“The Rural Church in God’s Country” is the topic for an online book study hosted by the Part-Time Pastor, Full-Time Church program of the Church of the Brethren’s Ministry Office. Pastor Brad Roth, in his book God’s Country: Faith, Hope, and the Future of the Rural Church, and Allen Stanton, author of Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations, champion rural ministry and the dedicated leaders who make it possible.
Aug. 6 and 9 mark 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings resulted in a combined death toll of approximately 200,000 to 250,000 people by the end of 1945. In Hiroshima, it is estimated that 70,000 to 140,000 people died, while in Nagasaki, the estimated death toll was 39,000 to 74,000.
In this issue: Remembering Sandy Bosserman, two-page Wrap Up reviews Annual Conference, four new Jesus in the Neighborhood videos are available, weekly Zoom prayer gatherings continue, seminary announces a t-shirt design contest, Green Tree’s “Patchwork Ladies” are featured by ABC, CDS fall trainings are in Missouri and Pennsylvania, McPherson College opens its new Campus Commons–complete with a rare Ferrari, and much more
Jose Rudy Amaya, a member of Conexion Pasadena (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, began June 1 as the first associate district executive minister intern for the Church of the Brethren’s Pacific Southwest District.
Jon Lucas Keller begins July 28 as a Mission Advancement advocate serving on the Church of the Brethren denominational staff. He most recently has been the grants manager for the Troy (Ohio) Foundation.
The Mennonite Health Service Association and the Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN) recently received a grant of $1.2 million from Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. As a result, ADN is launching an exciting new opportunity for Anabaptist congregations through a five-year project: “All In: Immersive Worship for Everybody.”
Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is hosting an outdoor “Evening of Stories & Songs” to benefit ministry to refugees and other immigrants on Saturday, Aug. 9, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The church is located at 1601 Sunset Ave., Lancaster, Pa.
In response to a request from the Red Cross, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is sending two Critical Response Childcare teams to Texas to care for children affected by last weekend’s flash flooding. One team of four has arrived in Kerrville. The other team of four will be leaving in the next few days.
The Standing Committee of district delegates’ two-fold recommendation in response to “Query: Reducing Harm: Interim Steps to Reduce Suffering” (new business item 4) was approved and received more than the two-thirds majority vote that was required. The vote was 301 for, 77 against.
The four recommendations brought by the Breaking Down Barriers study committee (known at this Conference as unfinished business item two), were adopted by the delegate body.
