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Church safety has become an issue of increasing interest to pastors and laypersons. Where do you start? Brotherhood Mutual, which provides insurance to a large number of United Brethren churches, posted ten simple, “do it today” actions which churches can implement almost immediately. You can read them here. You’ll also find resources for going further to ensure a safe environment for your congregation, including their “Church Safety & Security Guidebook.”
Cathy Reich (left) and Natania Kim.
On January 25, the United Brethren National Office held a goodbye celebration for Natania Kim, a Huntington University student who has worked part-time at the office for the past three years.
Natania began working at the UB National Office during the second semester of her freshman year. Classmate Taylor North, who had been doing some work at the National Office, mentioned that Cathy Reich, the administrative assistant to the bishop, was looking for some help. Natania ended up working a few hours a week with Cathy throughout her college years.
“Once in a while,” said Cathy, “someone comes across our path with a persona that is difficult to put into words. Natania is one of those. She is an exceptional person. She has a tender heart, a loving spirit, and excels at everything she touches. I’ve enjoyed the time we have worked together more than I could have imagined. She will be missed here at the office, but I’m so excited for her and Junoh’s future. And I pray that wherever she goes, whomever she touches, people will be impacted by her tender love for Jesus and people.”
Natania and Junoh.
Natania grew up Southern Baptist in Zion, Ill. She came to Huntington University for the Art program, but ended up switching to Social Work. She will graduate this spring. Graduating at the same time will be her husband, Junoh Kim. They were married in July 2017.
After graduating, Natania and Junoh will most likely move back to the Chicago/Wisconsin area. Junoh is considering an offer for an accounting position in Milwaukee. Natania anticipates possibly pursuing a masters in Social Work.
Natania will be missed. She enthusiastically tackled whatever job she was given, whether computer work or mailings or weeding around the building. And she got things done fast. It could be difficult keeping her busy. It was a joy having Natania in our midst for the past three years, and we wish her well.
Mike Dittman speaking at the Cluster Leader Winter Gathering.
Dr. Sherilyn Emberton (center) with Revs. William and Mary Flamer.
Brooks Fetters (left) and Bishop Todd Fetters.
Matt and Emily Hann
The session for spouses.
Twenty-one (out of 24) cluster leaders attended the annual Cluster Leader Winter Gathering, held January 22-23 at Huntington University (Huntington, Ind.). Cluster leaders are UB ministers who oversee a group of about seven senior pastors. Most clusters consist of pastors located close to each other geographically.
The Winter Gathering began on Monday night, January 22, with a dinner for cluster leaders, spouses, and staff at the United Brethren National Office. Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University, gave some remarks. Matt and Emily Hann, from College Park UB church, provided music. Then Brooks Fetters, an ordained UB minister who is mayor of the city of Huntington, gave a message on leadership issues.
Bishop Todd Fetters started the Tuesday meeting with a devotional. Then Mike Dittman, director of National Ministries, led a couple hours of training. Meanwhile, Lisa Fetters and Pam Dittman led a track for spouses of cluster leaders.
For cluster leaders, the morning concluded with a discussion about a proposal to remove the requirement that UB ministers totally abstain from drinking alcohol (the prohibition for laypersons was removed in 2005). The issue will be discussed in cluster groups this year, and will probably be dealt with at the 2019 US National Conference.
The Cluster Leader Winter Gathering concluded with lunch on Tuesday.
Only senior pastors must attend cluster meetings. Clusters must meet at least six times per year. The typical schedule is September, October and November, take a break for the holidays, and resume February, March, and April. You can view all of the cluster groups here.
For staffpersons, we offer an Associate Staff Summit and a Youth Workers Summit (which is actually held every year). This is the year for all of these summits.
Randy Carpenter (right) was hired as a staff pastor at Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.) effective January 1, 2018. He was previously senior pastor of Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.). Colwood is using a team approach, with three persons–Mike Whipple, Kelly Ball, and Carpenter–listed as teaching pastors. Each also carries other areas of responsibility. For Carpenter, the website lists assimilation and discipleship.
The Garnett UB church (Garnett, Kansas) closed as of December 31, 2017. The building is being sold to another church in town that needs a building. For 2016, the church reported an average attendance of just 6 persons, with 16 members.
Registration is now open for the UB Youth Workers Summit.
Date: April 23-27, 2018 (Monday-Friday)
Location: Best Western Aku Tiki Inn
2225 S Atlantic Ave
Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118
This is an annual event of encouragement and training for persons in youth ministry. It is available for the lead youth ministry workers (fulltime, part-time, or volunteer) in every United Brethren church. About 25 youth persons usually attend.
