The Church of the Brethren Inc. has announced an opening for Manager of Buildings and Grounds at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Church of the Brethren seeks Manager of Buildings and Grounds
General Secretary
Mark Flory Steury retires as donor relations representative for the denomination
Mark Flory Steury will retire as donor relations representative for the Church of the Brethren effective Aug. 31. He has worked as part of the Mission Advancement team at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and remotely from Bridgewater, Va.
Changes to the Church of the Brethren bylaws are approved, among other business
Amendments to the bylaws of the Church of the Brethren and two business items originally brought by Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) in 2017–and then deferred for a year–were approved by the 2018 Annual Conference. Also approved were business items related to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. A proposal for a denominational leadership gathering was turned down.
Delegates affirm the ecumenical and interfaith work of the church
The 2018 Conference approved “Vision of Ecumenism for the 21st Century,” and in doing so reaffirmed the historical identity of the Church of the Brethren as a denomination active in ecumenical work and in relationship with other Christian bodies. The paper also calls the church to build and nurture positive interfaith relationships.
Welcoming the stranger: A call for just immigration reform
Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele is recommending to the Church of the Brethren a blogpost from Office of Peacebuilding and Policy associate Victoria Bateman. The post, dated Friday, June 15, reaffirms the longstanding stance of the Church of the Brethren on immigration, outlined in 1982 Annual Conference statement on “Undocumented Persons and Refugees in the United States” ( www.brethren.org/ac/statements/1982refugees.html), and the biblical basis for extending welcome to refugees and immigrants.
Brethren are warned of email scam
Scam email messages have been received by some Church of the Brethren members recently, asking for donations to help with refugee resettlement. These are scam messages and should be deleted.
Newsline Special: Call for just immigration reform; Brethren warned of email scam
NEWS
1) Welcoming the stranger: A call for just immigration reform
2) Brethren are warned of email scam
Process team lays out road map for development of ‘compelling vision’
This group brought a diversity of gifts and perspectives as it worked to lay out a general roadmap for the development of a compelling vision for the Church of the Brethren. This first meeting was led by Keister, who guided the team through its first stages of planning and the calling of the chair. Pittman Gingrich was called to be chair, and will work in partnership with the Annual Conference moderator to lead the work of the team going forward.
‘Mission Advancement’ is new name for denomination’s Donor Relations
The office of Donor Relations is delighted to announce a new team name, the office of Mission Advancement. This new name better clarifies the intentional focus to cultivate passion to advance the mission of the Church of the Brethren. The team is working to provide ways for passionate supporters to offer each gift as “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (from Philippians 4:18) to sustain and support the ministry of the larger church.
Compelling Vision Process Team to begin its work
The nine people who will make up the Compelling Vision Process Team have been named. The team’s first meeting will be April 17-19 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.