DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE
Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele was among more than 140 global Christian leaders signing a new letter, released during Holy Week ahead of Easter, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Signers included more than 140 bishops, ministers, and executive leaders from churches, denominations, and church-based organizations in the United States and around the world. The letter was organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), of which the Church of the Brethren is a member.
Congregational giving to the denomination’s Core Ministries totaled $1.5 million in 2023. This was down $46,000 from the previous year and $23,000 behind budget. At $652,000, individual giving to Core Ministries was down $58,000 from the previous year and $84,000 behind budget. Total combined giving to Core Ministries was $2.15 million. This was down $105,000 from 2022 and $108,000 behind budget. Income draws to Core Ministries from the Bequest Quasi-Endowment, Endowments, Savings, and BSC Quasi-Endowment funds were behind budget by a combined $97,000. Since giving finished below budget and investment draws were lower than anticipated, staff needed to use the entire $186,000 budgeted transfer from designated funds. This was the first use of designated funds to support Core Ministries since 2019. As a result, total income to Core Ministries ended the year $221,000 behind budget. Director-level expenses were under budget by $171,000 as staff did a good job of allocating resources during a high-inflationary economy. Despite being under budget, expenses outpaced income and Core Ministries finished the year with a $50,000 deficit. Despite the loss, Core Ministries maintained a $2.15 million net asset balance.
L’Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) has sent a response to a pastoral letter from David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. That pastoral statement for Haiti was sent to the church in Haiti on March 7 (see www.brethren.org/news/2024/a-pastoral-statement-for-haiti). The response thanks “all our brothers and sisters who are helping us pray for the country of Haiti from the chaotic situation that it finds itself in today that affects every Haitian.” It continues, in part: “We believe that only prayer can get the country out of this situation. It gives us a lot of strength to know that our brothers and sisters in other nations are helping us to pray.”
The Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team is seeking congregational ambassadors. At an organizing meeting on March 2, the group introduced a new path for individuals feeling a call to help their congregations take action on gun violence prevention. “It’s flexible enough to work within your community context, skills, and time constraints, while also ensuring you receive structured support and resources from the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team and On Earth Peace,” said the announcement. “We have our first several ambassadors signed up, and we are looking for ambassadors in every district of the church.” A role description is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QbQhC3qYsl8FhFWEk9Z5Zr6jWmX5S7M4/view. To express interest, email the team at cob-gvp@onearthpeace.org.
On March 20, Childrens Disaster Services (CDS)—a ministry within Brethren Disaster Ministries—deployed volunteers to two Multi-Agency Recovery Centers (MARCs) in Ohio, in collaboration with longtime partner Child Life Disaster Relief. One volunteer was sent to Russells Point and two were sent to Lakeview, in the Indian Lake area, in response to the series of tornadoes that hit the Midwest on March 14. The tornadoes particularly affected Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. A series of tornadoes in Logan County, Ohio, including one that was a category EF3, killed three people and injured about two dozen others in the area of Indian Lake Reservoir.
The Womaen’s Caucus, a group connected with the Church of the Brethren, is announcing a series of online discussion sessions in preparation for an event with Heidi Ramer, author of the book Her Words, My Voice, during this summer’s Annual Conference. The book shares journal entries by Ramer’s mother about her experience of sexual abuse by a former denominational employee, alongside Ramer’s reflections on discovering this history as an adult, after her mother’s death (see www.brethren.org/news/2023/mission-and-ministry-board-statement). The discussion sessions will be held online from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern time) on four Wednesdays: April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8. Registration will close on April 15. Go to www.womaenscaucus.org/blog/724.
Congregations are invited to create 8 ½ x 8 ½” quilt blocks for the 2024 Annual Conference quilts. All blocks should be postmarked by May 15 and sent to Margaret Weybright, 1801 Greencroft Blvd., Apt. 125, Goshen, IN 46526 with a dollar (or more) donation to cover costs. The outside border should be no less than 8 ½” square after it is worked, and the inside design should be not more than 8” square, with nothing in the seam allowance. Blocks (pre-shrunk cotton or cotton blend) should be cut to size after they have been pieced, embroidered, or appliqued. They should also include the congregation’s name and state and/or district. For a full instructional flier, contact the district office.
