A third round-table discussion sponsored by the Ministry Office of the Church of the Brethren will focus on the questions of placement surrounding interim/transitional ministry, including lifting up the resources and guidance that districts are able to supply.
Although we are still in the season of Advent 2025, it is not too early to prepare for the beginning of the season of Lent 2026—and Brethren Press is offering the opportunity for congregations and individuals to pre-order next year’s Lenten devotional.
Did you know that the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) grants can help churches address hunger in their communities? GFI grants can support church-based community gardens, nutrition education, cooking classes, food pantries, community meals, blessing boxes, and more.
Through the Part-time Pastor; Full-time Church connections in the Church of the Brethren’s Ministry Office, a partnership with Ashland Seminary has resulted in a grant of almost $1 million as a “pass-through partner” within the Rural and Small Town Initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Grants from the Brethren Faith in Action Fund (BFIA) have been announced, going to four Church of the Brethren congregations including Roanoke Central, Williamson Road, Amaranth, and Lynchburg.
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given its latest round of grants to support food ministries at four Church of the Brethren congregations in Illinois and Ohio; the Beyond Abundance Program of Phahama Grain Phakama in South Africa; and the purchase of electric mills for indigenous Amazon communities to grind cassava, via the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.
The Deportation Defense Response Team provides the following update on the numbers of Church of the Brethren immigrant members and attenders affected by detention or deportation. For the most part, we cannot provide names, but we can share the data we have as of Aug. 12.
Across the nation, immigrants in our communities are under attack. Our own congregations have experienced firsthand the devastating injustices committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many members have been unjustly detained and deported, and many more are living in fear—afraid to attend church services, work, or go to necessary medical appointments.
New resources recently posted by the Ministry Office offer support to congregations and leaders by interpreting the concept of a shared ministry team model. In some congregations lacking a settled pastor, new life and energy have emerged from reclaiming a traditional Brethren team-focused approach to providing pastoral leadership.
Church of the Brethren Yearbook forms have been updated this year. For congregations, the three previous forms have been replaced with one form. Congregations have the option to complete this form online via webform, or via a paper form which can be mailed or scanned and emailed to the Yearbook office.
