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Jesus invited the little children to his side. Jesus invited the rich man down from the tree. Jesus invited everyone to love their neighbor. And, we invite you to continue the work of Jesus by walking with us as we seek to be the hands, feet and heart of Christ in the world today.

With your help the Church of the Brethren General Board will receive and transform $10 million and many thousands of volunteer hours into significant ministries and acts of Christ-like service.

Core Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries.
Provides training, consulting and resources for congregations and districts in the areas of congregational health, renewal, strategic planning, spiritual formation, discipleship, stewardship and evangelism through the work of the Congregational Life Team. Provides work camp and conference opportunities through the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Engages in periodic training and advisory support for district church planting efforts. $937,780

Global Mission Partnerships.
Guides international church planting, development, leadership training, and theological education. Enlists Brethren in study and action on peace, justice, and environmental concerns. Manages the Global Food Crisis Fund and Witness/ Washington Office. Orients and places young and old in Brethren Volunteer Service projects that focus on peace, justice, human need, and the environment. $1,253,670

Office of Ministry.
Provides leadership for calling, training, credentialing, placement, and sustaining ministerial leadership for the church. Seeks to envision, communicate and connect the various facets of church life that relate to ministerial leadership by working collaboratively with partner agencies and committees. Manages grants from the Ministry Assistance Fund to assist ministers in crisis. $339,970

Brethren Press Communications.
Fosters identity, unity, and vision. Publishes Messenger (which has separate budget), Newsline, annual reports, Source, Tapestry, and maintains the website. Connects congregations and individuals to the mission and ministries of the General Board. $319,340

Treasurer/Centralized Resources.
Handles finances of General Board and Annual Conference. Manages and maintains technology, archives, and facilities of the General Board and other agencies. Covers most costs of telephone, information services, postage, and other support services for all program areas. Offers counseling and training for congregations and individuals in stewardship, estate and gift planning. $2,261,720

Brethren Service Center.
Hosts local, national, and global service ministries. Operates conference center and provides public information. Maintains buildings and grounds and hosts the Emergency Disaster Fund operations center. Costs covered largely by self-funding programs of the center. General Board Core Ministries Fund portion: $22,950

General Secretary/Human Resources.
Administers and supports the work of the General Board and serves as spiritual guidepost for staff and General Board ministries. Provides human resources direction. Collaborates with the officers of the Annual Conference and executives of its agencies to coordinate ministries. Heads worldwide ecumenical representation. $522,910

Special Funds

Emerging Global Mission Fund.
Enables individuals and congregations to give directly to grow the church globally. Implements international evangelism, church planting, and pastoral training in new mission areas, such as Brazil. Undergirds church planting efforts in the U.S. $80,000 (projected)

Global Food Crisis Fund.
Works to provide food security and hunger relief in 20 countries. Enlists denominational, interchurch, and humanitarian partners in developing small-scale agriculture. Improves child and maternal health. Bolsters environmental sustainability. $325,000 (projected)

Emergency Disaster Fund.
Enables Brethren to make an immediate response to emergency human needs created by natural or human-induced disaster. Supports emergency food and shelter, rebuilding efforts, immediate medical needs, transporting supplies, and disaster childcare. $750,000 (projected)

Self-funding Ministries

Brethren Press Publishing.
Provides the denomination with Sunday school materials, worship resources, books, Yearbook, and other essential church resources. Seeks to produce materials that challenge the church and the wider world to embrace a practical faith. $975,100

Service Ministries.
Warehouses, packs, and ships goods for the Church of the Brethren and a host of partner agencies working in the areas of relief, development, and disaster response. $762,650

Emergency Response.
Provides volunteers to clean, repair, and rebuild homes and lives of disaster survivors, working to ease the trauma felt after disaster strikes. Specially trained volunteers give care to young children after major traumatic events. $518,740

New Windsor Conference Center.
This ministry of hospitality provides guests with “a quiet place to get things done.” It offers a welcoming place for people of faith to gather, retreat, and reflect. $689,400

Messenger.
For more than 150 years, Messenger has been the denominational magazine of the Church of the Brethren, striving to bring the church together as one community. $263,000

Income Sources

Congregational and district giving	$ 4,600,000
Direct Gifts from Individuals	$ 2,000,000
Other (Sales, Fees, Investments, Subscriptions)	$ 3,422,230
Total projected 2007 Income	$10,022,230

Your Invitation

Your contributions in time and money complete this picture. Find out how to help:

Online: www.brethren.org/genbd/funding
Telephone: 800-323-8039, ext. 234.
Church of the Brethren
Stewardship & Donor Development
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120

Informing

“I love to tell the story....” Every day and in many ways, the Church of the Brethren General Board is sharing God’s good news. One of the newest and most exciting ways is through Gather ’Round, the new curriculum from Brethren Press that is even catching the attention of other denominations. Because of the General Board’s investment in high-quality Sunday school materials, our children, youth, and parents will grow in faith.

Another way we reach out to the world is through www.brethren.org. Each day thousands of people use this medium to visit the Church of the Brethren. Seekers learn who we are, and members learn how to get involved.

