08 May One Prayer

A couple days ago, an email to the UB constituency mentioned the OnePrayer.com emphasis being directed out of LifeChurch in Oklahoma City. This is a very unique thing that has been promoted almost entirely through the internet. And it’s free.

One Prayer will occur for four weeks in June, focusing on the question, “If you could pray one prayer for the church, what would it be?” A number of the most prominent pastors in America are providing video sermons to answer that question, using the title “Make us ___.” Make us one, make us creative, make us dangerous, make us obedient, make us wise, make us audacious–those are some of the sermons available.

As of today, 720 churches are signed up, and the list grows by the hour. At least four UB churches plan to participate:

• New Hope Community Church (Bryan, Ohio).
• Eagle Quest (Columbia City, Ind.).
• Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
• Grace UB (Sherkston, Ontario).

We’re not pushing this as a denomination–just letting you know about it.
To participate, you need the ability to download and show a video in Quicktime or AVI format. You can read all about it at the OnePrayer.com site. The video by Craig Groeschel explains everything.

30 Apr Hit the Bullseye Conference

Ron Ramsey speaking to cluster leaders on Tuesday night, April 29.

Most of the cluster leaders, plus several Healthy Ministry Resources staff, are attending the Hit the Bullseye Conference in Lima, Ohio. It started yesterday and ends today. We registered 35 people through our office, mostly cluster leaders, and some other UBs came on their own. So the UB church has a good representation here.

Altogether, there are probably 350-400 people attending the conference.

This conference is led by Dr. Paul Borden, from whom we have learned the consultation process. Pat Jones has conducted six consultations thus far, with several other UB ministers–sometimes cluster leaders–helping him as part of each consultation team.

On Tuesday night, after the evening workshops, Pat, Steve Dennie, and I met with the cluster leaders for about 90 minutes. Pat and I went over several issues relating to the work of cluster leaders, particularly the process for stationing ministers, and Steve gave a brief presentation about the Healthy Ministry Resources branding.

14 Jan Ladies Breakaway Retreat March 14-15

Annette Sites, pastor’s wife at Jerusalem Chapel UB (Churchville, Va.) and a member of the denominational Women’s Ministry Team, is the keynote speaker at the annual Ladies Breakaway Retreat. The retreat will be held March 14-15 at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. This inter-denominational retreat has been happening for over ten years. This year’s theme is “A Balancing Act,” based on the verses in Galatians about carrying each other’s burdens.

Registration begins on Friday, March 14, at 4:30 p.m. The retreat concludes at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The cost is $90 per person for a full room (4 persons). If interested, contact Jeanie Helman for a brochure by email or by phone at 717.263.0659. The registration deadline is March 7.

07 Jan Leading Change: New Continuing Ed Course at Rhodes Grove

“Leading Change: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century Church,” is the title of the next continuing education class being offered through the Ecclesiastes Institute, a ministry of Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. The class will be led by Anthony Blair, dean of Academic Affairs at Easter College (Philadelphia, Pa.) and a UB minister, and Jo Ann Kunz, a member of the pastoral staff of Hosanna Christian Fellowship. The text Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church, will be used as a tool and is available to purchase through Rhodes Grove. A buffet lunch will be provided by the camp.

Date: Monday, February 9, 2008
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The classes are offered in partnership with Lancaster Bible College and qualify for a .5 CEU rating and an accompanying certificate.

23 Oct Effective Christian Leadership: Course at Rhodes Grove

The course “Effective Christian Leadership” will be taught November 6 at Rhodes Grove Campground in Chambersburg, Pa. This course is part of the camp’s continuing education ministry, The Ecclesiastes Institute. The course, which involves essential leadership components that today’s Christian leaders need, will be taught by Rev. Carl Shank, formerly on the pastoral staff at Antrim Brethren in Christ church and now ministering in Mount Joy, Pa. Participants can earn .5 Continuing Education Unit from Lancaster Bible College. The time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can register online, or call the camp office: 717.375.4162. Registrations are requested by October 29. A buffet lunch is included.

11 Sep Regional Lay Training Events

A series of training events for laypersons will be held in five different locations during September and October. They are designed for anyone serving in some type of local church ministry. The training will include principles that can be applied to any size church and to any segment of ministry.
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07 Sep Regional Lay and Youth Training Events

A series of training events for laypersons will be held in five different locations during September and October. They are designed for anyone serving in some type of local church ministry. The training will include principles that can be applied to any size church and to any segment of ministry.

Each event will be held on a Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm.

• September 22: Mount Pleasant Church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
• September 29: Mainstreet Church (Walbridge, Ohio)
• October 6: Eden Church (Mason, Mich.)
• October 13: Lancaster UB Church (Lancaster, Ohio)
• October 20: Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
• October 27: Atlantic Avenue UB church (Franklin, Pa.)

The schedule will be the same at each location, with these four sessions:

9:00 – 10:30: The Non-Negotiables for All Churches
10:45 – Noon: Structuring Your Ministry to be Effective
1:30 – 2:30: Push Backs to Effective Ministry
2:30 – 3:00: Question and Answer time

The cost is free (though lunch is on your own at nearby restaurants). You can register online, or email the names of people from your church to Bishop Ron Ramsey’s administrative assistant.

Training for United Brethren youth workers will occur at the same time. This is a whole different track. The youth training will occur in the same locations as the lay training events, and will follow the same schedule.