DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE

Eder Financial has entered into discussions with Everence to explore how they together, can build on a shared commitment to better serve individuals, organizations, and congregations for years to come. These conversations are exploratory in nature and are being approached with care and discernment. Eder and Everence have come to these discussions grounded in a shared foundation of faith, values, mission, and heritage. For more than 80 years, Everence (formerly known as Mennonite Mutual Aid) and its affiliates, and Eder Financial (previously Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust) and its affiliates, have served Anabaptists and other like-minded communities. Both organizations are shaped by the historic Anabaptist conviction that all we have belongs to God and should be faithfully managed for the good of others (Psalm 24). To this point, Eder Financial and Everence are engaging in exploratory, strategic discussions focused on understanding long-term sustainability, regulatory realities, and how to best serve our members and churches in the future. No determinations have been made regarding organizational structure, governance, products, services, or staffing. Eder said it is committed to communicating clearly and responsibly throughout this process and to sharing information as meaningful clarity emerges.

The 2025 year-end statements from the Church of the Brethren denominational offices will be delayed, reports Mission Advancement staff. The data breach suffered by the denominational offices in late 2024 is still causing some delays in financial reporting for 2025. Direct questions to MA@brethren.org or call 800-323-8039 and follow instructions to connect with Mission Advancement.

Brethren Press and MennoMedia are announcing a new partnership for quarterly Bible study curriculum coming this fall titled “Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies.” This new adult curriculum blends “A Guide for Biblical Studies,” published by Brethren Press, and “Salt & Light,” published by MennoMedia. Building on decades of partnership between the two publishing houses, it will be written by Church of the Brethren and Mennonite biblical scholars, pastors, and educators. A Spanish-language edition will be available in digital form, expanding access and supporting multilingual congregations. Designed for use in Sunday school classes and small groups, “Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies” follows the Committee on the Uniform Series Bible outlines and will be released quarterly beginning in fall 2026. It will be available to purchase from Brethren Press at www.brethrenpress.com. Find a FAQ sheet at www.brethren.org/bp/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2026/01/SaltAndLight_FAQ.pdf.

The Church of the Brethren’s Council of District Executives (CODE) held its winter meetings Jan. 28-Feb. 1 in Miami, Fla., combining business sessions with an intercultural continuing education experience that connected with local congregations. CODE members representing most of the denomination’s 23 districts heard reports from the various church agencies and Annual Conference, received updates from the Deportation Defense Response Team (which was begun a year ago by four districts) and from the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee, shared district happenings, and joined in prayer and worship and meals together. After the business meetings, CODE and several agency representatives spent time at Miami Haitian Church of the Brethren and other area Church of the Brethren congregations (Miami First, Tabernacle of the Restoration, and Unify Christian) to engage in an intercultural exchange.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington, D.C., heard oral arguments in an appeal for injunctive relief in the “sensitive locations” lawsuit, Mennonite Church USA et al., v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al. The Church of the Brethren is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The suit challenges the Department of Homeland Security’s rescission of its three-decade-old policy restricting immigration enforcement actions at or near houses of worship. Staff from the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy attended the hearing. Read the brief, filed by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, at https://mennoniteusa.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=97f16d9c230780d6354d01572&id=c2793e05b1&e=f5433287ae.

The new address for the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District is PO Box 313, St Charles, MN 55972.

Registration for the 2026 Song and Story Fest taking place July 5-11 at Inspiration Hills in Ohio is now open. Access all the information about this event at: On Earth Peace Event Page for Song and Story Fest. The organizers note that they have added more detail to the online registration form about which meals and nights participants will be present for. Also, if any members of a family will have different arrival and departure times and therefore different numbers of meals and/or nights at the camp, please have those individuals register separately.

The deadline to apply for the Church of the Brethren’s Health Care Education Scholarship in 2026 has been changed to May 22. This scholarship, made possible by the Health Education and Research Endowment, is available to members of the Church of the Brethren enrolled in degree programs for nursing, medicine, dentistry, physical and occupational therapy, and other health professions. Scholarships of between $5,000 and $10,000 are awarded to a limited number of applicants each year. For more information and to apply, go to www.brethren.org/healthcarescholarship.

This year’s Lenten devotional, The Wondrous Works of God: 2026 Devotional for Ash Wednesday Through Easter, was written by our own Carol Davis (Canton). Order at www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/lentendev-0001.htm.

The L.E.A.D. Planning Team has scheduled the next in-person denominational L.E.A.D. Conference for May 1-3, 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.