With a grant of $2,500, the Church of the Brethren Global Food Initiative (GFI) is supporting a soybean consultation and exchange visit between Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and Church Aid Inc. in Liberia. Another recent grant of $1,000 supports a community gardening initiative of Rockford (Ill.) Community Church of the Brethren.
NEWS
1) Children’s Disaster Services sends team to aid evacuees in northern California
2) Global Food Initiative supports soybean consultation in Africa, community garden in Illinois
3) Nigeria Crisis Response volunteers visit rebuilt church, IDP camp in Maiduguri
4) EYN disaster ministry conducts Hepatitis B screening, aids Bdagu refugees
UPCOMING EVENTS
5) General secretary continues to hold listening sessions
6) Global Mission and Service offers more Nigeria workcamps
PERSONNEL
7) Brethren Benefit Trust announces staffing changes
REFLECTION
8) Values of retirement community cooperative group live on
REMEMBER WHEN
9) Resolution on Justice for Japanese-American World War II Internees: An action of the former General Board of the Church of the Brethren
10) Brethren bits
Following the EYN president’s statement declaring a state of emergency on health, the Disaster Relief Ministry of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) moved to conduct Hepatitis B screening starting with staff and students of Kulp Bible College in Kwarhi.
David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, is holding listening sessions in church districts around the denomination. The meetings are a way for him to listen closely to people within the church, and an opportunity for church members to meet the general secretary. Last fall, several listening sessions were held–mostly in conjunction with district conferences.
More Nigeria workcamp opportunities have been announced by the Global Mission and Service office of the Church of the Brethren. American Brethren and others who are interested in joining in a workcamp with members of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) are invited to consider one of two workcamps to be held in April and August.
Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) has announced staffing changes, including a resignation and a new hire at its offices located at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Eric Thompson has tendered his resignation as director of operations for Information Technology. Jeremiah Thompson has accepted the position of director of BBT’s Insurance Operations.
The Peace Church Risk Retention Group and the Peace Church Health Insurance Program hold two annual meetings, in which the Fellowship of Brethren Homes participates. In a recent meeting of the Peace Church Retention Group, which is served by Phil Leaman as COO and Russ Shaner as executive director, we were reminded of the group’s mission and values statements.
Sixteen members of Chiques Church of the Brethren spent a week in Haiti in January. Their primary goal was to work on upgrades to the Brethren guesthouse in Croix des Bouquets. The group served with l’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Church of the Brethren in Haiti).
In this issue: Emma Jean Woodard resigns from Virlina District and other personnel and job announcements, Capstone founder reports from New Orleans after tornado, Ministers’ Association pre-Conference event features Lillian Daniel, mission worker in Vietnam aids children who need eye care, BBT offers webinar on long-term care, and more.
The following is an excerpt of the late Mary Blocher Smeltzer’s story about how she and her husband, Ralph Smeltzer, aided Japanese-American families who were interned by the US government during World War II. The Smeltzers began teaching at the Manzanar internment camp and then worked to relocate Japanese-American families to Chicago and New York with help from the Church of the Brethren and Bethany Seminary. This story was included in the chapter titled “Japanese-American Resettlement Work” in the book “To Serve the Present Age: The Brethren Service Story,” edited by Donald F. Durnbaugh and published by Brethren Press in 1975.
