Rev. Robert Shook

Rev. Robert Shook, 84, a United Brethren minister since 1965, passed away January 7, 2025, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He graduated from Huntington University and was ordained in 1981. Bob retired in 2005 after pastoring nine different UB churches in Ohio and Indiana. Most recently, he pastored the Mt. Zion Bobo UB church of Decatur, Ind., 1986-2005.

Rev. Shook was born in 1940 in Van Wert County, Ohio. He and Nancy, who survives, were married in 1961, and enjoyed 63 years of marriage before his passing.

Preferred memorials are to the Laurel Mission in Kentucky or Operation Christmas Child.

You can read the online obituary here.

Visitation

  • Friday, January 10, 10-11am at Adams Woodcrest Porter Auditorium, 1300 Mercer Ave., Decatur, IN 46733.
  • Friday, January 10, 2-7 pm at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, 520 N 2nd St, Decatur, IN 46733

Funeral

  • 1-2pm Saturday, January 11, at Rockford Belle Community Church, 135 W Market St., Rockford, Ohio 45882. Viewing one hour beforehand.

 

(submitted by Steve Dennie)

Countryside United Brethren Church in Breckenridge, Michigan, seeks to hire their next youth pastor. The core function of the role is “to build relationships with youth and provide support for them and their families as they grow in Christ with the intent to integrate them into the larger body of believers.”

This is a 20-30 hour per week position. A full job description can be found here.

Interested candidates can submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected].

Many of you are likely familiar with the film Wayfaring Stranger that was written and directed by Matt Webb and produced by Lance Clark and Matt Webb in conjunction with Forester Films and Huntington University. This movie is the inspiring true story of a United Brethren pastor and his family who set out to build a new UB church in 1970s rural Michigan. Along the way, they face challenges that threaten to unravel everything when an afflicted carpenter becomes their unlikely source of hope, proving that faith in God is the true path to redemption, even in the most tragic circumstances.

The title of this film has since been changed to A Carpenter’s Prayer, and it is soon being released to a limited number of theaters nationwide. So far, the distributors have secured 40 theaters and hope to get it up to 200 in the next few weeks. We are sharing this information with you now because you have an opportunity to bring this movie to a theater near you by visiting their website and expressing interest. Just follow the instructions below within the next week, as the next few days are crucial to determining interest in order to secure theater locations. And even if you opt not to fill out the theater demand form, you can watch the movie trailer and read more about this film on their website.

And be looking for A Carpenter’s Prayer to perhaps be coming to a theater near you beginning in September 2024!

The United Brethren National Office is pleased to welcome Stacie Betterly to the team. She joined us on Monday, June 24, 2024, in her new role as finance assistant and will be working closely with Marci Hammel. Before joining our team, Stacie was the Assistant to the Registrar at Huntington University and served as a teller at Bippus State Bank. Stacie and her husband, Aaron, live in their hometown of Huntington, Indiana along with their son, Colin (23), and daughter Morgan (18). 

If you get a chance to connect with Stacie, here are a few fun facts you should know about her:

Favorite pastime: Camping and cross-stitching
Favorite place to visit: Antique malls with her husband
Favorite candy: Hershey’s chocolate kisses and cherry Starbursts
Favorite book/movie/TV series: Movies based on Jane Austin books

 

The Ministry Leader Summit took place on the sunny shores of Daytona Beach, Florida, from April 29th to May 3rd, 2024. This year, 31 associate staff members from UB churches across the country with responsibilities ranging from children’s ministry to world missions attended the event.

We caught up with a few of them and asked why they value the summit. Here’s what they had to say:

 

 

Keynote speaker Dr. Terry Linhart, a professor at Bethel University and author of “The Self-Aware Leader,” offered valuable insights on leadership. He encouraged ministry leaders to always do the hard work of caring for themselves and nurturing their own inner lives in order to be effective leaders in the ministries to which they have been called. His message resonated with attendees, prompting much reflection and discussion.

 

 

Key Learnings and Takeaways

The Ministry Leader Summit provided a valuable space for ministry associates to connect, share experiences, and develop their leadership skills. We spoke with some attendees about their biggest takeaways from this year’s summit:

 

 

We want to say a big thank you to Bobby Culler (Mount Pleasant Church) and Craig Mickey (Emmanuel Community Church) for putting together the plans for this year’s summit, and to Cathy Reich (UB National Office) for helping make it all happen.

This event happens every other year and is available for any and all associate staff serving in United Brethren churches throughout the country. The pastor and spouse summits are coming this fall for all senior and solo pastors and their spouses. More information on those events can be found here.

 

In the latest episode of UB Now, our host, Brian Biedenbach sat down with Matt McKeown from Daytona First Church of the United Brethren in Holly Hill, Florida. Matt is great storyteller and is full of great stories, and he was excited to talk about a partnership that is developing between two very different churches in their community.

This was a fun and insightful episode to record and is definitely worth a listen. You can listen by clicking on the media player above or by searching for it on your preferred podcast directory.

 

Huntington University’s Veritas Theology Institute could be a great opportunity this summer for a high school student in your church to explore a deeper level of theological study and experience life on HU’s campus. This eight-day academy is taking place June 8-15, 2024, and is open to all high school sophomores and juniors. Applications are available online at www.veritastheology.org.

The tuition for this experience is $300 until May 1, 2024. After that early bird date, tuition will be $350. There is also an HU legacy tuition rate if one both of the applicant’s parent’s attended Huntington University. Only 30 spots are available for this summer’s institute, so consider the high school students in your world who might be interested in something a little more intense and interactive this summer and share this opportunity with them.

Find out more about the Veritas Theology Institute at Huntington University here.

 

 

We received the following note from our friends in the Canadian UB Conference with an update on the unrest in Haiti. As you read this, we invite you to join us in prayer that the hearts of the people would turn toward peace and restoration.

“Social order continues to deteriorate in Haiti. This past weekend, gangs took over several police locations and two jails. This is not far from where some UB churches are. It was a very violent takeover that left many dead; thankfully no UB members were killed. 

A local UB shared this: 

Things are very bad, I have never witnessed this kind of escalation during this 5 year crisis. The streets are now 10× more unsafe due to more than 4,000 convicts that are roaming the streets of the capital and probably the countryside by now.

The streets are empty, there’s been lots of gunshots echoing in every neighborhood within the capital.

Many police stations have been attacked, things are completely out of control.

Let us cry out in prayer for Haiti. A mighty move of God is needed to see things restored. Our friends in Haiti are hurting but it does comfort them to know we are praying.”

The Ministry Leader Summit returns to Daytona Beach, April 29 through May 3. This event offers opportunities for associate staff serving in United Brethren churches to pull away, slow down, and be refreshed. This year Dr. Terry Linhart (Bethel University, Arbor Research Group) will join us to share some insights from his book, The Self-Aware Leader.

Click here to learn more about the event and how you can register.

We received word that Howard Beaver passed away on February 16, 2024, in his home surrounded by family. 

Howard served as the senior pastor at Christian Life Assembly of God for over 17 years and later served as the senior pastor at Mt. Olivet Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2012. In his retirement, he continued to serve as an elder at Otterbein United Brethren Church in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

Let’s join in prayer with Howard’s family in their time of grief. Let’s also celebrate the impact that was made as a result of his faithfulness in following the Lord’s calling. 

Howard’s obituary can be found here.