25 Nov Senior Pastor & Spouse Summits in 2014

In 2014, we will hold Pastor Summits for senior pastors and spouses of churches of all sizes, broken down as follows:

• Churches with an attendance of 0-150.
• Churches with an attendance of 150-300.
• Churches with an attendance of 300+.

Pastors and spouses can now register for these events. Program and other information will come later.

Attendance up to 150
Pastors can choose one of these locations:

April 28-30, 2014
Rhodes Grove Camp and Conference Center
Chambersburg, Pa.

May 5-7, 2014
Gull Lake Ministries
Hickory Corners, Mich.

Attendance of 150-300

October 20-23, 2014
Daytona Beach, Fla.

Attendance of 300+

October 27-30, 2014
Daytona Beach, Fla.

Pastors must pay for their transportation and a few meals. The denomination will cover everything else, including:

• Lodging for pastor and spouse.
• Opening banquet.
• Breakfasts.
• Speaker and breakouts.
• Downtime to relax and rejuvenate.
• Face-to-face time with Bishop Phil Whipple and National Ministries Director Todd Fetters.

UBChurches.org, our online church directory, gives the latest average attendance we have on file for your church. Just do a search by church name or location.

The Pastor Summits are in addition to the summits scheduled for staffpersons:

• Associate Staff Summit: May 12-15, 2014
• Youth Workers Summit: April 28 – May 1, 2014
• Worship Summit: May 5-8, 2014

12 Nov 18 Attend UB History Course in Two Locations

The Chambersburg, Pa., class. L-r: Jeffrey Propps, Daryl Kissinger, Earl Wintermoyer, Mark Burkett, Gener Lascase, Becky Hann, and Michael Zeger.

The Bryan, Ohio, class. Top row, l-r: Bob Bruce (instructor), Travis Ambrose, Jason Clark, Ramsey Cross, Stephanie Farman, Amanda Graham. Bottom row, l-r: Scott Graham, Scott Hardy, Courtney Kennedy, Zach Kennedy, Mike Rowley, Wesley Skiles.

On November 11-12, a total of 18 persons attended the UB History Course in two different locations: Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Seven persons attended the course hosted by King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. Dr. Daryl Elliott, senior pastor of Fountain UB church (Keyser, W. Va.) was the instructor.

The attendees were:

• Jeffrey Propps, a local church licentiate from Franklintown UB church (Franklintown, Pa.).
• Daryl Kissinger, youth director at Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).
• Earl Wintermoyer, from Hagerstown, Md.
• Mark Burkett, from Pleasant Hill UB church (Greencastle, Pa.).
• Gener Lascase, from Chambersburg, Pa.
• Becky Hann, director of Children’s Ministries at King Street church.
• Michael Zeger, from Pleasant Hill UB church (Greencastle, Pa.).

Eleven persons attended the course hosted by New Hope Community Church in Bryan, Ohio. The course was taught by Robert Bruce, pastor of Spiritual Care at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

The attendees were:

• Stephanie Farman, children’s coordinator at Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.).
• Zachary and Courtney Kennedy. Zach is associate pastor of Olive Branch UB church (Lakeville, Ind.).
• Scott Hardy, from Fowlerville UB church (Fowlerville, Mich.).
• Mike Rowley, from College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind).
• Wesley Skiles, associate pastor of youth at Heart O’ the Lakes UB church (Brooklyn, Mich.).
• Travis Ambrose, Family Life Pastor at Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.).
• Scott and Amanda Graham. Scott is senior pastor of Good Shepherd UB church (Greenfield, Ohio).
• Ramsey Cross, from Jackson, Mich.
• Jason Clarke, from New Hope Community Church (Bryan, Ohio).

14 Oct New ELT Meets This Week

The elected and appointed members of the 2013-2015 Executive Leadership Team. Top (l-r): East region: Dennis Sites, Robert Eberly, Sherwood Cook. Central region: Greg Voight, Tim Krugh, Darwin Dunten. Bottom (l-r): North region: Dan Paternoster, Lester Smith, Bob Tobey. West region: Gary Dilley, Molly Kesler, Kent Koteskey.