The 2024 Song and Story Fest family camp co-sponsored by On Earth Peace will be hosted at Camp Brethren Heights in the Michigan District, July 7-13, immediately after Annual Conference in Grand Rapids. This is the 28th Song and Story Fest. The theme for this year’s Muddy Waters Song and Story Fest is “Exploring the Heights and Depths of Community.” The event is billed as an intergenerational camp for all ages, individuals, and families. Storytellers, musicians, and workshop leaders include Rhonda & Greg Baker, Susan Boyer, Louise Brodie, Hannah Button-Harrison, Debbie Eisenbise, Jenny & Jeffrey Faus Family, Erin & Cody Flory Robertson, Chris Good, Anna Lisa Gross, Kathy Guisewite, Jonathan Hunter, Tim & Byron Joseph & Marlene Wood, Brian Kruschwitz, Jim Lehman, Peg Lehman, and Mike Stern. The schedule includes morning intergenerational gatherings and worship followed by workshops for adults, children, and youth; in the afternoons, family time, recreation, story swaps, and music-making; and in the evenings, campfires, snacks, and concerts or a folk dance. Registration includes all meals, on-site facilities, and leadership, and is based upon age—adults $370, teens $240, children age 5 to 12 $160, children 4 and under free—with a maximum fee per family of $1,000. Daily fees are available. Registrations after June 1 add 10 percent as a late fee. Register online at http://onearthpeace.org/song_and_story_fest_2024.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) has announced the dates for the next two volunteer orientations that will take place in 2024. The summer unit (Unit 335) will have orientation July 28-Aug. 5 at Camp Colorado, located near Sedalia, Colo., southwest of Denver. The fall unit (Unit 336) will take place Sept. 17-25 at Camp Brethren Heights in Rodney, Mich., north of Grand Rapids. Online pre-orientation meetings also take place before each group gathers together in person. To apply or to learn more, visit www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org.
The 2024 Earth Day resource from Creation Justice Ministries is titled “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World,” and is available to download at www.creationjustice.org/plasticjesus.html. Said an announcement: “Every year at Creation Justice Ministries, we create a resource to help churches prepare for Earth Day. It’s always our hope that these resources won’t just inform the congregation’s actions for a day, but will inform their actions on behalf of God’s creation throughout the year.”
Congregational giving to the denomination’s Core Ministries totaled $1.5 million in 2023. This was down $46,000 from the previous year and $23,000 behind budget. At $652,000, individual giving to Core Ministries was down $58,000 from the previous year and $84,000 behind budget. Total combined giving to Core Ministries was $2.15 million. This was down $105,000 from 2022 and $108,000 behind budget. Income draws to Core Ministries from the Bequest Quasi-Endowment, Endowments, Savings, and BSC Quasi-Endowment funds were behind budget by a combined $97,000. Since giving finished below budget and investment draws were lower than anticipated, staff needed to use the entire $186,000 budgeted transfer from designated funds. This was the first use of designated funds to support Core Ministries since 2019. As a result, total income to Core Ministries ended the year $221,000 behind budget. Director-level expenses were under budget by $171,000 as staff did a good job of allocating resources during a high-inflationary economy. Despite being under budget, expenses outpaced income and Core Ministries finished the year with a $50,000 deficit. Despite the loss, Core Ministries maintained a $2.15 million net asset balance.
L’Eglise des Freres d’Haiti (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) has sent a response to a pastoral letter from David Steele, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. That pastoral statement for Haiti was sent to the church in Haiti on March 7 (see www.brethren.org/news/2024/a-pastoral-statement-for-haiti). The response thanks “all our brothers and sisters who are helping us pray for the country of Haiti from the chaotic situation that it finds itself in today that affects every Haitian.” It continues, in part: “We believe that only prayer can get the country out of this situation. It gives us a lot of strength to know that our brothers and sisters in other nations are helping us to pray.”
The Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team is seeking congregational ambassadors. At an organizing meeting on March 2, the group introduced a new path for individuals feeling a call to help their congregations take action on gun violence prevention. “It’s flexible enough to work within your community context, skills, and time constraints, while also ensuring you receive structured support and resources from the Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team and On Earth Peace,” said the announcement. “We have our first several ambassadors signed up, and we are looking for ambassadors in every district of the church.” A role description is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QbQhC3qYsl8FhFWEk9Z5Zr6jWmX5S7M4/view. To express interest, email the team at cob-gvp@onearthpeace.org.
