In a week when US President Barack Obama has announced new air strikes on Islamic State in Syria by a coalition of the US military and several Arab nations, Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and the denomination’s Office of Public Witness have reiterated a commitment to nonviolent means of change in Syria and Iraq.
Ecumenical
US Religious Leaders, WCC Issue Statements on Violence in Iraq
A Faith Forum on Middle East Policy and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have issued statements on the violence occurring in Iraq. Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, was one of the American church leaders to sign a letter to US President Barack Obama organized by the Faith Forum, that urged alternatives to US military action in Iraq.
Grant Goes to IMA World Health Appeal for Ebola Emergency
Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing an allocation of $15,000 from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to an IMA World Health appeal for support of Ebola health workers in Liberia. The grant is funding work carried out through the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL).
CWS Announces Efforts for Unaccompanied Child Refugees, Faith Leaders and Immigrant Activists to Protest Deportations
Church World Service is involved in an action of civil disobedience at the White House this week, as the Congress and US administration consider expediting deportations of refugee children. Also, CWS has announced a number of ways it is working to aid the refugee children, and is asking supporters to call Congress to urge passage of a “clean” supplemental funding bill responding to the situation of unaccompanied children fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. CWS is a longstanding ecumenical humanitarian organization, of which the Church of the Brethren is a member denomination.
EYN President Represents Brethren at World Council of Churches Central Committee
EYN president Samuel Dante Dali represented the world community of the Church of the Brethren at the recent Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Dali, whose own national body Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria or the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, is a member denomination of the WCC, attended as proxy for Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger.
Church of the Brethren General Secretary Among Church Leaders at Consultation on Syria, Held in Armenia
Recognizing the failure of the Geneva 2 talks four months ago and the ongoing violence and human calamity in Syria, church leaders and representatives from the region, Europe, and the United States gathered in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, to address the challenges for faith communities in the crisis in Syria. In the group that gathered June 11 and 12 was Stanley J. Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren general secretary.
Church of the Brethren Member Named to Field Associate Position with ADNet
Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADNet) has appointed Rebekah Flores of Elgin, Ill., and Ronald Ropp of Normal, Ill., to serve as field associates. Flores is an active participant at Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin.
A Round Up of Nigeria News
A gathering of news and updates from Nigeria, along with news of continuing prayer and support for Nigerian Brethren from US congregations and ecumenical partners:
What Does the Emergent Church Movement Have to Say to Brethren?
What does the Emergent Church movement have to say to us Brethren? The Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor and St. Clare’s Episcopal Church (two very different congregations in Ann Arbor, Mich.) co-sponsored the Blue Ocean Summit, an ecumenical conference, May 15-17. Blue Ocean Faith is an informal network of churches, leaders, and laity who aim to live out vibrant Christian faith in predominantly secular settings, among and with secular-leaning folk.
Brethren and Ecumenical Partners Continue Support for Nigeria and the Abducted Girls
A round up of news tidbits from this past week, demonstrating a variety of ways in which Brethren congregations and districts have been offering prayer and support for Nigerian Brethren and the abducted schoolgirls. Also below: statements of support from ecumenical partners, as well as media interviews and stories with links to find them online: