The Church of the Brethren Deportation Defense Response (DDR) is inviting participation in a World Refugee Day Ecumenical Service taking place online on Wednesday, June 17, 6-7 p.m. (Eastern time).
I wanted to share briefly on the trip I made to Honduras (March 9-16). The purpose of the trip was to provide pastoral care to two of my church members who had been deported and to learn what life is like post deportation.
“Faith in Motion: Pastor Irv Heishman’s Experience in Honduras” is the first “Faith in Motion” live, virtual event hosted by the Deportation Defense Response (DDR) Team of the Church of the Brethren. The event takes place online on Thursday, June 18, at 7 p.m. (Eastern time).
“My faith compelled me to respond,” one woman states, after in early 2025 seeing the harm of the new administration’s policies affecting immigrants and other vulnerable people. Many Brethren have felt their faith compel them to respond, too, and like her, have stepped up to lead and become involved with rapid response networks in their communities.
The business agenda for the 2026 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has been announced. Along with numerous reports and the ballot, the delegate body will receive an interim report from the Review and Evaluation Committee and will consider four items of new business: resolutions on weapons transfer and care for immigrants and refugees, polity adjustments for licensed and commissioned ministers, and the yet-to-be-announced recommended COLA for the pastoral scale.
The Faithful Response Immigration Gathering on March 17-19 at Camp Christian in Marysville, Ohio, drew participation from the four sponsoring denominations and others involved in immigration ministries.
Members of four Church of the Brethren congregations in Indiana—Beacon Heights, Northview, Manchester, and Eel River Community—as well as Manchester University students, were part of a press conference at the Miami Correctional Facility on Thursday, April 9.
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board met March 13-25, 2026, in Modesto, California. The board issues a resolution on immigration and heard many reports. A highlight was attendance Sunday at five local congregations.
The Deportation Defense Response Team, an initiative of several Church of the Brethren districts with the Intercultural Ministries and On Earth Peace, has provided a toolkit of resources online at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/168SYb-D3cMBO8ORb4sDXMqMbA2yvSGCN.
“Did you know there have now been 27 Church of the Brethren members helped because of your generosity?” said an announcement from the Deportation Defense Response team. “Folks who have received these funds that have covered the high costs of legal and filing fees have expressed to the team that they are so thankful and they feel they are not alone.”