Saturday, July 12
Highlights of the Day

[Business | Feature | Photo | Worship]

The 300th Anniversary Conference is being held in the Greater Richmond Convention Center (left) and the Richmond Coliseum (back right), separated in this photo by the parking deck behind the Marriott Hotel. which is the main Conference hotel. Photo by Regina Roberts

Volunteers who took part in the Service Blitz today worked at the Black History Museum in Richmond (above), and at the Central Virginia Food Bank. Photo by Regina Roberts

QUOTES OF THE DAY

"Tina Turner said, ‘What’s love got to do with it?" And Jesus said it’s all about love.”
-- Belita Mitchell, past Annual Conference moderator, in opening devotions for Standing Committee

“United we stand and in faith together we will build the church.”
-- Jinatu Wamdeo, general secretary of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) speaking to the General Board about the Nigerian church’s interest in the Sudan Initiative

“They were young...when they had to flee their home because of their faith. Can you imagine wrestling so earnestly with scriptural teaching, wanting so much to obey Jesus that you choose to act in ways that turn your whole world upside down?”
-- Annual Conference moderator James Beckwith speaking of the first Brethren, who left Europe for the new world

OVERVIEW OF THE DAY
The Conference officially begins with evening worship at the Richmond Coliseum, led by moderator Jim Beckwith and moderator-elect David Shumate, followed a National Christian Choir Concert. Worship has been preceded by a day of service work around Richmond, as part of a “Service Blitz.” Pre-Conference meetings also have continued through the day including the Standing Committee of district delegates, the General Board meeting, the Ministers’ Association, and the Council of District Executives. The Church of the Brethren Credit Union held its annual meeting this afternoon. Hearings on business coming to the Church of the Brethren delegate body round out the evening, along with age group activities and an ice cream social.

Registration numbers for this Conference have surpassed already the total registration for last year's Annual Conference. Shown here, the Dewey Willard family from Winston-Salem, N.C. Photo by Regina Roberts

A BIT OF BRETHREN HISTORY: THE GROUP OF EIGHT ORIGINAL BRETHREN STUDY THEIR BIBLES
In 1774, decades after the first Brethren baptism in 1708, Alexander Mack Jr., wrote down a few memories of what he had been told about the decision on the part of the eight original Brethren to baptize each other. They had separated themselves from the established churches in an attempt to be faithful to the gospel, but they soon realized that they could not always follow the New Testament instructions about church and church discipline, for the simple reason they had no church.

“Therefore,” he remembered, “some felt powerfully drawn to seek again the footsteps of the first Christians. They passionately yearned to avail themselves in faith of the ordained testimonies of Jesus Christ according to their right value. At the same time, it was emphatically opened to them in their hearts how necessary is obedience in faith if a soul wishes to be saved. This opening brought them immediately to the mystery of water baptism, which seemed to them a door to the church after which they yearned. However, there were great differences of opinion among the Pietists about baptism, which sometimes grieved the truth-loving souls.

“Finally, in the year 1708, eight persons agreed together to establish a covenant of good conscience with God, to accept all ordinances of Jesus Christ as an easy yoke, and thus to follow after their Lord Jesus--their good and loyal shepherd--as true sheep in joy or sorrow until the blessed end.... These eight persons united with one another as brethren and sisters in the covenant of the cross of Jesus Christ as a church of Christian believers.

“They found trustworthy histories that the early Christians during the first and second centuries were planted into the death by crucifixion of Jesus, according to the commandment of Christ, through trine immersion in the water bath of holy baptism. They therefore diligently searched the New Testament and found that everything agreed with this perfectly. They therefore had an ardent desire to be furthered through this means, practiced by Christ himself and commanded by Him, for the fulfillment of all righteousness, according to His saving counsel.”

Thus was set in place the resolve of these eight to perform baptism by immersion, even though that act was illegal and could result in their deaths. Who were these eight, and what finally happened on that day of baptism? That will be the subject of upcoming meditations. For now it is enough that they have made their decision.

-- Frank Ramirez’ “Tercentennial Minute” for July 13. Ramirez pastors Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, which has offered the weekly Tercentennial Minutes through 2008 as a celebration of the 300th Anniversary of the Brethren.

The Richmond Coliseum, an inside view. Photo by Ken Wenger	The Richmond Coliseum, an outside view. Photo by Glenn Riegel
The 300th Anniversary logo forms a centerpiece for worship, displayed on a large screen behind the stage in the Richmond Coliseum. Photo by Regina Roberts	The National Christian Choir gave a late evening concert. Photo by Glenn Riegel