03 May Brandon O’Brien Appearing at the US National Conference

Brandon O’Brien, editor-at-large for Leadership Journal, will present a seminar at the US National Conference based on his book, “The Strategically Small Church. The book shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today’s culture.

He explains, “A ‘strategically small’ church is one that has learned to recognize and leverage the inherent strengths of being small. Being strategically small means that instead of trying to overcome your congregation’s size, you have learned to use it to strategic ministry advantage…. I’m hoping that by telling the stories of some truly innovative and effective small churches, other small congregations will stop viewing their size and limited resources as liabilities and begin thinking about them as advantages.”

12 Apr National Conference Choir; Nearing 500

Registrations for this summer’s US National Conference hit 487 on April 12, and will no doubt pass 500 by the end of the week.

You can register online, or by using the registration brochures mailed to all churches.

Attendees are invited to join the first-ever National Conference Choir. Participants from across the denomination will sing on Friday, July 8, during the evening session.

The Choir will have ONE practice: 1:30 – 3:30 Friday afternoon, July 8.

Much more information is available on the conference website, including:

• A PDF file containing all of the music, so you can download and print the songs.
• Links to YouTube videos of all of the songs, in case you’re not familiar with some of them.
• A form you can use to confirm your interest in joining the choir,

12 Apr ELT Concludes Its Spring 2011 Meeting

The Executive Leadership Team

Bishop Phil Whipple (left), who chairs the ELT, with Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld.

The Executive Leadership Team met Monday night and Tuesday, April 11-12, in Huntington, Ind. The Executive Leadership Team meets twice a year, and is the highest governing body of the US churches between meetings of the US National Conference. Bishop Phil Whipple chairs the meetings.

Some items which came out of the meeting:

• Bishop Phil Whipple presented a strategic plan for the US churches on Monday night, and the ELT spent a couple hours on Tuesday further discussing his vision.
• Lee Rhodes, pastor of Countryside UB (Breckenridge, Mich.), was appointed by Bishop Whipple to chair the Nominating Committee for the US National Conference. The only elections which will be needed at National Conference this summer are for the Executive Leadership Team; members serve only two-year terms. The National Conference will elect 8 members, and the new ELT will then appoint four more members.
• Bishop Whipple doesn’t anticipate doing any revising of the UB Discipline at National Conference.
• About 30 churches still have not submitted their annual reports, which were due in February.
• The partnership fees (3.5% of income from each church) are coming in well.
• Global Ministries anticipates hiring an additional (and much-needed) associate director in the near future.

01 Apr National Conference Registrations Pass 200

Registrations for this summer’s US National Conference have now hit 210, with new registrations being added every day.

You can register online, or by using the registration brochures mailed to all churches.

Reminder:

Date: July 6-9, 2011
Location: Saw Mill Creek Resort, Huron, Ohio

If you haven’t made hotel reservations, you need to do that as soon as possible. Especially if you want to stay at Saw Mill Creek, where the meetings will be held. It’ll be filling up before long. (But there are lots of other hotels in the area.)

30 Mar National Conference Photo Contest

If you’re a shutterbug and would like to share some of your photos at national conference, we invite you to participate in our “Love God, Love Others Photo Contest.” It’s not necessary that you attend the conference. You just need to attend a United Brethren church.

We’re looking for photos from your church which in some way reflect the conference theme, “Love God, Love Others.” Submissions must be sent to us electronically (digital photos) no later than June 1, 2011. Make sure the resolution is high enough for us to print out a good copy in 8×10 size (at least 3 megapixels, no more than 6 megapixels).

During the conference, photos will be displayed in a gallery and conference attendees can vote on their three favorite photographs. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Place – $150 Amazon Gift Card
Second Place – $100 Amazon Gift Card
Third Place – $50 Amazon Gift Card

Participants must attend a United Brethren church and may submit no more than two images.

