Annual Conference 2018 takes place at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 4-8. The theme is “Living Parables” (Matthew 9:35-38). Online registration is open through June 11 at www.brethren.org/ac . After that date, registration will take place onsite in Cincinnati, at an increased cost.
The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference planned for summer 2019 has been forced to change locations, according to director Chris Douglas. Unexpected delays with major renovations at the Town and Country resort in San Diego, Calif., where the Conference was to have been held, have forced this change. “Town and Country cancelled our contract,” she reported.
This group brought a diversity of gifts and perspectives as it worked to lay out a general roadmap for the development of a compelling vision for the Church of the Brethren. This first meeting was led by Keister, who guided the team through its first stages of planning and the calling of the chair. Pittman Gingrich was called to be chair, and will work in partnership with the Annual Conference moderator to lead the work of the team going forward.
The nine people who will make up the Compelling Vision Process Team have been named. The team’s first meeting will be April 17-19 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
The Leadership Team of the Church of the Brethren has issued a letter calling for Christ-like discourse at this time in the life of the church. The Leadership Team of the denomination includes the general secretary, the Annual Conference officers, a representative of the Council of District Executives, and the director of the Annual Conference office.
Theologian and author Diana Butler Bass is the featured speaker for the Church of the Brethren Ministers’ Association annual continuing education event this year, held just prior to Annual Conference. “Gratitude: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks” is the theme for the gathering on July 3-4 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Through recent Annual Conference decisions* the delegate body has called the Leadership Team along with the Council of District Executives to develop a process through which the church will engage in conversations that will lead us to a “compelling vision” for our life together.
The ballot that will be presented to the 2018 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren has been released. Topping the ballot are two nominees for Annual Conference moderator-elect: Paul Mundey and Pam Reist. Other offices to be filled by election of the delegate body are positions on the Program and Arrangements Committee, Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee, Mission and Ministry Board, and the boards of Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.
This year’s Lenten devotional from Brethren Press, written by Erin Matteson, is titled “Growing in God’s Garden.” The pocket-sized paperback includes daily devotions, scriptures, and prayers for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, through Easter Sunday, April 1.
The Church of the Brethren earlier this year received a check of $50,000 from Brethren Mutual Aid Agency and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, representing a benefit earned through the Ministry Partner Program. The denomination’s Leadership Team has decided to use the money to fund work to frame a “compelling vision” for the denomination, with $1,000 provided to the Finance Office to cover costs of administering the money.
