#LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship
Worship is an essential component of the National Youth Conference (NYC) experience. It is the one time where everyone is gathered together during the week. Read on to learn a bit of what to expect during worship at NYC:
Brethren Press and MennoMedia are announcing a new partnership for quarterly Bible study curriculum coming this fall titled “Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies.” This new adult curriculum blends “A Guide for Biblical Studies,” published by Brethren Press, and “Salt & Light,” published by MennoMedia.
Members of the Church of the Brethren Deportation Defense Response Team were in Miami, Fla., this past weekend, meeting with Church of the Brethren denominational and district leadership. We worshiped with Haitian sisters and brothers in Church of the Brethren congregations in southern Florida, and were part of fervent prayers for God’s intervention and protection as the federal government moves to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the US, as of 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
At least two Church of the Brethren pastors—Jenn Hosler of Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren and Matt Rittle of Arlington (Va.) Church of the Brethren—answered a call from local organizers for interfaith ministers to go to Minneapolis, Minn., last week as clergy support during events responding to immigration enforcement.
The Leadership Team of the Church of the Brethren’s Michigan District has written a letter “with heavy hearts and profound sorrow over a series of tragic events that have shaken our nation and deeply burdened our consciences.” The letter responded to recent violence related to immigration enforcement including the shootings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Weighing heavy on my heart is the violence and political unrest being experienced in Minnesota. Most of the activity is occurring in Minneapolis, but there is an ICE presence here in Rochester as well.
As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I dream of a day when we embrace discomfort as part of our sacred calling to live in unity—many stories, one Spirit, one body in Christ. Hope is born when love refuses to remain silent. Justice, after all, is love made visible, and kindness is faith in action.
The Church of the Brethren’s Service Sunday is scheduled for Sunday, Feb 1. Service Sunday is recognized annually on the first Sunday in February. The 2026 theme “Living with Purpose: Equipping God’s People for Works of Service” is inspired by the scripture text from Ephesians 4:11-13
The Deportation Defense Response Team, an initiative of several Church of the Brethren districts with the Intercultural Ministries and On Earth Peace, has provided a toolkit of resources online at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/168SYb-D3cMBO8ORb4sDXMqMbA2yvSGCN.
Many of us woke up Saturday morning with news of the U.S. military strike on Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuela President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. We have received an official statement from the president’s office of the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela (ASIGLEH) calling for calm, prudence and peace