Pastor Mark Ralph (right) has been appointed Interim Senior Pastor at Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio). He will assists the congregation in preparing for their next senior pastor, who will be appointed within the coming six months.

Rev. Tom Datema (left) has been assigned as senior pastor of Gaines UB church (Caledonia, Mich.). He and his wife, Kim, moved to Caledonia on June 21. Tom had been senior pastor since 1998 of Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.), and was ordained in 1999.

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.

We have some catching up to do regarding the appointment of senior pastor. The following new appointments have occurred since October 2019.

  • 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.

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.

Rev. Ralph Fry (right), 79, a UB minister in four states going back to 1967, passed away November 27, 2019. He was from the former Beecher Street United Brethren church in North Baltimore, Ohio, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Huntington University in 1970 and 1971. He was ordained in 1972.

Fry served the following United Brethren churches:

  • 1967-1971: Welcome Chapel (Van Buren, Ind.).
  • 1970-1971: Mt. Zion UB (Warren, Ind.).
  • 1973-1975: Victory Heights (Franklin, Pa.),
  • 1973-1974: Oil City UB (Oil City, Pa.).
  • 1976-1996: Faith UB (Lake Brantley, Fla.)
  • 1997-2005: Ebenezer (Greencastle, Pa.)

He is survived by his wife, Bev, whom he married in 1959. They had five children. At the time of his death, they were living in Hendersonville, N. C.

Dr. Luke Fetters (right), an ordained United Brethren minister, has been named vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Huntington University, effective January 1, 2020. He had been serving in that role in an interim capacity since August 1, 2019.

Dr. Fetters earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from HU in 1982 and 1984, and served in UB pastoral ministry 1980-1986 (including founding Shoreline UB church in Oak Harbor, Ohio, in 1984). He and his wife, Audrey, were part of the team that founded the UB mission in Macau in 1986. After concluding his missionary service in 1997, he became executive assistant to the President at Huntington University, and has served as a professor and graduate dean since then.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty is the senior administrator of the University’s academic programs. This role includes the following responsibilities within the academic area: supervising faculty as well as assistant and associate deans, planning and operating all academic programs, preparing the academic budget, supervising the library and academic registration, and overseeing the academic facilities.

Rev. Brooks Fetters (right), an ordained United Brethren minister, has been named Chief Marketing and Development Officer for Pathfinder Services, Inc., in Huntington, Ind. At the end of 2019, he completed eight years as mayor of the city of Huntington.

He served in United Brethren ministry 1985-1997, followed by 13 years as a funeral home director in Huntington, Ind., before being elected to the first of two terms as mayor in 2012. He and his wife, Barbara, also own the Purviance House Bed & Breakfast in Huntington.

Rev. Dr. Harold R. Cherry, age 94, passed away on December 27, 2019, at his nursing home facility in Huntington, Indiana.

Visitation: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Tuesday, December 31, 2019.
Funeral: 1:30 pm.
Location: Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, East Chapel, 1730 East Grand River Avenue, East Lansing, MI 48912

Following the funeral service, burial will be beside his wife Ruby at Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte, Mich.

Dr. Cherry and his wife, Ruby, served nine churches over a 44-year period in central and western Michigan. His other leadership roles include:

  • Nine times elected as a delegate to General Conference.
  • Eight years on the Huntington University board of trustees.
  • 54 years as recording secretary for Michigan Conference.
  • 31 years as treasurer for Michigan Conference.
  • 39 years on the conference council for Michigan Conference.
  • 30 years on the board of directors for the Lane Dulcenia Memorial Home.
  • Many years as dual pastor and conference superintendent.

He also served on the Michigan Conference boards of Publications, Missions, and Preacher’s Aid.

The full obituary can be read here.

Harold was born October 1, 1925, at Charlotte, Mich., the second son of Richard R. Cherry and Ruth L. (Snore) Cherry. He graduated from Charlotte High School in 1942 as class valedictorian. He went on to graduate twice from Huntington College (Huntington, Ind.) with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1945 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1947.

He was converted to Christ at age 13 and immediately experienced the call to Christian ministry. He married his college sweetheart, Ruby M. Rawley, July 8, 1948, in Virginia. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2008. Harold and Ruby had four children. He lived most of his life in Michigan except for his last few years in Huntington, Ind.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruby, his parents, and his three brothers Maurice, Howard, and Herbert. He is survived by son Judge Paul (Kristi), daughter Dr. Constance, son Rev. R. Kevin (Sharon), son Ronald (Debbie), daughter-in-law Jeanette, 11 grandchildren, and several great grandchildren.

