DENOMINATIONAL NEWS/NEWSLINE
A resolution on weapons transfers was adopted by the Church of the Brethren’s Mission and Ministry Board at its spring meeting held March 7-9 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Board chair Colin Scott led the meeting, assisted by chair-elect Kathy Mack and general secretary David Steele. The resolution focuses on the international arms trade, the arms industry, and the part played by the United States as “currently the world’s largest exporter of weapons, with 39 percent of global weapons imports in 2023 coming from the US.” See more at Mission and Ministry Board adopts resolution on weapons transfers at spring meeting – News.
Brethren Volunteer Service will be hosting a Zoom information session about BVS on April 15 at 7 p.m. Central. Anyone is welcome to stop by and hear more about BVS from the staff. Register in advance at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nZT3YV66T2ibvOlRAhtZrQ. BVS orientation dates for 2025 have been set and applications are open. The application form can be found at www.brethren.org/bvs/volunteer/apply. Orientation dates will be July 27-Aug. 4, summer orientation (Unit 337), at Camp Colorado in Sedalia, Colo. Sept. 10-18, fall orientation (Unit 338), at Camp Mardela in Denton, Md.
Registration for Song and Story Fest 2025 at Camp Brethren Woods in Keezletown, Va., July 6-12, is now available, using this online form. More details about Song and Story Fest can be found here. Online registration and payment are again being offered to help streamline the process. Pay online (additional 3% fee) or send a check to On Earth Peace, after submitting your registration online. Using the online registration form is preferred, but the form can also be printed and mailed if needed.
In 2025, Mutual Aid Agency (MAA) marks its 140th anniversary, celebrating more than a century of faith-driven service, insurance protection, and a commitment to mutual aid. Throughout 2025, MAA will commemorate this milestone with special announcements, community engagement opportunities, and historical reflections. Clients, partners, and supporters are invited to follow along, share their stories, and celebrate the impact MAA has made over the past 140 years. More details will be shared throughout the year. For more information, visit www.maabrethren.com/140.
“10 Books Every Brethren Should Read” is the latest online article from Messenger, the Church of the Brethren magazine. Written by Brian Nixon, the piece offers brief reviews of a selection of books by and about Brethren. Read more at www.brethren.org/messenger/media-review/people-of-books-10-books-every-brethren-should-read.
Jennifer Hosler, manager of the Global Food Initiative for the Church of the Brethren, has been named one of the “12 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2025” by Sojourners. “For the ninth year in a row, Sojourners honors Women’s History Month with an article highlighting revolutionary women shaping the church,” said the article. “This year’s list includes theologians, filmmakers, illustrators, musicians, pastors, and academics. Our nominees engage in diverse work, but these women are united through a fearless pursuit of justice. They lead through empathy. They build community. They fight against rising tides of hopelessness in our world with messages of radical and inclusive love.” Go to https://sojo.net/articles/12-christian-women-shaping-church-2025.
On Earth Peace is presenting 50th Anniversary Recognition Awards to David Jehnsen and Barbara Daté, “as we consider On Earth Peace’s 50 years and those whose legacy continues to move us in hope to the next 50 years,” said an announcement. “Both of these people have contributed to the key frameworks that guide On Earth Peace’s work in organizing for conflict reconciliation and social change. They have each served On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren, and many beyond the church, developing and walking with generations of leaders for justice and peace.” Jehnsen is co-author of the Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation curriculum that On Earth Peace uses in Kingian Nonviolence training. Daté is a regular consultant in anti-racism work and conflict transformation work and is a member of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board.
“Early Anabaptism in Global Perspective: Past, Present, and Future at 500 Years” is the topic for a conference at the Young Center at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College on July 22-24. This conference marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Anabaptist movement will revisit early Anabaptism and give special attention to the global context in which it emerged and spread. Speakers will also consider how Anabaptist history has been received by churches and academics in more recent times and in varying contexts around the world. With more than three dozen plenary sessions, papers, seminars, and roundtables by presenters from ten countries, the conference will examine such varied themes as migration, diplomacy, the arts, colonialism, peacemaking, and theological identity. Optional pre- and post-conference field trips will visit area libraries and archives and the 1719 Museum. Find out more and register at www.etown.edu/centers/young-center/anabaptism-conference-2025.aspx.
