This issue of Brethren bits notes: new staff for Donor Relations and Camp Pine Lake, Lent resources, Calvary Church helps celebrate preacher’s 96th, “Brethren Voices” comes all the way from Japan! Also: presidents of Brethren-related colleges sign gun control letter, major new peace prize for children and youth, and more news for and from the Church of the Brethren.
Newsline for Feb. 7, 2013
1) Christian Churches Together urges fundamental immigration reform.
2) Committee to study ecumenism in the 21st century.
3) Health care tax credit can help churches and organizations.
4) Nursing scholarships are available through the Church of the Brethren.
5) Kostlevy to direct Brethren Historical Library and Archives.
6) Youth Peace Travel Team named for 2013.
7) Brethren Press offers new resources for the spring and summer.
8) Signs of the seasons: Lent.
9) Founding pastor’s family reflects on 99 years with Arcadia Church.
10) Brethren bits.
Brethren Press Offers New Resources for the Spring and Summer
Brethren Press is offering a number of new resources for Christian education and curriculum options for congregations to use this spring and summer. Among the new resources, a Vacation Bible School curriculum titled “Breathe It In: God Gives Life,” an outdoor ministries resource “Inside Out,” a new spring quarter of “A Guide for Biblical Studies,” a summer quarter of Gather ’Round on the theme “God’s Good Creation” suitable for multi-age groups, and a new Covenant Bible Study on 1 John. All of these resources may be ordered from Brethren Press by calling 800-441-3712 or ordering online at www.brethrenpress.com .
Nursing Scholarships Are Available Through the Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren awards a limited number of scholarships each year to individuals enrolled in a nursing program. Candidates for the scholarships must be enrolled in a LPN, RN, or nursing graduate program, and be members of the Church of the Brethren.
Signs of the Seasons: Lent
This quarter, a Gather ‘Round resource pack poster is helping Middler children learn about the seasons of the Christian calendar.
Committee to Study Ecumenism in the 21st Century
A study committee on “The Church of the Brethren and Ecumenism in the 21st Century” has been named. The group is to prepare a statement for Annual Conference giving vision and direction to the Church of the Brethren’s participation in the worldwide community of Christian communions.
Youth Peace Travel Team Named for 2013
Members of the Church of the Brethren’s Youth Peace Travel Team for 2013 have been announced: Jacob Crouse, Heather Gentry, and Amanda McLearn-Montz.
Christian Churches Together Urges Fundamental Immigration Reform
Christian leaders representing the breadth of Christian churches and denominations in the United States issued a strong and urgent call for fundamental immigration reform at an annual meeting of Christian Churches Together (CCT). The Church of the Brethren was represented by general secretary Stan Noffsinger, Annual Conference moderator Bob Krouse and moderator-elect Nancy Heishman, and Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden.
Kostlevy to Direct Brethren Historical Library and Archives
William (Bill) Kostlevy begins March 1 as director of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. He comes to the BHLA from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., where he has been professor of History since 2005.
Founding Pastor’s Family Reflects on 99 Years with Arcadia Church
Rachael Bail, daughter of the founding pastor, reflects on her family’s century-long relationship to Arcadia (Fla.) Church of the Brethren as they continue to own the original parsonage and other homes surrounding the church. Now living in Washington, D.C., she is a retired journalist who has worked for the St. Petersburg Times, among other newspapers, and a former editor and US Supreme Court correspondent for Voice of America: