04 Oct Obituary: Mrs. Mary Souders, Pastor’s Wife
Mary Souders
Mary Frances Souders, three day shy of her 105th birthday, passed away September 29, 2022. She was the widow of Rev. William Merle Souders, a longtime pastor and conference superintendent in Kansas. They married in 1935 and were married for 71 years.
Visitation: 11am Thursday, October 6, 2022.
Funeral: 1:00 am Thursday, October 6, 2022.
Location: Resthaven Mortuary, 11800 West Highway 54, Wichita, Kansas
Rev. Souders pastored the former Grayston Avenue UB church in Huntington, Ind. In the 1950s, he and Frances moved to Kansas to start a new UB church, and spent the rest of their lives there.
26 Sep Obituary: Rachel Graham, Wife of Rev. Ken Graham
Rachel Graham
Rachel Graham, 92, wife of longtime UB minister Rev. Ken Graham, passed away September 24, 2022. They were married in 1951 and remain members of Mainstreet UB church (Walbridge, Ohio), the church they pastored for many years.
Viewing: 4-7 pm Thursday, September 29, 2022
Viewing location: Witzler-Shank-Walker Funeral Home, 701 N. Main St. Walbridge, Ohio 43465
Funeral: 11 am Friday, September 30, 2022.
Funeral location: Mainstreet UB church, 5465 Moline-Martin Rd, Walbridge, OH, 43465
More information on the Walker Funeral Homes site.
14 Jul Task Force on Human Reproduction
L-r: Jody Bowser, Christopher Little V, Mark Vincenti, Joni Michaud, Kim Fish, Kent Eilers.
In April 2022, the Executive Leadership Team appointed a six-person “Task Force on Human Reproduction.” They will study a wide range of issues and propose Discipline revisions to be considered by the next US National Conference, which will meet July 11-14, 2023, in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The Task Force’s work will focus on three statements in the “Family Standards” section of the Discipline, none of which have been revised since 1985.
- The “Abortion” statement was adopted in 1969, and was revised in 1981 and 1985.
- The “Family Planning” statement was adopted in 1969 under the heading “Responsible Family Planning.” In 1985, one sentence was added and the name was shortened to “Family Planning.”
- The “Genetic Engineering” statement was adopted in 1985 and has never been revised. This statement is probably most in need of updating, as a slew of new reproductive technologies have arisen during the past 30 years.
Bishop Todd Fetters felt that these statements desperately needed to be updated. We need principles which are consistent with Scripture, and which can be applied to new reproductive technologies which may arise in the future.
Bishop Fetters emphasizes that, as was the case in 2017, there is no appetite among the general UB constituency for “liberalizing” our stands. It’s just a matter of addressing current realities and giving sound biblical guidance to UB people.
The Team
This task force is modeled somewhat on the Task Force on Human Sexuality, whose work was approved by the 2017 US National Conference. Two members of this group, Joni Michaud and Mark Vincenti, also served on the Task Force on Human Sexuality.
- Joni Michaud, the chairperson, is a member of Pleasant Valley United Brethren Church in Lake Odessa, Mich. She holds degrees from Huntington University and the Notre Dame Law School (2008), was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2008, and is now a practicing attorney with Voices for Hope PLC in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a focus on criminal law, family law, and immigration law. She was a member of the Task Force on Human Sexuality.
- Rev. Mark Vincenti has been a United Brethren minister since 2000, serving on staff at King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.), College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), and now Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). In addition to his work at Emmanuel, in late 2021 Mark assumed the role of Campus Chaplain at his alma mater, Huntington University.
- Dr. Jody Bowser has been pastor of King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) since 2015. Prior to that, he served in ministry at non-UB churches in California, Washington, and Ohio going back to 1989. He holds an undergraduate degree from Judson College (1985), a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary (1989), and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2003).
- Rev. Christopher Little V, the son of former UB minister Chris Little, served 2015-2020 as Pastor of Outreach at Mount Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) and is now planting a church in Harrisburg, Pa. He holds degrees in Christian Ministry and Music from Geneva College (2014), and in 2018 completed a masters in church planting from Wesleyan Seminary in Indiana.
- Kim Fish grew up in a United Brethren minister’s home, the daughter of Dr. Kent and Carol Maxwell. She holds a psychology degree from Huntington University and a masters in social work from Indiana-Purdue a degree in Psychology and went on to earn a masters in social work from IUPUI, a state university in Indiana. She has worked over 25 years in the social service field, and now works in private practice with Clarity Counseling in Fort Wayne, Ind. She is married to Rev. Steve Fish, a United Brethren ordained minister who currently works an associate director of UB Global.
- Dr. Kent Eilers has been a professor of theology at Huntington University since 2009. He grew up in a Christian home in the Evangelical Covenant tradition, and went on to serve on staff with several churches in Michigan and Colorado. He holds an undergraduate degree from Calvin College, a master of divinity from Denver Seminary, and a PhD in systematic theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Timeline
The Task Force held an initial meeting via Zoom on March 30, and then met in person on June 17 in Huntington, Ind. They will present a preliminary report to the October 2022 Executive Leadership Team, and will submit its final report to the Bishop’s Office by March 1, 2023.
