United Church of God Chooses Two New Men for Council of Elders

May 9, 2012

The General Conference of Elders (GCE) of the United Church of God met in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 5 through 7 for their annual meeting.

Carmelo Anastasi

Amongst other business, the GCE chose two new members for their Council of Elders: Carmelo Anastasi and Mark Mickelson. They will each serve a three-year term. Two incumbents, Scott Ashley and Melvin Rhodes, were returned for another three year term each, and two councillors decided not to run for office again: Bill Eddington and Roy Holladay.

Mark Mickelson

All items on the ballot were overwhelmingly approved by the General Conference this year. This includes the annual Strategic Plan, Operation Plan and Budget, plus a number of amendments to our governing documents. In addition, one of the approved amendments prescribes that Council of Elders’ three-year terms begin this week, so the two new members are taking office almost immediately.

More details will be written up for you in the June issue of United News.

2012-2013 COUNCIL OF ELDERS. Top from left: Mario Seiglie, John Elliott, Scott Ashley, Robin Webber, Mark Mickelson, Bill Bradford. Front from left: Carmelo Anastasi, Gary Antion, Melvin Rhodes, Darris McNeely, Robert Berendt, Donald Ward

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Monday General Conference of Elders Report

May 16, 2011

GCE Report: Monday

Melvin Rhodes, GCE chairman, began the Monday, May 16, General Conference of Elders meeting with additional information about ballot results from May 15. This was followed by two plenary sessions before the ministry and wives chose from various workshops and breakouts.

The first presentation was by Victor Kubik, operation manager for Ministerial and Member Services. He titled it: “Biblical Eldership: The Foundation of Church Leadership.”

Mr. Kubik explained that the apostle Peter exhorts elders to be shepherds to the flock (1 Peter 5:2). If we want to understand the work of an elder, we must understand the biblical imagery of shepherding. As keepers of sheep, biblical elders are to 1) protect, 2) feed, 3) lead, and 4) help meet the flock’s many practical needs.

Using these pastoral categories, he considered the examples, exhortations and teachings of the Bible about serving as Christ serves—elders who are shepherds.

Tom Disher

Next, Aaron Booth and Tom Disher, Internet editors at the home office, gave a very visual presentation about the launch of UCG’s new website. It was titled: “Launch of UCG’s New Web and How You Can Promote the Gospel.”

It was an active, exciting presentation highlighting the launch of the new United Church of God website at www.ucg.org. The site was explained and shown on stage. It is a vital tool in our effort to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God online.

Our new website is a totally new experience for our users. The site is organized by topic and subject, and will be customizable by the viewer depending on his or her preferences. Also, it has social networking options and features.

How can the ministry and church membership get involved in this personal aspect of preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom? We saw firsthand United’s latest, technology-driven arm of doing the Work.

Workshops and Breakout Sessions

After a short break, workshops were held throughout the rest of the day, followed by an important wrap up by the chairman. Here is a summary of the day’s workshops and breakout sessions.

• “Serving as Christ Serves—A Perspective for Women” with LeeAnn Luker

This was an important workshop for our ladies with an in-depth discussion. How do we incorporate the theme of this year’s conference as we support our husbands in their ministry and service for the brethren?

• “How to Officiate at Church Ceremonies” by Gary Antion

This workshop took the time to address the practical application of our various Church ceremonies. It provided instruction to those interested, and to those who desired the additional training, on how to give baptismal counseling, how to perform a funeral, how to perform a wedding, and how to anoint the sick.

• “Biblical Eldership: Hands-on, Practical Application” by Victor Kubik

As keepers of Christ’s sheep, input was given in this workshop on how we can apply the principles of shepherding to 1) protect, 2) feed, 3) lead, and 4) help meet the flock’s many practical needs.

• “Opportunities and Challenges  for Non-career and Bi-vocational Elders” presented by Greg Thomas and Roc Corbett

Attendees heard practical advice and gave their feedback on how to best manage the dual roles of ministry and career in their responsibilities as a non-salaried elder or a part-time UCG pastor.

Tom Disher

• “Using the Web and Social Networking to Promote the Gospel” by Aaron Booth and Tom Disher

Hear is what was covered: How can Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools be used to advance the gospel message? How can the membership get involved in this personal aspect of preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom? How can our own website be leveraged by the brethren to do this? This was an important workshop with practical help for pastors to take back to their congregations.

• “Your Personal Computer, Microsoft Office 2010 and the UCG Ministerial Web Site” by Richard Kennebeck and Paul Wasilkoff

The I.T. staff at the home office showed how to leverage the most from your personal computer and use it as a tool to serve your pastoral needs and the members of your congregation. They learned about the new Microsoft Office 2010. They were shown how to use the online ministerial tools in the ministerial section of our website to make the most of their day. They received tips on how to be more productive while on the Internet.

• “Generational Dynamics” by Craig Clark and Jon Garnant

Here is a summary of what was covered. We are all, to some extent, products of the times in which we live. As there are differences in the way we think, act and understand things based on our gender, ethnicity, and heritage, there are also differences based on what generation we belong to. For the past 60 years there has been a tremendous focus on the Baby Boomers. Beginning in 2011 the first “Boomers” have turned 65 and, once again, this has received a lot of focus. However, there are currently five distinct generations attending services with us each week. Attendees at this seminar received important, practical advice on working with other generations that God is calling.

The Path Forward

Dennis Luker, president

After the breakout sessions, the ministry and their wives reconvened in the main ballroom to hear from Dennis Luker, UCGIA president, for an important reminder. He asked everyone to turn to Romans 16 and thanked all of the women present for being valuable servants of Jesus Christ for many years. The ladies received a standing ovation from the men.

Melvin Rhodes, UCGIA chairman, then concluded with his thoughts on, “What We Accomplished at the GCE, 2011.” He said that we as a Church have an opportunity to show the love of God in all that we do. We always have much to learn in this regard. May we move forward in unity, with a spirit of Christ-like service. May we serve as Christ serves.

Finally, to close this year’s general conference, Dan Salcedo, an elder from Southern California, led everyone in a closing hymn: “Thank You Lord.” The closing prayer was offered to God the Father by long-time pastor, Vernon Hargrove.

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Additional Council Nomination Results

May 16, 2011

Melvin Rhodes, GCE chairman, began the Monday, May 16, General Conference of Elders meeting with additional information about ballot results from May 15. Here is what he explained:

“ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE RESULTS OF THE BALLOT FOR MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF ELDERS CONDUCTED ON MAY 15, 2011

“The passage of amendments to Bylaws 9.1 and 9.2 by the General Conference on Sunday, May 15, 2011, created some unusual circumstances that the Council of Elders addressed at a meeting held at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 16, 2011.

“Passage of the amendments resulted in the Council membership of Aaron Dean and Victor Kubik terminating at midnight on Sunday, May 15, 2011. As members of the management team, they were no longer eligible to serve beyond that time and their positions were declared vacant.

“John Elliott will fill the vacancy created by the termination of Victor Kubik, with his term of office expiring on June 30, 2013. This is in accord with the provisions of Bylaw 8.4.3 which states: “Vacancies on the Council shall be filled from the list of runners-up in the final ballot at the preceding meeting of the General Conference, based on the number of ballots the nominee received.”

“John Elliott was the first runner-up.

“In the ballot conducted on May 15, 2011, Donald Ward was elected to fill the seat vacated by Aaron Dean effective July 1, 2011. However, the amendment to Articles 9.1 and 9.2 created a vacancy in that position for the period from May 16 until Donald Ward assumes the position. In accordance with the provisions of Bylaw 8.4.3 as stated above, Roc Corbett will fill the vacancy left by Aaron Dean with his term of office ending on June 30, 2011.

