The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference planned for summer 2019 has been forced to change locations, according to director Chris Douglas. Unexpected delays with major renovations at the Town and Country resort in San Diego, Calif., where the Conference was to have been held, have forced this change. “Town and Country cancelled our contract,” she reported.
This group brought a diversity of gifts and perspectives as it worked to lay out a general roadmap for the development of a compelling vision for the Church of the Brethren. This first meeting was led by Keister, who guided the team through its first stages of planning and the calling of the chair. Pittman Gingrich was called to be chair, and will work in partnership with the Annual Conference moderator to lead the work of the team going forward.
NEWS
1) Mission Alive gathers Brethren around the concept of a global church
2) Global Food Initiative issues grants for community gardens, agriculture initiatives
3) Class of 2018 to graduate from Bethany Seminary
4) Chiques kicks off 150th anniversary with old-time worship service
PERSONNEL
5) Dan McFadden resigns as director of Brethren Volunteer Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
6) Brethren Academy lists upcoming courses
FEATURE
7) Reflections from the National Mall
8) Brethren bits
In this issue: Global Mission executive remembers a warm welcome from new Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) deploys a team to aid families affected by wildfires in Oklahoma, recent meetings at the Church of the Brethren General Offices, Bethany Seminary hosts the Council of District Executives, and more new by, for, and about Brethren.
Two people who were on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 4 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. reflect on the experience.
The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership has announced its course offering for the rest of this year and into next, see the following listing. These courses are for everyone, with Training in Ministry (TRIM) and Education for Shared Ministry (EFSM) students receiving 1 unit per course, credentialed clergy earning 2 continuing education units, and others enrolling for their own personal and spiritual enrichment. To register for one of the following courses, go to bethanyseminary.edu/brethren-academy or contact academy@bethanyseminary.edu or 765-983-1824.
Chiques Church of the Brethren, located near Manheim, Pa., kicked off its 150th anniversary celebration on Sunday, April 15, with a morning worship service that incorporated practices from earlier years. Men and women sat on separate sides of the sanctuary. Ministers and deacons, dressed in plain white shirts, were seated facing toward the congregation, in order of their call to lifetime office.
A vision for a global Church of the Brethren was a point of discussion and focus for Mission Alive 2018, a conference for mission-minded church members from across the United States and around the world. The conference was organized by the Global Mission and Service office working with the Mission Advisory Committee, and hosted by Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren on April 6-8.
The Global Food Initiative of the Church of the Brethren has given a number of grants in the first few months of 2018 to support community gardening efforts, agriculture initiatives, and other work to support food security in a variety of areas across the globe. Grants have been given to projects in the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Spain. For more information go to www.brethren.org/gfi.
Dan McFadden has resigned as director of Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) effective Nov. 2. He began his work with the Church of the Brethren on Dec. 1, 1995. He has worked out of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., for more than 22 years.