On March 20, Childrens Disaster Services (CDS)—a ministry within Brethren Disaster Ministries—deployed volunteers to two Multi-Agency Recovery Centers (MARCs) in Ohio, in collaboration with longtime partner Child Life Disaster Relief. One volunteer was sent to Russells Point and two were sent to Lakeview, in the Indian Lake area, in response to the series of tornadoes that hit the Midwest on March 14. The tornadoes particularly affected Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. A series of tornadoes in Logan County, Ohio, including one that was a category EF3, killed three people and injured about two dozen others in the area of Indian Lake Reservoir.
The Womaen’s Caucus, a group connected with the Church of the Brethren, is announcing a series of online discussion sessions in preparation for an event with Heidi Ramer, author of the book Her Words, My Voice, during this summer’s Annual Conference. The book shares journal entries by Ramer’s mother about her experience of sexual abuse by a former denominational employee, alongside Ramer’s reflections on discovering this history as an adult, after her mother’s death (see www.brethren.org/news/2023/mission-and-ministry-board-statement). The discussion sessions will be held online from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern time) on four Wednesdays: April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8. Registration will close on April 15. Go to www.womaenscaucus.org/blog/724.
Congregations are invited to create 8 ½ x 8 ½” quilt blocks for the 2024 Annual Conference quilts. All blocks should be postmarked by May 15 and sent to Margaret Weybright, 1801 Greencroft Blvd., Apt. 125, Goshen, IN 46526 with a dollar (or more) donation to cover costs. The outside border should be no less than 8 ½” square after it is worked, and the inside design should be not more than 8” square, with nothing in the seam allowance. Blocks (pre-shrunk cotton or cotton blend) should be cut to size after they have been pieced, embroidered, or appliqued. They should also include the congregation’s name and state and/or district. For a full instructional flier, contact the district office.
The 2024 Song and Story Fest family camp co-sponsored by On Earth Peace will be hosted at Camp Brethren Heights in the Michigan District, July 7-13, immediately after Annual Conference in Grand Rapids. This is the 28th Song and Story Fest. The theme for this year’s Muddy Waters Song and Story Fest is “Exploring the Heights and Depths of Community.” The event is billed as an intergenerational camp for all ages, individuals, and families. Storytellers, musicians, and workshop leaders include Rhonda & Greg Baker, Susan Boyer, Louise Brodie, Hannah Button-Harrison, Debbie Eisenbise, Jenny & Jeffrey Faus Family, Erin & Cody Flory Robertson, Chris Good, Anna Lisa Gross, Kathy Guisewite, Jonathan Hunter, Tim & Byron Joseph & Marlene Wood, Brian Kruschwitz, Jim Lehman, Peg Lehman, and Mike Stern. The schedule includes morning intergenerational gatherings and worship followed by workshops for adults, children, and youth; in the afternoons, family time, recreation, story swaps, and music-making; and in the evenings, campfires, snacks, and concerts or a folk dance. Registration includes all meals, on-site facilities, and leadership, and is based upon age—adults $370, teens $240, children age 5 to 12 $160, children 4 and under free—with a maximum fee per family of $1,000. Daily fees are available. Registrations after June 1 add 10 percent as a late fee. Register online at http://onearthpeace.org/song_and_story_fest_2024.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) has announced the dates for the next two volunteer orientations that will take place in 2024. The summer unit (Unit 335) will have orientation July 28-Aug. 5 at Camp Colorado, located near Sedalia, Colo., southwest of Denver. The fall unit (Unit 336) will take place Sept. 17-25 at Camp Brethren Heights in Rodney, Mich., north of Grand Rapids. Online pre-orientation meetings also take place before each group gathers together in person. To apply or to learn more, visit www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org.
The 2024 Earth Day resource from Creation Justice Ministries is titled “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World,” and is available to download at www.creationjustice.org/plasticjesus.html. Said an announcement: “Every year at Creation Justice Ministries, we create a resource to help churches prepare for Earth Day. It’s always our hope that these resources won’t just inform the congregation’s actions for a day, but will inform their actions on behalf of God’s creation throughout the year.”
<< Home