25 Jan 2018 Cluster Leader Winter Gathering

Mike Dittman speaking at the Cluster Leader Winter Gathering.

Dr. Sherilyn Emberton (center) with Revs. William and Mary Flamer.

Brooks Fetters (left) and Bishop Todd Fetters.

Matt and Emily Hann

The session for spouses.

Twenty-one (out of 24) cluster leaders attended the annual Cluster Leader Winter Gathering, held January 22-23 at Huntington University (Huntington, Ind.). Cluster leaders are UB ministers who oversee a group of about seven senior pastors. Most clusters consist of pastors located close to each other geographically.

The Winter Gathering began on Monday night, January 22, with a dinner for cluster leaders, spouses, and staff at the United Brethren National Office. Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University, gave some remarks. Matt and Emily Hann, from College Park UB church, provided music. Then Brooks Fetters, an ordained UB minister who is mayor of the city of Huntington, gave a message on leadership issues.

Bishop Todd Fetters started the Tuesday meeting with a devotional. Then Mike Dittman, director of National Ministries, led a couple hours of training. Meanwhile, Lisa Fetters and Pam Dittman led a track for spouses of cluster leaders.

For cluster leaders, the morning concluded with a discussion about a proposal to remove the requirement that UB ministers totally abstain from drinking alcohol (the prohibition for laypersons was removed in 2005). The issue will be discussed in cluster groups this year, and will probably be dealt with at the 2019 US National Conference.

The Cluster Leader Winter Gathering concluded with lunch on Tuesday.

Only senior pastors must attend cluster meetings. Clusters must meet at least six times per year. The typical schedule is September, October and November, take a break for the holidays, and resume February, March, and April. You can view all of the cluster groups here.

For staffpersons, we offer an Associate Staff Summit and a Youth Workers Summit (which is actually held every year). This is the year for all of these summits.

16 Jan UB Youth Workers Summit: April 23-27, 2018

Registration is now open for the UB Youth Workers Summit.

Date: April 23-27, 2018 (Monday-Friday)
Location: Best Western Aku Tiki Inn
2225 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 youth 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. They enjoy the beach, the golf course, and incredibly beautiful weather, along with the chance to slow down and step away from the constant demands of youth ministry.

You can register here.

Cost

• $25 remote attendee
• $120 per person (will share room with another attendee)
• $240 per couple staying in same room
• $360 per person with private room

What’s Included

• Hotel stay for 4 nights.
• Daily hot breakfast buffet.
• 3 hosted dinners and seminars with guest speakers.

What’s Not Included:

• Transportation to and from Daytona
• Lunches and one dinner
• Excursions
• Hotel incidentals
• Spending money

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

For more information and to register: ubteens.org

16 Jan Associate Staff Summit: May 7-11, 2018

Registration is now open for the Associate Staff Summit.

Date: May 7-11, 2018 (Monday-Friday)
Location: Best Western Aku Tiki Inn
2225 S Atlantic Ave
Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118

You can register here.

The Associate Staff Summit is held every two years. It is designed for persons in UB churches working in such staff roles as pastoral care, youth ministry, worship, assimilation, adult education, visitation, counseling, missions, discipleship, children’s ministry, etc. It is NOT for senior pastors.

Cost

• $25 remote attendee
• $140 per person (will share room with another attendee)
• $280 per couple staying in same room
• $375 per person with private room

What’s Included:

• Hotel stay for four nights (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
• Daily hot breakfast buffet
• 2 hosted dinners
• Resource book and seminars

What’s Not Included

• Transportation to and from Daytona
• Lunches and 2 dinners
• Excursions
• Hotel incidentals and extra days (before or after the summit).

For the schedule and other information: ubstaff.org

22 Dec 2018 Pastor & Spouse Summits: Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for the 2018 Pastor & Spouse summits. These events are held every two years for senior pastors and spouses from UB churches. The denomination covers the cost of lodging and a few meals. Here are the dates.

• April 9-12, 2018 (Monday – Thursday). Summit for senior pastors and spouses from churches with an attendance above 300.
• April 16-19, 2018 (Monday – Thursday). Summit for senior pastors and spouses from churches with an attendance of 150-300.
• April 30 – May 3, 2018 (Monday – Thursday). Summit for senior pastors and spouses from churches with an attendance less than 150.

Schedule of the 2018 summits
Begin Monday evening and end Thursday after breakfast.

Lodging
No cost to the pastor for Monday night through check-out Thursday morning.

Travel and Meals
You are responsible for transportation to and from the Summit. The National Office will be available to assist with carpooling arrangements. Each local church is encouraged to provide travel and meal expenses for their pastor to attend the summit.

Continuing Education
Each Pastor & Spouse Summit qualifies for 20 credit hours of continuing education.

Summit for Associate Staff
In addition, two summits will be held specifically for ministers serving in staff roles. Registration for these events will open in early 2018.

• April 23-27, 2018 (Monday – Friday). UB Youth Summit.
• May 7-11, 2018 (Monday – Friday). Summit for UB associate staff.

31 Oct UB Connected Meeting Nov 5-6 in Chambersburg, Pa.

Michael Mudge

The second annual “U.B. Connected” event this weekend at Rhodes Grove Camp (Chambersburg, Pa.) will begin with a Missions Conference from 3-5 pm on Sunday, November 5.

All sessions of “U.B. Connected” are free and open to the public, with fees charged only for meals and lodging, but registration is required and may be made by telephoning Rhodes Grove Camp at 717-375-4162.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Executive Director of UB Global, the missions agency of the United Brethren in Christ, will bring updates from the international conferences and missions districts. Featured speaker will be Rev. John Pessima, United Brethren Bishop of Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sierra Leone is the only Muslim-majority nation with freedom of religion. Bishop Pessima will share updates and needs of evangelistic efforts there.

Sierra Leone is also the nation with the worst peace-time infant mortality rate; and, of its twelve provinces, Bonthe District has the worst infant mortality rate, and the only hospital operating in the mainland area of Bonthe District is the United Brethren hospital at Mattru Jong.

Bishop Pessima will bring updates on the development of a bottled water processing operation on the hospital compound and the addition of a solar-electric system now at the end of construction there.

A feature of the Sunday afternoon Missions Conference will be announcement of offerings and pledges from area UB churches in a cooperative effort to raise funds to complete the construction of a new UB Primary School in Pujehun, Sierra Leone.

Following the Missions Conference will be a supper at 5:00 and a brief business meeting at 6:00 of the United Brethren Association for Church Development6. Evening Worship will begin a 6:30 with the praise team from Prince Street United Brethren Church (Shippensburg, Pa.) leading worship. US Bishop Todd Fetters will preach, and the Unity Service will conclude with Holy Communion, with music on the harp provided by Dr. Sherry Goertz, board member of Rhodes Grove camp and member of Blue Rock UB Church (Waynesboro, Pa.). After the Sunday evening worship, a fellowship reception will be sponsored by the Sider Insurance Agency.

“U.B. Connected” will continue Monday morning with worship being led by Pastor Derek Thrush of Devonshire UB church (Harrisburg, Pa.). The session will feature preaching by Rev. Dr. Ray Seilhamer, former bishop and present pastor of Mount Pleasant UB Church (Chambersburg, Pa.). He will be followed with exhorting by Rev. Joseph Abu, a native of Mattru Jong, Bonthe District, Sierra Leone; Rev. Abu resides in Claymont, Delaware and pastors Mount Zion United African Church (UB) in Philadelphia.

“U.B. Connected” is planned to bring all United Brethren people together at their traditional gathering place — Rhodes Grove Camp at Kauffman’s Station in Antrim Township.

The United Brethren in Christ celebrated the 250th Anniversary of their beginnings in 1767 with a National Conference in July at Lancaster, Pa., where their founders first met in Isaac Long’s barn during a “Great Meeting” of the pan-German revival.

Rhodes Grove Camp celebrated the 100th Anniversary this year of the purchase of the land by the UB Pennsylvania Conference in 1917 with the conclusion in June of a capital campaign that raised almost $400,000, more than any previous fundraising campaign. The camp also marked its 75th Anniversary of summer youth camps with an enrollment of 531 campers in ten camps over five weeks, their highest enrollment since 2004.

This year also marked a new ministry with a satelite camp being held with Devonshire UB church in Harrisburg. The 50th Session of Family Camp was also marked over Memorial Day Weekend with a record attendance of 331 registrants and well over 400 for the Sunday evening session.

27 Oct UB History Course Held in Kitchener, Ontario

The persons who attended the UB History course in Ontario. Bishop Brian Magnus and instructor Bob Bruce are sitting in front, third and fourth respectively from the left.

The United Brethren Church in Canada sponsored the UB History course on October 23-24 at Stanley Park UB church in Kitchener, Ontario. Bishop Brian Magnus and Bob Bruce, pastor of spiritual care at Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.), taught the course. Ten new pastors and ministerial candidates took the course, along with three laypersons who audited the course to learn more about their inspiring heritage.

15 Sep IGNITE Conference on October 28 in Huntington, Ind.

UB Global has scheduled an IGNITE conferences in late October.

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2017
Location: College Park UB church, 1945 College Avenue, Huntington, IN 46750

IGNITE is a one-day missions conference conducted by UB GLOBAL that will inform, inspire and help you integrate missional principles and resources into your outreach efforts in your neighborhood and among the nations. The day will include worship, updates and a variety of workshops covering topics relevant to ministry in your context.

The conference begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 4:30 p.m. The $15 cost includes lunch.

For more information and to register, go to ubglobal.org/ignite, or call us at 1-888-622-3019.

21 Aug UB Connected: November 5-6 in Chambersburg, Pa.

An event called “UB Connected” will be held November 5-6, 2017, at Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa. It is sponsored by the United Brethren Association.

The event begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Novemer 5, with a missions presentation by UB Global Dirctor Jeff Bleijerveld and Sierra Leone Bishop John Pessima. A business meeting will be held at 6 p.m., and Bishop Todd Fetters will speak at 7 p.m.

Bishop Emeritus Ray Seilhamer and Rev. Joe Abu 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 here.

07 Aug August 23: Free Seminar with Dr. Norman Wright

Huntington University is sponsoring a free event on August 23 with Dr. Norman Wright and Dr. Gary Oliver. Wright will address, “Helping Others When they Experience the Unexpected and the Unthinkable.” It will be held 1:30 – 3:30 pm at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. The event is free, but you must register.

Go here for more information and to register.

26 Jul All Six Proposals Passed. New Discipline Ready

The business session of the 2017 US National Conference

During the business session on Thursday, the delegates discussed six proposals from the Human Sexuality Task Force. It was a civil discussion characterized by a great deal of unity regarding the proposals. There were efforts to improve the proposals, but nobody spoke against any of them.

All six proposals affected the “Family Standards” chapter of the Discipline–either brand new statements, or revisions to existing statements. The Discipline for 2017-2019 is now available. You can view it online or download it as a PDF file.

The proposals included:

• A new statement on Singleness, which values singles and their place in the local church.
• A revision to our Marriage statement which adds a few things and affirms changes made in 2015.
• A total revision of the Illicit Sexual Relations statement which, rather than list sinful sexual practices, describes why certain practices violate Scripture.
• A new statement on Sex and Gender Distinctions, which is designed to apply to sexuality-related issues as they arise in society, and includes ten points under the heading “Transgender Persons.”
• Another new statement, The Local Church and Human Sexuality, which presents grace-filled guidance for churches in these areas.
• An expanded statement on Pornography (the existing statement was written before the internet as we know it).

There was just one minor amendment–to “The Local Church and Human Sexuality,” in the second sentence of 127.4.

As proposed:
4. All persons need opportunity for safety and authenticity. It is hypocritical to judge the sins of others while failing to acknowledge our own. Therefore, a congregation should focus on….

As amended:
4. All persons need opportunity for safety and authenticity. As redeemed persons, we are called to humbly address sin and seek reconciliation and redemption when it occurs, whether in our lives or in the lives of others. Therefore, a congregation should focus on….