Participants in this year’s Church of the Brethren Minister’s Association were privileged to receive the teaching and story telling of Fr. John Dear, a Jesuit priest, author, and activist for nonviolence. John (who preferred that we call him that and not “father dear”) came to speak with the Brethren with the strong conviction to affirm who we are as a living peace church, and to challenge us to step further into that calling.
Ministry Office
Scott Kinnick to Serve as Executive Minister for Southeastern District
Southeastern District has announced that Scott Kinnick will serve as district executive minister, beginning Sept. 1. He is a life-long member of the Church of the Brethren and an ordained minister.
Joe Detrick to Serve as Interim Director of Ministry
The Church of the Brethren has hired Joe Detrick as interim director for the Office of Ministry. He will begin in this position on June 22, working out of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and from his home in Seven Valleys, Pa. This interim assignment is expected to continue for one year.
Terry Grove to Serve as Executive for Atlantic Southeast District
The Atlantic Southeast District of the Church of the Brethren has called Terry Grove to serve as district executive minister beginning May 1. Most recently he has been a member of Winter Park Church of the Brethren and New Covenant Church of the Brethren, where he serves as quarter time pastor. He also has been treasurer for the district and Camp Ithiel, and previously served briefly as interim district executive.
Cindy Sanders to Serve as Executive for Missouri and Arkansas District
Missouri Arkansas District of the Church of the Brethren has called Cindy Sanders to serve as district executive minister beginning May 1. She is a 1995 graduate of Education for Shared Ministry (EFSM), a ministry training program of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. She was ordained in the Church of the Brethren in 1995.
Developments at the Brethren Academy Offer Opportunities for Students
At the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, women and men are equipped for leadership in the church through four training programs: Training in Ministry (TRIM), Education for a Shared Ministry (EFSM), Seminario Biblico Anabautista Hispano (SeBAH-CoB), and district-based Academy Certified Training Systems (ACTS). The academy also offers continuing education opportunities for those who have completed seminary degrees or ministry training programs.
Church of the Brethren Mourns Loss of Associate General Secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury
Mary Jo Flory-Steury, associate general secretary of the Church of the Brethren and executive director of the denomination’s Office of Ministry, died this morning at Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center.
Ronald Beachley to Retire from Leadership of W. Pennsylvania District
Ronald D. Beachley has announced his plans to retire as district executive of the Western Pennsylvania District effective Dec. 31, 2016. He began his ministry as district executive on Sept. 15, 1985.
Newsline Special: Requests for Prayer
Over the weekend, a tragedy involving students at Manchester University, the sudden hospitalization of associate general secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury, and a fire at Cross Keys Village-one of the Church of the Brethren-related retirement communities, have prompted calls for prayer.
SVMC Continuing Education Events Highlight Memory Care, Chronicles and the Church
The Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) is offering three upcoming continuing education events for ministers and others who are interested. Two address memory care, and one offers a study of the Old Testament book of Chronicles and its meaning for the church today.