Brethren bits

— The Church of the Brethren’s Intercultural Ministries office has announced dates for a special event in 2025, here is the “save the date” announcement:

— Brethren Disaster Ministries has announced the start of a new rebuilding project site in Letcher County, Ky. For more information go to www.brethren.org/bdm/rebuild/letcher-county-ky-july-2022-flooding-recovery.

— “Please take a brief survey!” invites the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI). The program is looking to connect with Church of the Brethren experts in several fields, as their experience, knowledge, and expertise could be of use to the GFI ministry. Providing this information can help us learn more about our Church of the Brethren denominational community and the ways we can connect the denominational community with GFI. Please find the survey at www.cognitoforms.com/ChurchOfTheBrethren1/GlobalFoodInitiativeInterestForm. Additional resources and the GFI newsletter are at www.brethren.org/gfi/resources.

Save the date! In this column: announcements of upcoming events from the Church of the Brethren’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry:

(At the bottom of this page is more detailed information in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole about upcoming events and application deadlines from Youth and Young Adult Ministries.)

— The Material Resources program of the Church of the Brethren, based at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., recently loaded and shipped three containers of goods bound for Ukraine on behalf of Lutheran World Relief. The containers were prepared on Aug. 16, 19, and 20, and placed at the Baltimore pier for the voyage to Ukraine. The shipment consists of quilts and Personal Care Kits. Photos courtesy of Glenna Thompson

— President Daniel Y. C. Mbaya of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has posted a video on YouTube giving more insight into the vision of the EYN church in these first months of his service as president. EYN communications is sharing the video widely. Please find it at https://youtu.be/yFQzlwBaFKg?si=somGgUKAwKpSvuFe

— Mountville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and Atlantic Northeast District will host a pre-district conference event titled “For My Neighbor’s Good: A Brethren Evangelism Training Event” featuring Nate Polzin, executive director of Discipleship and Leadership Formation for the Church of the Brethren. This training set for Oct. 11 will focus on helping participants connect the story of how they have encountered Jesus in their lives with the needs of others in their neighborhoods who have not yet met Jesus. Rather than trying to memorize a script or a set of answers to pre-formulated questions, the event will work to help Christians unlock their personal testimonies. Another aspect of this course will be to develop a team approach to evangelism, talking about how the whole church can be involved in helping individual members share Jesus with their neighbors, and how all Christians need to think about their reputation in their community. Participants will be asked to think about how things in their congregation may feel and look to visitors, and other helpful exercises to make our church spaces and services more accessible to guests. These and other topics will be covered by a mix of Bible study, small group sharing, projects and more. Cost is $10 per person, with 0.2 continuing education units available. The registration deadline is Oct. 1. For more information, go to https://ane-cob.com/districtconference.

— Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren’s Joanne Grossnickle Scholarship Committee awarded scholarships to seven college students for the 2024 school year. Committee members are Carole Doody, Rebeccah Lippy, and G. Hibbard. Scholarships were presented on Sunday, July 21, during the morning worship service. This is the 39th year that the Joanne Grossnickle Scholarship has been awarded.

— Juniata College’s champion women’s volleyball team was at the White House this summer. “As reigning NCAA Division III National Champions,” said a release, “they joined student-athletes and coaches for College Champions Day today (Monday, July 22) to celebrate the 2023–2024 title-winning teams across all three college and university divisions. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the teams on the lawn of the White House.” The release noted that Juniata was among seven undefeated teams. “Juniata College finished its season undefeated in December 2023 with its championship win over Hope College,” the release said. “It is amazing to be here with all these championship teams and to celebrate our national championship one more time,” said Heather Pavlik, head coach for Juniata Women’s Volleyball. Read the full release at www.juniatasports.net/sports/wvball/2024-25/releases/20240722t0gpis.

— McPherson (Kan.) College “marked a significant milestone as it welcomed the largest incoming class in its history when fall semester classes began on August 21,” said a release. The college enrolled 319 first-time freshmen, the largest freshman class on record. This year’s freshman class grew 35 percent, with total enrollment up 5 percent, bolstered by a second year of increased retention. The release noted that this success is due to several factors, among them new buildings going up on campus, program expansions, high job placement rates, and a Student Debt Project that allows many seniors to graduate with zero debt. The college anticipates nearly 600 students will participate in the Student Debt Project this academic year.

— Church World Service (CWS) has announced a virtual summit called “Building Bridges in a Polarized Nation: Coming Together to Care for Newcomers” to begin on Sept. 6 with a Welcome Plenary from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon (Eastern time), as an online event. In subsequent weeks, a series of online workshops will focus on addressing political polarization in congregations and providing hands-on ways for congregations to come together to welcome newcomers. “I hope you will register to attend our Welcome Plenary and share this invitation widely,” said an invitation from president and CEO Rick Santos. “The summit is open to all faith leaders, from denominational leadership and staff to pastors and congregational leadership.” Registration is open now at https://cwsglobal.org/building-bridges-convening.

— “At Creation Justice Ministries, we believe that one of the ways we most deeply connect with God is through the Book of Nature,” said an announcement of a training to deepen your congregation’s connection to God in creation through a Spirituality in Nature Group, or SING group. The training is in partnership with the Center for Spirituality in Nature, and will equip participants with the resources and practices needed to guide a faith community in exploring a deeper connection with God’s creation, fostering spiritual growth and environmental stewardship. This special edition of the SING Leaders’ Training will be led by Payton Hoegh, program director of the Center for Spirituality in Nature, and Derrick Weston, coordinator of Theological Training and Education for Creation Justice Ministries. It is scheduled as an online event on Sept. 14, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern time), with a cost of $50. Scholarships may be available. Register and find out more at www.centerforspiritualityinnature.org/event-details/start-singing-spirituality-in-nature-group-leaders-training-4.

— Global prayer will mobilize Christian communities for the Season of Creation 2024, said a release from the World Council of Churches (WCC). The worldwide Christian Season of Creation is held Sept. 1 through Oct. 4. It begins with a global online prayer event, bringing together Christians from diverse traditions to pray for the wellbeing of creation. This year’s theme, “To Hope and Act with Creation,” highlights the moral imperative for faith communities to take decisive action against the environmental crisis. Additional events hosted by the WCC and other organizers include a webinar on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and an Action Day focused on practical steps that faith communities can take to combat climate change. Says Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, “Climate change is a moral issue that demands our collective voice. We can create the change needed for a sustainable future through prayer and activism for the phaseout of fossil fuels.” The Season of Creation website at https://seasonofcreation.org has links to the Prayer Service for Creation Day, Sept. 1, to be streamed on Youtube, and the Season of Creation Celebration Guide, which is a downloadable resource in pdf format.