06 Jul Road trip for National Conference Services

Your church should bring a busload or car caravan of people to a service at the upcoming US National Conference. Or to several services.

The evening services, and the closing service on Saturday morning, are open for anyone to attend. You don’t need to have registered for the conference. Come join the nearly 700 UBs who have registered, and let’s fill the place!

The convention is July 17-20. The evening services start at 6:30. Daniel Henderson will speak Wednesday and Thursday nights on prayer, which will be a continuing emphasis for Bishop Todd Fetters; it would be great if you could. Friday night is Missions Night, with David Datema speaking. Bishop Todd Fetters will speak on Saturday morning at 9:00 am, presenting some of his vision for the denomination.

Organize a road trip with some of your fellow parishioners. We’d love to see you there!

The conference will be held at Bowling Green State University in the Bowen student union center.

20 Jun Free Marriage Retreat for UB Pastoral Couple: August 12-14

The 6th Annual Marriage Retreat for United Brethren Pastoral Couples will be held August 12-14, 2019, at Rhodes Grove Camp & Conference Center in Chambersburg, Pa.

Instead of our usual “Marriage Retreat,” this year’s event is more of a “Spiritual Retreat.” Plan to get away for a few days with other pastoral couples, retreat from the daily grind of ministry, and reconnect spiritually.

There is no cost. This three-day, two-night retreat is sponsored in full by the United Brethren National Office, the United Brethren Association for Church Development, and Rhodes Grove Camp.

This retreat is reserved for pastors and spouses serving in United Brethren in Christ churches.

The retreat this year will be guided by Mike Dean, pastor of Living Waters UB church in Winchester, Va.

Register using this PDF form.

23 May UB History Course: June 29 in Dayton, Ohio

A one-day UB History Course will be held June 29 in New Carlisle, Ohio (near Dayton).

Date: June 29, 2019
Time: 8 am to 5 pm
Location: Park Layne UB Church
Address: 1320 Styer Drive, New Carlisle, Ohio
Instructor: Rev. Bob Bruce

You can register here.

The United Brethren History Course is a requirement for ministerial licensing in the United Brethren denomination. However, people who just want to learn more about United Brethren history are welcome to take the course. The course is held periodically in regional settings. For United Brethren ministers, the course qualifies for 12 credit hours.

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.
• $100 for everyone else.

You will also need copies of three books: “Trials and Triumphs,” and “All for Christ,” volumes 1 and 2.

Complete information can be found here.

16 May Four Regional Meetings are Completed

Bishop Todd Fetters speaking at the Sunfield meeting.

The meeting at Mt. Pleasant UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.

The meeting at Praise Point UB church in Willshire, Ohio.

Steve Dennie explaining the Discipline revision proposals at the Willshire meeting.

The Sunfield crowd.

Prayer time at Mt. Pleasant UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.

Prayer time at Sunfield.

Worship time at Sunfield.

During the past two weeks, four Regional Meetings have been held as a prelude to the US National Conference this summer. Bishop Todd Fetters used the meetings to inform people about what will happen at National Conference and review the proposals for revising the United Brethren Discipline.

Last week, meetings were held in Chambersburg, Pa. (May 6) and Willshire, Ohio (May 8).

This week, over 60 people attended the May 13 meeting at Sunfield UB church in Sunfield, Mich. Two days later, about 20 people attended an online edition, with participants from the East Coast to California.

03 May Proposals for the US National Conference

The Executive Leadership Team meeting April 29-30.

The Executive Leadership Team met this past Monday and Tuesday, April 29-30, at Huntington University (Huntington, Ind.). Among other things, they reviewed the proposals which will go before the US National Conference during the business session on July 18, 2019.

Proposals
There are just six proposals for revising the Discipline, along with five editorial changes. Bishop Todd Fetters will go over these during the regional meetings, which start this coming Monday (May 6) at Mt. Pleasant UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.