“Roc Corbett was next runner-up.

“A similar situation to that of Aaron Dean occurred with the position of the International Representative on the Council of Elders. At the ballot for this position conducted on May 15, 2011, the General Conference of Elders elected William (Bill) Bradford (Senior) for a term of office commencing on July 1, 2011 and ending on June 30, 2014.

“The position Bill Bradford was elected to fill was already vacant as no eligible runner-up was available when the vacancy occurred in December 2010, and the Council of Elders had decided to leave the position vacant until the next Council election. When the result of the 2011 election was declared, an eligible runner-up became available to fill this vacancy.

“When the eligible runner-up declined the position, and after reviewing the options available to it under Bylaw 8.4.3, as amended by the General Conference on May 15, 2011, the Council of Elders appointed Bill Bradford to fill the vacancy until his elected term of office commences on July 1, 2011. This action is in accord with Bylaw 8.4.3 as amended.”

So, based on what was announced yesterday, and the above update, the Council of Elders as of today is comprised of:

• Gary Antion
• Scott Ashley
• Bob Berendt
• Bill Bradford
• Roc Corbett
• Bill Eddington
• John Elliott
• Roy Holladay
• Darris McNeely
• Melvin Rhodes (chairman)
• Mario Seiglie
• Robin Webber

On July 1, 2011, Donald Ward will take Roc Corbett’s seat.

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Report: 2011 General Conference of Elders

May 15, 2011

Sunday AM Session

Melvin Rhodes, GCE Chairman

The 2011 general conference of elders of the United Church of God, an International Association (UCGIA), began at 9 a.m. on Sunday  morning, May 15. As in recent years, this year’s conference is being held at the Holiday Inn Eastgate in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After the opening prayer by Steve Nutzman, General conference chairman, Melvin Rhodes, began by seeking approval of the 2010 meeting minutes. The minutes were approved as written.

Next, Mr. Rhodes introduced the new elders and wives ordained or credentialed in the past 12 months. This included 15 couples, and their biographies and photographs were projected onto the large video screen as each elder was introduced. About half of them were in attendance today.

Mario Seiglie

Mr. Rhodes then asked the ministry to fill out their ballots for selection of new and/or returning members to the Council of Elders. This was followed by filling in their ballots, to either approve or not approve, the submitted Strategic Plan, Operation Plan, Budget and two amendments to our governing documents. Results will be available later today.

The keynote speech was then delivered by Mario Seiglie, pastor in Garden Grove, California, who is also a member of the Council of Elders. “Serving as Christ Serves” is the theme of this year’s conference, and Mr. Seiglie delivered a 45-minute address examining the role of being a servant of God and a servant to God’s people. The ministry is not a lofty position or a lofty title. We are servants, even the most lowly of servants.

Dennis Luker, UCGIA President

After a short break, the conference continued with reports and presentations by the UCGIA president, chairman and treasurer:

• Chairman Rhodes expounded upon the need to have genuine love in our service to God’s people: “Am I serving the people, or am I serving myself?”
• Dennis Luker, president, expressed his thankfulness for the spirit of teamwork between the ministry, home office administration and Council of Elders: “How can we ensure that this unity and spirit of consensus continues?” He then looked at several biblical principles that help us ensure that division and conflict are avoided.
  

  Aaron Dean, Treasurer

• Aaron Dean, UCGIA treasurer, then provided a financial report and update to the ministry. He spoke less about numbers and statistics, but more about faith in God in creating a budget that will help fulfill our commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and care for His brethren.

Gary Antion

The morning session concluded with a heartfelt presentation by Gary Antion to honor our deceased elders and wives. Since this time last year, we have five servants of God who are now awaiting their resurrection to eternal life.

Donald Ward then led a prayer before the lunch break to close the morning portion of this year’s conference.

Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Video Reports from Council of Elders Meetings

March 3, 2011

Video reports from the Monday, Februrary 28 through Thursday, March 3, 2011, meetings of the Council of Elders are now available online for you to view at coe.ucg.org/videos. Videos from Thursday’s meetings will probably be posted on Friday. What is currently now available includes:

MONDAY

• President’s Report — Dennis Luker
• Ministerial and Member Services Report — Victor Kukik
• Media and Communications Services Report — Peter Eddington
• Financial Services Report — Aaron Dean
• Council Committee Reports — Various Committee Chairmen

TUESDAY

• Our Critical Essence (Branding Presentation) — Brian Shaw
• Beyond Today Magazine Proposal — Darris McNeely

WEDNESDAY

• Planning the 2011 GCE Meeting Agenda — Peter Eddington
• GCE Balloting and Webcasting Discussion — Melvin Rhodes

Peter Eddington—Operation Manager, Media and Communications Services

Update From Victor Kubik

February 8, 2011

[The following update contains material from a report sent to the United Church of God ministry by Victor Kubik on February 4.]

What a wonderful and energized conference we just held in Cincinnati! Several of you commented about our new beginning, energy and enthusiasm to preach the gospel, as well as to serve the churches. More than 330 of you were present. Many elders who were not able to come listened to the conference via webcast. You can access much of what was covered in the meetings at coe.ucg.org/videos. Please encourage our members to visit this link, as well.

Also, please make our brethren aware of the very latest news from the Church on our Inside United: Realtime blog at http://realtimeunited.wordpress.com. From here they can automatically sign up for updates to come to their e-mail every time a post is added, which is usually a few times a week, at minimum.

Victor Kubik addresses the conference

The focus of the conference was not only on ministerial service in the churches but also continuing the momentum we’ve achieved in publicly proclaiming the gospel. Our media services department has come through this crisis virtually intact and their personnel made strong presentations on Tuesday afternoon.

The conference also provided important time for social interaction. We were able to meet with many of you to discuss your areas and future plans. We were also able to interview a few of our elders for further service as pastors. We were heartened by the optimistic spirit of moving on. We have come through a serious separation, yet we are optimistic for a strong recovery.

Here is a listing of our most recent hires to the ministry since December, in alphabetical order:

• Roc Corbett (pastor): Salt Lake City, Utah and Grand Junction, Colorado
• Joe Horchak (associate): Sacramento, California and Reno, Nevada
• Mike Joseph (pastor, half-time): Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Rick Shabi (pastor): Jacksonville, Orlando, Ocala, and Tallahassee, Florida
• Greg Thomas (pastor, half-time): Cleveland, Ohio
• Braden Veller (associate): St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida
• Herb Vierra (associate, half-time): Red Bluff, Eureka, California
• Chuck Zimmerman (pastor): St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida

We have also asked associate pastor Brian Shaw who has been working with Bob Fahey in Chicago to move to the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, area and become pastor there. We are all happy about this move for him and his wife RaNae and four daughters.

We still have quite a number of critical locations to fill and are working hard to fill the pastoral needs.

Melvin Rhodes discusses laying the right foundation, which is Jesus Christ.

For your information, in early 2010, there were 492 credentialed elders in the United Church of God, an International Association. Of that number, 323 (66%) are still with UCG. Of that total, we have retained 62 of 131 salaried field ministers (47%); 15 of 20 elders salaried by the home office (75%); 9 of 14 retired elders (64%); and 237 of 327 non-salaried elders (73%).

In the United States, we have retained 250 of 382 elders (65%). Of that total, we have retained 46 of 100 salaried field ministers and 180 of 248 non-salaried elders (73%).

In our breakout sessions at the ministerial conference we talked about various ways local churches can do more to serve. We will be sharing the results of those sessions with you soon.

For those asking, I have made a very good recovery from my accident in Zambia. Thank you so much for all the prayers and the many, many cards from individuals and churches around the world. I was overwhelmed at the outpouring of well-wishes that I know helped in the recovery process. May God bless you!

