Year: 2017

Newsline for Dec. 9, 2017

NEWS
1) Children’s Disaster Services responds to fires in southern California
2) EYN disaster team coordinates housing repairs in remote areas
3) Action alert from Office of Public Witness calls for action on drone warfare
4) National Trust for Historic Preservation offers tour of denominational offices
5) Pacific Southwest District celebrates a weekend of witness and ‘withness’
6) Atlantic Northeast District delivers 455 clean-up buckets to New Windsor
7) Elizabethtown pastor stands in support of ‘Dreamers’
8) Unique quilt supports ongoing needs in Nigeria

PERSONNEL
9) Mark Hartwig retires as IT director for the Church of the Brethren
10) Patrice Nightingale retires as Brethren Benefit Trust manager of production

UPCOMING EVENTS
11) National Youth Conference registration opens in January
12) January Ventures course to focus on ‘Congregation in Mission’

13) Brethren bits

Brethren bits for Dec. 9, 2017

In this issue: personnel announcements, job openings, volunteer opportunities, send Christmas cards to BVSers, Bethany Day at Seminaries that Change the World, the next Clergy Tax Seminar, “Brethren Voices” features Brethren Disaster Ministries, and more news from congregations, districts, colleges, and ecumenical partners.

National Youth Conference registration opens in January

National Youth Conference (NYC) registration opens in a little over a month. Sample registrations are available online at www.brethren.org/nyc . NYC is a Church of the Brethren conference held every four years for youth who have completed grade 9 through the first year of college or age equivalent, and their adult advisors.

Children’s Disaster Services responds to fires in southern California

Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is responding to the fires in southern California, at the end of a week in which wildfires stoked by strong Santa Ana winds started northwest of Los Angeles and now have begun in the San Diego area as well. CDS will be deploying a team of eight volunteers to serve affected children and families in southern California beginning this weekend.

Atlantic Northeast District delivers 455 clean-up buckets to New Windsor

What a wonderful God we serve! In August, Church World Service (CWS) announced the need for more disaster relief clean-up buckets in the warehouse at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. This request was prompted by Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of Houston, Texas. Little did they know Irma, Jose, and Maria were on their way, as well as a devastating earthquake in Mexico.

Patrice Nightingale retires as Brethren Benefit Trust manager of production

Patrice Nightingale has announced her retirement as manager of production for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), as of Dec. 31. She joined the BBT communications staff on May 5, 2008. On Oct. 20 of the same year, she succeeded Nevin Dulabaum as director of communications. In late 2011, BBT went through an organizational change due to economic factors, and she was transitioned to her current position.

Pacific Southwest District celebrates a weekend of witness and ‘withness’

Gathering together with a worship focus on the Beatitudes, the 54th annual Pacific Southwest District Conference brought together folk from 23 of our congregations for time in worship, study, business, and fellowship. Friday evening’s sermon was brought by author and public theologian Brian McLaren, who invited the district into an examination of the Beatitudes.

January Ventures course to focus on ‘Congregation in Mission’

The next course offering from the “Ventures in Christian Discipleship” program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “Congregation in Mission.” Congregational life provides settings for persons in community to flourish in their faith. What are the dynamics to allow this to happen? What are the impediments that get in the way of this flourishing? These and other questions can be a spring board for drawing us into a lively discussion.

National Trust for Historic Preservation offers tour of denominational offices

The Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., last month was on a tour of the PastForward Conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. About 40 people from around the country took the bus tour from Chicago to Elgin for a “field study” of mid-20th century buildings. “Working Around the Clock to Preserve the Mid-Century” provided the theme.

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