17 Feb March 29: Free Idea to Action on Mental Health Issues

You’re welcome to sign up for the March 29 Idea to Action symposium. It will be held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. This online-only event is free for everyone, but you must register.

The topic is “Erase the Stigma: Equipping the Church on Mental Health Issues.”

10:00 am
Dr. Mandy Kellums Baraka will address, “Who’s in Your Pew? History of Mental Health Care in the Church Congregations.”

Dr. Baraka is an assistant professor of counseling at Huntington University. She holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Wheaton College, and a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Regent University. She has worked as a crisis therapist for Community Counseling Centers of Chicago.

11:00 am
Dr. Jerry Davis will lead a panel discussion on “Current Practices for Mental Health Care in the Church.” The panel participants:

• Rachele Dixie, Director of Christian Education at New Covenant Worship Center, Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Amanda Campati, Church administrator and coordinator of small group ministries at Broadway Christian Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Kathleen Schaffer, member of the parish health team at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, New Haven, Ind.

Dr. Jerry Davis first joined the Huntington University faculty in 1981, and now teaches in the graduate counseling program. His experience includes 37 years of experience in private practice counseling and 25 years of clinical supervision.

11:45 am: break

12:00 pm
Dr. Eric Williams will address, “Pastoring Post Pandemic: Resources and Reflections for the Days Ahead.”

Dr. Williams teaches in the clinical mental health counseling program at Huntington University. His time as a counselor has seen him in many places, counseling everywhere from military bases to grade schools. He is credentialed as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor and as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of North Carolina.

11 Feb NC2021 Registration Now Open

The 2021 US National Conference will be held July 14-17 in Fort Wayne, Ind. We are returning to the downtown Grand Wayne Center, where the 2013 conference was held.

This will be a “hybrid” conference. You can attend in-person, or attend online. The registration cost is the same either way. Both options have their perks and advantages.

For complete information and to register, go to the conference website.

Schedule

The format will be similar to previous conferences–start on Wednesday night, business meeting on Thursday morning, workshops on Friday morning, keynote addresses each night, concluding service Saturday morning. We’ll spend Friday afternoon and evening at Huntington University, our college, where some exciting things are planned. There is a youth track, and childcare will be provided at specified times.

View the Schedule page.

Business Meeting

Business is being kept to a minimum this year, but delegates will still need to elect a bishop and four members of the Executive Leadership Team. Mostly, we’ll focus on reports and vision.

View the Business page.

Lodging

Choose from three hotels, ranging from $115-$130 per night. The Hilton is integrated into the Grand Wayne Center, and the Courtyard and Hampton Inn are located across the street. All very convenient.

View the Lodging page.

Keynote Speakers

For the keynote evening messages, we are using three of our denominational directors: Mike Dittman (National Ministries), Frank Yang (UB Global), and Sherilyn Emberton (Higher Education). All will address aspects of the theme, “Make Disciples.” The bishop-elect will speak on Saturday morning.

Read more about the keynote speakers.

Registration

Registration is now open. Go here to register.

In-person: Individual: $75
In-person: Family: $115
Online: Attendee (maximum 1 vote per link): $75
Online: Attendee & Spouse (maximum 2 votes per link): $115

Go to the conference website for more information about Schedule, Lodging, Business, Youth and Childcare, Speakers, and more.

02 Feb UB History Course: March 15-16, 2021

A date has been set for the next UB History Course:

Date: March 15-16, 2021 (Monday and Tuesday).
Time: 9 am to 4 pm both days.
Instructor: Rev. Bob Bruce.

The course will be held online via Zoom.

About the Course

The UB History Course is held periodically, either online or in regional locations. This course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination, and qualifies for 12 credit hours.

However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are welcome to take the course. Laypersons, especially local church leaders (board chairpersons and members, lay delegates, etc.), are encouraged to attend. It’s valuable to have an understanding about United Brethren history.

The cost is $200, if you are seeking a ministerial license. There is a $50 discount if you pay fully in advance of the class, making your cost just $150. Three books are also required.

For everyone else, the cost is $100.

For full information, go here.

To register, go here.

30 Sep 25 Students from Three Countries Attend Latest UB History Course

A record 25 people, including four men from Jamaica, attended the September 28-29 UB History course. The course, which is a requirement for ministerial licensing, was taught via Zoom. Bob Bruce, formerly a fulltime staffer at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.), led the course. Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to the bishop, tended to the technical and administrative aspects of the event.

The Covid crisis has led to some unexpected discoveries. One is that face-to-face meetings are not always necessary. Various denominational groups, including the Executive Leadership Team and the UB Global board, have been holding meetings online. In the process, money is saved on travel, food and lodging, and members don’t spend many hours traveling back and forth.

