17 Apr Youth Summit Registration at 26
Online registration has closed for the annual UB Youth Workers Summit, which begins April 29 in Daytona, Fla. The housing is full, with 26 people registered (one more than last year).
16 Apr Registrations: Almost to 500
We are on the verge of having 500 registrations for this summer’s US National Conference. More registrations come in every day.
Hotel rooms in the two conference hotels are filling fast. There are limited openings at both the Hilton and the Courtyard Marriott, so make your reservations quickly!
- The Hilton is attached to the Grand Wayne Center, our meeting place. The cost is $95 per night, plus parking. The remaining rooms available there are mostly for people who are only staying there Wednesday and Thursday nights (not Friday night).
- The Courtyard Marriot is directly across the street from the Grand Wayne Center. The conference cost is $104 per night, with complimentary parking.
There are many other hotels within a short drive. Some hotel deals can be found at VisitFortWayne.com/deals. We do not have room blocks at any of the other hotels, so you will want to make your reservations soon.
For complete information and to register, go to: www.ub2013.org
09 Apr 50 People Attend Final Regional Meeting in Michigan
Todd Fetters opened the meeting with a devotional.
Jeff Bleijerveld giving an update on Global Ministries.
Bishop Phil Whipple (right) with his sons Josh (left) and Mike, both of whom are on staff at Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.).
About 50 people attended a regional meeting at East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich., on Monday, April 8. This was the last of four meetings held to review proposals which will be presented to the US National Conference this summer. Attendees came from various UB churches in Michigan, along with four persons from the national office.
The meeting began at 9:30 and ended after a lunch provided by the East Washington church. It included:
- An opening devotional from Todd Fetters, Director of National Ministries.
- An update on ministerial education and licensing issues from Gary Gates, Director of Ministerial Licenses.
- An update on the work of Global Ministries from Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries.
- A review by Bishop Phil Whipple of the proposals for revising the Discipline (our “manual of operations,” so to speak, which can only be amended by the National Conference). Everyone had a copy of the proposals. The Bishop walked through them and invited discussion.
02 Apr Tell Us About Easter at Your Church
The Easter season–-Lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday-–is always exciting for churches. There are special events, and often large attendances. Churches do some pretty creative things to capitalize on the Easter season.
Tell us what happened during the Easter season at your church. You can use this form. Then we can share it with other UBs right here on UBCentral.
If you have digital photos, send them along using the mechanism on the form, or email them directly to [email protected]
21 Mar Coming to Ontario: 2013 General Conference
Delegates and attendees at the 2010 General Conference in La Ceiba, Honduras.
Date: May 29 – June 2, 2013.
Location: Emmanuel Bible College, Kitchener, Ontario
General Conference is an international gathering, bringing together representatives from all 10 United Brethren national conference, along with guests from the various mission districts (countries which haven’t yet organized as an official national conference).
General Conference meets every three years. The last event was held in La Ceiba, Honduras, in January 2010.
The 2013 General Conference will be hosted by the Stanley Park United Brethren Church, and held at Emmanuel Bible College in Kitchener, Ontario. Brian Magnus (right), Bishop of the Canadian conference, is the pastor at the Parkwood Gardens UB Church in nearby Guelph, Ontario. He is also chairman of the International Executive Committee, and will chair the meetings of the General Conference.
The sessions will include the business of the international United Brethren Church, the sharing of accomplishments, challenges and missions activities, and the election of new leadership for the International Executive Committee. Following the example of Honduras Conference in 2010, there will be excursions to nearby significant sights in the afternoons and inspiring worship services in the evenings.
On Saturday, June 1, the General Conference members will be joined by folk from churches around the United Brethren Church in Canada for a giant Missions Day.
21 Mar Nearing 300 National Conference Registrations
Registration for the 2013 US National Conference are coming in at a steady clip. By the weekend, we’ll probably pass the 300 mark.
You can learn all about the conference at UB2013.org.
08 Mar UB History Course: April 20 and 27 in West Virginia
The two-day United Brethren History Course will be held over two Saturdays, April 20 and 27, at the Fountain UB church in Keyser, W. Va. The course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren church. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are free to take it.
