Newsline, February 15, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

Feb. 15, 2014 "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew11:29). ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW 1) Annual Conference 2014 will celebrate courageous discipleship 2) Pre-Conference events include Ministers’ Association, Congregational Vitality Workshops 3) Bidding process brings Annual Conference back to Ohio and California 4) On Earth Peace seeks volunteers for Ministers of Reconciliation team at Annual Conference NEWS 5) Court decision on properties is celebrated by First District Church of the Brethren in India 6) WCC shares hopes for peace in Syria with members of Syrian opposition 7) National Christian leaders oppose mass incarceration 8) EYN ministers hold annual conference UPCOMING EVENTS 9) Young adults to study Jeremiah 29:11 at YAC 10) Webinars on ‘Generative Leadership’ offered by Congregational Life Ministries with partners in the UK 11) Brethren bits: New hire at Brethren Service Center, youth ministry director completes certificate, #NYC, last chance for youth speech and music contest entries, registration deadlines for events at Bethany, WCC condemns military use of drones, notes from congregations and districts, and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at  www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-feb-15-2014.html ******************************************** Quote of the week: “Anyone who seeks God with a contrite spirit and an open heart may draw near to God and receive grace and wisdom for the life of discipleship.” -- Duane Grady in his introduction to the new Lenten devotional from Brethren Press, “Real Rest: Devotions for Ash WednesdayThrough Easter.” Grady has authored this pocket-size paperback devotional book, suitable for individual use and for congregations to provide to their members. Cost is $2.75 per copy. For more information, go to www.brethrenpress.com or call the Brethren Press order line at 800-441-3712. ******************************************** ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW 1) Annual Conference 2014 will celebrate courageous discipleship General registration opens Feb. 26 at 12 noon (central time) for the 2014 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio, on July 2-6. The theme, “Live as Courageous Disciples,” is from the New Testament letter to the Philippians. Events take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Conference will be led by moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman assisted by moderator-elect David Steele and secretary James Beckwith. Here is a preview of the 2014 Conference. Find more detailed information and the registration link that will go live Feb. 26, at www.brethren.org/ac . Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/annual-conference-2014-preview.html 2) Pre-Conference events include Ministers’ Association, Congregational Vitality Workshops Two ministry training events head the meetings that precede the 2014 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio: the Ministers’ Association, and Congregational Vitality Workshops. The Ministers’ Association pre-Conference event is July 1-2 on the theme “Preaching the Lively Word: Text and Context in Today's Pulpit,” with Thomas G. Long. The Congregational Life Ministries is offering two Congregational Vitality Workshops on Wednesday, July 2, on the topic “Restoring Hope: Transforming Lives and Congregations” and on “The Role of Congregations in Mental Health.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/pre-conference-events-in-columbus.html 3) Bidding process brings Annual Conference back to Ohio and California The Conference office has announced the locations for upcoming Annual Conferences. In 2018 the annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren will return to Cincinnati, Ohio, where it has been held in previous decades; and in 2019 the event returns to the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, Calif., where it was held in 2009. Other upcoming locations already have been announced: Tampa, Fla., in 2015; Greensboro, N.C., in 2016; and Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2017. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/upcoming-annual-conference-locations-announced.html 4) On Earth Peace seeks volunteers for Ministers of Reconciliation team at Annual Conference “Already planning to attend the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference? Are you hearing a call to a ministry of presence and reconciliation?” asks an invitation from On Earth Peace. The Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR) is seeking members for a team to serve at the Conference. “Please prayerfully consider whether you or someone you know might be gifted to this ministry.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/on-earth-peace-seeks-mor-volunteers.html NEWS 5) Court decision on properties is celebrated by First District Church of the Brethren in India The Supreme Court in India has made a decision in a decades-long bitter court battle over ownership and control of former Brethren mission properties, following an early 1970s merger with the Church of North India (CNI) that included the former mission of the Church of the Brethren. The court decision of Sept. 30, 2013--Civil Appeal Case #8801, Malavia Vs. Gameti--ruled that the First District Church of the Brethren in India continues as the legal successor of the Church of the Brethren mission and is vested with its properties. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/court-decision-on-india-properties.html 6) WCC shares hopes for peace in Syria with members of Syrian opposition “The immediate end of the suffering of the people in Syria must now be the focus for all parties in the Geneva 2 talks,” World Council of Churches general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit said in a meeting today, Feb. 14, in Geneva, Switzerland, with members of the Syrian opposition. And “this includes all parties in the conflict,” he added. Representatives of the Syrian opposition requested the meeting with Tveit after receiving a WCC message calling for an end to the conflict delivered to both sides of the Geneva 2 talks. Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger was one of the American church leaders who took part in the ecumenical gathering that issued the message. Read the WCC release at www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/hopes-for-peace-in-syria-shared-with-members-of-syrian-opposition 7) National Christian leaders oppose mass incarceration Christian leaders sat transfixed as Darren Ferguson, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Far Rockaway, N.Y., told the story of his decline from adolescent years with promise, to incarceration, and God’s power to restore and redeem. On this night, the leaders were struck by one thing: Jesus loves the prisoner and he was one. Christian Churches Together (CCT) represents the broadest coalition of church leaders in the United States. They came together for the group’s annual meeting in Newark, N.J., Feb. 4-7. Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman preached for a worship service led by the Brethren participants. Also in attendance were moderator-elect David Steele; general secretary Stan Noffsinger; Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden, president of CCT’s Historic Protestant group; and Office of Public Witness coordinator Nathan Hosler. Read the full CCT release at http://christianchurchestogether.org/2014-mass-incarceration-press-release 8) EYN ministers hold annual conference By Zakariya Musa of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria The Minister’s Annual Conference of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) opened the evening of Feb. 10 with worship sessions led by Bulus Danladi Jau. In their song during the session, the EYN Headquarters Church ZME (women’s choir) sang, “Nigeria is in confusion, as killings and burnings are going on. Why? God help us.” A special prayer was offered for granting the participants yet another time to fellowship together despite the challenges of insecurity in the country. During the session, preacher Haruna Y. Yaduma based his sermon on texts from 1 Peter 5:1-5 and Matthew 21:18-20, titled “The Shepherd.” Samuel Dante Dali, EYN president and chairman of the Ministers’ Council, in his welcome address thanked God for sustaining us to see 2014. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/eyn-ministers-hold-annual-conference.html UPCOMING EVENTS 9) Young adults to study Jeremiah 29:11 at YAC The Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference (YAC) will be held May 23-25 at Camp Brethren Woods near Keezletown, Va. With the words from Jeremiah 29:11 as a focus, participants will address the theme “Coming Home: For I Know the Plans I Have for You.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/young-adults-to-study-jeremiah.html 10) Webinars on ‘Generative Leadership’ offered by Congregational Life Ministries with partners in the UK Two new webinars are being offered by Congregational Life Ministries and partners in the United Kingdom. The topic is “Generative Leadership.” Hosted by the Church of the Brethren, the webinars are organized together with Urban Expression, Bristol Baptist College, and BMS World Mission. The webinars feature presenters Kerry Coke and Fran Beckett, Christian leaders actively involved in missional communities in the UK. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/webinars-on-generative-leadership.html 11) Brethren bits In this issue: New hire at Brethren Service Center, youth ministry director completes certificate, #NYC, last chance for youth speech and music contest entries, registration deadlines for events at Bethany, WCC condemns military use of drones, notes from congregations and districts, and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-feb-15.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Chris Douglas, Duane Ediger, Kendra Flory, Leslie Frye, Tim Heishman, Jon Kobel, Zakariya Musa, Becky Ullom Naugle, Stan Noffsinger, Harold A. Penner, Rick Polhamus, Paul Roth, Les Shenefelt, 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. 21.

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