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
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.
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.
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.
The goal of the 2023 Shenandoah District Conference was to raise $4,000 to purchase sewing machines for use in Burundi.
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.
The South Sudan Matching Gift Campaign that celebrates the Church of the Brethren ministry that is growing in South Sudan is in its last weeks. We are raising funding to help support a variety of projects in South Sudan that include agriculture, community development, theological training, and equipment for ministry.
On Sept. 10, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Nigeria, and its surrounding areas were hit by a devastating flood, leaving thousands of people in dire need of immediate assistance. The disaster, caused by the overflow and breach of the Alau Dam in the neighboring Konduga Local Government Area (LGA), has affected an estimated 1,020,340 individuals across four LGAs: Maiduguri, Jere, Mafa, and Konduga.
Sharon Norton has been hired by the Church of the Brethren as executive director of Global Mission. Her previous mission work spans 27 years, including 9 years in multiple positions and the most recent 4 years as co-administrator for Europe and Africa with the Mennonite Mission Network, which is related to the Mennonite Church USA.
I bring greetings from our brothers and sisters of Church of the Brethren in Haiti (l’Eglise des Freres d’Haiti), from the general secretary, the moderator, the National Committee of the church, and from the delegates and nondelegates!
