DENOMINATIONAL NEWS / NEWSLINE
President Joel S. Billi of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) gave an address during the EYN Centennial celebration in March, which included highlighting achievements of EYN. It currently has 61 operational church districts, 589 congregations, 950 active pastors and 500 retired pastors, and 16 programs and institutions operating under the EYN headquarters.
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board, meeting March 10-12 in Elgin, Ill., approved a statement lamenting the Doctrine of Discovery and recommended its adoption by Annual Conference. The meeting was led by chair Carl Fike, working with chair-elect Colin Scott and general secretary David Steele.
Titled “With Actions and in Truth: A Lament of the Doctrine of Discovery,” the statement “names the injustices of the church’s history with Indigenous peoples, invites the members of the denomination to study and understand the complex relationship between the church and Native nations, and equips the Church of the Brethren with a foundation for future action.”
In recent years many Christian denominations have issued statements repudiating this doctrine, which originated in the Catholic church and was then adopted by the majority of Christian groups. The Doctrine of Discovery has been used to justify genocide and enslavement of Native peoples. The Church of the Brethren statement grew out of years of background work by the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy and Discipleship Ministries.
In other business, the board:
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and one of the places people are coming together to mark the occasion is on Facebook. A “Brethren Volunteer Service–75th Anniversary” Facebook group has been created, and more than 300 people have joined. A flurry of photos, stories, and other recollections have been filling the page’s feed, from the earliest years of BVS up to the present. It’s a public group, so anyone can view the page at www.facebook.com/groups/709470850904528.
Bethany Theological Seminary has announced Jana Carter as the 2023 commencement speaker. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 13 at 9 a.m. Central/10 Eastern in Nicarry Chapel on the campus in Richmond, Ind. Carter is a third-generation Bethany alumnus and holds a JD from University of California Berkeley School of Law. Carter began her career as a civil rights litigator in Oakland, Calif., before moving to Washington, D.C., to work with Search for Common Ground as their USA Director of Racial Healing, before returning to California in 2011 to produce media projects that highlight the power and possibility of empathy and bridge-building. Carter helped to produce the CNN primetime docuseries, The Redemption Project with Van Jones, and was awarded an Emmy for production of The Messy Truth VR Experience (2020), which seeks to create empathy using Virtual Reality technology.
The annual Clergywomen’s Breakfast will be held on July 5 at Annual Conference in Cincinnati. The keynote speaker, Margaret “Maggie” Elwell, is Assistant Professor of Peace Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary. Elwell has served as director of the Center for Theology, Women, and Gender at Princeton Seminary, taught English and humanities in Baltimore City Public Schools, and provided leadership to projects focused on social justice and disaster relief. She is a critical theorist of violence and a narratologist. Tickets can be purchased when registering for Annual Conference; if you have already registered, use the Additional Purchases button. Tickets will also be available while they last onsite. A limited number of partial scholarships is available. Contact officeofministry@brethren.org for information.
A new Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team launched in January 2023 and has already met several times. On Earth Peace is convening this action team as part of a broader campaign to activate advocates for gun violence prevention. Its work draws on a 1978 Annual Conference statement, “Violence and the Use of Firearms.” As an initial step, the team is planning a Public Witness for Gun Violence Prevention event during Annual Conference in July, in partnership with local groups working on these issues. The purpose of the witness is to pray, to support those touched by gun violence, and to be inspired to take action after Conference. The team hopes this event can support and strengthen the work of gun violence prevention groups in Ohio and build a network of Church of the Brethren gun violence prevention advocates.
A silent auction will be held by the Program and Arrangements Committee at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, this summer. Two-thirds of the proceeds will support Brethren Disaster Ministries, with the remaining one-third to offset Annual Conference expenses as the Conference continue to face challenges brought on in large part by the pandemic. Donations are requested in three categories: Experiences (trips, events, etc.), gift baskets, and arts & crafts items. To make a contribution, go to www.brethren.org/ac2023/silentauction to submit your contact information and a description of the item you wish to contribute. Online submissions must be received by June 1. Actual items must be onsite at Annual Conference no later than 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Volunteers willing to assist with the auction can sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945AFA722A4FCCF8-annual.
Brethren Press has announced the upcoming release of a storybook Bible from the “Shine” curriculum titled The Peace Table. It will include biblically faithful retellings of 140 Bible stories with colorful, diverse art by 30 illustrators. Along with each Bible story, there are prayer prompts, questions, and action ideas to guide reflection and conversation. Twelve Peace Paths allow children to ‘choose their own adventure’ through the book, exploring how peace themes are woven throughout the Old and New Testaments. A resource section includes ideas for how to experience peace with God, self, others, and creation, as well as maps, background information on the Bible, interactive ways to pray, and prayers for many occasions. Preorder any quantity between now and June 1 and receive a 25 percent discount. View a sample and preorder a copy today at https://shinecurriculum.com/product/the-peace-table-a-storybook-bible.
The Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry has created an online video resource of six segments featuring congregations that are creatively practicing the priesthood of all believers and thereby meeting their needs for pastoral leadership. At a time when congregations are struggling to find pastors to serve their needs, this series produced by videographer David Sollenberger is offered as a reminder that God places abundant spiritual gifts within congregations, just waiting to be discovered, affirmed, and nurtured. The series features three congregations, Warrensburg and Cabool in Missouri and Arkansas District, and Clover Creek in Middle Pennsylvania District. Their pastoral teams consist of as few as two to as many as five people. The series is a testimony to the effectiveness of the Brethren practice of the priesthood of all believers in fostering a culture of calling set-apart ministers. Find the new resource at www.brethren.org/ministryoffice/shared-ministry-model.
Marci Frederick, director of libraries at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., is researching Brethren communion bread practices, including recipes, spiritual practices while making bread, purchased bread, and how the bread is used. In an announcement of a survey for this research, she requests “your personal and congregational stories as she attempts to track how recipes spread and changed.” The survey is open through April 30 at https://emu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6QiDm3DEgvRGsU6. For more information on this Eastern Mennonite University sabbatical project, contact marci.frederick@emu.edu.
The larger Anabaptist movement will celebrate its “quincentennial”—500 years!—in January 2025. The Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society is planning several activities and published articles to lead up to that historic anniversary. The spring 2023 event will look at the The Apostolic Christian Church of America, led by Luke Fischer: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m., at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center, 675 State Road 116 in Germantown/Metamora. A fellowship lunch will follow.
The seventh Brethren World Assembly will take place July 26-29 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College and at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia on the final day, July 29. The theme of the assembly is “Brethren Faithfulness: Priorities in Perspective.” The gathering marks 300 years of the Brethren in America and the 300th anniversary of the Germantown Church. The event also marks the centennial of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The scheduled sessions relate to the history and developments of the Brethren in America from 1723 up to the Civil War, with an additional session about EYN. Opening devotions and evening worship services will open and close each day. For the entire Assembly, July 26-29, including the day at Germantown, fees are $310 (early bird cost, registered by May 15) or $370 (tegular cost, registered between May 16 and June 15). For the days in Elizabethtown only, July 26-28, fees are $190 (early bird, registered by May 15) or $225 (regular cost, registered between May 16 and June 15). One-day options are also available. Lodging is additional. Registration closes June 15. For more information, contact BWA23@etown.edu or call 717-327-8188.
Brethren Life and Thought, a joint publication of Bethany Theological Seminary and the Brethren Journal Association, invites submissions on Brethren and popular culture for a special issue. Said an announcement: “We seek creative pieces, poems, sermons, liturgical pieces, sermons, or essays on the intersection of church, faith, and popular culture (movies, music, science fiction, novels, famous figures, artists, etc.). Submissions should be emailed to editor Denise Kettering-Lane (kettede@bethanyseminary.edu) by May 15 for consideration.
Creation Justice Ministries, which is a partner organization for the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is relaunching a “52 Ways to Care for Creation” bulletin insert series. Each week’s bulletin insert highlights a creation justice idea for action or reflection that corresponds with the season or the church calendar. Find out more at www.creationjustice.org/resource-hub/category/bulletin-insert.
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board, meeting March 10-12 in Elgin, Ill., approved a statement lamenting the Doctrine of Discovery and recommended its adoption by Annual Conference. The meeting was led by chair Carl Fike, working with chair-elect Colin Scott and general secretary David Steele.
Titled “With Actions and in Truth: A Lament of the Doctrine of Discovery,” the statement “names the injustices of the church’s history with Indigenous peoples, invites the members of the denomination to study and understand the complex relationship between the church and Native nations, and equips the Church of the Brethren with a foundation for future action.”
