A Resolution Against Drone Warfare was issued by the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board on March 11. Proposed by the denomination’s Peace Witness Ministry based in Washington, D.C., the resolution will be sent on to the 2013 Annual Conference for its consideration in early July. The resolution addresses the use of drones in warfare in the context of a reaffirmation of the Church of the Brethren’s longstanding assertion that “war is sin.”
Tag: MMB
Response on Equitable Board Representation Will Go to Annual Conference
A response to the query about equitable representation on the Mission Ministry Board, which came originally from Southern Pennsylvania District, will be on the business docket at the 2013 Conference. The board recommended changes to bylaws of the Church of the Brethren Inc., in a section governing the number and geographic balance of members of the board.
Church of the Brethren in Spain Receives Recognition from Denominational Board
Recognizing the Church of the Brethren in Spain–and passing on to Annual Conference a recommendation for that body to recognize the fledgling Spanish church, was a key action of the Mission and Ministry Board at its March 8-11 meeting at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Executive Committee of Denominational Board Holds January Meeting
The Executive Committee of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board met in Cocoa Beach, Fla., on Jan. 25-26, following meetings of other denominational leaders.
Denomination’s Ministries to Be Supported by $8.2 Million Budget in 2013
A budget exceeding $8.2 million has been set for the Church of the Brethren’s denominational ministries in 2013. The budget was approved by the Mission and Ministry Board in meetings Oct. 18-21 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Also on the agenda were financial updates to date for this year, including giving to the church’s ministries and communications with donors. Ben Barlow chaired the meetings, in which decisions were made by consensus.
Mission and Ministry Board Optimistic, Despite Challenges
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board tackled a handful of business items interspersed with reports from staff and others during its Saturday meeting prior to the start of Annual Conference. Also on the agenda were adoption of a budget parameter for 2013, recognitions of board members and staff concluding their terms of service, and numerous reports.
Board Adopts 2012 Budget, Discusses Financial Policies for Self-Funding Ministries
A 2012 budget for the denominational ministries was the top business item at the spring meeting of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board. Chair Ben Barlow led the March 9-12 meeting, at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Also on the agenda were an allocation from the Global Food Crisis Fund, the Ministerial Leadership paper, an appointment to the Brethren Historical Committee, and a number of items presented for conversation including financial policies related to self-funding ministries, the proposed denominational Vision Statement, an emerging effort of Congregational Life Ministries called “Vital Ministry Journey,” and the Ecumenical Call to Just Peace.
Release from the Mission and Ministry Board: Executive Session Report
A release provided by the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board, reporting on an executive (closed) session held during the board’s Spring meeting.
Reflections on Cuba, December 2011
Becky Ball-Miller, a member of the Church of the Brethren’s Mission and Ministry Board and CEO of Troyer Foods, Inc., an employee-owned company in Goshen, Ind., wrote the following reflection after she returned from an ecumenical delegation to Cuba.
Mission and Ministry Board Member Is Part of Ecumenical Visit to Cuba
A meeting of US church leaders with leaders of the Council of Churches of Cuba concluded in Havana on Dec. 2 with a joint declaration celebrating signs of greater unity between US and Cuban churches. Sixteen representatives of National Council of Churches (NCC) member communions including the Church of the Brethren were in Cuba from Nov. 28-Dec. 2 meeting with Cuban church and political leaders, including President Raúl Castro. Mission and Ministry Board member Becky Ball-Miller was the Brethren member on the delegation.