27 Feb Horizontal & Vertical Hold

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
When EJ and I were first married we bought a used TV. It was in a nice large (and heavy) cabinet and we thought it would look nice in our apartment. Well, we soon found out the reason it was traded in…the picture wouldn’t remain still. It would flip over and over, either vertical flips or horizontal flips. It had some adjustment knobs to correct the vertical and horizontal hold and it worked some. But I would get up, go to the TV, make the adjustment, get the flipping stopped–only to have it begin again before I got back to my chair. It was very frustrating to say the least. We had it worked on by the TV repair man. He put in new tubes (this was when TVs and radios had tubes) and it helped for a little while, but soon it was back to its old tricks.
I thought about this old TV the other day while reading the passages in 1 John about love for God and love for the brothers. Especially 4:20, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, who he has not seen” (NIV). John talks about a vertical love for God and a horizontal love for our brothers and sisters in the faith. Notice that if we sever our love for God, we also sever the love for our fellow man; and if we sever our love for our fellow man, we automatically sever our relationship with God. Both our vertical (with God) and horizontal (with our fellow beliervers) must remain intact.
I guess all this comes to my mind when I see how shabbly we Christians treat one another. Jesus, in John 17, says that if believers are one with Him and with one another, then the world will be able to make the judgment that Jesus was sent by God to this world. It just seems to me that we struggle with this “love business.” It doesn’t mean that believers can’t disagree over issues, but it does mean that their interpersonal disagreements are handled differently than the world handles them. I am amazed how believers talk to one another with such anger. Where is God in all of this?
Sometimes we treat our fellow believers as if they are the enemy. They are not the enemy! Satan is the enemy and he has a field day when he can influence us to turn on one another. Christians that don’t speak to other Christians–this cannot be in the Body of Christ. Christians who carry bitterness toward another Christan–this cannot be in the Body of Christ. If Jesus, while hanging on the cross, could forgive those who put Him there, surely we ought to be able to forgive one another.
How many churches have lost their testimony in their community because the members harbor bitterness against other believers in their church? If the love of Christ compels, then the anger/bitterness of Christians for one another certainly repels.
Let’s take some time to check our vertical and horizontal holds (relationships). You may not like me (an emotion), but you have to love me (an act of faith)!

23 Feb An Urgent Need – A Special Opportunity

Faith Church in Port Orange, Florida lost their multipurpose building in one of the hurricanes last year. They currently have approved plans, and even have a local contractor who will pull permits on his number, but neither he nor others in the area have time to send a crew to build it. They are either already committed to other projects or are on the Gulf Coast assisting rebuilding efforts there.
They are looking for a General Contractor who will either bring a crew to do the construction or a retired or semi-retired GC who would come supervise and allow them to hire subs and a crew there. The building is a straightforward 2500 square foot concrete block building, single story.
If you have anyone in your churches or community who would like to assist them, the contact persons are:
Pastor Paul Hallett
email: faithub@bellsouth.net
Phone: 386-761-5482
Mr. Ernie Pyle, Plumbing contractor and member of the church
Phone: 386-290-7091 (this is his business phone)
Cluster leaders, please make sure all your churches are aware of this opportunity. Thanks.

21 Feb For Those Who Need UB History

To be licensed in the UB Church, every candidate needs to take the UB History course. It is being offered this summer at Huntington University. Please get this info to every person associated with your cluster’s churches who needs to take the course.
UB HISTORY SURVEY
June 5-8, 2006
Huntington University
COST: $250 for course. Housing on-campus provided at a nominal cost.
Course will be completed that week. No papers or projects to complete afterward.
For more information or to apply for the course, contact Lori Garde at the Graduate School of Christian Ministries.

16 Feb A Full Orbed Great Commission

Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries
Recently I was challenged to a full orbed view of the Great Commission. Since we are covenanting together to be “Great Commission” churches, we must have a full view of what that entails. The front side of the commission is to make disciples. We know that this is the dominant verb in the sentence. It is also a command. Disciples are not “converts” if by converts we simply imply an evangelistic decision by someone. Disciples are on a life pursuit. Disciples are learners who are growing in grace and knowledge of the truth. Disciples are lovers of God and people. Disciples are passionate about doing what Jesus did, invading the world to “seek and to save that which was lost.” The “going”, “baptizing” and “teaching” are all supportive parts of the making of disciples.
Some churches practice an evangelistic thrust that emphasizes people who make a “decision,” but they are left to fend for themselves about what it all means to follow Jesus. They would be like a seed that springs up quickly but is either taken away or burned away by the sun fairly quickly. Other churches seem focused on teaching, believing that if you teach your people truth, they will evangelize. Without an intentional plan to go “make new disciples,” these folks can become like the leaders of Jesus day who were ever hearing but not understanding. Right teaching which leads to right action will also lead to the giving away of truth.
Is your ministry “full orbed?” What do you do to intentionally speak into the community and culture around you with the Gospel of Jesus? Who have you spoken to personally in the past weeks? And are you continuing to “teach everything He has commanded?” Are your people maturing in their faith to where they can’t help speak of what they have seen and heard? Holding onto the Gospel of Jesus Christ (revelation) and intentionally seeking to save that which was lost (relevance) will help keep our ministries aligned with the Great Commission in all its fullness.