In May 2023, regional meetings will be held to prepare people for the upcoming US National Conference. A representative of the Task Force will attend those meetings to present the proposals and invite feedback.
In June 2023, a final version of all proposals will be published for delegates and the entire UB constituency. They will then be acted upon during the July 12 business session of the US National Conference.
24 Mar Orrstown, Pa., UB Church Installs Blessing Box
Orrstown UB Church, in conjunction with a ministry partner, installed a new blessing box outside the front of the church. The blessing box will be stocked with non-perishable food, tracts, and Bibles. The box will serve as a means for Orrstown UB Church to be a blessing to our community through ways that are meaningful and leaving an impact on our community.
08 Mar Death of Fonda Cassidy, 1961-2022
Fonda Cassidy passed away on March 1, 2022. A nurse, Fonda and her husband, Robert, led a number of UB medical teams to Honduras and Nicaragua. Fonda is a sister of Rev. David Rawley, pastor of Otterbein UB church in Greencastle, Pa.
Viewing: 4-8pm Friday, March 11, 2022 at Johnson Funeral Service, 208 South Main St., Bridgewater, Va. 22812
Funeral: 2:00 pm Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Jerusalem Chapel UB church, 314 Chapel Road, Churchville, Va. 24421
16 Nov All for Christ Now Available in Epub format
Both volumes of All for Christ are now available as epubs for $6.99 each on Amazon. These books, published in 2017, focus on UB history 1981-2017, but go back to the beginning to tell the complete story of our various mission fields, and of our evolving stands on various issues (alcohol, women in ministry, abortion, assigning pastors, and more). Now you can read them on your tablet or smartphone.
Go here to order either the print or epub versions: All for Christ 1 | All for Christ 2.
27 Jul Dr. Mike Dittman on “Unity”
Dr. Mike Dittman, director of National Ministries for the US National Conference, has written a four-page article on the topic “Unity.” We’re making it available for download at this link.
09 Apr Sight & Sound “Jesus”–Free on Easter Weekend
During the 2017 US National Conference in Lancaster, Pa., many UB people enjoyed attending a production at the local Sight & Sound Theatre. You may be interested in knowing that the S&S production of “Jesus” will be available this weekend–Friday, Saturday, and Sunday–for free over the internet and on the TBN cable network (Trinity Broadcasting Network).
You can view it on TBN at 1:00 pm Eastern Time on TBN.
Or, view it anytime April 10-12 on the TBN app or their website.
22 Aug Executive Leadership Team Complete with New Appointees
L-r: Greg Voight, Joni Michaud, Victor Mojica, Dale Perry.
The 2019-2021 Executive Leadership Team is now complete. Four members were elected by this summer’s US National Conference, to join four others with continuing terms. That left four persons to be appointed for the next two years. Bishop Todd Fetters has now chosen those persons, and they were unanimously approved by the ELT.
The appointees include one person from each region—two laypersons, two clergy. Three of the appointees are serving on the ELT for the first time. The fourth, Greg Voight, has been an ELT member since 2013. Here is information about each of them.
Greg Voight has been senior pastor of Lancaster UB church in Lancaster, Ohio, since 2006. Before that, he served two years as an intern at what is now Shoreline UB church in Oak Harbor, Ohio. He is a 2006 graduate of Findlay University (Findlay, Ohio), and was ordained in 2011. Greg and his wife, Debbie, were married in 1995 and have three children.
Joni Michaud is a member of Pleasant Valley UB church in Lake Odessa, Mich. She currently serves there as administrative board chair and lay leader, and teaches junior church and Sunday school. Joni has been a lay delegate from her church to the last four meetings of the US National Conference, and served on the Human Sexuality Task Force 2015-2017. Joni works as an attorney in Grand Rapids, Mich., practicing immigration law, family law, and criminal defense. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Huntington University in 2005 and her juris doctor from Notre Dame Law School in 2008.
Victor Mojica and his wife, Margarita, have been members of Clearview UB church (Goshen, Ind.) since 1994. He has been serving as a part-time pastor at Clearview since 1998. Currently, Clearview is made up of an English-speaking congregation pastored by Jim Gillette, and a Spanish-speaking congregation pastored by Victor. He also works in his family business.
Dale Perry served 25 years as an employee of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, from which he recently retired as Manager of the Department’s Land Acquisition Program for highway and bridge construction projects. Dale has since joined consulting firm Arrow Land Solutions, LLC, as Director of Training and Development. He and his wife, Shirley, have been members of Mount Pleasant UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) for 27 years. Dale is currently chairperson of the Governance Board (since 2016), teaches an adult Sunday school class, and serves on the church Personnel Relations Commission and Worship Media Team.
You can view the complete ELT here. There are three persons from each region, for a total of 12 members. Six are clergy, six are laypersons. The bishop is the 13th member, and he chairs the Executive Leadership Team, which meets twice a year.