By Kendra Flory
The March offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “Acknowledging Grief, Claiming Hope: Reflections from Around the Church of the Brethren” to be presented by Dava Hensley, Church of the Brethren ordained minister and 2025 Annual Conference moderator. The course will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, March 11, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (central time). Continuing education credit is available.
Course description: Please join us for a two-hour conversation with Dava Hensley, 2025 moderator of the Church of the Brethren. In her role as moderator, she has been meeting with people in churches all across the country, and common themes she has identified include grieving our losses—from congregations leaving to dwindling numbers in our churches—yet also the deep commitment to claim our hope in Jesus Christ, and the ways that we look forward to our future of following in Jesus’ steps as disciples committed to making a difference in our neighborhoods. She will not only share about what she has learned, but also invite us into the conversation about where we are as a church. It promises to be an authentic, honest, and thoughtful conversation about the state of the church that is nevertheless infused with the hope that leads us forward into the future.
Dava Cruise Hill Hensley grew up in Eden (N.C.) Church of the Brethren. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a master of divinity at Bethany Theological Seminary, and recently a doctor of ministry at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She has served in the local church, in Virlina District, and in the Church of the Brethren denomination as youth leader, Vacation Bible School director, Sunday school teacher, deacon, district moderator, camp counselor, and church planter. She has served on the Virlina District Race Relations Team, the Church of the Brethren New Church Advisory Committee, and the Mission and Ministry Board. She was elected moderator of the denomination for 2025. She recently retired from her only pastorate of almost 18 years at First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.
Continuing education credit is available for $10 per course. During the registration process, you will have the opportunity to pay for CEUs and give an optional donation to the Ventures program. To learn more about Ventures in Christian Discipleship and to register for courses, visit www.mcpherson.edu/ventures.
— Kendra Flory is advancement assistant at McPherson College.
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