{"id":23891,"date":"2024-07-03T04:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T04:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=23891"},"modified":"2024-07-03T04:45:16","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T04:45:16","slug":"today-in-grand-rapids-july-2-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2024\/today-in-grand-rapids-july-2-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Today in Grand Rapids – Tuesday, July 2, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A DAILY ISSUE OF NEWSLINE FROM ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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A view of the DeVos Place Convention Center and Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the 2024 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren is being held. This view is from across the Grand River. Photo by Joel Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“They shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them
and by springs of water will guide them”<\/strong>
— Isaiah 49:10, from a chapter <\/em>
read for Standing Committee devotions <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Standing Committee addresses business items related to agencies of Annual Conference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Today the Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference continued pre-Conference meetings in Grand Rapids, Mich., led by moderator Madalyn Metzger with moderator-elect Dava Hensley and Conference secretary David Shumate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing Committee held its annual consultation with leadership of the Mission and Ministry Board and the three Conference agencies\u2014Bethany Theological Seminary, Eder Financial, and On Earth Peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the district delegates addressed several items of business relating to the three agencies:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

— a proposed memorandum of understanding updating polity for Bethany Seminary (new business item five),<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— proposed update of polity related to On Earth Peace (new business item six),<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— a proposal for a process for addressing concerns with the agencies, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— draft covenants of understanding between the three agencies and Standing Committee on behalf of Annual Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed polity updates for Bethany Seminary and On Earth Peace are brought by their respective boards. Standing Committee voted to recommend their approval to Annual Conference. The documents provide interim changes to the internal polity of the two agencies, until the time that new covenant agreements are finalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter two items relating to agencies were brought by two Standing Committee subcommittees that have been working with input from the agencies. Today\u2019s discussions included leaders of the three agencies, who were called to the microphone frequently to respond to questions and provide feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the proposal for a process for addressing concerns with the agencies, Standing Committee approved a recommendation that the subcommittee meet with representatives of the three agencies after receiving written responses from them and from other members of Standing Committee, in order to work toward a document to be submitted by Jan. 1, 2025. The document should be reviewed by Standing Committee by Jan. 31, 2025, in order to be in time to include in the 2025 Annual Conference book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the draft covenants of understanding with the three agencies, agency leaders expressed their feelings about how the process has gone, for the most part saying they are now satisfied with the progress being made. They called for continued work on appropriate language, underlying theological understandings, and an effort to \u201charmonize\u201d the three covenants so that–in addition to sections particular to each agency\u2014the documents will be coherent and consistent in outline for all the agencies. The subcommittee expressed confidence in being able to work with the agencies to complete the covenants by the end of the year, in order to bring them for approval by the 2025 Standing Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing Committee received a report from the Breaking Down Barriers Study Committee<\/strong> (unfinished business item two) and recommended that Annual Conference approve the group\u2019s request for an additional year to complete its work, which will include a feasibility study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also reporting to Standing Committee was the Standing with People of Color Committee<\/strong> (unfinished business item one). The group invited feedback on its work and the sharing of stories from people who had participated in its initiatives, for example small-group conversation centered on healing racism via the Seven Prompts process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Calling Denominational Leadership Study Committee<\/strong> brought an interim report as well. The committee is seeking further input through an online survey that will be shared during the Conference, and sought input from Standing Committee–in particular from members who are currently on or who have been on Nominating Committee in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A letter of lament and good wishes<\/strong> was written to the former Puerto Rico churches following on the dissolution of Puerto Rico District. It was written from Standing Committee and includes the names of all of the committee members. The text of the letter will be made public once it is received in Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Standing Committee members meet with general secretary David Steele (third from right) and Mission and Ministry Board chair Colin Scott (fourth from left) and chair-elect Kathy Mack (at center). Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em>

Below: Eder Financial leaders at another table of Standing Committee members, including president Nevin Dulabaum (at center) and vice-chair of the Eder board Wayne Scott (third from left).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Below: Bethany Seminary president Jeff Carter (fourth from left) talks with a table during the Standing Committee consultation with agencies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Below: On Earth Peace co-executive directors Marie Benner Rhoades (third from left) and Matt Guynn (at center) at the Standing Committee consultation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Outcomes of yesterday\u2019s elections were announced:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominating Committee:<\/strong> Debbie Eisenbise, Pacific Northwest District; Mary Eller, Atlantic Northeast District; Karl Magenhofer, Shenandoah District; and Daniel M. Murrell II, Southern Plains District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appeals Committee:<\/strong> Tim Sizemore, Southeastern District; Bob Stein, Western Pennsylvania District; Misty Wintsch, Atlantic Northeast District; with Harriet Hamer of Northern Indiana District as first alternate and Jan Orndorff of Shenandoah District as second alternate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two-Thirds Committee <\/strong>(which decides items of business that require a two-thirds majority vote for adoption by Annual Conference): Harriet Hamer of Northern Indiana District; Tim Hollenberg-Duffey of Mid-Atlantic District; and Cathy S. Huffman of Virlina District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find the unfinished business items and new business items for this Annual Conference in full at www.brethren.org\/ac2024\/business<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A photo album from the Standing Committee meetings is at https:\/\/churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com\/AC2024\/Standing-Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#cobac2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today the annual Ministers Association pre-Conference continuing education event began. Frank A. Thomas is the keynote speaker, addressing the topic of “Listening for the Sound of the Genuine.” Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Also today, work was underway to set up the Exhibit Hall (above) and registration booths (at right). Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Many thanks to the members of the Press Team for Annual Conference 2024: <\/strong>Jan Fischer Bachman, Chris Brumbaugh-Cayford, Russ Otto, Donna Parcell, Frank Ramirez, Virginia Rendler, Glenn Riegel, Laura Sellers, Frances Townsend, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today the Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference held its annual consultation with leadership of the Mission and Ministry Board and the three Conference agencies\u2014Bethany Theological Seminary, Eder Financial, and On Earth Peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1703],"tags":[1258,2886,27,2463,1511,2436,103,1026],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-23891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-of-the-brethren-newsline","tag-annual-conference","tag-annual-conference-2024","tag-bethany-theological-seminary","tag-brethren-ministers-association","tag-districts","tag-eder-financial","tag-on-earth-peace","tag-standing-committee"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23891"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23904,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23891\/revisions\/23904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23891"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=23891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}