International guests received a warm welcome from the 2026 Annual Conference. On Monday morning, June 29, during the opening business session Global Mission executive Sharon Brugger Norton introduced the guests from the stage. She noted that this might have been the first time that Annual Conference has welcomed international guests from Vietnam.
Attending the Global Church of the Brethren Communion gathering on Spain’s northern coast in April was one of the greatest joys thus far in my role as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren. After many meetings on Zoom with the delegates and alternates, it was a joyous occasion to see all of our plans coming together—and for some of us, to meet in person for the first time.
A powerful and eye-opening trip to the Dominican Republic in February and March inspired me to share both the joys and challenges we encountered there, along with glimpses of how God is at work through his people.
Church of the Brethren Global Mission executive Sharon Brugger Norton visited the Church of the Brethren in Burundi in late March and early April. The Church of the Brethren in Burundi is the newest member of the Global Church of the Brethren Communion.
A consultation on the future of the Church of the Brethren’s mission priority in South Sudan was held recently in Nappanee, Ind., hosted at Union Center Church of the Brethren.
There were many languages spoken around the tables at the Global Mission Dinner held during Annual Conference, as international guests from several countries joined Sharon Brugger Norton, the new executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren, under the umbrella of Rev. 21:1-5, “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
The Global Church of the Brethren Communion met on June 6 via Zoom with delegates from member denominations attending. Among top agenda items the group elected two new officers of the board of the communion: Santos Terrero of Spain as president, and Sharon Brugger Norton of the United States as treasurer.
What a joyous occasion following Easter for our Global Church of the Brethren Communion to gather online for the first meeting of 2025. All 12 countries in the communion were represented.
My first international trip as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren was to South Sudan from Feb. 1-15. I was fortunate to travel with a group led by Carolyn and Roger Schrock. Here are excerpts from my daily journal of the trip
