April 17, 2013
- Members of the Church of the Brethren attended the inaugural national gathering of Missio Alliance on April 11-13. Missio Alliance ( www.missioalliance.org ) is an emerging network of evangelicals and Anabaptists looking for a new way to be the church in an increasingly post-Christendom culture.
- Staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries and Global Mission and Service have offered support to South Sudanese villagers affected by a recent fire, through a grant from the denomination’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF). Other recent disaster relief grants have gone to Church World Service work at a refugee camp in Thailand, and areas of southern states in the US affected by recent storms.
- Although South Sudan is a new country, decades of war have left traumatic scars that today manifest themselves in re-occurring clashes, conflicts, and challenges, which all witness to the need for relevant, practical, and sustainable peace efforts in the country.
- Another Nigerian Brethren congregation has suffered an attack during worship, shortly before leaders of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) are to gather for the Majalisa or general church council, equivalent to the Annual Conference of the US church. EYN’s 66th Majalisa is scheduled for April 16-19
- Fifty years later, Christian Churches Together (CCT) has issued a response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The document was signed by representatives of CCT’s member communions and presented to King’s youngest daughter, Bernice King, at a symposium April 14-15 in Birmingham, Ala.
April 16, 2013
- Christian leaders are joining the nation in prayer following the Boston Marathon bombings. Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger added his voice to that of other ecumenical leaders following the tragedy. Ecumenical groups making statements include the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches. Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) also has called for prayer and offered advice to help parents talk with their children...
April 5, 2013
- NEWS: 1) Youth voice is heard in New York and Washington during Christian Citizenship Seminar. 2) Christian leaders celebrate adoption of the world’s first Arms Trade Treaty. 3) New 'Shine' curriculum is underway for fall 2014. 4) Fellowship of Brethren Homes members awarded 2013 Continuing Education Grants. 5) Same love, new look: Three new special offerings for the Church of the Brethren. UPCOMING EVENTS: 6) Big-name speakers to headline Annual Conference in Charlotte. 7) Children's Aid...
- Brethren bits for April 5, 2013: In this issue: The ending of a joint staff position in peacemaking between the Church of the Brethren and the NCC, an April 9 advocacy day on gun violence, Older Adult Month resources for congregations to use in May, the new Pope Francis washes feet, and lots of news from Brethren congregations, districts, and colleges.
- The Church of the Brethren is now giving congregations the opportunity to participate in a series of three new special offerings in addition to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. They are the Pentecost Offering, the Mission Offering, and the Advent Offering. Although each one has a different theme and individual look, they all share one unified goal: to support the life-changing ministries of the Church of the Brethren. Read more at www.brethren.org/offerings .
- Eight members of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes have been awarded Continuing Education Grants for 2013. The $1,000 grants are funded by the denomination’s Health Education and Research Fund, which supports nursing in the Church of the Brethren, and are administered by Congregational Life Ministries.