20 Dec 2013 Regional Meetings

Three regional meetings will be held in early 2013 in preparation for the 2013 US National Conference. These meetings are open to anyone. Ministers and lay delegates are especially encouraged to attend.

Monday, February 25: Praise Point Church (Willshire, Ohio)
Location address: 555 Decatur Rd North, Willshire, OH 45898

Monday, March 18: Pleasant Heights Church (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Location address: 848 Northside, East Liverpool, OH 43920

Monday, April 8: East Washington Church (Ashley, Mich.)
Location address: 8051 S Crapo Rd, Ashley, MI 48806

(In the east region, Bishop Whipple will use the January 27-28 Mid-Atlantic Foundation meeting in Chambersburg, Pa., to go over this material with attendees of that meeting.)

Each national conference includes a business meeting. However, we have been reserving major business for every other national conference. We had very brief business meetings in 2007 and 2011, and an extended business meeting in 2009. Now, we’re set for another extended one.

Over 20 proposals for revising the UB Discipline will come before the delegates in June 2013. Most are minor changes, but some will no doubt generate a good deal of discussion. These regional meetings will acquaint people with the proposals and the rationale for them. Hopefully, this introduction will help cut down the amount of time taken in floor discussion at national conference.

Bishop Phil Whipple, Jeff Bleijerveld (Global Ministries Director), Dennis Miller (Cluster Coordinator), and Gary Gates (Director of Ministerial Licenses) plan to attend all of these events.

Each meeting will go from 9:30 am through lunch. The host churches will provide lunch.

Please let us know now many people from your church will attend, so we can give the host church a headcount for lunch. The “Register” button on the right will take you to a form you can use.

13 Dec UB History Course: January 21-22 in Northwest Ohio

The United Brethren History Course will be held January 21-22, 2013, in Bryan, Ohio. 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: New Hope Community Church, 15627 US Hwy 127 E/W, Bryan, OH 43506
Date: January 21-22, 2013 (Monday and Tuesday)
Time: 8 am Monday — 4 pm Tuesday
Teacher: Robert Bruce (right), associate pastor of Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

For more information and to register, go to the UB website. Direct any questions to Cathy Reich, Administrative Assistant.

10 Dec Course: Leading a Governing Board

This workshop will be helpful for leading any style board your church may have. This course is a requirement for ordination in the United Brethren church, but anyone may attend.

Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Time: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Healthy Ministry Resources Building, 302 Lake Street, Huntington, Ind. 46750.
Instructor: Phil Whipple, Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ USA

You can also attend by videoconference, if you have a computer with a camera. There are three videoconference locations:

1. Cochranton UB Church (Cochranton Pa.)
2. Pleasant Hill UB Church (Greencastle, Pa.)
3. Mt Hermon UB Church (Pomeroy, Ohio)

Address any questions to Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to Bishop Phil Whipple.

Registration Cost

• $100, if you are seeking ordination.
• $50 for everyone else.

You can register online at the UB.org website. You’ll also find a reading list there.

06 Dec Christmas at Your Church in 2012

United Brethren churches do a lot of special things during the Christmas season. What is happening at your church this year? Other UB churches would be interested in hearing about it.

While the Christmas season is still fresh in your mind, write up a little description about any special ministries, programs, events, services, activities, etc. at your church. We’ll get it posted on UBCentral.org so others can read about it.

We have a form you can use to send your report. You can even upload digital photos. (So if you’ve got a Christmas event coming up, find someone to take some photos!)

12 Nov 13 Attending Governance Class Nov 15

Thirteen persons are registered for the Governance class, which will meet this Thursday (November 15, 2012) at the Healthy Ministry Resources office in Huntington, Ind. Eight will attend in person. Two persons will attend by video from Cochranton, Pa., two from Greencastle, Pa., and one from Pomeroy, Ohio.

Dennis Miller, senior pastor of Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) will teach the class. This course is a requirement for ordination in the United Brethren church.

04 Oct Meetings: It’s That Time of Year

Early October is always a time of denominational meetings at the national office in Huntington, Ind.

