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02 Jan

January 2, 2010 |

Rev. Richard Raab, a retired ordained United Brethren minister, passed away at 4:15 pm on Friday, January 1, 2010. The funeral arrangements are as follows:

Visitation: Sunday, January 3, 2-5 pm and 6-9 pm.
Location: Stroo Funeral Home, 1095 68th Street, Southeast, Grand Rapids, MI 49508. Phone: (616) 455-9280.
Funeral: Monday, January 4, 11 a.m. Visitation 10-10:45 a.m.
Location: Banner of Christ UB church, 1111 68th Street, Byron Center, MI 49315. Phone: (616) 538-1313.

Dick pastored an Evangelical United Brethren church 1964-1967, and then pastored these four United Brethren churches:

  • 1967-1992: Gaines UB (Caledonia, Mich.)
  • 1992-1996: Shepherd Street UB (Charlotte, Mich.)
  • 1996-1999: Ithaca UB (Ithaca, Mich.)
  • 1999-2007: Richfield Road UB (Flint, Mich.)

Donelle Raab’s adddress is: 1914 Jack Pine Court, Dorr, Michigan 49323.

Dick had requested that any memorials be given to either of these:

  • The Building Fund of Richfield Road United Brethren Church (Flint, Mich.) where they served most recently.
  • The Banner of Christ church (Byron Center, Mich.), where they currently attend.

02 Jan

January 2, 2010 |

We learned that Dick Raab, a recently-retired minister in Michigan, passed away January 1, 2010, around 4:15 pm. On November 2, we reported that he had been diagnosed with cancer and given 3-6 months to live. Please remember his wife, Donelle, in your prayers. We’ll post funeral details as they become available.

30 Dec

December 30, 2009 |

Roland Albert, pastor of Park Layne UB in New Carlisle, Ohio, sent this message:

“Pray for Rev. George Rhodifer (right) today at 10:30 am. He is having a procedure done on his esophagus. He has been fighting the fight against cancer, and he’s winning. We just want everyone to pray for him today at 10:30.”

28 Dec

December 28, 2009 |

Michael Mitchell of Lighthouse Community (Williamston, Mich.) says. “We always have a Christmas Eve’s Eve Candlelight service on the night before Christmas Eve, with desserts and appetizers afterwards. That way, everyone can be with their families on Christmas Eve and still be with their church family during this special season.”

28 Dec

December 28, 2009 |

Barry Skinner, pastor of Kilburn Avenue UB (Rockford, Ill.), reported concerning their Christmas activities: “Our annual nativity walk went well December 12-13. We had over 650 nativity sets and scenes from around the world. The church gave out cookies, drinks, and candy canes along with a nativity story book and three-dimensional nativity scenes with instructions for assembling them.

“We did a series (4 weeks) on the true Christmas story about the character of Mary, Joseph, the wise men, and the shepherds and wrapped it up with the reason Christ came.”

22 Dec

December 22, 2009 |

A few weeks ago, we reported that Sandy Whipple, wife of Bishop Phil Whipple, was undergoing a heart catheterization. The surgery on November 26 went well. They found no blockage in the heart, which was a relief.

The problem involves an irregular heart rhythm, which doctors are regulating with medication. They are doing tests to determine the best medication to use.

19 Dec

December 19, 2009 |

Tom Mahas, youth pastor at Bethel UB (Elmore, Ohio), was approved for his local church license December 17, 2009. Cluster Leader Brad Kittle, pastor of The ROCK (Findlay, Ohio), will present it to him soon.

Tom is the guy who headed up the youth activities at the 2007 and 2009 US National Conferences.

18 Dec

December 18, 2009 |

The Huntington University Graduate School announced this week that it will discontinue the Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership, the program that prepares students for pastoral ministry. Classes will be offered through June 15, 2010.

Ministers can still receive plenty of training at Huntington University. The Masters programs in Youth Ministry Leadership, Counseling, and Education will continue. So will the undergraduate level programs in Bible and Religion, and Ministry and Missions. But the Ministry Leadership program is no longer viable.

The Ministry Leadership program is fairly small: 1 fulltime student, and 29 part-time students. Of those, less than half are United Brethren (1 fulltime, 12 part-time). Many of them receive deep tuition discounts. The program has one fulltime director, 4 adjunct faculty, and one support person.

Dr. G. Blair Dowden, in a letter he sent earlier this week to students in the program, wrote:

“Please be assured that this decision was not taken lightly and is part of a comprehensive budget adjustment involving all parts of the university. Factors such as university-wide enrollment, reduced giving from donors, and changes in state financial aid have forced the university (and many other universities) to take unprecedented measures to balance our budget. The decision to discontinue specific programs was made only after much deliberation and prayer….

“I am saddened by the loss of the Ministry Leadership program at Huntington University, and I regret the position this creates for you and the other students enrolled in the program. Please know that we will work with each of you to find the best solution for completion of this degree or a comparable degree at another university.”

We need to recognize the financial issues that brought this to a head.

For over 100 years, Huntington University has been the primary training ground for United Brethren ministers. However, for many years now, the university has lost money on its graduate-level pastoral ministry track. They have tried different approaches, and have accepted the financial losses because of their commitment to the United Brethren church. But it finally reached the point where they had to pull the plug.

While I’m saddened by this decision, I understand why it is necessary. I do not fault Huntington University. They tried to make it work.

I feel for the students currently in the program. A couple of them have contacted me already. They are halfway through the program, and are understandably concerned. Have I wasted time and money? Will the credits I’ve earned transfer to another school? What about the tuition discounts I receive as a United Brethren student?

Mike Cook, the Director of Graduate Ministries, is investigating options for them. Huntington University plans to help these students in a number of ways, including negotiating transfer agreements with other Christian colleges and universities.

On a positive note: we can now take a fresh look at pastoral training. This will be healthy and exciting for us.

The United Brethren denomination has a responsibility to train its ministers effectively. Yes, they can earn degrees at any number of other institutions. But we need to decide what exactly we want for United Brethren ministers, and then steer them in the right direction.

It’s easy, when you have a college with a pastoral training program, to just let them do it. Our approach has been: whatever program Huntington University offers, that’s what our ministers need. We’ve been a bit spoiled.

But now, we must reexamine that question. Which colleges have pastoral training programs that fit what we’re looking for? Should we offer training beyond formal education–mentoring, workshops, seminars?

It will be healthy for us to take a fresh look at pastoral training. The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team will lead the way. My hope is that this spring, we can develop a game plan that does two things:

  1. Helps the students currently in the Huntington University program transfer to an institution where they can complete their training.
  2. Sets the agenda for the training of future United Brethren ministers.

Yes, it’s sad to see the pastoral training program come to an end. It’s been an important aspect of our relationship with Huntington University, training hundreds of UB ministers over the years.

But at the same time, we have an opportunity to take a fresh look at the crucial task of ministerial training. That will be good for us.

17 Dec

December 17, 2009 |

Fountain Hills Community Church (Fountain Hills, Ariz.) voted to close on December 8, 2009.Bishop Phil Whipple was on hand to lead the meeting.

Fountain Hills UB, in the Phoenix area,  was founded in 1974 by Rev. Ed Mast. Other pastors over the years have included Don Dennie, Steve Gilbertson, and most recently, Jim Fitz.

That leaves just one United Brethren church in Arizona: Templo Cristiano Corona de Victoria, a Hispanic congregation that meets in the building which formerly housed the Anglo Faith UB church. Nohemi Peralta is the pastor.