In this issue: Correction, personnel notes, position openings in Congregational Life and Material Resources, BVS orientation, invitation to a teleconference on just peace in Palestine and Israel, new posts on the Brethren Blog, a breakfast for Heifer’s 70th, district and camp celebrations, Bittersweet Gospel Band tour, and more.
Newsline for Sept. 26, 2014
1) Disaster grant of $100,000 is directed to Nigeria
2) EYN leaders visit refugee camps, pilot relocation project starts
3) General secretary and Public Witness staff reiterate support for nonviolent measures in Syria and Iraq, CPTer comments from Iraqi Kurdistan
4) Global Mission executive returns from visit to Democratic Republic of Congo
5) ‘Side by Side: Imitating Christ’s Humility’ is 2015 workcamp theme
6) Webinar on urban mission offered under title ‘Telling the Truth and Shaming the Devil’
7) Lowell Flory to retire from Bethany Seminary
8) Cori Hahn resigns from Zigler Hospitality Center at Brethren Service Center
9) Brethren bits
Cori Hahn Resigns from Zigler Hospitality Center at Brethren Service Center
Cori Hahn has tendered her resignation as hospitality coordinator at the Zigler Hospitality Center, located at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Her last day at the hospitality center will be Nov. 14.
‘Side by Side: Imitating Christ’s Humility’ Is 2015 Workcamp Theme
The Workcamp office announces the theme for the 2015 Church of the Brethren Workcamp season: “Side by Side: Imitating Christ’s Humility” (Philippians 2:1-8).
General Secretary and Public Witness Staff Reiterate Support for Nonviolent Measures in Syria and Iraq, CPTer Comments from Iraqi Kurdistan
In a week when US President Barack Obama has announced new air strikes on Islamic State in Syria by a coalition of the US military and several Arab nations, Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and the denomination’s Office of Public Witness have reiterated a commitment to nonviolent means of change in Syria and Iraq.
Global Mission Executive Returns from Visit to Democratic Republic of Congo
Global Mission and Service executive director Jay Wittmeyer spent several days visiting the fledgling Brethren group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), returning on Sept. 18. Wittmeyer flew into Bujumbura, Burundi, and then traveled overland into the Congo, first to Uvira in South Kivu and then south to Fizi and Ngovi.
EYN Leaders Visit Refugee Camps, Pilot Relocation Project Starts
Over the past couple of weeks, leaders and staff of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) have shared about the hardships faced by Brethren and others fleeing the violence in northeast Nigeria, and the struggle of EYN and its leadership in the midst of the crisis. The news has come through reports to Church of the Brethren staff in the US, and piecemeal through brief e-mails, calls, texts, and Facebook posts.
Disaster Grant of $100,000 Is Directed to Nigeria
Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing a grant of $100,000 to provide for the basic needs of displaced Nigerians and other needs in Nigeria, where members of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) as well as families of EYN denominational staff are among the thousands of people who have fled violence.
Webinar on Urban Mission Offered Under Title ‘Telling the Truth and Shaming the Devil’
“Telling the Truth and Shaming the Devil: A Postcolonial Take on Urban Mission in the 21st Century,” is the title of an Oct. 9 webinar jointly sponsored by the Church of the Brethren, Baptist Mission Society, Baptists Together, Bristol Baptist College, and Urban Expression UK.
Speakers, Worship, and Music Leadership Announced for 2015 Annual Conference
The preachers and the worship and music leadership for next year’s Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has been announced by the Conference Office. The 2015 Conference will return to a Saturday-through-Wednesday schedule on July 11-15, in Tampa, Fla. Moderator David Steele will lead the Conference on the theme “Abide in My Love…and Bear Fruit” (John 15:9-17). Find his reflection on the theme at www.brethren.org/ac/2015/theme.html .