What a joyous occasion following Easter for our Global Church of the Brethren Communion to gather online for the first meeting of 2025. All 12 countries in the communion were represented.
Global Mission
Latest round of GFI grants support agricultural training and farming in Africa, clean water in Haiti
The Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given its latest round of grants to support well drilling by the Haiti Medical Project, an agricultural training component for students at the Great Lakes Bible School in Rwanda, and “Farming God’s Way” in the Church of the Brethren in Burundi.
South Sudan journal: A first international trip as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren
My first international trip as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren was to South Sudan from Feb. 1-15. I was fortunate to travel with a group led by Carolyn and Roger Schrock. Here are excerpts from my daily journal of the trip
FaithX registration closes April 1
Registration for summer FaithX service trips closes on Tuesday, April 1. There are still open spots on several youth and adult trips. More information about the trips and availability as well as registration are at www.brethren.org/faithx.
Brethren bits
In this issue: Remembering Marianne Rhoades Pittman; New and Renew offers March Madness discount; prayer requests for South Sudan, those affected by severe weather, those continuing to suffer impacts of fires in southern California; truck for Uganda; “Toward COP30” webinars from the WCC; threat to the US Institute of Peace, which got its start with help from the Church of the Brethren among other religious groups
EDF grants since start of year fund Nigeria Crisis Response and aid responses to wars in central Africa, Gaza, and Ukraine
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to continued support for the Nigeria Crisis Response, to aid those affected in three central African countries by the warfare in Goma and the surrounding area, to aid those affected by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and to aid those affected by the war in Ukraine, among others.
Elizabethtown church hosts Haiti Medical Project presentation by Haitian physician Emerson Pierre
Dr. Emerson Pierre, a family physician visiting from Haiti, spoke at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on Jan. 12. He works with the mobile medical clinics sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Haiti Medical Project.
Church of the Brethren supports investigation of past allegations of abuse at Hillcrest School in Nigeria
The Church of the Brethren is supporting an independent investigation and assessment of allegations of multiple forms of abuse that may have occurred at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria. The investigation is being carried out by the Zero Abuse Project.
Shenandoah District supports Burundi sewing project
The goal of the 2023 Shenandoah District Conference was to raise $4,000 to purchase sewing machines for use in Burundi.
Global Food Initiative grants aid food security and related work of church partners
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has issued a recent round of grants supporting work for food security and related needs including $15,000 for purchase of farmland in Uganda, $6,470 for a well project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, $825 for a farming project of the emerging Tanzania Church of the Brethren, $5,000 in continued support for the Soybean Value Chain project of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, and $15,000 for the Wings of Blessing and Hope Farm Poultry Project of ASIGLEH, the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.