26 Mar April 12: Internet Safety Seminar at Eagle Quest UB

On April 12, Eagle Quest UB Church in Columbia City, Ind., will present an Internet safety seminar called “Get Connected.” The purpose is to inform parents and youth workers about the dangers of the internet, and offer proactive ways to keep youth safe. Topics include internet bullying, on-line predators, internet pornogrphy, social networking, and security software.

Speakers include the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Patt Mossburg (Whitley County Salvation Army Director), and Eric Kelly (Youth for Christ Director of Juvenile Justice).

13 Mar Purpose-Driven Workshop on April 12

Pathway Community Church, a UB church in Jackson, Mich., will host a Purpose Driven-Basic Workshop on Saturday, April 12. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the workshop lasts from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

The conference normally costs $199 per person, but Pathway has arranged the following special pricing:

• $50 per person.
• $40 per person for groups of 5-9.
• $30 per person for groups of 10 or more.

Lunch is included in the cost. 

Pastor Scott Hardway writes, “The workshop is being presented by Rev. Glenn Bone of Good Seed Ministries, one of the ministry partners that we support. Glenn is a fantastic presenter, a dynamic and engaging speaker. He’s been recognized nationally by Rick Warren, and works closely with Bill Hybels, Ed Young, and Mark Beeson (Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind).  We’re really excited to be able to offer this one-day workshop.”

13 Mar Bible Quizzing in Pennsylvania and West Virginia

L-r: The Bible quiz teams from Blue Rock UB (Waynesboro, Pa.), and Fountain UB (Keyser, W. Va.).

L-r: The Bible quiz team from Mount Pleasant UB in Chambersburg, Pa.

You don’t hear much about Bible quizzing anymore, but it’s still going on. Every year, church teams in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia compete.

Here are photos of three senior teams competing this year in the former Mid-Atlantic Conference. The team from Fountain UB won the January quiz, and Salem won in February.

11 Feb Updates from Coleta, Ill.

Here are some recent news items from Coleta UB in Coleta, Ill.

• In early December, 24 youth and adults attended a Casting Crowns concert. Amazingly, though the tickets were purchased by three different people, each buying eight tickets, everyone got to sit together.
• The church adopted a family through the county health department to bless for Christmas. they sent clothes, toys, food, and cash. Upon delivering the gifts, they learned that the family was in the midst of a tragedy, with the mother dying just days before Christmas.
• The December 23 service was an “open mic” time, with several persons sharing poems, songs, stories, and scripture.
• The church members are reading Change Your Church for Good, by Brad Powell, whom several members heard speak in May 2007 at the US National Conference.

04 Feb The Historic UB Church in South Dakota

The UB church in Milltown, South Dakota, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church received the designation last summer through the efforts of several board members.

The National Register is designed “to recognize properties which contribute to the prehistoric and historic development of our localities, states, and nation.”

“We are the only church left in the area,” says Darlene Juhnke, a member of the church, “and the only United Brethren in Christ Church in South Dakota.”

Another board member is Theresa Schutt, whose great-great-grandfather, Asa Brink, pastored the church in the 1880s. The congregation actually began in 1878, and the white frame building was erected in 1880.

Milltown UB was among the churches which stuck with Bishop Milton Wright when our group split off from the main body of the United Brethren denomination.

From 1977-1999, the church was served by student pastors from North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls, S. D. From 1999-2006, a minister from a Baptist church in Parkston also filled the Milltown pulpit. Since 2006, the small congregation has not had anyone to conduct services, and the members have been scattered among other area churches.

Milltown was a stagecoach route until 1865, and was a bustling small town. But now, the population is less than 10. The nearest town is Parkston, with 1700 residents.