The Church of the Brethren is seeking a Mission Advancement Advocate. Major responsibilities include strengthening and nurturing the individual and congregational stewardship, direct gift, planned-giving, and enlistment programs of the Church of the Brethren through face-to-face visits with individuals and congregations and individuals.
Mark Flory Steury will retire as donor relations representative for the Church of the Brethren effective Aug. 31. He has worked as part of the Mission Advancement team at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and remotely from Bridgewater, Va.
Scam email messages have been received by some Church of the Brethren members recently, asking for donations to help with refugee resettlement. These are scam messages and should be deleted.
NEWS
1) Welcoming the stranger: A call for just immigration reform
2) Brethren are warned of email scam
The office of Donor Relations is delighted to announce a new team name, the office of Mission Advancement. This new name better clarifies the intentional focus to cultivate passion to advance the mission of the Church of the Brethren. The team is working to provide ways for passionate supporters to offer each gift as “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (from Philippians 4:18) to sustain and support the ministry of the larger church.
Traci Rabenstein has assumed leadership of the Church of the Brethren Donor Relations team, as of Oct. 9. John Hipps has concluded his work with the Church of the Brethren as director of Donor Relations, a position he has held since Sept. 24, 2012.
The Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) board has adopted 2017 Department of Defense screens for investments. Each year as part of its Brethren values investing initiatives, BBT’s Board of Directors approves investment screens by adopting two Department of Defense lists comprised of companies that earn significant revenue from US military operations.
The 2017 edition of “Giving” magazine titled “Live Generously,” and related materials, are now available from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. The Church of the Brethren partners with the center in stewardship resources and other initiatives.
Additional listening sessions with David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, have been announced. Steele is holding listening sessions in church districts around the denomination. The meetings are a way for him to listen closely to people within the church, and an opportunity for church members to meet the general secretary.
The annual Advent Offering for Church of the Brethren ministries is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 4, the second Sunday of Advent. The theme, “Vision for New Hope,” is inspired by Isaiah 11:1-10 from the lectionary.