The Church of the Brethren in Rwanda is receiving an emergency grant to aid those affected by extreme flooding this week. Etienne Nsanzimana, founding pastor in Rwanda, shared that the churches are “overwhelmed by this terrible flood.”
Brethren Disaster Ministries
EYN mourns death of pastor killed in attack on his home, among other losses of church leaders
Pastor Yakubu Shuaibu Kwala, who served a congregation of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) in the Biu area of Borno State in northeast Nigeria, was killed on April 4 in a night-time attack on his home by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The attackers shot and wounded his pregnant wife, who was taken to hospital for treatment. The pastor also is survived by another child.
CDS volunteers deploy to Multi-Agency Resource Centers in Arkansas
Five Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers deployed this week to the Little Rock, Ark., vicinity after a series of three tornados hit the area on March 31. One EF3 tornado, with winds of 165 miles per hour, touched down west of Little Rock and stayed on the ground for 34 miles, causing extensive damage.
Success at a camp for displaced people in Nigeria
What a privilege to visit the IDP (internally displaced people) camp at Masaka, Luvu-Brethren Village, while we were in Nigeria for the centenary celebration of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
CDS deploys to Missouri
Three Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers served April 12-13 at a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in Marble Hill, Mo., caring for children affected by a strong tornado that hit Bollinger County (southeastern Missouri) in the early hours of April 5.
Emergency Disaster Fund supports aid program in Rwanda, training by Child Life Disaster Relief
The staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries have directed recent grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support aid being provided to families in need by the Rwanda Church of the Brethren; and to support volunteer training by Child Life Disaster Relief.
Silent auction is announced for Annual Conference 2023
A silent auction will be held by the Program and Arrangements Committee at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, this summer.
Washington City supports asylum seekers bused to nation’s capital
Due to numerous humanitarian crises around the world, thousands of people are seeking asylum in the United States, some of whom make perilous journeys to the southern border. In April 2022, the state of Texas began sending many of these asylum seekers in buses to Washington, D.C., without plans for their care or in coordination with the city government or others in the area.
Lisa Crouch resigns from leadership of Children’s Disaster Services
Lisa Crouch has resigned as associate director of Children’s Disaster Services (CDS), a ministry of Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Church of the Brethren. She will conclude her work at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., on March 31.
‘Please continue praying’: Brethren Disaster Ministries responds to earthquake in Turkey and Syria
“Please continue to pray for survivors in the affected areas [of Turkey and Syria] who face the trauma of losing homes and loved ones, continued aftershocks, living out of doors without basic amenities/food and in freezing temperatures, and in danger of diseases such as cholera. Their needs are great and will continue to be great for a long time to come. Please also pray for all the official and unofficial responders.”
— Brethren Disaster Ministries