The Summit is a great time of networking with other youth leaders and being encouraged by others who are in the trenches of youth ministry. They enjoy the beach, the golf course, and incredibly beautiful weather, along with the chance to slow down and step away from the constant demands of youth ministry.
Cost
What’s Included
What’s Not Included:
Continuing Education
If you hold a UB ministerial license, by attending this summit, you will earn 20 contact hours, which satisfies your annual requirement.
For more information and to register: ubteens.org
Registration is now open for the Associate Staff Summit.
Date: May 7-11, 2018 (Monday-Friday)
Location: Best Western Aku Tiki Inn
2225 S Atlantic Ave
Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118
The Associate Staff Summit is held every two years. It is designed for persons in UB churches working in such staff roles as pastoral care, youth ministry, worship, assimilation, adult education, visitation, counseling, missions, discipleship, children’s ministry, etc. It is NOT for senior pastors.
Cost
What’s Included:
What’s Not Included
For the schedule and other information: ubstaff.org
Kimberly Schock
Kimberly Schock, 60, passed away on Thursday, January 4, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. She was the wife of Rev. Richard Schock, pastor of Sabetha UB church (Sabetha, Kansas) since February 2016.
Memorial services will be held at 11 am on Saturday, January 13, at Westview Baptist church, 1325 S. Meridian, Wichita, Kansas.
Cards can be sent to:
Richard Allen Schock
512 Grant
Sabetha, KS 66534
Linda Carter, wife of Rev. Al Carter, passed away around 11 am on Friday, January 5, 2018. She was in hospice after a battle with cancer. Her husband has been pastor of First UB (Columbus, Ohio) since 2011. They previously served UB churches in St. Mary’s and Rockbridge, Ohio.
Visitation: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.
Funeral: Following visitation
Location: First UB church, 496 S. Wheatland Ave., Columbus, OH 43204
Condolences can be sent to Pastor Carter at this address:
Rev. Alfred Carter
711 Westfall Court
Columbus, OH 43228
The 1833 General Conference provided for establishing a United Brethren publishing house. It took shape in May 1834 in Circleville, Ohio, under the sponsorship of Scioto Conference. William Rinehart, a United Brethren minister in Virginia Conference, had been publishing a paper on his own press called The Mountain Messenger. Scioto asked Rhinehart to move to Circleville to become editor of a United Brethren publication, and they even bought out his little paper.
On December 31, 1834, the first issue of The Religious Telescope was published. It was four pages long, 15-by-22 inches in size. It began as a bi-monthly publication, and started with about 1200 subscribers who paid $1.50 per year. We now had a denominational publication.
John Lawrence, who would become editor in 1852, wrote, “The paper was a very respectable sheet, well edited, yet not popular because of the extreme views which it advocated. It entered largely into the controversies of the times and earnestly and boldly, though not always prudently, marched in the front ranks of every reform.”
Most of the original United Brethren spoke German, and the German language predominated in United Brethren circles into the 1830s. Only two members of the 1821 General Conference were English. Others could preach in English, but German was their mother tongue. The 1821 Discipline was printed in both languages—German on the left, English on the right. It was an acknowledgement of what was coming.
The Germans, because of their unselfish missionary zeal, pretty much worked themselves out of a denomination. They so generously supported and promoted outreach to English people that by the 1830s, we had become (or were becoming) a predominantly English-speaking church. Most of the church’s expansion into the west–Ohio, Indiana, and elsewhere–occurred among English-speaking people.
From the beginning, The Religious Telescope was published in English. However, because of protests from some German-speaking folks that scant attention was being given to the German constituency, we launched a German-language periodical called Die Geschaftige Martha (The Busy Martha). It started in 1840, but ceased after two years. English, even in Pennsylvania, was clearly the future.
In 1885, seeing The Religious Telescope dominated by liberal voices, Milton Wright and others launched an alternative paper. They considered calling it The United Brethren, but instead settled on The Christian Conservator. When Wright’s followers split off, The Christian Conservator became the official publication of the “radical” United Brethren denomination. Its name was changed to The United Brethren in 1954. The magazine was discontinued in 1993.
The Religious Telescope continued until 1946, when the “liberal” UBs merged with the Evangelical Association, which had its own publication called The Evangelical Messenger. The new denomination, called the Evangelical United Brethren Church, merged the two periodicals under the very uncreative name The Telscope-Messenger.
