1) Bethany Seminary trustees hold spring meeting. 2) Seventy-year-old Brethren Pension Plan transforms in 2013. 3) BDM directs grants to support rebuilding in New York, send canned chicken to the Caribbean. 4) Dinner celebrates completion of Prattsville, N.Y., rebuilding project. 5) Material Resources ships 27,000 pounds of clean-up supplies to Illinois, CWS appeals for help to restock. 6) Delegation visits emerging church in Spain. 7) Campaign brings healing and engagement to Paul Ziegler’s home congregation. 8) Fort Wayne mayor speaks out on guns at Beacon Heights Church. 9) Tools for Vital Ministry Journey include new Bible study resources. 10) Hearing reveals human and moral costs of drone warfare. 11) EYN’s ‘New Light’ interviews mission worker Carol Smith. 12) Brethren bits.
Brethren Bits for May 17, 2013
Topping the “bits” of Newsline news: A correction, remembering Nigeria mission mechanic Marion Showalter, job openings for Shine project editor and mission office manager, Fahrney-Keedy seeks an administrator, Open Roof Award nominations, commencement ceremonies, and much more.
EYN’s ‘New Light’ Interviews Mission Worker Carol Smith
Zakariya Musa, secretary of the “New Light” publication of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), provided the following interview with Church of the Brethren mission worker Carol Smith.
BDM Directs Grants to Support Rebuilding in New York, Send Canned Chicken to the Caribbean
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff are directing grant money to support a continuing home rebuilding effort in New York State following flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011, and a church effort to distribute canned chicken in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Material Resources Ships 27,000 Pounds of Clean-Up Supplies to Illinois, CWS Appeals for Help to Restock
In response to storms and the flooding that has plagued the state of Illinois this spring, the Church of the Brethren’s Material Resources program has begun shipping clean-up supplies on behalf of Church World Service (CWS), an ecumenical partner.
Fort Wayne Mayor Speaks out on Guns at Beacon Heights Church
Fort Wayne mayor Tom Henry recently spoke to an adult education class at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind. The class, led by Nancy Eikenberry and Kyla Zehr, has been studying the book “America and Its Guns, a Theological Exposé” by James E. Atwood.
Hearing Reveals Human and Moral Costs of Drone Warfare
On April 23, the US Senate held its first official hearing on drone warfare entitled “Drone Wars: The Constitutional and Counterterrorism Implications of Targeted Killing.” The United States has been using drones to conduct missile strikes in various places since 2002, but recently, more scrutiny has been given to the targeted killing program as President Obama has expanded its scope and has even used drones to target and kill three American citizens.
Brethren Disaster Ministries Trains Project Leaders for 2013
On April 23, I traveled to Prattsville, N.Y., to undergo training to become a Disaster Project Leader. Disaster Project Leaders are wonderful men and women called to lead and guide volunteers who come out to Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding sites for a week. I was very excited to learn all that happened behind the scenes to keep the project sites running.
Dinner Celebrates Completion of Prattsville, N.Y., Rebuilding Project
On May 1, more than 75 people gathered at Prattsville Community Church in the New York Catskills to celebrate all the work Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers have done. Delicious dinner and desserts were provided by the church and community for volunteers and homeowners.
Campaign Brings Healing and Engagement to Paul Ziegler’s Home Congregation
On Saturday, May 4, nearly 150 people gathered at Colebrook, Pa., along the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail to bike, walk, and ride horseback as a part of the 3,000 Miles for Peace campaign of On Earth Peace. A report from the agency noted that the trail ride kicked off a long weekend of events in and around Elizabethtown, Pa., in honor of the late Paul Ziegler who would have celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday, May 5.