Having a life-long strong interest in education, he earned two Masters degrees from Calvin Theological Seminary and Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Rhetoric and Public Address.

He devoted his life to fulltime Christian ministry. He was ordained a minister by the Michigan Conference of the United Brethren in Christ denomination in 1949.

He wrote published commentary for adult Sunday School books for 10 publications over 20 years. He edited a sections of the UB history book, Trials and Triumphs, and wrote a chapter in the UB theology book, Theological Perspectives.

As a committed Bible believer, Harold read his Bible daily from age 11 for 83 years to the time of his death. He enjoyed Christian music, gardening, and watching college football and basketball, especially the MSU games. He enjoyed traveling with his wife Ruby, twice to the Holy Land, and three other trips to Europe and the British Isles. Years ago Harold and Ruby established an endowed scholarship fund at Huntington University for aspiring ministerial students.

Suggested memorial contributions are to Lane Dulcenia Memorial Home or to Huntington University.

Rev. John Mark Rutledge, 78, passed away just before midnight on November 19, 2019, at Parkview Regional Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Viewing: 1-4 pm Sunday, November 24, 2019.
Memorial service: 4pm Sunday, November 24, 2019.
Location: Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home in Rockford, Ohio.

Mark grew up in Van Wert, Ohio, and graduated from Huntington College and later St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he earned his Master’s degree. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and their two sons. He and Kathleen were married October 19, 1963.

Mark worked in public education for many years–as a high school guidance counselor, principal, and superintendent. He also held various pastoral positions at United Brethren churches, going back to 1962: the Willshire and Zion churches in Willshire, Ohio; Otterbein (now New Horizons) in Rockford, Ohio; and Mt. Victory in Decatur, Ind. His most recent UB position was associate pastor of Praise Point church in Willshire. He was most recently pastor of Rockford Belle Community Church in Rockford.

Memorials may be directed to The Rockford Belle Community Church. You can view his online obituary here.

Rev. Chuck McKeown (right) praying for the persons being ordained during the 2019 US National Conference, including (on the left) his son Josh and his wife, Julie.

We need to mobilize prayer for Rev. Josh McKeown, pastor of Faith UB church in Port Orange, Fla.

Josh was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in 2010, and went through an experimental clinical trial at the M. D. Anderson cancer center in Houston. For the past nine years, he has been taking the same chemo drug, and the cancer has been held in remission. But in August, their insurance company said they would no longer cover the cost of that particular drug, and required that he switch to a cheaper alternative chemotherapy. The result, his wife Julie explains, is that he began experiencing certain symptoms and tests show that the number of cancer cells in his body increased for the first time in nine years.

Julie wrote, “His symptoms are horrible, and his oncologist has never seen an increase of this amount while still taking chemo, which may indicate that his cancer has mutated and grown resistant to the chemotherapy.” He did lab work this week to determine if he developed this mutation, and hope to have the results in a week or so. “If Josh hasn’t developed the mutation, then they will try to get him back on his old chemo. But then we have to figure out a way to pay for it. His chemo is $12-14,000 a month depending on the dose.”

Julie continues, “I can’t event put into words how much pain Josh is in. It breaks my heart.”

Please keep Josh and Julie in your prayers. Josh was among the four men ordained in July 2019 at the US National Conference. He has been doing good work at Faith UB church since being stationed there in August 2017.

Cards can be send to:
Josh McKeown
1650 Center Ave
Holly Hill, FL 32117-1514

Rev. Milan and Margaret Maybee

Rev. Milan Maybee, 86, a longtime United Brethren minister, passed away September 14, 2019.

Visitation: 4-8 pm Friday, September 20, 2019
Funeral: 11 am Saturday, September 21, 2019.
Visitation and funeral location: Heart O’ the Lakes UB church, 7301 Jefferson Road, Brooklyn, MI 49230.

Rev. Maybee pastored three United Brethren churches in Michigan. He served two years at the church in Caledonia (1958-1960), followed by 12 years at the Eden church in Mason (1960-1972). He was ordained in 1968.

In 1972, Rev. Maybee started the Heart O’ the Lakes church in Brooklyn, and remained its pastor until 1991. He was then elected fulltime superintendent of Michigan Conference, and served in that role until 1998.

Margaret, to whom he was married for 65 years, passed away July 26, 2019.

For more information, view the listing on the funeral home site.