Brethren in the News for May 8, 2013
Brethren Bits for May 3, 2013
In this issue, National Council of Churches leader Bob Edgar is remembered, general secretary attends a commemoration of the martyrs of the Armenian holocaust, Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center and the Global Mission office share personnel notes and a job opening, plus lots of news from congregations, districts, colleges, and more.
Small Church Leaders Advised to Know Yourself, Know Your Church, Take Part in God’s Mission
Throughout the Strengthening Your Small Congregation event, leaders of small churches received essentially the same guidance from various speakers and workshop leaders: know yourself, know your congregation, seek out God’s purpose for you and your church. Organized in large part by the Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren, the event was the brainchild of the pastors of two small congregations in Indiana–Kay Gaier of Wabash Church of the Brethren and Brenda Hostetler Meyer of Benton Mennonite Church.
Newsline for May 3, 2013
1) Small church leaders advised to know yourself, know your church, take part in God’s mission. 2) Mission workers report from annual meeting of Nigerian church. 3) Manchester University’s annual Peace Week opens new doors. 4) Manchester students lift 1,000,000 pounds for peace. 5) Kettering-Lane to fill Brethren studies position at Bethany Seminary. 6) Thirteen to graduate from Bethany Theological Seminary. 7) Faithful Christian leadership is topic of the Ministers’ Association event. 8) Fifth Brethren World Assembly to take place in Ohio in July. 9) COBYS conference to address PTSD in foster children. 10) If it’s spring: A note from Gather ’Round. 11) Celebrating completion of the Brethren Digital Archive. 12) Brethren bits:
Manchester Students Lift 1,000,000 Pounds for Peace
On April 28, a team of more than 15 Manchester University students succeeded in working together to lift one million pounds–for peace. This event was part of the On Earth Peace campaign, 3,000 Miles for Peace. Manchester University is a Church of the Brethren-related school with a main campus in North Manchester, Ind.
Faithful Christian Leadership Is the Topic for the Ministers’ Association Event
The Church of the Brethren Minister’s Association pre-Annual Conference event on June 28-29 in Charlotte, N.C., will be led by L Gregory Jones on the theme “Faithful Christian Leadership in the 21st Century.” Links to more information and online registration are at www.brethren.org/ministryoffice .
Thirteen to Graduate from Bethany Theological Seminary
Bethany Theological Seminary will hold its 108th commencement in Nicarry Chapel on the seminary campus in Richmond, Ind., at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11. Eleven master of divinity degrees will be conferred along with one master of arts degree and one Certificate of Achievement in Theological Studies. Commencement speaker will be J. Nelson Kraybill, lead pastor at Prairie Street Mennonite Church in Elkhart, Ind., and president-elect of Mennonite World Conference.
Fifth Brethren World Assembly to Take Place in Ohio in July
The Fifth Brethren World Assembly for constituents and friends of the Brethren bodies descended from the movement established by Alexander Mack in Germany in the early 1700s will be held July 11-14 at the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, near Dayton, Ohio.
COBYS Conference to Address PTSD in Foster Children
People often associate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with soldiers returning from battle, but foster children sometimes exhibit similar symptoms as a result of the trauma they have experienced in their lives. COBYS Family Services therapist Laura Miller, LCSW, will lead a one-day seminar on PTSD in children on May 31 at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
Celebrating Completion of the Brethren Digital Archive
The golden age of Brethren print media has wonderfully come to life in the Brethren Digital Archive, available online in a full-text format without charge at archive.org/details/brethrendigitalarchives . It contains 29 periodicals published from 1851-2000 by the spiritual heirs of those baptized in the Eder River.