Brethren Volunteer Service has welcomed four new volunteers who completed the 2021 Winter orientation as part of BVS Unit 328. The orientation was held as a virtual, online event because of pandemic restrictions on in-person gatherings.
Hannah Shultz has resigned from her position on the Church of the Brethren staff as coordinator of short‐term service with Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS), effective Jan. 27. She has accepted a position with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, an organization that engages communities of faith in stewardship of Creation as a response to climate change and environmental concerns.
Two interim employees–Shawn Flory Replogle and Pauline Liu–have been promoted to staff positions with the Church of the Brethren. Replogle has accepted the position of executive director of Organizational Resources for Finance. Liu has accepted a position coordinating volunteers for Brethren Volunteer Service.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) will be holding a virtual Winter Orientation for Unit 328. Due to the number of interested applicants and the continued health concerns over the pandemic, BVS has made the decision to offer a virtual orientation for new volunteers from Jan. 31-Feb. 12, 2021.
Workcamp Ministry announces that the program will now be operating under a new name: Faith Outreach Expeditions, or FaithX for short.
The Workcamp Ministry is announcing formal plans for the 2021 workcamps. We are grateful for those who participated in the informational survey last month and have taken the feedback into account while developing options for next summer. The four workcamp options, and their costs, can be found below.
The volunteers participating in Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) summer and fall orientation units have been placed at their project sites and have begun work. The volunteers received orientation online, in a virtual process that for some occurred as they were in quarantine at their project sites in a COVID-19 protocol that BVS has put in place this year.
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission and Service has been separated into two departments: Global Mission and Service Ministries. The action carried out by general secretary David Steele was announced today, Sept. 25.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Workcamp Ministry has developed alternative workcamp options for summer 2021 workcamps. The top priority is the health and safety of workcamp participants and the communities they serve. The ministry hopes to offer workcamp options that reflect this priority while also providing a meaningful workcamp experience.
Aug. 6 and 9, 2020, mark the 75th anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The Church of the Brethren has been involved in peace witness in Hiroshima through the placement of Brethren Volunteer Service workers at the World Friendship Center. Currently, Roger and Kathy Edmark of Lynnwood, Wash., are serving as directors of the center through BVS (see www.wfchiroshima.com/english ).
