![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/the-consecration-service-for.jpg\")
The consecration service for the 2015 moderator and moderator-elect blessed David Steele and Andy Murray, respectively, for their leadership of the denomination in the coming year.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
— The 2014 Conference, by the numbers:<\/strong> 2,524 total registration including 719 delegates and 1,805 nondelegates, 115 units of blood collected by the Conference Blood Drive from 123 presenting donors with the help of 26 volunteers, $5,100 raised for hunger at the Quilt Auction of the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB), 514 downloads of the new Annual Conference app, and 20,875 diapers collected by the Witness to the Host City service project for a YMCA\/YWCA shelter in Columbus. Also received in the offering of goods for the shelter: 1,750 hygiene kits and \u201cmore socks than we can count.\u201d<\/p>\n — Among groups choosing new leadership at this Annual Conference<\/strong> were the Council of District Executives (CODE) and the Ministers\u2019 Association. CODE named an executive committee that includes Ron Beachley as chair, Kevin Kessler as vice chair, Emma Jean Woodard as secretary, and David Steele as treasurer. Serving on the Ministers\u2019 Association executive committee are Erin Matteson as chair, Christina Singh as first vice chair, Eric Anspaugh as second vice chair, Stephen Hershberger as secretary, and Tim Sollenberger-Morphew as treasurer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n — Results of the Brethren Benefit Trust Fitness Challenge,<\/strong> an early morning five-kilometer walk\/run at a park a few miles from the Greater Columbus Convention Center: in the runner category, male and female first participants over the finish line were Nathan Hosler and Christy Crouse; in the walker category, male and female first participants over the finish line were Don Shankster and Bev Anspaugh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n —<\/strong>International guests who attended the Conference were introduced <\/strong>as the first morning of work wound down for the delegates. Introducing the group was Jay Wittmeyer, executive director of Global Mission and Service. Alexandre Gon\u00e7alves and Gislaine Reginaldo were welcomed together. They are from Brazil and are a part of the community at Bethany Theological Seminary. Darryl Sankey was welcomed as a representative of First District of the Church of the Brethren in India. Also welcomed from India were Silvans S. Christian, Bishop of Gujarat, and Sanjiukuma Christian, from Valsad, both representing the Church of North India. In a time when the hearts and prayers of Brethren are centered upon Nigeria, the delegates warmly greeted Rebecca Dali from Ekklesiyar Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Also from Nigeria, guests representing the Brethren Evangelism Support Trust (BEST) were Dr. Njidda Oadzama and Apagu Ali Abbas. The applause for all the international guests was warm and heartfelt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n — Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) gave its annual Partners in Service Award<\/strong> to Manchester University campus minister Walt Wiltschek, who also gave the presentation for the BVS luncheon on the topic, \u201cWorth Remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n — The 2014 Manchester Church-University Service Award<\/strong> was presented to leaving Manchester University president Jo Young Switzer at the university\u2019s luncheon. \u201cIt felt important, as we reflect on Jo\u2019s decade-long tenure as president and her work at Manchester before that, to honor her for the work she has done in helping to keep the connections between Manchester and the Church of the Brethren alive and vital,\u201d said an announcement of the award, which listed hallmarks of her legacy as Manchester\u2019s first female president: a 25 percent growth in enrollment, a new Doctor of Pharmacy program on a new campus in Fort Wayne, a $100 million \u201cStudents First!\u201d campaign, several new buildings on the Manchester campus including a new Academic Center, Science Center, and Union that now bears her name. The award especially noted her \u201ccommitment to draw education and faith together.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n — The Outdoor Ministries Association honored two volunteers and two staff <\/strong>at its Annual Conference luncheon: Dean Dohner and Jim Oren, both from Camp Woodland Altars, received the Volunteer of the Year Award; Paul Witkovsky from Camp Blue Diamond, and Ann Cornell from Shepherd\u2019s Spring Outdoor Ministry Center, were recognized as Staff of the Year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n — This year, 2014, marks the 150th anniversary<\/strong> of the assassination of Civil War-era Brethren elder and martyr for peace John Kline. It also is the 50th anniversary of the publication of \u201cMiddle Man,\u201d the beloved Brethren Press illustrated children\u2019s book about Kline by Dorothy Brandt Davis and her children. John Kline, portrayed by Nate Hosler of the Office of Public Witness, and Kline\u2019s horse Nell, personified by a life size version of the colorful drawing of Nell from \u201cMiddle Man,\u201d both were on stage for the Church of the Brethren live report to the delegates. Later that day, Nell was spotted in the Exhibit Hall posing for photos with Dorothy Brandt Davis and daughter Sarah Davis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Annual Conference News Team included photographers Glenn Riegel, Regina Holmes, Keith Hollenberg, Justin Hollenberg, and Alysson Wittmeyer; writers Frank Ramirez, Frances Townsend, Karen Garrett, Eddie Edmonds, and Britnee Harbaugh; web staff Jan Fischer Bachman, Don Knieriem, and Russ Otto; communications staff Wendy McFadden, who is publisher of Brethren Press, Mandy Garcia of donor communications, \u201cMessenger\u201d editor Randy Miller, and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services, who served as editor for the team. The next regularly scheduled issue of Newsline is set for July 15 and will include a preview of the 2014 National Youth Conference.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bits and pieces of the action at the 2014 Annual Conference including statistics on attendance, the Witness to the Host City, BBT’s Fitness Challenge, honors and awards, 50th anniversary of “Middle Man,” and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"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":[1],"tags":[1258],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-8874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-annual-conference"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8874","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8874"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13156,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8874\/revisions\/13156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8874"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=8874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/winners-of-the-2014-bbt.jpg\")
<\/strong>Winners of the 2014 BBT Fitness Challenge.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/fishing-was-one-of-the-14.jpg\")
Fishing was one of the 14 stations at the intergenerational activities.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/giving-blood-1.jpg\")
<\/strong>A cheeerful giver!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/dorothy-brandt-davis-and.jpg\")
Dorothy Brandt Davis and Sarah Davis pose with Nell, a life-size version of the drawing of John Kline’s horse from their children’s book “Middle Man.” The book, celebrating its 50th anniversary of publication, tells the story of Civil War era Brethren elder and martyr for peace John Kline.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/youth-enjoy-a-trip-to-zoo-1.jpg\")
Youth enjoy a trip to the Columbus zoo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n