“We hope you will join us this summer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 3-7, 2024, for the 237th recorded Annual Conference,” said an invitation from the Conference office.
This summer’s annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren will gather around the theme “Welcome and Worthy” (Romans 16:2, CEB) with leadership from moderator Madalyn Metzger assisted by moderator-elect Dava Hensley and Conference secretary David Shumate. The Program and Arrangements Committee also includes Jacob Crouse, Nathan Hollenberg, and Gail Heisel, with Rhonda Pittman Gingrich as the Conference director.
The Conference offers a full schedule of worship, equipping sessions, meal events, age-group activities, concerts, tours, and more. The event is open to families and people of all ages, and childcare is offered. Registration and full details are at www.brethren.org/ac2024.
The business agenda
The ballot: Candidates for moderator-elect are Don Fitzkee of Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, who is a pastor of worship and a former chair of the Mission and Ministry Board, and Gene Hollenberg of Union Center Church of the Brethren in Nappanee, Ind., who is executive director of Camp Alexander Mack in Milford, Ind. For the full ballot see www.brethren.org/news/2024/fitzkee-hollenberg-head-2024-ballot.
Unfinished business:
Query: Standing with People of Color: The committee is bringing an interim report.
Query: Breaking Down Barriers-Increasing Access to Denominational Events: The committee is bringing an interim report.
Request for an Annual Conference Study on Calling Denominational Leadership: The committee is bringing an interim report.
New business:
Mandate for the 2025-2027 Review and Evaluation Committee: The Standing Committee of district delegates is bringing a proposed new mandate for the Review and Evaluation Committee, which will be elected next year, in 2025. That committee is called in the fifth year of each decade to review and evaluate the organizational structures and procedures of the denomination. The committee is to make its report, with any recommendations of organizational change, to the Annual Conference in the seventh year of the decade.
Recommendation for a One-time Change in Tenure for Review and Evaluation Committee: The Standing Committee is recommending that the tenure of the Review and Evaluation Committee be changed from two years to four, with the option to report sooner. Standing Committee foresees the need for the Review and Evaluation Committee to develop organizational changes and related polity adjustments that will require considerable time for research, discussion, deliberation, and discernment, and likely an organizational transition plan.
Housing Equity Fund Recommendations: The Housing Equity Fund was created in 1975 as a savings fund to enable pastors living in parsonages to purchase their own homes after leaving the parsonage. Originally created as a mutual fund account, the fund created unhelpful tax consequences for participants. The recommendation is to invest the fund in a qualified church retirement plan such as the Eder Retirement Plan. The fund currently serves 29 pastors.
Query: A New Model of Denominational Structure: This query from Miami (Fla.) Haitian Church of the Brethren and Atlantic Southeast District notes “serious conflict and division around issues of human sexuality and biblical authority” in the denomination, cites several groups that it contends are experiencing frustration in particular, and states that “many want to continue to embrace basic Brethren beliefs and practices but feel alienated from the denomination.” It asks, “How might a new model of denominational structure support growth and vitality; address the issues that threaten the unity and viability of our beloved denomination; and offer hope to individuals and congregations who are contemplating separation from the Church of the Brethren?”
Proposed Memorandum of Understanding Updating Polity for Bethany Theological Seminary: Brought by the board of trustees of the seminary, which is an Annual Conference agency, this document restates the board membership and composition and will serve as polity until new agency covenants are in place.
Proposed Update of Polity Related to On Earth Peace: Brought by the board of On Earth Peace, which is an Annual Conference agency, this updates polity for the operation of the board in light of the extended process to create new agency covenants. The document outlines the relationship between Annual Conference and On Earth Peace.
Recommended Cost of Living Adjustment to the Minimum Cash Salary Table for Pastors: The Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee will bring a recommended percentage cost of living increase.
The full text of business items are available at www.brethren.org/ac2024/business.
The preachers for daily worship
Wednesday, July 3: Moderator Madalyn Metzger
Thursday, July 4: Greg Broyles, pastor of Germantown Brick Church of the Brethren, Rocky Mount, Va.
Friday, July 5: Brandon Grady, pastor of Black Rock Church of the Brethren, Glenville, Pa.
Saturday, July 6: Leonard M. Dow, vice president of Community and Church Development for Everence® and previously pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
Sunday, July 7: Cindy Laprade Lattimer a team pastor at Stone Church of the Brethren, Huntingdon, Pa.
The worship team includes Nathan Hollenberg from the Program and Arrangements Committee; Founa Augustin Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries for the denomination; Calvin Park of Knoxville, Md.; and Amber Harris of Winston-Salem, N.C. The music coordinator is Seth Crissman of Harrisonburg, Va. The choir director is Julie Richard of Finksburg, Md. The pianist is Jocelyn Watkins of East Peoria, Ill. The organist is Robin Risser Mundey of Frederick, Md. The children’s choir director is Stephanie Rappatta of Elkhart, Ind.
Special events
Concert: Friends with the Weather is the featured concert, to be held at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. Friends with the Weather is a project of a trio of singer-songwriters and instrumentalists including Seth Hendricks, Chris Good, and David Hupp. Many will recognize the trio as former members of the band Mutual Kumquat.
Tours: A bus tour to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is offered on the morning of Thursday, July 4. Ticket price is $32. The park is a 158-acre botanical garden, art museum, and outdoor sculpture park located on the east side of Grand Rapids.
Fireworks: The city of Grand Rapids will hold its 4th of July fireworks over the river on Saturday night, July 6, at 10:30 p.m., launching from a barge on the river near the convention center where the Conference will be meeting.
Witness to the Host City: Two organizations will benefit from Conferencegoers’ donations and volunteer service: Kids’ Food Basket, which works to increase access to healthy food for children and families with a goal of “realizing a hunger-free West Michigan for all”; and Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which is a group of volunteers dedicated to building and delivering bunk beds to children and families in need, with the belief that “a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs.” Find out how to take part at www.brethren.org/ac2024/activities/host-city-witness.
Ministers Association: This pre-Conference event for Church of the Brethren ministers is planned for July 2-3 with Frank A. Thomas, professor of homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., speaking on “Listening for the Sound of the Genuine.” Find out more and register at www.brethren.org/ministryoffice.
Virtual nondelegate registration option
An option will again be offered to nondelegates to participate in the Conference virtually. Registration for this option is available through July 7. New this year is an option for groups or institutions to register and enjoy the convenience of the virtual platform as a group.
Go to www.brethren.org/ac2024 for more information about the 2024 Annual Conference and to register to attend.
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