Brethren bits

— Remembrance: Elvis Cayford, 93, who worked for some 30 years for the former Church of the Brethren Mission in Nigeria, died March 16 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was born in Glendale, Calif., on May 16, 1932, the second child of Frank and Ruth Cayford. He was an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. He earned a bachelor’s degree from La Verne (Calif.) College (now the University of La Verne) and a master’s from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and also attended Bethany Seminary in Chicago, Ill. He first went to Nigeria in 1954 as a conscientious objector in the aftermath of the Korean War, through Brethren Volunteer Service. After he returned to the US, he met Betty Lou Hershberger. They married, attended Bethany Seminary for a brief time, and returned to mission work in 1961. Back in Nigeria, he worked for three years at the mission mechanic’s shop in Garkida. In 1964, the couple moved to Jos to serve as houseparents for Boulder Hill Hostel, a dormitory for high schoolers attending Hillcrest School. He also worked for Hillcrest School doing maintenance and teaching shop classes. Both his children were born in Nigeria. Betty Lou Cayford died in Nigeria in 1986. In 1987, he moved back to California and worked as a teacher and job training coach for young people living with disabilities. At Glendale Church of the Brethren he met Eddie Pulley. They married in 1995, lived in Pahrump, Nevada, for some 13 years, and then moved to Seymour, Texas. In the last couple of years, they enjoyed the company of his son and daughter-in-law, who moved to Seymour recently. He is survived by his wife, Eddie Pulley Cayford; daughter Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford and her husband, Joel; son Steve Cayford and his wife, Lisa Nelson; grandson Christopher Brumbaugh-Cayford; sister Lucile Leard and brother Afton Cayford; nephews, nieces, and their children and grandchildren. A memorial service was held March 19 at First Christian Church of Seymour. A gathering for family and friends is planned for April 2 in Glendale. A full obituary is at https://www.legacy.com/legacy/elvis-cayford

Thanks to the generosity of dedicated supporters, through March 31 all gifts to Core Ministries of the Church of the Brethren will be matched dollar for dollar—up to $100,000. Learn more at www.brethren.org/news/2026/imagine-our-gifts-can-do-more or make a gift at www.brethren.org/matching-gift-2026

Annual Conference moderator Donald Fitzkee and his wife, Carolyn, along with Roy Winter as executive director of Service Ministries, have been attending the 79th Majalisa or annual meeting of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). EYN Media has been live streaming from the event via Facebook at www.facebook.com/100084216285514/videos/912655614924653?tn=%3C with more coverage at www.facebook.com/eynnews and at https://eynnews.com. The news coming from the gathering has included highs and lows, from the mass ordination of 31 ministers in a historical first, to the loss of three delegates in a tragic car accident that happened on the way to the gathering (see the EYN Facebook post below).

— Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is hosting a concert by the Apollo Chamber Players on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) and also streamed live on YouTube at www.youtube.com/c/elizabethtownchurchofthebrethren. Matt Detrick, who grew up in the Church of the Brethren, started the Apollo Chamber Players 17 years ago in Houston, Texas, and is a violinist in the string quartet.

— Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is publicizing a renewed action alert supporting the “Block the Bombs Act” first introduced in the House of Representatives on May 21, 2025. House Resolution 3565 “calls for a limit on the sale of bombs, ammunition (including white phosphorus), and ammunition manufacturing capability,” said the announcement. “The act comes as Israel has strengthened its assault on Gaza and the West Bank, with an estimated death toll since October 7th, 2023 standing at 54,000 Palestinian men, women, and children. Congress needs to pressure the Trump Administration to protect Palestinian civilians through the passage of HRes. 3565. Your voice can push your representative to support this vital resolution and limit offensive weapon capabilities of Israel, protecting Gazan civilians from relentless bombs. Contact your representative and urge them to support the initiative.” CMEP is a partner organization for the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. Find out more at https://cmep.salsalabs.org/june2025hres3565blockthebombs/index.html

— The World Council of Churches has announced that a high-level international ecumenical delegation initiated by the World Communion of Reformed Churches will be in Havana, Cuba, from March 28 to 31 on a solidarity visit aimed at responding to the island’s deepening humanitarian crisis and growing global concern over the impact of economic sanctions on its people. “The visit comes as ecumenical organizations increasingly warn of the humanitarian consequences of long-standing sanctions and newly intensified restrictions affecting fuel supplies to Cuba,” said the release. “The United Nations recently announced the need for a revised plan of action on March 24, 2026, that addresses the ‘cascading effect on essential services such as health care, education, sanitation and the availability of food and water’ and the ‘constraints on humanitarian operations.’ The United Nations heard from its representative in Havana on March 26 that dwindling energy reserves were creating ‘acute humanitarian risks,’ as 90% of essential services in the nation rely on oil. This includes 5 million people living with chronic illnesses whose treatments are at risk of disruption and 1 million people who rely on tanker trucks for drinking water.”

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