 2003. Karen passed away April 2, 2019, at age 82.
Rev. James C Mack, 63, passed away January 17 in Chambersburg, Pa. He was a United Brethren minister in Pennsylvania for many years, including senior pastor at Pleasant Hill UB in Greencastle 1992-2001, followed by staff roles at Ebenezer UB in Greencastle through 2014. He is survived by his wife, Faith, and three children.
Graveside services were held January 20, with Dr. Anthony Blair officiating. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, January 30, at The Life Center, 35 N. Carlisle St., Greencastle, Pa. Read the online obituary here.
Angela Vincenti
Angela Vincenti has been hired as administrative assistant in UB Global, the missions arm of the UB churches in the United States and Canada. She started on Monday, January 11.
Angela was born in Michigan, where her family became associated with the United Brethren church in Freeport, then pastored by Rev. Jerry Drummond. In 1984, when she was in second grade, the family moved to Huntington, Ind., so her parents could attend Huntington University. They soon settled into the College Park UB church. She grew up in Huntington and went on to attend Huntington University, graduating in 2000 with a degree in Cross Cultural Ministry.
At HU, Angela met her future husband, Mark. They were married in 1999. In June 2000 they moved to Chambersburg, Pa., where Mark became youth pastor at his home church, King Street UB. They served there for nearly 11 years. During that time, Angela was a children’s minister for about three years. Among other things, she started an after-school ministry which continues.
In 2011, the Vincentis returned to Huntington, where Mark joined the staff of College Park UB church. In October 2019, he left to join the staff of Emmanuel UB church in Fort Wayne.
For five years now, Angela has volunteered with International House in Fort Wayne. She mostly works with Muslim women, building relationships and helping them learn conversational English. It’s a way to put her Cross Cultural Ministry degree to work. And now, she’ll use her degree with UB Global.
Angela and Mark have four children, from kindergarten through 11th grade. With all of them now in school, it seemed like a good time for her to return to the workplace. The UB National Office is delighted to welcome Angela to the team.
In July 2021, delegates from United Brethren churches in the United States will gather for the biennial US National Conference. This year, we are meeting in Fort Wayne, Ind., where we previously met in 2013.
The 2021 US National Conference will hold its business meeting on Thursday, July 15, 2021. The delegates will hear reports, and will elect a bishop and four members of the Executive Leadership Team. The intent is to keep other business to a minimum this year, and save any significant business for 2023 when, hopefully, the pandemic will be behind us.
The United Brethren constituency is invited to submit proposals for consideration at the 2021 business meeting. A proposal needs to come from a group or official entity — not from an individual. Examples: a local church board, cluster group, a denominational leadership team or study committee, etc.
The Bishop’s Office and the Executive Leadership Team are responsible for processing and approving proposals for presentation to the conference.
The deadline for submitting proposals is March 1, 2021. If you would like to submit a proposal for revising the Discipline, or a proposal of some other kind, please send it to: bishop@ub.org.
by Bishop Todd Fetters
It’s Christmas Eve in an unprecedented year where nothing seems certain or predictable, except uncertainty and unpredictability.
But, that’s where I think 6-4 BC and Advent 2020 intersect rather extraordinarily. Something unprecedented happened then that is still impacting the world to this very day. Remember? Luke 2:6-7 will remind you.
“While [Mary and Joseph] were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”
I imagine Joseph struggled with the uncertain and unpredictable events that met him in Bethlehem. Perhaps he prayed, “Heavenly Father, seriously?! It’s not supposed to be this way. No comfortable place for my pregnant wife? No soft, sanitary place for the birth of your infant Son? A stable for shelter. A straw-filled trough for a bed. Noisy, filthy animals for nursery companions. This cannot be what you were thinking as fitting for the birth of a King.”
Yep. It was supposed to be that way. The result? The Savior of the world was born.
Undoubtedly, your Christmas Eve looks, sounds, and feels different this year. Perhaps you’re struggling with how uncertainty and unpredictability have messed with your Christmas — “It’s not supposed to be this way.” But, what if it is? What if God, through the Spirit of Jesus, is about to do something unprecedented in your life that will bring glory to Him now and familiarity to you in years to come?
Don’t waste this moment. Please! Seek the Lord afresh this Christmas and find Him anew! After all, our stability is in the stable — Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years.
