An emerging Church of the Brethren denomination is in process of formation in Mexico, reports Global Food Initiative manager and Global Mission staff Jeff Boshart following a trip to Tijuana in mid-April. Documents to make the group an official church in the country are being submitted to Mexican authorities, beginning a process that is expected to take several months.
The Church of the Brethren in Rwanda is receiving an emergency grant to aid those affected by extreme flooding this week. Etienne Nsanzimana, founding pastor in Rwanda, shared that the churches are “overwhelmed by this terrible flood.”
Pastor Yakubu Shuaibu Kwala, who served a congregation of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) in the Biu area of Borno State in northeast Nigeria, was killed on April 4 in a night-time attack on his home by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The attackers shot and wounded his pregnant wife, who was taken to hospital for treatment. The pastor also is survived by another child.
What a privilege to visit the IDP (internally displaced people) camp at Masaka, Luvu-Brethren Village, while we were in Nigeria for the centenary celebration of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
We give God the glory for the return of Mrs. Hannatu Iliya who was abducted three years ago from Takulashe village in Chibok Local Government Area, Borno State, Nigeria. According to church officials, she returned on April 1 and has reunited with her displaced husband, who found refuge in one of the Chibok communities. Iliya, who was pregnant, lost the baby in captivity.
Recently, from Nov. 15 to Dec. 13, 2022, I visited Vietnam with the purpose of engaging directly with the Retinopathy of Prematurity Vietnam (ROPVN) team and assessing the situation in the aftermath of the Covid-19 epidemic.
The Mubi zonal celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria included special centenary dress, presentations, dancing, singing, food, and much more, with gratitude to God and all those contributing to the life of the church.
Leadership of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has conducted three days of prayer and fasting, on Feb. 21-23, for Nigeria’s general election and the upcoming EYN Centenary Celebration.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to continue the Nigeria Crisis Response through 2023 and to support a response to flooding and conflict in South Sudan.
I felt God’s divine grace come upon me as my “Masters of Managing Blindness,” Nguyen Quoc Phong and Tran Ba Thien, sat at the table with me, enjoying Vietnamese coffee.