In recent years many Christian denominations have issued statements repudiating this doctrine, which originated in the Catholic church and was then adopted by the majority of Christian groups. The Doctrine of Discovery has been used to justify genocide and enslavement of Native peoples. The Church of the Brethren statement grew out of years of background work by the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy and Discipleship Ministries.
In other business, the board:
• Reviewed the organization’s financial position, which remains strong according to treasurer Ed Woolf. Expenses for Core Ministries finished the 2022 year with a surplus and did not have to make use of a transfer from designated funds that had been budgeted. Congregational giving to Core Ministries continued to decline, but individual giving rose. Giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund and Global Food Initiative Fund increased dramatically.
• Made decisions on two initiatives of the board’s strategic plan: a plan for On Earth Peace to provide board members and staff with training in Kingian Nonviolence, and next steps for a committee working on racial justice.
• Approved a position description for a new Facilities Stewardship Committee that will be a standing committee of the board. This committee will assess the church’s physical properties in relationship to the strategic plan, the current needs of the denomination, and economic considerations.
• Approved the minutes of an email action appointing the Rev. Ganeshkumar Gamanlal Patel and Sanjaykumar Dhirajilal Bhagat as trustees to the Church of the Brethren General Board Trust in India.
• Approved a Global Food Initiative grant of $25,000 for a soybean project in Nigeria, along with the minutes of several actions previously handled by email—including a capital expenditure of up to $63,000 for a truck for Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and one of the places people are coming together to mark the occasion is on Facebook. A “Brethren Volunteer Service–75th Anniversary” Facebook group has been created, and more than 300 people have joined. A flurry of photos, stories, and other recollections have been filling the page’s feed, from the earliest years of BVS up to the present. It’s a public group, so anyone can view the page at www.facebook.com/groups/709470850904528.
Bethany Theological Seminary has announced Jana Carter as the 2023 commencement speaker. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 13 at 9 a.m. Central/10 Eastern in Nicarry Chapel on the campus in Richmond, Ind. Carter is a third-generation Bethany alumnus and holds a JD from University of California Berkeley School of Law. Carter began her career as a civil rights litigator in Oakland, Calif., before moving to Washington, D.C., to work with Search for Common Ground as their USA Director of Racial Healing, before returning to California in 2011 to produce media projects that highlight the power and possibility of empathy and bridge-building. Carter helped to produce the CNN primetime docuseries, The Redemption Project with Van Jones, and was awarded an Emmy for production of The Messy Truth VR Experience (2020), which seeks to create empathy using Virtual Reality technology.
The annual Clergywomen’s Breakfast will be held on July 5 at Annual Conference in Cincinnati. The keynote speaker, Margaret “Maggie” Elwell, is Assistant Professor of Peace Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary. Elwell has served as director of the Center for Theology, Women, and Gender at Princeton Seminary, taught English and humanities in Baltimore City Public Schools, and provided leadership to projects focused on social justice and disaster relief. She is a critical theorist of violence and a narratologist. Tickets can be purchased when registering for Annual Conference; if you have already registered, use the Additional Purchases button. Tickets will also be available while they last onsite. A limited number of partial scholarships is available. Contact officeofministry@brethren.org for information.
A new Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team launched in January 2023 and has already met several times. On Earth Peace is convening this action team as part of a broader campaign to activate advocates for gun violence prevention. Its work draws on a 1978 Annual Conference statement, “Violence and the Use of Firearms.” As an initial step, the team is planning a Public Witness for Gun Violence Prevention event during Annual Conference in July, in partnership with local groups working on these issues. The purpose of the witness is to pray, to support those touched by gun violence, and to be inspired to take action after Conference. The team hopes this event can support and strengthen the work of gun violence prevention groups in Ohio and build a network of Church of the Brethren gun violence prevention advocates.
A silent auction will be held by the Program and Arrangements Committee at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, this summer. Two-thirds of the proceeds will support Brethren Disaster Ministries, with the remaining one-third to offset Annual Conference expenses as the Conference continue to face challenges brought on in large part by the pandemic. Donations are requested in three categories: Experiences (trips, events, etc.), gift baskets, and arts & crafts items. To make a contribution, go to www.brethren.org/ac2023/silentauction to submit your contact information and a description of the item you wish to contribute. Online submissions must be received by June 1. Actual items must be onsite at Annual Conference no later than 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Volunteers willing to assist with the auction can sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945AFA722A4FCCF8-annual.
