26 Jun Michigan Missions Conference

Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, led a prayer for the new officers elected for the annual Michigan Missions Conference.

The missions conference was held in the tabernacle at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich.

A BBQ lunch for everyone!

About 60 people attended a one-day missions conference held Saturday, June 23, at the Carson City Campground in Carson City, Mich. The event was designed for persons from United Brethren churches in Michigan. This is the second year for the event.

A number of people spoke on behalf of missions. They included:

• April Dice and her son, Camden, who spoke about their ministry in Nicaragua. Camden told about the baseball team which played and ministered in Nicaragua in January 2012.
• Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld.
• Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries.
• Several former missionaries in Sierra Leone, including Julie Burkett, Nancy N’Gele, and Lee and Beth Palmer.
• Former Macau missionaries Pauline Gibbs and Carlson and Naomi Becker.
• Sally Hock-Harrison, from West Windsor UB (Dimondale, Mich.) represented a fund which provides scholarships to teens wanting to do short-term missions work. Several recipients of scholarships spoke about their experiences.

Ted Beck, a representative of Samaritan’s Purse who attends East Washington UB church in Ashley, Mich., told about his church’s success with Operation Christmas Child. The number of shoeboxes collected each year has continued multiplying, leading to a collection of 10,000 shoeboxes in 2011. He told of trips to flea markets and other events, looking for items for the shoeboxes, and coming away with contacts for persons who donated items or sold them for, say, a penny each.

21 Jun UB Staffing Course and Women’s Conference

As of Thursday, June 21:

• 14 people have registered for the UB Staffing Course, to be held July 11 in Huntington, Ind. Two-thirds are taking it as a requirement for ordination. The others are taking it (at half the cost) as a CEU.
• The UB Women’s Conference is still three months away, but already 160 women have registered.

31 May UB Staffing Course

The United Brethren Staffing Course is a requirement for ordination in the United Brethren denomination. The first edition of this course will be held Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at the Healthy Ministry Resources office in Huntington, Ind. Denny Miller (right), lead pastor of Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., is the instructor.

This course will help you develop an ability to expand ministry through staff, both volunteer and paid. Learn to balance responsibilities of staff to accomplish the ministries of your local church.

This session will also emphasize team development through staffing. You’ll walk away knowing the importance of delegation, job descriptions, and strategic staffing so that you can be better equipped to manage your role as supervisor.

Whether you are the only person on staff or have multiple persons on staff, this course will apply to you.

The cost is $100 for persons seeking ordination, $50 for everyone else.

23 May Photos from the Associates Summit

The Associates Summit concluded Thursday morning, May 24, in Buffalo, NY. Over 100 photos were posted on the United Brethren Facebook page. Check them out.

If you haven’t done so already, please “Like” the UB Facebook page. We’re nearing the 650 “likes” point, and would like to begin climbing toward 700.

22 May Over 30 Participating in Associate Summit

Pat Jones (front right) gives a tour of Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church prior to the opening sessions.

Former bishop Paul Hirschy speaks to attendees on behalf of Huntington University.

The Tuesday morning keynote session included discussions at the tables, sharing of prayer concerns, and praying.

Everyone's got their passport ready as the bus prepares to enter Canada.

Craig Mickey (foreground) leads the way as some of the group prepare to board the Maid of the Mist, a boat which cruises to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. Thin plastic ponchos are provided...and much needed.

The Associates Summit is in progress in Buffalo, New York. Twenty-two persons serving 13 different United Brethren churches in associate roles are attending. They are joined by three persons from the national office–Bishop Phil Whipple, Cluster coordinator Dennis Miller, and Communications director Steve Dennie. This conference is for spouses, too, and seven spouses are attending.

Bishop Phil Whipple spoke to the attendees at the restaurant following the noon meal on Tuesday, May 22.

Also participating is Pat Jones, a former United Brethren pastor and Director of Healthy Church Ministries. In 2009, Pat became senior pastor of Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Buffalo, New York. Eastern Hills is hosting some of the sessions, and Pat is speaking each day. That’s why everyone’s in Buffalo. Pat’s keynote addresses are built around the book “The Circle Maker,” by Mark Batterson.

This conference is designed for persons in UB churches working in such staff roles as pastoral care, assimilation, adult education, visitation, counseling, missions, discipleship, children’s ministry, etc. It is not for senior pastors.

While senior pastors participate in periodic cluster meetings, which provide continual training for them, associate staff do not attend cluster meetings. Instead, a series of specialized summits are designed for them. There is the annual UB Youth Workers Summit, and earlier in May there was a summit for persons in worship and music ministry.

This is the first year for the Associates Summit. Two years ago, a summit was held for persons in the spiritual care niche, but only six persons attended. The range was broadened for the Associates Summit. The result was a quadrupling of the attendance.

The conference began on Monday night, May 21, with an opening session at Eastern Hills church. On Tuesday morning, everyone ate breakfast together at the Millennium Hotel, where everyone is staying. After breakfast, Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy, who has worked for Huntington University since 2005, gave a presentation on behalf of the university. At the beginning of June, Hirschy will begin a new role as associate pastor of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. Then Pat Jones gave his second message.

