DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE

The Church of the Brethren FaithX program is announcing three opportunities for adults and older adults in 2024, in addition to the usual range of summer trips: Older adults age 55-plus are invited to join a new short-term service opportunity at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., Feb. 25-March 1. Registration is now open at www.brethren.org/faithx. An adult domestic trip for those 18 and older will occur in partnership with Brethren Disaster Ministries July 28-Aug. 3. Registration will open on Jan. 10, 2024. And an adult international trip for those 18 and older will travel to Ecuador to serve at Fundacion Brethren y Unida (FBU) June 1-10. FBU traces its beginnings to Church of the Brethren mission work in the 1970s. It specializes in agroecology, rural development, water resource management, and environmental education. Registration will open Jan. 10, 2024. Dates and locations for summer 2024 youth FaithX service trips will be announced soon. 

Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 334 held orientation Sept. 26-Oct. 4 at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum, Wash. Nine volunteers took part in the unit, including Justice Westlake from Astoria, Ill. Six volunteers came from BVS’s partner in Germany, EIRENE, two from the US, and one from Canada. BVS director Chelsea Goss Skillen and volunteer coordinator Virginia Rendler led the orientation, with current BVS volunteer Benjamin Hoffmann assisting. If you know someone who might have interest in serving in BVS, contact bvs@brethren.org or learn more at www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org. Two orientation units are in the works for 2024.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church have begun preparing the 2025 materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which will commemorate the Council of Nicaea. The year 2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first Christian ecumenical council held in 325 AD. The theme for 2025 will be taken from John 11:25-27: “Do you believe this?” The 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, scheduled for Jan. 18-25, will utilize worship resources prepared by Christians in Burkina Faso on the theme, “You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Find resources at www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/resources-for-the-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2024.

New Community Project, a Church of the Brethren-connected organization led by David Radcliff, is marking its 20th anniversary this year. During that span, NCP has led 78 Learning Tours for about 800 people, operated two Sustainable Living Centers, made well over 2,000 presentations at schools and churches, and conducted several special campaigns.

Lilly Endowment Inc., through the Strengthening Youth Programs Initiative, has awarded Camp Alexander Mack in Milford, Ind., a three-year $620,926 grant to use the outdoor education program in support of local school districts and to offer a day camp during extended school breaks. Camp Mack is a ministry of the Northern Indiana and South Central Indiana districts of the Church of the Brethren.

“Believing and Belonging,” an accessible Anabaptist membership curriculum from Anabaptist Disabilities Network, is now available at www.brethrenpress.com. The curriculum is designed to help churches welcome people with disabilities into full fellowship in the body of Christ, according to a release from ADN.

Wood Travel Partners, a Brethren-affiliated travel agency, is offering a river cruise tour of Germany, including a stop in Schwarzenau, Aug. 22-30, 2024. The cruise, down the Rhine and Danube rivers, will also include stops in Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wertheim, Cologne, and elsewhere. To learn more, call 765-274-3986 or email jwood@dreamvacations.com.

The Church of the Brethren Mission Advancement team has decided to no longer ask congregations to submit a Self-Allocation Form detailing projected giving to various denominational and district programs during the year. Instead, an annual narrative providing an overview of mission and ministry efforts will encourage congregations to support the work of the church.