07 Feb Register Now for the July 17-20 US National Conference

Registration is now open for the 2019 US National Conference. This is a four-day family-oriented conference held every two years. It’s a time of spiritual refreshment, fellowship, encouragement, worship, fun, and learning. You’ll become acquainted with United Brethren people from churches across the country.

Date: July 17-20, 2019
Location: Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, Ohio

We’ve held national conferences at hotels, convention centers, and a church, but never at a university. We’re excited about what Bowling Green State University has to offer. The small-town setting and campus atmosphere will make the conference very special.

All of our meetings—services, workshops, etc.—will be held in the Bowen Thompson Student Union building. Right next door is The Oaks dining facility where most folks will no doubt choose to eat. And lodging is available in a nearby residence hall, for those who wish to stay on campus.

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Registration

The registration page has several parts. You MUST register for the conference itself, but it’s your choice what you do about food and lodging.

1. Register for the conference. (Required)

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

2. Reserve accommodations—either in campus residence halls, or at local hotels. (Optional)

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. Many other hotels are located 10-14 miles away on the outskirts of Toledo.

3. Purchase meal tickets for the campus dining hall. (Optional)

The Oaks has an excellent variety of food. You can purchase lunch and dinner meals.

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.

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Business Session

The Business session will be held Thursday morning, July 18. Every UB church can send at least one layperson as a voting delegate, and most actively-serving UB ministers also have voting status. The requirements are spelled out in ¶503 of the UB Discipline.

Lay Delegates. The formula is based on average attendance–one lay delegate for the first 150 persons, and an additional delegate for each 100 persons after that.

Clergy Delegates. Ministers are eligible if they hold a Specialized Minister or National Conference license, and are employed by a United Brethren church in the US National Conference. That covers most ministers. A few other situations are spelled out in ¶503.1.

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Proposals and Regional Meetings

United Brethren constituents are invited to submit proposals for consideration during the Business session. The deadline is March 1, 2019. Complete details about the process and schedule for submitting proposals were publicized in November 2018.

In May, Bishop Todd Fetters will lead a series of regional meetings to review the proposals. 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 can be found here. Please register using the link.

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Basic Schedule

Childcare will be available during the evening services and at selected other times. Go here for the full schedule.

Wednesday (July 17)
2:00	Registration
6:30	Opening session / reception
Thursday (July 18)
7:30	Breakfast for delegates and advisory members (not spouses).
8:30 – Noon	Business session.
Noon	Lunch and afternoon on your own
6:30	Evening session / reception
Friday (July 19)
8:00- 9:30	Breakfast for retired ministers and spouses
9:00 – Noon	Workshops
Noon – 6:30	Lunch and afternoon on your own
6:30	Evening session / reception
Saturday (July 20)
9:00 – 11:00	Concluding service
	Communion, ordinations
	Message from Bishop Todd Fetters
	Dismissal

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Links about the 2019 US National Conference

• Conference homepage
• Registration
• Schedule
• Campus Housing
• Lodging
• Business Session
• Regional Meetings
• Submitting Proposals

05 Feb 2019 Regional Meetings: Prelude to National Conference

Three regional meetings will be held in May 2019 as a prelude to the US National Conference. Bishop Todd Fetters used these meetings to review proposals which will come before the National Conference.

For persons who can’t attend one of these meetings, Bishop Todd Fetters will hold an online version on May 15.

Ministers and lay delegates are STRONGLY encouraged to participate in one of these meetings.

May 6 (Monday), 9:00–11:30 am. Mount Pleasant UB church, 2509 Black Gap Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202.

May 8 (Wednesday) 9:00–11:30 am. Praise Point UB church, 555 Decatur Rd., Willshire, OH 45898.

May 13 (Monday) 9:00–11:30 am. Sunfield UB church, 8436 W Grand Ledge Hwy, Sunfield, MI 48890.

