Newsline Extra for March 9, 2011

Photo by Glenn Riegel “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice…? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry…?” (Isaiah 58:6a, 7a). Brethren organizations and ecumenical partners are making a wide variety of resources available for study and reflection in this season of Lent: — “The

Newsline for March 9, 2011

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places…” (Isaiah 58:11a). Disabilities Awareness Month resources have been updated. The last Newsline announced the celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month throughout the month of March. For those who may have been frustrated by the lack of availability of worship resources, staff apologize for

Advocacy Office Urges Federal Budget to Care for Those in Poverty

Go to https://secure2.convio.net/cob/site /Advocacy?cmd=display&page =UserAction&id=121 to send a letter to government representatives calling for a “budget of mutuality.” Brethren taking part in the campaign may choose to cite the biblical text of Genesis 4:9 in which Cain asks God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Last week’s Action Alert from the Church of the Brethren’s office for advocacy and peace

Brethren Disaster Ministries Reports on Completed and New Projects

Linda (right above) and Robert Leon receive a handmade quilt from members of Eaton (Ohio) Church of the Brethren. The Leon family lost everything in the northwest Indiana flood, and have had their home rebuilt through Brethren Disaster Ministries’ project in Hammond, Ind. Making quilts for disaster survivors has become a tradition for the Eaton congregation.

Religious and Humanitarian Groups Speak Out on the Federal Budget

The “What Would Jesus Cut?” campaign initiated by the Sojourners community in Washington, D.C., calls on people of faith to face lawmakers with this question. The Church of the Brethren has signed on to the campaign along with a number of other Christian denominations and organizations across the country. “Our faith tells us that that the moral

Global Food Crisis Fund Hosts Gathering for Foods Resource Bank

Author and journalist Roger Thurow was the keynote speaker for the Foods Resource Bank regional gathering hosted by the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Crisis Fund on Feb. 15. Thurow spoke about his upcoming new book on the smallholder African farmer, and how the state of agriculture and food production in Africa has potential

Newsline for February 24, 2011

Feb. 24, 2011 “You should not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need…” (Deuteronomy 15:7b-8a). NEWS 1) Global Food Crisis Fund hosts gathering for Foods Resource Bank. 2) Advocacy office urges federal budget to care for those in poverty. 3) Religious

From the Moderator: An Outline of the Special Response Process

The following column from Annual Conference moderator Robert Alley provides an outline of the Church of the Brethren’s Special Response process. This process was entered into when two business items related to human sexuality came to the 2009 Conference: “A Statement of Confession and Commitment” and “Query: Language on Same Sex Covenantal Relationships.” The two

Congregational Life Ministries Offers New ‘Ministry Fair’

A listing of events during the 2011 Annual Conference can be found here. Go to www.cobannualconference.org/grand_rapids/ other_events.html to find out about events sponsored by other departments of the Church of the Brethren, and other Brethren agencies and organizations including Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, On Earth Peace, the Ministers Association, the Deacon Ministry, and many more.

Districts Close Out Hearings Providing Input to Special Response Process

This month the Church of the Brethren’s 23 districts are closing out a series of hearings that have invited church members to provide input to the denomination’s Special Response process. This process for strongly controversial issues was entered into when two business items related to human sexuality came to the 2009 Annual Conference (see www.brethren.org/ac

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