On Friday, July 5, six panelists presented a hybrid equipping session titled Strangers No More: Ministry with Immigrants, Refugees, and Other Newcomers. They shared about their experiences with welcoming ministries, what their congregations have done for newcomers to the United States, and what advice they have for communities hoping to start engaging in this ministry.
We have been hearing of a storm and need at the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) refugee camp in Cameroon, called Camp Minawao. The new EYN director of Disaster Relief Management, Bitrus Duwara, investigated and found out the following:
A grant of $7,500 from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) has been directed by Brethren Disaster Ministries to aid 12 families in York County, Pa., who have no other means of recovery from damage by Tropical Storm Ida in 2021.
During the first half of June, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers have continued to provide care centers for children during what has been identified as the most active tornado season in the United States since 2017. Most recently, CDS volunteers have worked in Arkansas.
A new rebuilding project site in Letcher County, Ky., has been announced by Brethren Disaster Ministries staff. The project will do rebuilding and repair of homes following flooding that affected the area in the summer of 2022.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to send $100,000 to the work of Church World Service (CWS) with Ukrainian refugees, $30,000 to l’Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC) to provide food aid following flooding, and $7,500 to support an epidemic relief program of ASIGLEH, the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.
During March through the end of May, Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers provided care centers for children in what has become the most active tornado season in the United States since 2017.
In addition to the large grant of $225,000 that extends the Nigeria Crisis Response program through 2024, the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) has provided grants to various countries including a grant that will help start a new South Sudan Crisis Recovery Initiative with staff from Global Mission.
The 77th Majalisa of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has successfully concluded, marking a significant milestone in the church’s history. Held April 16-19 at EYN Headquarters in Kwarhi, Adamawa State, the Majalisa (or annual conference) brought together thousands of members, leaders, and guests from across Nigeria and beyond. On the agenda were elections and appointment of a new top leadership team.
L’Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) has sent a response to a pastoral letter from David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. The pastoral statement for Haiti was sent to the church in Haiti on March 7. In related news, brief updates on the situation of the church in Haiti have been received from leaders in l’Eglise des Freres d’Haiti. Vildor Archange, who works with the Haiti Medical Project, reported.