The Executive Leadership Team meets October 14-15 in Huntington, Ind. Members are elected or appointed to two-year terms, so this team will serve until the 2015 US National Conference.

The National Conference elects eight members–one minister and one layperson from each of the four regions. The bishop is an automatic member. Those nine persons then appoint four more members–two ministers and two layperson, spread out among the four districts.

The result is an Executive Leadership Team that looks like this:

• Six ministers and six laypersons, plus the bishop.
• Three members from each of the four regions.
• Two regions have two ministers and one layperson, and two regions have two laypersons and one minister.

Six of the 13 voting members are new.

The four persons appointed by the ELT for 2013-2015 are:

• East region: Sherwood Cook, a layperson from Mount Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.). Sherwood previously served on the 2005-2007 ELT.
• Central region: Darwin Dunten, senior pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio).
• North region: Bob Tobey, a retired schoolteacher from Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.). Bob previously served on the 2011-2013 ELT.
• West region: Kent Koteskey, executive pastor of Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Kent previously served on the 2011-2013 ELT.

The ELT begins meeting Monday night, October 14, and will continue through early afternoon on Tuesday, October 15. (See the entire team)

26 Sep Upcoming Events in 2014

Here are five events scheduled for 2014. The links take you to further information on the UB website.

• January 13-14: Cluster Leader Training. This is an annual event for cluster leaders. It’ll be held in Huntington, Ind.
• April 28 – May 1: UB Youth Workers Summit (Holly Hill, Fla.). This is an annual event of encouragement and training for persons in youth ministry. It is available to all paid youth ministry staff or the lead youth ministry volunteer in the church.
• May 5-8, 2014: UB Worship Summit in Daytona Beach, Fla. This summit, designed for persons serving on staff in positions involving worship and music, is held every two years.
• May 12-15, 2014: Associate Staff Summit in Daytona Beach, Fla. This summit, held every two years (this is only the second one), is designed for persons in UB churches working in such staff roles as pastoral care, adult education, visitation, counseling, missions, discipleship, children’s ministry, etc.
• September 19-21, 2014: UB Women’s Conference at Sawmill Creek Resort (Huron, Ohio). A women’s conference is held every two years, under the sponsorship of the Women’s Ministry Leadership Team.

19 Sep Nov 2013: UB History Course in Ohio and Pennsylvania

The United Brethren History Course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are free to take the course. The course is held periodically in regional settings.

During the past two years, 91 people have attended the course in 10 different locations. Of those, 74 took it for credit (for ministerial licensing) and 17 took the course just for fun.

On November 11-12, 2013, the course will be offered simultaneously in two locations.

Chambersburg, Pa.

Date: November 11-12, 2013 (Monday and Tuesday)
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Location: King Street UB church.
Address: 162 East King Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201
Phone: (717) 264-4651
Instructor: Dr. Daryl Elliott (right), senior pastor, Fountain UB church (Keyser, W. Va.)

Bryan, Ohio.

Date: November 11-12, 2013 (Monday and Tuesday)
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Location: New Hope UB church.
Address: 15627 US Hwy 127 E/W, Bryan, OH 43506
Phone: (419) 636-1362
Instructor: Rev. Robert Bruce (right), Pastor of Caring Ministries, Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

Attend Remotely

We strongly recommend and prefer that you attend the course in person. However, remote attendance is possible with the Chambersburg course, assuming that you have a high-speed internet connection. Permission may be granted to attend remotely, but only in situations where it’s absolutely necessary.

Registration Cost

The cost is:

• $200, if you are seeking a ministerial license.
• $100 for everyone else.
• $19.90 for “Trials and Triumphs,” a history of the United Brethren church. ($14.95 for the book, $5.15 shipping for US, $12.95 international). The book will be sent from the national office. Or, stop by the office and pick up a copy, to save shipping. You MUST have a copy of the book for the class. Order a copy from Church Services by calling toll-free: 888-622-3019.