Basic Information
- The cost is $200 for persons who need licensing, $100 for everybody else.
- You will need to read the UB history book “Trials and Triumphs” beforehand. It is available through the Healthy Ministry Resources bookstore for $14.95 (plus shipping). Order a copy by calling toll-free: 888.622.3019
- Register using the online form at: ub.org/events/ubhistory
Details
Location: Fountain UB church, Rural Route 6, Keyser, WV 26726-9205.
Phone: 304-788-5180
Date: April 20 and 27 (both are Saturdays)
Time: 9 am – 4 pm each day
Teacher: Daryl Elliott (right), senior pastor of Fountain UB church.
For more information and to register, go to the UB website. Direct any questions to Cathy Reich, Administrative Assistant.
28 Feb Regional Meetings in Ohio and Michigan
Bishop Phil Whipple explaining the proposals which will come before the National Conference this summer.
On February 25, the second of four regional meetings was held in Willshire, Ohio, with 52 people attending. Bishop Phil Whipple led everyone through the 27 proposals for changing the United Brethren Discipline which the National Conference will consider in June.
As a result of suggestions and discussion at that meeting, the bishop made six changes to the proposals (and a couple other ideas are being considered). The complete document containing the proposals has been updated, and can be downloaded from the National Conference website.
Two more meetings will be held–one in March in eastern Ohio, and one in April in Michigan. These meetings are open to anyone. Ministers and lay delegates are especially encouraged to attend.
Monday, March 18: Pleasant Heights Church (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Location address: 848 Northside, East Liverpool, OH 43920Monday, April 8: East Washington Church (Ashley, Mich.)
Location address: 8051 S Crapo Rd, Ashley, MI 48806
Also participating in the meetings and making presentations will be:
- Todd Fetters, Director of National Church Ministries.
- Gary Gates, Director of Ministerial Licensing.
- Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries.
- Steve Dennie, Communications Director
Please Register in Advance! We need to give the host churches a headcount for lunch.
The meetings go from 9:30 am through lunch (which is free).
26 Feb Winter Slam 2013
Teens attending Winter Slam 2013 (click to enlarge)
Teens attending Winter Slam 2013
The crowd at Winter Slam (click to enlarge)
Dan Henley, Prince Street UB church (Shippensburg, Pa.)
Winter Slam, held February 8-10, 2013, brought 359 students and youth workers from 15 different churches to western Pennsylvania. There, on the slopes of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands on the western Appalachian Mountain range, they spent three days in a time of winter fun and spiritual renewal.
Sponsored by Big MAC Youth Ministries in conjunction with Huntington University, Winter Slam (formally Big MAC Ski Attack), a weekend winter retreat, has been an annual youth attraction for over 20 years. Various churches, both in and out of UBdom, use it as an outreach and spiritual renewal event.
Located about 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, in Mt. Pleasant, Pa., has served as the venue for three days of worship, fellowship, and the presentation of the Gospel–not to mention skiing, tubing, and snowboarding. For most, the messages during the morning and evening sessions are a highlight in the lives of students.
This year, our times of worship were led by the Indiana-based Christian pop-rock band, “Attaboy.” Their combination of popular worship music and a few of their own original recordings were well received by both students and youth workers. Together, with over 350 voices rising in praise and adoration, these three young men poured both their hearts and their talent into their music and their worship.
The organizers took a different approach this year in regards to the speaker. Rather than bring in one speaker for all four sessions, four different youth pastors affiliated with Big MAC Youth Ministries filled the role of “speaker,” each using their own unique approach to the subject of “Value.” Each message touched on how much God values us and how it makes no difference how non-valuable you think you are, to God you are very important. The speakers also challenged the group about the things they value, and whether or not Christ is high on that list.
One evening as a call to respond to God was given, over 200 students and adults made a literal stand for Jesus, rising to their feet and proclaiming before God and others that they were turning their lives over to Christ, or rededicating their lives to Him. Praise God!