13 Mar Reports and Registrations

Every Monday and Thursday, we tally up the registrations and reports that have come in, and let you know. We post XLR8 registrations and report totals here, and post the XLR8 numbers on the US National Conference website.

As of yesterday, the end of the day, the XLR8 registrations looked like this:

• 360 people registered.
• 70 registered for the UB Historical Society Banquet (which promises to be very well attended).
• 31 signed up for the Golf Outing.
• 63 are children and teens.

The deadline for all reports is March 15, just a few days away. Here are the new totals:

• 138 local church annual reports (out of about 200 churches). Any church not submitting the church report by March 15 will not be allowed representation at National Conference. Looks like we’ll have a few of those, unfortunately.
• 121 referenda results.
• 120 national conference covenants.
• 115 notifications of local church delegates (just send Bishop Ramsey a note using the Contact link on the right).

All of these numbers were sent to the denominational email list yesterday afternoon. If you’re not on that list, you can join.

10 Mar The Numbers Keep Rising

Before going home last night, we updated the numbers on the homepage of the US National Conference site. They now show:

• 296 total registrants (with the registrations that came in during the night, we’re over 300).
• 67 persons registered for the UB Historical Society banquet.
• 28 persons registered for the golf outing.
• 46 teens and children registered.

We also have updates on the reports coming into the office. The deadline for all of these is March 15. As of March 9, Bishop Ron Ramsey had received:

• 120 local church reports.
• 109 reports from churches about their referendum results.
• 103 signed local church covenants.

07 Mar XLR8 – US National Conference Update

05 Mar More Numbers

The number of registrations for the US National Conference now stands at 212, Almost a fourth of them have signed up for the UB Historical Society Banquet, at which Pat Jones will speak.

With ten days to go before the March 15 deadline, Bishop Ramsey has received:

• 106 local church reports.
• 96 reports from churches about their referendum results.
• 99 signed local church covenants.

04 Mar Church Planters Retreat

Back row (l-r): Carlos Salazar (MC – Holland, MI), Jimmy Santiago (MC – Chicago, IL), Volfi Valenzuela (MC – Ft. Wayne, IN), Tulio Duran (MC), Dalton Jenkins (UB – Yonkers, NY), Gary Rowland (MC – Ft. Wayne, IN), Martin Roman (MC – Kalamazoo, MI), Tom Blaylock (MC/UB – Everywhere), Gordon Kettel (UB – Grand Ledge, MI), Brian Reinhardt (MC – Sebewaing, MI). Front row (l-r): Bob Loar (MC – Blissfield, MI), Jeremy LeVan (MC – Mishawaka, IN), Matt Woodburn (MC – Macomb, MI), Roy Scott (UB – Brooklyn, NY), Howard Matthews (UB – Grandville, MI), and Josh Hossler (MC – Macomb, MI).

Church planters from the United Brethren Church and the Missionary Church held a retreat together January 29-31 in Orlando, Fla. They focused on three things: encouraging the church planters, sabbath rest, and learning from each other’s experiences. Tom Blaylock, who works part-time in church planting with both the UBs and MCs, headed up the event.

11 Feb XLR8 Conference – Ready for Registrations!

The online registration system is now up and running, as of last night. In fact, we’ve had several registrations already. So things are moving along! Just go to the USNationalConference.com website, and you’ll see a big button like the one on the right.

Plus, you can register online for the UB Youth Workers Summit, being held in May.

10 Feb National Conference Preparations Moving Along

L-r: Josh Greenfield (promotion), Jeff Bleijerveld (missions), Ron Ramsey (bishop), and Kathy Bruce (women’s ministry).

L-r: Todd Rupp (youth), E.J. Ramsey (prayer), Susie Burson (children), Chris Kuntz (worship/music/sound), Loretta Bailey (helping Chris).

Things are moving along for the upcoming US National Conference. The planning committee met last Saturday at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. Most of the members live in northeast Indiana, but several drove down from Toledo and one came from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Since the last meeting in June, groups or individuals have been working on their specific areas–music, promotion, set design, sound, workshops, registration, nursery, hospitality, children and youth, hotel arrangements, etc. It’s a big job, planning one of these conventions. Lots and lots of details.

We’re excited about our speaker, Tim Brown. He’s bringing his wife, Charity, who will do a workshop session just for pastor’s wives. We have a good line-up of workshops, which you can read about on the USNationalConference.com website.

Missions Night, on Saturday, should be great. A worship team from Owen Gordon’s church in Jamaica will lead us that night. They’re good, very good, and it should be great fun.

Registration brochures will be mailed to all churches this week. The online registration will go live soon–maybe this afternoon (still working out a few bugs).

Please promote the conference in your church. Over 900 people attended in 2007. We know the economy is an issue this year. But please, do everything you can to bring people from your church. It’ll be a great time for them, and for all of us as United Brethren.

29 Jan 2009 UB Youth Workers Summit

Every year, United Brethren youth workers meet in Daytona, Fla, for the UB Youth Workers Summit. You can now register online for this event.
The Summit is held at First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla. The registration fee is:

• Before April 1: $90.
• After April 1: $110.

The registration fee covers the cost of:

• Materials
• Speakers
• Lodging (the church has lodging facilities, so there are no hotel costs).
• All breakfasts and lunches (some dinners will be on your own).

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. It’s a great chance to rub shoulders with other UB youth workers and gain insights to help you minister more effectively to your teens.

15 Jan First of Two Teams En Route to Sierra Leone

Ten persons are on their way to Sierra Leone. Or will be, in a couple hours. Six people from northern Indiana will fly out of Fort Wayne around 6:00 tonight. They’ll meet two persons from Virginia in Chicago, then fly to London, where they’ll meet two more persons. Then it’s on to Freetown, Sierra Leone. They’ll arrive tomorrow night (Friday, Jan. 16) around 7:30.