Church of the Brethren Newsline
September 21, 2018
— Cherise Glunz resigned as program assistant for the office of Mission Advancement at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., effective Sept. 14. Glunz began her service on June 8, 2015.
— Camp Swatara (Bethel, Pa.) is seeking a full-time office manager. Applications are due by Oct. 15 but will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. For more information and application materials, please visit www.campswatara.org or call 717-933-8510.
— Alann Schmidt and Terry Barkley, co-authors of “September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam Battlefield,” will present their book and sign books in the historic Dunker Church itself at the battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., tomorrow (Sept. 22) at 3:30 p.m. The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, is part of the “Aftermath” programs of Antietam National Battlefield highlighting the impact of the battle on the local population. The authors signed their book at Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, in July. “September Mourn” is available from Brethren Press.
— Today, Sept. 21, is the annual Peace Day, or International Day of Prayer for Peace. Many congregations and other groups will hold special events and observances today or on Sunday. On Earth Peace is collecting stories and photos of these events on their Peace Day Facebook page, or contact peaceday@OnEarthPeace.org. The Church of the Brethren has signed on to an International Day of Peace statement. Details are at http://quno.org/timeline/2018/9/development-and-security-rely-peace-justice-and-inclusion-statement-peacebuilding.
— The Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy recently issued an “Action Alert” asking Brethren to contact their congressional offices to oppose the withdrawal of scheduled US humanitarian support for Palestinian refugees from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The US National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC) and World Council of Churches (WCC) have also called on the US government to reverse the funding decision.
— Congregations and others who want to do an Election Day love feast, such as the one that took place at Brethren Woods (Keezletown, Va.) in 2016 (where another is planned this year) can find resources at https://electiondaylovefeast.wordpress.com. The website was created by Tim and Katie Heishman, who recently served as program directors for Brethren Woods and planned the 2016 event.
— A church planting webinar titled “Seeding or Launching Congregations: The First Year Shapes the Church of Decades” will be offered by the Church of the Brethren Office of Discipleship Ministries Oct. 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. David Fitch, the B.R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary in Chicago, will be the presenter. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CsbF4qEGTeqRjPAShlIsbg.
— Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, a multicultural congregation located in the Chicago area, marked the 50th anniversary in its current building earlier this month. Dennis Webb serves as pastor.
— Topeka (Kan.) Church of the Brethren will hold “Dunkerfest” on Oct. 13, combining a fall festival with a celebration of the congregation’s 125th anniversary. Events will run from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
— An exhibit is celebrating the 125th anniversary of The Cedars in McPherson, Kan., the “oldest continuously operating retirement home in Kansas,” according to “The McPherson Sentinel.” It began near Hutchinson before moving to McPherson.
— The Brethren Home Community – Cross Keys Village in New Oxford, Pa., said that 104-year-old Heath Care resident Pauline King recently broke the record for oldest student ever at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). The retirement community has an ongoing partnership with HACC for lifetime learning.
— Shenandoah District recently sent an additional $92,000 in funds from this year’s district disaster auction proceeds to Brethren Disaster Funds, for a total of $192,000 this year. The annual auction is among the denomination’s largest.
— Western Plains District will hold a “Day of Discussion” Oct. 22 at HeartlandSpirituality Center in Great Bend, Kan. The event, scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m., invites people to come to “talk with one another, share ideas, and pray together.” It will begin and end with worship. Western Plains will also hold its annual “The Gathering” event Oct. 26-28 in Salina, Kan.
— Middle Pennsylvania District will have an “Old-Fashioned Hymn Sing” Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at Hollidaysburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
— Camp Harmony (Hooversville, Pa.) is holding its Harmony Fest event this weekend, Sept. 22-23. The schedule includes hay wagon rides, children’s activities, demonstrations, music, a campfire, and silent auction and flea market, and more. Details are at www.campharmony.org.
— The Elizabethtown (Pa.) College Peace Fellowship will hold a presentation by Dr. John Reuwer on “Nonviolence: Power for Peace and Justice,” on Oct. 17, 7:30-8:30 p.m., in the Susquehanna Room of Myer Hall. Reuwer is adjunct professor of conflict resolution at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
— McPherson (Kan.) College has moved up three places on the “US News & World Report” Best Colleges rankings from last year and is the highest ranking Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) school on the Regional Colleges Midwest list.
— Bridgewater (Va.) College this fall welcomed the second-largest class in history, with 600 freshmen beginning studies. It is a 12 percent increase from the fall 2017 freshman class. The Class of 2022 also has the largest enrollment ever of diverse students, making up 36 percent of the incoming class.
— The September edition of “Brethren Voices,” a broadcast produced by Ed Groff out of Portland, Ore., Peace Church of the Brethren will feature Jerry O’Donnell of Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren, who serves as communications director and senior advisor for Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and Nathan Hosler, director of the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington. The October edition will feature Doris Abdullah, the Church of the Brethren representative to the United Nations. Episodes can be viewed at www.youtube.com/BrethrenVoices.
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