A newly-formed Standing with People of Color Committee met via Zoom on Sept. 13 and 21 to begin work delegated by the 2022 Annual Conference.
Standing with People of Color Committee begins its work
Annual Conference 2022
Office of Ministry offers workshops introducing new pastoral compensation tools
Beginning on Sept. 26 and concluding on Oct. 22, members of the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee will offer an introductory workshop on five different occasions to introduce the new pastoral compensation tools recently approved by the Annual Conference. The workshop is open to all and will be particularly helpful to church board chairs, pastors, and treasurers.
Church of the Brethren donations support Girls Inc. of Omaha
Some 1,150 Church of the Brethren members from across the country were in Omaha, Neb., last week to celebrate the denomination’s Annual Conference. One of the worship offerings was received for Girls Inc. of Omaha, as the “Witness to the Host City.”
Today in Omaha – July 14, 2022
A review of the final day of Annual Conference 2022
Today in Omaha – July 12 and 13, 2022
A review of business and events at Annual Conference in Omaha
Young adults visit Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of nine Brethren young adults carpooled to Tri-Faith, a spacious campus home to Temple Israel, Countryside Community Church, and American Muslim Institute. The three independent religious communities are all connected by a circular walkway known as Abraham’s Bridge, surrounded by native plants and near a community garden and orchard tended by all three groups. It’s the only place of its kind in the world.
Leadership Team proposal to update polity for Annual Conference agencies is adopted
The one unfinished business item coming to the 2022 Annual Conference was adopted on Wednesday, July 13. The item, “Update to Polity Regarding Annual Conference Agencies” (unfinished business 1) was brought by the denomination’s Leadership Team, which includes the Conference officers, the general secretary, a representative of the Council of District Executives, and the Conference director as ex-officio staff.
Chris Douglas and James Beckwith are honored for their years of service
Annual Conference celebrated the service of Chris Douglas, who retired as Conference director last year, and James Beckwith, who is completing 10 years as Conference secretary, with presentations during the Tuesday afternoon business session. A reception followed.
Conference adopts concerns of ‘Query: Standing with People of Color,’ sets in motion two-year study/action process
The delegate body on Tuesday, July 12, took action on “Query: Standing with People of Color” (new business item 2) from Southern Ohio and Kentucky District, which asks, “How can the Church of the Brethren stand with People of Color to offer sanctuary from violence and dismantle systems of oppression and racial inequity in our congregations, neighborhoods, and throughout the nation?”
Delegates adopt new documents to guide pastors’ salaries and benefits, set COLA commensurate with rate of inflation
The Annual Conference on Tuesday, July 12, adopted a new “Integrated Annual Ministry Agreement and Revised Guidelines for Pastors’ Salaries and Benefits” (new business item 5) and a “Revised Minimum Cash Salary Table for Pastors” (new business item 6) as presented by the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee (PCBAC).
