New Hope United Brethren Church in Huntington, Ind. (25 miles southwest of Fort Wayne) is a congregation with a rich history who is looking forward to writing our next chapter of ministry. We are looking for a pastor who will train us for outreach so that we may be proactive in reaching our neighborhood.

Our next pastor will be skilled in communication and organization and possess a pastor’s heart for God and people. The ability to work on a team and encourage others to carry out leadership is essential. Demonstrated experience in helping people develop their spiritual life and ministering effectively to people in crisis will be a benefit. It is also expected that this individual will maintain professional ministerial credentials with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA.

New Hope Church is a congregation of approximately 75 people. Though our current congregation trends toward senior adults, our modern facilities are large enough to accommodate much growth. We are financially stable, located near housing developments, welcoming to new people, hard-working, and missions minded.

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.

King Street Church in Chambersburg, PA has a mission of engaging and blessing the community with the Gospel. They are looking for a Senior Pastor to join their team. This position will encompass the primary teaching role which not only includes preaching and teaching, but also mentoring and coaching other staff members who have teaching gifts.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:

  • Casting and communicating a clear vision for the church
  • Preparing and presenting expository sermons for at least 75% of all worship services annually: creating PowerPoint; creating notes for group study; and preparing the sermon schedule 3-6 months in advance
  • Overseeing implementation of Core Values and objectives through the Pastoral Team and Commissions
  • Overseeing mentoring, coaching, encouraging, and the training of the ministerial staff as well as current and potential key lay leaders

SKILLS YOU NEED TO HAVE:

  • Relational and servant leader
  • Ability to understand and explain scripture
  • Strong communication skills and work ethic
  • Working toward having a Master of Divinity degree

THE AREA:
The Cumberland Valley offers a wide variety of business, shopping experiences and recreational activities that make it an optimal place to live, work and play. The beautiful landscape is home to a place where activity, diversity and history combine in harmony.

Does this sound like an environment where you would like to serve? Apply here.

The United Brethren Church history course is fast approaching and registration will be closing soon. The course, which will be held via Zoom, will take place November 27-28 from 9am to 4pm. Registration closes on Monday, November 13.

Click here to learn more about this course and complete your registration.

Baptism is a significant step of obedience in the life of a believer and on Sunday, October 29, Mount Pleasant Church in Chambersburg, PA celebrated with three individuals who took that step. As part of the celebration, Pastor Jim Bolich invited members of the congregation to come forward and dip their hands in the water in remembrance of their own baptisms.

The entirety of the service is available online. The baptisms begin approximately eight minutes into the service.

Salem Church, located in Chambersburg, PA, is currently looking for a part-time Student Ministries Director to lead the rebuilding of our ministry to middle and high school students and work with the lead pastor to coordinate our children’s ministry. Though not definitive, the ideal candidate will likely be someone currently pursuing a degree or training in vocational Student Ministry who will benefit from a part-time opportunity which coincides with their calling to church leadership and enhances their current educational pursuits. It is our prayer is to find someone who would desire to see this mature into a full-time position following their matriculation.

Personal Responsibilities:

  • Be diligent and disciplined to maintain a life of devotion to the study of God’s Word, fellowship, worship, outreach and prayer.
  • Maintain relationships both inside and outside of Salem which display integrity, grace and proper, Biblical conflict management.
  • Be as intentional as possible to avoid situations which could appear to be lacking in sexual or relational fidelity.
  • Be fully in agreement with our congregational/denominational beliefs as expressed on our website, www.salemub.org/beliefs

Ministry Responsibilities:

  • Be responsible for leading a discipling ministry among Salem’s High School and Junior High students which focuses on helping students to mature into faithful followers of Jesus, striving to grow in character and devotion to God as image-bearers of Christ.
  • Work with lead pastor to help create a holistic, Biblically-based discipling curriculum designed to help guide children and students through a lifelong commitment to God.
  • Work with current volunteer staff and develop new volunteers to participate in children’s and student ministries.

For more information about this role, contact Chris Moore, lead pastor at Salem Church.

