The temperature on the thermometer read two degrees below zero as hundreds of Anabaptists of all persuasions (and garb) gathered for worship the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. It was 500 years to the day after a small group of believers met in a private home in Zurich to study scripture together and perform baptisms, an event considered the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.
After comparing the decline in membership across what he called the “Ecumenical Church” (often referred to as the mainline Protestant churches) to the rise in membership and political influence of the evangelical church over the past century, David Hollinger asked what he thought was a more important question: Which has had a stronger influence in American society?
If I come away with one strong impression of the 2024 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren in Grand Rapids, Mich., it has to be the hubbub, laughter, and general bonhomie (thank you, Duolingo, for the ability to sprinkle gratuitous French words in my writing) of the attendees gathering at the Exhibit Hall following opening worship.
Jennifer Keeney Scarr shares dramatic retellings of Bible stories at the July 6, 2023 Brethren Press/Messenger dinner.
Bethany Theological Seminary has experienced ten years of sustained growth and welcomes larger classes, including a wider range of ecumenical students, because of a focused mission of returning to Brethren core values by instituting new programs.
The Wednesday BVS Luncheon celebrating 75 years of the organization, began with a recognition of volunteers. The Partner in Service Award was presented to Jim Lehman.
Staff Member of the Year and Volunteer of the Year were announced at the Outdoor Ministries Association breakfast held Wednesday morning July 5
I write lyrics for certain scriptures when I can’t find one that suits. Most of them are one-offs, but I’ve had people ask me if they can share this one with others, and of course the answer is yes. It’s set to the tune of the hymn “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant?” It goes with Luke 13:1-9, about the Galileans, the Tower of Siloam, and the parable of the fig tree and the gardener.
What fuels Rebecca Dali’s passion when “responding with compassion to the most vulnerable persons in northeastern Nigeria”? According to Dali it is her personal story and history–one of “poverty, frustration, rape, a son abducted (by Boko Haram) 11 years ago”–that inspire her life’s work.
There was a lot to hear on the topics of biblical authority, accountability, the compelling vision, church division, and nationalism during the Moderator’s Town Hall hosted by Annual Conference moderator Paul Mundey. The online event in two parts was titled “Today’s Headlines, Yesterday’s Wisdom. Historical Insights for the Contemporary Church.”
