1) Junior high conference helps youth address change, while keeping a focus on God. 2) Lightsabers and communicating with junior highs: An interview with Bethany dean Steve Schweitzer. 3) Work/learning group makes trip to South Sudan. 4) Fahrney-Keedy announces appointment of Stephen Coetzee as president/CEO. 5) Brethren bits
Work/Learning Group Makes Trip to South Sudan
South Sudan has experienced nearly continuous war since 1955. Although a peace accord was signed between North Sudan and South Sudan in 2005, the people of South Sudan have continued to suffer under ineffective South Sudanese government, lingering military engagement with North Sudan, and tribal conflicts.
Church of the Brethren Sends Letter of Condolence to African Methodist Episcopal Church
A letter from the Church of the Brethren, signed by general secretary Stan Noffsinger and Intercultural Ministry director Gimbiya Kettering, has been sent to members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The letter shares condolence, in response to the shooting there Wednesday, June17, which has been characterized as a hate crime.
National Junior High Conference Worship Will Be Webcast
Worship services at the National Junior High Conference taking place this weekend at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College will be webcast. The conference is offered by the Church of the Brethren Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Junior high youth from across the denomination will gather the weekend of June 19-21 for a faith formation experience that will include worship, fellowship, workshops, recreation, and more. Link to the webcasts at https://livestream.com/livingstreamcob/NJHC2015 .
‘Basin and Towel’ Publication Is Discontinued
Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren has announced that the magazine “Basin and Towel” will discontinue publication following the July release of Vol. 6, Issue 2 titled “Transitions.”
Newsline for June 17, 2015
1) Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers help clean up after Colorado tornado. 2) ‘Basin and Towel’ publication is discontinued. 3) Bethany Seminary calls new executive director of institutional advancement. 4) National Junior High Conference worship will be webcast. 5) Brethren bits
Brethren Bits for June 17, 2015
Corrections to Nigerian Brethren tour schedule, Fahrney-Keedy acting president, Spurgeon Manor seeks development officer, NRCAT letter, Senate acts on torture legislation, BVS events in Maryland, BHLA newsletter, videos from Bethany event, more
Brethren Disaster Ministries Volunteers Help Clean up After Colorado Tornado
On June 4, around 6:30 p.m., an EF3-rated tornado touched down in Berthoud, Colo. The tornado was 200 yards wide with maximum sustained winds of 135-140 miles per hour. It tracked 5 miles during the 13 minutes it was on the ground. On Friday evening volunteers with the Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project site in Greeley, Colo., decided to drive to the area that was struck to see if there was anything we could do to help.
Newsline for June 10, 2015
1) Emergency Disaster Fund grants support Shalom in Burundi, CWS aid to Haitian Dominicans. 2) Interfaith community is built for Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram.
3) EYN teams available to visit churches this summer, choir tour itinerary is updated. 4) ‘Glory of Gardening’ webinar discusses spiritual benefits, wellness brought by gardening. 5) Registration closes soon for Ministers’ Association pre-Conference event. 6) Message from the moderator of Annual Conference 2015. 7) WCC general secretary urges a ‘spirituality of justice and peace’. 8) Brethren bits
Interfaith Community Is Built for Nigerians Displaced by Boko Haram
Children sat watching, under a shady tree. Women in colorful Nigerian dress, carrying babies on their backs, wandered by to greet us. The sound of hammers filled the air at the building site, shortly after I arrived in Nigeria in late March. Men were nailing sheets of metal roofing on the three-room houses that would make up the Gurku Interfaith Camp for families who fled the violence of Boko Haram and lost everything.