Brethren bits

— Two presentations by Drew Hart of the faculty of Messiah College and a member at Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren, are scheduled in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia in late September. Hart is author of Who Will Be a Witness? and other books about church and race. On Sept. 26, he will be speaking at Roanoke College on the topic of “Go and Do Likewise: Reparations, Loving Your Black Neighbor, and the Work of Healing the Wounds of Antiblackness.” This event is sponsored by Central Church of the Brethren, Virlina Racial Advocacy Team, and the Roanoke Reparations Group. On Sept. 27, Dr. Hart will be speaking at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren on the topic “The Things that Make for Peace”: Racial Justice and the Pathway to Beloved Community.” Said an announcement from Virlina District: “This program is in concert with the denomination’s Standing with People of Color program and is sponsored by Central Church of the Brethren, Virlina Racial Advocacy Team, and Oak Grove Church of the Brethren.

— On Sept. 11-13, the event “Church at the Crossroads” will gather people from across the country under the auspices of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). Join CMEP for “a national gathering of Christians who recognize that the church stands at a defining moment–Jesus is urgently calling us back to the narrow way of the cross,” said an announcement. “As violence escalates in Israel and Palestine, and some in the Church use Scripture to justify war, occupation, or silence, we must ask: Have we traded the gospel of peace for the false promises of security and comfort? Rooted in Scripture and led by Palestinian Christian leaders, including CMEP executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon—alongside pastors and peacemakers from across North America—this conference invites American Christians to engage in honest reckoning, prophetic reflection, and faithful action. Through worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship, we are called to repentance, renewal, and courageous discipleship. This is a space to confront harmful theologies, rediscover the gospel of the Kingdom, and stand with all who seek justice in the land.” Learn more and register at https://cmep.org/cmep-events/church-at-the-crossroads

— The World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting Christians worldwide to celebrate the Season of Creation, which runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4. This year’s theme is “Peace with Creation.” In a WCC release, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the organization’s central committee, “reflected that climate change needs a response that reaches not only our minds, but also our hearts and souls, so we can change our lifestyles and our vision of the good life. ‘The Bible calls it metanoia,’ he said. ‘If it is true that the modern ecological crisis has deep spiritual roots, it is of enormous importance when all the big Christian traditions on this globe unite in responding to it.’ The Season of Creation is such a response, added Bedford-Strohm. ‘And the global Decade for Climate Justice Action that the WCC has just launched at its central committee meeting in Johannesburg will give a further push to our ecological commitment,’ he said.” The biblical text for Season of Creation 2025 is Isaiah 32:14-18, in which Isaiah pictures the desolated creation without peace because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. The symbol for Season of Creation 2025 is the Garden of Peace, characterized by a dove carrying an olive branch, bringing life back to the Garden of Peace. For more information and resources go to https://oikoumene.org/events/season-of-creation-2025