This year’s Annual Report from the Church of the Brethren denomination is now available in three formats: an inspirational video sharing stories from selected ministries, a set of colorful postcards, and the full written report that ordinarily would appear in the Annual Conference booklet. Find the video, the full report, and a “flip” view of the postcard set at www.brethren.org/annualreport .
The report is titled, “Living Letters,” with a theme scripture from 2 Corinthians 3:2-3: “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
In the context of the pandemic, the report highlights the people of faith as living letters who reach out to each other and minister together even in a time when the church may be unable to meet in person. It evokes the New Testament letters of Paul and other early apostles, which continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ today, across time and distance.
The video version centers on the stories told in the postcard set and features the voices of those who are sharing their own ministry stories. The video may be shown at district conferences this fall, and congregations are invited to download it for use in worship services. A version is available with captioning in Spanish.
The postcard set is being distributed widely for church members’ own information and inspiration and to send to family and friends; for congregations to share with their members and visitors; and for congregations to do outreach in their neighborhoods.
The postcard set will be mailed to Annual Conference delegates and distributed as an enclosure in the September issue of the Church of the Brethren magazine “Messenger” and in the September/October “Source” packet that is mailed to each congregation. Copies also are available to order from Karen Stocking at Brethren Press, contact kstocking@brethren.org . Feel free to ask for a quantity.
Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week.