Chris Douglas will retire from the Church of the Brethren staff on Oct. 1. She has worked for the denomination for more than 35 years, since 1985. Most recently, she has served as director of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
Plans have been announced for the next Moderator’s Town Hall hosted by Paul Mundey, moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. The online event is titled “The Global Church: Current Happenings, Future Possibilities” and will take place Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). Norm and Carol Spicher Waggy, interim directors of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren, will be the featured resource people.
Traditionally the moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference calls the church to Bible study and prayer as we anticipate Annual Conference. This year is no exception, but with an added plus: the availability in mid-February of 13 Bible studies focused on the themes of the proposed compelling vision for the Church of the Brethren (www.brethren.org/ac/compelling-vision).
The Program and Arrangements Committee of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has announced a denomination-wide online worship gathering titled “Venturing Forth Boldly as a Faith Family,” scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, at 8 p.m. (Eastern time). In a season of disruption and despair, the service will assure us of what “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9) and how we can faithfully respond.
Of late, the inauguration of a new US president has occupied our attention. But there’s a more pertinent inauguration needed during days of national upheaval: a fresh elevation of Jesus as Lord. Many have yet to inaugurate Jesus to this status. Yes, we give lip service to the centrality of Jesus, but often we become acculturated, collapsing toward consumerism, civil religion, and an insular faith. In doing so, we fail to allow Jesus to transform every aspect of our “form and frame,” being “born again,” not only in our relationship to God, but also in our relationship to soul, self, others, and all of creation (Romans 12).
The Program and Arrangements Committee has determined that the 2021 Annual Conference will be entirely online. The committee hoped to have a hybrid (both in-person and online) Conference as announced last fall. However, due to the continuing challenges of COVID-19, the committee deemed that it is not wise to have an in-person component for Annual Conference this summer. As Program and Arrangements Committee has consistently stressed, the health and safety of Annual Conference participants is the highest priority.
From the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee Although uncertainty remains due to the pandemic, the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee has determined the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place in 2021. The event is planned for June 30-July 4, 2021, in Greensboro, N.C. Conference arrangements will, of course, abide by