The following comments were offered by Madalyn Metzger, who served as moderator of the 2024 Annual Conference, when she opened the business sessions on the morning of Thursday, July 4, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“Passing on the gift” has been one of Heifer’s mottos for decades, but that gift has changed with the needs of the world. When Dan West witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of hunger and poverty in Europe, he said, “Not a cup, but a cow.” Now, Heifer is expanding beyond the gift of livestock to ensure the development they foster is sustainable, specific, and equitable.
As the organization approaches the 80th anniversary of its founding, Heifer International’s CEO Surita Sandosham emphasizes the importance of serving the present age in ways that suit the times.
“What is it like to be Black and Brethren?” Robert Jackson asked the attendees of Saturday’s Multicultural Gathering and Leaders Luncheon, before answering the question himself. “Well, I like to say I was born Black and bred Brethren.” Jackson was part of a panel who shared their experiences as multicultural members of the Church of the Brethren.
On Friday, July 5, six panelists presented a hybrid equipping session titled Strangers No More: Ministry with Immigrants, Refugees, and Other Newcomers. They shared about their experiences with welcoming ministries, what their congregations have done for newcomers to the United States, and what advice they have for communities hoping to start engaging in this ministry.
Correction, 200 people at the gun violence vigil make the news, registration and attendance and offering numbers, Silent Auction and Quilt Auction results, volunteers build 300 beds for children, and more.
Annual Conference bits and pieces including final registration numbers, offering and attendance figures, final quilt auction outcome, and more.
The third to fifth grade children’s group at Annual Conference, led by Angi and Scott Harney of Elkhart, Ind., on Friday, July 5, delivered 103 blankets to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
The Calling Denominational Leadership Study Committee, created in response to a 2022 query, presented an interim report to this year’s Annual Conference. The original query was brought by the Nominating Committee of Standing Committee, which is the group responsible for the ballot to be voted on at Annual Conference by the delegate body.
The featured speaker at Thursday evening’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation Dinner paused a second, as if taking special enjoyment from his introduction as executive director of the Christian Community Development Association. “That was my first time being introduced as Dr. Lorenzo Watson,” he said.
