Brethren bits

The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board will hold its fall meeting at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., on the weekend of Oct. 16-18. A business agenda and background documents will be made available at a later date.

— Job opening: Bethany Theological Seminary seeks a new chief financial and operations officer. The CFOO serves as a hands-on, strategic, and trusted member of the President’s Leadership Team and treasurer to the board of trustees. This senior executive role oversees all financial strategy, investment stewardship, risk management, and administrative operations for the Seminary, with a seat at the table on institutional strategy and longterm sustainability. The CFOO partners directly with the president and board to guide the seminary through the financial realities facing theological education today, while overseeing a team responsible for accounting, payroll, human resources, facilities, and student financial services. Read the full position description

— Job opening: The Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District seeks a half-time district executive to nurture the spiritual and numerical growth of the district. The district executive is directly accountable and reportable to the executive committee of the district board. This position is ongoing, reviewed and renewed annually by the executive committee. Core leadership practices and commitments include searching out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve by experimenting, taking risks, and learning from accompanying mistakes; inspiring a shared vision, envisioning an uplifting and enriching future and enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams; enabling others to act, fostering collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust and by strengthening people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support; modeling the way, setting an example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values and by achieving small wins that promote consistent progress and build commitment; encouraging the heart, recognizing individual contributions to the success of every project and celebrating team accomplishments regularly. The district executive is expected to grow spiritually and professionally, participating in events such as the Council of District Executives professional growth events, ecumenical educational events, personal prayer and scripture study, spiritual retreat time, and educational opportunities relating to district work. Areas of responsibility include pastoral placement, pastoral and congregational support, building relationships within the district and between the district and the denomination, relating to the district board and committees, administration and supervision of district operations and district staff and volunteers, leadership development both ministerial and lay, denominational involvement, and ecumenical relations. Desired attributes and skills include, among others, a deep commitment to God and the Church of the Brethren, completion of an approved course of theological education and/or ministerial training, ministerial credentials, and pastoral experience. To express interest in the position, contact Nate Polzin, executive director of the Church of the Brethren Discipleship and Leadership Formation, at npolzin@brethren.org

— Brethren Disaster Ministries regularly updates information for rebuilding volunteers here. This “Volunteer Schedules” page offers an overview of the current rebuilding sites—at this time in Buncombe County, N.C., and Ashe County, N.C.—and links to each project site as well as full volunteer schedules for this year and next. “We will be serving in Western North Carolina participating in Hurricane Helene recovery through the summer and fall at multiple locations,” says the current overview. “This late September 2024 storm system caused major destruction of infrastructure and residential areas across Western North Carolina, resulting in 108 reported deaths.”

BDM has been notified of a cancellation for the week of Dec. 6-12. Any interested persons wishing to sign up for that week can contact Kim Gingerich (kgingerich@brethren.org) at the BDM office or Lynn Evans at the Buncombe County project (bdmhelenerecovery@gmail.com).

For more information about the current sites where BDM volunteers help repair and rebuild homes. For instructions on how to sign up as a BDM volunteer.

— “Have a junior high ‘worship take-over’ on November 1st or when it works best for your congregation!” said an announcement of Junior High Sunday from the Church of the Brethren’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry. This is an annual opportunity to involve junior high youth in planning worship for your congregation and to invite them to help lead worship. This year’s theme is “Your Life; God’s Direction” (Jeremiah 29:11). Worship resources are free to download.

— “You are invited to attend a Prayer Service for the Disappeared,” said an announcement from the Deportation Defense Response team. The online prayer service is on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. (Eastern time). It will honor the immigrants who have been taken by ICE or have died due to immigration enforcement. It will be led by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, but is hosted jointly with On Earth Peace, Week of Compassion, and Global HOPE. Register here. Email migrantjustice@onearthpeace.org with any questions you have.

— “Please join us for a Continuing Education session sponsored by the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center,” said an announcement of the course “Community Gifts – Discerning the Spirit Together.” The in-person workshop will be held on Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. No Zoom will be available. A light lunch is included. A description of the course shared, “The New Testament writers described the gifts of the Spirit as grace given to followers of Jesus for the ministry of the church. That means, then, that discerning what God has gifted us is a practice for the community of faith. We will help each other discover and understand what God is calling us to do. In this workshop, we will explore the scriptures that outline the gifts of the Spirit, practice discernment together, and explore a new denominational resource for gifts discernment.” Leaders are Josh Brockway, director of Discipleship and Identity for the Church of the Brethren, and Stan Dueck, director of Discipleship Ministries for the Church of the Brethren’s Atlantic Northeast District. The registration fee is $55 or $65.00 with 0.5 continuing education units. Register here

— “Grounding the Guns: Legal Pathways for Restricting U.S. Arms Transfers” is a new article posted by the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, written by Marcia Sowles. Referencing the 2026 Annual Conference “Resolution on Weapons Transfer,” which reaffirms “the Church of the Brethren’s commitment to peace as God’s will and the call of Christ” and states the church’s “opposition to the U.S. manufacturing and sale of weapons and urges the U.S. government to halt the sale of arms to other countries,” the article notes that many of these weapons are exported to countries actively engaged in military conflicts and raise serious humanitarian concerns. “For example, Israel has used U.S. weapons in its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, killing countless civilians,” Sowles writes. “Such arms transfers to Israel are continuing. On September 15, 2026, the Administration announced plans for the transfer of more than $2.8 billion in arms to Israel.” The article urges church members to consider the harm caused by such arms and to follow the guidance of the Annual Conference resolution to educate ourselves and others about the impact of US arms trade and to engage in advocacy and other non-violent actions to oppose US arms transfer. “To advocate for change, it is important to understand the current legal restrictions on arms transfers, how they can be used to advocate against transfers, and how they can be improved.” Read the full article

