#LoveOurNeighbors #NewTestamentGiving
On Friday, July 3, while many were beginning their Independence Day celebrations, two Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers were aiding the Kerrville, Texas, community in a very different commemoration.
Two pastors were ordained for pastoral ministry in the Mangateen IDP [Internally Displaced Person] camp in June: Daniel Mawer and Paul Makuar. Mawer was trained in the Presbyterian tradition but due to conflicts in the leadership of the Presbyterian Church in South Sudan, he asked if he could join the Church of the Brethren.
With the proper therapies, and in some cases surgeries and other medical intervention, infants born prematurely have every chance of growing up to their full potential. But in places like Vietnam, premature infants born in rural areas may have no access to top-flight medical care.
There were many programs available for Annual Conference attendees as part of Tuesday morning’s “Imagine! A Morning of Sparking, Stirring, and Serving.” One of the most natural for Brethren was service projects.
Amy Gall Ritchie of Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind., South Central Indiana District, has been elected to the position of moderator-elect of Annual Conference. She will serve as moderator in 2028.
On April 24, after two hours of training, the Intercultural Ministries office awarded the participants certificates of completion as new “frontliners.” Four people attended the training that evening, and three were assigned to this role in their districts.
I wanted to share briefly on the trip I made to Honduras (March 9-16). The purpose of the trip was to provide pastoral care to two of my church members who had been deported and to learn what life is like post deportation.
The World Friendship Center (WFC) in Hiroshima, Japan, is recruiting volunteers for 2026-2028. They are seeking a married couple to serve as co-directors for a two-year placement through Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS).
In Washing My Sister’s Feet, a new Brethren Press picture book for children written by Gimbiya Kettering and illustrated by Gabhor Utomo, Ilse loves going to her grandmother’s church. Especially today, because she’s going to love feast.
“My faith compelled me to respond,” one woman states, after in early 2025 seeing the harm of the new administration’s policies affecting immigrants and other vulnerable people. Many Brethren have felt their faith compel them to respond, too, and like her, have stepped up to lead and become involved with rapid response networks in their communities.