Brethren bits

— Meyersdale (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its church building this weekend. “It was about 175 years ago that the Meyersdale Church of the Brethren was built in the small community of Meyers Mill. It was 100 years ago that the first church service was held in its current church building,” said a report from the Daily American, reposted on AOL. Senior pastor Eric Shaulis was quoted: “Celebrating 100 years in our current church building and over 175 years as a congregation in Meyersdale fills us with joy and gratitude. This milestone is a testament to our faith, commitment, and love that has sustained us through generations.” Find the article at www.aol.com/meyersdale-church-brethren-celebrating-100th-083923127.html.

— The Shenandoah District Disaster Ministries Auction and Sale is underway this weekend at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg, Va., on Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18. Proceeds from these annual events provide financial resources to send volunteers to rebuild homes in designated disaster areas worldwide and assist with critical home repairs in this region. Funds also support the creation of clean-up buckets and school and hygiene kits, which Church World Service distributes when disasters strike.

— The annual Brethren Open Golf Tournament will be held Aug. 13 at Iron Masters in Roaring Spring, Pa. “This is one of the biggest fundraisers for Camp Blue Diamond and Middle PA District,” said a district announcement. “Proceeds are shared from this event and are used to support ministry training, youth events and summer camp. Your donation of $90 includes a round of golf, cart, snacks, free gifts, dinner and chance to win lots of prizes–including the $20,000 hole-in-one. Team prizes and skill prizes.” Find a registration form at https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AExgY4XYn2k%5F8Z4&id=2A479D546C1CBE84%2177670&cid=2A479D546C1CBE84&parId=root&parQt=sharedby&o=OneUp. To express interest in helping sponsor or donating a prize for the event, contact the district office at 814-643-0601.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) issued a public statement on Friday, May 17, calling on President Biden and his administration “to do all that he can to advance efforts toward peace instead of war and further militarization that increases violence and causes immeasurable death and destruction.” CMEP is a partner organization of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The statement continued, in part: “The United States government must do all that is possible to protect and preserve human life, especially innocent civilians, to honor and protect the humanity of all people who are created in the image of God instead of enabling more actions that will inevitably lead to more suffering, inhumanity, and pain. We call on President Biden to put an end to empty rhetoric and be consistent in holding Israel accountable for its continual violations of human rights in Gaza…. CMEP calls on the Biden administration to be consistent, insistent, and transparent in enforcing U.S. law and to cease shipments of weapons of all kinds to Israel. Now is the time for President Biden to advance a holistic and consistent approach that will help bring about an end to the destruction of Gaza and an end to the death of the Palestinian people there for the sake of Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans.”

In another recent statement, CMEP also called for protection of student peace protesters. The statement said, in part: “Many of the groups are also using their encampments to highlight that: many Palestinians in Gaza have been killed or injured including students and academics, most Palestinians in Gaza are displaced and living in tents, all of Gaza’s universities have been destroyed, and Palestinian academics in Israel are being targeted for harassment. Churches for Middle East Peace admires the students’ commitment to highlighting the realities unfolding in Gaza.”

Find links to read both statements in full at https://cmep.org/press/public-statements.

— “This Conscientious Objector’s Day, we celebrate the launch of our first issue of Agape: A Peacemaking Guide for Kids,” said an announcement from On Earth Peace’s Marie Rhoades. “This magazine is for children in our constituency age 8-12 who are eager to learn more about peacemaking. Our first issue focuses on Resisting War. We are so excited to share this digital publication…. The Agape magazine series will introduce you to how you can resist war, make peace, and pursue justice. We look forward to exploring these ideas together as we work toward our dream.” Find out more at www.onearthpeace.org/agape_magazine_1.

— Also from On Earth Peace, the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team now has a custom t-shirt available for purchase. “The design, shown above, was created by Sydney Goldsborough, Beth Gaver, and Mandy Park,” said an announcement. “We invite you to order these shirts to wear on Wear Orange weekend, at Annual Conference, or any other time you may be representing your Brethren congregation on the issue of gun violence prevention. Proceeds go to support the gun violence prevention work of On Earth Peace. Please note that the t-shirts are made on-demand, produced, and shipped by Printify and their partners. Please allow sufficient time for delivery if ordering for an event.” Orange is a color associated with the annual event National Gun Violence Awareness Day that takes place on the first Friday in June and marks the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend. Go to https://on-earth-peace-merch.printify.me/product/7692810/oep-gun-violence-prevention-campaign-t-shirt.

— The National Council of Churches (NCC) Freedom Summer Fellowship application deadline is May 31. “Submit your application today for the opportunity to serve as an NCC Freedom Summer Fellow and work with local congregations in your community to educate, engage and empower voters,” said an invitation. “NCC’s Freedom Summer initiative is a faith-based civic engagement campaign that celebrates the 60th anniversary of efforts to register, inform and mobilize voters for the 2024 election.” Apply at bit.ly/nccfreedomsummer. Contact freedomsummer@nationalcouncilofchurches.us for questions.

— The People’s Book is a collection of audio recordings of books of the Bible published by Friendship Press, which is related to the National Council of Churches (NCC). Go to www.friendshippress.org.