— On Earth Peace is beginning a monthly online chapel service titled “The Signs of the Times Faith Formation Series.” The virtual event “is a monthly gathering hosted by On Earth Peace for followers of Jesus seeking spiritual grounding, wisdom, and courage in a time marked by authoritarianism, violence, polarization, and social upheaval,” said an announcement. This month’s theme is “Following Jesus in a Time of Authoritarian Threat and Violence.” This inaugural chapel time is planned for Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) with Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace co-director and director of organizing, sharing the message. RSVP here

— Greenville (Ohio) Church of the Brethren is celebrating its 125th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 18. According to a notice in the Daily Advocate former pastor Ron Sherck will bring the message for the 10:30 a.m. worship service, followed by a time of celebration and remembrance. “Pastor Steve Short and the congregation invite friends and former members to join in this time together as they share the memories and blessings of their congregation.” For more information contact 937-548-3583.

— Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is inviting participation in a weekly virtual Zoom Class studying this Fall’s Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies on the theme “The Soul of a Nation,” written by Frank Ramirez. This new adult Bible study is published by Brethren Press and MennoMedia. Chris Bucher and Joe Sollenberger are leading the Zoom class from 1-2 p.m. (Eastern time) on Sunday afternoons through Nov. 29. Register to attend. For questions contact Jason Haldeman, minister of Faith Formation at Elizabethtown Church, at jason@etowncob.org.

— Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., is marking 20 years of its Empty Bowls fundraiser for food insecurity in Huntingdon County. The college is “celebrating the milestone with new ways for the community to get involved,” said a report in the Huntingdon Daily News. The 20th anniversary celebration will include “20 Years of Empty Bowls,” a new exhibit at the Juniata College Museum of Art featuring handmade bowls created by Juniata students and exploring food insecurity in the county through informational and interactive elements. The annual sale of bowls is both online and in-person at the museum, beginning online at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, and in-person from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, with the soup dinner also from 5-7 p.m. that evening at Stone Church of the Brethren just across the street from the college. “Since its founding at Juniata, Empty Bowls has raised more than $98,000 for local food banks, food pantries and the Huntingdon County Area Elementary School Backpack Program,” said the report.

— “Peace by Piece: Stories of Fair Trade and Faithfulness in the Holy Land,” an online webinar, is offered on Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. (Eastern time) by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and SERRV to celebrate Fair Trade Month. “Hear from two ‘Peace by Piece’ artisan-leaders in Holy Land and learn about the stories behind their work,” said an announcement. Speakers are Suzan Sahori, executive director of the Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans; Hadas Lahav, CEO of Sindyanna of Galilee; and Mohammed Joudeh, a Palestinian olive producer. They will share how fair trade supports local producers and how the current climate is affecting their livelihoods “including ongoing economic challenges, movement restrictions, and the impacts of settler attacks,” said the announcement. “The conversation will explore also how communities abroad can support these leaders and their communities through the Peace by Piece project partnership and beyond.” Register to attend

— “Peggy and Art Gish: Dunker Punks” is the title of a podcast featuring Cliff Kindy and Peggy Faw Gish, Church of the Brethren members who have done significant, decades-long work with Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT). The episode of the “Good on Wood” podcast aired on July 17. Good on Wood “explores the lives of dangerous disciples, holy mischief makers, contemplative activists, and ordinary radicals in hopes that their witness would inspire a new generation of Jesus followers to get up, get out, and get into some ‘good trouble.’” It is a production of St. Stephens University and the Jim Forest Institute of Religion, Peace, and Justice. In the July 17 episode, the story of Peggy Faw Gish and her late husband, Art Gish, unveils “a radical, incarnational faith that challenges us to embody love in the midst of chaos,” said an announcement. “Their life’s work—centered in peace activism, nonviolent resistance, and deep spiritual practice—demonstrates that transformation begins within and radiates outward in the pursuit of healing justice in Iraq, Palestine, Chicago, rural Ohio and elsewhere.” Listen to the podcast. Find out more about Good on Wood.

— Paul Mundey has announced the availability of his new book, In God’s Good Time: Navigating the Hard, Slow Seasons of Life (Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock). Mundey has served as moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference and is retired from many years of pastoral ministry as well as ministry on the denominational staff. The announcement describes the new volume as “a book of honest, hope-filled reflections on trusting God’s timing when relief, healing, or answers feel long overdue. The book addresses our frequent lament: ‘Hurry up, God, you’re late!’ Our lives cry out in need, yet the Lord often seems tardy.” The book “explores the relationship between time and faith, coaching readers to cooperate with God’s ‘march of days’ rather than complain and rebel against it—trusting that God is working nonetheless and assuring us of resurrection and new creation in Christ in His good time.” Purchase through Brethren Press

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