The UB History Course is another example. The in-person course scheduled last spring was hastily converted to a Zoom course, and it went surprisingly well. So when another session was scheduled for September, it was designed from the start as a Zoom class.

Of the 25 students, all but two were taking the course for licensing. They included one person from Canada, four from Jamaica, and 20 from the United States. The latter included persons participating from Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. There were 7 women and 18 men.

The format also allowed for guests to pop in and talk about an aspect of the denomination. They included Bishop Todd Fetters, Frank Y (acting director of UB Global), Jim Bolich (director of Ministerial Licensing), Steve Dennie (Communications director), Dr. Sherilyn Emberton (president of Huntington University), and Dr. Anthony Blair (president of Evangelical Seminary).

27 Jul Online UB Women’s Conference: Sept 25-26, 2020

The UB women’s conference is on for September 25-26, 2020. Because of the pandemic, it will be entirely online. However, we’re determined to make it fun and inspiring.

We believe that God is doing a new thing! So please join us as we connect “Together” in a different way.

For complete information and to register, go here.

Here’s What Will Happen

• We will gather online on Friday evening (September 25) and Saturday (September 26).
• Our speaker, Lissa Litka, will lead us through our theme of “Together.”
• We’ll have online opportunities for interaction, and ways for you to discuss, worship, and pray.
• You may choose to tune in on your own or with a few friends in your home. We encourage ministry leaders to organize viewing parties of any size based on your unique circumstances and state’s regulations. If you are free to gather in a group, consider having a mini retreat!
• We’ll be putting information on our Facebook page as we develop the plan.

Our Speaker: Lissa Litka

Lissa Litka is an author and speaker, and director of Beauty Will Rise Ministries. She is a staff pastor and counselor at Morning Star UB church in Kokomo, Ind.

Lissa has spoken at many events for women and teens. She has a God-given desire to help women see that their true identity comes from an intimate relationship with Christ, not from society’s standards. She transparently shares her life-lessons learned through storytelling, showing how to avoid toxic relationships and survive in the midst of our fast-paced, chaotic lives. She loves taking Bible characters, such as Rahab, and bringing them to life and helping her audiences relate to them on a personal level.

Registration

Individual registration: $10. You will receive a conference packet in the mail prior to the conference. It will include discussion guides and themed gifts. Closer to the date of the conference, you will receive the livestream link.

Host Site: $30. You will receive a conference packet for yourself. In addition, you will receive door prizes so that you can interact with the give-away portion of the conference. In order for each individual attending your “watch party” to receive a conference packet, they must also register as an individual. Closer to the date of the conference, you will receive the livestream link.

Go here to register.

Suggestions for Watch Parties

• Share a meal
• Use a large monitor or screen for showing the livestream.
• Hold your own “silent auction” and give proceeds to a local charity.
• Bring games or crafts for before and/or after the sessions.
• Create your own watch party “theme” poster – there just might be a contest for the best use of theme!

Basic Schedule

Friday, September 25
7:00-9:00 pm: Live Streaming Session #1

Saturday, September 26
9:00-10:15 am: Live Streaming Session #2
10:30-11:30 am: Live Streaming Session #3
1:00-2:00 pm: Live Streaming Session #4

22 Jul September 28-29: Next UB History Course

A date has been set for the next UB History Course:

Date: September 28-29, 2020 (Monday and Tuesday).
Time: 9 am to 4 pm both days.
Instructor: Rev. Bob Bruce.

The course will be held online via Zoom.

About the Course

The UB History Course is held periodically, either online or in regional locations. This course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination, and qualifies for 12 credit hours.

However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are welcome to take the course. Laypersons, especially local church leaders (board chairpersons and members, lay delegates, etc.), are encouraged to attend. It’s valuable to have an understanding about United Brethren history.

The cost is $200, if you are seeking a ministerial license. There is a $50 discount if you pay fully in advance of the class, making your cost just $150. Three books are also required.

For everyone else, the cost is $100.

For full information, go here.

To register, go here.

14 Apr Holy Week in the Year of Covid-19

This Easter Season was unlike anything our world has experienced. We’d like to capture stories from United Brethren churches about what Holy Week looked like. Other UB churches in the US and around the world will be interested.

While the past week is fresh in your mind, please take a few minutes to write a couple paragraphs about the Easter Season at your churches, and particularly your Holy Week observances. You can send an email to news@ub.org, or use the form on the Covid-19 response page.

03 Apr Good Friday: Day of Prayer & Fasting

The National Association of Evangelicals, its member denominations (which include the United Brethren in Christ USA), and other groups have joined to designate Good Friday, April 10, as a Day of Prayer & Fasting. We invite you to participate. Perhaps your church will want to include this as part of your Good Friday observances, in whatever form they may take.

