The temperature on the thermometer read two degrees below zero as hundreds of Anabaptists of all persuasions (and garb) gathered for worship the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. It was 500 years to the day after a small group of believers met in a private home in Zurich to study scripture together and perform baptisms, an event considered the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.
After comparing the decline in membership across what he called the “Ecumenical Church” (often referred to as the mainline Protestant churches) to the rise in membership and political influence of the evangelical church over the past century, David Hollinger asked what he thought was a more important question: Which has had a stronger influence in American society?
On Sunday, July 28, Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia, Pa., celebrated Reunion Sunday and the dedication of a 300th Anniversary plaque, with an Awards Presentation.
The Bridgewater (Va.) College Forum for Brethren Studies together with the Bridgewater College Endowed Lecture Series present the symposium “Perspectives in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges for the Church of the Brethren,” on Sept. 12-13.
“The deadline for ‘The History of the Church of the Brethren’ course is quickly approaching,” said an announcement from the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. “If you are interested in the course for TRIM, CEU credits or personal enrichment, please do not let the registration deadline pass by without learning more.”
Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia, Pa., held the official congregational celebration of its 300th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 8. The congregation is the first Brethren church established in the Americas.
“We have come this far by faith, hallelujah!” sang members of the Germantown congregation in a worship service that opened the day celebrating 300 years of the Brethren in the Americas.
The 7th Brethren World Assembly on July 26-29 in Pennsylvania gathered a variety of people from denominations that are part of the Brethren movement that began in Germany in 1708. On the theme “Brethren Faithfulness: Priorities in Perspective,” the event was held at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with a culminating day at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia.
The seventh Brethren World Assembly will take place July 26-29, 2023, at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College and at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia, Pa., on the final day, July 29.
A conference on Pietism titled “Heirs of Pietism in World Christianity” is planned for June 1-3 in Dayton, Ohio, hosted by United Theological Seminary as a hybrid event (in-person and online). Among the sponsoring organizations is the Brethren Historical Library and Archives (BHLA), which is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren.
