The Church of the Brethren has been awarded a half-million dollar grant to support Brethren Disaster Ministries, reported Roy Winter, executive director of the Church of the Brethren’s Service Ministries and Brethren Disaster Ministries. The grant will support “a three-year program expansion and improvements to US based programs,” he said. The grant was received from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, “Hope After the Storm: Capacity Building for Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations.”
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Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program serves Hurricane Helene and Western Maryland storm survivors
The Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program is transitioning toward recovery from 2024’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, beginning in April 2026 when it is serving survivors in Ashe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties.
Brethren Disaster Ministries seeks skilled volunteers for special project in Louisiana in April
Brethren Disaster Ministries, with leadership from Cliff Kindy, is organizing a team of skilled volunteers to serve in Pointe-au-Chien, La., from April 7-28 to rebuild a home destroyed by Hurricane Ida in 2021.
Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers support Helene recovery in Tennessee
From Sept. 21 to Nov. 15, 2025, more than 95 Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding volunteers traveled to Johnson County, Tenn., to support 11 households impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 338 begins work at project sites
The volunteers from Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 338 have begun work at their project sites, after completing orientation earlier this month. This was the fall 2025 unit of BVS.
Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 337 begins work at project sites
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 337, the 2025 summer unit, completed orientation at Camp Colorado on July 27 through Aug. 4.
‘Brethren Disaster Ministries has really opened my mind’
“Growing up in a small country I always wanted to try new things,” said Lieketseng “Keke” Phooko, who hails from Lesotho, a country entirely surrounded by South Africa. “I always wanted to be outside of my home country to practice English.” Phooko has been able to do these things, and so much more, working for Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Dewey and Melissa Williard serve as Annual Conference onsite coordinators for the fifth time
Onsite coordinator is not a thankless job, but it can be invisible. Each year’s coordinators are listed in the Annual Conference booklet, and their work is celebrated by the Annual Conference director, and receives applause. But it is an essential and largely invisible task!
New unit of Brethren Volunteer Service begins work at project sites
The Summer 2024 unit of Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS), Unit 335, has completed orientation and has been assigned to project sites across the United States and in Northern Ireland. The unit’s orientation took place July 28 to Aug. 5 at Camp Colorado in Sedalia, Colo. The volunteers, their congregations or home locations, and project sites
Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 334 begins project placements
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 334 held orientation Sept. 26‐Oct. 4 at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum, Wash. The time included group building, sessions with a variety of guest leaders (most of whom joined the group virtually), preparing and eating meals together, a service project, a day trip into Seattle, and a time of consecration and sending.
