ENGAGE: A Church of the Brethren Global Mission Gathering
If you missed the ENGAGE: Church of the Brethren Global Mission Gathering on Sunday, Sept. 20, you can still watch the recording online.
Engage: Global Mission Gathering
“United in Mission” was held Sunday, September 20, 2026, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Lancaster Church of the Brethren
Guest speakers: Roger Padilla, Eric Ramirez, Rebecca Dali
The Global Mission office primarily works with autonomous Brethren bodies in various countries around the world through mutual encouragement, sharing resources, and supporting each other’s efforts.
Global Mission ministries include:
- Global Food Initiative
- Global Church of the Brethren Communion
- South Sudan: This mission project sponsored by the Mission and Ministry Board has one full-time Global Mission staff person and several local staff working in the areas of agriculture, reconciliation, trauma healing, prison ministry, and evangelism. Five churches have been planted.
- Under Their Own Vine & Fig Tree Initiative
Global Mission partners with existing partners and emerging churches and projects in seven broad areas:
- community development
- agricultural development (through Global Food Initiative)
- women and children’s empowerment
- theological education & leadership development
- peacebuilding
- strategic economic empowerment
- church planting and development
Stay connected
Global mission prayer updates primarily share prayer requests received from the global Church of the Brethren and our partners around the world. See a recent prayer update here.
Global Mission News
- Latest grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund
Two funds of the Church of the Brethren denomination—the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and the Global Food Initiative (GFI)—have announced their latest grants.
- Engage event offers opportunity to gather in support of global mission, resources are available
Engage: Global Mission Gathering will be held on the theme “United in Mission” on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. This will be an evening celebrating the Global Church of the Brethren Communion. Hear firsthand from Brethren leaders and partners connected with the church in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Nigeria, and explore what it means to be united in mission.
- Pastors ordained for Church of the Brethren ministry in South Sudan
Two pastors were ordained for pastoral ministry in the Mangateen IDP [Internally Displaced Person] camp in June: Daniel Mawer and Paul Makuar. Mawer was trained in the Presbyterian tradition but due to conflicts in the leadership of the Presbyterian Church in South Sudan, he asked if he could join the Church of the Brethren.
- Global Mission Dinner hears from EYN president Daniel Mbaya
Norton as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren introduced the international guests who were present. She then introduced the evening’s speaker and guest of honor Daniel Mbaya, president of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), “the largest Anabaptist communion in the world.”
- Retinopathy of Prematurity Project aids premature infants and their families in Vietnam
With the proper therapies, and in some cases surgeries and other medical intervention, infants born prematurely have every chance of growing up to their full potential. But in places like Vietnam, premature infants born in rural areas may have no access to top-flight medical care.
- International guests attend Annual Conference
International guests received a warm welcome from the 2026 Annual Conference. On Monday morning, June 29, during the opening business session Global Mission executive Sharon Brugger Norton introduced the guests from the stage. She noted that this might have been the first time that Annual Conference has welcomed international guests from Vietnam.