14 Feb Roses are Red. Don’t Forget!

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I wish I had some snappy two-line ditty to finish this little poem to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day! But alas I am no poet and “my big feet show it” (and they are big if you need to know it).
Well enough of that stuff. I just wanted to remind you to send an expression of love to the “lover of your soul,” to the one who loved you so much He died so we might live, to the one who promises us an eternal home that He personally is preparing, to the one who blesses with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, to the one who has promised to never leave us or forsake us, to the one whose love is not fickle, based on how He feels, whose love does not change….
I suppose the perfect Valentine for such a one is to give Him my obedience which he desires even more than my sacrifice. And I almost wish He hadn’t said that, because giving a sacrifice is much easier than obedience. At least, that is the way it is in my life. So the question for this Valentines Day is not what I can do for Him, but rather will I be obedient to Him.
Oh yes, and don’t forget your earthly sweetie either!

13 Feb Roger Reeck Teaching in Africa

Roger and Marilyn Reeck are UB partial support missionaries serving with Wycliffe in La Ceiba, Honduras. On February 7, Roger left for Guinea Bissau, a small West African nation, where he will spend the next five weeks teaching translation principles to national translators. He will teach in Portuguese, a language he has been working hard at mastering. He has been watching Portuguese movies, listening to Portuguese radio, and reading the Portuguese Bible for several hours a day. He taught in Brazi last year using the Portuguese language, but the Portuguese spoken in Guinea Bissau is slightly different from what is spoken in Brazil.

09 Feb Ask These With Tenacious Honesty

Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries
Here are some questions for you to ask yourself and your leadership with tenacious honesty. Time is short and we must stop kidding ourselves about the effectiveness of our ministries. The reason some churches function at a high level of effectiveness in reaching the lost and fulfilling their purpose is that they ask tough questions over and over again. So, are you willing to ask these three and deal with the implications of the answers?

1. Who are you? (Your understanding of why God has you and your church here)
2. What do you do? (How do you accomplish that understanding?)
3. What does it matter? (If you didn’t do what you are doing, what would the result be?)

Brad Powell, pastor of Northridge Church in Plymouth, MI, a very effective and exciting ministry, stated that he believes that the church is the hope of the world but he fears that for a majority of our churches in America they could close down today and the level of hope in their town would not change at all. In other words, they have forgotten or failed to be hope providers to those who are lost and headed for a Christless eternity in their communities.
So, be willing to ask the questions. But you must be willing to pay any price to travel to the correct, heart of God responses. Failure in this endeavor is not an option for those who want to be useful in the Lord’s work today.

09 Feb Five Strategic Initiatives

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
I have identified five stragetic initiatives for my term, and I would like your feedback on them, either through the comments or using the Contact link on the right:

1. Implement and encourage an atmosphere where multiplication of leaders and churches will be considered as normal.
2. Encourage Spiritual Formation and Renewal within the churches of the United Brethren in Christ
3. Actively equip churches and pastors for effective ministries.
4. Develop a plan to identify and retain those who are being called into fulltime Christian service.
5. Discover, evaluate, and articulate the perceived brand image of the Church of the United Brethren In Christ.

These five initiatives will comprise the areas that I consider priority issues and in which I will spend the majority of my time.
These were adopted October 4, 2005, by the Executive Leadership Team after some discussion. Now I would like to open the discussion of these five initiatives to a wider audience across the church.
How do you think these ought to be fleshed out? Or maybe you take issue that these are the areas that need priority attention in our denomination.
Talk to me, church!

09 Feb Kingdom View Church Plant

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
I was in Michigan this past weekend attending their Mid-Year Conference. They announced a cooperative effort between Sunfield UB and a neighboring Weslyan Church to plant a new church in Portland, Mich. The church planting pastor, Ed Love, was introduced to the conference. In this plant, both churches will suppy resources and people to begin a successful church in Portland.
Will it be a United Brethren or a Weslyan Church after it is planted? Who knows! Most likely it will be Weslyan. But this is the type of Kingdom-view thinking that we must begin to develop. The Kingdom is bigger and greater than the UB and cooperative efforts with other like-minded churches is essential for seeing the Kingdom advanced. Partnering with other groups/churches/denominations that also are interested in advancing the KIngdom is essential.
Kudos to Sunfield, Pastor Mark Ralph, and the Michigan Conference for leading the way in this for our denomination. Let us all pray for this new work, that God would use it to bring many to a saving knowledge of His Son! “…thy Kingdom come…” Amen!

08 Feb Bishop Hirschy’s new position

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
Several people have asked me how Paul Hirschy is doing. I am happy to report that Paul is doing fine and in fact has a new position with Huntington University. Effective February 1, 2006, Paul was appointed as a development officer at Huntington University. Paul will travel in the tri-state area meeting with alumni and friends to share the Huntington University story.
I met with Paul just this noon for lunch and we discussed his new position as well as his health. He is excited about this new opportunity to use his many skills with the University. Health-wise, he is doing well. As many of you know, Paul has battled cancer for a number of years, including throughout his 2001-2005 term as bishop.
For further details, see the article on the UB news page. Congratulations Paul!