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21 Jul

July 21, 2015 |
All of the ordination candidates, spouses, and assistants lined up across the platform.

All of the ordination candidates, spouses, and assistants lined up across the platform (click to enlarge)

Ricky Hull, pastor of Crossroads UB in Charlotte, Mich.), with his wife, Jami.

Ricky Hull, pastor of Crossroads UB in Charlotte, Mich.), with his wife, Jami.

The ordination of Bill Blue, with his wife, Charlene. Rev. Carlson Becker is standing behind them.

The ordination of Bill Blue, with his wife, Charlene. Rev. Carlson Becker is standing behind them.

Jeff Evans, director of Youth Ministries at Morning Star UB in Kokomo, Ind.

Jeff Evans, director of Youth Ministries at Morning Star UB in Kokomo, Ind.

The ordination of William Flamer, with his wife, Mary. Standing behind them are Ed Harvey (right) and Roland Albert.

The ordination of William Flamer, with his wife, Mary. Standing behind them are Ed Harvey (right) and Roland Albert.

The ordination of Brian Kramer, with his wife, Amy.

The ordination of Brian Kramer, with his wife, Amy. Standing behind are Steve Fish (right) and Jason Holliday.

Mark Vincenti, associate youth pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), with his wife, Angela. In the back is Gary Dilley, pastor of College Park Church.

Mark Vincenti, associate youth pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), with his wife, Angela. In the back is Gary Dilley, pastor of College Park Church.

Six men were ordained as United Brethren elders during the concluding service of the US National Conference on July 18, 2015. Two of them currently serve as senior pastors, and the other four serve in staff roles. Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy officiated at the ordination of each person.

The ordination service began with all six men being asked a series of questions, to which they responded individually. Then each couple came forward and knelt at the front of the platform. Ordination candidates always choose two ordained ministers to stand with them, persons who have had an impact on their life and ministry in some way. These persons stood behind the couple, laying hands on them as Bishop Hirschy said, “Take authority to execute the office of an elder in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The couple then stood. Bishop Hirschy presented a Bible to the ordination candidate and said, “Take authority to preach the Word of God and to administer the ordinances in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.”

Here are the six persons who were ordained at National Conference.

Bill Blue has been senior pastor since 2011 of Shoreline UB church in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Prior to that, he served in youth ministry at several UB churches going back to 1976. Assisting were Rev. Carlson Becker and Bishop Emeritus Paul Hirschy (who in this case filled a double role, since he also officiated).

Jeff Evans has been Director of Youth Ministries at Morning Star UB church (Kokomo, Ind.) since 1999. Assisting in the ordination were Greg Reed, senior pastor of Morning Star church; and Steve Fish, teaching pastor at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., and a former staff member at Morning Star.

William Flamer is assistant pastor of Park Layne UB church in New Carlisle, Ohio. Also serving there as co-assistant pastor is his wife, Mary, who was ordained in 2011. Assisting were Roland Albert, pastor of the Park Layne church; and Ed Harvey, pastor of the Lighthouse UB church in nearby Dayton, Ohio.

Ricky Hull has been senior pastor since March 2015 of Crossroads UB church in Charlotte, Mich. Before that, he pastored Mt. Hermon UB church in Pomeroy, Ohio. Assisting were Rocky Spear, senior pastor of Mongul UB church in Shippensburg, Pa.; and Todd Fetters, director of National Ministries.

Brian Kramer is Pastor of Student Ministries at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. Before that, he was youth pastor of King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. Assisting were Jason Holliday, Pastor of Family Ministries at Emmanuel; and Steve Fish, Teaching Pastor at Emmanuel.

Mark Vincenti has been Associate Youth Pastor since 2011 of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. Before that, he was youth pastor for 11 years at King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. Assisting were Gary Dilley, senior pastor of College Park church; and Les Stine, Minister of Pastoral Care at King Street Church.

16 Jul

July 16, 2015 |
Registration volunteers ready for attendees to arrive.

Registration volunteers ready for attendees to arrive.

Registration.

Registration.

L-r: John Plumley (Fowlerville, Mich.), Mark Young (Chambersburg, Pa.), and Josh McKeown (Holly Hill, Fla.).

L-r: John Plumley (Fowlerville, Mich.), Mark Young (Chambersburg, Pa.), and Josh McKeown (Holly Hill, Fla.).

Emcees for the week are pastors from two nearby UB churches: Josh Good, right, pastor of Homefront UB in Grandville, Mich.; and Randy Carpenter, pastor of Sunfield UB in Sunfield, Mich.

