01 Feb UB Offices Closed Wednesday
Because of the blizzard, the Healthy Ministry Resources offices will be closed on Wednesday, February 2.
31 Jan Conference Room Makeover
The new conference room at the national office is now finished. Everything is brand new–tables (with A/C and ethernet plugins), swiveling chairs, indirect lighting, carpet, electronic projection system, and more. Very, very nice. Removing two closets even made the room a little bigger.
The previous conference room had remained basically the same since 1987. Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple, oversaw the makeover.
28 Jan Community Prayer for Drug Addiction
“It was a really powerful God-thing,” says pastor Greg Voight of the Prayer Meeting for Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse. This special community service was held Sunday, January 16, at Lancaster UB church in Lancaster, Ohio.
The purpose was to rally local people to pray about the heroin and prescription drug problem in Ohio. Fairfield County ranks high nationally with prescription drug and heroin addiction.
“The church was absolutely full,” says Pastor Voight (right). Though they didn’t take an actual count, he estimates that over 400 people attended. “It’s the largest crowd we’ve had since I’ve been there.”
The attendees included the mayor, police chief, county sherrif, drug court judges, persons from various organizations, and a number of pastors.
The event was a cooperative effort of various churches of all flavors. Greg and another pastor spearheaded it.
After a brief time of worship, they showed a locally-produced video called “Hooked,” which included interviews with former addicts, the police chief, mayor, doctors, and others. The typical pattern is that addiction begins with prescribing pain medication, and when they can no longer afford it, opiates are a cheap and easy-to-find substitute. There was a tesimony from a woman whose daughter was “raised in the right way in all forms,” says Pastor Voight, yet she ended up addicted to heroin.
Each participating pastor prayed over a different aspect of the problem–root causes, law enforcement, medical fields, community awareness, civic organizations that work in this area, etc. Another time of worship ended the event.
Says Pastor Voight, “I think God is revealing to us that this the epidemic of our time, and God is calling the church out and calling the church together. The system won’t fix the problem. The only answer is God’s power unleased in the community in people’s lives.”
28 Jan Obit: Neoma Yohe
Neoma Yohe, 90, wife of the late Rev. Howard Yohe, passed away on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, at Lutheran Homes in Muscatine, Iowa.
Neoma ws born in 1920 in Claytonville, Ill. She went on to attend Huntington University, where she met her future husband, a ministerial student. She and Howard were married in 1939 in Hunington, Ind. They served 13 churches in Indiana, Illinois, and Virginia until 1974, when health concerns forced them to leave the pastoral ministry. Howard passed away in 1995. Neoma remained a member of Jerusalem Chapel in Churchville, Va.
Both visitation and the funeral will take place at Jerusalem Chapel.
Visitation: 6:30-8:00 pm Monday, February 1, 2011.
Funeral: Tuesday, February 2, 2011.
Officiating: Rev. Dennis Sites, pastor of Jerusalem Chapel, and Mr. Harold Fry.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Jerusalem Chapel Building Fund, c/o Mrs. Lucy Plotner, 563 Hankey Mountain Hwy., Churchville, VA 24421.
27 Jan 2011 Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit
The second annual UB Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit will be held May 17-18 in Holly Hill, Fla. The event will be hosted by First UB church in Holly Hill.
You will have the opportunity to spend time with children’s ministry workers from across our denomination: learning from each other, sharing ideas, networking, relaxing, and soaking up the Florida sunshine! Last year, 17 people attended and had a great time.
This event is aimed especially at persons who specialize in working with children. It is not limited to staffpersons. However, because of space limitations, it is limited to your “lead” children’s worker.
This is a unique opportunity for you to fellowship with others who share your passion. We know you will find it helpful, encouraging, and fun. Best of all, it’s FREE! You only need to cover your transportation costs to Florida.
Once again, we will cover your cost of registration. You will just need to find a way to get there! Look for additional information as well as opportunities to register.
What: Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit
When: May 17-18, 2011
Where: First UB in Holly Hill, Fla.
Cost: Travel expenses are up to you. Lodging and meals are provided.
