Fifty years later, Christian Churches Together (CCT) has issued a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The document was signed by representatives of CCT’s member communions and presented to King’s youngest daughter, Bernice King, at a symposium April 14-15 in Birmingham, Ala.
Tag: General Secretary
Christian Leaders Celebrate Adoption of the World’s First Arms Trade Treaty
“We give thanks to God for the adoption of the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty and for the efforts by a large majority of countries and many civil society groups to bring it into existence,” said an April 3 public statement by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit.
Newsline Special: Church Board Recognizes Spanish Brethren, Issues Resolution Against Drone Warfare
Mission and Ministry Board spring meeting: 1) Church of the Brethren in Spain receives recognition from denominational board. 2) Brethren board issues resolution against drone warfare. 3) Response on equitable board representation will go to Annual Conference. 4) Board sees new congregational survey tool, names at-large member, among other business. 5) BMC representatives and MMB executive committee discuss concerns.
Brethren Board Issues Resolution Against Drone Warfare
A Resolution Against Drone Warfare was issued by the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board on March 11. Proposed by the denomination’s Peace Witness Ministry based in Washington, D.C., the resolution will be sent on to the 2013 Annual Conference for its consideration in early July. The resolution addresses the use of drones in warfare in the context of a reaffirmation of the Church of the Brethren’s longstanding assertion that “war is sin.”
Major US Ecumenical Organizations Restructure
Two long-standing ecumenical bodies in the United States–the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Church World Service (CWS)–have undergone restructuring and re-envisioning in recent months. The NCC began a plan for re-envisioning and restructuring last fall including elimination of administrative positions on the staff and a move away from historic headquarters in New York. CWS, which formerly shared the same general assembly as the NCC, has instituted a new governing structure that is independent of denominational representation. CWS is the primary means through which Brethren Disaster Ministries extends its work internationally.
Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Church Representative Attends Senate Subcommittee Hearing
Last week, I represented the Church of the Brethren by attending a hearing held by the US Senate’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. The hearing was entitled “Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Protecting Our Communities While Respecting the Second Amendment.” The event was presided over by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and it provided an array of incredibly informative testimony regarding the effectiveness of certain gun laws, the human cost of gun violence, and what lessons from the past we can apply to our present problems.
Church of the Brethren Written Testimony to the Senate Subcommittee Hearing on ‘Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence’
The written testimony, submitted in letter form, made by the Peace Witness Ministry on behalf of the Church of the Brethren denomination to the Senate Subcommittee hearing on ‘Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence,’ held Feb. 11, 2013.
Executive Committee of Denominational Board Holds January Meeting
The Executive Committee of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board met in Cocoa Beach, Fla., on Jan. 25-26, following meetings of other denominational leaders.
Committee to Study Ecumenism in the 21st Century
A study committee on “The Church of the Brethren and Ecumenism in the 21st Century” has been named. The group is to prepare a statement for Annual Conference giving vision and direction to the Church of the Brethren’s participation in the worldwide community of Christian communions.
Christian Churches Together Urges Fundamental Immigration Reform
Christian leaders representing the breadth of Christian churches and denominations in the United States issued a strong and urgent call for fundamental immigration reform at an annual meeting of Christian Churches Together (CCT). The Church of the Brethren was represented by general secretary Stan Noffsinger, Annual Conference moderator Bob Krouse and moderator-elect Nancy Heishman, and Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden.