Newsline, February 1, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

Feb. 1, 2014 "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one" (John 17:22). NEWS 1) Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren 2) Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee 3) Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic 4) Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging 5) EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria PERSONNEL 6) Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary UPCOMING EVENTS 7) Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event RESOURCES 8) Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series 9) Brethren bits: Remembering Walt Bowman, young adults invited to apply to be WCC stewards, song about BDM volunteers and the polar vortex, ceasefire in S. Sudan, Souper Bowl of Caring, Mundey headlines Cultivating for a Great Harvest, Pacific Southwest District celebrates ‘Spirit of God Moving,’ and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-feb-1-2014.html . ******************************************** Quote of the week:“We can help the world to reconnect. By the grace of God and the model of Jesus our Christ, we can show another way: Instead of borders, we build bridges. Out of conflict, we create conduits. As the church, our counter-cultural stance is to create spaces where people can love and connect, where we remember whose we are and that we are truly already one in Christ. Imagine what the world would be like if we chose, consistently, to model this unity.” -- Amy Gopp Vigne in the theme interpretation for the 2014 One Great Hour of Sharing offering emphasis “We Are One” (John 17:22-24). For almost seven decades, the eight dominations that participate in One Great Hour of Sharing--including the Church of the Brethren--have made a difference in lives and communities around the world. This special offering empowers ministries like the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission and Service, Brethren Disaster Ministries, Brethren Volunteer Service, workcamps, and many others. The suggested offering date is Sunday, March 16. Visitwww.brethren.org/oghs for worship resources, to order printed offering materials, or make a gift as part of the offering emphasis. ******************************************** 1) Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren The Church of the Brethren congregations in Puerto Rico acted Saturday, Jan. 25, to begin the process of becoming the denomination’s 24th district. Up to now, the Puerto Rico churches have been part of Atlantic Southeast District, grouped together with the congregations in Florida. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/puerto-rico-churches-to-become-new-district.html 2) Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee The Church of the Brethren was represented at a meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee by Annual Conference secretary James Beckwith. The Church of the Brethren was one of several faith groups invited to send representatives to the meeting on Jan. 29 at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to speak with senators about legislative priorities. Following is an excerpt from Beckwith’s summary of the meeting. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/conference-secretary-attends-senate-committee-meeting.html 3) Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic By Carolyn Fitzkee A highlight from a recent mission trip to Haiti and the Dominican Republic was a time of prayer on the border between the two countries. Two groups of volunteers traveled to the DR in December and January to help build a church in La Descubierta, with funding from Global Mission and Service, Brethren World Mission, and both volunteer groups. Located near the border with Haiti, La Descubierta is a community primarily of Haitian immigrants. The group from the Chiques Church and Rockford Community also helped provide a one-day medical clinic at the largest Church of the Brethren congregation in Haiti on Jan. 9. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/work-and-prayer-on-the-border.html 4) Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging By Ruoxia Li Eric Miller and Ruoxia Li hosted a small group of Chinese healthcare professionals and business people who visited the United States from Jan 7-20. The mission of their trip was to learn about elder care and hospice in America. The group visited Bridgewater (Va.) Retirement Community, which is a Church of the Brethren related facility, as well as other facilities. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/chinese-healthcare-group-makes-us-tour.html 5) EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria “It is always very difficult to report about a Boko Haram attack,” writes one of the staff of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), reporting yet more violence in northeastern Nigeria. The EYN staff member wrote in an e-mail to the Global Mission and Service office this week that the attack on Sunday in his village at Wagga Chakawa “came as a surprise to many people.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/eyn-staff-report-more-deaths.html PERSONNEL 6) Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary Malinda Berry, assistant professor of theological studies and director of the MA program at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., has announced that she is taking the position of assistant professor of theology and ethics at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., effective July 1. Read the full release from Bethany Seminary at www.bethanyseminary.edu/news/berryresigns UPCOMING EVENTS 7) Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event Shine, the new curriculum from Brethren Press and MennoMedia, has joined Faith Forward as a presenting partner for their 2014 gathering. Faith Forward is an organization dedicated to bringing together children’s and youth ministry leaders for collaboration, resourcing, and inspiration toward innovative theology and practice. The 2014 Faith Forward gathering will be May 19-22 in Nashville, Tenn. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/shine-partners-with-faith-forward.html RESOURCES 8) Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series By Donna Kline To celebrate its fifth year of publication “Basin and Towel” is beginning a new series on congregational vitality with the January 2014 issue. “Basin and Towel” is a magazine published by the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Ministries. The four-issue series will follow the rhythms of the decades-long life of a congregation as well as an individual worship service: gathering, calling, forming, and sending disciples. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/basin-and-towel-congregational-vitality-series.html 9) Brethren bits In this issue: Remembering Walt Bowman, young adults invited to apply to be WCC stewards, song about BDM volunteers and the polar vortex, ceasefire in S. Sudan, Souper Bowl of Caring, Mundey headlines Cultivating for a Great Harvest, Pacific Southwest District celebrates ‘Spirit of God Moving,’ and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-feb-1.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include James Beckwith, Jeff Boshart, Carolyn Fitzkee, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Mandy Garcia, Kendra Johnson, Donna Kline, Ruoxia Li, John Mueller, Jenny Williams, Jay Wittmeyer, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. The next regularly scheduled issue of Newsline is planned for Feb. 7.

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