The commemoration of 100 years since the beginning of the Armenian genocide in 1915 also marks nearly a century of Church of the Brethren compassionate response to those affected by disasters and conflicts. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in the genocide that occurred from 1915 to 1923. Brethren began responding to the needs of Armenian survivors and refugees beginning in 1917.
General Secretary
The Armenian Genocide Is Commemorated at the Washington National Cathedral
A major event for the Christian Unity Gathering of the National Council of Churches on May 6-9 near Washington, D.C., was a commemoration of the Armenian genocide at the Washington National Cathedral. This year 2015 marks a century since the start of the genocide in 1915, perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey, in which 1.5 million people died in mass killing that continued to 1923.
Mission 21 and Church of the Brethren Sign MOU for Cooperative Work in Nigeria with EYN
Mission 21, a longstanding partner of the Church of the Brethren mission in Nigeria and of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding about continuing cooperation in the Nigeria Crisis Response.
Mission and Ministry Board Meets in Pennsylvania, Discusses Mission and Church Vitality Among Other Business
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board met at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren over the weekend of March 13-16. Meetings were led by board chair Becky Ball-Miller, who is completing her term of service on the board by mid-2015.
‘Resolution on Christian Minority Communities’ Adopted by Board, Recommended to Annual Conference
The denomination’s Mission and Ministry Board has approved a “Resolution on Christian Minority Communities” and recommended it to the 2015 Annual Conference for adoption.
Church of the Brethren Dividend from Brethren Mutual and Brotherhood Mutual Is Largest Ever
The Church of the Brethren denomination has received an insurance dividend of $182,263 from Brethren Mutual Aid and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, through the company’s Partnership Group Program. Brethren Mutual Aid is the sponsoring agency for the program, which rewards the annual claims experience of the congregations, camps, and districts that make up the group along with the denominational organization.
Church of the Brethren General Secretary to Conclude Service as Contract Ends July 1, 2016
At the Oct. 2014 meeting of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board, discussions began around the General Secretary’s approaching contract end date of July 1, 2016. After a several-months-long process of discovery, discussion, and deliberation, general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger and the Mission and Ministry Board members mutually decided at a meeting held March 13-16 at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, that Noffsinger’s service will not extend beyond the end of his current contract.
Brian Bultman Begins as CFO, Executive for Organizational Resources for the Church of the Brethren
Brian Bultman, CPA, of Plainfield, Ill., has been appointed chief financial officer and executive director of Organizational Resources for the Church of the Brethren. He began work at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., on Feb. 9.
Groundbreaking Consultation Explores the Meaning and Practice of ‘Believers Baptism’ for the Future Unity of the Church
A three-day consultation took place in early January involving representatives from six different “believers baptism” church traditions to share their understandings and practices of baptism and to explore how their thinking has changed in light of the emerging theological convergence on baptism and growing ecumenical encounter over the past 30 years. This was the first time such a gathering has taken place, and thus represents an historic moment in the life of these traditions.
Church of the Brethren Leaders Attend Annual Anabaptist Leadership Meeting
Denominational leaders attended the annual meeting of the Council of Moderators and Secretaries (COMS) of Anabaptist denominations and groups, on Dec. 12-13, 2014. Representing the Church of the Brethren were Annual Conference moderator David Steele and moderator-elect Andy Murray, and general secretary Stan Noffsinger.