• The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team met this past Monday and Tuesday (October 1-2, 2012). Lee Rhodes, pastor of Countryside UB church (Breckenridge, Mich.) is the chairman.
• The Global Ministries Leadership Team meets today and tomorrow (October 4-5). Kurt Uhen, a layperson from Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) is the chairman. This group is a joint venture of the US and Canadian national conferences (2 of the 10 members are from Canada).
• The Executive Leadership Team meets next Monday and Tuesday (October 8-9). Bishop Phil Whipple is the chairman. This is the highest governing body between sessions of the US National Conference. The ELT will be looking at a number of proposals for changing the Discipline, which the US National Conference will then consider in June 2013.
• The Higher Education Leadership Team meets October 17. J. Michael Caley, pastor of Banner of Christ UB church (Byron Center, Mich.) is the chairperson. This team provides oversight of Huntington University.

24 Sep Four-Day Meeting for Pastors of Mid-Sized UB Churches

A UB Mid-Sized Church Conference is being held September 24-27 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The conference is designed for pastors and spouses from United Brethren churches with an average attendance of 150-300. The theme is “Breaking Through Common Barriers.”

A group of 37 persons are attending. They include senior pastors from 22 of the 25 UB churches in this attendance range.

Lodging for Monday through Wednesday evenings at the Ocean Walk Resort is covered, as is one evening meal. Participants are paying for transportation and all other meals.

The basic schedule:

• Monday, September 24. The event begins with a 6:30 dinner, after which Bishop Phil Whipple will speak to the group.
• Tuesday. Workshops in the morning, with the rest of the day free (hit the beach go golfing, etc.).
• Wednesday. Workshops in the morning, afternoon free, with an 8 pm closing session.
• Thursday. A service project with First UB church in nearby Holly Hill, Fla.

Presenters will be UB pastors from the larger churches who have at least taken a church through the 400 barrier. Topics include: Space Utilization, Leading vs. Managing, Staffing, Developing Leaders Around You, and Impacting Your Community.

Persons attending from the national office are Bishop Phil Whipple, Jeff Bleijerveld (Director of Global Ministries), Dennis Miller (Cluster Coordinator), and Gary Gates (Director of Ministerial Licenses).

Getaway meetings for pastors, staff, and spouses from the largest UB churches (300+) have been held somewhat regularly for about eight years.

13 Sep 226 Now Registered for UB Women’s Conference

The upcoming UB Women’s Conference, Sept. 28-30, is about two weeks away. Right now, 226 persons are registered.

The conference will include a silent auction. A silent auction at the 2010 conference raised over $1000. The money was used for women’s ministry and to keep down the cost of lodging at the conference.

Women attending are invited to:

• Bring new or gently used items to donate for the auction. They can include handmade items and baked good.
• Bring some extra spending money.

Some ideas: books, décor, scarves, plants, handmade items, baked goods.

The money raised in 2010 was a tribute to the quality of items donated, and to generous bidding.

Complete information, including a schedule revised as of September 13, can be found on the UB website.

27 Aug Sept 15: Tom Ponsot Golf Tournament for Camp Cotubic

The 8th Annual Tom Ponsot Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on September 15 at Donald Ross Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind. (7102 S. Calhoun St.). The late Tom Ponsot was a member of the Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.) and a member of the camp’s board of directors for many years.

The proceeds will once again support the ministries of Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, Ohio. During the past 7 years, the Classic has raised over $26,000, and hosted over 500 golfers.

We invite you to enter a team in this year’s tournament. The cost is $50/person. That includes green fees, cart, snacks, and lunch. There will also be plenty of door prizes and prizes for the winners and various other accomplishments.

Registration begins at 7:30 am with the tournament start time at 8 am.

Camp Director Dave Stephens reports that they will have hosted over 3000 campers from May through August. “Now we move into our fall and pre-winter season with weekend retreat groups here almost every weekend.”

09 Aug UB Women’s Conference–a Little Incentive

The Women’s Team is looking forward to hosting this year’s Women’s Conference in beautiful Shipshewana, Ind. Reservations are filling up quickly, but we want to give you some incentive to register more women from your church.

For a limited time, every registrant will have an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa Card. This offer is good now until August 27, when our room block is lifted.

Check out all the details of this event–2 nights lodging, meals, speaker and worship music, as well as some “down time” to take in some shopping or other activities. And now a chance to win $100!

Don’t worry. If your group has already registered, they will also be entered into the drawing.

Act now! Spread the word to the women at your church!

Learn more about the Women’s Conference and register.