eBrethren, December 18, 2013

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December 18, 2013 Merry Christmas! On behalf of volunteers near and far, all Mission and Ministry Board members, and Church of the Brethren staff in New Windsor, Elgin, and all around the country, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May you and yours be blessed with the peace and joy of Emmanuel this holiday season. Photo by Donna March Your gifts did amazing things in 2013... 717 congregations financially supported the Church of the Brethren. 799 NOAC attendees gave $1,670 to support the Youth Peace Travel Team. 128 volunteers served 256,000 hours at 61 Brethren Volunteer Service projects. Global Mission and Servicevolunteers maintained a Brethren presence in 11 different countries. 720 delegates and 2,480 others attended Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC. 388 deacons and other church leaders attended 15 workshops. 4 new members joined the Faith Forward Donor Circle. 50 Brethren attended the Great Multitude Symposium. 375 participants served at 23 workcamps. 509 individuals attended youth and young adult conferences. The Churches of the Brethren in Spain and Haiti held their first annual conferences as newly registered denominations. 17 District Conferences were attended by both Church of the Brethren staff and Mission and Ministry Board members. 18 student books, 15 teacher’s guides, 15 resource packs, 3 Talkabouts, 3 teacher’s CDs, and 1 music CD were produced byGather 'Round. 3 staff attended the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly in North Korea. 51 congregations participated in the Vital Ministry Journey, and 29 hosted congregational vitality workshops. 1 new offering for Pentecost was launched with a new offering series. 34 Brethren Volunteer Service volunteers served in 33 international projects, and 30 international students served in the US. 288 donors gave to the Church of the Brethren for the first time, and 136 gave for the first time in 5 years. "So the shepherds hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger" (Luke 2:16). Photo by Mandy Garcia Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford You are incredible Do you know how amazing you are? All of the Church of the Brethren ministries mentioned above are completely funded by donations from congregations and individuals like you. Your dedication is also what inspires dreams of our future. For example, imagine if 10 college students participated inMinistry Summer Service, 80 young adults attended Young Adult Conference, and 5,000 youth from every district gathered for National Youth Conference in 2014. Imagine if every Brethren congregation spent 60 days praying through the Vital Ministry Journey, and if each one was fully engaged in the diversity of their local communities. What would it be like if 20 young adults went to theworkcamp in Haiti next summer? And what if we had the capacity to place 100 new Brethren Volunteer Serviceworkers in 2014? Imagine placing 50 mission workers in 25 different countries. Imagine building churches in South Sudan, and agricultural development in Haiti. The good work done through your support and partnership with denominational ministries changes lives all over the world, and the possibilities for growth are endless. This church is blessed, and our God is good. If you are excited about the ministries of the Church of the Brethren, and if you’d like to see them expand in myriad ways in the coming months and years, make a gift today. And thank you! It’s truly a blessing to serve in ministry alongside sisters and brothers like you. From all of the staff, volunteers, and board members of the Church of the Brethren, have a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Visit www.brethren.org/give to make a year-end, tax-deductible donation to Church of the Brethren ministries today. Forward to a friend Back to top As of December 1, generous individuals like you have given an amazing $613,279.73 to support Church of the Brethren core ministries. In the next two weeks our goal is to raise$136,720.27 more to meet our budget goal of $750,000, and we can do it! The year is almost over, so now is a perfect time to make a tax-deductible donation to help sustain life-changing Church of the Brethren ministries like the ones listed above, and so many others. Thank youfor your incredible service, prayer, dedication, and support. Thanks for reading!  Watch for our next issue on January 15, 2014.