— Remembering the Kent State shooting, which occurred 50 years ago this week. Dean Kahler, a Church of the Brethren member, was shot in the back and paralyzed by National Guardsmen when he was a student at Kent State on May 4, 1970. His story is featured in an article by Craig Webb of the Akron
Brethren bits for Jan. 18, 2019
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed grave concern over the escalation of conflict in Syria, in an official statement issued on Oct. 12. The statement strongly condemns all foreign military operations “especially since hope has been raised for a political process in line with the proposals made by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, and approved by the UN Security Council last August,” said a WCC release.
A Faith Forum on Middle East Policy and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have issued statements on the violence occurring in Iraq. Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, was one of the American church leaders to sign a letter to US President Barack Obama organized by the Faith Forum, that urged alternatives to US military action in Iraq.
The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches has chosen a new Central Committee to serve for the period until the next assembly is held. Among the 150 delegates selected for the Central Committee is Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger, as well as three others from the peace churches. In an historic choice, the Central Committee has chosen its first woman and African to serve as moderator.
A “Statement on the Way of Just Peace” was adopted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly on Friday, Nov. 8, with an expression of strong support from the delegate body.
Each day at the World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea, has focused on a particular subtheme related to either the overall theme and prayer of the meeting–“God of life, lead us to justice and peace”–or the main goals of the ecumenical movement. Monday of this week focused on mission, Tuesday focused on unity. Here are just a few of the thoughts about mission and unity:
“Mission belongs to the very being of the church.” — A leader of the World Evangelical Alliance bringing greetings to the assembly during the plenary session on mission. He also said in his remarks that, “Witnessing to the gospel should never be done in a way that overturns human dignity.”
Sound bites in words and images from opening days of the World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan, South Korea–the 10th for the WCC. Held only every 7 or 8 years, each WCC assembly represents the largest and diverse gathering of Christian denominations from around the world. The Church of the Brethren is a founding member.
The WCC Assembly in South Korea will be the largest and most diverse gathering of Christians ever. What will happen in Korea will be a unique moment in the worldwide Christian ecumenical movement. According to a release by Ka Hyun MacKenzie Shin and Roddy MacKenzie, those coming to Korea for this extraordinary gathering include….
World Council of Churches staff Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary, and Natasha Klukach, program executive for church and ecumenical relations, were hosted by the Church of the Brethren for three days in mid-August. Their visit came as the WCC prepares for its 2013 assembly, a worldwide gathering of Christians that takes place every seven years and considered the most significant time when Christians get together. During their time in Illinois, the WCC leaders met with Brethren communicators. General secretary Stan Noffsinger also sat in on the conversation. Here is an excerpt.