Friday, June 20, is World Refugee Day. Please consider taking some time in your worship spaces this month to talk about refugees, to pray for their situations, and to honor their stories.
By Marcia Sowles On May 8, Church World Service (CWS) held a webinar titled “Beyond the Signature” to highlight the steps that congregations that signed the Ash Wednesday Declaration can take to advocate for and support refugees and immigrants. The webinar reviewed the actions taken by the US administration against immigrant and refugees and offered
The Church of the Brethren has signed the “Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Declaration: Defending Refuge” as one of the Covenant Members of Church World Service (CWS).
The Church of the Brethren’s aid and relief response following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton continues on the denominational, district, and congregational levels. Here are some updates
Church World Service (CWS) is sharing updated kit distribution numbers and information about relief efforts following on the recent hurricanes. To date, CWS has coordinated the shipment of 4,372 Clean-Up Buckets, 8,720 Hygiene Kits, 5,890 blankets, 1,205 Menstrual Hygiene Kits, 590 School Kits, and 72 Welcome Backpacks to partners in Florida and North Carolina (a
Brethren Disaster Ministries as well as local emergency authorities are strongly advising those who would like to help out NOT to travel to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, while the roads are not safe and search and rescue is still happening.
However, here are opportunities to help from home:
In April there is a meat canning project that brings volunteers together in Pennsylvania. The Church of the Brethren receives part of the finished product. Our Material Resources staff recently shipped three pallets, or nearly 7,000 pounds of the canned meat, to California, destined for Mexico.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to send $100,000 to the work of Church World Service (CWS) with Ukrainian refugees, $30,000 to l’Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC) to provide food aid following flooding, and $7,500 to support an epidemic relief program of ASIGLEH, the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.
On Feb. 14, Belinda Addae, a representative from Church World Service, presented a Legacy Congregation Award to Mountville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren in recognition of years of support for their kit programs.
The $7,241 raised by Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill., in last fall’s CROP Hunger Walk, warranted the congregation a Certificate of Appreciation from Church World Service.
