Update on Church World Service kit program and collections

Church World Service (CWS) has announced changes related to its kit program and collections, as the Material Resources program at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor closes by year’s end.

Material Resources, the longterm Church of the Brethren program to collect, warehouse, and ship disaster relief and other material goods for CWS and other ecumenical partners, is being closed as of the end of 2025.

An announcement from CWS noted the “more than 65 years of faithful service” of Material Resources. “Church World Service is deeply grateful for the generations of volunteers who made this ministry possible.”

With the ending of Material Resources, also ending is the CWS Kit Depot location and collection at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. That will no longer be a location that receives the donation of CWS kits.