Church of the Brethren Newsline
July 24, 2018
“ 
And [Jesus] woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’” (Luke 8:24b-25a).
“I…beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Quotes of the day:
“What will it take for us to be the kind of church that makes a difference in people’s lives and the world?”
— Today’s question of the day for small groups
“Jesus, if you’re listening, there are storms out there…. There’s racism, sexism, misogyny, and we too often don’t know what truth looks like…. There are storms inside that say we’re not enough…. I like to think that Jesus would stand and look at us and say, ‘Ah, I know you, you’re mine.’”
— Ted Swartz speaking for the Tuesday morning worship service
“To take a step closer to God means to take a step closer to each other and to take a step closer to each other is to take a step closer to God.”
— Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey, giving the Tuesday evening sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6
“Differing in gifts but unified in purpose…. Our church just might need you to model this for us.”
— Tim Hollenberg-Duffey, speaking to the youth of the church during the evening worship
“Locked inside our skin
we live so far apart.
What I would give to hear
the beating of your heart.”
— A stanza of one of Ken Medema’s songs for the Tuesday morning worship service
Moments for witness
The Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is sponsoring several moments for witness and peace action during NYC. Tuesday’s focused on food insecurity under the title, “Seeds of Conversation.”
As NYCers entered into worship they received seeds and were encouraged to consider gardening in their own communities. They were also encouraged to start conversations related to food insecurity, for example the topic of how land was used by native peoples. The Office of Peacebuilding and Policy hopes to teach younger Brethren about sustainable food sources, ways of ending food insecurity, and the indigenous peoples who first farmed this land.
Also today, a Late Night Peace Vigil and campfire was hosted by the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. NYCers shared in songs of peace and conversations about peacebuilding.
Top 12 most important things learned at NYC
“That no matter where you come from, you can make a difference somewhere.”
— EJ from Maryland
“I didn’t know that it would be this easy to hear God and to see God with this group.”
— Annie from Illinois
“That we should always forgive.”
— Brennen from Ohio
“I’ve learned a lot of humility. I’ve learned to put myself second and to listen to others because God will speak through me to someone.”
— Jonas from Virginia
“Never underestimate yourself and the love of God.”
— Will from Illinois
“God will always be there for you no matter what the situation and will always love you.”
— Josh from Illinois
“Being accepting of everyone no matter what they look like. Make them feel welcome.”
— Kinsey from Ohio
“Love and sharing between brother and sisters. The simplicity and humbleness that you see in the worship.”
— Rosa from Spain
“Despite our differences, truly spend time with other people because you will learn a lot more than you think. I’ve learned this from the messages and worship, and I’ve learned this from the interactions with other kids here.”
— Carson from Ohio
“God will forgive all our sins even if we don’t believe in it.”
— Courtney from Maryland
“Have extravagant love and forgive others.”
— Kimberly from California
“Everyone here is here for each other. At school, my friends and I are not as close. Here and at camp, I can be a completely different person because I can be myself.”
— Anna from Illinois
#cobnyc #cobnyc18
The NYC 2018 Press Team includes Laura Brown, Allie Dulabaum, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Eddie Edmonds, Russ Otto, Frank Ramirez, Alane Riegel, Glenn Riegel, and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.
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