McPherson gets ready for virtual NOAC

Exciting things are happening at the Cedars Retirement Community in McPherson, Kan. A group of dedicated folk are making plans for a great National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) experience on Sept. 6-10.

Two-part Ventures course to focus on cultural competency

The May offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “The Ministry of Jesus, Ubuntu and Cultural Competency for These Times” led by LaDonna Sanders Nkosi, director of Intercultural Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. The course will be held online in two evening sessions May 4 and May 11 at 6-8 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Central time).

Ventures course to focus on ‘Reformations Past and Present’

The March offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “Reformations Past and Present,” to be held online March 13 at 9 a.m. to 12 noon (Central time), presented by Bobbi Dykema.

Ventures course to focus on multivocational ministry

The February offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “The Gift of Multivocational Ministry.” The course presented by Dana Cassell will be offered online on Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. to 12 noon (Central time).

Brethren bits for Sept. 19, 2020

— Remembrance: Dallas Oswalt, 92, a former Church of the Brethren mission worker in Nigeria, passed away on Aug. 14. He was living in Charlotte, N.C. His early church work included volunteering at age 17 as a seagoing cowboy for the Brethren Service Committee, sailing to Italy with the fourth transatlantic livestock delivery. He married

July Ventures course is on ‘Brethren in the Age of Pandemic’

A special course from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College is coming up in July. “Brethren in the Age of Pandemic: A Century Ago and today” will be presented by Frank Ramirez. The class will be held online on Tuesday evening, July 7, at 6:30 to 8 p.m. (Central time).

Brethren bits for May 30, 2020

In this issue: Ecumenical statements on the killing of George Floyd and a statement from Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.; Annual Conference Moderator’s Town Hall on “Faith, Science, and COVID-19″; first-ever virtual graduation at McPherson College; and more.

Brethren bits for April 11, 2020

n this issue: Brethren Village reports COVID-19 cases and deaths, Juniata professor develops new way to test for COVID-19, “New Yorker” piece on hospice care in China features Church of the Brethren worker, National Youth Sunday Idea Swap, Good News Youth Devotional, new online form to submit information for Messenger “Turning Points” pages, and more.

Brethren bits for Feb. 28, 2020

—Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) director Emily Tyler has expressed shock and heartbreak over recent news about Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche network of more than 154 communities in 38 countries where people with intellectual disabilities and those without intellectual disabilities live together in community. In a statement from L’Arche International, an inquiry that began in