The most significant proposal regards beverage alcohol. In 1849, we began requiring all UB members to totally abstain from drinking alcohol. In 2005, we removed that restriction for laypersons, but kept it for United Brethren ministers. A proposal to remove the restriction for ministers, and only urge abstention rather than require it–same as with laypersons–went before the 2015 US National Conference, but was tabled. The same basic proposal will be considered this year.

Another proposal involves major revisions to the “Connections” chapter, which deals with the cluster system. This chapter was new in 2005, when the US National Conference eliminated the annual conference system and instituted the cluster system. The chapter needs to be updated to reflect how the cluster system functions today.

Two PDF documents can be downloaded on the UB website. One contains all of the Discipline revision proposals. The other summarizes UB history as it relates to our stands regarding alcohol.

Regional Meetings

The National Conference business meeting will be held Thursday, July 18. UB ministers and lay delegates are strongly encouraged to attend a regional meeting. The dates and locations are:

• Monday, May 6: Mt. Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
• Wednesday, May 8: Praise Point UB church (Willshire, Ohio)
• Monday, May 13: Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.)
• Wednesday, May 15: Virtual meeting via Zoom software.

The meeting time for each event is 9:00 – 11:30 am.

At the regional meetings, Bishop Fetters will invite feedback about all of the proposals, and tweaks may be made. A final version of the proposals will be published in June.

Please register for a regional meeting, if you plan to attend.

Executive Leadership Team

This was the last meeting for this version of the Executive Leadership Team. For eight of the 12 members, their term ends this summer. Half of the eight elected members are chosen by the US National Conference every two years. The bishop also appoints four members every two years. The four members whose terms don’t end until 2021 are Dennis Sites, Tyler Bates, Matt McConnell, and Gary Dilley. The UB website shows the current ELT members and when their terms end.

ELT officers (l-r): Bishop Todd Fetters (chairperson), Gary Dilley (vice chairperson), and Tomi Cardin (secretary).

02 May Regional Meetings Start Next Monday, May 6

Three regional meetings will be held in May 2019 as a prelude to the US National Conference. In this video, Bishop Todd Fetters talks about these meetings and how people can pray for them. “Let’s Pray” is the theme for the conference.

Bishop Fetters will use these regional meetings to explain and invite feedback about the proposals which will come before the conference business meeting on July 18. Ministers and lay delegates are strongly encouraged to participate in one of these regional meetings. For persons who can’t attend in person, Bishop Fetters will hold an online version on May 15.

All four meetings will be held 9:00 – 11:30 am. Here are the dates and locations.

• May 6: Mt. Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
• May 8: Praise Point UB church (Willshire, Ohio).
• May 13: Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.).
• May 15: Virtual meeting via Zoom.

You can register for any of these meetings here.

18 Apr May 11: UB Association Leadership Day (Chambersburg, Pa.)

The United Brethren Association’s Annual Ministry Leadership Resource Day is coming up. The deadline for registering is May 3.

There is no cost to attend the seminar. Fees associated with lunch and Sunday night lodging are on this downloadable PDF brochure.

Date: Saturday, May 11
Time: 9 am – 3 pm
Location: Rhodes Grove Camp & Conference Center.
Address: 7693 Browns Mill Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202

This year we are welcoming Brotherhood Mutual who will guide the presentation.

Morning Session Topics

• Top Legal Trends Facing Churches Today
• Safety & Security
• Medical Preparation and Response
• Human Resource Concerns

Afternoon Session Topics

• Protecting Ministry Assets
• Cyber Security
• Public Relations
• Government Scrutiny
• Religious Liberty

Expect to receive lots of great information applicable to leaders in all areas of ministry. Anyone in any leadership position at your church is invited to attend. Please help us spread the word!

Register online here.

26 Mar Register Now for the US National Conference, July 17-20

We’re looking forward to an exciting US National Conference this summer. The date is July 17-20. We’ll be meeting on the beautiful campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. They are basically letting us take over their entire multi-story Student Union complex, which can accomodate everything we need–a huge ballroom for our services, plenty of rooms for workshops, areas for children’s ministry, a large room for the women’s track, and space for exhibitors. There’s even an onsite Starbucks. And right next door is the dining facility and a Dunkin’ Donuts.