Pastor Richard (left) with UB Haiti Superintendent Supreme (right)

We received word that Pastor Oliam Richard passed away on Sunday night. He was with his family in Paris. In an official announcement of his passing, Matt Robertshaw, the Global Outreach Director from the UB Church in Canada had this to say:

Pastor Richard was born in Haiti and studied theology in Jamaica before working with the Salvation Army in the United States. By 2000 he was leading a small evangelical denomination with churches in Paris and in Haiti. He connected with UB bishop Ray Seilhamer and joined the international United Brethren church. He served as superintendent of the United Brethren church in Haiti for 19 years. 

In the last few years he has spent time in Haiti and with his family in France, and continued to be involved with churches in both countries. He will be missed by many in Haiti, North America, France and beyond.

Services will be held in his honour in Paris on the 26th and 27th of October.

The family and communities in grief would appreciate your prayers.

Let’s join our brothers and sisters around the world in prayer for Pastor Richard’s family. Let’s also join in celebrating his life and the impact he made for the Kingdom.

This is your chance to put your graphic design skills on display. We are looking for the best design for a new shirt on the UB Merch Store using the slogan, “Frontier from the Beginning,” a phrase coined by Frank Yang, Director of UB Global, during his address at National Conference. There have been a couple early attempts at a new design, but thankfully wiser heads prevailed and a decision was made to invite other, more design-minded individuals into the process.

We know you are out there and we are inviting you to submit your design(s) for the Frontier from the Beginning t-shirt design contest. You have until October 20, 2023 to submit your unique design(s) to ub.org/frontier. The winning design will be announced the following week, and soon after, made available for purchase in the new UB Merch store. The winning designer will receive a shirt with their design and $50 to spend in the store.

To learn more about the contest rules and how you can enter, visit ub.org/frontier.

If you would like more information about what Frontier from the Beginning really means as well as some inspiration to get you started, watch this short explainer video.


We are excited to announce that our online merch store is NOW OPEN! That means you can now get your hands on all sorts of UB branded gear, from t-shirts and hoodies to totes and polos, and have it all shipped right to your front door.

Here’s how it works:

1. Visit unitedbrethrengear.com.
2. Choose your items, the logo you prefer, and add your church name (optional).
3. Pay online and wait for your gear to arrive.
4. Sport your new threads at your next appointment, staff meeting, or worship set.

Happy shopping! We can’t wait to see all your new gear the next time we gather.

The next United Brethren Church History course will be offered November 27-28, 2023. This class provides a great opportunity to learn about the history of the UB Church and the people who lead the way. It is also a great opportunity to learn from some of our most passionate denominational historians.

This course is a requirement for those seeking ministerial licensing, but it is open to anyone interested in our rich history. Laypersons, especially local church leaders (board chairpersons, church members, lay delegates, etc.) are encouraged to attend.

This is an online course and will be conducted via Zoom, November 27-28, 2023 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm both days. Three books are required for students taking UB History: Trials and Triumphs and All For Christ, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Registration for the class is $200 per person plus the cost of the books which can be purchased directly from the UB National Office.

If you’re ready to explore the history of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, register here.

If you have any questions about registration or how you can order the books, contact Jamie Hoffman in the Bishop’s office at jamie@ub.org.

Dr. Chaney Bergdall

Dr. Chaney Bergdall, United Brethren minister and retired professor of Bible and Religion at Huntington University, passed away on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 after a brief battle with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.

Chaney graduated from Huntington University in 1969 (BA) and went on to earn three additional degrees from Jerusalem University College (MA, 1970), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MDiv, 1973), and Fuller Theological Seminary (Ph. D., 1986). He was ordained as a UB minister in 1973 and served at Kilburn Ave UB Church (Rockford, IL, 1971-75), Egan UB Church (Egan, IL, 1974-75), and Glendale UB Church (Glendale, CA, 1981-84). Dr. Bergdall also taught at Huntington University for 36 years (1975-82; 1984-2012).

After he retired in 2012, Chaney moved to Goshen, Indiana with his wife, Pat, and has been an active member of 8th Street Mennonite Church as well as a number of other community-minded organizations.

Dr. Bergdall’s obituary and funeral arrangements can be found here.