What a wonderful God we serve! In August, Church World Service (CWS) announced the need for more disaster relief clean-up buckets in the warehouse at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. This request was prompted by Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of Houston, Texas. Little did they know Irma, Jose, and Maria were on their way, as well as a devastating earthquake in Mexico.
Patrice Nightingale has announced her retirement as manager of production for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), as of Dec. 31. She joined the BBT communications staff on May 5, 2008. On Oct. 20 of the same year, she succeeded Nevin Dulabaum as director of communications. In late 2011, BBT went through an organizational change due to economic factors, and she was transitioned to her current position.
Mark Hartwig is retiring as director of Information Technology for the Church of the Brethren, effective Dec. 22. He has worked at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., for more than 12 years.
Gathering together with a worship focus on the Beatitudes, the 54th annual Pacific Southwest District Conference brought together folk from 23 of our congregations for time in worship, study, business, and fellowship. Friday evening’s sermon was brought by author and public theologian Brian McLaren, who invited the district into an examination of the Beatitudes.
The next course offering from the “Ventures in Christian Discipleship” program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “Congregation in Mission.” Congregational life provides settings for persons in community to flourish in their faith. What are the dynamics to allow this to happen? What are the impediments that get in the way of this flourishing? These and other questions can be a spring board for drawing us into a lively discussion.
The Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., last month was on a tour of the PastForward Conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. About 40 people from around the country took the bus tour from Chicago to Elgin for a “field study” of mid-20th century buildings. “Working Around the Clock to Preserve the Mid-Century” provided the theme.
Church of the Brethren Newsline December 4, 2017 Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) had its origins in the work of missionaries sent by the Church of the Brethren starting in 1923. My husband, Don Shankster, pastor of Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren in Scottsdale, Ariz., was one of the
1) Church of the Brethren workcamps repair church buildings, homes in Puerto Rico
2) Brenda Reish concludes employment at Bethany Seminary
3) South Central Indiana District goes above and beyond in collection for Nigeria, Haiti
4) Illinois and Wisconsin District Conference proclaims good news
5) West Marva District adopts resolution on same-sex marriage.
6) President of EYN meets with Nigeria’s vice president
7) Brethren bits
In this issue: Remembering Julie Mader Hostetter, job opening at CPT, Belita Mitchell and Nancy Sollenberger Heishman experience a Sankofa Journey, UN representative queries the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Nigeria situation, Brethren Academy offers the next Clergy Tax Seminar, variety of news from congregations, CWS Action Alert on the termination of Temporary Protected Status designation for Haiti, and more.
South Central Indiana District has raised $28,800 to support the Church of the Brethren’s work in Nigeria and in Haiti, in a special district-wide project. The concept for the special giving emphasis started last fall at the district board’s annual retreat, when board member Brad Yoder suggested raising money to build wells in Haiti.
