MODERATOR’S MESSAGE
Annual Conference moderator Tim McElwee recently sent out an update to the denomination:
It’s exciting to say that in just a couple of months thousands of us will gather in Cincinnati for the 2023 Annual Conference! I hope you will be one of them, and I look forward to seeing you there. A great deal of work has already taken place to ensure that when we gather everything will be in place to ensure a joyous and meaningful gathering as the Body of Christ. And even more preparations are still under way!
As you may know, our theme for Annual Conference this year is Living God’s Love. It is based on Ephesians 5:1-2, but the central message is found throughout the Bible. In fact, I think this calling is the most basic and most important teaching we can commit ourselves to live out as disciples of Jesus Christ.
To illustrate the call to live God’s gift of inclusive love, our Annual Conference logo this year refers to the three words, Living God’s Love, as they appear in English, along with the translation of these three powerful words in Spanish, Creole, and Hausa. We are truly a global church and no matter where we live, we are called to live God’s love in a bold, compassionate, and inclusive manner—which is how God loves us.
Between now and when we gather July 4-8 in Cincinnati, I urge you to make a commitment to seek out those in your midst who may not often experience the love of God. Search for those in your community and in your church who are often marginalized, ignored, or forgotten. Find you sisters and brothers who are readily dismissed because of their sexual orientation, their faith perspective, or their personal characteristics. Once you’ve found them, demonstrate God’s love for them as completely and as fully as you possibly can.
Jesus said: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33). God, through Christ, calls us out of our comfort zones and into all of humanity. My fervent prayer is that we love inclusively and extravagantly within this family of God that we call the Church of the Brethren.
During Annual Conference we will have many exciting opportunities to experience God’s love and to hear about the many ways we are living out God’s love as ‘Jesus in the Neighborhood’ stories are shared. We will also be inspired as we welcome new fellowships and celebrate the growth of the global church, while we learn together through Equipping Sessions, as we are renewed through worship services, and as we are strengthened through fellowship during common meals, concerts, and countless discussions. It will also be a joy to celebrate the 75th anniversary of BVS and the 100th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria: EYN!
It will be wonderful to see you in Cincinnati and to hear about the many ways you are living God’s love in your church and in your home community.
In Christ and through God’s love,
Tim McElwee, 2023 Annual Conference moderator
As you may know, our theme for Annual Conference this year is Living God’s Love. It is based on Ephesians 5:1-2, but the central message is found throughout the Bible. In fact, I think this calling is the most basic and most important teaching we can commit ourselves to live out as disciples of Jesus Christ.
To illustrate the call to live God’s gift of inclusive love, our Annual Conference logo this year refers to the three words, Living God’s Love, as they appear in English, along with the translation of these three powerful words in Spanish, Creole, and Hausa. We are truly a global church and no matter where we live, we are called to live God’s love in a bold, compassionate, and inclusive manner—which is how God loves us.
Between now and when we gather July 4-8 in Cincinnati, I urge you to make a commitment to seek out those in your midst who may not often experience the love of God. Search for those in your community and in your church who are often marginalized, ignored, or forgotten. Find you sisters and brothers who are readily dismissed because of their sexual orientation, their faith perspective, or their personal characteristics. Once you’ve found them, demonstrate God’s love for them as completely and as fully as you possibly can.
Jesus said: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33). God, through Christ, calls us out of our comfort zones and into all of humanity. My fervent prayer is that we love inclusively and extravagantly within this family of God that we call the Church of the Brethren.
During Annual Conference we will have many exciting opportunities to experience God’s love and to hear about the many ways we are living out God’s love as ‘Jesus in the Neighborhood’ stories are shared. We will also be inspired as we welcome new fellowships and celebrate the growth of the global church, while we learn together through Equipping Sessions, as we are renewed through worship services, and as we are strengthened through fellowship during common meals, concerts, and countless discussions. It will also be a joy to celebrate the 75th anniversary of BVS and the 100th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria: EYN!
It will be wonderful to see you in Cincinnati and to hear about the many ways you are living God’s love in your church and in your home community.
In Christ and through God’s love,
Tim McElwee, 2023 Annual Conference moderator
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