Dementia affects individuals, their family members, and the congregation. We often want to offer support, but we do not know where to start. We often back off because we don’t want to do the wrong thing.
On April 28-30, 22 members of the Church of the Brethren including church leaders and district and denominational staff attended Inhabit Conference 2022. The conference, an event of the Parish Collective, returned in-person to Seattle (Wash.) School of Theology and Psychology, the host site of this annual flagship summit. Church of the Brethren participants joined approximately 300 people representing various Christian communities of faith in the United States and Canada. The group gathered to worship, celebrate stories, and share ideas on being the church in neighborhoods everywhere.
The Church of the Brethren’s Discipleship Ministries and the Part-time Pastor, Full-time Church program are offering two Lent Conversation Groups.
Attend Inhabit Conference 2022 on April 28-30 at Seattle Pacific University in beautiful Seattle, Wash! The event will highlight “celebrating stories and sharing ideas as we connect to be the church in neighborhoods everywhere.”
Three nursing students are recipients of Church of the Brethren Nursing Scholarships for 2021. We would like to highlight the outstanding work of the following recipients: Kasie Campbell of Meyersdale (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, Emma Frederick of Roaring Spring (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren, and Makenzie Goering of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren.
Janelle Bitikofer’s June webinar, “Providing Mutual Support when People Are Experiencing Mental Illness,” was so engaging, and viewers had so many questions, that we will be offering a part two. In this continued conversation, we’ll discuss practical ways for congregations to engage in mutual care.
“Discipling Our Imagination: Interrupting Our Biases” is a new online formation experience offered by the Church of the Brethren’s Discipleship Ministries in partnership with Diversity 2 Inclusion. The experience is offered as online workshops or webinars at 7-9 p.m. (Eastern time) on Aug. 24 and 31 and Sept. 7. Credentialed ministers may earn 0.6 continuing education units through the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. The registration fee is $100.
A virtual recognition of new church fellowships and projects in the Church of the Brethren is planned as a pre-Annual Conference event on Sunday, June 27, at 6-7 p.m. (Eastern time). The event is open to the denomination, and is in place of the recognition breakfast usually held at in-person Annual Conferences.
“Providing Mutual Support when People Experience Mental Illness” is the title of an upcoming webinar on June 17 at 2 p.m. (Eastern time), co-sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Discipleship Ministries and the Anabaptist Disabilities Network.
This year’s virtual New and Renew conference, centered around “The Reward of Risk,” is well-suited for bi-vocational ministers. The event features more than 20 live sessions that will be recorded and can be accessed through Dec. 15. These recordings will allow bi-vocational ministers, who normally may not be able to attend the conference in person, to take part online in contemplating the reward amid taking risks in ministry.
