Brethren bits

— Remembrance: Joan Pelletier, 90, a former longterm employee of the Church of the Brethren denomination, died Nov. 24 at the Sheridan at Tyler Creek in Elgin, Ill. She was born Sept. 10, 1933, in Peoria, Ill., the daughter of Azariah Martin and Mathilda “Tillie” Clara (nee Loeffelbein) Christy. While attending Bradley University, she met Orv Pelletier, to whom she was married for nearly 67 years. They moved to Elgin in 1957, where she worked at the Elgin District Office of the United Methodist Church. She began her work at the Church of the Brethren General Offices as a secretary in the former Parish Ministries Commission in April 1984. In April 1987 she accepted the position of administrative assistant in Parish Ministries. In July 1997 she became secretary for the former Congregational Life Ministries, a position she held until her retirement in May 2003. She was a dedicated community volunteer throughout her adult life. She served as a Girl Scout leader, worked on many school committees, and held numerous board and leadership positions with the Sherman Hospital Auxiliary, Junior Service Board, Meals on Wheels, Elgin Crop Walk, YWCA, Elgin Symphony League, P.E.O., and Matheans. She actively advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment and was instrumental in founding the All People’s Interfaith Food Pantry in Elgin. She was preceded in death by her husband, Orville Richard Pelletier, and is survived by son Richard M. (Jane) Pelletier, daughter Patricia J. (Gary) Petersen, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life service was held Dec. 2 at Cornerstone United Methodist Church (formerly Faith UMC) of Elgin, where she was an active member. Memorials are received to Cornerstone United Methodist Church, the YWCA of Elgin, and the Alzheimer’s Association. A full obituary is at www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/elgin-courier-news/name/joan-pelletier-obituary.

— The Church of the Brethren’s Western Plains District is seeking a half-time district executive minister to serve its 36 congregations in four states–New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. The district is a geographically dispersed and theologically diverse group of Brethren disciples seeking to serve together as the body of Christ. This is a position of approximately 25 hours per week. The office location is negotiable. Travel is required both in and out of the district. Responsibilities include directing, coordinating, managing, and leading the district ministries; providing a strong emphasis on missional church and Jesus in the Neighborhood, Compelling Vision-focused leadership; working with congregations in calling and credentialing ministers and in placing, calling, and evaluating pastors; overseeing the well-being of congregations and ministers; providing an important link between congregations, the district, and the denomination by working collaboratively with the Council of District Executives, Annual Conference and its agencies, and their staff. Required qualifications and experience include ordination through an accredited program, with a master of divinity preferred; skills in organization, administration, and communication; commitment to the Church of the Brethren locally and denominationally; willingness to work ecumenically; demonstrated leadership skills; five to ten years of pastoral experience preferred. Apply by sending a letter of interest and resume to Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, Director of Ministry, by email to officeofministry@brethren.org. Applicants are requested to contact three people to provide a letter of reference. Upon receipt of a resume, a candidate profile will be sent that must be completed and returned before the application is considered complete. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The full position description is at www.brethren.org/about/employment.

— A number of church-related organizations and groups are providing Advent resources:

From Brethren Press: All Things New by Kevin Kessler is the seasonal devotional for Advent 2023. This paperback, pocket-sized book is suitable for individual use and for churches to give to their members. “Advent is a season of the church year in which we are reminded that God listens,” said an announcement. “Pleas and prayers were answered when God arrived among us in Jesus, the name which means God is my help. The daily scripture readings in this devotional offer a glimpse of humanity’s desire for change, for a new identity. As you hear the yearning of people in these readings…you may be reminded of your desire for renewal, restoration, redemption, revival.” Purchase at www.brethrenpress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=8488

From On Earth Peace: An online Advent calendar is part of the kick-off of the On Earth Peace 50th Anniversary celebration. The calendar invites “us to consider the call to peacemaking as we anticipate the celebration of Christmas,” said an announcement. The calendar features poetry by On Earth Peace fellow Anesu Makufa, photos from On Earth Peace’s 50 years, invitations to join On Earth Peace’s current work, and worship resources including children’s stories, music, and reflections. Find a link at www.facebook.com/onearthpeace.

From Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT): “As many Christian communities anticipate Advent, join us daily to discover profiles of Palestinians who embody resistance through impactful art, music, and poetry,” said an invitation from CPT, which has placed teams of peacemakers in the West Bank for decades. Each day of this online Advent calendar reveals diverse contributions from CPT’s volunteer teams. The calendar is offered in English and in Spanish. Go to https://cpt.org/advent.

From Churches for Middle East Peace: “In Everlasting Light, Justice Shines” is the title for an Advent devotional series. “In this time of tragedy in Palestine and Israel, join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) in lamenting for the region this Advent season through this Advent devotional series,” said an announcement. The series is available as devotional booklet for purchase by individuals and church groups. Find out more on the CMEP blog at https://cmep.org/blog/p4p.

From the Global Women’s Project: “Advent is now upon us and beginning on December 1, we invite you to take time for reflection as you spend time with our Advent Calendar, a new design of the Wise Women by Jessie Long,” said an announcement. “While meditating on the day’s theme, color in the shapes labeled with the day’s number and the color listed in the reflection, or you can choose your own colors.” The group invites year-end donations sent “with gratitude for the luxuries in your life.” Request the Advent coloring calendar by sending an email to cobgwp@gmail.com.

— A series of short videos of conversations with Howard Royer, produced by David Sollenberger, have been published online by Messenger, the Church of the Brethren magazine. Royer is a former editor of Messenger who served on the denominational staff of the Church of the Brethren filling a wide variety of jobs for 50 consecutive years from 1953-2003, followed by eight years as part-time manager for the Global Food Crisis Fund (now Global Food Initiative). He started his career in the church as a 1-W conscientious objector and volunteer in stewardship, then filled successive roles as youth editor, news director, Messenger editor, coordinator of a salvation and justice program, and director of interpretation. Find the videos at www.brethren.org/messenger/reflections/conversations-with-howard-royer.

— Two Church of the Brethren members–Drew G. I. Hart and Gimbiya Kettering–are among the editors of a significant new academic volume on the topic of reparations, titled Reparations and the Theological Disciplines: Prophetic Voices for Remembrance, Reckoning, and Repair edited by Michael Barram, Drew G. I. Hart, Gimbiya Kettering, and Michael J. Rhodes (Lexington Books, 2023).

Hart is associate professor of theology at Messiah University and program director of Thriving Together Congregations for Racial Justice. Kettering is a writer and workshop leader whose work focuses on the intersections of race, religion, and political policy.

Contributors include the editors along with Stacy Davis, Curtiss Paul DeYoung, Malcolm Foley, Michael J. Gorman, Renee K. Harrison, Jim Bear Jacobs, Duke L. Kwon, Mark Labberton, Christina McRorie, Mako A. Nagasawa, Pamela R. Ngunjiri, Angela N. Parker, Rodney S. Sadler Jr., Matthew Schlimm, Joseph Downing Thompson Jr., and Ekemini Uwan.

“What makes reparations for entrenched inequity so urgent in our society is that it is the place where the hard question of economics and the hard questions of race converge,” wrote Walter Brueggemann, a renowned Old Testament scholar, in his review of the book. “It is abundantly clear that nothing less than reparations are required for our society to move toward peaceable, generative wellbeing. For this reason, this book is both welcome and urgent. It is welcome because it mobilizes in a most compelling way the inescapable evidence in our deepest theological tradition on behalf of reparations. It is urgent because the church, for the sake of the body politic, must be awakened to the requirements and possibilities latent in our tradition. The book makes it possible that the issue of reparations can be seriously and honestly taken up in local communities that are willing to engage the resources of our shared faith.”

The book is available in hardback and ebook formats. Go to https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666922479/Reparations-and-the-Theological-Disciplines-Prophetic-Voices-for-Remembrance-Reckoning-and-Repair. For more information and a discount code go to Kettering’s website, www.gimbiyakettering.com.