— Registration is open for the Young Adult Conference (YAC) taking place May 24-26 at Shepherd’s Spring Camp and Retreat Center near Sharpsburg, Md., for ages 18 to 35. The Youth and Young Adult Ministry office is extending the late fee deadline to next Wednesday, May 8. After that date, a late fee of $50 will be added to the registration fee. Go to www.brethren.org/yya/yac.
— The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership seeks a bilingual writing coach to assist domestic and international students to improve writing and editing skills in order to help them succeed in nongraduate certificate level ministry training programs. This is an opening for an independent contractor, who may work remotely, with payment to be made upon submission of monthly invoices. Both parties will agree on an hourly rate at the start of each academic fiscal year. Required skills and knowledge include, among others, an undergraduate degree with a preference for a degree in ministry studies, fluency in English and Spanish, ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal formats, excellent skills in writing and editing and critical thinking, and a commitment to the vision and mission of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. The successful candidate will have a knowledge of academic institutions, possess computer skills relevant to word processing, and demonstrate an ability to helpfully work with students of varying levels of writing ability. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and will be accepted until the position is filled. Apply by sending a resume, letter of interest, and contact information for three references by e-mail to Janet L. Ober Lambert, Director, Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, 615 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374; oberlja@bethanyseminary.edu. Bethany Seminary’s policy prohibits discrimination in employment opportunities or practices with regard to race, gender, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or religion. Find the full job description at https://bethanyseminary.edu/jobs/bilingual-writing-coach.
A note to readers: If you, your congregation, or your district have been reaching out in support to students who are witnessing for peace on a college or university campus, please send a note sharing that information with Newsline, and include any photos that may be available. Please send by email to cobnews@brethren.org.
— Church of the Brethren partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria have shared alerts about ongoing violence that affects church members:
From the DRC, Ron Lubungo wrote that bombs or mortars suspected to have been dropped by the M23 rebels killed at least 8 people and injured around 10 people on Friday, May 3, on the outskirts of Goma, at the Lushagala site of a camp for displaced people. The Congolese army was exchanging fire with the rebels. “This incident aroused the anger of the displaced people who have spent several months in this site,” he wrote, adding that people barricaded a road and tensions remained high in the area.
In Nigeria, in early April the activities of Boko Haram and kidnappers were reported to be increasing and attacks had been suffered by a number of communities including Tarfa in the church district of Kwajaffa, where houses were burned down, and Kwapul, in the Chibok area, as well as Kidlindila and Lassa, where three people were killed on their farm. The report received from the outgoing director of the disaster ministry of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), Yuguda Mdurvwa, also added concern for the kidnappings for ransom of large groups of people in recent months, in which dozens, or even hundreds of students and women and children have been abducted in various parts of the country. He also reported that the borehole drilling project is continuing in nine communities, and that a new focus on scholarships and livelihoods as well as house repairs, food security, and water, is in the works by the disaster relief ministry.
Also in Nigeria, another of the women who was abducted from a school in Chibok 10 years ago this April has been rescued from her captors, according to media reports. On April 18, Lydia Simon was rescued by the Nigerian military in the Gwoza area, along with her three children who were born in captivity. Read the report from the Guardian at www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/18/nigeria-woman-rescued-10-years-after-kidnap-boko-haram-chibok.
— Founa Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries for the Church of the Brethren, will lead an ethnic leaders gathering in Atlantic Northeast District on Saturday, May 4, hosted at Wyomissing (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. She will bring a presentation on “Clergy Mental Health.”
— “Faith X Serving Portland, Oregon: Going Beyond the Comfort Zone” is the title of the May episode of “Brethren Voices,” a community television program produced by Ed Groff and Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren. Faith X is the short-term service program of Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) and the Church of the Brethren. A group of Faith X volunteers from around the country served in Portland for a week in May 2023. They worked at SnowCap Community Charities, which assists families with emergency food and clothing needs. During non-work hours, they were able to explore the Portland area, and the beautiful Multnomah Falls, venturing as far as the Oregon Coast to view the Pacific Ocean. In this episode, volunteers interview each other about their motivations for taking a trip with Faith X and the experience of being “out of their comfort zones.” “Brethren Voices” episodes are at www.youtube.com/brethrenvoices.
— The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in partnership with Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren hosted a retreat of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (below). It was the first in-person annual retreat of the group in four years. “It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and meet with people from our faith-based advocacy community in DC,” said the office’s newsletter.
— Bethany Seminary’s president Jeff Carter has had an article published in In Trust, the magazine of the Center for Theological Schools. The spring issue includes “The Gathered Community: Doubling Down on Technology to Foster Relationships and Formation” by Carter. “This article is a testament to Bethany’s role as a leader in the use of technology to create a robust learning environment for students who are studying at a distance,” said a release from the seminary. Read the article at www.intrust.org/in-trust-magazine/issues/spring-2024/present-moment.
— University of La Verne (Calif.) president Pardis Mahdavi has been welcomed onto the Lumina Foundation’s Board of Directors. “This foundation works to ensure 60 percent of adults have a college degree, certificate, industry certification, or other credential of value by 2025. Additionally, the foundation seeks to be inclusive of Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adults whose educational opportunities are often limited,” said a release from the university. “In addition to being a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow at the Social Sciences Research Council, the American Council at Learned Societies, Google Ideas, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Mahdavi is also an accomplished author with seven books. Her addition into the Lumina Foundation’s Board of Directors is a step toward making education accessible for adults across the United States. For the next four years of her term, she will continue learning and developing techniques to make educational spaces more inclusive and equitable; and will no doubt continue to improve the education and opportunities at the University of La Verne and beyond.” Learn more at www.laverne.edu.
