Letter from the General Secretary
“This is large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start
small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of
giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
– Matthew 10:41-42 (The Message)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
It may come as a surprise to learn that Church of the Brethren involvement in disaster response has not always been at the core of who we are as a people. You are no doubt familiar with dates such as:
1941 – The Brethren Service Commission was established with disaster response as an integral part of its guidelines.
1960 – The Emergency Disaster Fund was created to provide funding for the church’s response to disaster projects and relief efforts.
1973 – The Annual Conference established disaster response guidelines for any formal disaster response within the districts of the church.
1979 – Children’s Disaster Services (formerly Disaster Child Care) was formed as a way to support and care for children in communities affected by disasters.
But these are not the earliest Church of the Brethren responses to disasters. In 1917, the very heart of the church was shaken by the news of the Armenian genocide. Knowledge of such atrocities was a greater burden than the Brethren could tolerate.
The 1917 Annual Conference voted to set aside existing guidelines for missions in foreign lands in order to provide funding and support for the Armenian people affected so horrifically by the violence and displacement. A temporary committee was named to lead the relief effort. In addition, delegates also approved secondment of staff to the American Committee for Relief in the Near East, to ensure that funding and support for the Armenian people would be carried out without interference.There was no intent to establish permanent missions or churches as was our practice, because the Armenian people were already a devout Christian community. From 1917-1921, our church of approximately 115,000 members contributed $267,000 to the effort–an equivalent of $4.98 million in 2015 dollars, using the Consumer Price Index computation.
In this 100th anniversary year of the Armenian Genocide, the bonds of Christian fellowship forged by our Brethren predecessors continue to influence the traditions of both the Church of the Brethren and the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. This is evidenced in our understanding of what is good and required of us as people of God: “to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
The fact of Brethren responding to human tragedy has not been changed by the passing of years. Last year’s abduction of the Chibok girls (most of whom are Brethren) connected the Nigerian crisis to the heart of the American Brethren. One child deeply touched by the story said, “The Chibok girls could be my sisters.” The church in earnest entered into a season of prayer and fasting. Meanwhile, the leadership of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and our Global Mission and Service staff prepared for the Nigerian church’s response to the death, destruction, trauma, and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons within Nigeria.
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| A crowd of displaced people gather to receive bags of maize (corn) and other relief goods in a distribution at an EYN church in Jos, Nigeria. Help for funding this food distribution came from the Church of the Brethren in the United States. Staff of Rebecca Dali's nonprofit aid group CCEPI purchased and prepared the sacks of grain and other materials that included buckets, mats, and blankets. Photo by David Sollenberger |
In a time when many question the relevance and vitality of the church in the United States, I want to shout from the highest hill: “Thanks be to God for the generosity, compassion, and love the Brethren have shown for the people of good faith in Nigeria–just as they did 100 years ago for and with the Armenian people!” As once again we heed Christ’s call to start out with a cup of cold water, let us join our hands together and invite others to gather on the journey as we Continue the work of Jesus. Peacefully. Simply. Together.
My thanks to each one of you for advocating, fasting, praying, and supporting our sisters and brothers in Nigeria. Your joined hands are witnessing to the world the love and the light of Christ through word, action, and deed.
May God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit be with you.
Yours sincerely,
Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
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