Prayer is requested for Camp La Verne in southern California, a camp of Pacific Southwest District, which has been threatened off and on by a wildfire in the nearby mountainous region. Kyle Lapp, co-manager of the camp, reported to Newsline that the fire is believed to be nearly under control again after a flare-up, but that “definitely thoughts, prayers, and good vibrations are welcome and needed.”
— The Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is sharing an invitation from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) to join with several other sponsoring groups on Oct. 7 for a virtual ecumenical service of lament “as we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the devastating October 7th attacks and subsequent year-long bombardment of Gaza and regional escalations.” This is one of two special events to call for peace as the world approaches the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. On the preceding Sunday, Oct. 6, “we call upon churches, groups, and Christians across the world to join us for a Solidarity Sunday crying out for peace in the Holy Land. We have several new resources available to guide you as you shape your services.” Find the resources including two program outlines titled “Solidarity Sunday: For Mutual Flourishing,” and “Solidarity Sunday: A Year of Lament,” at https://cmep.org/events/october-6th-solidarity-sunday. On Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) the service of lament will be held online with several featured speakers. More information and registration is at https://cmep.org/events/october-7th-ecumenical-service-of-lament.
— A trip to South Sudan, to visit the Church of the Brethren mission there, is being planned by J. Roger Schrock to take place Feb. 1-15, 2025. Hosting the group in South Sudan will be mission staff Athanasus Ungang. Cost for the trip will be $3,400, which includes airfare, land travel in Africa, a motel room on the evening before departure, and bed and food and water in South Sudan. Additional personal costs will include the cost of an e-visa ($160) and things like mementos. Payment for the trip will be due around the time of Thanksgiving, so that airfare and lodging near O’Hare airport in Chicago can be arranged. To express interest, contact Roger Schrock by email as soon as possible at rocaschrock@gmail.com.
— Southern Ohio/Kentucky District’s Disaster Ministries is holding a Clean-up Bucket assembly event on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Bullen Ultrasonics in Eaton, Ohio. The event will assemble Clean-up Bucket Kits for Church World Service (CWS). “Many workers are needed to fill the 500+ buckets with cleaning supplies,” said the district newsletter. “These will be sent to the Brethren Service Center. CWS has contacted us and is counting on these buckets to help meet the needs from Hurricane Helene.”
— Bridgewater (Va.) College’s Robert R. Newlen ’75 & John C. Bradford Special Collections will display an exhibition highlighting life at the college throughout the 1970s starting Oct. 11 through March 2025. Curated by Special Collections librarian Stephanie Gardner and intern Alex Thompson ’25, the exhibition, “Find Yourself in the 1970s: Snapshots of Life at Bridgewater College,” will include archival photographs, artifacts and interpretive text, which all tell the story of life as a student during the ’70s, said a release. “Visitors will explore the decade’s fads, fashions and College traditions like Homecoming and May Day, the latter of which has evolved into SpringFest today…. There will also be an opportunity for more thoughtful reflection as visitors learn about BC’s connections to some of the decade’s prominent social topics like racial diversity, feminism, and the Vietnam War. Notable exhibits will include photographs of Carlyle Whitelow ’59, a beloved professor and coach and the college’s first Black faculty member (shown above with members of the college football team); papers of Beth Glick-Rieman ’44, a former Church of the Brethren minister who, as Person Awareness Coordinator, presented a feminist perspective within the church; and campaign buttons for Richard D. Obenshain, a 1956 alumnus who died in a plane crash while campaigning for a Senate seat. The exhibition is free to the public and will show on the lower level of the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons during the hours that the building is open to the public: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
— The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling for release of Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan, which was a focus of a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Oct. 1, featuring leading advocates and human rights lawyers representing the detainees. The release from the WCC said that “a year since the Armenian population was forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, at least 23 ethnic Armenians–possibly as many as 100–remain in detention by the government of Azerbaijan, despite international calls for their release. Speakers at the side event emphasized that Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan have been denied their legal rights under international human rights law, noting that the abuse and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijani detention is well documented. They highlighted the forthcoming 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be hosted by Azerbaijan in Baku on 11-22 November 2024 as a key opportunity for advocacy and action on this issue.”
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board shares concern for immigrant, migrant, refugee church members (in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole)
- Faith working through love—the grief process: An invitation from the Annual Conference moderator
- Hundreds gather for worship service commemorating 500th anniversary of Anabaptism
- El programa de Pastor a Medio-Tiempo; Iglesia a Tiempo Completo ofrecerá un nuevo estudio en formación espiritual
- Marcia Sowles joins the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy