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.
Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., honored the graduates from the class of 2022 during its Academic Commencement Ceremony on May 7. This year’s class includes seven master of divinity graduates, eight graduating with master of arts degrees, and 17 earning graduate certificates.
The online event on May 3 at 7-8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) will be on the topic, “Leadership in Times of Crisis” led by Paul Mundey.
The Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) is offering the TRIM (Training in Ministry) course “Pathways for Effective Leadership, Part 1,” with Randy Yoder as the instructor. This is scheduled as an intensive course to be held online over two weekends, March 25‐26 and April 29‐30.
As the seasons of the year turn, we also turn to our upcoming continuing education offerings. While we certainly hoped the pandemic would be greatly diminished by now, we still find ourselves watching carefully and planning with caution. Please note the method of delivery for each event: one is in person, one is via Zoom, and one is hybrid giving both options (attending in person or via Zoom). Registration is open for all the events described below.
Save the date for Earlham School of Religion’s annual Writing Colloquium, to be held this year online on Oct. 23-24. This year’s theme is “Grace, Play, and Delight.” The Writing Colloquium is co-sponsored by Bethany Theological Seminary and it supports the writing and work of the joint Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing that is offered by both institutions. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
Dale Weaver Brown, 95, professor emeritus at Bethany Theological Seminary and a leading theologian in the Church of the Brethren as well as a former moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, passed away peacefully on Aug. 30, in the presence of family.
The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference affirmed board-elected and constituency-elected directors and trustees for the denomination’s Mission and Ministry Board and the Conference agencies Bethany Theological Seminary, On Earth Peace, and Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT). Also affirmed were district executive representatives to the denomination’s Leadership Team and the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee.
Life, death, awe in the face of creation, alarm at the sins of humanity, anger, despair, lament, complaint, faith, hope, and love standing side by side–these are not only the qualities of the Psalms, but they are also found in the profound poetry of 86-year-old novelist, environmentalist, farmer, and poet Wendell Berry. Last fall, Joelle Hathaway, the new assistant professor of Theological Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, taught a course about Berry’s Sabbath poetry, which plumbs the heights and depths of human experience.
“God Talk” can result in many different outcomes: conflict, terror, transformation, human flourishing, or human cruelty. So, he wondered, “Can theopoetics lead to more artful discourse? Can our hearts grow roomier and our lives become more radiant?”