In Christ’s service,

Victor Kubik—Operation Manager, Ministerial and Member Services

Video Available: Ministerial Conference

February 2, 2011

Video recordings from the Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2011, ministerial conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, are now available on the Council of Elders Web site under the “Council Videos” tab. As of this writing, three presentations from the first day have been uploaded, and over the next 24 hours the remaining lectures and presentations will be available.

Peter Eddington

 

Melvin Rhodes discusses laying the right foundation, Jesus Christ.

Brief Report: Second Day of Ministerial Conference

February 2, 2011

Monday, Feb. 1: Leadership and Advancing the Work

Victor Kubik addresses the conference

The second day of meetings began by tackling the subject of leadership by “Looking to Christ.” Dennis Luker (president), Roy Holladay, Gary Antion and Victor Kubik addressed various facets of the definition of Christ-centered servant leadership. Following the example of Jesus Christ as He led by serving, and cultivating the heart and character of a true servant, was greatly expounded upon. Discussion ensued on the traits needed as we identify and develop spiritual gifts among the elders and members for the service of the Body of Christ.

During regional breakout sessions elders and wives shared ways to promote service among the congregations in the United States and around the world. Stories of the ways in which God has provided leadership, speakers, translation skills, funds and other necessities in all of these regions were encouraging. The positive and spiritually energizing atmosphere of the first day of meetings was carried through to the second day. The unity of purpose at this conference was present and palpable.

The second part of the conference theme, “Advancing the Work,” filled the second half of the day. Melvin Rhodes, chairman, set the spiritual tone for proclamation efforts by drawing attention to Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come”—emphasizing our commitment to do whatever it takes to proclaim God’s message to the world.

Elders and wives, numbering 340, listen to Roy Holladay

Following his address were presentations by Media and Communications Services operation manager Peter Eddington, and many of the department’s personnel—including Internet manager Aaron Booth and the editors of several United Church of God publications. The presentations covered our progress and future plans for television, the Internet and print. The redesigned UCG Web site was previewed, and an exciting plan to hold public lectures this year in church areas across the United States was discussed. The brethren are specifically asked to pray for this project and all proclamation efforts.

President Dennis Luker drew the day to a close with an admonition to look to Jesus Christ as the leader of the Church—focusing on the theme of Philippians 4:13, “that we may be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

Peter Eddington and Amanda Stiver—Media and Communications Services

First Day: Ministerial Conference

February 1, 2011

Update on Ministerial Conference: Setting the Tone

Over 330 elders and wives were present on Monday, Jan. 31, to begin this special ministerial conference titled: Look to Christ: Advance the Work. On this cool, crisp January day, president Dennis Luker set the tenor for the meeting with a commission to the eldership to grow in humility and godly love in order to build upon the Rock that is Jesus Christ and finish the work He has given us to do.

The feeling of reassurance and gratitude that permeated the atmosphere as attendees greeted each other on Sunday night beforehand, continued unabated throughout Monday’s meetings. The invigorating fellowship was evident by the ceaseless buzz of joyful and earnest conversation during breaks and meals.

The instructions in Philippians 2:3-5 were emphasized repeatedly by the day’s speakers: for “each to esteem others better than himself,” and to “look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

During the day’s breakout sessions, assessing the experiences and health of each region of the United Church of God in the United States and around the world, a sense of deep concern and care for the brethren was clear. Ideas flowed on ways to better support, care for and defend each congregation as well as train, mentor and develop both pastoral and local leadership.

More detailed reports will follow soon, including links to copies of the archived live webcasts.

Amanda Stiver and Peter Eddington—Media and Communications Services

Agenda For Ministerial Conference Announced

January 24, 2011

Today, Dennis Luker provided the UCG ministry the latest draft of the agenda for the Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 ministerial conference to be held in Cincinnati, Ohio. While there may still be some minor changes, this will help our ministry in their plans for the conference.

You may view it here. Click on the image below: