{"id":23667,"date":"2024-05-16T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=23667"},"modified":"2024-05-18T14:35:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T14:35:14","slug":"brethren-bits-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2024\/brethren-bits-41\/","title":{"rendered":"Brethren bits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n

— Meyersdale (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is celebrating the 100th anniversary<\/strong> of its church building this weekend. “It was about 175 years ago that the Meyersdale Church of the Brethren was built in the small community of Meyers Mill. It was 100 years ago that the first church service was held in its current church building,” said a report from the Daily American<\/em>, reposted on AOL. Senior pastor Eric Shaulis was quoted: “Celebrating 100 years in our current church building and over 175 years as a congregation in Meyersdale fills us with joy and gratitude. This milestone is a testament to our faith, commitment, and love that has sustained us through generations.\u201d Find the article at www.aol.com\/meyersdale-church-brethren-celebrating-100th-083923127.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— The Shenandoah District Disaster Ministries Auction and Sale<\/strong> is underway this weekend at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg, Va., on Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18. Proceeds from these annual events provide financial resources to send volunteers to rebuild homes in designated disaster areas worldwide and assist with critical home repairs in this region. Funds also support the creation of clean-up buckets and school and hygiene kits, which Church World Service distributes when disasters strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— The annual Brethren Open Golf Tournament<\/strong> will be held Aug. 13 at Iron Masters in Roaring Spring, Pa. \u201cThis is one of the biggest fundraisers for Camp Blue Diamond and Middle PA District,\u201d said a district announcement. \u201cProceeds are shared from this event and are used to support ministry training, youth events and summer camp. Your donation of $90 includes a round of golf, cart, snacks, free gifts, dinner and chance to win lots of prizes–including the $20,000 hole-in-one. Team prizes and skill prizes.\u201d Find a registration form at https:\/\/onedrive.live.com\/?authkey=%21AExgY4XYn2k%5F8Z4&id=2A479D546C1CBE84%2177670&cid=2A479D546C1CBE84&parId=root&parQt=sharedby&o=OneUp<\/a>. To express interest in helping sponsor or donating a prize for the event, contact the district office at 814-643-0601.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) issued a public statement <\/strong>on Friday, May 17, calling on President Biden and his administration \u201cto do all that he can to advance efforts toward peace instead of war and further militarization that increases violence and causes immeasurable death and destruction.\u201d CMEP is a partner organization of the Church of the Brethren\u2019s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The statement continued, in part: \u201cThe United States government must do all that is possible to protect and preserve human life, especially innocent civilians, to honor and protect the humanity of all people who are created in the image of God instead of enabling more actions that will inevitably lead to more suffering, inhumanity, and pain. We call on President Biden to put an end to empty rhetoric and be consistent in holding Israel accountable for its continual violations of human rights in Gaza\u2026. CMEP calls on the Biden administration to be consistent, insistent, and transparent in enforcing U.S. law and to cease shipments of weapons of all kinds to Israel. Now is the time for President Biden to advance a holistic and consistent approach that will help bring about an end to the destruction of Gaza and an end to the death of the Palestinian people there for the sake of Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another recent statement, CMEP also called for protection of student peace protesters. <\/strong>The statement said, in part: \u201cMany of the groups are also using their encampments to highlight that: many Palestinians in Gaza have been killed or injured including students and academics, most Palestinians in Gaza are displaced and living in tents, all of Gaza\u2019s universities have been destroyed, and Palestinian academics in Israel are being targeted for harassment. Churches for Middle East Peace admires the students\u2019 commitment to highlighting the realities unfolding in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find links to read both statements in full at https:\/\/cmep.org\/press\/public-statements<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

— \u201cThis Conscientious Objector’s Day, we celebrate the launch of our first issue of Agape: A Peacemaking Guide for Kids,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> said an announcement from On Earth Peace\u2019s Marie Rhoades. \u201cThis magazine is for children in our constituency age 8-12 who are eager to learn more about peacemaking. Our first issue focuses on Resisting War. We are so excited to share this digital publication\u2026. The Agape magazine series will introduce you to how you can resist war, make peace, and pursue justice. We look forward to exploring these ideas together as we work toward our dream.\u201d Find out more at www.onearthpeace.org\/agape_magazine_1<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

— Also from On Earth Peace, the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team<\/strong> now has a custom t-shirt available for purchase. \u201cThe design, shown above, was created by Sydney Goldsborough, Beth Gaver, and Mandy Park,\u201d said an announcement. \u201cWe invite you to order these shirts to wear on Wear Orange weekend, at Annual Conference, or any other time you may be representing your Brethren congregation on the issue of gun violence prevention. Proceeds go to support the gun violence prevention work of On Earth Peace. Please note that the t-shirts are made on-demand, produced, and shipped by Printify and their partners. Please allow sufficient time for delivery if ordering for an event.\u201d Orange is a color associated with the annual event National Gun Violence Awareness Day that takes place on the first Friday in June and marks the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend. Go to https:\/\/on-earth-peace-merch.printify.me\/product\/7692810\/oep-gun-violence-prevention-campaign-t-shirt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

— The Death Row Support Project announces an upcoming set of informational sessions<\/strong> for people who are interested in exploring the possibility of writing to a person on death row. \u201cPlease join us to explore this opportunity to follow the call to minister to those in prison!\u201d said an invitation. Letter writers are asked to commit to writing one letter per month to their pen pal. Writers can choose between sending snail mail letters or messaging their pen pal through an electronic messaging app. The Zoom sessions will go over some basics of how this project works, introduce members of the team who are available to offer support, and talk about how to get started with writing. These sessions are for informational purposes only and potential writers will decide after the sessions whether they want to move forward with this commitment. Three sessions are scheduled: Monday, May 20<\/strong>, 7-8 p.m. (Eastern time), https:\/\/northwestern.zoom.us\/j\/96180078433<\/a>, Meeting ID: 961 8007 8433; Saturday, June 1<\/strong>, 2-3 p.m. (Eastern time), https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/86351947789<\/a>, Meeting ID: 863 5194 7789; and Thursday, June 6,<\/strong> 8-9 p.m. (Eastern time), https:\/\/us06web.zoom.us\/j\/81842813397<\/a>, Meeting ID: 818 4281 3397. Contact drsp@brethren.org<\/a> with any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— The Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, Ohio, is sponsoring \u201cA Day with Robert Matthews\u201d<\/strong> on July 13. Matthews is an elder with the Old German Baptist Brethren serving in the Little Swatara District in Pennsylvania. The day will consist of three sessions for him to share personal reflections on Brethren history and his life story. A fourth session will provide a question and answer time. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m., and the event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A simple lunch is included. This event will be held at the Ahava Tree Activity Center located at 6185 N. Diamond Mill Rd., Brookville, Ohio. The facility is handicapped accessible with ample parking. The event is free and open to the public. If planning to come, please make contact to let the organizers know how many to prepare for. Call 937-833-5222 on Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Eastern time) or call or text Karen Garrett at 937-533-6166. You may also email the center at mail@brethrenhc.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— \u201cHarvesting Justice with Farm Workers\u201d is a new video<\/strong> offered as a \u201ctool to raise awareness about farm worker issues and the National Farm Worker Ministry. To help spread the message of Farm Worker Justice, we need your help. Please watch and share our video with your networks,\u201d said an announcement. The Church of the Brethren has related to the ministry through the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. Learn more at www.nfwm.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— “Collective Honesty and Complicated Hope: An Evening with Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist,” <\/strong>is the title of a special online event May 22 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time), sponsored by One Home One Future, an interfaith environmental organization, and the BTS Center in Portland, Maine. Hayhoe is author of \u201cSaving Us: A Climate Scientist\u2019s Call for Hope and Healing in a Divided World” and \u201ca leading voice in connecting the data of climate change with faithful and meaningful responses,\u201d said an announcement. A panel discussion will address \u201chow we face with honesty what is happening, how we hold faith and climate science in conversation with one another, and how we embody complicated hope as we respond to the intersecting crises of our day.\u201d There is a $15 registration fee. Scholarships are available, contact program director Nicole Diroff at nicole@thebtscenter.org<\/a> to inquire. Register and find more information at https:\/\/thebtscenter.org\/collective-honesty-and-complicated-hope<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

— The National Council of Churches (NCC) Freedom Summer Fellowship<\/strong> application deadline is May 31. \u201cSubmit your application today for the opportunity to serve as an NCC Freedom Summer Fellow and work with local congregations in your community to educate, engage and empower voters,\u201d said an invitation. \u201cNCC\u2019s Freedom Summer initiative is a faith-based civic engagement campaign that celebrates the 60th anniversary of efforts to register, inform and mobilize voters for the 2024 election.\u201d Apply at bit.ly\/nccfreedomsummer<\/a>. Contact freedomsummer@nationalcouncilofchurches.us<\/a> for questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

— The People\u2019s Book<\/strong> is a collection of audio recordings of books of the Bible published by Friendship Press, which is related to the National Council of Churches (NCC). Go to www.friendshippress.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

———-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find more Church of the Brethren news:<\/p>\n\n\n