Mrs. Lillian Iris Kent, 92, widow of the Rev. Archie Kent, passed away Saturday morning, March 27, 2010, at the Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ind. She was a member of the Rugby United Brethren church in Hope, Ind.

The Kents served Indiana congregations in Anderson, Alexandria, Rugby, Huntington, Warren, New Castle, and Williamsport, as well as in Sherkston, Ontario. Lillian was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1918.

Both visitation and the funeral will be held at the Norman Funeral Home in Hope. It is located on the southwest corner of the town square on State Road 9.

Here are the funeral arrangements:

Visitation: 4-8 pm Tuesday, March 30, and 10-11 am March 31.
Funeral: 11 am Wednesday, March 31. Rev. Tracy McIntyre will officiate.
Burial: At the Hawcreek Cemetery.
Memorials: To the Aging and Community Services of South Central Indiana.

Online condolences may be sent to the family.

On this date in 1812–which was 198 years ago–Bishop Martin Boehm died. He was 87 years old. Boehm was one of our denomination’s founders. He was the man who preached that fiery message at Long’s Barn in 1767 which caught the attention of our other founder, William Otterbein.

Seven incoming freshmen to Huntington University have been named recipients of the Horizon Leadership Scholarship for the 2010/11 academic year. This is the third year that the scholarship has been awarded.

Launched in the fall of 2008, the Horizon Leadership Program is a collaborative effort between Huntington University and Youth for Christ designed to attract and retain students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds by providing educational, leadership, and creative outlets.

The Horizon Leader Scholarship covers fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters through a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid.

The recipients of the award are:

  • Rosa Cruz (San Antonio, Texas).
  • Brianna Lapetina (Racine, Wisc.)
  • Karina Palma (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
  • James Pope (San Diego, Calif.)
  • Guiliana Ruiz-Moreno (Chesterton, Ind.)
  • Isaiah Stephenson (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
  • Jonathan Zamora (Chicago, Ill.)

Front (l-r): Kathy Bruce, Molly Shull. Back (l-r): Jeanie Helman, Penny Cole, Annette Sites, Stacy Gentry.

This weekend members of the UB Women’s Ministry Team met at Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster, Pa., to prepare for the upcoming Women’s Conference this September. The ladies basked in the sun by a lovely pond (while accomplishing a lot, of course), met with the hotel representative to go over logistics, and sampled a complimentary smorgasbord dinner. Registration for the conference is open and many woman have already registered. Check out ubwomen.org to view a short commercial and register your group today!

The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team. L-r: Chuck Wheatley, Robert Bruce, Craig Burkholder, Lee Rhodes (chairman), Chris Little (red shirt, back to the camera), Bishop Phil Whipple, Cathy Reich (secretary, hidden), Terry Smith, Dennis Sites.

The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team (PMLT) met Monday night and Tuesday, March 15-16. The main agenda item involved pastoral training. The Huntington University Graduate School will discontinue the Pastoral Leadership track in June. That has always been our primary vehicle for training ministers. The PMLT needed to figure out how to replace it.

They settled on a list of 11 core courses for the National Conference license, and 24 core courses for ordination. If no college can be found that offers a particular course, the PMLT may cover the subject through a workshop of some kind. A Masters degree is no longer required for ordination.

Here are the course subjects. If you have questions, ask them in the “Comments,” and Bishop Whipple will respond.

National Conference License
Ordination
Spiritual Formation Bible Study
Old Testament Survey Mentoring and Time Management
New Testament Survey Christian World View
Systematic Theology Christian Ethics
UB History Church History Survey
Pastoral Care and Counseling Missions
Preaching Worship
Ministry Internship Relationship Building
Evangelism Equipping the Church for Service
Bible Elective Conflict Management
Bible Elective Leadership of a Governing Body
Leadership of a Congregation
Staff (Lay or Paid) Management

Youth workers from United Brethren churches throughout the US will gather in Florida April 26-30 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.

The Summit is held at First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla.

You can register online. The registration fee is:

Before April 1: $90.
After April 1: $110.

The registration fee covers the cost of:

  • Materials
  • Speakers
  • Lodging (the church has lodging facilities, so there are no hotel costs).
  • 3 breakfasts and 2 lunches.

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.

You can register and get more information at: UBTeens.org

Huntington University will begin offering a new Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree this fall. Classes will focus on the principles of marketing, salesmanship, market research, consumer behavior, business communication, financial management, advertising, and promotion. Enrollment is currently under way.

“Students are going to be exposed to people who have real ‘street knowledge’ of marketing who can provide practical experience in addition to the educational experience,” said David McEowen, associate professor of business.

Business professors David McEowen and Jim O’Donnell bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to the program, having more than 50 years of marketing experience between them at companies such as Fidelity Investments, Dreyfus, and Fuji USA.

Instead of a week at the beach or at home relaxing during the March 15-19 spring break, Huntington University students have their eyes set on various service projects. They include:

  • Working with Habitat for Humanity in Benton Harbor, Mich.
  • Traveling to the Dominican Republican, just across the border from Haiti, to work in local schools and churches.
  • Partnering with Christian Service International in Jamaica to build new rooms in a children’s home and work alongside Jamaican Christians to address needs in the community of Highgate.

The Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) brought the national Upwards Basketball/Cheerleading outreach ministry to Hillsdale County. About 150 elementary age children participated in the eight-week program on Saturdays.

An Awards night was held Saturday, March 5. Thirty children responded to the gospel invitation to receive Christ. New families have come into the church as a direct result of the Upwards ministry.