{"id":23861,"date":"2024-06-27T08:55:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T08:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=23861"},"modified":"2024-06-29T21:23:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T21:23:02","slug":"brethren-bits-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2024\/brethren-bits-44\/","title":{"rendered":"Brethren bits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Prayer is requested<\/strong> for a member of l\u2019Eglise des Freres d\u2019Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) who was kidnapped on Saturday, June 22. The prayer request came from Ilexene Alphonse, who is country representative for Haiti with the Church of the Brethren Global Mission office. The church member was a part of the Dalma congregation. Please be in prayer for their family, loved ones, and the whole congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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— A special briefing webinar on Israel, Palestine, and Jordan on Monday, July 1, <\/strong>will feature Nathan Hosler, director of the Church of the Brethren\u2019s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The event is sponsored by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). Said an invitation: \u201cJoin Churches for Middle East Peace staff and board members for a special briefing on their May 2024 travels across Palestine, Israel, and Jordan, including the 2024 Christ at the Checkpoint (CATC) conference in Bethlehem. Our panelists will share their major takeaways from their travels and time in the Middle East, update constituents about how CMEP is continuing to show solidarity with our Palestinian Christian siblings, and reflect on the vital role the church must play in calling for peace in the Holy Land.\u201d Register at https:\/\/cmep.org\/event\/cmep-special-briefing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A playlist of camp songs<\/strong> has been shared by Messenger<\/em>, the magazine of the Church of the Brethren. Said a Facebook announcement: \u201cJust in time for our July\/August issue with the cover feature \u2018A Century of Holy Ground\u2019 by Walt Wiltschek, celebrating 100 years of church camps, Bible study writer Audrey Hollenberg-Duffey has curated a playlist of favorite camp songs.\u201d Go to www.brethren.org\/messenger\/playlists\/playlist-camp-songs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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— Church of the Brethren-related schools in the Great Lakes area of Africa<\/strong> have been providing pastoral training and Christian education, reports Chris Elliott. The Great Lakes Bible School \u201cheld a six-week intensive during May and June, just now completed with 13 students,\u201d he wrote. \u201cFour classes were offered: Church Planting, Systematic Theology, Computer Practical Skills, and Essay Writing Skills. Instructors for the intensive included Joshua (from EYN), Janvier and Theoneste.\u201d He reported that the Brethren School, a nursery school in Bujumbura, Burundi, recently held graduation ceremonies for the Top Class that includes five year olds. The Brethren Academy (nursery school) in Gisenyi, Rwanda, is preparing for the graduation of its Top Class students on July 3. Elliott added that \u201cit seems unbelievable that the school has been operating for two and a half years already and that Grace [his daughter] is finishing her two-year Brethren Volunteer Service commitment. Please pray for Grace as she considers her options for future ministry in Rwanda.\u201d For more about the Global Mission program of the Church of the Brethren go to www.brethren.org\/globalmission<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A class at Great Lakes Bible School. Photo by Chris Elliott<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

— Harrisonburg (Va.) First Church of the Brethren is now hosting the Sadie Rose Foundation<\/strong>, according to a report from WHSV-3 TV. \u201cA nonprofit founded in the hopes of helping families grieving the loss of a loved one has moved locations to better serve the community,\u201d said the report. \u201cThe Sadie Rose Foundation was established in January 2008, after its founders, Lee and Regina Harlow, lost their daughter just hours after her birth due to health complications in June 2007\u2026. Since its establishment, the foundation has expanded from serving families experiencing the loss of a pregnancy or infant to helping anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.\u201d The move from a house in Dayton, Va., to the church facility is expected to cut down on operating costs and allow most of the foundation\u2019s programing to be in one location. The Sadie Rose Foundation offers support groups, activities, classes, and a community coffee event each Monday morning. Read the full report at www.whsv.com\/2024\/06\/27\/sadie-rose-foundation-moves-harrisonburg-first-church-brethren<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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— Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran announced that he has secured $2.1 million<\/strong> in new, congressionally directed funding for McPherson (Kan.) College during a news conference on campus June 27. According to a release from the college, \u201cthe federal funds will support the college\u2019s initiative to create an educational center in Kansas for Rural and Community Health Science. The college has made progress toward this goal by introducing a new health science program where students focus on clinical, administrative, behavioral, or community health academic emphasis.\u201d Moran said during the event: \u201cMcPherson College is leading the way in training health care providers specifically to serve rural communities. These federal resources will equip McPherson College with the tools to train even more students in clinical, behavioral, and public health professions. This is an investment in the college, the students, and rural Kansas.\u201d This is the first time in the college\u2019s 137-year history that it has secured federal funds through congressionally directed spending.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

— \u201cPrepare for World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel,\u201d<\/strong> invited a release from the World Council of Churches (WCC). The theme for the week for peace, which will be observed on Sept. 16-22, is from Jesus\u2019 words in Matthew 25:40: \u201cWhatever you did\u2026you did for me.\u201d <\/em>This week includes the UN International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, an observance that is now in its 25th year. The WCC release announced that the week for peace will focus on the larger context of Matthew 25:35-40: \u201cFor I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.\u201d<\/em> Said the release: \u201cThe theme speaks to the devastating situation of Palestinians in Gaza after so many months of war. After eight months since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the level of human loss and destruction has been unprecedented in the Holy Land.\u201d The situation in Gaza \u201cexposes the lowest decline in our shared humanity and our collective total failure to honor life,\u201d said Kenneth Mtata, WCC program director for Public Witness and Diakonia. \u201cWe need to take decisive action to redeem the little of our humanity that may be left.” During the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, church organizations, congregations, and people of faith are encouraged to bear a common witness by participating in worship services, educational events, and acts of support in favor of peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis. Learn more at www.oikoumene.org\/events\/world-week-for-peace-in-palestine-and-israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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