Brethren Press has announced the upcoming release of a storybook Bible from the “Shine” curriculum titled The Peace Table. It will include biblically faithful retellings of 140 Bible stories with colorful, diverse art by 30 illustrators. Along with each Bible story, there are prayer prompts, questions, and action ideas to guide reflection and conversation. Twelve Peace Paths allow children to ‘choose their own adventure’ through the book, exploring how peace themes are woven throughout the Old and New Testaments. A resource section includes ideas for how to experience peace with God, self, others, and creation, as well as maps, background information on the Bible, interactive ways to pray, and prayers for many occasions. Preorder any quantity between now and June 1 and receive a 25 percent discount. View a sample and preorder a copy today at https://shinecurriculum.com/product/the-peace-table-a-storybook-bible.
The Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry has created an online video resource of six segments featuring congregations that are creatively practicing the priesthood of all believers and thereby meeting their needs for pastoral leadership. At a time when congregations are struggling to find pastors to serve their needs, this series produced by videographer David Sollenberger is offered as a reminder that God places abundant spiritual gifts within congregations, just waiting to be discovered, affirmed, and nurtured. The series features three congregations, Warrensburg and Cabool in Missouri and Arkansas District, and Clover Creek in Middle Pennsylvania District. Their pastoral teams consist of as few as two to as many as five people. The series is a testimony to the effectiveness of the Brethren practice of the priesthood of all believers in fostering a culture of calling set-apart ministers. Find the new resource at www.brethren.org/ministryoffice/shared-ministry-model.
Marci Frederick, director of libraries at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., is researching Brethren communion bread practices, including recipes, spiritual practices while making bread, purchased bread, and how the bread is used. In an announcement of a survey for this research, she requests “your personal and congregational stories as she attempts to track how recipes spread and changed.” The survey is open through April 30 at https://emu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6QiDm3DEgvRGsU6. For more information on this Eastern Mennonite University sabbatical project, contact marci.frederick@emu.edu.
The larger Anabaptist movement will celebrate its “quincentennial”—500 years!—in January 2025. The Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society is planning several activities and published articles to lead up to that historic anniversary. The spring 2023 event will look at the The Apostolic Christian Church of America, led by Luke Fischer: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m., at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center, 675 State Road 116 in Germantown/Metamora. A fellowship lunch will follow.
The seventh Brethren World Assembly will take place July 26-29 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College and at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia on the final day, July 29. The theme of the assembly is “Brethren Faithfulness: Priorities in Perspective.” The gathering marks 300 years of the Brethren in America and the 300th anniversary of the Germantown Church. The event also marks the centennial of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The scheduled sessions relate to the history and developments of the Brethren in America from 1723 up to the Civil War, with an additional session about EYN. Opening devotions and evening worship services will open and close each day. For the entire Assembly, July 26-29, including the day at Germantown, fees are $310 (early bird cost, registered by May 15) or $370 (tegular cost, registered between May 16 and June 15). For the days in Elizabethtown only, July 26-28, fees are $190 (early bird, registered by May 15) or $225 (regular cost, registered between May 16 and June 15). One-day options are also available. Lodging is additional. Registration closes June 15. For more information, contact BWA23@etown.edu or call 717-327-8188.
Brethren Life and Thought, a joint publication of Bethany Theological Seminary and the Brethren Journal Association, invites submissions on Brethren and popular culture for a special issue. Said an announcement: “We seek creative pieces, poems, sermons, liturgical pieces, sermons, or essays on the intersection of church, faith, and popular culture (movies, music, science fiction, novels, famous figures, artists, etc.). Submissions should be emailed to editor Denise Kettering-Lane (kettede@bethanyseminary.edu) by May 15 for consideration.
Creation Justice Ministries, which is a partner organization for the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is relaunching a “52 Ways to Care for Creation” bulletin insert series. Each week’s bulletin insert highlights a creation justice idea for action or reflection that corresponds with the season or the church calendar. Find out more at www.creationjustice.org/resource-hub/category/bulletin-insert.
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