FAQs: 7 Things to Know Before the Annual Celebration
The Annual Celebration is quickly approaching, and here is what you need to know! We call it a celebration—instead of a meeting—because we come together to celebrate what God is doing in our city and to be with one another.
Besides, who wants to go to another meeting?!
Once a year, we bring the association into one place to worship, see how God is working in our city, and learn how God may be calling us forward for the next year.
To make it easier for you, we’ve answered some of your most frequently asked questions about the annual celebration. If you have any more questions, email us at info@ubahouston.org.
1. Where should I park?
Ecclesia Houston, 1100 Elder St, Houston, TX
We aim to find the most central location so all our churches can attend.
Ecclesia Church has accessible on-site parking in downtown Houston. If their ample parking is full, downtown lots and street parking are all free on the weekends.
2. Who can attend?
Everyone is welcome! The Annual Celebration is great for pastors, staff, and ministry leaders, but we love seeing the whole church and families in attendance. Childcare is not provided, but children are welcome to attend with you.
It’s a great setting to bring a ministry team to get them excited about how God is moving and what is possible when believers work together.
3. What will we do?
4 - 5:25 pm Fellowship Dinner
This year, dinner is on us! Enjoy food and fellowship with pastors, ministry leaders, and church members from across the city.
We’ll also have tables with local non-profits and ministry vendors helpful and relevant for your church and community.
5:30 - 7 pm Worship Service and Celebration
The celebration service is time for pastors, leaders, and church members to worship with brothers and sisters from across the city.
After dinner, we’ll move to the worship center for bilingual musical worship, Scripture readings in some of the many languages represented in our association, and stories and testimonies of how God is at work in and through His people.
Our aim is that you would worship Christ well and leave encouraged, refreshed, and emboldened for your ministry context.
Towards the end of the service, we will have a short time (less than 6 minutes) of business to approve budgets and welcome new churches. Only church messengers who register at the table will be able to vote. (See questions below for more)
4. Who is considered a messenger?
The pastor of a qualifying cooperating congregation shall be received as a messenger unless written instructions to the contrary are provided by the church.
Each qualifying cooperating church shall be entitled to a minimum of five (5) messengers. Churches with more than 300 members shall be entitled to one (1) additional messenger for each additional 100 in average worship attendance, providing no church shall have more than fifteen (15) messengers.
To seat messengers beyond the minimum of five, the church must have reported worship attendance to the associational office or through either the SBTC or BGCT ACP within the 12 months prior to the meeting. Read about and submit your ACP here.
UBA does not keep a list of messengers for each church.
5. How do messengers vote?
Messengers are elected or appointed by their churches. In order to “seat” registered messengers at the Annual Celebration, churches must (1) have been active participants in the association and (2) have financially supported the association in at least one of the 12 months preceding the Annual Celebration.
These two standards define what it means to be a qualifying and cooperating church according to UBA bylaws.
6. What should I wear?
Our churches are from a variety of church cultures, so other attendees might be wearing dress clothes, cultural attire, jeans and sneakers, and anything in between.
To enjoy the night most, wear what you’re most comfortable wearing to an evening service at your own church. Come curious about other people’s churches and cultural settings if they’re dressed very differently than you.
7. What are we celebrating?
We’re celebrating that God is doing amazing work in our city! He draws us from churches across the region, across racial and ethnic lines, and from every possible church context to worship him side by side with our brothers and sisters.
You’ll hear the Bible read in multiple languages and worship through song in Spanish and English. This year's videos and panel testimonies will tell the story of God at work in exciting ways you may not be aware of.
As always, every video we produce will be located on our YouTube channel after the meeting.
We’re also celebrating the addition of new churches to our association and churches that were planted this year!
Gathering is important
As you’ve heard, preached, and experienced, gathering matters. We’re better together.
Once a year, we endeavor to bring the association into one place to worship, see how God is working in various corners of our city, and learn how God may be calling us forward for the next year. I hope you will consider bringing someone with you.
I’ll see you on Sunday night, November 9! Help us spread the word.
Josh Ellis is Executive Director of Union Baptist Association. He has a PhD in Leadership Studies and has served on the UBA staff since 2005. With both practical and scholarly knowledge, he leads the association into innovative collaboration for the sake of strategic gospel advancement.
The Annual Celebration is one of the best living experiences of UBA's diversity, gospel unity, collaborative nature, and celebration of God's work in all corners of our city.
Here’s what you need to know.