Reporting from the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, NRSVue).
Quotes of the day:
“Keep telling the stories [of Jesus in the Neighborhood]. They will help us keep our disagreements in perspective.” — Annual Conference moderator David Sollenberger in his opening remarks to the Standing Committee of district delegates on Friday, July 8.
“Let us step into God’s call for us and our denomination. Let us embrace one another…through joining our spirits, joining our prayers.” — Standing Committee member Jennifer Quijano West of Atlantic Northeast District, leading Standing Committee’s morning devotions on Friday, July 8.
“Many times we become hurried and lose patience and wonder why we don’t see a favorable result.” — Standing Committee member David Young, offering devotions on the morning of Saturday, July 9. His devotions was titled “Embrace Patience,” inspired by advice in the book of Ephesians to seek “patience, bearing with one another in love.”
Find our first photo albums from Omaha at https://www.brethren.org/photos/nggallery/annual-conference-2022. Expect more photos each day of the Conference to appear at this same link.
Look for daily issues of Newsline reporting on the Annual Conference, tomorrow through Thursday, July 14.
Pre-Conference meetings take place in Omaha ahead of the Church of the Brethren’s 2022 Conference
The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference for 2022 officially begins tomorrow evening, Sunday, July 10, with opening worship. The Conference continues through Thursday morning, July 14. It is taking place in Omaha, Neb., in the CHI Health Center convention center and the adjacent Hilton Omaha hotel.
However, before the Conference starts, pre-Conference gatherings have already been happening.
Standing Committee: The Standing Committee of district delegates to Annual Conference has been meeting since Thursday evening, July 7, and continues its meetings into tomorrow morning. It already has made recommendations on several of the new business items and queries coming to this Conference, and has acted on some other items of business, in the midst of many hours of discussion. This committee of delegates from the 24 Church of the Brethren districts, is presided over by Conference moderator David Sollenberger, moderator-elect Tim McElwee, and secretary James M. Beckwith. A full report on the Standing Committee business sessions will appear in tomorrow’s issue of Newsline.
Council of District Executives: While their district representatives have been meeting with the Standing Committee, the district executive ministers have been holding their own meetings, starting Friday, July 8, and continuing through the morning of Sunday, July10.
Mission and Ministry Board: The Church of the Brethren’s denominational board began its pre-Conference meetings today with executive committee meetings. The full board meets tomorrow morning and afternoon, Sunday, July 10.
Brethren Ministers Association: This association of the Church of the Brethren credentialed ministers holds its annual pre-Conference continuing education event on the topic “Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change” with leadership from guest speaker Tod Bolsinger. He is vice president and chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and was a keynote presenter at the 2021 Annual Conference. Alongside the Ministers Association, the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is offering a Directed Independent Study course for students in the TRIM and EFSM programs.
Also gathering and beginning their work in advance of the Conference:
The Annual Conference officers–moderator David Sollenberger, moderator elect Tim McElwee, and secretary James Beckwith–and Conference director Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, with the elected members of the Program and Arrangements Committee for this year: Carol Hipps Elmore, Beth Jarrett, and Nathan Hollenberg.
The Conference onsite coordinators, worship team and musicians, and many other volunteers and staff who make the Church of the Brethren’s “big meeting” happen.
The Annual Conference press team includes photographers Glenn Riegel, Donna Parcell, Keith Hollenberg; writers Frances Townsend, Frank Ramirez; website staff Jan Fischer Bachman, Russ Otto; and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. 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. 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