By 11 am, everyone was loaded in a large passenger bus and headed for Niagara Falls. After a lunch at the Edgewater restaurant overlooking both the US and Canadian falls, Bishop Phil Whipple gave a challenge to the associates. Then the participants spent the rest of the afternoon taking tours and rides at the falls.

The summit will conclude after breakfast on Thursday, May 24.

09 May 2012 UB Youth Workers Summit

Attendees of the 2012 UB Youth Summit (click to enlarge).

At the 2012 UB Youth Workers Summit (click to enlarge)

Bobby Culler (right), Chairman, Youth Task Force; Youth Minister of Mount Pleasant Church, Chambersburg, Pa.

Youth Workers from across UBdom gathered just outside Daytona Beach, Fla., for the 2012 Youth Summit. Our theme this year was “FUSION – Establishing Meaningful Connections for Ministry Effectiveness.” Throughout the week we had the opportunity to strengthen the connection that we have with others in the trenches of youth ministry as well as the connection we have with our Lord.

Our keynote speaker was Dr. James Stump, professor of philosophy at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. He walked us through a variety of spiritual disciplines, and challenged our thinking by looking at “10 Propositions.” We served together (in a variety of service projects); we worshipped together (during our sessions); we laughed together (in the midst our free time); and we learned together (during our roundtable discussions).

This week has always proved to be a much-needed, timely break from the normal pace of youth ministry. The timing of the Youth Summit–May–is important, because at this time of year, many youth workers are drained. We have guys walk into the Youth Summit who are ready to hang up their cleats; they’re done. But all they really need is a break. Youth workers are spent from the year of ministry and just need a break and a chance to refocus, and to know everybody else is in the same boat. The Youth Summit provides a time of refreshment and refueling as we endeavor to finish out another school year of ministry.

Over the years, the number of participants has increased. But beyond that, the event has stayed much the same. We provide some teaching on the personal or practical side, but more than anything, it’s just a chance to let your hair down, relax, and chat.

It is a privilege and an honor, and a huge responsibility and calling, that God has placed on our lives to minister to this generation of students. We want to do that with as much excellence as possible for the glory of God. And this event, the Youth Summit, encourages us and motivates us and helps us be more effective in our ministry.

Plan to be with us next year, April 29 – May 2, 2013, in Holly Hill, Florida.

08 May UB History Course – May 8

Bob Bruce teaching the United Brethren History course on May 8 at Emmanuel Community Church. (click to enlarge)

Twelve persons participated in a one-day course in United Brethren history on May 8. The course was held at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., and taught by Bob Bruce, associate pastor of Spiritual Care at Emmanuel.

Several regional UB history courses have been held during the past year–in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and New York City. Normally it has been a two-day course. This was an experimental one-day version.

The course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren church, but is open to anyone who wants to know more about our history.

03 May UB Women’s Conference – Now Registering

Join hundreds of other United Brethren women for the 2012 UB Women’s Conference. The conference will be held in Shipshewana, Ind. (near the Michigan border) at the beautiful Farmstead Inn.

Date: September 28-30, 2012 (Friday – Sunday)

Costs

The cost for the entire weekend–lodging and meals–starts at a mere $109. That’s if you have four persons in a room and register before May 31.

Speaker and Music

The keynote speaker is Chris Boelter, a Bible teacher who is full of life. For ten years, she was a Teaching Leader for Bible Study Fellowship. She will speak at four sessions, developing what it means to lead a life of “Undistracted Devotion” to Jesus Christ.

Also spending the weekend with us is Fresh Fire Praise, a dynamic worship team. We anticipate some wonderful times of worship and singing.

Enjoy Shipshewana

There is a so much to do in Shipshewana.

• Shopping shopping shopping.
• Great food.
• Buggy rides.
• Shows.

Please Promote the Conference Among Your Church’s Women

Please inform women in your church about this conference and encourage them to register. We’d love to see a whole van-load of women from your church!

We have an 8.5-by-11 inch poster you can use. Click on the thumbnail on the right to get the full-size PDF poster, which you can print out and post in a prominent place.

For complete details–schedule, speaker, things to do, costs, etc.–go to UBWomen.org.

16 Apr May 8: UB History Course in Fort Wayne, Ind.

A one-day United Brethren History Course will be held May 8 in Fort Wayne, Ind. 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.

Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Time: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Emmanuel Community Church
Address: 12222 W Jefferson Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46814
Phone: 260-672-3377

The cost is:

• $200, if you are seeking a national conference ministerial license.
• $100 for everyone else.
• $19.90 for “Trials and Triumphs,” a history of the United Brethren church. You MUST have a copy of the book for the class. Order a copy from Healthy Ministry Resources by calling toll-free: 888-622-3019.

For more information and to register….

23 Feb Worship & Music Summit

This is a conference for UB ministers working in staff positions with music and worship. The organizers have a goal of 8-12 people.

Date: May 7-10, 2012 (Monday-Thursday)
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Cost: $150 per person (several scholarships are available, if cost is an issue)

Meetings will be held at the Wyndham Ocean Walk hotel, located on Daytona Beach itself. (300 N. Atlantic, Daytona Beach FL, 32118)

The sessions will include “planned conversations,” where participants learn from each other. As opposed to having a particular speaker.

Further information will be posted on the UB website as available.