What does an afternoon of no business session, plus service opportunities, equal at this year’s Annual Conference? Jubilee Service Projects! The Annual Conference Programs and Arrangements committee has set aside the afternoon of Friday, July 1 as a time for Conference-goers to participate in a Jubilee Afternoon.
Peace
Rockford Community Church Sends Mobile Library to Nigeria
With an eye on helping young people and promoting peace, a mobile library has been sent to northeast Nigeria by Rockford (Ill.) Community Church of the Brethren, with help from many other donors.
Christian Churches Together Holds 10th Annual Convocation
At the 10th annual convocation of Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), held in early 2016 in Arlington, Va., member churches and organizations deepened their work on racism and other issues of common concern.
CCEPI Graduates First Set of Orphans and Widows in Skill Acquisition
Director of the Center for Caring and Peace Initiative (CCEPI) in Nigeria, Rebecca S. Dali, charged the first graduates of the Livelihood Skill Acquisition Center established by CCEPI to work hard by utilizing the materials such as knitting machines, sewing machines, and computers given to them to make them economically independent.
Churches Invited to Take Part in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters
As part of our call to work toward ending global hunger and poverty, the Office of Public Witness invites congregations to participate in Bread for the World’s 2016 Offering of Letters. This year’s theme, “Survive and Thrive,” focuses on the impact of malnutrition on women and children.
Four Members Join the Youth Peace Travel Team for 2016
The members of the 2016 Youth Peace Travel Team have been announced. As the team spends time with youth this summer at camps across the denomination, they will teach about peace, justice, and reconciliation, all core values throughout the Church of the Brethren’s 300-plus year history.
Children’s Book Tells About Seagoing Cowboys Who Delivered Livestock–And Hope
Beginning in 1945, while Europe struggled with the desolation left by years of war, more than 7,000 men and boys traveled by ship on missions of mercy. They were seagoing cowboys–farmhands and folks from all walks of life: teachers, students, bankers, preachers, carpenters–who were recruited to care for the thousands of horses and heifers sent for reparations.
Pacific Southwest District Conference Meets on the Theme of ‘Justice’
Brethren from Arizona and California gathered the second weekend of November for the 52nd District Conference of the Pacific Southwest District in La Verne, Calif. Eric Bishop was this year’s moderator, choosing the theme of “Justice: Called to Be Just Christians” from Matthew 5 and 25.
Church of the Brethren General Secretary Speaks out Against Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger has issued a statement against the current escalation of rhetoric that seeks to demonize Muslims. Citing Jesus’ commands to love God, and love neighbor as self, and the parable of the Good Samaritan, the statement also calls church members to revisit portions of the 1991 Annual Conference statement “Peacemaking: The Call of God’s Peace in History” that direct the church to “explore avenues of interfaith dialogue leading toward a visible expression of God’s plan for human unity.”
Press Conference Urges Support for US Refugee Resettlement
On Tuesday, the Office of Public Witness attended a press conference where Senators Leahy, Durbin, and Kaine, and several faith leaders urged Congress to support resettlement of Syrian refugees. Even though 4.3 million Syrians seek refuge from the violence in Syria, policy riders on a budget bill threaten to bar even a small fraction of this vulnerable population from the United States.