— McPherson (Kan.) College has announced its Citation of Merit award recipients for 2024 who include Church of the Brethren members Larry and Sandee (Hoover) Kitzel of Arriba, Colo., and Sigrid Wagner Horner of Lincoln, Neb., alongside Ron and Rita (Smallwood) Harden of Loveland, Colo. The recipients were honored at a dinner on April 26.
The Kitzels are active at Bethel Church of the Brethren in Arriba. They have volunteered for Brethren Disaster Ministries and have been Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) workers in retirement. Larry Kitzel formerly taught in the music department at McPherson College for 34 years, before retiring in 2004. Sandee Kitzel is a graduate of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and served as pastor of Monitor Church of the Brethren in Kansas for 10 years before retiring. She has served on the board of directors of The Cedars, a church-related retirement community in McPherson, and also served on the board of Western Plains District.
Horner was born in Herford, Germany, and moved to the US in 1956 with her parents through the Church World Service (CWS) refugee resettlement program. They were sponsored by the Ullom family and the Church of the Brethren congregation in Wiley, Colo. She retained membership in the Church of Brethren even when there were no churches nearby and is active today at Antelope Park Church of the Brethren in Lincoln. With her husband, Charles, she managed Camp Colorado and helped direct camp, counsel, and cook for Camp Mount Hermon and Camp Colorado. They also have volunteered for Brethren Disaster Ministries. She served on the McPherson College board 1993 to 2001 and was on the Alumni Board for seven years, serving as president for one year. She is retired from longterm service as a high school teacher of German and English in the Lincoln School District. She received the Joseph Meschede Award of Excellence for service to the German-American Society in 2023.
— The Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony, “the largest Israeli-Palestinian peace event in history,” is planned for May 12 at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern time), with sponsorship from Church for Middle East Peace, among others. CMEP is a partner organization of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The online event will feature presentations by Israeli and Palestinian artists and speakers, organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle–Families Forum. The theme for this 19th joint memorial ceremony is “Sharing Our Humanity. Honoring Our Children. Stop the War.” Said a CMEP release, “Especially now, when the world seems so dark, the ceremony offers us hope to remember the sanctity of all life and a way to heal together,” said a release from CMEP. Register and find more information at https://parentscirclefriends.org/2024memorial.
— “You’re invited! Watch the new CPT documentary Light,” said an invitation from Community Peacemaker Teams to an online premiere event and discussion on May 18. The documentary film titled simply Light steps into the shoes of the CPT-Palestine team for a day of their work as human rights observers in the occupied West Bank, including Al-Khalil/Hebron city where they accompany Palestinian school students through checkpoints, and visit a family in Tel Rumeida in the H2 area and Umm Al-Khair village in the South Hebron Hills, among other activities. “Feel the stress, fear, and anxiety, but also the solidarity, love, and empowerment in their stories,” said the announcement. “Explore the old city’s streets, buildings, and the breathtaking nature of the South Hebron Hills. This film will leave you feeling hopeful and inspired to advocate for Palestinian rights. Join us on this journey…. In this place where all other elements are controlled and rationed, perhaps our light is the one thing that cannot be taken.” The invitation from CPT is to watch the film on your own time and then join an online conversations and virtual “backstage director’s pass” with the current CPT-Palestine team and film director Ahmad Abu Monshar on May 18. Go to https://cpt.org.
— “And God Saw that It Was Good” is the title of a May 7 webinar kicking off a four-session summer course offered by Creation Justice Ministries to accompany Ken Burns’ award-winning film The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. “This summer, explore the spiritual significance of our national parks and the deep connections we feel within them in this unique four-session online program,” said an announcement, which noted that the course is appropriate for individuals or small groups. “Over four self-paced parts, you’ll explore how the national parks can teach us about our relationship with both Divine Mystery and Earth.” Sign up by May 7 to join the online, live kickoff event with Beth Norcross, executive director of The Center for Spirituality in Nature, and Avery Davis Lamb, co-executive director of Creation Justice Ministries. Course materials open on May 7 and will be available on-demand after that date. Go to www.centerforspiritualityinnature.org/spirituality-in-national-parks.
— Mary Gough of Nokesville (Va.) Church of the Brethren is this year’s Nokesville Day Citizen of the Year. A lifelong resident of the community, whose family has been in Nokesville for generations, she is known “for her hard work on the farm and dedication to a variety of voluntary activities,” said an announcement. Among other activities, she still drives her tractor, including in Nokesville parades, does canning and quilting, sings in the church choir, is the Martha Early Circle president, has held all the Homemakers Club offices, and has been an active member of the PWFC Farm Bureau including being a Farm Woman of the Year nominee. Her involvement with the Prince William County Fair started in 1967, and she has served as superintendent and has judged home arts. She has been married to her husband, Alden Gough, for 65 years and they have four sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. “Congratulations and we love you Mary!” said a message from her congregation.
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