Marco Island, FL— Jim Lake, Former Pastor of Wesley
"I have been praying and searching for an effective opportunity of renewal for our congregation for some time. The UpBuilding Weekend was the perfect answer!" Dr. Rand's creative and energetic leadership led to a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ for all age groups that attended.The Weekend was also an excellent 'kick-off' to our capital fund campaign. Dr. Rand returned for a 2nd time to lead a friendship evangelism training that was "custom-made" for our congregation."

Linda Johnson, Minister of Discipleship at Wesley
“It was a personal privilege to be apart of Dr. Rand's fun-filled, instructional, easy-to-understand methods for sharing our stories of faith! The lessons he taught us are for children, youth, and adults, and they have proven to work! They opened up new and exciting ways to bring folks into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

Evansville IN — Kevin McKinney, District Superintendent
WRITTEN TO ALL PASTORS IN THE DISTRICT--"In keeping with my promise to bring opportunities to enhance the ministries of your congregations, I want to commend what I think is an excellent resource for Church Renewal and Retreats, Friendship Evangelism Training, and both Marriage and Family Communication Seminars. UpBuilding Ministries is a Bible based ministry that brings something fresh to the normal ministry models you have been doing. I hope you will give this possible ministry tool your prayerful consideration."

Caledonia, MI — Dr. Brad Kalajainen, Pastor of Cornerstone
“We chose an UpBuilding Weekend as a follow-up to the 40 Days of Purpose campaign. It was a wise choice! I highly recommend every church to do the same. You will experience the power of your people singularly focused on God and building up one another in a concentrated time of spiritual renewal.

Carson City , MI — Ron Brooks, Pastor of Carson City
"We chose an UpBuilding Weekend to highlight the conclusion of a series we've done on relationships. We could not have been more pleased! Every age group was blessed. It was a fun-filled, inspiring, practical, and rooted in the Scriptures experi- ence! Best of all we found the Spirit of God moving in the worship services. Dr. Rand preached a different message at each of our three services. The highlight for me was seeing 40 people make a commitment to Jesus...most for the first time!

Lansing, MI — Bill Beachy, Pastor of Trinity
“A personal highlight for me was that my 15 year old son, Andrew, attended the men’s session with me. He committed his life to Jesus Christ and decided to forgive a person who had inflicted great pain upon his young life. Then during the Sunday worship service, my 17 year old daughter, Carrie, responded to an invitation to the congregation to ‘receive and put their belief in Jesus Christ!’ My heart is overflowing with joy!”

High Point, NC — Chuck Wilson, Pastor of Wesley Memorial
                             Jill Auman, Minister of Christian Education
“We both gladly and wholeheartedly commend Dr. Ron Rand and an UpBuilding Weekend to any church that wants to receive God manifold blessings! We found each session to be interactive, filled with humor, practical in application, and en-amored with real life stories! When your church decides to invite Dr. Rand to lead an UpBuilding Weekend, your congregation will be pleasantly amazed at how he brings together biblical principles in a non-threatening, yet engaging way."

Chillicothe, OH — Dennis Mohler, Pastor of Walnut Street
                             Scott Smith, Former Assistant Pastor
“If you are looking for spiritual renewal ideas for your church, this is something well worth considering. The sessions of the UpBuilding Weekend are specifically orientated for the variety of ages and groups within a church. Each session was met with positive results and many changed lives. The Weekend was also a quick pick-me-up to a long winter!"

Cincinnati, OH — Jeff Raker, Pastor of Cornerstone
                            Jennifer Bailey , Pastor of Discipleship
“Ron did a weekend workshop that we called "Digging in Deeper." One of the sessions was for our church leaders on spiritual leadership. The mere sight of 20 leaders on their knees praying the Scriptures for every member of the church by name was something both of us will never forget."

Cincinnati, OH — Steve Bennett, Former Pastor of Westwood
"Months after, we are still experiencing the positive effects of the Weekend and the prayer commitments which we made to each other. Each session was spiritually motivating, upbeat, contemporary, and biblically sound. Dr. Rand has a unique ability to appeal to all age levels with humor and excitement!”

Cincinnati, OH — Paul Cocklin, Former Pastor of Oak Hills
“We live in a time when the world is doing its best to discourage and defeat believers in every arena of life. This is especially true for elderly Christians. Thank you, Ron, for the way you made the “seasoned saints” not only feel like they are needed, but affirmed who they are presently in Christ and also gave them future practical ways to continue to be a vital part of the Body of Christ!”

Cincinnati, OH — Craig Jones, Pastor of Cheviot
“The practical application of God's Word at each of the various sessions was a great appeal to our congregation, especially with our youth. Dr. Rand presents in detail both the doctrinal and experiential aspects of a positive and healthy Christian life. Everyone left encouraged and upbuilt in our faith!

Deleware, OH — Paul McCullough, Pastor
“Living up to its name, our Weekend saw people of every age group being built up in their personal faith in Christ, in their marriages, in their families, and in the extended church family. I highly recommend this Weekend event to every church that desires to have its membership richly blessed by God!

Fairborn, OH — Merle Walter, Jr., Pastor of Fairborn St. Luke
“God blessed my former congregation through an UpBuilding Weekend. (SEE BE-LOW). I wanted the same for His people I now serve. And He DID! He does so be-cause Dr. Rand's presentations engage attendees in practical application of God's Word to daily life. The Spirit was definitely at work through this ministry as dozens of lives were positively impacted---some eternally. All evaluations from our folk were overhelmingly positive. It was another great blessing for Nancy and me, too!

Findlay, OH — Merle Walter, Jr., Former Pastor of St. Marks
“Our leaders and people have attended many seminars which filled them with a lot of knowledge and good intentions, but the implementation most often fell short. The UpBuilding Weekend allowed each participant, including myself and my family members, to put practical applications into effect right away. The Couples event was a help and highlight. Nancy and I appreciated laughing together and the times of reflecting on our marriage.”

Lithopolis, OH — Ben Foulk, Pastor of Lithopolis
“The lessons we learned in practical Christianity had real people, dealing with real life situations, with concrete ways of surrendering their past, blessing their family, and drawing near to Christ. We are already considering the next event for which we will invite Dr. Rand back because of the power and joy that was experienced by all."

Newark, OH — Ray Kane, Former Pastor of Etna
“‘If you didn't receive a blessing, it was your own fault’ is the way one person described our UpBuilding Mini-week. Three things stand out for me as a pastor: teens role-played anger scenarios and practiced techniques for channeling negative feelings in healthy ways; women learned new “beauty secrets” and buried old, past pains and hurts; and our church leaders received a new inner call about being spiritual leaders, not just committee leaders!”

Pataskala, OH — Ruben Cabanillas, Pastor of Pataskala
“Those of us within the United Methodist Church are quite familiar with renewal weekends. The UpBuilding Weekend is unlike any we've experienced! It is totally unique! My best explanation is to say the Weekend can't be adequately explained, it can only be personally and corporately experienced!"

Portsmouth, OH — Clark Hess, Pastor of Cornerstone
“I saw the UpBuilding Weekend ignite the spiritual embers of our congregation. Dr. Rand has a fabulous track record in ministry of solid Biblical teaching in practical Christianity for "real" people dealing with "real life" situations. This enabled "busy" people of all ages to come away spiritually enriched."

Waynesville, OH — Joe Hansen, Former Pastor of Waynesville
“The Weekend was a true gift from the Lord to our congregation. Weeks afterwards seniors, men, women, youth, and couples were still commenting on specific ways Ron helped us to offer encouragement to one another. The sessions were loaded with practical applications of rich biblical moments. The laughter was memorable and the prayer times impacted our entire church family. We will invite Ron back!

West Chester, OH — David Bridgman, Pastor of Faith Community
“All of us in pastoral ministry are often praying for a “spark” to ignite God's people to a deeper walk in their Christian faith and service. The UpBuilding Weekend was that spark for us! We are now experiencing “a fire” of both evangelism and renewal because of it!”

