— Remembrance: James Harold “Jim” Baile, 95, a former member of the Church of the Brethren General Board, and father-in-law of Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele, died on June 16 at Warrensburg (Mo.) Manor Care Center. Born in McPherson, Kan., on May 6, 1930, to Harold Frank Baile and Salome Mohler Baile, he attended Central Missouri State College and the University of Missouri where he majored in agriculture focused on farm management. He was active in the Future Farmers of America and obtained the American Farmer degree and was a State FFA Officer. Following graduation, he was drafted in 1953 to go to the Korean War and served as a conscientious objector with the International Voluntary Service. He was assigned to take 5,000 baby chicks on a propeller plane to Jericho, Jordan, where he taught English and agriculture to Palestinian refugee boys for two years. While leading the church youth group after his return he met Wilma Evelyn Cox and they married in 1958. His farming career began with managing his parents’ farm as a young adult, and then with his wife farming an 80-acre farm near Warrensburg, Mo., where they raised feeder pigs for 50 years. His volunteer service to the church included leadership at the congregational, district, and denominational levels. He served the church as a deacon, church camp manager, district moderator, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteer, and as a board member for the former General Board of the Church of the Brethren from 1977-1982. He also worked to alleviate hunger through activities with CROP on the local, state and national levels. His leadership in the community included election to the Warrensburg School Board for six years and the Johnson County Extension Council. He was instrumental in helping to start the Fire Protection District and was a board member for 18 years. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Wilma Evelyn Cox Baile; daughters Becky (Jerry) Baile Crouse, and Sarah (David) Steele; grandchildren; and a great grandchild. Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. on July 24 at Williams Funeral Chapel in Warrensburg. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on July 25 at Warrensburg Church of the Brethren. Memorial gifts are received to the James H. Baile Memorial Fund in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at www.williamsfuneralchapel.net. Find a full obituary at www.williamsfuneralchapel.net/obituary/james-baile
Brethren Press is holding a daily drawing at the Annual Conference bookstore again this year, with gratitude to an anonymous donor for their $1,000 gift. The generous donor began offering this gift in 2011. The drawing is open to Church of the Brethren congregations and camps. The drawing must be done by a representative of the congregation or camp, in person at the Brethren Press bookstore in the Colony A Room at the convention center in Greensboro, Wednesday, July 2, through Saturday, July 6. Each daily winner will receive one $250 gift certificate to spend onsite to stock their church or camp library.
— Melrose Church of the Brethren in Rockingham, Va., in Shenandoah District, is celebrating its 140 anniversary this weekend. Events take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22. See the listing at left.
— On Earth Peace is offering an opportunity for Church of the Brethren districts to host a faith-based Kingian Nonviolence introductory training, “a meaningful and practical offering rooted in the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with spiritual connections to our Church of the Brethren heritage and faith,” said an announcement. “We are currently coordinating 2-hour introductory workshops specifically designed for Church of the Brethren communities, with each session anchored by a district to promote strong attendance and local engagement. These trainings are designed to support congregations in building tools for conflict transformation, community resilience, and justice-oriented leadership through the lens of our commitment to being Jesus in the neighborhood.” The training include a two-hour live session, in person or virtual, with flexible timing. Currently the trainings are being offered in September, November, and January next year. Cost is a suggested $700, with sliding scale or “pay what you can” options available. If a district chooses to pursue a full 16-hour training following the introductory session, the initial cost will be credited toward that extended offering. “We’re also excited about possibly launching a 16-hour training specifically for pastors, aimed at equipping spiritual leaders with a deeper grounding in nonviolence and justice work,” said the announcement. “If you or your colleagues are interested in exploring this further, we’d love to hear your thoughts.” Districts are requested to RSVP to express interest and preferred scheduling windows by the end of July. Contact knv-fellow@onearthpeace.org or go to www.onearthpeace.org
— “In the name of national security, the Trump Administration is working to vastly expand the immigration detention system,” warns a release from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), of which the Church of the Brethren is a partner denomination. This expansion includes “using the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay and outsourcing detention to other countries including the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) in El Salvador. Both the military prison at Guantánamo Bay and CECOT are defined by torture and other cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment, along with the lack of due process and indefinite detention without trial.” Additional concerns are the inability of advocates and even the US government to provide transparency and oversight, compounded by extraterritorial detention of migrants, the release said. NRCAT celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026 and as part of that commemoration “is working to oppose the expansion of immigration detention, oppose expanding the Migrant Operations Center at Guantánamo, oppose using the military prison at Guantánamo to hold migrants, and oppose outsourcing detention at CECOT and other international prisons.” Supporters are invited to write to their representatives and senators in Congress to urge them to stand up for the human rights of detainees. Go to https://nrcat.salsalabs.org/immigration-detention-2025-2/index.html
— Phyllis Dodd presented a talk on “Immigration and Deportation–Love Has No Borders” on June 1 to a group of 14 people at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren. “The workshop was designed to inform people of the changes in immigration policy today and ways that the congregation can assist people who have been detained and their families and children who have been left behind,” she reported to Newsline. “What can the church do to follow the call to ‘feed the hungry, help the stranger, clothe the naked, tend to the sick, and care for those in prison’? How do we ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you?’” Her book, Love Has No Borders, provides a background of true stories of a desperate people who have fled to the United States. “The fear has changed from fear of persecution in their countries to fear of persecution in the United States,” she wrote. Contact her at 302-222-1019 to schedule a presentation for your church or organization.
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Conference business includes resolutions on weapons transfer, care for immigrants and refugees, polity adjustments for licensed and commissioned ministers
- Essential services of ordinances now available online as For All Who Minister prepares for reprinting
- Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program serves Hurricane Helene and Western Maryland storm survivors
- Shine Everywhere free six-week worship series helps churches nurture faith at home
- Feature for Earth Month and Poetry Month: Invitations to look up, to seek abundant life