May 15 (Wednesday) 9:00–11:30 am. Virtual meeting using Zoom. Information will be posted when available.

United Brethren constituents are invited to submit proposals. The process and schedule for submitting proposals was posted on November 16. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2019.

24 Jan Register Now for UB Youth Workers Summit

Registration is now open for the 2019 UB Youth Workers Summit.

Dates: April 29 – May 3 (Monday – Friday)
Location: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Attendees will stay at the Best Western Aku Tiki Inn (2222 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118).

This is an annual event of encouragement and training for persons in youth ministry. It is available for the lead youth ministry workers (fulltime, part-time, or volunteer) in every United Brethren church. About 25 persons usually attend.

The Summit is a great time of networking with other youth leaders and being encouraged by others who are in the trenches of youth ministry. Enjoy the beach, golf course, and incredibly beautiful weather, along with the chance to slow down and step away from the constant demands of youth ministry.

Cost

• $30 remote attendee (you have your own lodging)
• $150 per person (will share room with another attendee)
• $300 per couple staying in the same room
• $380 per person with private room

What is Included

• Hotel stay for 4 nights.
• Daily hot breakfast buffet.
• 4 hosted dinners
• and seminars with guest speaker Jeremy Penn.

What isn’t Included
Anything else, such as travel, spending money, excursions, lunches.

Continuing Education
If you hold a UB ministerial license, by attending this summit, you will earn 20 contact hours, which satisfies your annual requirement.

Keynote Speaker
Jeremy Penn was a youth pastor for 10 years in churches ranging from 150 – 10,000 people. He is now the founder and pastor of The Crowded House Network. The Crowded House is a network of missional house churches that serves dechurched and unchurched communities. Prior to this, Jeremy served as a youth and young adult minister at Northland, A Church Distributed in Longwood, Fla. He earned an MA in Theological Studies from Talbot School of Theology, and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary that focuses on The Church and Post-Christendom. Jeremy and his wife, Crystal, have two children.

Register now at UBTeens.org

16 Jan 2019 Cluster Leader Winter Gathering

The annual Cluster Leader Winter Gathering was held on Monday and Tuesday, January 14-15. Twenty of the 24 cluster leaders attended, along with several spouses. The meeting was held at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The event began Monday night with a catered meal. Dr. Sherilyn Emberton gave an update about the work of Huntington University, and Jeff Bleijerveld gave an update about UB Global and our international partners. Bishop Todd Fetters concluded the evening with a short message.

The attendees reconvened at 8:30 Tuesday morning. While the cluster leaders continued their meeting, Lisa Fetters led the spouses on a tour of the local Debrand’s chocolate factory.

Much of the morning involved presentations on two new initiatives.

Andy Sikora, pastor of ReNew Ministries in Berea, Ohio, spoke about the Fresh Start Initiative, which will recruit ministers and mobilize existing churches for church planting.

Dan Kopp, a UB minister in Columbus, Ohio, introduced the Barnabas Project, which will focus on coaching and encouraging members of our ministerial family. The Barnabas Project will recruit, train, and deploy persons interested in coaching.

The afternoon consisted entirely of Barnabas Project information and training by Dan Kopp. A number of other persons joined the group for the afternoon session.

16 Nov Submitting Proposals to the 2019 US National Conference

In July 2019, delegates from United Brethren churches in the United States will gather for the 2019 US National Conference. This year, we are meeting at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. You will be able to register at the beginning of the year.

The 2019 US National Conference will hold its business meeting on Thursday, July 18, 2019. Among other things, the delegates will consider various proposals, including proposed revisions to the United Brethren Discipline.

The United Brethren constituency is invited to submit proposals for consideration by the US National Conference. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 1, 2019. A proposal needs to come from a group or official entity — not from an individual. Examples: a local church board, cluster group, a denominational leadership team or study committee, etc. The Bishop’s Office and the Executive Leadership Team are responsible for processing and approving proposals for presentation to the conference.

