“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, Christian Standard Bible).
NEWS
1) Disaster grants fund Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project in Dayton, relief work in Honduras, the DRC, India, Iowa
2) Global Food Initiative grants go to Haiti agriculture program, community garden, food distribution program
3) Office of Peacebuilding and Policy signs letter to Senate Armed Services Committee regarding Selective Service
4) Global Brethren leaders discuss the essence of being Brethren
UPCOMING EVENTS
5) Children’s Disaster Services resumes volunteer training
6) Annual Conference office co-sponsors webinars on theme of equipping for leadership
JESUS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: CONGREGATIONAL STORIES
7) Dunker Punks Vespers service held at Oakton Church of the Brethren
8) Lititz church’s Tree House Playground hosts National Night Out event
9) Pennsylvania congregations aim to donate thousands of shoes
10) West Shore Church of the Brethren hosts free gospel concerts
11) Brethren bits: Annual Conference worship services continue to be available online, prayer concerns from South Sudan and Pacific Northwest District, historic photos of the construction of the General Offices are online, Ecumenical Advocacy Days are hiring, and more
NOAC starts online in just a few weeks, scheduled for Sept. 6-10! Find out more about this first-ever virtual National Older Adult Conference and register at www.brethren.org/noac. “Overflowing with Hope” (Romans 15:13) is the theme. Special events include daily worship services, Bible studies, keynote presentations including the duo of Ken Medema and Ted Swartz, virtual field trips and ice cream socials, and of course the ever-popular NOAC News. Registration is $100 per person, $150 for couples.
A note to readers: As many congregations return to in-person worship, we want to update our listing of Churches of the Brethren at www.brethren.org/news/2020/church-of-the-brethren-congregations-worship-online.html. Please send new information to cobnews@brethren.org.
Landing page of Church of the Brethren COVID 19 related resources and information: www.brethren.org/covid19
Church of the Brethren congregations offer a variety of worship opportunities in English and other languages: www.brethren.org/news/2020/church-of-the-brethren-congregations-worship-online.html
*Spanish/bilingual; **Haitian Kreyol/bilingual; ***Arabic/bilingual
*español/bilingüe, **kreyol haitiano/bilingüe, ***عربي / ثنائي اللغة
Lifting up Brethren who are active in health care: www.brethren.org/news/2020/brethren-active-in-health-care.html
Send information about your congregation’s worship services to cobnews@brethren.org.
Add a person to the list of Brethren active in health care by sending first name, county, and state to cobnews@brethren.org.
1) Disaster grants fund Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project in Dayton, relief work in Honduras, the DRC, India, Iowa
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed a large grant from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to fund completion of the tornado rebuilding project site in Dayton, Ohio. Additional grants support disaster relief in Honduras, where work continues following last year’s Hurricanes Eta and Iota; the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Brethren in Goma continue aid to those affected by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo; India, in support of the COVID-19 response of IMA World Health; and Northern Plains District, which is helping organize rebuilding following the derecho that left a trail of destruction in Iowa last August.
Ohio
An additional allocation of $50,867 finances the completion of the tornado rebuilding work that Brethren Disaster Ministries and partners including the Church of the Brethren’s Southern Ohio and Kentucky District have been carrying out in Dayton, Ohio. The project is rebuilding and repairing homes affected by the tornado outbreak on Memorial Day weekend 2019.
The Southern Ohio/Kentucky District of the Church of the Brethren responded quickly in the days following the tornadoes to begin clean-up and debris removal. This district level response was instrumental in the establishment of a community-led longterm recovery committee. When the Miami Long-Term Recovery Operations Group was established and had sufficient case management and funding for building materials, Brethren Disaster Ministries began work to support home repairs and rebuilding.
The start of the project as well as how it has been carried out was modified to adapt to the COVID-19 realities, and for a time it was suspended in early 2021. The project site reopened in April. Volunteers are scheduled to work there through September, when the site is planned to close.
Honduras
An additional allocation of $40,000 supports the Church World Service (CWS) rehabilitation program in Honduras for families affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. CWS has longterm partners in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala that provided emergency relief programs and were supported by an initial EDF grant of $10,000. CWS has updated its response plan to include the rehabilitation of livelihoods and housing in Honduras. The goal of the program is to support 70 highly at-risk families in rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.
A grant of $30,000 for the Proyecto Aldea Global (PAG) response to the hurricanes was approved concurrently. All programing will be coordinated by and between CWS and PAG, a long-time partner of Brethren Disaster Ministries. In the past 10 years, support has been given through the shipping of canned meat and EDF grants for PAG’s relief work following various storms. After Hurricane Eta, PAG quickly organized a relief program that included providing 8,500 family food bags for a week of provision, used clothing, mattresses, health kits, blankets, shoes, and family hygiene kits. These items reached 50 communities before Hurricane Iota struck. The relief work has continued after Hurricane Iota, reaching more communities and providing medical aid in more remote regions.
Democratic Republic of Congo
An additional allocation of $25,000 supports the continued response to the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo being carried out by the Goma congregation of Eglise des Freres au Congo (the Church of the Brethren in the DRC). An initial emergency grant of $5,000 supported the response through the leadership of Goma pastor Faraja Dieudonné and other church leaders in providing food relief to at-risk families. The church hopes to expand the emergency food distribution to an additional 500 households (about 4,000 people) and provide some basic home repair materials, selecting the most vulnerable people with property loss including orphans, widows, and the elderly. Brethren Disaster Ministries staff will work with the church leaders to monitor the response and consider additional grants as the relief program continues.
India
An allocation of $15,000 supports the COVID-19 response of IMA World Health in India, providing medical equipment and training to four hospitals. The First District Church of the Brethren in India and Brethren who are part of the Church of North India reported that the outbreak was devastating to the church communities, and has been very bad in Gujarat State, where most Brethren are located. A number of church leaders and elders have died from COVID-19. The churches were unable to receive the grant directly without special approval required by the country’s Foreign Exchange Management Act. The IMA World Health response is supporting the work of the Christian Medical Association of India, which is registered with the government and can receive international funds.
Iowa
An additional allocation of $2,334.39 supports the response to the 2020 derecho in Iowa, being carried out by the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District. The derecho, a series of swiftly moving and powerful straight-line storms, caused widespread damage on Aug. 10 last year. Members of the district began helping with clean-up just days after the event, with a larger effort organized by the district’s disaster coordinator over Labor Day weekend. This June, Brethren Disaster Ministries and the district leadership collaborated to provide rebuilding volunteers from church districts in the Midwest for a short-term response, with 61 volunteers (including repeat volunteers) contributing 458 hours to the rebuilding and repairing the homes of 7 families in 4 cities in Iowa. This grant helped pay for expenses not covered by a grant awarded by the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) and Lowes Home Improvement.
For more about Brethren Disaster Ministries go to www.brethren.org/bdm. For more about the Emergency Disaster Fund and to contribute financially to these grants, go to www.brethren.org/edf.
2) Global Food Initiative grants go to Haiti agriculture program, community garden, food distribution program
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given grants to support transition of an agriculture program of Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) to a self-sustaining ministry. Also among recent grants are allocations in support of a community garden of Grace Way Community Church of the Brethren in Dundalk, Md., and a food distribution program of the Alpha and Omega Community Center in Lancaster, Pa.
Haiti
An allocation of $3,000 for Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) will support transition of the church’s agriculture program to a self-sustaining ministry. A three-year agricultural project funded by Growing Hope Globally concluded at the end of June, as a four-way partnership between the church, the GFI, the Haiti Medical Project, and Growing Hope Globally. The focus was soil conservation, animal production, and reforestation. Church leaders plan to transition away from a training and production model toward a more business-orientated model in which agricultural products and tree seedlings will be sold as both a service to rural farmers and a way of generating income for the church. In July and August, staff who are currently working part-time in agricultural projects and part-time in Haiti Medical Project water projects will function as consultants to support the church leaders in producing a business plan. At the same time, staff will be concluding their work on the present project, including participating in an external evaluation. The grant funds will cover the two-month costs of the agricultural staff plus minor vehicle repairs.
In a related grant, $5,000 has been given to cover the costs of an evaluation of the agriculture project that was supported by Growing Hope Globally. The project was begun on April 1, 2018, and concluded on June 30, 2021. Mid-year and year-end evaluations were a part of the project. A mid-year review for the 2020-21 year was unable to be completed because of instability and COVID-19 travel restrictions in Haiti. Klebert Exceus, who has worked in the past with Brethren Disaster Ministries and GFI, will complete the evaluation that requires visiting 15 communities in 17 days, with 2 days to prepare a report to share with the National Committee of Eglise des Freres. Agronomists working on the project will be asked to travel with the evaluator.
Alpha and Omega Community Center
An allocation of $2,000 supports a food distribution program of the Alpha and Omega Community Center in Lancaster, Pa. The center began as the social action arm of a Church of the Brethren congregation and now continues as an independent nonprofit with the goal to strengthen the community in Lancaster County, focusing on Latino families. Among the center’s services is a food bank that is offered twice a month, providing much needed nourishment to families during difficult economic times. Grant funds will purchase a new refrigerator, allowing the center to receive and distribute more perishable food items, specifically from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Community Action Program and from individual churches.
Grace Way community garden
An allocation of $2,000 supports the community garden work of Grace Way Community Church of the Brethren in Dundalk, Md. The church is expanding its garden capacity, with a total of one acre of land available. The project serves three communities: Grace Way’s Ecuadorian congregation, the African immigrant refugees settled in the Dundalk community, and those that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Goals include assisting those struggling with food security, improving diet and health practices among low-income families, and promoting awareness of hunger-related issues among Ecuadorian low-income families living in the community. The grant funds will purchase bedding soil, plant food, plants, and gardening equipment and supplies.
For more about the Global Food Initiative and to contribute financially to these grants, go to www.brethren.org/gfi.
3) Office of Peacebuilding and Policy signs letter to Senate Armed Services Committee regarding Selective Service
The Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy has signed a letter sent by peace church organizations and other peace groups to the Senate Armed Services Committee. The letter urges an end to the Selective Service System and rejection of any attempt to add women to the group on which the burden of draft registration is imposed. The letter supports a piece of bipartisan legislation, S 1139, that would repeal the Military Selective Service Act.
The full text of the letter follows:
July 21, 2021
Dear Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
As organizations and individuals committed to freedom of religion and belief, civil and human rights, the rule of law, and equality for all, we urge you to abolish the Selective Service System (SSS) and reject any attempt to add women to the group upon which the burden of draft registration is imposed. Selective Service has been a failure, described as “less than useless” for its stated purpose by its former director, Dr. Bernard Rostker, and expansion of Selective Service registration to women is not widely supported (Maj. Gen. Joe Heck testified to HASC on May 19, 2021, that expanding registration was supported by only “52 or 53 percent” of Americans).
The Department of Justice has not prosecuted anyone for the felony of failing to register since 1986, yet the Selective Service System has provided the justification to punish–without due process–millions of men who have refused or failed to register since 1980.
The statutory penalties for failure to register are potentially quite severe: up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. But instead of affording violators their right to due process, the federal government, beginning in 1982, enacted punitive legislation designed to coerce men to register. These policies mandate non-registrants be denied the following:
• federal financial aid to college students (eligibility for Federal Student Aid wil1 no longer be dependent on SSS registration, effective 2021-2022 Academic Year);
• federal job training;
• employment with federal executive agencies;
• citizenship to immigrants.
Most states have followed with similar laws that deny non-registrants access to state government employment, state institutions of higher learning and student aid, and state issued drivers’· licenses and IDs.
The extrajudicial penalties imposed upon those who do not register make life more difficult for many who already are marginalized. If the registration requirement is extended to women, so too will the penalties for non-compliance. Inevitably, young women will join the millions of men across the country already denied access to opportunities, citizenship. and drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards. In the age of sweeping “Voter ID” requirements, the latter may result in stripping many more already marginalized people of a most fundamental right of democratic expression: the vote.
The argument that extending the registration requirement to women is a way to help reduce gender-based discrimination is specious. It does not represent a move forward for women; it represents a move backward, imposing on young women a burden that young men have had to bear unjustly for decades–a burden that no young person should have to bear at all. Women’s equality should not have to be earned through complicity in militarism. Even more disturbing, this argument fails to acknowledge or address the pervasive climate of discrimination and sexual violence that is the reality of life for many women in the military (www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/new-poll-us-troops-veterans-reveals-thoughts-current-military-policies-180971134).