A form is available on the National Conference site for sending your photos. Or, you can email photos to photocontest@ub.org, with this information: Your name, address, church name, phone number, and a brief description of each photo.

By entering the contest, you affirm that the photograph is your own and grant license to the United Brethren in Christ to reproduce, display, and create derivative works of the entries.

28 Mar Children’s Ministry Summit Cancelled

The Children’s Ministry Summit, previously scheduled for May 17-18, 2011, has been cancelled. They had hoped for 15 registrants, but weren’t close to that number, so the decision was made to pull the plug.

11 Mar Conference Registrations Approaching the 150 Mark

Registrations for the 2011 US National Conference are arriving at a very strong clip. As of March 11, we have 141 people registered. And we’re still four months away.

Reminder:

Date: July 6-9, 2011
Location: Saw Mill Creek Resort, Huron, Ohio

If you haven’t made hotel reservations, you need to do that as soon as possible. Especially if you want to stay at Saw Mill Creek, where the meetings will be held. It’ll be filling up before long. (But there are lots of other hotels in the area.)

01 Mar Register Online for 2011 Youth Summit

Youth workers from United Brethren churches throughout the US will gather in Florida May 2-5 for the annual UB Youth Workers Summit. It’s a great time for networking with fellow youth workers, sharing ideas, and learning how to do it better.

Here is the info:

Dates: May 2-5, 2011
Place: Holly Hill United Brethren Church, near Daytona Beach.
Speaker: Denny Miller, senior pastor of Emmanuel Community Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Cost: By April 1, $99. After April 1 the cost is $120.

You can register and pay online.

Because of space limitations, this is designed for the “lead” youth worker at churches. Send the person who leads your youth ministry, whether fulltime, part-time, or volunteer. For more information, go to UBTeens.org.

28 Feb Five Attend First Regional UB History Course

These five persons attended the UB History course held at Rhodes Grove Camp. L-r: Amy Moreno, Matthew Hann, Jeff Stansbury, David Grove, and Adam Lane.

Daryl Elliott teaching the class.

The annual United Brethren History course, a requirement for becoming a licensed UB minister, is being held in two regional settings this year.

• February 21-22 at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa.
• March 7-8 in Wayne, Ohio.

Five persons attended the course at Rhodes Grove Camp, which was taught by Daryl Elliott, pastor of Fountain UB (Keyser, W. Va.).

• Amy Moreno, Associate Pastor of Christian Education at Bethany Evangelical Church (Carlisle, Pa.)
• Matthew Hann, Associate Pastor of Care and Worship at Jerusalem Chapel (Churchville, Va.).
• Jeff Stansbury, from Idaville UB (Idaville, Pa.).
• David Grove, senior pastor of Ebenezer UB (Greencastle, Pa.).
• Adam Lane, Worship/Youth Director at Blue Rock UB (Waynesboro, Pa.).

27 Jan 2011 Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit

The second annual UB Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit will be held May 17-18 in Holly Hill, Fla. The event will be hosted by First UB church in Holly Hill.

You will have the opportunity to spend time with children’s ministry workers from across our denomination: learning from each other, sharing ideas, networking, relaxing, and soaking up the Florida sunshine! Last year, 17 people attended and had a great time.

This event is aimed especially at persons who specialize in working with children. It is not limited to staffpersons. However, because of space limitations, it is limited to your “lead” children’s worker.

This is a unique opportunity for you to fellowship with others who share your passion. We know you will find it helpful, encouraging, and fun. Best of all, it’s FREE! You only need to cover your transportation costs to Florida.

Once again, we will cover your cost of registration. You will just need to find a way to get there! Look for additional information as well as opportunities to register.

What: Children’s Ministry Leaders Summit
When: May 17-18, 2011
Where: First UB in Holly Hill, Fla.
Cost: Travel expenses are up to you. Lodging and meals are provided.
Why: Networking, fellowship, encouragement, and fun!