Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing the first round of grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to congregations carrying out pandemic-related humanitarian relief work in their communities. The new COVID-19 Pandemic Grants program began in late April and provides grants to Church of the Brethren congregations and districts in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Brethren Disaster Ministries
Brethren Disaster Ministries shares updates on rebuilding sites in the Carolinas, Ohio, Puerto Rico
By Jenn Dorsch Messler Brethren Disaster Ministries is sharing updates including a schedule change for the Carolinas rebuilding site, news of the opening of a new rebuilding site in Ohio, and an update from Puerto Rico. Carolinas schedule change The Brethren Disaster Ministries Carolinas project has not hosted weekly volunteers since mid March due to
EYN is in a state of mourning
By Zakariya Musa President Joel Billi of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has said that “EYN is in a state of mourning.” He made this statement to the EYN congregation at LCC Jigalambu in his address at the funeral services of a key staff of the organization, the
CDS updates children’s resources for use by congregations
By Lisa Crouch Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) has been actively reviewing and updating the COVID-19 resource page with new resources for families since the beginning of the pandemic. The Church of the Brethren COVID-19 Response Planning Committee requested a small children’s committee to form to assess additional outreach for church congregations at this unique time
Sunday worship under lock down in Nigeria
By Zakariya Musa, communications staff for Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) Following the lock down measures put in place by the Nigerian government to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection among its citizens, the preventives measure are considered differently depending on the environment or level of understanding. Some
Emergency Disaster Fund grant supports COVID-19 efforts in Nigeria
A grant of $14,000 has been given from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) directed by the Brethren Disaster Ministries staff to COVID-19 response in Nigeria. This allocation supports Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) for two months of its pandemic response. EYN made a request of
EDF grants support international COVID-19 responses and flooding response in the DRC
The staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries have directed several grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to COVID-19 responses by sister churches and groups in Haiti, Spain, and Ecuador, as well as to response to flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Haiti A grant of $35,000 supports Eglise des Freres
Children’s Disaster Services to provide individual Kit of Comfort
The staff of Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) have been working on a shift to new ways of serving children who are affected by disasters this year. The pandemic is affecting how volunteer organizations respond to disasters as they operate with caution and adapt to restrictions on face-to-face contact. During a time when CDS volunteers may
Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding sites are suspended for weekly volunteers
By Jenn Dorsch Messler All Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding sites are currently suspended for weekly volunteers. Here are the details on these schedule changes based on the COVID-19 environment: The reopening date of the Brethren Disaster Ministries site in the Carolinas has been suspended until June 7, but discussions are ongoing with local partners in
International perspectives – Rwanda: Gratitude for the help
Etienne Nsanzimana, a leader of the Rwanda Church of the Brethren, reported the church’s gratitude for an $8,000 grant from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund, (reported on March 28, see www.brethren.org/news/2020/edf-grants-respond-to-pandemic-in-africa ). “We have been distributing one month of food to 250 families composing over 1,500 people in four local churches of the Church
