By Nancy Sollenberger Heishman A Sabbath rest-themed sermon prepared by Annual Conference moderator Paul Mundey has been posted on the Church of the Brethren website. At the invitation of the Office of Ministry, this sermon is designed to provide a resource to congregations to enable them to support their pastor taking time away from the
Church of the Brethren Annual Conference moderator Paul Mundey has announced plans for the next Moderator’s Town Hall on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). The featured speaker will be Andrew J. Young, veteran civil rights leader and former US ambassador to the United Nations. The focus of the town hall will be: “Racism: Deeper Awareness, Bolder Action.”
At the invitation of the Office of Ministry, Annual Conference moderator Paul Mundey is preparing a Sabbath rest-themed sermon designed to encourage preachers to take a Sunday off from preaching sometime this fall.
Church of the Brethren Annual Conference moderator Paul Mundey has announced plans for another Moderator’s Town Hall on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). The topic will be “Faith, Science, and COVID-19: Part 2.” A special focus will be the current reality of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the reopening of churches.
The Nominating Committee is now seeking nominations for the elections to take place at the 2021 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren. The nomination form and the nominee information form are both found online at www.brethren.org/ac/nominations .
Three online denominational events last week have brought a new level of virtual experience to the Church of the Brethren: a children’s worship and a denominational worship service on the evening of Wednesday, July 1, and a Church of the Brethren concert on the evening of Thursday, July 2, with both worship experiences available in Spanish as well as English. These virtual events were timed to happen on what would have been the first two evenings of the now-canceled 2020 Annual Conference. Recordings of all three events including the worship experiences in Spanish are available at www.brethren.org/ac/virtual .
The 2020 Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference met by Zoom on the evening of Sunday, June 28. The meeting took place at the time when the committee would have gathered in Grand Rapids, Mich., to begin an in-person meeting in advance of the now-canceled 2020 Annual Conference.
The Church of the Brethren is holding online celebrations for the whole denomination on July 1 and 2, the days when the now-canceled 2020 Annual Conference would have begun. These events are planned and sponsored by the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee.
NEWS
1) Brethren Volunteer Service makes statement supporting Black Lives Matter
2) Celebrating Juneteenth with news of Brethren actions, statements, and opportunities
3) Brethren Faith in Action Fund issues grants
4) Fellowship of Brethren Homes member communities share gratitude for grant
5) Fall reopening plans announced by Bethany Theological Seminary
6) Church World Service kit depots to re-open in mid-August
PERSONNEL
7) Jocelyn Siakula resigns as orientation coordinator for Brethren Volunteer Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
8) Denomination invited to gather online for worship and music on July 1 and 2
9) Bethany Seminary announces new courses
10) July Ventures course is on ‘Brethren in the Age of Pandemic’
11) Brethren bits: Personnel, Peacebuilding and Policy director signs letter to Congress calling for police reforms, BVS holds virtual celebration of volunteer houses, children’s video from Children’s Disaster Services, Elizabethtown’s “Drop the Needle” sermon series, Soybean Innovation Lab features article on EYN, and more
On July 1, a Denominational Worship Gathering for the Church of the Brethren, planned by the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee, will take place virtually starting at 8 p.m. (Eastern time). It will center around the theme, “New World Coming!”