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.
Brethren in the News for May 8, 2013
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.