For all its strident rhetoric of defending “religious liberty,” the United States has a long history of discrimination against people of faith and conscience who object to cooperation with war and the preparation for war, including Selective Service registration. It has been affirmed by all branches of the US government–the Supreme Court, Presidents, and Congress–that the primary purpose of registration with Selective Service is to send a message to the world that the United States is prepared for wide-scale war at any time. In his testimony to the HASC in May, Maj. Gen. Joe Heck, chair of the Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (NCMNPS), admitted that while the SSS does not effectively accomplish its stated purpose of compiling a list of draft-eligible people, its more effective use is to “provide recruiting leads to military services.” This means that even the act of registration is cooperation with war and is a violation of conscience for many people of different faith traditions and beliefs. There is no provision under the law to accommodate religious beliefs within the current Selective Service System registration process. This must change, and the simplest way to accomplish this is to abolish the registration requirement for all.
On April 15, 2021, Senator Ron Wyden, with Senator Rand Paul, introduced S 1139 (www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1139/text). This bill would repeal the Military Selective Service Act and abolish the registration requirement for everyone, while overturning all penalties endured by those who have refused or failed to register before the repeal. It should be adopted in full as an amendment to the NDAA. Any provision to extend Selective Service to women should be rejected.
As our country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild our relationships within the international community, and work together with our global partners to finally and meaningfully address the climate crisis, we do so under a new Administration, leading with a deeper understanding of what true national security means. Any efforts to strengthen global cooperation and bolster peaceful conflict resolution and diplomacy should include abolishing the draft and the apparatus to enact one: the Selective Service System.
Thank you for your consideration of these concerns. Please feel free to be in touch with questions, responses, and requests for more dialogue about this matter.
Signed,
American Friends Service Committee
Center on Conscience and War
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
CODEPINK
Courage to Resist
Feminists Against the Draft
Friends Committee on National Legislation
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund
Resisters.info
Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)
World Beyond War
4) Global Brethren leaders discuss the essence of being Brethren
Provided to Newsline by Eric Miller, co-director of Global Mission
Every other month, leaders from the Church of the Brethren around the world meet to discuss issues facing the global church. In the most recent meeting, the group continued to discuss the meaning of being Brethren and watched a video produced by Marcos Inhauser, a leader of the church in Brazil.
“No other church is like this,” several noted. Ariel Rosario noted that no other church talks about peace or gives members so many opportunities to participate and even to vote. Pastor Santos Terrero from Spain agreed, saying that there is a big difference in how Brethren pastors there work together. “Pastors from other churches are surprised at how we work,” he said.
Inhauser noted how the Brethren has never been based on persons or theologians, and that not even the pastor is the authority. He recalled seeing well-known Brethren historian Dale Brown at one Annual Conference, “but there we were both equal–just members of the church.”
Pastor Bwambale Sedrack of Uganda also talked about how eager his new church is to be Brethren, and noted that many in Uganda think the Trine Immersion must make Brethren a cult, and that they work to explain the history and theology so that people understand and accept the practice.
Participants noted that the importance of being Brethren was because it is true to the Bible. Suely Inhauser of Brazil said that she sometimes talks to people who prefer a church for reasons such as they like the music, but those are not the most important thing about a church. Co-director of Global Mission, Eric Miller said, “My sense of the group’s focus is that the Brethren follow the biblical mandate as the Brethren have understood it: to be a priesthood of all believers, doing the work of Jesus together without falling back on a hierarchy or creed to replace reliance on the Holy Spirit.”
Pastor Terrero said, “We need more publicity about how different we are. We practice the teachings of Jesus. I am proud and blessed to be part of the Church of the Brethren.”
The video “The Essence of Being Brethren” is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv75sZ1YyOw.
— Eric Miller and Ruoxia Li serve as co-directors of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren. They assist in convening meetings of the Church of the Brethren Global Communion that includes 11 registered denominations in the United States, India, Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Spain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda), and Venezuela.
UPCOMING EVENTS
5) Children’s Disaster Services resumes volunteer training
Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is announcing its first volunteer training workshops since pandemic restrictions started last year. At this time, three events have been announced:
— Sept. 24-25, hosted by York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill.;
— Oct. 22-23, hosted by Friendship Christian Reformed Church in Byron Center, Mich.; and
— Nov. 5-6, hosted by First Church of the Brethren in Roaring Spring, Pa.
The trainings are open to anyone 18 and older who is interested in joining in the work of CDS volunteer teams who care for children and families affected by disasters. Cost is $55 for early registration, including all meals, curriculum, and one overnight stay; or $65 for late registration when mailed less than three weeks before the event starts. Space is limited to the first 25 who register. Unless otherwise noted for a specific location, all trainings begin at 4:30 p.m. on the start date.
For more information contact CDS@Brethren.org or 800-451-4407 option 5, or go to www.brethren.org/cds.
6) Annual Conference office co-sponsors webinars on theme of equipping for leadership
By Chris Douglas
The Annual Conference office is co-sponsoring two online workshops offered by Womaen’s Caucus on the theme “Equipping for Leadership.” All are invited to join! The first webinar titled “Leadership in the Church of the Brethren” will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. (Eastern time) via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out in August.
Questions to be addressed include: How do people get on Program and Arrangements Committee anyway? And Standing Committee–how is that different from Mission and Ministry Board? Do Brethren Benefit Trust and On Earth Peace pick their own board members or do we? How do I nominate people? Who can I nominate? What do I do if I get nominated? How do we deal with getting nominated every year but never making it on the ballot? Or getting on the ballot but then the delegates vote for someone else–publicly and painfully?
Bring all your other good questions, too, and Nominating Committee and Annual Conference officers will be with us as we get equipped to lead the church: today and tomorrow.
— Chris Douglas is director of the Annual Conference office.
JESUS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: CONGREGATIONAL STORIES
7) Dunker Punks Vespers service held at Oakton Church of the Brethren
Oakton Church of the Brethren hosted a Dunker Punks Vespers service as an outdoor gathering on Saturday, July 10. @ArlingtonCoB tweeted: “Dunker Punks live across the country and world. Many take turns sharing about their faith journey on the Dunker Punks Podcast. Some gathered at Oakton COB last Saturday. How are you following Jesus’ radical way in the world?
8) Lititz church’s Tree House Playground hosts National Night Out event
The Lititz (Pa.) Borough Police Department has announced that the new Tree House Playground created by Lititz Church of the Brethren is hosting a National Night Out event called “Lititz Endless Summer” on Aug. 3 from 5-8 p.m. The event intends “to bring the community together to create stronger bonds among one another, and with the community first responders,” said the announcement. The event is free and will feature children’s activities including bounce houses, the Bull Guys, free food, visits with the Lititz Fire Department, a dunk tank, and more. The Lititz Community Chest will collect donations of non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items. A rain date is Aug. 4, from 5-8 p.m. Find the announcement online at https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/lititzpd/11450/post/lititz-endless-summer-national-night-out-event.
9) Pennsylvania congregations aim to donate thousands of shoes
“Members of this Lewistown congregation have a whole lot of soul–or to be more accurate, soles,” said The Sentinel newspaper, reporting on the 500 pairs of shoes that Maitland Church of the Brethren in Lewistown, Pa., has donated for Soles4Souls. The church members more than doubled their goal to collect 200. “The new or lightly used shoes were delivered to the already growing pile of shoes at the Pine Glen Church of the Brethren recently to provide relief, help create jobs, and empower people to break the cycle of poverty through the selling of shoes in developing countries,” the report said. “When 25,000 pairs are collected at Pine Glen Church of the Brethren, a truck will pick them up for delivery to Sole4Soles.” Read the article at www.lewistownsentinel.com/news/religion/2021/07/a-lot-of-sole.
10) West Shore Church of the Brethren hosts free gospel concerts
West Shore Church of the Brethren in Enola, Pa., is hosting free Gospel Concerts in the sanctuary on Sunday, Aug. 1, from 5-7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 29, for the 11 a.m. worship service (Eastern time). The church also has announced that it is now open for in-person worship, Sunday school, Wednesday noon Bible study and prayer meeting, and other regular meetings in person. West Shore continues to Facebook livestream and post the video of the scripture reading and message from each worship service.
11) Brethren bits
— Prayer requests:
From South Sudan comes a new request for prayer from Taban Patrick Liberio following a July 22 break-in and attack by robbers at the Moti Peace Center for Brethren Global Service, also known as the Church of the Brethren Peace Center in Torit. Liberio serves as agriculture officer for the center. Renewed prayer also is urgently needed for the release of Global Mission staff Athanasus Ungang. The local authorities have cast their net wide in attempting to locate the unknown assailants who murdered a church leader some weeks ago, and in doing so have continued to hold for questioning Ungang and other church leaders and colleagues.
A prayer concern for the growing number and intensity of wildfires in the northwest was shared this week by Pacific Northwest District’s Debbie Roberts, who has been on the leadership team for the district. On July 20 she shared concern for the new Inkaneep Creek wildfire, which started earlier this week and grew quickly from 7 1/2 acres to thousands of acres. It is in view of the home of Daniel Klayton, pastor of the Whitestone congregation and the district administrator, in the Canadian border town of Osoyoos, about 20 miles north of Tonasket, Wash. He and his family were up all night waiting to see if they would need to evacuate, watching “huge plumes of fire, easily 30-plus feet tall and just all over and down the mountainside. Ground crews overnight kept it just away from the residential development.” That next morning, helicopters and airplanes began dropping water and retardant. “Winds are up today so we’re all praying for control and for the lives of firefighters, residents, and tourists,” Roberts wrote. “Here in Tonasket we’re getting smoke and a little ash, and all holding our breath that it will be under control soon. May we pray for safety and wellbeing for Daniel and Savannah in particular and for those affected by this fire and other fires during this precarious fire season. Fire crews are working around the clock and are seeing plumes of smoke and fire that are unprecedented. From the Red Apple fire in Wenatchee (which looks to be now 80 percent contained) to this newest one, we find ourselves worried as we wonder what the new summer fire normal is in our Pacific northwest mountains.”
— A collection of historical photos of the construction of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been posted online by the Illinois Digital Archives. The photos were provided by the Brethren Historical Library and Archives. Gail Borden Library, the public library in Elgin, also was involved as part of its project to collect and digitize historical photos of various parts of the city. View the collection at www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/newgailbord01/id/38806.
— Ecumenical Advocacy Days is hiring a conference coordinator for the April 2022 Virtual Advocacy Days event. The coordinator will build on the dynamic tradition established by previous annual meetings and be committed to facilitating an ongoing exploration of ways to make the 2022 event and future conferences even more exciting and powerful, with the goal of expanding impact on the domestic and international policies addressed. Experience in working with ecumenical relations and faith-based organizations, a working knowledge of the denominational church world, and familiarity with Christian theology is a plus. The coordinator is a contracted position from Sept. 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022, with the possibility of an extension for future conferences as budget allows. The contractual payment for this period is within the range of $55,000-$70,000, depending on experience. The application deadline is Aug. 13. For the full job description and how to apply, go to https://advocacydays.org/2021/07/21/ead-seeking-conference-coordinator-for-april-2022-virtual-advocacy-days-event.
— Paul Stump, who turns 100 this September, has been lauded in the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune for his volunteer work for Pine Creek Church of the Brethren. For more than 65 years, he has been devoting “his skill, experience, and dedication to his community church, where he works to maintain the grounds,” the article said. “Almost every Wednesday, Stump crosses the road to the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren to take care of the lawn with a tractor and mower. The grounds include over 30 acres of land, and the process takes about four hours. A church volunteer who helps Stump and has known him for two decades, Dave Hostetler, remains impressed by Stump’s drive. He described Stump as quiet, wise, and hard-working. ‘He’s a super guy,’ Hostetler said.” Read the full article at www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/2021/07/19/north-liberty-man-almost-100-still-drives-tractor-mower-church/7937380002.
Newsline is the email news service of the Church of the Brethren. Inclusion in Newsline does not necessarily convey endorsement by the Church of the Brethren. All submissions are subject to editing. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Contributors to this issue include Jeff Boshart, Sherry Chastain, Chris Douglas, Nathan Hosler, Marcos Inhauser, Taban Patrick Liberio, Wendy McFadden, Eric Miller, Nancy Miner, Beth Nonemaker, Debbie Roberts, Roy Winter, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. Please send news tips and submissions to cobnews@brethren.org . Find the Newsline archive at www.brethren.org/news . Sign up for Newsline and other Church of the Brethren email newsletters and make subscription changes at www.brethren.org/intouch . Unsubscribe by using the link at the top of any Newsline email.
Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Annual Conference 2024 invites Church of the Brethren to gather in Grand Rapids
- Annual Conference officers return query regarding congregational latitude on matters of human sexuality
- Silent Auction to benefit translation expenses and the general Annual Conference budget
- Mission and Ministry Board completes Kingian Nonviolence training, works at envisioning
- Leadership Team issues clarification on On Earth Peace membership with Supportive Communities Network