Why: Networking, fellowship, encouragement, and fun!
27 Jan 2011 UB Youth Summit
Youth workers from United Brethren churches throughout the US will gather in Florida May 2-5 for the annual UB Youth Workers Summit. It’s a great time for networking with fellow youth workers, sharing ideas, and learning how to do it better.
Soon, you’ll be able to register online. For now, here is the info:
Dates: May 2-5, 2011
Place: Holly Hill United Brethren Church, near Daytona Beach.
Speaker: Denny Miller, senior pastor of Emmanuel Community Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Cost: By April 1, $99. After April 1 the cost is $120.
Because of space limitations, this is designed for the “lead” youth worker at churches. Send the person who leads your youth ministry, whether fulltime, part-time, or volunteer. For more information, go to UBTeens.org.
27 Jan Obit: Dorothy Burk
Dorothy Burk, wife of longtime Michigan Conference minister Earnest Burk and mother of longtime UB pastor Roger Burk, passed away during the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 26, 2011.
Visitation: 9:30 am Saturday, February 5, 2011.
Memorial service: 11:30 am Saturday, February 5, 2011.
Location: Mt. Hope UB church, 5011 Mount Hope Road, Carson City, MI 48811.
A luncheon will be served in the fellowship hall immediately after the memorial service.
The family has requested that any memorial gifts be directed to:
Global Ministries
Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750
27 Jan Christmas in Harrisonburg, Va.
The UB church in Harrisonburg, Va., put on a Christmas play on December 19. The title was “St Nicholas, The Man Behind the Mask.”Here are a couple scenes from the program.
25 Jan Sunfield, Mich: Children’s/Education Director
Sunfield United Brethren Church (Sunfield, Mich.) is looking for a person to serve as Children’s/Education Director. This is a part-time position (20 hours per week).
21 Jan 2011 US National Conference: Registration Open
The 2011 US National Conference is six months away. Join us July 6-9 as hundreds of United Brethren from across the country come together to worship, learn, get acquainted, and grow closer to Christ.
Over 800 people attended in both 2007 and 2009. This is a Big Deal for our denomination.
Everything you need to know can be found at USNationalConference.com. That includes:
- Schedule
- Costs
- How to register
- Workshops
- Lodging
- Things to do
- Nursery, children, and youth
- And much more
Once again, we will meet at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio. Two changes were made with the date:
- We moved the conference a little later, so that all graduations and open houses should be done.
- We’re starting on a Wednesday and concluding at noon on Saturday. Previously, we went from Thursday to Sunday noon.
The past two national conferences dealt with the Great Commission. This year, we will “Focus” on the Great Commandment–loving God, and loving others.
Registration Costs
Individual: $55 ($65 after June 1)
Family: $90 ($110 after June 1)
You can register online now. Or, you can wait for the registration brochures which will be mailed to all churches in a few weeks.
Lodging
You need to make your own hotel arrangements. The meetings will be held at Sawmill Creek, which has 250 rooms.
Rooms at Sawmill Creek are only $95 (plus tax) per room, per night. You can register now at Sawmill Creek by calling 800-729-6455. Tell them you’re with the United Brethren Church conference.
Numerous other hotels are located nearly.
Rex and LaWanda Bullock
Keynote Speaker: Rex Bullock
Helping us Focus on loving God and loving others will be Rex Bullock. For over 30 years, Rex has been in demand for revivals, conferences, pastor’s retreats, and crusades. He is committed to seeing people won to Christ. His deepest desire is to see the character of Christ lived out in people’s lives.
Rex is the radio voice of Dayspring, a 30-minute program heard throughout the world. Dayspring’s mission is “Teaching holy living and trying to build the character of Christ into the lives of individuals everywhere.”
Originally from East Texas, Rex has pastored innovative churches in Texas, California, Washington, and Florida. He understands church planting and church growth, because he has been involved in seeing young churches grow and be nurtured. He has also pastored large churches with multiple staff and facilities. He and his wife, LaWanda, live in St. Petersburg, Fla.