In this issue: Giving Tuesday total, latest Messenger playlist, executive committee of the Council of District Executives, survey of ministers, “Nominations Party” hosted by Womaen’s Caucus, Ivan Patterson makes his 567th blood donation
A webinar sponsored by the Interfaith Working Group on Drone Warfare is the subject of an action alert from the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. Titled “Drone war, tech assassinations, and the future of conflict: Theological, legal, and policy developments,” the webinar is planned for Dec. 13 at 12 noon (Eastern time).
The Church of the Brethren’s Michigan District has called Byrl Shaver as quarter-time interim district executive minister beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
Frequent hurricanes, political instability, high crime rates, and deforestation are just a few of the challenges to successful development work in Honduras. The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) is supporting an urban chicken project with a local church partner, Viviendo en Amor y Fe (VAF, Living in Love and Faith).
In this issue: Remembering Kenneth Bragg, EYN’s centennial, this year’s Advent devotional available from Brethren Press, Juniata Women’s Volleyball heads to NCAA championship game, among more news by, for, and about Brethren
The theme was “Celebrate God’s Abundant Goodness” from Psalm 145:3-7 (NIV). Over the preceding year, the district was encouraged to focus on celebrating God’s goodness in the life of the district and each congregation. What would happen if we really celebrated how God has abundantly blessed our ministries?
Jesus Lounge Ministry has partnered with the Student Life Alliance in West Palm Beach, Fla., where pastor Founa Augustin Badet is the treasurer, and the Delray Beach Library “Let’s Talk Period” program to support at-risk teens and tweens with hygiene and feminine hygiene kits. The ministry is a Church of the Brethren new church start in Atlantic Southeast District.
Who is already called to the work of racial justice, or is already active in any way? The committee is hoping to start with an accurate picture of what is already happening. It wants to connect with initiatives or individuals at any level in the Church of the Brethren (community, congregation, district, denomination) who are working on racial justice issues in any way (education, activism, healing, spiritual renewal, etc.), whether they are doing their work inside or outside of the church. The committee also is interested in getting to know people who have a passion for this topic but may not yet be publicly active.
The Brethren Faith in Action Fund (BFIA) has aided six congregations and one camp with its latest round of grants. The fund provides grants using money generated by the sale of the upper campus of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Find out more at www.brethren.org/faith-in-action.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) grants to support a rebuilding project in Tennessee, the work of Children’s Disaster Services and Church of the Brethren congregations in Florida following Hurricane Ian, flood recovery work of the Christian Solidarity Program for Honduras, a flood relief program of the Church of the Brethren in Uganda, and a flood relief program of ASIGLEH (the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela).
