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.
On March 1, 47 leaders from the Church of the Brethren districts west of the Mississippi River gathered by Zoom for the first of several planned meetups designed to enhance connection and relationships across the western Brethren.
Recently, Creekside Church of the Brethren near Goshen, Ind., challenged the other congregations of Northern Indiana District to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring. The aim was to see which congregation could gather the most ounces of soup to feed the hungry in our local communities by Super Bowl Sunday.
Seven Church of the Brethren districts in the midwest and plains regions partnered to hold an online workshop titled “Changing Mindsets for Ministry” on Feb. 22, with about 80 people participating. The event featured Jeff MacDonald, a journalist and pastor from the Boston area, as keynote speaker.
Tim Button-Harrison has announced his retirement from leadership of the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District. At the Feb. 7-8 meeting of the district board, it was announced that he will retire on Dec. 31, 2025, after having served the district for more than 19 years.
The Church of the Brethren Council of District Executives (CODE), representing the denomination’s 23 districts, met Jan. 25-29 in Melbourne, Fla., with some members coming early to do a well-received professional education training event with facilitator Lon Swartzentruber.
The Intercultural Ministries office and Intercultural Ministries Advisory Committee (IMAC) are encouraging our congregations and districts to help members to know their constitutional rights. As a denomination, we are striving to be a resource and referral space providing tangible information.
“Give now to support California wildfire response through Brethren Disaster Ministries,” said an appeal shared by denominational staff this week. “Children’s Disaster Services is already responding to the needs of children and families. Working with the Pacific Southwest District and partner organizations, Brethren Disaster Ministries is planning to address short- and long-term needs of vulnerable people impacted by the fires.”
Pacific Southwest District executive minister Russ Matteson today (Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025) shared the following prayer request for the Conexion Pasadena congregation of the Church of the Brethren, which has been directly affected by the Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area, as well as other church members and congregations across the area.
The goal of the 2023 Shenandoah District Conference was to raise $4,000 to purchase sewing machines for use in Burundi.
