Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico is just over 87,000, according to the statistical report in the 2022 Church of the Brethren Yearbook, published by Brethren Press. The 2022 edition–published late last year–includes the 2021 statistical report and the 2022 directory for the denomination.
The March offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “Strategies for Leading Positive Change in Congregations.” The course will be held online in two evening sessions, with Part I on Monday, March 6, and Part II on Tuesday, March 7, at 6-7:30 p.m. (central time), presented by Greg Davidson Laszakovits.
The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Ministry has created an online video resource of six segments featuring congregations that are creatively practicing the priesthood of all believers and thereby meeting their needs for pastoral leadership.
Hanging Rock Church of the Brethren, a small congregation located in rural West Virginia, has started work on a new church building! The congregation, led by pastors Bob and Brenda Combs, has held services in a rented space since being formed 10 years ago with the help of the West Marva District.
Church of the Brethren congregations and study groups are invited to participate in a once-in-a-generation project. Anabaptism at 500, initiated by MennoMedia, commemorates Anabaptism’s quincentennial celebration in 2025. The Church of the Brethren is considered one of the Anabaptist denominations.
Each year Crest Manor Church of the Brethren in South Bend, Ind., has a “mitten tree” to collect items of warmth for the local community.
Increasingly, mental health has become a critical topic with congregational leadership as churches deal with mental illness and addictions. COVID-19 has highlighted the challenges and needs of congregations to minister effectively to people combating health and wellness problems.
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.
Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren voted unanimously to run a full-page advertisement in the Sunday edition of the Lancaster, Pa., newspaper. The statement, titled “The Perils of Christian Nationalism,” was written “in response to the Christian Nationalism that we encounter daily in our communities and nationwide,” said pastor Pamela Reist.
In its most recent set of grants, the Brethren Faith in Action Fund (BFIA) distributed grants to five congregations across the Church of the Brethren. 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.