The Annual Conference office has announced the daily line up of preachers for the 2025 annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren, as well as the daily themes and scripture texts and the worship planning team and music leadership.
Annual Conference is to take place on July 2-6 in Greensboro, N.C. Registration is now open online at www.brethren.org/ac2025.
Preachers and daily themes and scriptures
Wednesday evening, July 2: Annual Conference moderator Dava Hensley of First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., will speak on the theme “Faith Working Through Love” (Galatians 5:6b and 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and 8-13).
Thursday evening, July 3: Moderator Hensley has planned a “Cowbell Service” following an old tradition in Virlina District. Each of three speakers will prepare a sermon on the same theme and scripture text: “Faith Working Through Love: Love is Patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4a, Galatians 5:6b, and Ephesians 4:1-3). They will take turns preaching with only a certain amount of time before the cowbell is rung—even if in mid-sentence—and the next preacher takes the pulpit. The three preachers are Becky Baile Crouse of Warrensburg (Mo.) Church of the Brethren; Josiah Ludwick of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa.; and Tony Price of Cedar Grove Church of the Brethren, New Madison, Ohio.
Friday evening, July 4: Lupita Ortiz of Monte Hermon Church of the Brethren in Bassett, Va., will preach on the theme “Faith Working Through Love: Love is Kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4a, Galatians 5:6b, and Ephesians 4:31-5:2).
Saturday evening, July 5: Gennifer Brooks, the Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Preaching and director of the Styberg Preaching Institute at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., will speak on the theme “Faith Working Through Love: Love is Not Envious, Boastful, or Arrogant” (1 Corinthians 13:4b-6, Galatians 5:6b, and Philippians 2:1-8).
Sunday morning, July 6: Dave Kerkove of South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren will preach on “Faith Working Through Love: Love Never Fails” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8a, Galatians 5:6b, and John 18:25-27 and 21:15-17).
Worship and music leadership
Worship Planning Team: Jacob Crouse of Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren (Program and Arrangements Committee liaison and chair); Gabriel Dodd of Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren in Hagerstown, Md.; Terri Luzynski of Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Va.; Audri Svay of Eel River Community Church of the Brethren in Silver Lake, Ind.
Music coordinator: Bev Anspaugh of Roanoke (Va.) Central Church of the Brethren.
Choir director: David Tate of Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers Cave, Va.
Pianist: Alex Ramirez of First Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia, Pa.
Organist: Jonathan Emmons of Antioch Church of the Brethren in Rocky Mount, Va.
Children’s choir director: Laura Hoal-Harrington of Cloverdale (Va.) Church of the Brethren.
— For more information and to register, go to www.brethren.org/ac2025.
———-
Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Mission and Ministry Board adopts resolution on weapons transfers at spring meeting
- FaithX registration closes April 1
- Shenandoah District calls interim district executive team
- EDF grants since start of year fund Nigeria Crisis Response and aid responses to wars in central Africa, Gaza, and Ukraine
- Annual Conference organizers announce preacher line up for 2025