The Standing with People of Color Committee of Annual Conference is two thirds of the way through its three-year mandate, but the work of the church in using the results of their efforts is just beginning. Most study committees produce position statements on issues of the day, but this committee reports its mission to be “to provide connection, education, and inspiration for action on this continuing area of concern.”
Bits and pieces of the day, Thursday, at the 2024 Annual Conference
The attendees at the Almuerzo de Líderes Hermanos de Habla Hispana (Spanish Speaking Brethren Leaders Luncheon) spoke Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole, sometimes but not always translated from one tongue to another.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” So it says in scripture (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and so, it seems, is the case for the Association of the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB), which has announced that this is the last year the group will host quilting at Annual Conference.
A Memorandum of Understanding updating the Bethany Theological Seminary polity regarding members of the school’s board of trustees was approved by the delegate body.
The study committee formed in response to the query on Breaking Down Barriers–Increasing Access to Denominational Events has been granted another year to finalize their report and bring recommendations to Annual Conference.
In the wake of dramatic increases in gun violence nationwide, the Church of the Brethren is taking a strong stance on gun violence this week. The church’s Gun Violence Prevention Action Team supported by the denominational agency On Earth Peace is leading a public witness and vigil on Saturday, July 6, at 4:45 p.m. at Rosa Parks Circle .
In election results this afternoon, July 4, the delegate body of Annual Conference elected Don Fitzkee of Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, in Atlantic Northeast District, to serve as moderator-elect. He will preside over the 2026 Annual Conference as moderator.
Today, July 4, the delegate body of the 2024 Annual Conference welcomed a total of seven new projects, fellowships, and congregations into the Church of the Brethren. This number included one congregation, one fellowship, and five new church projects, located in five districts.
The closing business session of the Standing Committee addressed proposed revisions to the pastor’s Housing Equity Fund and a recommended cost of living adjustment to the minimum cash salary table for pastors. An additional action came during a review of the Special Response Process.
