The leadership of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) conducted a get-together fellowship in honor of Jim Mitchell, one of the three Church of the Brethren volunteers completing terms of service with the Nigeria Crisis Response. Mitchell had been in Nigeria for three months, where he participated in different events at various regions.
Brethren Disaster Ministries
Brethren Bits: A Focus on the Refugee and Migrant Crisis
In this issue: A focus on the refugee and migrant crisis, plus news of Children’s Disaster Services response to California wildfires, Sept. 20’s Mission Offering Emphasis, the 39th annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction, personnel notes and job openings, prayer requests from Global Mission, a “March for Peace” in Haiti, church anniversaries, Brethren in the news, and more.
Nigeria Crisis Response Co-Directors Report from Trip to Nigeria
Having recently returned from a short trip to Nigeria, we were encouraged by the relief efforts headed by the EYN Disaster Team of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The church’s large-scale program of assistance is funneling money to EYN with a five-pronged approach. We were happy that progress has been made in all five areas that we have designated.
Volunteer Observes a Trauma Healing Workshop in Nigeria
The Trauma Healing Workshop is held at a displacement camp that is filled with EYN members from the northeast area of Nigeria where the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency has done much of its terror, killing, and destruction. EYN stands for Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
Small-Scale ‘Wall of Healing’ Display Is Available from Global Mission Office
At this year’s Annual Conference, Global Mission and Service presented the “Wall of Healing,” a poster exhibit commemorating the thousands of Nigerians who have been killed in recent years through terrorist violence and persecution. The exhibit is based on the information collected by Rebecca Dali and the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives, and was put together by Brethren Volunteer Service workers Pat and John Krabacher.
Trauma Healing Is the Path to Forgiveness in Nigeria
Is it truly possible to forgive someone who has hurt you so grievously that you can hardly function? Some of the IDPs (Internally Displaced People) in Nigeria have been hurt in ways that most of us can only imagine. To understand the healing process let me begin with a definition of trauma and move through some of the important steps necessary to accomplish this goal.
Newsline for Aug. 26, 2015
1) Called to help rebuild, we became part of a new family
2) Brethren Disaster Ministries notes accomplishments of Hurricane Katrina response
3) Children’s Disaster Services changed the lives of children and families after Katrina
4) On the road to Damascus: When the scales fall from our eyes
5) Christian leaders urge Congress to vote for diplomatic agreement with Iran
6) Prayer is requested for those affected by wildfires in western states
7) Brethren volunteers in Nigeria renew wedding vows after 48 years of marriage
8) Brethren Disaster Ministries restructures, makes personnel changes
9) Brethren Volunteer Service unit begins work at project sites
10) Congregations invited to plan special prayers, events for Peace Day
11) Covenant Bible Studies shed light on 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude
12) Brethren bits
Children’s Disaster Services Changed the Lives of Children and Families After Katrina
Hurricane Katrina changed the lives of children and families. They were profoundly affected throughout the evacuation process, as they moved into new states and communities or returned to rebuild, and as their families created a way forward over the past 10 years.
Brethren Disaster Ministries Notes Accomplishments of Hurricane Katrina Response
The largest and longest domestic response in Brethren Disaster Ministries history ended when the work at its sixth and final Hurricane Katrina recovery project, in St. Bernard Parish, La., was completed in June 2011. During the nearly 6-year response, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers repaired or rebuilt homes for 531 families in 6 communities along the Gulf Coast, giving an estimated value of $6,776,416.80 in labor (2010 dollar value). Project consultants John and Mary Mueller oversaw this project for more than four years.
Brethren Volunteers in Nigeria Renew Wedding Vows After 48 Years of Marriage
Tom and Janet Crago, Church of the Brethren volunteers in Nigeria, celebrate their 48th year of marriage at the Annex Office of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), located in north central Nigeria where they assist the Brethren who relocated from the church’s headquarters at Kwarhi in Adamawa State. The event took place during the morning devotion of the EYN headquarters staff.