Emma Green, a staff writer at The New Yorker where she covers cultural conflicts in academia, will headline the symposium on “Brethren and the Polarizing Pandemic: What Next?” at Bridgewater (Va.) College on March 10-11. The sponsor of the event is the Forum for Brethren Studies. The event is open to the public.
The Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) is launching an additional educational series entitled Nurturing Ministry Skills. Available to both clergy and laity, this online (Zoom) series launches on Monday, March 7, from 7-8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) with “Coping with Two Years of a Pandemic: Care for Self and Others” led by Jim Higginbotham, professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Earlham School of Religion.
In this issue: Remembering Janet Crago, job opening, new center for autistic children in China, church anniversaries, webinar series on Gaza, a prayer for 900,000 deaths to COVID in the US, and more
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 330, the winter 2022 unit, has completed orientation, and the newly trained volunteers have begun work at their project sites.
The Bridgewater (Va.) College community is mourning the deaths of police officer John Painter and campus safety officer Vashon “J.J.” Jefferson, who were shot and killed on the college campus on Feb. 1. The two men were coworkers and close friends. Media report that a former student has been charged in their deaths.
“We Wait for Light” is the title of the 2022 Lent devotional for Ash Wednesday through Easter published by Brethren Press. The author of the devotional is Walt Wiltschek, district executive minister for Illinois and Wisconsin District and a member of the editorial team for the Church of the Brethren magazine Messenger.
Chris Elliott, a farmer and pastor from Pennsylvania, and his daughter Grace are serving in Rwanda from January to May 2022, working on behalf of the Church of the Brethren Global Mission. Chris Elliott is helping with farming and also visiting other churches and projects in Rwanda and nearby countries. Grace Elliott is teaching in the nursery school of the Church of the Brethren in Rwanda. Here is a reflection on their experience:
In this issue: Correction, BHLA’s next Facebook Live event “Vintage Recipes” happens on Valentine’s Day, personnel notes, and job openings.
NEWS
1) Bridgewater College community mourns fallen heroes, General Secretary reaches out with condolences on behalf of the Church of the Brethren
2) ‘In the shadow’: Reflections on working with the Church of the Brethren in Rwanda
3) Bethany Seminary receives $1.2 million gift from the estate of David and Jane Wood
4) Praise God for the return of four girls abducted from Chibok area of Nigeria
PERSONNEL
5) Michigan District names District Executive Team with Beth Sollenberger as interim executive minister
UPCOMING EVENTS
6) Annual Conference office announces opening of online registration
RESOURCES
7) Brethren Press publishes 2022 Lent devotional
8) Brethren bits: Correction, BHLA’s next Facebook Live event “Vintage Recipes” happens on Valentine’s Day, personnel notes, and job openings
With the threat of a Russian invasion looming in Ukraine, faith communities are uniting in their message to Congress and the Biden administration, calling for leaders to protect human lives and prevent war. The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy has joined other Christian denominations and interfaith groups in sending a joint letter to Congress and the Biden administration. The letter, dated Jan. 27, 2022, urged leaders in the US, Russia, and Ukraine to invest in diplomacy, reject a militaristic response, and act to prevent human suffering.