Emcees for the week are pastors from two nearby UB churches: Josh Good, right, pastor of Homefront UB in Grandville, Mich.; and Randy Carpenter, pastor of Sunfield UB in Sunfield, Mich.

Mike Whipple and the worship team from Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.) opened the conference during the Wednesday night service.

Mike Whipple and the worship team from Colwood UB church (Caro, Mich.) opened the conference during the Wednesday night service.

A great worship time during the opening service.

A great worship time during the opening service.

Keynote speaker Wayne Schmidt.

Keynote speaker Wayne Schmidt.

The reception after the evening service.

The reception after the evening service.

The 2015 US National Conference got off to a great start on Wednesday, July 15.

Throughout the morning, volunteers and staff worked to get everything ready, especially in the registration area. Around noon, people began arriving to register, and they trickled in throughout the afternoon.

At 6:30, the conference officially began with the opening service. Todd Fetters, director of National Ministries, gave some remarks to begin the service, and then turned it over to co-emcees Josh Good and Randy Carpenter, who pastor nearby UB churches.

The worship team was from the Colwood UB church in Caro, Mich. Mike Whipple led the worship time in singing. Then Mark Wilson, pastor of the UB church in Fowlerville, Mich., introduced keynote speaker Dr. Wayne Schmidt, VP for Wesleyan Seminary in Marion, Ind. Mark had served on staff with Dr. Schmidt at Kentwood Community Church in the Grand Rapids area.

After the service came a reception, with various goodies. People lingered in the lobby, around the exhibits, for over an hour. It was a good day.

Thursday is devoted to business, with several weighty issues on the table.

Numerous photos from Tuesday and Wednesday have been posted on the UB Facebook page.

15 Jul

July 15, 2015 |
Frank Yang and David Kline unloading the trailer.

Frank and David unloading the trailer.

Josh Good and Josh Greenfield assembling a large cutout of the UB logo.

Josh Good and Josh Greenfield assembling a large cutout of the UB logo.

Todd Fetters pushing in a cart filled with materials for the conference, as Cathy Reich watches.

Todd Fetters pushing in a cart filled with materials for the conference, as Cathy Reich watches.

Cathy Reich giving instructions to volunteers.

Cathy Reich giving instructions to volunteers.

About 40 people gathered in Grand Rapids on Tuesday afternoon, July 14, to begin setting up for the US National Conference, which begins on Wednesday. They included 11 persons from the UB National Office in Huntington, Ind., along with 5 spouses. A number of persons from the Grand Rapids area were there, plus assorted others from Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana.

They all met around 3:30 at ResLife Church, where the conference will be held. Cathy Reich, administrative assistant to the Bishop’s Office, kept everybody organized. At 6 pm, a meal was held at ResLife for all of the volunteers. Cathy gave instructions so everybody was on the same page.

There were various display tables to set up, and a trailer load of materials to unload. A lot of work, including stuffing all of the attendee packets, was done ahead of time by volunteers organized through the Homefront UB church in Grandville (only a few miles from Reslife Church). That was a big help. Many thanks to Paula Averill, administrative assistant at Homefront, for heading up the volunteers.

Registration begins at noon on Wednesday. All morning, volunteers will busily prepare the registration tables and a myriad of details.

The conference officially begins at 6:30 with the opening service. Below are some more photos (click to enlarge).

13 Jul

July 13, 2015 |

Articles about the July 15-18 US National Conference will be posted on UBCentral.org, the official UB news site.

Numerous photos will be posted on the UB Facebook page.

Extended information will be sent via Connect, the official denominational e-letter. You can subscribe (free) here.

Download the UB App, which contains complete information about the conference. It works on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. You’ll find download links here.

13 Jul

July 13, 2015 |

On Wednesday, July 15, about 780 United Brethren from across the United States will begin gathering in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the 2015 US National Conference. The venue is Reslife Church, a megachurch in Grandville, part of the Grand Rapids metro area.

Registration begins at noon. People will trickle in all afternoon. The conference actually begins at 6:30 with a worship service. Dr. Wayne Schmidt, who heads the Wesleyan seminary, is the keynote speaker on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights.

After the service, National Ministries will host a reception, while the youth enjoy a pizza party compliments of Huntington University.

The UB National Office in Huntington, Ind., will be closed the rest of the week and next Monday (July 14-20). The entire staff will be helping at the National Conference. They’ll head up on Tuesday to begin set-up.

13 Jul

July 13, 2015 |

Emmett and Shirley Cox in Myanmar.

Emmett and Shirley Cox in Myanmar.

