DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE

The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board held its fall 2025 meeting Oct. 17-19 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., led by chair Kathy Mack with chair-elect Josiah Ludwick and general secretary David Steele. The board spent several hours in closed sessions not open to the public. Out of those sessions, the chair announced that the term of David Steele as general secretary of the Church of the Brethren is extended two additional years. As of August 2026, he will have served two five-year terms for a total of 10 years as general secretary. With the extension, he will serve through August 2028. Heading the agenda of the open sessions, among other business, were approval of a 2026 budget parameter for the denomination’s Core Ministries, a statement renewing the call to prevent gun violence, referral of a query from Atlantic Southeast District titled “Query: Our Response to Current Immigration Laws that Do Not Uphold Holy Scriptures,” and recognition of the work of the Material Resources program that is being phased out as of year’s end. As always, the meeting included worship, prayer, and the singing of hymns, as well as time for fellowship. Board member Joanna Willoughby brought the message for the Sunday morning worship service in the chapel at the General Offices.

The Church of the Brethren Global Women’s Project (GWP) is again making available its annual Advent Calendar. The color-coordinated Advent meditation includes activities that encourage others to donate to GWP or other organizations that provide aid. The calendar can be printed or used digitally.

The latest issue of “Rooted,” the newsletter of the Brethren Creation Care Network, is now available online at https://mailchi.mp/brethren/rooted-2025-10?e=df09813496. This issue includes a reflection by Hannah Nelson on food and harvest, and a “Policy Corner” by Marcia Sowles on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to repeal the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.

The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College hosted a special event titled “Living Our Song: The Music of Andy and Terry Murray” in its Bucher Meetinghouse on Nov. 11. The event featured an exploration of “the rich theological and storytelling legacy of the Murrays’ music, including a time of singing together from Living Our Song: The Music of Andy and Terry Murray, a new songbook collection featuring many of their original compositions.”

FaithX is hosting a special service trip for adults ages 50-plus at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., Feb. 22-27, 2026. Previous trips included camp projects of painting a cabin, tree trimming, invasive species removal, deep cleaning, and kitchen assistance as well as Bible study, games, bird watching, puzzles, rocking chair relaxation, and recreational trips away from camp. Photos from the 2024 trip at Camp Ithiel can be viewed at www.yogile.com/gotha2024. Registration for the FaithX older adult trip is open at www.brethren.org/faithx. For questions, please reach out to Marissa Witkovsky-Eldred in the FaithX Office at faithx@brethren.org or 847-429-4337.

The 2025 Advent Devotional by John Fillmore offered by Brethren Press for this coming season “reminds us of God’s choice to enter into human experience in a physical way, by sending Jesus…. Advent is an invitation to witness again the way Jesus navigates the landscape of our human division, tearing down the dividing walls and calling us back to a rightly ordered relationship with him.” The author is pastor of Nampa Church of the Brethren and district executive minister of Idaho/Western Montana District. Go to www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/adventdev.htm

The L.E.A.D. Planning Team has scheduled the next in-person denominational L.E.A.D. Conference for May 1-3, 2026, again hosted by Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Keynote leader will be Tod Bolsinger of Sloan Leadership Inc. and executive director of Fuller’s De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute. Learn more at The L.E.A.D. Conference – Discipleship and Leadership Formation.