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14 Mar

March 14, 2006 |

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
turnaround.jpgThere is an event planned for April at Huntington University that some of you should be interested in attending. The Hoffman Lectureship Series for 2006 will be held on the campus April 18, 2006, with the topic being “Turnaround Churches.” The speaker is Gene Wood, who has authored two books, “Leading Turaround Churches” and “Leading Turnaround Teams.” The lecture will begin at 8:30 AM and end at 3:30 PM.
The registration fee is just $30 and it covers the registration fee, noon meal, and refreshments.
Now, I know we have several churches that could and should be considered turnaround churches. A turnaround church could be described as a church that has plateaued or is in decline, but there is a sense that God really wants to do something in that place. Not all plateaued or declining churches can be considered a turnaround situation. This seminar will help you assess your turnaround potential.
We ought to have a couple dozen of our churches respond to this opportunity by sending their pastor and several key laypersons. You can request a registration form by responding to this blog with your name and address and how many forms you would like.
For pastors in the UBIC, this seminar will earn .5 CEU credits.
I plan to attend this myself and I hope to see many of you there as well.
We have plateaued and/or declining churches that if they do not develop a turnaround ministry, they probably will eventually die. And in many cases that isn’t necessary. But they must refocus their ministry and become culturally relevant to their community.
Will you come? Not can you come? But will you? I trust you will!

13 Mar

March 13, 2006 |

Jeff Dice, associate pastor at Brown Corners Church in Clare, Mich., will lead his third short-term team to Nicaragua June 9-19. This is part of Brown Corners’ ongoing partnership with that country. The team will do several small construction projects, some cultural outreach activities, and Bible training. Jeff would like to invite individuals from other churches to join the team. Interested? Call him at 989-386-2702, or send an email to Jeff Dice.

13 Mar

March 13, 2006 |

UB Global Ministries is making available two new DVDs which focus on what God is doing around the world in the UB church.

  • Living in Denial. This six-minute video or DVD features Director Gary Dilley reflecting on UBs joining God in the “war effort,” as well as looking ahead to a new work in East Asia, and our desire to stand in the gap with Sierra Leone as they rebuild and prepare for the challenges ahead. This video was made for Self Denial, but is equally suitable for a short UB mission update in your worship service or smaller group setting. Contact Darlene at Global Ministries for a copy.
  • The Philippines and the United Brethren Church. Rev. Mike Brown and Huntington University worked together to produce an introduction to the work and ministry of the United Brethren church in the Philippines.

You can obtain a copy of these DVDs for your church by contact Global Ministries in these ways:

Toll-free Phone: 1-888-622-3019
Email: [email protected]

13 Mar

March 13, 2006 |

The Huntington University men’s basketball team has reached the Final Four of the NAIA national tournament in Branson, Missouri. The entered the tourney as the number 2 seed, and the number 1 seed has already bowed out.
The Foresters defeated #10 Morningside (Iowa) on Saturday, March11, to reach the Final Four. They trailed most of the first half, but overcame a five-point half-time deficit to eventually win 82-70.
The tournament continues at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on Monday, March 13, as Huntington faces MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (25-10) in the semifinals. The game will be broadcast live from Branson by Huntington University Radio WQHU 105.5 FM. MidAmerica is the only unseeded team to reach the Final Four. The other two teams left in the tournament are 4th-seed College of the Ozards (27-6) and 8th-seed Lindenwood Univeristy (26-9). HU’s season record is 31-5.

08 Mar

March 8, 2006 |

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
2006ELT_Pat480.jpg

Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries, reporting to the Executive Leadership Team

During the past few weeks, we’ve had a lot of meetings–the Global Ministries Leadership Team, the Healthy Church Leadership Team, the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team, and finally, the Executive Leadership Team. The ELT met March 6-7 at the United Brethren Headquarters in Huntington, Ind. I presented a written report covering my first six months in office, August 15, 2005, to February 28, 2006. Here are excerpts which might interest you.

These first 6 months were spent generally:

  • In getting moved and settled in Huntington.
  • Becoming involved in a steep learning curve as to the status of the various areas of emphasis.
  • Becoming acquainted with the condition of churches and pastors.
  • Picking up stationing committee duties for churches needing pastors.
  • Learning the routines and procedures of the office and staff.

The transition has gone well. There are always some bumps and surprises along the way, but all in all it was a good initial beginning. Pat Jones and I have formed a solid team and positive working relationship. Along with Gary Dilley, Steve Dennie, and Marci Hammel, we have a strong administrative team in place. Adding Tom Blaylock as a part time Director of Church Multiplication was a good decision and we will see benefits from that decision.

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08 Mar

March 8, 2006 |

HUBBall_300.jpgThe Huntington University men’s basketball team is ranked second in the national in the NAIA Division II, with a 28-5 record. They are now in Branson, Missouri, for the national tournament, and were given the number 2 seed. The top seed went to Embry Riddle, a Florida college, with a 30-2 record.
The Foresters will play their first game on Thursday, March 8, against Fisher College (16-14) of Boston, Mass. The game begins at 4 pm, and can be heard over the internet on HU’s radio station, WQHU. Go here for the link.
The Foresters are led by Alex Kock, MCC co-player of the year, who averages just under 21 points per game. Kyle Ganton leads the Division II in 3-point field goal percentage at 51%, and averages 18 points per game. Both are juniors. HU enters the tournament with the best team free throw percentage in Division II, at 78.6%.
On February 28, HU squared off against 8th-ranked Taylor University for the Mid-Central Conference championship, and won easily, 68-44. The photo on the right was taken after that victory.

08 Mar

March 8, 2006 |

2006ELT_Pat500.jpg
Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries, reporting to the Executive Leadership Team

The Executive Leadership Team met March 6-7 at the United Brethren Headquarters in Huntington, Ind. Bishop Ron Ramsey presented his report covering his first six months in office, August 15-2005 to February 28, 2006. Here are excerpts:

These first 6 months were spent generally:

  • In getting moved and settled in Huntington.
  • Becoming involved in a steep learning curve as to the status of the various areas of emphasis.
  • Becoming acquainted with the condition of churches and pastors.
  • Picking up stationing committee duties for churches needing pastors.
  • Learning the routines and procedures of the office and staff.

The transition has gone well. There are always some bumps and surprises along the way, but all in all it was a good initial beginning. Pat Jones and I have formed a solid team and positive working relationship. Along with Gary Dilley, Steve Dennie, and Marci Hammel, we have a strong administrative team in place. Adding Tom Blaylock as a part time Director of Church Multiplication was a good decision and we will see benefits from that decision.

(more…)

08 Mar

March 8, 2006 |

HTVNewsTeam.jpg
The Fall 2005 HTV News team
Every Thursday, Huntington University’s HTV airs a news broadcast which focuses on happenings at the university. You can now view those broadcasts via the internet if you have the free Quicktime 7 player installed, and can even download the video clips. The news program is written, directed,produced, and performed by HU students.
HTVcamera.jpg

HTV News recently won first-place for TV Studio Production from the Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters. The station’s website, HTVNews.net, also won first place for Web Site Content and Design. HU placed in five of the 11 categories in the awards contest. The other first-place award came in TV Field Production for the film “Love is a four Letter Word.” HU students also took third-place honors for a radio drama, “He Walks With Me,” and for a music video, “Good Thing.”

08 Mar

March 8, 2006 |

The following story is about the Living Hope UB church in our Canadian conference. The story appeared in the Shoreline Beacon of Port Elgin, Ontario, on January 25.
What started out as a modest spaghetti dinner shared with the community, has blossomed into one of the biggest showings of community spirit in Saugeen Shores, with more than 150 people turning out each week.

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07 Mar

March 7, 2006 |

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The PMLT meeting in February. Chairman Tom Brodbeck is on the right.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team was created by the 2005 US National Conference to oversee the licensing and ordination process and give leadership to the professional development of our ministers. Bishop Ron Ramsey appointed Tom Brodbeck as chairperson.
This group has met twice, most recently on February 27-28, 2006. Tom Brodbeck reports the following:
Summary of Decisions Made.

  • We reaffirmed the action of the US National Conference that the sections on “Ministry” from the 2001-2005 Discipline, plus the denomination’s official statements on theological issues, will constitute the Pastoral Ministry Handbook. Theological issues included so far are: Depravity, Divine Foreknowledge, Destiny of the Unevangelized, the 1974 statement on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and an 1977 statement on the Word of God. We are in the process of editing the sections from Discipline for posting on the website.
  • We appointed PMLT team members as chairmen of regional Ministerial Licensing and Ordination Teams. With this format, we will be able to have up to ten regional teams trained and ready to interview and assess ministerial candidates, with a consistency in interview style and outcome. Each chairman is submitting names to the bishop for approval as additional team members. Each team will establish two interview dates (one in May, one in October) to be announced to the church.

“To Do” List

  • Review the delivery system and expected outcomes for United Brethren Church history.
  • Review and confirm the names of the ministers who are in licensing process from each of the conferences
  • Re-think all of the licensing options provided within the US church.
  • Review and revise recruitment materials and develop (with the Bishop) a comprehensive strategy for recruiting new ministers.
  • Design and develop ways of tracking and advertising quality continuing education opportunities for elders.
  • Review and revise the current roll of ministers