The Standing with People of Color Committee continues to seek to involve congregations, districts, and families in learning and growing together in ways to enable the Church of the Brethren to welcome believers from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9).
A Church of the Brethren L.E.A.D. (Listen – Equip – Adapt – Disciple) Conference is planned for Nov. 15-17, 2024, sponsored by the denomination’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation department. The event will be hosted at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on the scripture theme 2 Timothy 2:2.
Resources to facilitate learning and growth from the Church of the Brethren Standing with People of Color Committee are part of the three-year denomination-wide study/action process. Kindly read through and share within your own congregation or district.
The April and May offerings from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be: on April 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (central time), “Introduction to Afrofuturism and Theology” presented by Tamisha Tyler, visiting assistant professor of Theology and Culture and Theopoetics at Bethany Seminary; and, on May 7 and 9, 7-8:30 p.m. (central time), “Becoming a More Loving and Inclusive Church” presented by Tim McElwee, who served as moderator of the 2023 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
Dawson Springs, Ky., will be the location of the FaithX adult (age 18-plus) service trip in partnership with Brethren Disaster Ministries on July 28-Aug. 3, 2024. There is still time to sign up for this trip if you are interested! FaithX registration can be found at www.brethren.org/faithx and will close on April 1.
Older adult FaithX participants had a wonderful week at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., where they spent time together in service, fellowship, and worship. A variety of volunteer projects were completed under the guidance of camp director Mike Neff, including removal of invasive plants, trimming of overgrown forest, kitchen help, cleaning, window washing, and painting.
Registration is now open for the Spring 2024 Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) Volunteer Training Workshops. If you have a heart for serving children and families in need following a disaster, find the schedule, cost, and a registration link at www.brethren.org/cds/training/dates.
The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is offering “Listening for the Sound of the Genuine” on July 2-3, led by Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey as facilitator, as a directed independent study unit (DISU).
During the early hours of a recent morning, I was awakened by the sound of bombs exploding some distance away. Across the border from us, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are frequent skirmishes between rebels and the government forces. It is not uncommon for us to hear gunfire and explosions. There is no imminent danger to us here, but knowing that others are facing death and destruction is disconcerting to say the least.
The Church of the Brethren’s Office of Ministry gathered nine ethics trainers this past week at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., in preparation for leading district events during the coming year and a half. Required ethics training for all ministers will take place across the denomination as ministers renew their credentialed status within their districts.
