SPECIAL NEWS SECTION ON NIGERIA: 1) Congregations invited to pray for girls abducted from school in Chibok, Nigeria. 2) Conference moderator provides resources for daily prayer for Nigeria. 3) Action Alert: Bring Back Our Girls. 4) Walking with the Nigerian church: An interview with Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and mission executive Jay Wittmeyer. 5) Brethren bits
New Annual Conference App Designed to Aid Conference-Goers
A new Annual Conference App has been created to aid Conference-goers and delegates as they attend the Church of the Brethren annual meeting this year on July 2-6 in Columbus, Ohio.
Congregations Are Invited to Join in Annual Conference Sunday
Church of the Brethren congregations and individuals are invited to join in a special Annual Conference Sunday worship service from around the country on July 6. The Conference Office is inviting churches to join in the webcast of worship that Sunday, in order “to worship together as one virtual church.”
Brethren Bits for April 29, 2014
Christian response to waterboarding comment, Warrensburg Church to celebrate its 100th, a Caregiver’s Day in Southern Ohio, Mutual Kumquat asks, ‘Are you still glowing like we are?!’ and much more news by and for Brethren
Nigerian Churches Urge Global Prayer for 230 Missing Girls, Most from EYN
Church of the Brethren leaders in the US are joining Nigeria’s largest church network, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to call for prayer and fasting for the safe release of hundreds of teenage school girls abducted April 14 from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, by an extremist Islamist terror group. Most of the affected families are part of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN–Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria).
May Is Older Adult Month: Celebrate the Gift of Aging
Each May, the Church of the Brethren observes Older Adult Month, an opportunity to celebrate God’s gift of aging and the contributions of older adults to our lives and our congregations. This year, the denomination’s Older Adult Ministry invites the church to consider the “Rhythms of Life: For Everything There Is a Season…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Revision to Ministerial Leadership Polity Heads up Annual Conference Business Agenda
The business agenda for the Church of the Brethren’s 2014 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on July 2-6 includes proposed revisions to the Ministerial Leadership Polity, along with other returning business items that deal with guidelines for implementing the Congregational Ethics Paper, guidance for responding to the changing of Earth’s climate, a Vision of Ecumenism for the 21st century, and more equitable representation on the Mission and Ministry Board.
National Youth Conference Registration Fee to Increase May 1
Youth and advisors have a day to register for this summer’s National Youth Conference (NYC) before the price goes up to $500 on May 1. All participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to avoid a late fee. For all information regarding the conference, visit www.brethren.org/NYC .
Mission Across Margins Is Topic for Webinars in May and June
Two webinars with Mike Pears will explore the theme of mission in marginal places. They are sponsored by the Church of the Brethren and its Congregational Life Ministries, with partners in the UK: Urban Expression, Bristol Baptist College, and BMS World Mission.
Newsline for April 29, 2014
1) Nigerian churches urge global prayer for 230 missing girls, most from EYN. 2) Bethany Seminary to hold commencement. 3) Revision to Ministerial Leadership Polity heads up Annual Conference business agenda. 4) New Annual Conference App designed to aid Conference-goers. 5) Congregations are invited to join in Annual Conference Sunday. 6) National Youth Conference registration fee to increase May 1. 7) May is Older Adult Month: Celebrate the gift of aging. 8) Mission across margins is topic for webinars in May and June. 9) Protests reveal a country’s struggle: A BVSer reports from Bosnia. 10) Brethren bits