Shaped by the conversations that took place at Annual Conference, the Compelling Vision Process Team has designed a two-hour event to engage members in deeper conversation around God’s call for us as a church.
The Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren board has responded to the passage of “Policy on Same-Gender Marriage” by the Atlantic Northeast District board, “respectfully requesting” the board to withdraw the item from consideration at this year’s district conference.
The Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren, in cooperation with the Brethren Heritage Center in Ohio, has highlighted quilt block patterns featured in the Dec. 7, 1929, issue of the Brethren youth magazine of the time, “Our Boys and Girls.”
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
1) Task of seeking a ‘compelling vision’ is begun with conversation among Conference-goers
2) Delegates affirm the ecumenical and interfaith work of the church
3) ‘Creation Care: Faith into Action’ recommendations are adopted
4) Conference adopts new vision for a global Church of the Brethren
5) ‘Vitality and Viability’ report focuses on providing resources for renewed vitality
6) Changes to the Church of the Brethren bylaws are approved, among other business
7) Paul Mundey to serve as moderator-elect of Annual Conference, among other elections and appointments
8) Standing Committee discusses Michigan District situation
9) Annual Conference welcomes new projects, fellowships, and congregations
10) ‘Witness to the Host City’ aids women in rehabilitation treatment, and their children
11) Annual Conference by the numbers, and more from Cincinnati
NEWS
12) Vietnam initiative focuses on babies with Retinopathy of Prematurity
13) Brethren bits
In downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, there is a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad and slavery in the United States. As soon as I began viewing the first part of the exhibit, I was overcome with emotion, seeing the portrayals of men bound in chains staring down the barrel of a gun. My eyes filled with tears.
As Wendy McFadden introduced the session “Poetry: Read It. Write It,” she remarked that it is the first or only insight session on the specific topic of poetry that she is aware of in her history with Annual Conference. If that is the case, Ken Gibble stepped up to the plate.
Amendments to the bylaws of the Church of the Brethren and two business items originally brought by Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) in 2017–and then deferred for a year–were approved by the 2018 Annual Conference. Also approved were business items related to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. A proposal for a denominational leadership gathering was turned down.
Annual Conference on July 7 adopted the paper, “Vision for a Global Church of the Brethren.” This document was brought by the Mission and Ministry Board at the initiative of staff of Global Mission and Service, and has been in process for some time. Those involved in its development include the Mission Advisory Committee and church leaders from several countries.
The report titled “Vitality and Viability” and its recommendations were adopted by the 2018 Annual Conference. The study committee that brought this report was formed to address concerns raised at the 2015 Annual Conference, which returned a query about district structure but assigned to this committee the broader topic of viability within congregations, districts, and the denomination.
In 2016, a Creation Care study committee was authorized in response to a query on continuing the study of our Christian responsibility to care for God’s creation. Their report, titled “Creation Care: Faith into Action,” includes a list of recommendations that have been adopted by the 2018 Annual Conference.
