In this interview conducted last month, shortly after they returned from a trip to Nigeria, Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer spoke with Newsline editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford about the trip and the situation of the church in Nigeria. They attended the Majalisa or annual conference at the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), met with EYN leaders and the Brethren mission staff in Nigeria–Carol Smith and Carl and Roxane Hill–and visited the capital city Abuja.
Nigeria
Conference Moderator Provides Resources for Daily Prayer for Nigeria
Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman has written a resource for daily prayer for Nigeria, for the girls abducted from a school in Chibok, and for their families. Titled, “With Anguished Tears and Bold Prayers, May We Be One,” the resource is posted online at www.brethren.org/Nigeriaprayerguides .
Congregations Invited to Pray for Girls Abducted from School in Chibok, Nigeria
In a letter being mailed this week, each Church of the Brethren is invited to pray for one of the girls abducted from Chibok, Nigeria, by name. The majority of the more than 200 abducted schoolgirls, ages 16 to 18, were from EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) although the group included both Muslim and Christian girls.
Newsline for May 7, 2014
SPECIAL NEWS SECTION ON NIGERIA: 1) Congregations invited to pray for girls abducted from school in Chibok, Nigeria. 2) Conference moderator provides resources for daily prayer for Nigeria. 3) Action Alert: Bring Back Our Girls. 4) Walking with the Nigerian church: An interview with Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and mission executive Jay Wittmeyer. 5) Brethren bits
Nigerian Churches Urge Global Prayer for 230 Missing Girls, Most from EYN
Church of the Brethren leaders in the US are joining Nigeria’s largest church network, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to call for prayer and fasting for the safe release of hundreds of teenage school girls abducted April 14 from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, by an extremist Islamist terror group. Most of the affected families are part of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN–Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria).
General Secretary, Mission and Service Executive Visit with Brethren in Nigeria
Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger has visited Nigeria for the Majalisa or annual meeting of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), with Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer. Noffsinger wrote this e-mail report April 14 from the capital city of Abuja on the last day of the trip.
Brethren Mission Workers Serve Alongside Nigerian Group Aiding Refugees
Over the weekend of March 14-16, the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) served 509 refugees around the Headquarters and Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). CCEPI distributed 4,292 articles of clothing and shoes, 2,000 kilograms of corn, along with buckets and cups.
A Prayer Request from Maiduguri, Nigeria
The following prayer request from a member of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) living in the city of Maiduguri. It was received this weekend by an Annual Conference officer and shared with the Mission and Ministry Board on Sunday during worship. The city of Maiduguri was attacked this past weekend by the terrorist group Boko Haram:
Brethren Disaster Ministries Directs Grant Aid to Nigerian Brethren Affected by Violence
Brethren Disaster Ministries is directing $25,000 from the church’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to aid Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) during a time of escalating violence in northeastern Nigeria. The money will be contributed through EYN’s Compassion Fund.
EYN Ministers Hold Annual Conference
The Minister’s Annual Conference of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) opened the evening of Feb. 10 with worship sessions led by Bulus Danladi Jau. In their song during the session, the EYN Headquarters Church ZME (women’s choir) sang, “Nigeria is in confusion, as killings and burnings are going on. Why? God help us.”