Older adult FaithX participants had a wonderful week at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., where they spent time together in service, fellowship, and worship. A variety of volunteer projects were completed under the guidance of camp director Mike Neff, including removal of invasive plants, trimming of overgrown forest, kitchen help, cleaning, window washing, and painting.
Registration is now open for the Spring 2024 Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) Volunteer Training Workshops. If you have a heart for serving children and families in need following a disaster, find the schedule, cost, and a registration link at www.brethren.org/cds/training/dates.
Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele has shared the following pastoral statement for Haiti during a state of emergency and widespread violence in the Caribbean island nation. The full text of the pastoral statement follows in three languages: English, Haitian Kreyol, and French:
The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is offering “Listening for the Sound of the Genuine” on July 2-3, led by Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey as facilitator, as a directed independent study unit (DISU).
During the early hours of a recent morning, I was awakened by the sound of bombs exploding some distance away. Across the border from us, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are frequent skirmishes between rebels and the government forces. It is not uncommon for us to hear gunfire and explosions. There is no imminent danger to us here, but knowing that others are facing death and destruction is disconcerting to say the least.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have announced that the rebuilding project currently serving Dawson Springs, Ky., has been extended until Aug. 17, 2024. This project is rebuilding homes as part of the 2021 tornado recovery in Hopkins County. Brethren Disaster Ministries opened the project site in January 2023.
The National Youth Cabinet met Feb. 2-4, 2024, to discern the theme for National Youth Sunday. The cabinet selected Jeremiah 29:11 as their focus scripture, with the theme “Your life; God’s direction.”
The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Ministry gathered nine ethics trainers this past week at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., in preparation for leading district events during the coming year and a half. Required ethics training for all ministers will take place across the denomination as ministers renew their credentialed status within their districts.
The Christian Citizenship Seminar (CCS) planned for Washington, D.C., on April 11-16 will bring senior youth and their adult advisors together in the nation’s capital to engage the theme “And They Fled: Advocating for Just Immigration Policy” (Matthew 2:13-23).
The Shine curriculum of Brethren Press and MennoMedia is introducing a new initiative called Shine Everywhere. Shine Everywhere will provide new avenues of communication between those who create Shine curriculum and the congregations and families who use it. The purpose of the new initiative is to listen attentively to congregations and families and then incorporate their input into new Shine resources.
