Last week the Heifer Project International board gathered in Little Rock, Ark. Though I have been representing the Church of the Brethren on this board for two years, this was the first time I met fellow board members and most of the staff. In addition to physically meeting board members and staff, who I’ve been with for many hours of Zoom, I met the new CEO, Surita Sandosham. Having joined the board only 20 days earlier, Sandosham was still in intense listening mode.
In 1971, the coalition officially rebranded as the National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM) in order to expand their mission to include supporting farm worker movements and attracting other communities of faith to their cause. The Church of the Brethren proved to be one such faith community that walked alongside the NFWM following its establishment, and it is in the spirit of celebration that we recognize 50 years of good work by the NFWM and their partners.
Churches are being asked to help support COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the United States. A COVID-19 Community Corps has been launched, inviting churches among other community groups to help build vaccine confidence in their communities. Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is collecting a list of churches and other community organizations that can help support the national vaccination effort.
“Weapons Transfers as Foreign Policy: Theological Ethics, Economics, and Strategy” is the subject of an upcoming online lecture to be given by Nathan Hosler, director of the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. This is the 2021 Durnbaugh Lecture of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College.
By Nathan Hosler On Oct. 24, the United Nations received its 50th ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). As a result, the treaty will “enter into force” in 90 days, on Jan. 22, 2021, and become international law. While this will not immediately eliminate the threat of nuclear war, it
Jennifer Hosler and I recently traveled to Nigeria to consult, connect with, and support the development and peacebuilding work of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Jennifer traveled to Nigeria in her role as a member of the advisory committee of the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative. In this role, she met with EYN leaders and members who had traveled to Ghana in September 2016, together with Jeff Boshart (Global Food Initiative director) to learn about soybean projects.
Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) marked the International Day of Prayer for Peace 2015 with a march to the center of Port-au-Prince, the Haiti’s capital city.
On Tuesday evening, Sept. 1, the African Methodist Episcopal Coalition held a worship service in Washington, D.C. I had received the invitation from the National Council of Churches (NCC) the week before in my capacity with the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Public Witness, but it was also relevant for my role as a minister in Washington City Church of the Brethren.
As this time of year rolls around, we begin witnessing the appearance of new life, both the new life Jesus Christ gives us all through the miracle of Easter resurrection, and the new life we see in our environment as we move into Spring.
Nathan Hosler has accepted a position as advocacy officer with the Church of the Brethren, effective March 1. Located in Washington, D.C., this is a shared position with the National Council of Churches.