The General Board also tells the story by publishing a range of resources, including devotionals, historical books, and study materials. Every month Messenger magazine connects church members with feature stories, news, and opinions. A biweekly e-mail news service, Newsline, keeps the church up-to-date with the ministries of the whole church. We preserve our history through the Brethren Historical Library and Archives.

How else do we tell the story? Through Tapestry, a monthly newsletter that provides highlights of General Board activities; Bridges, the quarterly newsletter of the disaster response program; Funding office reports, invitations, and the “Another Way of Living” newsletter; missionary notes from overseas mission staff; newsletters from Brethren Volunteer Service; the annual Yearbook....

And, of course, our people—General Board members, staff, and volunteers around the world who interact daily with family, friends, ecumenical partners, and others, telling the story, living our faith, and providing inspiring examples of “another way of living.”

Involving

Come walk with us. Here are some of the ways people are continuing the work of Jesus through the ministries of the General Board. What are you called to do?

• Brethren Volunteer Service—a wide range of projects focusing on peace, justice, human need, and the environment.
  
  
• Ministry Summer Service—where young adults test their call to ministry.
  
  
• Workcamps—now expanding to meet growing demand.
  
  
• General Board staff—matching the gifts of individuals with the needs of the church.
  
  
• Program volunteering—offering short-term service to enlarge the ministries of the board.
  
  
• Disaster Response—repairing, rebuilding, reestablishing hope.
  
  
• Disaster Child Care—caring and comforting children in troubled times.
  
  
• Faith Expeditions—leaving home to learn and build relationships.
  
  
• Youth Peace Travel Team—sharing a story and engaging our faith.
  
  
• Christian Citizenship Seminar—looking at contemporary issues with eyes of faith.
  
  
• Brethren Service Center—providing hospitality and service.
  
  
• General Board members—providing faith-filled leadership to the wider church.
  
  
• Witness to Washington—lending your voice to initiatives of the Washington Office.

What else? Pray for the General Board, our staff and volunteers, and all whom we serve. Visit our exhibits and website to learn more about our mission and ministry. Give a gift: “Where your treasure is, so shall your heart be.”

Inspiring

Inspiration is found in many ways. It may be in a meaningful worship experience. Or exploring new ideas. Or rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. If you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll find all this and more in the ministries of the General Board.

• Look for worship resources in print and on the General Board website.
  
  
• Take advantage of videos and music that interpret the work of the church.
  
  
• Order Lenten and Advent devotional guides from Brethren Press.
  
  
• At each Annual Conference, visit General Board insight sessions, meal events, exhibits, and the bookstore for thoughtprovoking displays, activities, and resources.
  
  
• Attend National Youth Conference or National Young Adult Conference, where thousands of young people are inspired and motivated to deepen their faith. Find inspiration through participation in workcamps or disaster work. Be filled with the Spirit at the energetic and growing cross-cultural events.
  
  
• Inspiration can also be found at the Brethren Academy, whose program for pastoral excellence is inspiring pastors. They in turn enrich their congregations with new insights.

To hear more stories of challenge and inspiration, check in with General Board staff members, who regularly speak and lead workshops at local church events and district conferences. What can we do to help inspire you?

Inviting

Like you, we seek to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world today. We seek to answer his call to discipleship and commitment.

We answer that call by going into a rapidly changing world. That has meant planting congregations in Brazil, where we are nurturing a young church. It means exploring new ways to be in mission in Sudan, where peace is fragile and people are rebuilding their lives. It means talking about faith with the people in our own neighborhoods and inviting them to grow with us in discipleship.

Using our resources to the utmost, the General Board extends Christ’s welcome wherever possible. We seek to meet people’s physical needs, share the stories of their faith journeys, and walk with them along the way. All around the world, the Church of the Brethren is being called to follow the example of Jesus. And so we invite you to come walk with us. Together we will walk far.

How can your congregation help?

• Approve an outreach budget that includes a challenging increase for outreach ministries. Congregations are counted on for 3/4ths of the General Board’s Core mission and ministry support.
  
  
• Promote the three special offerings provided each year: One Great Hour of Sharing during Lent, World Mission Offering in October, and a Christmas Offering at the end of the year.
  
  
• Make your support of wider mission meaningful by using stories of ministry in sermons and newsletters and by presenting congregational moments for mission.
  
  
• Encourage hands-on involvement in workcamps by junior highs, youth, and young adults. Enlist volunteers for Disaster Response projects and Faith Expeditions.
  
  
• Explore with your Congregational Life Team member or stewardship development counselor ways to deepen your church’s involvement in the worldwide ministries of the Church of the Brethren.
  
  
• Pray, individually and in corporate settings, for the General Board, its staff, and its programs.

How can you help?

• Volunteer—get involved.
  
  
• An outright gift of cash, stocks, real estate, or personal property can be converted into ministry momentum for continuing the work of Jesus. Gifts can now be made by check, credit card, or regular automatic account withdrawal.
  
  
• Name the Church of the Brethren General Board as beneficiary of a portion of your estate in your will to help ensure the church’s work continues in its Fourth Century and add your name to the Fourth Century Enrollment.
  
  
• Consider gifts that generate an income for you or a designated family member, such as a Charitable Gift Annuity or Trust.

Contact a General Board Gift Counselor at 800-323-8039, ext. 234, or visit the funding website at www.brethren.org/genbd/funding to learn more.