Church of the Brethren Newsline
July 7, 2018
Today’s worship theme: Called to Serve
“‘Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:36-37).
Quotes of the day:
“How can we begin to see all these victims as individuals? Christ-like seeing allows us to see beyond our labels, beyond our categories into the humanity we all share.”
— Angela Finet preaching for the Saturday worship service on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
“You and I are never more Christ-like than when we feel another person’s hurt…. We are never more Christ-like than when we reach out and help.”
— Bible study leader Paul Brubaker, offering thoughts on the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.
“Poverty, peace, justice, and climate change are inexorably linked. There can be no hope for justice, no hope for an end to poverty, and no hope for peace if we continue on our present path. We must confront inequality while weaning ourselves from the very fossil fuels that built our economic wealth. We must work to build peace while reducing air pollution. This new path for us leads to God’s plan for a new creation.”
— Sharon Yohn presenting the report “Creation Care: Faith into Action.”
“Challenging the church to be more than a mere mouthpiece of the gospel…we embrace the call to be disciples.”
— General secretary David Steele speaking of the breadth of the denominational ministries, during the Church of the Brethren report to the delegates.
“Unlike the symbol of power in a courtroom, this is a symbol of God’s power and presence that guides us.”
— Samuel Sarpiya speaking about the moderator’s gavel, which he passed to Donita Keister at the end of the day’s business session. She will serve as moderator of the 2019 Annual Conference.
By the numbers:
Final registration for the 2018 Annual Conference: 2,233 including 673 delegates (667 onsite) and 1,560 nondelegates
Saturday’s offering received during worship, to aid the Batwa (Pygmy) communities in the Great Lakes region of Africa: $8,755.52
Blood drive donations: 159 total pints, including 85 received on Thursday and 74 received on Friday
For more onsite coverage of Annual Conference go to www.brethren.org/ac/2018/coverage .
The news coverage of Annual Conference 2018 is made possible through the work of communications staff and a volunteer news team: Frank Ramirez, Conference Journal editor; photographers Glenn Riegel, Regina Holmes, Keith Hollenberg, Donna Parcell, Laura Brown; writers Frances Townsend, Karen Garrett, Alyssa Parker; youth team member Allie Dulabaum; web staff Jan Fischer Bachman, Russ Otto; Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services; Wendy McFadden, publisher. Contact cobnews@brethren.org.
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