19 Aug Devon Strine Retiring
Rev. Devon Strine has retired effective July 31, 2016. He was ordained in 1976. Most recently, he has pastored the Mt. Pleasant UB church (Angola, Ind.) since 2012.
17 Aug Four Regional Meetings This Summer
Bishop Todd Fetters speaking to the afternoon gathering at King Street church in Chambersburg, Pa.
Bishop Todd Fetters.
Mike Dittman led the morning session with cluster leaders from the East region.
Bishop Todd Fetters and Mike Dittman, director of National Ministries, held four regional meetings this summer with pastors, spouses, and laypersons. They all followed the same format: a meeting with cluster leaders in the morning, followed by lunch and an afternoon meetings with pastors, spouses, and key laypersons.
The final regional meeting was held August 8 at King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. Above are some photos from that event.
03 Aug Women’s Conference: Rates Go Up Aug 16
As of August 2, we have 212 women registered for the 2016 Women’s Conference. Rates go up again on August 16, so you need to complete your registration soon.
One church has offered a bus ride from Fort Wayne, Ind., to Gettysburg, Pa. All you have to do is park your car at Emmanuel Community Church and hop on the bus. The cost of the two-way, 500-mile trip is just $25. So far, 15 slots have been filled, and 15 slots remain.
To reserve your spot, use this link: Bus Form. You will be asked for credit card information to pay the $25 fee. Payment reserves a seat. Then all you need to do is show up at 7:30 on Friday morning, September 30, at:
Emmanuel Community Church
12222 W Jefferson Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46814
01 Aug Teddy Fairchild Appointed to Eagle Quest (Columbia City, Ind.)
Rev. Teddy Fairchild has been appointed to a two-year assignment as interim pastor of Eagle Quest UB church (Columbia City, Ind.), effective July 31, 2016. He is a 2010 graduate of Huntington University, and earned a Masters from Liberty University in 2014. He has served UB churches in Wilshire and Findlay, Ohio. Teddy and Sarah (right) have been married since 2007 and have two children—daughter Julz, a college student, and son Gabriel, who is 5.
01 Aug Jeff Lawson Assigned to Hopewell UB (Auburn, Ind.)
Rev. Jeff Lawson has been appointed senior pastor of Hopewell UB church (Auburn, Ind.) effective July 25, 2016. He takes the place of Rev. John Erwin, who recently retired after serving Hopewell for 16 years.
Jeff Lawson is a graduate of Taylor University (1995) and Crown College in Minnesota (2007), and has been an ordained minister since 1995 in the Christian & Missionary Alliance. Since 1999, he has pastored eight churches in five states, with a focus on church revitalization. He cites “turn-around” situations as his preferred ministry role. Jeff and his wife, Cindy (right), have two grown children.
01 Aug August 25 – Free Seminar on Grief and Stress
A free seminar on “Managing Grief and Stress” will be held on Thursday, August 25. Seminars will be led by Dr. H. Norman Wright and Dr. Larry Mercer. The seminar is sponsored by the Huntington University Institute for Leadership and Counseling.
Date: Thursday, August 25
Time: 10 am – 2 pm
Location: College Park UB church, 1945 College Ave., Huntington, IN 46750
From 10am – noon, Dr. H. Norman Wright will address “Tremors of Life: Ministering at a Time of Loss, Crisis, and Trauma.” Dr. Wright is a licensed marriage, family and child therapist with 30 years of private practice experience, and is a well-known Christian author. He will address the categories of loss, the definition of grief, and the steps involved in moving forward. This presentation will take place in the sanctuary of College Park Church
From 1-2 p.m., Dr. Larry Mercer will address, “Brain-Based Leadership & Coaching: Integrating Findings from Neuroscience with Scripture to Enhance Your Personal and Professional Effectiveness.” Dr. Mercer holds degrees in theology and ministry, and serves as an executive coach with leaders of churches, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. His lecture will address minimizing the negative impact of stress in your life. Using neuroscience research and Scripture, Dr. Mercer will provide practical strategies to empower you to deal with stress.
Both seminars will be held in the sanctuary of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.
Although the seminar is free and open to the public, an RSVP is required.
An optional noon luncheon will be provided at College Park Church. You will need to pre-pay the $10 lunch charge, and seating is limited. Various restaurants are located nearby.
Continuing education credit is being provided through the Nation Board of Certified Counselors
26 Jul Death of Pastor Craig Loewen’s Mother
Lois Marie Loewen, 88, passed away July 23, 2016. She was the mother of Rev. Craig Loewen (right), pastor of the Heidlersburg and Mt. Olivet UB churches in Pennsylvania. She and her husband of almost 70 years, Rev. John Loewen, who survives, served 32 years in ministry with the United Methodist Church. (Read full obituary)
A memorial service will be held 10 am on Saturday, July 30, 2016, at the Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home, Shippensburg, Pa.
Condolences can be sent to:
Pastor Craig A. Loewen
2725 Heidlersburg Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325-7618
25 Jul Mt. Pleasant’s Partnership in Mexico
The group from Mount Pleasant.
A VBS session.
At the River of Life UB church in Mexico.
Bobby Culler, youth pastor, Mount Pleasant Church (Chambersburg, Pa.)
On July 8, 2016, a team of 16 people from Mt. Pleasant Church began what they hope to be a multi-year partnership with River of Life UB church in the beautiful city of Queretaro, Mexico. We were accompanied by Denis Casco, bishop of Mexico Conference, and his wife, Reina.
With the help of Bishop Casco, contacts were made, friendships were formed, and ministry began. We believe we accomplished all of the three-fold purpose of this partnership:
- To help the River of Life church have positive and sustainable impact in the lives of the people in their community.
- To encourage, train, and equip the leaders of this church and the surrounding United Brethren churches
- To build lifelong relationships with the people of this church and community.
We hosted a week of vacation Bible school and throughout the week we saw a drastic increase in attendance. But more than that, we saw lives change and we saw people come to church who had never been there before. We heard community people say that they’ve never seen anything like this before—a church full and alive with excitement for Christ.
We also hosted two leader training sessions, both of which were attended by 15-16 people from two different United Brethren churches. We’re excited about equipping these leaders to be more effective in the ministry that they provide.
We also spent some time in a city park playing bubbles and kicking soccer balls with children. We shared with them the story of the Gospel colors, gave them the ball, and encouraged them to share that story with their friends and family.
We are grateful for what God has started and for the people that we had the chance to talk with and minister to. Based on how difficult it was to say goodbye, I believe that we established some strong friendships with these precious people.
We’re thankful for the opportunity God has given us to begin this partnership, and we encourage other UB churches in the United States to consider doing the same thing. There are over 40 United Brethren churches and preaching points in Mexico. All of them are eager to partner with other, more established and healthy United Brethren churches.
Although we just returned, all of us are anxious to go back and to continue the good work that the Lord has begun. And with God’s help and involvement, great things will be done for the Kingdom worldwide.
25 Jul Pastoral Transition at New Hope Church (Huntington, Ind.)
Bishop Todd Fetters (right) leads the installation service for Amos and Annalee Rawley.
Ray Seilhamer preaching for the last time as senior pastor of New Hope Church.
The packed Family Life Center on July 24, 2016.
Amos Rawley has been appointed senior pastor of New Hope UB church (Huntington, Ind.) effective January 25, 2016. He had been associate pastor of New Hope since July 2015, and served a year as youth pastor, 2009-2010, while attending Huntington University. Amos grew up in the Otterbein UB church of Greencastle, Pa. His parents, Rev. David and Cindy Rawley, have served Otterbein since 1985.
On July 24, 2016, New Hope Church held a special service in its packed Family Life Center. This was the final service for Ray and Ruth Seilhamer, who had served New Hope for the last 12 years. They will move this week to Chambersburg, Pa., to begin serving a two-year interim pastorate at Mount Pleasant UB church, effective August 1. Chris Little, who had been senior pastor of Mount Pleasant since 2001, died suddenly on April 19, 2016, at age 51.
Bishop Emeritus Seilhamer became senior pastor of New Hope in 2004. In 2010, the congregation dedicated a 13,000 square-foot Family Life Center which includes a multi-purpose gymnasium, where the congregation now holds worship services, plus a kitchen, large foyer, and other rooms. The total cost was $980,000. The congregation raised over $300,000; outside investors pitched in $490,000, and various fundraisers brought in the rest. During the July 25 service, New Hope celebrated by burning the mortgage.
Bishop Todd Fetters led an installation service for Amos and Annalee Rawley. David Rawley was among those participating in the laying on of hands.
Amos graduated from Huntington University in 2010, and went on to earn a Master of Divinity in 2015 from Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, Pa. Annalee, whom he married in 2011, also graduated in 2015 from Evangelical Seminary, but with a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Huntington University and has been involved with two local counseling centers.
-
- Amos and Annalee Rawley
-
- The Family Life Center.
-
- Dave Walker (left) and John Krieger burn the mortgage on the Family Life Center.
11 Jul Praying for Revival at Hillsdale UB
Lester Smith, senior pastor, Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.)
With all the fear and confusion going on in our nation presently, the Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) is being intentional about praying for revival to sweep our land.
On July 3, the congregation concluded both services with a Call2Fall. Nearly 400 people at the church cried out to the Lord on their knees for our nation on Independence Day weekend. Many tears were shed by men and women at the front prayer altar, while others knelt at their seats.
We joined hundreds of churches in all 50 states in spending five minutes in prayer on our knees at the end of our worship. More information on this national prayer movement can be found on the website Call2Fall.com.
The Hillsdale congregation is also participating in the Hillsdale County Revival Prayer Gathering on July 26 at Davis Middle School. Many area churches are coming together to pray for revival in our own community.
The church is also planning to travel to our State Capitol in Lansing on October 4 for the Franklin Graham Decision America 2016 Tour. This Prayer Revival for our nation has already visited over 30 state capitols with thousands attending each one.