DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE
Bethany Theological Seminary conferred 14 master’s degrees and 12 graduate certificates during its 2023 Academic Commencement Ceremony on May 13. The ceremony was held in Nicarry Chapel, with Jana Carter, a Bethany alumna, delivering the commencement address. The event also included remarks by Dr. Eric Bishop, chairman of the Bethany board of trustees, and organ music performed by Carolyn Ripp. Eight students received Master of Divinity degrees, while six completed a Master of Arts.
Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) was awarded the International Peace Award by the Community of Christ Church and the Shaw Family Foundation on April 22. CPT got its start as a joint project of the Historic Peace Churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Friends or Quakers). Said a CPT announcement: “Honoring CPT’s 35 years of peacemaking while presenting the award, the awarding body said, ‘We do this in recognition of your significant contribution to peacemaking through nonviolent accompaniment with those actively working for human rights and just peace. Your work includes spiritually-centred peacemaking, evidenced by your multifaith relationships and organization. And we recognize that you do all this with a willingness to put yourself in harm’s way.’ We want to express our gratitude to the Community of Christ and the Shaw Family Foundation for this award, but also to recognize that this award is a recognition of the communities and organizations that we accompany who allow us to walk in solidarity, and to our support network who do make it possible to continue the work we do.”
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 500 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. And a new book celebrating the BVS anniversary, A Year of Living Differently, by author Jim Lehman, will be published this summer by Brethren Press. Pre-order for $19.48 at www.brethrenpress.com.
Annual Conference moderator Tim McElwee is sponsoring a series of four online “Shalom Conversations” in webinar format. Each will feature a set of panelists who will engage in conversation based on their own personal backgrounds and experiences of the church. “I describe these sessions as something like a group of friends sitting around a table having coffee and sharing conversation,” McElwee said. “Those in the gallery could be understood as other friends, within earshot, and listening in to the conversation with permission.” The sessions are as follows:
Katie Shaw Thompson, pastor at Highland Avenue, will be one of the May 18 panelists, and Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden (Highland Avenue) will be one of the June 14 panelists. More details are at Moderator sponsors online ‘Shalom Conversations’ – News (brethren.org).
The 2023 Song and Story Fest family camp co-sponsored by On Earth Peace will be hosted at Camp Peaceful Pines on July 29-Aug. 4. The camp and outdoor ministry center of the Church of the Brethren’s Pacific Southwest District is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, near Dardanelle, Calif. The theme for this year’s Sierra Wildfire Song and Story Fest is “After the Fire…” (Psalm 19:1-3). The event is billed as an intergenerational camp for all ages, individuals, and families.
Storytellers, musicians, and workshop leaders include Rhonda and Greg Baker, Hannah Button-Harrison, Matt Guynn, Bill and Jacob Jolliff, Erin and Cody Flory Robertson, Anna Lisa Gross, Kathy Guisewite, Jonathan Hunter, Jim and Peg Lehman, Mike Stern, and Barbara West.
Registration includes all meals, on-site facilities, and leadership, and is based upon age–adults $370, teens $240, children age 5 to 12 $150, children 4 and under free–with a maximum fee per family of $1,000. Daily fees are available. Registrations after July 1 add 10 percent as a late fee. Register online at onearthpeace.org.
At this year’s Associated Church Press convention in April, the Church of the Brethren’s Messenger magazine won four awards including the James Solheim Award for Editorial Courage, Award of Excellence, for “If Only that Were True” by Gimbiya Kettering, published in the Sept. 2022 issue. This year’s contest had 728 entries from 58 organizations across 78 categories. Other awards for Messenger included an award of excellence (first place) in national reporting—short format for Walt Wiltschek; an award of merit (second place) in column writing for Wendy McFadden; and an award of merit in magazine/journal design for designer Paul Stocksdale.
Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico is just over 87,000, according to the statistical report in the 2022 Church of the Brethren Yearbook, published by Brethren Press. The 2022 edition–published late last year–includes the 2021 statistical report and the 2022 directory for the denomination.
The Yearbook reported 87,181 members in 24 districts and 887 local worshiping communities (congregations, fellowships, and new church projects) in 2021. This represents a net loss of 4,427 members over the previous year. The number of local worshiping communities included 852 congregations, 23 fellowships, and 12 new church projects. Average worship attendance for the denomination was reported as 23,164. Five years ago, in 2018, total denominational membership stood at 104,446.
Three Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers served April 12-13 at a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in Marble Hill, Mo., caring for children affected by a strong tornado that hit Bollinger County (southeastern Missouri) in the early hours of April 5. The MARC was organized by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). A MARC provides a “one-stop” location where disaster survivors seek many different services and apply for assistance from multiple agencies and organizations.
An emerging Church of the Brethren denomination is in process of formation in Mexico, reports Global Food Initiative manager and Global Mission staff Jeff Boshart following a trip to Tijuana in mid-April. Documents to make the group an official church in the country are being submitted to Mexican authorities, beginning a process that is expected to take several months. The next step will be official recognition by the Global Church of the Brethren Communion.
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 are 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.
Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) was awarded the International Peace Award by the Community of Christ Church and the Shaw Family Foundation on April 22. CPT got its start as a joint project of the Historic Peace Churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Friends or Quakers). Said a CPT announcement: “Honoring CPT’s 35 years of peacemaking while presenting the award, the awarding body said, ‘We do this in recognition of your significant contribution to peacemaking through nonviolent accompaniment with those actively working for human rights and just peace. Your work includes spiritually-centred peacemaking, evidenced by your multifaith relationships and organization. And we recognize that you do all this with a willingness to put yourself in harm’s way.’ We want to express our gratitude to the Community of Christ and the Shaw Family Foundation for this award, but also to recognize that this award is a recognition of the communities and organizations that we accompany who allow us to walk in solidarity, and to our support network who do make it possible to continue the work we do.”
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 500 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. And a new book celebrating the BVS anniversary, A Year of Living Differently, by author Jim Lehman, will be published this summer by Brethren Press. Pre-order for $19.48 at www.brethrenpress.com.
Annual Conference moderator Tim McElwee is sponsoring a series of four online “Shalom Conversations” in webinar format. Each will feature a set of panelists who will engage in conversation based on their own personal backgrounds and experiences of the church. “I describe these sessions as something like a group of friends sitting around a table having coffee and sharing conversation,” McElwee said. “Those in the gallery could be understood as other friends, within earshot, and listening in to the conversation with permission.” The sessions are as follows:
— Thursday, May 18, 7-8 p.m. (Central time) https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oOIcTSRKSlyJ-KVcrMXp0w
— Thursday, May 25, 8-9 p.m. (Central time) https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FxZtfMfaSoa-NC1j-439Rg
— Sunday, May 28, 6-7 p.m. (Central time) https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ikHwp4HrRIaHJtXkXN9ijw
— Wednesday, June 14, 8-9 p.m. (Central time) https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FbMYLLL4Q_G6Q5MYtN3PCQ
Katie Shaw Thompson, pastor at Highland Avenue, will be one of the May 18 panelists, and Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden (Highland Avenue) will be one of the June 14 panelists. More details are at Moderator sponsors online ‘Shalom Conversations’ – News (brethren.org).
The 2023 Song and Story Fest family camp co-sponsored by On Earth Peace will be hosted at Camp Peaceful Pines on July 29-Aug. 4. The camp and outdoor ministry center of the Church of the Brethren’s Pacific Southwest District is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, near Dardanelle, Calif. The theme for this year’s Sierra Wildfire Song and Story Fest is “After the Fire…” (Psalm 19:1-3). The event is billed as an intergenerational camp for all ages, individuals, and families.
Storytellers, musicians, and workshop leaders include Rhonda and Greg Baker, Hannah Button-Harrison, Matt Guynn, Bill and Jacob Jolliff, Erin and Cody Flory Robertson, Anna Lisa Gross, Kathy Guisewite, Jonathan Hunter, Jim and Peg Lehman, Mike Stern, and Barbara West.
Registration includes all meals, on-site facilities, and leadership, and is based upon age–adults $370, teens $240, children age 5 to 12 $150, children 4 and under free–with a maximum fee per family of $1,000. Daily fees are available. Registrations after July 1 add 10 percent as a late fee. Register online at onearthpeace.org.
At this year’s Associated Church Press convention in April, the Church of the Brethren’s Messenger magazine won four awards including the James Solheim Award for Editorial Courage, Award of Excellence, for “If Only that Were True” by Gimbiya Kettering, published in the Sept. 2022 issue. This year’s contest had 728 entries from 58 organizations across 78 categories. Other awards for Messenger included an award of excellence (first place) in national reporting—short format for Walt Wiltschek; an award of merit (second place) in column writing for Wendy McFadden; and an award of merit in magazine/journal design for designer Paul Stocksdale.
Church of the Brethren membership in the United States and Puerto Rico is just over 87,000, according to the statistical report in the 2022 Church of the Brethren Yearbook, published by Brethren Press. The 2022 edition–published late last year–includes the 2021 statistical report and the 2022 directory for the denomination.
The Yearbook reported 87,181 members in 24 districts and 887 local worshiping communities (congregations, fellowships, and new church projects) in 2021. This represents a net loss of 4,427 members over the previous year. The number of local worshiping communities included 852 congregations, 23 fellowships, and 12 new church projects. Average worship attendance for the denomination was reported as 23,164. Five years ago, in 2018, total denominational membership stood at 104,446.
Three Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) volunteers served April 12-13 at a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in Marble Hill, Mo., caring for children affected by a strong tornado that hit Bollinger County (southeastern Missouri) in the early hours of April 5. The MARC was organized by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). A MARC provides a “one-stop” location where disaster survivors seek many different services and apply for assistance from multiple agencies and organizations.
An emerging Church of the Brethren denomination is in process of formation in Mexico, reports Global Food Initiative manager and Global Mission staff Jeff Boshart following a trip to Tijuana in mid-April. Documents to make the group an official church in the country are being submitted to Mexican authorities, beginning a process that is expected to take several months. The next step will be official recognition by the Global Church of the Brethren Communion.
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 are 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
<< Home