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.
General Secretary
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.
‘World’s Bravest Orchestra’ to Visit US for the First Time
In 2009, the 17-year-old Iraqi pianist Zuhal Sultan realized a dream to unite the youth of her country. Her vision involved bringing together young Kurds and Arabs by offering a program of peace through music. Thus the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq (NYOI) was born. This summer the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO)–which has its offices at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.–will act as NYOI’s hosts.
‘Grief and Love in the Same Place’: A Communication from the Church of the Brethren General Secretary and the EYN President
“In my grief I saw myself being held…” This quote from Margaret J. Wheatley’s book, “Perseverance,” has been riding in my soul since I returned from Nigeria. The circumstances of the Nigerian conflicts happening around the gathering of the church at the Majalisa provide me with enough incongruence to feel grief and love in the same place.
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:
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:
Committee Studying Ecumenism Seeks Responses to Survey
The Annual Conference study committee on a Vision of Ecumenism for the 21st Century is conducting a survey of the delegates of Annual Conference 2013, Young Adult Conference participants, those involved in district ministry, and Mission and Ministry Board members as it prepares to write a Church of the Brethren vision paper on ecumenism.
Church of the Brethren Chief Executives Join CWS at Gathering to Strengthen Ties for Work Together
“CWS is about our members, partners, and a myriad of colleagues working together, as institutions and as coalitions, but even more, as people. That is the vision of our faith and our values.”
Walking with the Nigerian Church: An Interview with Church of the Brethren General Secretary Stan Noffsinger and Mission Executive Jay Wittmeyer
In this interview conducted last month, shortly after they returned from a trip to Nigeria, Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer spoke with Newsline editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford about the trip and the situation of the church in Nigeria. They attended the Majalisa or annual conference at the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), met with EYN leaders and the Brethren mission staff in Nigeria–Carol Smith and Carl and Roxane Hill–and visited the capital city Abuja.