This week we welcomed back all three of our church planters whom we recently interviewed to hear about their launch Sunday on September 7, 2025. Find out what they learned, what surprised them and how they are preparing for all the weeks to come.

Connect with our new churches:

CrossFields Church

Arise Community Church

Cedar City Church

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

In a movie theater near Michigan State University there is a church called Cedar City. Jay Leadley is planting that church with a desire to connect college students and young adults to Jesus through life-on-life discipleship.

Cedar City Church is one of three new United Brethren Churches that are set to launch on September 7, 2025. Listen now to hear the story and discover ways you can pray for Jay, his family, his team, and their surrounding community.

Check out Cedar City Church online.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

Kelly Ball is the lead pastor of a new church plant in Bad Axe, Michigan. Arise Community Church officially launches on Sunday September 7, 2025, but the Lord has already opened some significant doors for ministry in the community.

In this episode, Kelly talks about her ministry journey, her calling to church planting, and the exciting things that are happening with Arise. Listen now to hear the story and discover ways you can pray for Kelly and her team.

Check out Arise Community Church online.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

Kevin Kowalski began his career as an offensive lineman, but is now the lead pastor of CrossFields Church, a new church plant in North Royalton, Ohio. We sat down with Kevin to talk about his journey from the NFL to church planting.

CrossFields Church officially launches on Sunday, September 7, 2025, and there are already some exciting things happening there. Listen now as Kevin shares their story and offers a few ways you can pray leading up to, and continuing beyond, launch Sunday.

Check out CrossFields Church online.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

We spoke with Andy Sikora (Pastor at Renew Communities and Director of Church Multiplication for the Church of the United Brethren in Christ) following the UB National Conference. In the first part of our conversation we dove into the ins and outs of The Movement System that many of us were introduced to at conference. Then we turned a corner for a conversation about church planting, which Andy oversees for the denomination.

Over the course of the next 4 episodes we will speak to three others who are planing churches and have a shared launch date of September 7, 2025.

Subscribe to the podcast now so you don't miss those episodes when they are available.

Connect with Andy and Renew Communities.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

I sat down this summer at the United Brethren National Conference to have an impromptu conversation with Brent Leichty, pastor of Rising Hope Church in Shippensburg, PA. We put a couple mics in front of us not knowing where the conversation would go, and the result was a great conversation about discipleship in the everyday moments of life.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

Recently, Bishop Todd Fetters, UB Global Director Frank Yang, and Assistant Director David Kline, traveled to the southern border of the United States on a trip hosted and led by the National Association of Evangelicals. While there, they spoke with representatives from the US Border Patrol, leaders of local charities, and several families south of the border who are seeking asylum.

In this episode of UB Now, Todd, Frank and David discuss what they experienced on their trip, what they learned from it and what it means for the larger UB family. This is a valuable conversation that you will find to be both challenging and encouraging.

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Send us your feedback.

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Host: Brian Biedenbach

Andy Sikora is no stranger in the UB Church. He grew up here, attended Huntington University (College), planted a church as a UB pastor and until recently he's served as the assistant director of church planting. He now serves as the Director of Church Multiplication. In that role, even as he continues to serve as the senior pastor at Renew Communities (Berea, OH), he is helping to develop and launch a number of church planters in 2025.

Check out this episode and let us know what you think. Send us a note to podcasts@ub.org.