DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE

The Church of the Brethren’s Standing with People of Color Committee has created a curated resource list featuring books, articles, media, and additional resources that provide insight, education, and understanding of anti-racism and racial justice. This guide will be continually improved as the committee obtains and identifies more relevant resources. It is designed to aid in reflection, discussion, and personal growth. For suggestions and comments on this guide, email standingwithpeopleofcolor@brethren.org. The resource list can be found at www.brethren.org/swpoc or www.onearthpeace.org/swpoc.

The Mission Advancement Office shared special thanks to all who responded to the call for the recent Matching Gift Campaign. In addition to $100,000 of lead gifts for this campaign, congregations and individuals generously shared 239 gifts in support of Core Ministries totaling $102,242, surpassing the goal of $100,000.

Awards won by the Church of the Brethren’s Messenger magazine at the 2023 Associated Church Press “Best of the Church Press” event included an award of merit (second place) in the category “Science writing for the world of faith—Long Format” for the article titled “The bird carrier: A story of ecological knowledge, lament, and hope,” by William L. Miller; and an award of merit in the category “Convention or meeting coverage (Magazine)” for coverage of Annual Conference 2023.

Church of the Brethren members of Indian heritage made up the majority of the congregation at a special event held at the Gujarati Fellowship at Wheatland Salem Church and Salt and Light Ministry in Illinois. “We had a great gathering on May 18, six Indian church choirs, testimony from a Punjabi Church woman, Living Word preached by Rev. Dr. Sam George of Wheaton College and songs by the gospel singer Thomas Puthoor with appetizers and banquet meal,” reported Church of the Brethren minister Anet Satvedi. “We had around 175 people.”

The Anabaptist Community Bible invites you to read scripture with fresh eyes and to discover how key Anabaptist themes are woven throughout the stories of the Bible and your own life. Expertly designed using the Common English Bible translation, the Anabaptist Community Bible will connect you more deeply to the biblical story, the Anabaptist story, and your own story. More than 7,200 marginal notes alongside the biblical text feature commentary from Anabaptist scholars, historical notes from the tradition, and the insights of nearly 600 Bible study groups. This pairing of notes and introductions alongside the biblical text commemorates the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism by modeling a community-based approach to reading scripture and calling readers to follow Jesus in word and deed. Pre-publication discounts are available from Brethren Press through Oct. 15. Order online at www.brethrenpress.com or call 800-441-3712 to use your Brethren Press account. Orders will begin shipping in January 2025.

After more than 40 years of creating videos for the Church of the Brethren, David Sollenberger realized that nearly all of the recordings were in formats that are no longer used. As he converted film from three-quarter inch tape, betacam, and even DVDs, to digital files, he encountered significant moments that were not being seen by those who appreciate the history, heritage, and experiences of the Church of the Brethren faith tradition. With Sollenberger, Brethren Historical Library and Archives interim manager Allison Snyder and Church of the Brethren web producer Jan Fischer Bachman have created a new YouTube channel for historical Church of the Brethren videos. Among the more than 50 videos now posted on that channel are General Board live reports and wrap-up videos from Annual Conferences, National Older Adult Conferences, and National Youth Conferences. Also included are programs featuring significant Church of the Brethren ministries and events, including the original ABC News segment on the death of Ted Studebaker, the CBS News story of Enten Eller’s trial for failure to register with Selective Service, and a rare performance by legendary singer Slim Whitman at the 1982 Annual Conference. Find the Church of the Brethren historic video channel at www.youtube.com/@churchofthebrethrenhistory; find a roughly chronological listing of the videos with descriptions and links at www.brethren.org/bhla/video.

The Church of the Brethren Gun Violence Prevention Action Team is seeking congregational ambassadors. 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. Also, the team now has a custom orange t-shirt available for purchase. Go to https://on-earth-peace-merch.printify.me/product/7692810/oep-gun-violence-prevention-campaign-t-shirt.

“Harvesting Justice with Farm Workers” is a new video offered as a “tool to raise awareness about farm worker issues and the National Farm Worker Ministry. To help spread the message of Farm Worker Justice, we need your help. Please watch and share our video with your networks,” said an announcement. The Church of the Brethren has related to the ministry through the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. Learn more at www.nfwm.org.

The People’s Book is a collection of audio recordings of books of the Bible published by Friendship Press, which is related to the National Council of Churches (NCC). Go to www.friendshippress.org.

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. 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