Chris Elliott, a farmer and pastor from Pennsylvania, and his daughter Grace are serving in Rwanda from January to May 2022. Chris is helping with farming and also visiting other churches and projects in Rwanda and nearby countries. Grace is teaching in the church’s nursery school. Read Chris’ last reflection. Find past reflections here.
Officially recognized Church of the Brethren groups exist in the African Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo), Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Nigeria (general Nigeria page & history) (Nigeria Crisis Response), Spain, and Venezuela.
The ministries of Global Mission seek to integrate faith and service as they challenge and equip Brethren to respond to human need and grow the church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Global Mission ministries include:
- Global Food Initiative
- International ministries (this page)
- Global Church of the Brethren Communion
The programming of Global Mission falls into six broad categories:
- church development
- health and well-being
- education
- peacebuilding
- economic empowerment and
- agriculture development
Global Mission envisions the development of a global Church of the Brethren consisting of autonomous groups that witness to their broader communities while mutually encouraging one another as branches from the denomination vine. It seeks to deepen faith and relationships with established mission points, promoting outreach ministries and developing leadership. With emerging mission points, it seeks to promote core Brethren beliefs and practices while building organizational capacity and deepening faith.
Marcos Inhauser, GM staff in Brazil, has created an eight-minute YouTube video explaining the beliefs and practices of the Church of the Brethren. It is in both Spanish and English. We invite you to view it here:
Mission prayer updates
Related news
- Learning dry season farming in Burundi
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative sponsored a workshop on dry season farming in Gitega, Burundi, July 11-12
- Eglise des Freres Haitiens Miami members travel to Haiti
Eglise des Freres Haitiens Miami members traveled to Haiti in July. Twenty-eight people made decisions to follow Christ, 7 couples were married, 12 people were baptized, and 13 children were dedicated.
- Pastor’s wife freed, violence continues in Nigeria
Killings, kidnapping, and ransacking of communities continue across Nigeria, according to a recent update from Zakariya Musa, head of media for Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria
- Nigerian Brethren pastor’s family attacked, two children murdered
“The yet to be known gun men killed two of Rev. Daniel’s children, a 16-year-old daughter was kidnapped, and he was shot in the leg,” Musa wrote about the attack that took place on pastor Daniel Umaru and his family in early July. “The murdered children were aged 18 and 19. Their mother was rushed to hospital in a traumatic situation.”
- EYN women are freed after abductions, including two of the former schoolgirls from Chibok
Nigerian troops have found two of the former schoolgirls abducted from Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists eight years ago, Mary Dauda and Hauwa Joseph. In a related development, EYN leadership celebrate the return of Mary Iliya, who was abducted in 2020 by jihadists from Bolakile. Also recently freed is Rebecca Irmiya.
- One church begot three in troubled northeastern Nigeria
Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has organized three congregations or Local Church Councils (LCCs) from an LCC called Udah in DCC [church district] Yawa and another in Watu. EYN president Joel S. Billi accompanied by the EYN general secretary Daniel Y. C. Mbaya on June 19 presided over the establishment of LCCs Muva, Tuful, and Kwahyeli located in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
- Brethren in Dominican Republic make small but important steps toward reconciliation
Small, but important steps were taken this year in the life of Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic.
- Nigerian Brethren mourn deaths of denominational trustee, seminary lecturer, staff driver
Communications staff of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) have shared prayer concerns for the deaths of an EYN trustee, a lecturer at Kulp Theological Seminary, and a staff driver, among other losses.