On Friday, July 3, while many were beginning their Independence Day celebrations, two Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers were aiding the Kerrville, Texas, community in a very different commemoration.
The Brethren Disaster Ministries and Child Disaster Services breakfast at Annual Conference always has the feel of a reunion, looking backwards, and a planning committee, looking forward. This year was no different as the past and future were celebrated.
Jeff Thomson has been hired as director of Brethren Disaster Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. In his previous role as chief housing officer and general contractor with Interfaith Housing and Community Services, he collaborated with numerous volunteers while leading home repair programs for families in need in Hutchinson, Kan.
The 2026 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren is offering a number of special events and opportunities this summer in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Adam Lane begins May 27 as program assistant for Children’s Disaster Services (CDS), a ministry within Brethren Disaster Ministries, working from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
The Church of the Brethren has been awarded a half-million dollar grant to support Brethren Disaster Ministries, reported Roy Winter, executive director of the Church of the Brethren’s Service Ministries and Brethren Disaster Ministries. The grant will support “a three-year program expansion and improvements to US based programs,” he said. The grant was received from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, “Hope After the Storm: Capacity Building for Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations.”
The Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program is transitioning toward recovery from 2024’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, beginning in April 2026 when it is serving survivors in Ashe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to continued support for the Nigeria Crisis Response as well as to support people in Lebanon who are affected by the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
On March 16-17, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS), responded in Aroma Park, Ill., a suburb of Kankakee. The CDS volunteers served at a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) supporting the community following a tornado that passed through Aroma Park on March 10.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed large grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to the church’s mission in South Sudan and to provide relief for Congolese refugees in Burundi and families continuing to be affected by violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).