NEWS
1) Lengthy court case over church property in Los Angeles draws to a close
2) Bethany Theological Seminary announces its class of 2016 graduates
3) National Young Adult Conference seeks to create harmony
4) Children’s Disaster Services deploys to Houston, again, following flooding
UPCOMING EVENTS
5) Nigerian Brethren president Joel S. Billi inaugurates EYN 100th anniversary committee
6) Brethren bits
In this issue: Remembrance, personnel, On Earth Peace openings for development director and for interim coordinator of Ministry of Reconciliation, MSS interns begin orientation, Brethren Disaster Ministries chosen for nomination to receive Rebate for Mission funds from Everence Federal Credit Union, New Community Project featured in “Brethren Voices,” and more.
“The Houston team is in a shelter where people are taken to after being rescued,” reported Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) associate director Kathy Fry-Miller. CDS has deployed a team of volunteers to Houston, Texas, for the second time since April in response to severe flooding.
Over Memorial Day weekend, more than 45 young adults from across the country met at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., for National Young Adult Conference (NYAC). The weekend was filled with worship, workshops, and Bible study focused around the theme of creating harmony in everyday life.
New funding has been made available for congregations to host performances of the original play by Ted and Co. Theaterworks that benefits Heifer International, called “12 Baskets and a Goat.” The total allocation of $10,000 comes jointly from the Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) and the Office of the General Secretary.
The response to the Nigeria crisis from the Church of the Brethren has been nothing short of spectacular. Over the last 16 months we have been able to provide support for Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and five NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations).
“Hope, Imagination, Mission”–the theme of the Church of the Brethren new church planting May 19-21 in Richmond, Ind., hosted by Bethany Theological Seminary–prompted a new call to the whole church to develop its imagination and foster a new hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some 100 people participated in worship, keynote presentations, workshops, and a special training track in Spanish. The conference was sponsored by Congregational Life Ministries.
“Join congregations and individuals from around the country as we worship together as one virtual church on Annual Conference Sunday, July 3,” said an invitation from the Conference Office. The 2016 Annual Conference takes place in Greensboro, N.C., on June 29-July 3.
Earlier this month, gardeners converged on Wisconsin from many corners of the country to discuss their work and dream about the next phase of the Going to the Garden initiative. Gardeners hailed from New Mexico, Alaska, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C.
“Now I’m back to my roots!” said pastor Ephraim Kadala of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) as he waded in the Eder River in Schwarzenau, Germany. “This is where we come from!”