Brethren bits

— Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren’s Forgetful Friends Chorus was featured in the Washington Post this week. “Drema Yates sings with the Forgetful Friends Chorus, a Manassas choir for people with dementia and their caregivers. ‘Singing brings me closer to God,’ Drema says,” said a Facebook post sharing the article. The article is titled “Dementia is stealing her memories. But not her voice.” Go to www.facebook.com/postlocal or find the article on the newspaper’s website at www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/15/dementia-singing-forgetful-friends-choir

— A Faculty Preaching Series has begun at Bethany Theological Seminary, and is available to view via YouTube. “Every fall Bethany faculty preach on a theme selected by current students,” said an announcement. “This semester they are focused on ‘repairers of the breach,’ a reference to a passage in Isaiah 58:12, which is often interpreted as a call to spiritual and social action. If you are far from campus, you can always watch past services on Bethany’s YouTube channel. Chapel is a highlight of life at Bethany. Services are often followed by Common Meal, giving students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to share fellowship and good food catered by local restaurants.” Go to www.youtube.com/@BethanySeminary

— The latest episodes of Brethren Voices cover the first Oregon Bus Peace Pilgrimage that “brought together Quakers, Mennonites and Church of the Brethren members for a day of fun, discussion, singing and celebration of their common heritage as Historic Peace Churches,” reported producer Ed Groff. “It was also a day of observing the 500th Anniversary of Anabaptism. Beginning at the Reedwood Friends Church, Daniel Smith-Christopher, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University discussed the history of Anabaptism which led to persecution of thousands of believers. Part 2 of this program features an in-studio interview with Daniel Smith Christopher by host Brent Carlson. Daniel shares about the beginnings of Anabaptism as well as the Mennonite and Quaker tradition and the Church of the Brethren. Participants of the Peace Pilgrimage traveled by bus to the first stop, the Brigittine Monastery in Amity, Oregon. A surprise to most of the participants was the chocolate making being produced by four Monks of the monastery. Delicious samples were served as a part of the tour of the kitchen and monastery. The tour continued to Aurora, Oregon, and the home of the Old Aurora Colony Museum. The museum features several original buildings constructed by the Aurora Colony between 1856 and 1883. The structures house furniture, tools, textiles and hosehold items, either manufactured or purchased by the colonists. The Pacific Northwest Mennonite Historical Center at the Zion Mennonite Church, Hubbard, Oregon concluded the tour. The Mennonite distribution center is responsible for processing emergency clothing, hygeine kits and school supplies for third world countries.” Theme music for these episodes, “There’s Sunshine in My Soul, Today,” was provided by Bill Jolliff, a participant at Song and Story Fest, a Church of the Brethren family camp, and a professor at George Fox College. Find Brethren Voices episodes on YouTube.

Prayer requests from the church’s Deportation Defense Response Team: “Pray for all who have been detained, deported, and those who suffered the trauma of detention and have thankfully been released. Pray for people seeking asylum, green cards, and citizenship and for upcoming court dates. Pray for those whose TPS has expired. Pray for a unified resistance to all injustice against immigrants. Pray for all government officials. Pray for all legal professionals, faith leaders, and community leaders supporting immigrants.”

The work of two church leaders in southern California has been highlighted in the “Faith in Motion Series: Faith-Motivated Support of Immigrants” blog from On Earth Peace. “Faith-motivated Support of Immigrants” invites readers to “meet Pastor Julie of Pomona Fellowship and Phil of La Verne Church of the Brethren” who “have been actively engaged in supporting and advocating for immigrants in the Pomona, CA area. They work with ICE Out of Pomona, a coalition of organizations…. Julie directly addresses a common misconception related to their work. ‘…I hear this all the time from white folk: ‘…why don’t [the immigrants] just follow the rules?…There’s a simple answer. Like, just get legal.’ She highlights the contradiction that the U.S. has greatly benefited from people entering the country, yet it criminalizes their presence and dedicates resources to pushing them out. Julie expressed, ‘I can’t say for sure, but if Jesus were here, I think he’d be standing with the immigrants. And that’s where I need to stand.’” Read the full blogpost at www.onearthpeace.org/faith_in_motion_faith_motivated_support_of_immigrants

— Resources in several languages are available for the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity scheduled for Jan. 18-25 in the northern hemisphere. “Churches and Christian communities worldwide are invited to use the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 resources to pray together for the unity among churches throughout the year,” said an announcement from the World Council of Churches (WCC), which works with the Roman Catholic Church on this annual observance. For 2026, the resources were prepared by the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Armenian Apostolic Church. “The drafting group had a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common Christian faith that remains alive and fruitful in the churches in Armenia today. The resources draw upon historic traditions of prayer and petitions used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date as far back as the fourth century.” Congregations are welcome to translate, contextualize, and adapt the resources for their own use. The 2026 theme comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). Find links to download the free resources in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Arabic from https://oikoumene.org/resources/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity