Our next pastor will possess a shepherd’s heart and be an effective communicator. The ability to motivate people to develop their spiritual life and use their abilities in ministry is essential. Skill and experience in care-giving ministries will be a benefit. It is also anticipated that this individual will maintain professional ministerial credentials with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA.

First UB, Van Wert is a congregation of approximately 50 people. Though we are small, we are a loving, caring community of people with a facility and location large enough to accommodate much growth.

If this sounds like something for which God has been preparing you, please send a copy of your resume, a cover letter, and a current photo to bishop@ub.org.

The post Position Opening: Pastor in Van Wert, Ohio first appeared on UBCentral.

L-r: Alan Harbold, Jody Fleming, Rick Tawney, Al Carter, Jim Pryor, John Brainard, Byron Spear.

We need to get caught up on some pastoral assignments.

Senior Pastors

Alan Harbold has been appointed senior pastor of Strinestown UB church (Manchester, Pa.). He has been pastor of Mt. Washington UB church (York, Pa.) since September 2020, and will now pastor both congregations. Jody Fleming, who had pastored Strinestown since September 2019, has retired.

Rick Tawney has been appointed to oversee First UB church (Columbus, Ohio) while continuing as a church planter in Columbus, which he has been doing since 2019. Al Carter, a UB minister since 2002 who had pastored First UB since August 2011, has retired.

Jim Pryor has been named senior pastor of Richfield Road UB church in Flint, Mich. He previously pastored that congregation 2007-2017. In between Richfield Road was served by John Brainard, who concluded four years as pastor there in December 2021.

Byron Spear has been appointed senior pastor of Banner of Christ UB church (Byron Center, Mich.), effective September 11. Since 2011, he has served primarily in youth ministry at three different churches, including four years at Rising Hope UB (Shippensburg, Pa.) and, since 2018, at Colwood UB (Caro, Mich.). Banner has been served by interim ministers since April 2021.

L-r: Todd Frederick, Bill Blue, Daryl Elliott, Matt Coppess, Ted Doolittle, Robert Rose, Ricky Hull, Amos Rawley.

Todd Frederick has been appointed senior pastor of Shoreline UB church (Oak Harbor, Ohio) effective July 1. He had served the UB church in Jackson, Mich. (originally Pathway Community, now Heart O’ the Lakes-Jackson) since February 2017. Bill Blue, the pastor at Shoreline since 2011, retired in October 2021 after 45 years in United Brethren ministry going back to 1976, mostly as a youth pastor.

Dwight Walker has been appointed senior pastor of Fountain UB church (Keyser, W. Va.). Daryl Elliott, the pastor at Fountain 2002-2021, retired in June 2021 after 32 years of United Brethren ministry.

Matt Coppess has been serving since February 2022 as senior pastor of Calvary UB church (Saginaw, Mich.). Ted Doolittle, who had pastored Calvary for the previous 14 years, retired at the end of December 2021 after 41 years in UB ministry in Ohio and Michigan.

Robert Rose was appointed senior pastor of First Church of the Bronx (Bronx, New York) effective July 1, 2022. He was previously a United Brethren minister in Jamaica Conference.

Mike Heim has been appointed senior pastor of Victory Heights UB church (Franklin, Pa.). Previous pastor Steve Henry passed away in 2021, as did interim pastor Tim Bell, who followed him.

James Martin was appointed senior pastor of Orrstown UB church (Orrstown, Pa.) in February 2022. Ken Williamson, the pastor since 2012, departed in 2021.

Ricky Hull has been appointed senior pastor of Crosswords UB church (Charlotte, Mich.) effective September 11, 2022. He has served in UB ministry since 2012 in Ohio and Michigan, including a previous six-year stint at Crossroads.

Amos Rawley concluded seven years of ministry at New Hope UB (Huntington, Ind.), including senior pastor since July 2016, at the end of May 2022. The church is currently in the stationing process.

L-r: Greg Reed, Steve Fish, Don Baker, Keith Elliott, Mark Ralph, Darrel Bosworth.

Interim Pastors

Craig Holler has been serving as interim pastor of Mt. Hermon UB church (Pomeroy, Ohio) since June 2021.

Greg Reed retired in December 2021 as senior pastor of Morning Star UB church (Kokomo, Ind.), after serving there since 1978. Since then, Steve Fish has been serving as a part-time interim pastor, a role which will conclude in November 2022. Steve began his ministry in 1989 with 12 years on staff at Morning Star, and is currently an associate director of UB Global.

Dave Bowersock has been serving the past year as interim pastor of The Heights, a UB church in East Liverpool, Ohio.

Don Baker was appointed interim pastor of Criders UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) in June 2022. He has served in ministry since 1980, most recently with 11 years on the staff of King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.). In November 2021, Keith Elliott concluded ten years as pastor at Criders.

Mark Ralph has been serving as interim pastor of First UB church (Van Wert, Ohio) since June 2021. In March 2021 he concluded seven months as interim part of First UB in Findlay, Ohio. He will conclude his assignment at Van Wert at the end of September 2022. Mark officially retired in 2018 after 33 years as a UB minister going back to 1975 (with about 11 years serving elsewhere).

Darrell Bosworth, a UB minister in Michigan since 1999, concluded a year as Revitalization pastor of Crossroads UB (Charlotte, Mich.), and will now begin a 6-12 month interim assignment at Sunfield UB (Sunfield, Mich.).

The post UB Pastoral Assignments first appeared on UBCentral.

Ricky Hull was appointed senior pastor of Sunfield UB church (Sunfield, Mich.), effective July 1, 2021. He previously served as senior pastor of Mt. Hermon UB church (Pomeroy, Ohio) 2012-2015, and as senior pastor of Crossroads UB (Charlotte, Mich.) since 2015. He was ordained in 2015. Hull is a 2014 graduate of Winebrenner Theological Seminary (Findlay, Ohio).

Mark Tinsley was appointed senior pastor of Jerusalem Chapel (Churchville, Va.), effective July 26, 2021. He follows Dennis Sites, who retired after serving 37 years as pastor of Jerusalem Chapel. Tinsley is a graduate of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a chaplain in the US Army Reserves, and most recently pastored a church in Madison Heights, Va. He and his wife, Beth, have five children ranging in age from 6-16.

Christopher Moore was appointed senior pastor of Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) effective October 1, 2021. He had previously served in ministry at Emmanuel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Good Shepherd UB (Huntington, Ind.), and Mt. Zion (Decatur, Ind.). He and his wife, Brenda, have most recently been endorsed UB missionaries, serving with Here’s Hope Ministries, an organization with ministry in Belize.

The post Senior Pastor Appointments first appeared on UBCentral.

The post Robert Larimore Appointed to New Hope UB (Camden, Mich.) first appeared on UBCentral.

The post Mark Ralph Appointed to Findlay First first appeared on UBCentral.

Dr. Ray Seilhamer (right) has been named senior pastor of Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.) effective July 1, 2020. He has been a United Brethren minister since 1961, and served as bishop 1993-2001. His most recent pastorate was at Mt. Pleasant UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.

The post New Assignments for Tom Datema and Ray Seilhamer first appeared on UBCentral.

• Ryan Koch was appointed senior pastor of Hopewell UB church (Auburn, Ind.) effective October 21, 2019.
• Ken Meyer was appointed senior pastor of New Horizons UB church (Rockford, Ohio) effective October 27, 2019.
• Stan McCammon was appointed senior pastor of Mt. Olivet UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) effective December 1, 2019.
• Dan Young was appointed senior pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio) effective January 1, 2020.
• Larry Reinertsen was appointed interim pastor of Mount Washington UB church (York, Pa.) effective January 5, 2020.
• Brian Black was appointed senior pastor of Macedonia UB church (Greencastle, Pa.) effective January 20, 2020.
• Art Page was appointed senior pastor of Lurgan UB church (Lurgan, Pa.) effective April 1, 2020.

The post Pastoral Appointments in Recent Months first appeared on UBCentral.

Jason and Melanie Carter and children.

Jason Carter has been appointed senior pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.) effective March 1, 2020. He and his wife, Melanie, have three children: Isaiah (12), Sophia (9), and Jonah (6).

Jason graduated from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 1999 with a degree in Philosophy, and in 2010 received a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. Melanie holds undergradaute and graduate degrees in Vocal Performance.

From 1998-2004, Jason served in youth ministry at two different churches, one in North Carolina and the other in Champaign, Ill. From 2004-2007, he was Worship & Outreach Pastor at Deer Grove Covenant Church in Palatine, Ill. For the past 12 years, 2007-2019, he has been associate pastor of Village Church of Gurnee in Gurnee, Ill.

The post Jason Carter Appointed to College Park (Huntington, Ind.) first appeared on UBCentral.

Dr. Jody Fleming was appointed senior pastor of Strinestown UB church (Strinestown, Pa.), effective September 8, 2019. She holds a Master of Divinity from Evangelical Seminary (Myerstown, Pa.), and a Ph.D. in Theological Studies/Global Christianity from Regent University School of Divinity. She takes the place of Rev. Dawn Spangler, who had pastored the church since 2012.

The post Two New Pastoral Assignments first appeared on UBCentral.

Effective February 25, Dilley began a three-month interim assignment as senior pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio). He takes the place of Dan Maas (right), who had pastored the church since July 2017 and resigned effective February 17. Bishop Todd Fetters preached at Findlay on February 24, and Gary Dilley started the next day.

The post Gary Dilley Assigned to Findlay First (Findlay, Ohio) first appeared on UBCentral.