Get Your Registration in Now
Early-bird pricing is available through June 1.

Individual: $75 ($90 after June 1, 2019)
Family: $115 ($140 after June 1, 2019)

You can register here. There are actually three parts: Registration, Lodging, and Meals. You MUST register for the conference itself, but the lodging and meal parts are optional–your choice. Lodging is available on campus or in local hotels. Lunch and dinner tickets can be purchased for the campus dining hall.

Lodging
You are welcome to stay in Founders Hall, a campus residence hall. All of the beds are single (twin) beds, and there are no TVs in any rooms. It won’t be as comfy as a motel room, but it’s convenient and inexpensive. A set of linens and breakfast vouchers for the dining hall will be provided. Read more here.

The Registration page has links to four hotels in Bowling Green which are giving us a special conference rate. All four are located within a half-mile of the campus. Read about them here.

Meal Tickets
The Oaks has an excellent variety of food. You can purchase lunch and dinner tickets.

Adults: $10 per meal.
Youth (age 8-12): $6.75 per meal.
Children (4-7): $5.25 per meal.

Kids under 3 eat free with a purchased adult meal.

Theme and Keynote Speaker
Let’s Pray” is the theme for this summer’s US National Conference. Keynote speaker Daniel Henderson (right) will focus our attention on prayer during the Wednesday and Thursday night services.

Daniel Henderson was a senior pastor for over 20 years. Now, as president of Strategic Renewal, he works fulltime helping congregations experience renewal and prayer-based revitalization. He has written a number of books on biblical leadership and prayer, including “Transforming Prayer” and “Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word.”

Friday Night Spotlight on Missions
The Friday night service will focus on United Brethren missions. The keynote speaker will be David Datema (right), a UB ordained minister who, since 1999, has been an endorsed UB missionary with Frontier Ventures. His work with the US Center for World Mission has given him unique insights into worldwide mission work, particularly among unreached people groups.

Regional Meetings
In May, Bishop Todd Fetters will lead a series of regional meetings to review the proposals to be presented at the Thursday morning business session. The time in each location is 9:00 – 11:30 am.

May 6: Chambersburg, Pa.
May 8: Willshire, Ohio.
May 13: Sunfield, Mich.
May 15: Virtual meeting via Zoom.

Ministers and lay delegates are strongly encouraged to participate in one of these meetings. Complete information and a registration link can be found here.

Download the Conference Logo
The conference logo can be downloaded here in various formats, which you can use in your church communications–newsletters, announcement slides, etc. You can also download, by itself, the “wordcloud” used in the logo–for example, to use in a sermon series.

Links about the 2019 US National Conference
Conference homepage
Registration
Schedule
Campus Housing
Hotels
Business Session
Regional Meetings

05 Mar “Let’s Pray” Theme of US National Conference

“Let’s Pray” is the theme for this summer’s US National Conference. Bishop Todd Fetters addresses the subject in the short video above.

An e-letter is being published every two weeks in the lead-up to the conference. The second edition will go out later this week. If you’d like to subscribe, or if you’d like to download the video above to show to the congregation, go here.

Registrations are coming in for the US National Conference, which will be held July 17-20 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Go here for info and to register.

28 Feb Register for the 2019 US National Conference

Registration is open for the 2019 US National Conference, which will be held July 17-20 in Bowling Green, Ohio. You can register here.

We will basically be taking over the wonderful student union building at Bowling Green State University. The campus environment will be something new for our national conferences. Everything–services, workshops, women’s track, childcare–will be held in the student union. The dining hall is right next door.

There are three parts to the registration link:

1. Registering for the conference itself.
2. Reserving lodging, either on the campus or at local hotels.
3. Purchasing meal tickets for the dining hall.

Registration costs:

• Individual: $75 ($90 after June 1, 2019)
• Family: $115 ($140 after June 1, 2019)
• Individual Day Pass: $40