Complete information for submitting proposals can be found on the UB website.

26 Oct UB Connected and UB Global

UB Connected Projects from UB Global on Vimeo.

An event called “UB Connected” will be held November 4-5, 2018, at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. It is sponsored by the United Brethren Association.

Jeff Bleijerveld, executive director of UB Global, will be among the speakers. The above video describes some of the activities of UB Connected churches in regards to United Brethren mission work.

Here is the schedule for UB Connected:

Sunday, November 4
3:00 PM: Missions Conference
5:00 PM: Supper, $17 per person ($10 per person for retired Pastors & wives)
6:00 PM: Business Meeting, Association Members
6:30 PM: Worship, Bishop Todd Fetters and Communion

Monday, November 5
9:00 PM: Worship & Teaching
12:00 PM: Lunch, $12 per person

Online registration is available here.

20 Oct UB Connected: November 4-5 Event at Rhodes Grove Camp (Chambersburg, Pa.)

An event called “UB Connected” will be held November 4-5, 2018, at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. It is sponsored by the United Brethren Association.

The event begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 4, with a missions presentation by UB Global Director Jeff Bleijerveld, Sierra Leone Bishop John Pessima, and Liberia Bishop Moses Somah. Dinner will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by a message from Bishop Todd Fetters at 6:30 p.m.

Keith Elliott, senior pastor of Criders UB Church, and Marc Stephenson, senior pastor of Mt. Olivet UB church, both located in Chambersburg, Pa., will speak on Monday morning. The event concludes with a noon meal.

There is no cost to attend sessions. However, there are fees for meals and lodging.

You can register online here.

Help spread the word at your church by printing the 2018 UB Connected Brochure and the 2018 UB Connected bulletin insert.

16 Oct ELT Fall 2018 Meeting

The Executive Leadership Team met October 15-16 at the United Brethren National Office in Huntington, Ind. The ELT consists of the bishop, six ministers, and six laypersons. They include three persons from each of the four geographic regions.

The ELT meets twice a year, in the spring and fall. At this fall meeting, the ELT discussed new initiatives for church planting and pastoral coaching, connections between churches, and a strategic vision for moving the denomination forward. The ELT also took care of several financial matters, including approving the 2019 suggested pastoral salary, and the 2019 denominational budget.

You can download the 2019 pastoral compensation formula here.

27 Sep 250 Women Attending UB Women’s Conference Sept 28-30

The biennial UB Women’s Conference kicks off on Friday, September 28, in Toledo, Ohio. They have a capacity registration of 250. The conference will be held at Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel.

25 Sep 11 Attend UB History Course Sept 24-25

Eleven persons took the two-day United Brethren History Course on September 24-25. The class was held at the United Brethren National Office in Huntington, Ind. The instructor was Bob Bruce, pastor of Caring Ministries at Emmanuel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

The participants:

1. Brandon Baker, Discipleship pastor at Praise Point UB church (Willshire, Ohio).
2. Andrew Franks, Youth pastor at New Hope UB church (Huntington, Ind.).
3. Eric Griffon, Worship pastor at Fowlerville UB church (Fowlerville, Mich.).
4. Cody Morehead, lead youth worker at Heart O the Lakes UB church (Brooklyn, Mich.).
5. Julie Llewellyn, director of Early Childhood Ministries at Emmanuel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
6. Nick Balsiger, associate pastor of Discipleship & Student Ministries at The Well (Huntington, Ind.).
7. Lissa Litka, Spiritual Journey director at Morning Star UB church (Kokomo, Ind.).
8. Tomi Cardin, member of the Executive Leadership Team, board chairperson at Anchor UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
9. Dennis Wood, senior pastor of Park UB church (Bluffton, Ind.).
10. Cyle Young, senior pastor of Heart O the Lakes UB church (Brooklyn, Mich.).
11. Brad North, senior pastor of South Scipio UB church (Harlan, Ind.).