On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, in northeast Nigeria. Since the night the girls were taken some 56 have escaped and one reportedly was executed in a vicious stoning incident. That leaves 219 of the girls unaccounted for and, at last report, no one has any concrete information concerning their whereabouts.
‘Long Journey Home’ Video Updates Brethren About the Nigeria Crisis Response
The Global Mission and Service office has released a new DVD which updates the Church of the Brethren about the Nigeria Crisis Response for 2016. The video called “The Long Journey Home” outlines what has been accomplished with funds raised by the church and mission partners during 2015, and provides a blueprint for the church’s support of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) for 2016.
Live Your Life in the Hand of God: An Interview with Rebecca Dali
The following is excerpted from an interview with Rebecca Dali made during last year’s Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in July 2015. It was shortly after she had been able to go back home to Michika for the first time since Boko Haram had taken over the area, and then had been forced back out by the Nigerian military. Dali heads up CCEPI, a humanitarian nonprofit serving widows, orphans, and others affected by violence. Now there is significantly less violence than last summer, but Dali’s comments give insight into the suffering of many in Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and their Christian and Muslim neighbors. She shares about the spiritual foundations of her work, and helps explain how young Nigerian men are enticed into joining Boko Haram:
Brethren Bits for April 9, 2016
In this issue: Remembrances, personnel notes, job opening in DC, CDS volunteers serve in Louisiana, ‘Our Calling to Racial Justice,’ ADNet financial planning seminar, and more news by, for, and about Brethren.
Brethren Sew Dolls, Stuffed Toys for Nigeria Training by CDS
Several churches and sewing groups have made dolls and stuffed toys for use by Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) in an upcoming training in Nigeria. CDS associate director Kathleen Fry-Miller and volunteer trainer John Kinsel will travel to Nigeria to train Nigerian Brethren women leaders to provide trauma healing for children.
Newsline for April 9, 2016
1) New graduate certificates offered at Bethany Seminary
2) Brethren sew dolls, stuffed toys for Nigeria training by Children’s Disaster Services
3) Fellowship of Brethren Homes holds annual Forum in April
4) Early registration discount still available for @HIM #Hope #Imagination #Mission
5) Brethren bits
Fellowship of Brethren Homes Holds Annual Forum in April
The Fellowship of Brethren Homes, an organization of the Church of the Brethren-related retirement communities, will hold its annual Forum 2016 on April 19-21 at Hillcrest in La Verne, Calif. The event will begin with a dinner on Tuesday, April 19, and end with a session on Thursday morning, April 21.
Early Registration Discount Still Available for @Him #Hope #Imagination #Mission
Register by April 15 to take advantage of early registration discount for the new church development conference, @HIM #Hope #Imagination #Mission. This event is for church planters, anyone considering becoming a church planter, planting teams, and leaders eager to explore a vision of the church that includes vital established congregations and dynamic emerging mission points.
Insurance Company Issues Another Large Dividend to the Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren has received another large dividend amounting to $63,784 from Brethren Mutual Aid and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, through the company’s Partnership Group Program.
Newsline for March 25, 2016
1) Insurance company issues another large dividend to the Church of the Brethren
2) Disaster grants support W. Virginia bridge project, displaced people in Rwanda and DR Congo, DRSI project, Sudan mission, deported Haitians
3) Global Food Crisis Fund grants support Lybrook ministries, agriculture in Rwanda and the DR Congo
4) German Mennonite peace prize to go to EYN and Muslim partners
5) One-and-a-half years in Cameroon: An interview with an EYN district secretary
6) Webinars to focus on urban ministry
7) Brethren bits