Last summer, during our US National Conference, we focused on the theme “Let’s Pray.” Our world certainly needs prayer during this coronavirus pandemic.

Whether or not this fits with what your church has planned for Good Friday, perhaps you can find ways to use the following Suggested Prayers, which touch on many aspects of the crisis.

Suggested Prayers

1. Pray that God, in His power and mercy, would end the coronavirus pandemic.
2. Pray that all of our government leaders will be protected from the virus, and that they will have the patience, wisdom, civility, and compassion to deal with the many problems facing our country in this perilous time.
3. Pray for the safety of all members of the medical community, and pray that they will be able to care for the sick with wisdom, kindness, and stamina.
4. Pray that the sick will be healed and restored, and that the elderly will be protected.
5. Pray that the medical community will have the medical supplies, drugs, testing kits, protective equipment, ventilators, and hospital and ICU beds needed to take care of the ill.
6. Pray for those who are grieving for lost friends and family.
7. Pray for the poor and all those who have been hurt by the economic downturn: employees, the self-employed, small business owners, big businesses, churches, and charities.
8. Pray that all those who have lost jobs will be able to return to work soon.
9. Pray to restore the economy.
10. Pray that in these difficult times, hurting people will not turn to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and domestic abuse.
11. Pray for those confined by quarantine, those who are sheltered in place, and those practicing social distancing, that they might not despair in loneliness and isolation.
12. Pray for our education system at every level that has broken down under the threat of disease.

Suggested Scriptures

• Jeremiah 29:5-13
• Isaiah 53
• Isaiah 60
• John 19
• Romans 5:6-10
• 1 Peter 2:11-25

17 Mar All Pastor Summits Cancelled

Due to the CDC’s mandate prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 at any one event for the next 8 weeks, we have cancelled the four “summits” planned for April and May. All were to be held in Daytona, Fla. They include:

• The three Pastor & Spouse summits: April 20-23, April 27-30, and May 4-7.
• The Ministry Leaders Summit: May 4-7.

In addition, three other events have been cancelled:

• March 21: the UB Global Ignite Conference scheduled at Fowlerville UB church (Fowlerville, Mich.).
• March 21: the UB Association workshop at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa.
• March 30: the Idea to Action Symposium at Huntington University.

I was registered for a Pastor Summit. What do I need to do?

1. Notify the UB National Office that you have received this information. If within the next 48 hours we have not heard from you, we will call you to assure you have this news. Contact Cathy Reich in the Bishop’s office by email at cathy@ub.org, or call Cathy at 888-622-3019.

2. Cancel any flight arrangements you made. Some airlines are granting reimbursements, others are granting a one-year credit for the cost of the ticket. Most airlines are waiving change fees. (NOTE: If your travel is after April 30, however, you may need to wait until this is in effect for May travel. As of March 17, the cutoff date is April 30.)

3. Don’t worry about any hotel reservations we made on your behalf. They’ve all been cancelled. There will be no charge to you or the bishop’s budget.

4. Continue to pray for Bishop Fetters as together we are navigating unprecedented waters. Pray for each other, as you are all on the frontlines, doing ministry, shepherding your flock. We pray in the coming days that you will be granted all the wisdom, strength and health needed to lead well and lead strong.

5. Plan to attend the Pastor & Spouse Summits in 2022. Stay tuned for dates.

I was registered for the Ministry Leaders Summit. What do I need to do?

1. Notify the UB National Office that you received this information. If within the next 48 hours we have not heard from you, we will call you to assure you have this news. Contact Cathy Reich in the Bishop’s office by email at cathy@ub.org, or call Cathy at 888-622-3019.

2. Cancel any flight arrangements once the airlines extend into May. As of March 17, the cutoff is April 30. With the day-to-day changes, it shouldn’t be long for them to honor May cancellations. Cathy Reich will keep in touch with you on this one.

3. Don’t worry about any hotel reservations we made on your behalf. They’ve all been cancelled. There will be no charge to you or the summit budget.

4. If you are a youth worker: plan on attending the youth summit in 2021. Stay tuned for dates. For everyone else: plan on attending the next Ministry Leaders Summit in 2022. Stay tuned for dates.

5. Continue to pray for Bobby Culler and Craig Mickey as with the Bishop they are navigating unprecedented waters.

16 Mar Cancelled: Idea to Action and UB Association Workshop

As a result of CDC directives against group meetings of 50+ people, we have two cancellations to report:

• March 21: the UB Association workshop at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. Cancelled.
• March 30: the Idea to Action Symposium at Huntington University. Cancelled.