Newsline

1) Grants from EDF support Brethren Disaster Ministries projects in New Jersey, Colorado. 2) On Earth Peace Board meets in March at New Windsor, Md. 3) A chat with ‘spirited Brethren’ Carl and Roxane Hill. 4) Religious leaders urge a ban on fully autonomous weapons. 5) Director of Educational Technology named at Bethany Seminary. 6) Summer tour itinerary for Nigerian BEST group and women’s choir is released. 7) Bucher publishes new commentary, discusses ‘Lamentations, Song of Songs’ April 29 at Elizabethtown College. 8) From the General Secretary: Letter to congregations regarding Armenia and Nigeria. 9) A time for humility and service: Love Feast in Nigeria. 10) Silence and real talk: On teaching about the Bible and race in the USA. 11) Brethren bits

1) Summer workcamp to be at new Brethren Disaster Ministries project site in Colorado. 2) Open Roof Award recognizes churches who welcome those dealing with disabilities. 3) Thompson Fund makes grants. 4) New book shows Mister Rogers as quiet political pacifist. 5) Trip to Nigeria yields testimonies of thanks for support from American Brethren. 6) Report from Nigeria elections: Continuing to hope and pray. 7) ‘They called to us to come closer’: An interview with a Chibok girl who escaped. 8) Retreat to be held for Church of the Brethren spiritual directors. 9) Ethics in Ministry Relations Training offered in advance of Annual Conference. 10) Questions still surface. 11) Brethren bits

1) Mission and Ministry Board meets in Pennsylvania, discusses mission and church vitality among other business. 2) ‘Resolution on Christian Minority Communities’ adopted by board, recommended to Annual Conference. 3) Church of the Brethren dividend from Brethren Mutual and Brotherhood Mutual is largest ever. 4) Applications for nursing scholarships are due soon. 5) Dynamics of violence in Nigeria changing dramatically, aid still needed as displaced begin return home. 6) EYN district leader in Maiduguri helps provide ‘an island in the desert’. 7) Internally displaced people in Nigeria experience disempowerment as well as loss. 8) ‘Early bird’ registration for National Junior High Conference ends soon. 9) Young Adult Conference is planned for Pennsylvania in May. 10) Brethren evangelicalism topic of panel discussion at Bridgewater College. 11) Brethren bits

1) Nigerian BEST group, Women’s Fellowship Choir to be at Annual Conference, tour districts. 2) BBT explores feasibility of offering group medical insurance for church employees. 3) Winners of Bethany Seminary’s Peace Essay Contest are announced. 4) New faculty in Theological Studies named at Bethany Seminary. 5) On Earth Peace calls Anti-Racism Transformation Team. 6) One Great Hour of Sharing offering emphasis is March 15. 7) Webinar will help those planning community gardens. 8) Breaking the chains: Criminal justice reform and God’s liberation. 9) Brethren bits.

1) Addressing the changing face of faith: The Christian Churches Together annual meeting. 2) Giving to Nigeria Crisis Fund tops $1 million, staff provide summary of accomplishments. 3) Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 308 completes orientation. 4) Registration is open for 2015 NOAC on the theme ‘then Jesus told them a story…’ 5) Don Kraybill announces June retirement from Elizabethtown College. 6) Bring Back Our Girls: The story of artist Sandra Ceas’ rendition of the Chibok abductions. 7) Brethren bits

1) IRS issues new ruling regarding Affordable Care Act. 2) Nigerian Brethren leaders visit refugees in Cameroon. 3) Nigerian initiative declares ‘Education Must Continue’. 4) Bethany Seminary recognized for ‘Education That Engages’. 5) Peace churches hold sixth annual gathering in Florida. 6) ‘Together for Nigeria’ event in Michigan raises funds, brings attention to the crisis. 7) Jenn Dorsch begins as director of Brethren Disaster Ministries. 8) Tina Christian to be Gulf Coast coordinator for Children’s Disaster Services. 9) Youth ministry webinar series continues with focus on ‘Life and Time’. 10) Webinar will focus on ‘Reading the Bible after Christendom’. 11) ENGAGE to welcome prospective students to Bethany Seminary. 12) Spring issue of Guide for Biblical Studies seeks the Holy Spirit. 13) Brethren bits.

1) Ballot is announced for the 2015 Annual Conference. 2) General registration and hotel reservations for Annual Conference 2015 begin soon. 3) Opportunities at Tampa Conference include meaningful worship, Florida sights, and the work of the church. 4) Brethren mission worker involved in auto accident in Nigeria. 5) Brian Bultman begins as CFO, executive for Organizational Resources for the Church of the Brethren. 6) Julie Kingrey resigns as assistant director of Financial Operations for Brethren Benefit Trust. 7) ‘Dear Ms. Grace, my name is Linh’: Vietnamese students learn from a Brethren life story. 8) Death Row Support Project: DRSP News, Issue 7, February 2015. 9) Brethren bits

1) Church of the Brethren funds give grants for work in Africa and Haiti. 2) Co-directors of Nigeria Crisis Response praise God for ‘phenomenal’ giving. 3) Youth Peace Travel Team is named for 2015. 4) White Gift Offerings, an Ivester tradition of ministry and outreach. 5) Concerned about uncertainties of the Affordable Care Act? Help is on the way. 6) Ministers’ Association ‘Delving Deeply into Compassion’ at pre-Conference event. 7) Romans 12 provides theme for National Junior High Conference. 8) Bethany Seminary to host ‘Anabaptism, the Next Generation’ 9) Drone warfare: Easy and cheap. 10) Brethren bits

1) Interfaith community calls for halt to drone attacks. 2) Reports from EYN staff, BDM volunteer focus on recent attack on Maiduguri, Nigeria. 3) Summer Bible School helps sponsor cornea transplant for student in Vietnam. 4) Merger celebrates ‘One in Christ.’ 5) Brethren bits

NIGERIA NEWS: 1) Donations to Nigeria Crisis Fund meet board’s matching challenge. 2) Some Nigerian Brethren are attacked again after returning to their homes. 3) Suffering under Boko Haram: The horror of what everyday life in northeast Nigeria has become. MORE NEWS: 4) Groundbreaking consultation explores the meaning and practice of ‘believers baptism’ for the future unity of the church. 5) GFCF supports agriculture in North Korea, garden project for inmates in Brazil, farmer’s market in New Orleans. 6) Lancaster Church purchases uniforms and supplies for homeless students. UPCOMING EVENTS:
7) Intercultural retreat to be hosted in Atlantic Northeast District in May. 8) Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center offers series of continuing education events. 9) Brethren bits.