Emmett D. Cox, 89, passed away during the night on July 10, 2015.

Emmett and Shirley Cox served as missionaries in Sierra Leone over a 20-year period beginning in 1957. Emmett served as a secondary school principal, business manager, general superintendent, primary school secretary, and field secretary.

From 1969 to 1973, he served as the elected General Secretary of Missions for the denomination, overseeing our mission work around the world.

Visitation: 3-7 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Visitation location: Bailey-Love Mortuary in Huntington, Ind.

A memorial service and burial will be held at a later date.

Emmett Cox grew up in the Garnett UB church in Garnett, Kansas, and was converted in 1943. He graduated from Huntington College in 1951, and from its theological seminary in 1964. In 1969, he received a Masters in Missions from Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission in Pasadena, Calif. He was ordained in 1964.

He subsequently pastored several United Brethren churches:

  • 1958-1960: Fredonia UB church (Muncie, Ind.).
  • 1976-1984: Victory UB church (Burbank, Calif.).
  • 1984-1985: First UB church (Lake Havasu City, Ariz.).
  • 1985-1992: Willshire UB church (Willshire, Ohio).

From 1992-2003, he and Shirley served Six Mile Church, a non-UB congregation in Bluffton, Ind. In retirement, they also served short-term as volunteers in Myanmar.

Emmett and Shirley were married on August 14, 1948. Shirley is from the North Bruce UB church in Port Elgin, Ontario, and graduated from Huntington College in 1951 with a degree in Education. They have three children: son Douglas, daughter Darlene, and foster son Billy Simbo, from Sierra Leone.

11 Jul

July 11, 2015 |

Marvin Schwartz (left) was appointed interim pastor of Mount Victory UB church (Decatur, Ind.) at the beginning of June 2015. Marvin previously pastored New Horizons UB church in Rockford, Ohio.

Wes Kuntzman (right) was appointed senior pastor of Mount Zion UB church (also known as Bobo) in Decatur, Ind., starting July 1, 2015. He previously pastored the UB church in Monroe, Ind.

10 Jul

July 10, 2015 |
Emmett and Shirley Cox in Myanmar.

Emmett and Shirley Cox in Myanmar.

Rev. Emmett D. Cox passed away during the night. He and his wife, Shirley, were United Brethren missionaries in Sierra Leone 1954-1957, and 1960-1968. In 1969, he was elected General Secretary of Missions, which made him overseer of all UB missionary work around the world. He continued in that position until 1973. In subsequent years, he served as a United Brethren pastor. In retirement, the Coxes served as volunteer missionaries in Myanmar.

Funeral details will be published when available.

09 Jul

July 9, 2015 |
The Huntington University team going to China for the summer 2015 program.

The Huntington University team going to China for the summer 2015 program (click to enlarge).

On July 9, 2015, seven Huntington University teams with a total of 54 persons departed for five locations in China to lead English language camps.

Since 2007, HU’s Institute for TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Studies has sponsored yearly English camps and training in China. This year’s trip will include six HU faculty members, 16 current Huntington students, seven alumni, and Dr. Luke Fetters (right), director of the Institute for TESOL Students at HU. They will train 195 teachers and 730 students will be trained.

The teams will provide English-speaking instruction and camps for students, as well as TESOL training for teachers in the cities of Changsha, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, and the district of Doumen. The university’s Institute for TESOL Studies organizes the programming each year, writing curriculum and recruiting volunteers.

Four of the HU teams will assist in the teacher training for two weeks before returning to the United States. Two other teams will return after three weeks, and one team will remain in China for five weeks. For HU students, the trip fulfills a practicum required a TESOL minor or certificate.

 The 2015 summer will conclude a five-year contract between HU and the Doumen district. Shoshannnah McKinney (right), associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies, said by the end of the five years, every teacher within the district will have participated in the HU-sponsored training.

The summer program will continue to strengthen the relationship that HU has with China. “Over the past eight years, HU has grown in terms of being known in China,” McKinney said.

While the teams are in China, McKinney will spearhead another TESOL-sponsored program on HU’s campus. This program is a three-week TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course that will certify 19 Chinese professors to teach English at their respective universities.

09 Jul

July 9, 2015 |

M. Catherine Hawbaker, 94, passed away Saturday morning, July 4, 2015, at a nursing home in Newville, Pa. She was the wife of former United Brethren pastor Rev. Laban Hawbaker, who passed away in 1999.

The funeral was held at 11 am on Wednesday, July 8, at Prince Street UB church in Shippensburg, Pa., where Catherine was a member.