Baldwin, PA — Deryl Larsen, Former Pator of Baldwin Community
“As part of our Lenten discipline, we invited Dr. Rand to present an UpBuilding Weekend. Our congregation "raved" about the experience as it brought Christ alive in the context of relational ministry. I highly recommend this Ministry!

Baldwin, PA — Jeff St. Clair, Associate Pator of Baldwin Community
“Dr. Rand led multiple sessions. The one that touched me most was the session I attended after coming from the hospital where my father had a major setback with his MS. Ron knew of my situation and was immediately led by the Holy Spirit to begin praying for me from I Peter 5 and Matthew 11. The people in attendance laid hands upon me and God's Word came alive as I experienced a profound peace! During our Worship services, the Lord touched many lives and I consider it a joy to have been one of them! I highly recommend Ron Rand to your church."

Brockport, PA — Lance Tucker, Pastor of Brockport Charge
“The four rural churches of this charge went together, rented the town hall, and hosted a community-wide UpBuilding Weekend. Dr. Ron Rand, uses scripture to enlighten and inspire both the churched and the unchurched. The Weekend is designed to meet people where they are and let them move at their own pace to find their walk with Christ. All four churches prospered from this rich experience!"

Brockway, PA — Clair Lundberg, Pastor of Lanes Mills and Moorhead
“I appreciated several things about the Weekend: 1. there were sessions for each age group in the church, 2. each session featured practical Biblical instruction, and 3. each session was interactive and participatory. My own life was blessed during the men's session when an opportunity was given to forgive persons of our past."

Connellsville, PA — Frank Sherman, District Superintendent
“Not only was I excited about the way my former congregation responded to God’s Spirit working during the Weekend, but I was personally challenged to grow in my relationship with my family and my Lord. Also, I was given several practical ways to ACT upon the challenge!. My life is changed because of this. I intend to incorporate Ron’s interactive teaching techniques into my own style.”

Cooperstown, PA — Joe Martin, Jr., Pastor of Cooperstown Charge
“Ron was very flexible in working with us at the three churches I serve. He ran the curcuit and preached in all three! There has been no end to the positive comments and personal notes about the experience coming to me and the Administrative Boards. I highly recommend the Weekend to any church seeking a congregational event for personal spiritual growth for persons of every age.”

Franklin, PA — Jim Shaver, Retired Pastor of First
“I kept hearing from my Methodist pastor friends about ALL the wonders the Lord does through an UpBuilding Weekend. Since I was retiring, I decided to leave our congregation with a positive experience that focused upon Him. The Weekend was more than any of us had anticipated! People were reborn, renewed, and recharged! And I retired in the wake of it all. I thank God for the whole Weekend experience!

Fredericksburg, PA — Timothy Heitz., Pastor of Fredericksburg
“The Weekend provided 'something for everyone of ALL ages.' I can't describe in this short space the transformation of lives that happened during the Weekend! Each session was packed with personal Scripture messages, humor, and practical approaches to living life. Also, the cost was affordable to small-sized congregations such as ours.

Jennerstown, PA — Chuck Hildbold, Jr., Pastor
“From my experience with Dr. Rand at our Methodist Conference on Evangelism and at my former church at Vandergrift, I knew that our church family at Jenners-town, would have a marvelous time of renewal and spiritual growth. We did! The Weekend blessed me and our people in ways we could not imagine! Now that we have experienced Ron and his practical teaching, we are planning to have him return for some specialized equipping events."

New Holland, PA — Tim Heitz, Former Pastor of Evangelical
“I had an UpBuilding Weekend at my former church in Fredericksburg and wanted to have another at my new church in New Holland. Words cannot adequately describe the transformation of lives that happened at both churches. Each of the various sessions was packed with personal scripture messages, humor, and practical approaches to living our lives with purpose and meaning.

Vandergrift, PA — Chuck Hildbold, Jr., Former Pastor of Vandergrift
"Dr. Rand led an Evangelism Conference for our Methodist Chirches. We were amazed by his major paradigm shift from a speaker-student model to an equipping model. He had us immediately put into action whatever he taught! This gave us all an ability to actually 'practice' what he was 'preaching!' Ron also led from his own personal and current examples of how he was 'fishing for others!' Remarkable!

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