A steering committee of eight women in ministry has been called by the Office of Ministry to facilitate programming, projects, and initiatives designed to support and encourage Brethren clergywomen.
Ministry Office
Diana Butler Bass headlines Ministers’ Association continuing education event
Theologian and author Diana Butler Bass is the featured speaker for the Church of the Brethren Ministers’ Association annual continuing education event this year, held just prior to Annual Conference. “Gratitude: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks” is the theme for the gathering on July 3-4 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
SVMC celebrates 25 years, offers continuing education events
The Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018. “To commemorate this milestone, we will be sharing devotions on the 25th day of each month,” said an announcement. The first devotion is written by the center’s executive director Donna Rhodes. In related news, SVMC is publicizing several upcoming continuing education events.
Roxanne Aguirre to coordinate Spanish-language ministry training
Roxanne Aguirre begins Jan. 16 as part-time coordinator of Spanish-language ministry training programs at the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. She will work from her home in central California. The academy is a ministry training partnership of Bethany Theological Seminary and the Church of the Brethren.
Atlantic Northeast hires Pete Kontra as district executive
Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren has called Pete Kontra to the position of district executive minister effective Jan. 1, 2018. He has been in pastoral ministry for more than 20 years, and currently is senior pastor at Hempfield Church of the Brethren in Atlantic Northeast District.
Nancy S. Heishman named director of the Office of Ministry
The Church of the Brethren has called Nancy Sollenberger Heishman as director of the Office of Ministry. She will begin in this role on Nov. 6, working out of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and from her home in Tipp City, Ohio.
William Wenger to serve as executive minister for Western Pennsylvania District
Western Pennsylvania District has called William Wenger to serve as district executive minister beginning Sept. 1. He has served as interim district executive since January.
Minister’s manual project will not continue
Staff from the Office of Ministry and Brethren Press have announced the decision to conclude work on the new minister’s manual resource. This project has stretched over several years, in which transitions in the make up of the volunteer team and the staff in the Office of Ministry have brought significant challenges.
Bethany and Brethren Academy luncheon senses ‘Spirit Moving’
Faculty, staff, and graduates of Bethany Theological Seminary and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership were joined by others at an Annual Conference luncheon. The theme of “Spirit Moving” was expressed succinctly when seminary president Jeff Carter noted that, thanks to what he called “our Anabaptist/Pietist vision, he said, “The world needs us.” Because of this, Carter said of the seminary’s reach: “It is broad. It is deep. It is moving.”
Minister’s Association hears from Lillian Daniel, discusses relating to ‘Nones’
“In the age of the new atheists we have to figure out how to talk about why religion matters without sounding like jerks. Between burning in hell, and anything goes, there is a lot we can talk about,” said Lillian Daniel, presenter for the Minister’s Association pre-Conference continuing education event.
