Today at NOAC 2023 – Tuesday, Sept. 5 – “…What God Has Done”

“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:16-18, NRSVue).

Find today’s NOAC photo album at https://churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com/NOAC2023/Tuesday-September-5. A new album is planned for each day this week, and additional photos will be added as they become available.

Today was the first full day of the Church of the Brethren National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) 2023. The day started with early morning devotions and continued with Bible study and a keynote presentation. After lunch were a variety of choices of activities, from workshops to bus tours to workshops, arts and crafts, recreation, and more. The evening worship was followed by an ice cream social sponsored by Bethany Seminary and a talent show sponsored by Brethren Volunteer Service.

“Our nation is built on a history of white Christian nationalism. . . . If we don’t understand this history we are never going to be able to fix it. . . . The United States of America needs a national dialogue on race, gender, and class on par with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Only [here] it should be called Truth and Conciliation Commission.”

— Mark Charles, the day’s keynote speaker, bringing a powerful review of how the history of Christianity has led and fed into white Christian nationalism in the United States. His topic, “For 2,000 Years the Holy Spirit Has Been Calling the Church to Do a New Thing, and It’s Radically Inclusive,” also called for consideration of how Jesus turned away from empire and political power because his goal was not to rule the world, but to build the church. Charles is a speaker, writer, and consultant, who teaches about the complexities of American and church history regarding race, culture and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation. The son of an American woman and a Navajo man, he is a leading authority on the Doctrine of Discovery and co-authored with Soong-Chan Rah the book Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.

“Personal piety and social transformation go hand in hand. It’s not one or the other. They fit together…. They belong together and that’s our challenge.”

— Christina Bucher, who led the morning Bible studies with Bob Neff. The two are co-authors of the new book from Brethren Press on Luke-Acts. Bucher is emerita professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. Neff is an Old Testament scholar who taught at Bethany Seminary in a long career that included serving as general secretary of the Church of the Brethren and president of Juniata College, among other leadership positions. Later in the presentation that focused on Mary the mother of Jesus, and her song the Magnificat, Neff added, “It’s really interesting that Luke frames his gospel with women who believe and men who do not.”

“However God calls you, he will always reveal it to you. How will you know? If you have a hunger that others do not have.”

— Christina Singh, pastor of Freeport (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, the day’s preacher, speaking about the call to follow Jesus. Born and raised in India to Hindu parents, she shared her story of finding Jesus as a young girl, and her struggle to leave her family and become a Christian. She claims her Freeport congregation as her family, and the wider Church of the Brethren as well. She is a graduate of Bethany Seminary and recently completed a term on the Mission and Ministry Board of the Church of the Brethren.