Additional information about payment and a registration form are available on the UB website.

29 Jun 2013-2015 Executive Leadership Team Elected

The eight persons elected to the 2013-2015 ELT. L-r: Gary Dilley, Robert Eberly, Molly Kesler, Tim Krugh, Dan Paternoster, Dennis Sites, Lester Smith, Greg Voight.

Every two years, the US National Conference elects eight members of the Executive Leadership Team–1 layperson and 1 ordained minister from each of the four districts. The new ELT will later appoint four additional members, 1 from each district.

Half of the persons elected are new: Dennis Sites, Bob Eberly, Greg Voight, and Gary Dilley. That means a turnover in three of the four clergy positions. In 2011, only one new person was elected to the ELT–Tim Hallman. Of the continuing members, Dan Paternoster has served by far the longest, now beginning his 13th year on the ELT. Lester Smith has served since 2005, Tim Krugh since 2007, and Molly Kesler since 2009.

Interestingly, two pastors’ wives who have been members of the ELT since 2005 chose not to run again. However, their husbands–Dennis Sites and Greg Voight–were elected to the ELT.

Here are the results of the 2013-2015 ELT ballot. The persons selected are indicated with italics type. The location of their church is also given.

27 Jun Phil Whipple Re-elected as Bishop

Bishop C. Ray Miller (foreground) praying for Bishop Whipple as he begins a second term.

L-r: Ron Ramsey, Phil Whipple, Ray Seilhamer, and C. Ray Miller. Standing behind Bishop Whipple, mostly hidden, is Paul Hirschy. Bishop Emeritus Ray Seilhamer is praying for Bishop Whipple.

Phillip Whipple was re-elected a bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA. He was first elected in 2009, and will now serve another four-year term as bishop. The election came Thursday morning, June 27, during the business session of the US National Conference.

Todd Fetters, assistant chairman, introduced the ballot for bishop, and gave some background, noting that they would follow much the same procedure employed in 2009, when there was also just one name on the ballot. Then Kevin Cherry, chairman of the Nominating Committee, gave some remarks about how they were led to present a ballot with just one name.

The “Rules and Procedures” states that ballot must contain twice the number of persons to be elected. So first, they had to suspect that rule (this has been done many times in the past—just once for bishop, but various times when we elected national directors).

Todd Fetters then invited additional nominations from the floor.

Molly Kesler, a member of the Executive Leadership Team, came to a microphone. She said she had approached two persons about letting their names run for bishop, and that both had said yes. One, she said, was Chuck Malson, pastor of Brown Corners UB church in Clare, Mich. However, she said, Malson subsequently declined, saying he was still committed to serving his local church.

The other person, however, and said “yes”–Lester Smith, pastor of the UB church in Hillsdale, Mich. She placed his name in nomination.

Lester Smith came to the microphone. He said he was “wired for personal evangelism,” and didn’t think the bishop’s position—“in the unlikely event I was elected to it”—would provide the right opportunities to fit his gifting. He thanked Molly for the nomination, but then declined to let his name run.

The vote then proceeded. When the written ballots were counted, they showed the following:

321 votes cast for Phil Whippe
1 “no” vote
6 abstentions
5 blank ballots
1 vote each for Chuck Malson, Dennis Miller, and Tim Hallman.

“This body has elected Phil Whipple as its bishop,” declared Todd Fetters.

Applause.

Fetters continued, “Thank you for celebrating that decision. It’s also important to consecrate that decision.”

He invited the bishops emeriti—C. Ray Miller, Ray Seilhamer, Paul Hirschy, and Ron Ramsey–to come gather around the bishop on the platform. All four bishops laid hands on Bishop Phil Whipple, and bishops Miller and Seilhamer offered prayer.

03 Jun Photos via Denis Casco from General Conference

Denis Casco, Bishop of Mexico Conference, published on Facebook over 180 photos from the recent General Conference meetings.