DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE

Brethren Volunteer Service offers year-long service opportunities for anyone over 18, with special opportunities for retired individuals and married couples. BVS will be hosting Zoom sessions for anyone who’d like more information about what becoming a volunteer looks like. The next meeting will be on March 17 at 7 p.m. Central via Zoom. To register, go to: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/z4AtJE1AQxyyM5rzsr-lDQ. Information is also available at BrethrenVolunteerService.org, or email at BVS@brethren.org.  

The older adult FaithX trip took place Feb. 22-27 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. A total of 14 participants joined Marissa Witkovsky-Eldred and Aly Heckeroth of the FaithX and Brethren Volunteer Service staff, who acted as leaders. While at Camp Ithiel, participants worked on a number of projects including repainting the dining hall, sanding the chapel door, replacing the floor of the barn, and starting the prep work for replacing the back wall of the Pathfinder Cabin. A large effort also was put toward cleaning the kitchen. 

Bethany Theological Seminary has announced that L. David Witkovsky, who earned a master of divinity from the seminary in 1983, will be the featured speaker at the 2026 commencement in Richmond, Ind. The ceremony will be held on May 9, at 10 a.m., in Nicarry Chapel. It will be the 32nd commencement held in Richmond, the longest Bethany has been in any one location. The school expects to honor 40 graduates this year. 

The Church of the Brethren’s webpage on conscientious objection to war is at www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co. Links on this page direct young people who want to learn more about what conscientious objection means and its biblical and Brethren roots to a free downloadable curriculum titled “Call of Conscience.” The direct link to the curriculum is www.brethren.org/peacebuilding/co/introduction.  

A meeting of leaders of the largest Church of the Brethren congregations, in terms of in-person worship attendance (average of 200 or more in person per Sunday), was convened by Discipleship and Leadership Formation Feb. 23-25 in Orlando, Fla. Spouses of the leaders also were invited. Bethany Theological Seminary helped to sponsor the gathering. Bethany president Jeff Carter led a session and was present throughout. General secretary David Steele attended by Zoom and brought greetings. Nine of 12 invited congregations were expected to attend. 

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.