CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
DENOMINATION NEWS
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Annual Conference registration and housing open online Feb. 22.
 In
an announcement from the Conference Office, on Feb. 22 general
registration and housing reservations open online for the 2012 Annual
Conference of the Church of the Brethren, to be held on July 7-11 in St.
Louis, Mo. The registration site for the Conference is www.brethren.org/ac .
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2012/annual-conference-2012-registration.html
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Vision Statement coming to Annual Conference is available online.
The Vision Statement for the Church of the
Brethren, slated for consideration at the 2012 Annual Conference in
July, is now available for inspection and review on the Conference
website. That was one of the actions taken by a committee charged with
interpreting and presenting the statement to the Conference delegates.Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2012/vision-statement-coming-to-annual-conference.html
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New from Brethren Press
SCRIPTURES, MEDITATIONS, AND PRAYERS FOR LENT 2012
A Community of Love
Devotions for Ash Wednesday Through Easter
 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Lent is a season of
introspection when we employ personal disciplines like fasting and
prayer to draw us closer to God. But matters of the heart seldom have to
do with us alone: spiritual disciplines are God-given tools that draw
us outside of ourselves and challenge us to engage the world around us.
Join us as we meditate on scriptures, pray, and reflect on how Lenten
practices call us to participate in a community of faith -- sustained by
God’s love -- and compassion for others.
The Brethren Press
devotional series is published twice a year in anticipation of the
Lenten and Advent seasons. The series is available in both regular and
large print editions.
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
is director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren and
regularly writes news articles for Messenger magazine as well as the
Messenger study guide. She is an ordained minister and previously served
as a pastor in Western Plains District.
Devotional
February 2012
$2.50, paper
$5.95, large print
$2.00, bulk subscription plan
To order call:
(800) 441-3712
www.brethrenpress.com
Brethren Press is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren.
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Children’s Disaster Services schedules Spring training workshops.
Several volunteer workshops are sponsored
this March and April by Children’s Disaster Service (CDS), a ministry of
the Church of the Brethren that cares for children and families
following disasters through the work of trained and certified
volunteers.
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2012/childrens-disaster-services-workshops.html
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Lenten devotional and blog challenge believers to engage the world.
In “A Community of Love,” the Lenten
devotional from Brethren Press, author Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
encourages readers to engage in personal introspection that leads to
participation in the community of faith. Congregational Life Ministries
of the Church of the Brethren is hosting a blog as one way to invite
readers into this larger community of faith. The site will offer simple
prayers and questions growing out of the Lenten devotional.
Find the full story and more resources for
Lent from Congregational Life Ministries, Global Women’s Project, and
Springs for Living Water at www.brethren.org/news/2012/resources-for-lent.html
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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The statistics are shocking: in the US, a
report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds. The Department of Health
and Human Services says 3.3 million child abuse reports and allegations
were made involving an estimated 6 million children in 2009 alone.
Christianity proclaims justice and hope for all who are victimized; the
church is called to protect God’s children and restore hope to those who
are abused.
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2012/april-is-child-abuse-prevention-month.html
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The following is a sample taken from the One Great Hour of Sharing leader's guide. It was written by Frank Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
It
was the middle of the Civil War, January 1, 1863. The place was the
meetinghouse of the German Baptist Brethren in Linville Creek, Va.
The
Elder John Kline (who would be murdered a year and a half later because
of his adamant stand against slavery) preached to his congregation
about the importance of giving for the relief of those who considered
the Brethren their enemies because they refused to fight for the
so-called "great cause."
Kline called his people to become cheerful givers with words that should speak to us now:
Let
our offerings this day be from the heart; and probably the best proof
we can have that they come from the heart is a willingness and cheerful
readiness to give of our substance to the needy poor.
We
must divide out, Brethren, to those who have, on account of the war
pressure, been unable to provide for themselves. Think of the
barefooted, half-clad and half-fed children in our land! I do not
undervalue what you have already done. I know you have done much; but we
should not feel that the burden of duty has all rolled from our
shoulders as long as there is one needy brother or sister or child in
our land.
Brethren, I speak from the heart when I say
that the church has never before enjoyed such an opportunity to grow
rich, as the present offers. I mean rich in good works; rich in
treasures laid up in heaven; rich in her title to an eternal inheritance
in heaven, which our Lord calls “the true riches.”
(The Diary of John Kline, p 460, public domain.)
Supply
seed to the sower and bread for food. Multiply the seed of the world
for sowing and increase the harvest of God’s righteousness. Let the
mirth of God’s laughter renew your Spirits. Go forward as a giver and
receiver of joy!
To read more materials from the One Great Hour of Sharing leader's guide, visit www.brethren.org/oghs.
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Leaders in disaster ministry to gather at Brethren Service Center.
Faith
communities often play a crucial role in responding to disasters
throughout the US, such as by building houses, providing emotional care
to survivors, and meeting other unmet needs. How and why faith
communities respond to disasters will be explored at the 2012 Church
World Service (CWS) Forum on Domestic Disaster Ministry, March 19-21 at
the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2012/leaders-in-disaster-ministry-to-gather.html .
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World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit
has sent a letter to Nigeria’s president Goodluck Jonathan expressing
sadness over the violence in Nigeria, calling on the churches to pray
for the victims, and asking the president to support solidarity efforts
for peace by both Christians and Muslims. Tveit wrote, “We continue to
mourn the loss of life, particularly among those who were killed in
brutal attacks this past weekend in Kano and the attacks on and deaths
of Christian worshipers celebrating the mass service of Christmas in
Abuja only a month ago.” He said that actions of both Christian and
Muslim leaders working together in Nigeria will ultimately allow both
communities to live in peace. “Nigeria cannot become another battlefield
where religion is used to promote division, hatred and allowing for
destructive intentions. Christians and Muslims around the world offer
their support to our sisters and brothers in Nigeria to enable them to
live together in peace.” Read the letter at www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=5040f33e791a1acc7a4a .
- In more news from Nigeria, Church of the Brethren
mission worker Carol Smith reported some encouragement in the midst of
more attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist sect. She reports that Brethren
leaders are continuing efforts at dialogue and cooperative peacemaking
with local Muslim leaders, with a next meeting scheduled for Feb. 6.
They also plan to deliver letters of condolence and encouragement to the
Emir of Mubi and the leader of the Igbo people living in the area,
whose communities suffered attacks by Boko Haram earlier this month. In
her e-mail reports, Smith said some of the southern Igbo people who had
fled the violence are already beginning to return to the northeast of
Nigeria. She also shared some nonviolent initiatives, originally
reported by the BBC, including an incident in which Boko Haram soldiers
turned in their guns saying they were tired of killing, and places where
Christians and Muslims have cooperated to protect each other. Nigerian
church leaders continue to ask for prayer.
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“Brethren Life and Thought,” a joint publication of
Bethany Theological Seminary and the Brethren Journal Association, has
begun an online blog with postings from young adults reflecting on the
church in a changing culture and prospects for future leadership. Find
the blog at www.brethrenlifeandthought.org as well as more information about the journal.
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