Brethren Volunteer Service will be hosting a Zoom information session about BVS on April 15 at 7 p.m. Central. Anyone is welcome to stop by and hear more about BVS from the staff. Register in advance at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nZT3YV66T2ibvOlRAhtZrQ. BVS orientation dates for 2025 have been set and applications are open. The application form can be found at www.brethren.org/bvs/volunteer/apply. Orientation dates will be July 27-Aug. 4, summer orientation (Unit 337), at Camp Colorado in Sedalia, Colo. Sept. 10-18, fall orientation (Unit 338), at Camp Mardela in Denton, Md.
Registration for Song and Story Fest 2025 at Camp Brethren Woods in Keezletown, Va., July 6-12, is now available, using this online form. More details about Song and Story Fest can be found here. Online registration and payment are again being offered to help streamline the process. Pay online (additional 3% fee) or send a check to On Earth Peace, after submitting your registration online. Using the online registration form is preferred, but the form can also be printed and mailed if needed.
In 2025, Mutual Aid Agency (MAA) marks its 140th anniversary, celebrating more than a century of faith-driven service, insurance protection, and a commitment to mutual aid. Throughout 2025, MAA will commemorate this milestone with special announcements, community engagement opportunities, and historical reflections. Clients, partners, and supporters are invited to follow along, share their stories, and celebrate the impact MAA has made over the past 140 years. More details will be shared throughout the year. For more information, visit www.maabrethren.com/140.
“10 Books Every Brethren Should Read” is the latest online article from Messenger, the Church of the Brethren magazine. Written by Brian Nixon, the piece offers brief reviews of a selection of books by and about Brethren. Read more at www.brethren.org/messenger/media-review/people-of-books-10-books-every-brethren-should-read.
Jennifer Hosler, manager of the Global Food Initiative for the Church of the Brethren, has been named one of the “12 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2025” by Sojourners. “For the ninth year in a row, Sojourners honors Women’s History Month with an article highlighting revolutionary women shaping the church,” said the article. “This year’s list includes theologians, filmmakers, illustrators, musicians, pastors, and academics. Our nominees engage in diverse work, but these women are united through a fearless pursuit of justice. They lead through empathy. They build community. They fight against rising tides of hopelessness in our world with messages of radical and inclusive love.” Go to https://sojo.net/articles/12-christian-women-shaping-church-2025.
On Earth Peace is presenting 50th Anniversary Recognition Awards to David Jehnsen and Barbara Daté, “as we consider On Earth Peace’s 50 years and those whose legacy continues to move us in hope to the next 50 years,” said an announcement. “Both of these people have contributed to the key frameworks that guide On Earth Peace’s work in organizing for conflict reconciliation and social change. They have each served On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren, and many beyond the church, developing and walking with generations of leaders for justice and peace.” Jehnsen is co-author of the Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation curriculum that On Earth Peace uses in Kingian Nonviolence training. Daté is a regular consultant in anti-racism work and conflict transformation work and is a member of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board.
“Early Anabaptism in Global Perspective: Past, Present, and Future at 500 Years” is the topic for a conference at the Young Center at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College on July 22-24. This conference marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Anabaptist movement will revisit early Anabaptism and give special attention to the global context in which it emerged and spread. Speakers will also consider how Anabaptist history has been received by churches and academics in more recent times and in varying contexts around the world. With more than three dozen plenary sessions, papers, seminars, and roundtables by presenters from ten countries, the conference will examine such varied themes as migration, diplomacy, the arts, colonialism, peacemaking, and theological identity. Optional pre- and post-conference field trips will visit area libraries and archives and the 1719 Museum. Find out more and register at www.etown.edu/centers/young-center/anabaptism-conference-2025.aspx.
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