ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The 2023 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place July 4-8 (a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule) in Cincinnati with the theme “Living God’s Love.” Tim McElwee of Fort Wayne, Ind., will serve as moderator. Advance delegate registration will be $320 per person ($395 onsite); non-delegate adult advance registration is $140 for the week ($175 onsite; $40 for post-high school through age 21, free for high school age and below). A virtual non-delegate option to participate online will also be available. Conference hotels will be $122 per night, plus tax. Registration and housing reservations will open to the public March 1.

In other Annual Conference news:

• The Nominating Committee of the Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has presented the ballot for the 2023 Conference, with elections to be held during the meeting in Cincinnati:

Moderator-elect: Dava Hensley (Roanoke, Va.); Del Keeney (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)

Program and Arrangements Committee: Emmanuela Attelus (Miami, Fla.); Gail Heisel (La Verne, Calif.)

Mission and Ministry Board, Area 2: John Ballinger (West Salem, Ohio); Tina M. Hunt (Mansfield, Ohio)

Mission and Ministry Board, Area 3: Linetta Shalom Alley (Broadway, Va.); Deirdre Moyer (Eden, N.C.)

Bethany Theological Seminary board, representing clergy: Jennifer Hosler (Washington, D.C.); Jonathan Prater (Linville, Va.)

Bethany Theological Seminary board, representing laity: Mark Gingrich (Burnsville, Minn.); Julia Wheeler (La Verne, Calif.)

Eder Financial board: Raymond Flagg (Annville, Pa.); Dennis Kingery (Littleton, Colo.)

On Earth Peace board: Carol Young Lindquist (Fort Wayne, Ind.); Audrey Zunkel-DeCoursey (Portland, Ore.)

Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee: Lori Hurt (Boones Mill, Va.); Rudolph H. Taylor III (Cloverdale, Va.)

• Annual Conference has also announced preachers for the conference:

— Tuesday evening, July 4: Annual Conference moderator Tim McElwee will preach on the theme “Living God’s Love,” drawing on John 13:34-35, Ephesians 5:1-2, and 1 John 4:7-12.

— Wednesday evening, July 5: Sheila Wise Rowe, a Christian counselor, spiritual director, educator, writer, and keynote speaker for this year’s pre-Conference Brethren Ministers’ Association event, will preach on the theme “Bearing the Fruit of God’s Love,” drawing on Mark 12:28-34 and John 15:1-17.

— Thursday evening, July 6: Deanna Brown, founder and facilitator of Cultural Connections and a member of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind., will preach on the theme “Responding in Love to the Needs of Others,” drawing on Luke 10:25-37 and 1 John 3:16-24.

— Friday evening, July 7: Jody Romero, pastor of Restoration Los Angeles (Calif.) Church of the Brethren and lead chaplain for the Los Angeles Christian Health Center, will preach on the theme “Seeing and Loving Like God,” drawing on Luke 7:36-50 and 1 Corinthians 13.

— Saturday morning, July 8: Audri Svay, an English professor, pre-school teacher, and pastor of Eel River Community Church of the Brethren in Silver Lake, Ind., will preach on the theme “Loving the Least in the Family of God,” drawing on Matthew 25:31-46 and John 21:15-19.

The worship services are being planned by Don Mitchell, Laura Stone, and David R. Miller. Beth Jarrett, the third-year Program and Arrangements Committee member, is chairing the worship team. Kyle Remnant will serve as music coordinator, Becca Miller as pianist, Marty Keeney as choir director, and Pam Hoppe as children’s choir director.

The Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB) will be holding its annual quilt auction at Annual Conference, with proceeds benefiting hunger projects (recently for needs in Nigeria through the Church of the Brethren Global Food Initiative). Each congregation is asked to send an 8 ½” x 8 ½” quilt block for the quilts/wall hangings. Blocks should be postmarked by May 15 and sent to Margaret Weybright, 1801 Greencroft Blvd., Apt. 125, Goshen, IN 46526. A donation of $1 or more is requested with each quilt block to offset the cost of quilting materials. Further details/instructions are available in the attached flier.