Church of the Brethren

Más de dos docenas de denominaciones y asociaciones cristianas y judías demandan para proteger las libertades religiosas (lea más en español a continuación) Reversal of the Department of Homeland Security’s ‘Sensitive Locations’ Policy interferes with central religious beliefs, violates both the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Today, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy

The 2025 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference takes place in Greensboro, N.C., on July 2-6. Annual Conference provides an opportunity for the body of Christ known as the Church of the Brethren to come together to hear the voice of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit within and among us.

In January, Children's Disaster Services (CDS) sent four volunteer teams to care for children in the Los Angeles area in response to the wildfires that engulfed the city and surrounding area.

The Church of the Brethren Intercultural Ministries is offering a special webpage for prayer requests to be shared from across the country and denomination. With the mission statement, “We are called to enrich and strengthen the Church of the Brethren by our unity as people across cultures, modeling for the larger church the blessings of being one as God’s people,” the opportunity to request prayer is offered in three languages: English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.

The 2025 National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) Planning Team is hard at work preparing for the conference to be held at Lake Junaluska, N.C., on Sept. 1-5. NOAC online registration will open May 1 at www.brethren.org/noac.

The Church of the Brethren Council of District Executives (CODE), representing the denomination's 23 districts, met Jan. 25-29 in Melbourne, Fla., with some members coming early to do a well-received professional education training event with facilitator Lon Swartzentruber.

In this issue: Prayer requests, registration for New & Renew opens on Monday, openings for employment and volunteer positions, BVS Alumni Spotlight, Monte Vista Church helps out after fire, events at the Young Center, CWS kit changes, ecumenical partners express concerns about recent presidential directives, and more.

Claire Flowers concluded her work with the Church of the Brethren on Jan. 27.

Randi Rowan has announced her retirement from Discipleship and Leadership Formation, effective June 20. She has served as a program assistant for more than 13 years, since Jan. 2, 2012.

An invitation to join us in celebrating our 150th birthday with an Open House Weekend, March 29 and 30, at Holmesville Church of the Brethren, 30748 S 66 Rd., Holmesville, NE 68310.

The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board expresses grave concern for those across the country who are of migrant, immigrant, or refugee status who may be under threat of deportation following recent presidential executive orders. These renewed threats of deportation are already affecting the lives of many in our denomination’s congregations.

Greetings as we enter this year of 2025. With these new beginnings, our thoughts bring memories of the past, evaluating our present, and looking forward to the newness of life where God is leading us as individuals and as the church. It is not an easy time, and loss and grief are a part of this process.

The temperature on the thermometer read two degrees below zero as hundreds of Anabaptists of all persuasions (and garb) gathered for worship the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. It was 500 years to the day after a small group of believers met in a private home in Zurich to study scripture together and perform baptisms, an event considered the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.

El programa de Pastor a Medio-Tiempo; Iglesia a Tiempo Completo ofrecerá un nuevo estudio en formación espiritual con la acompañante del camino (Circuit Rider) Mayra Calix a fines de febrero 2025.

Marcia Sowles has joined the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C., volunteering as a Policy and Governmental Affairs associate. She will primarily focus on immigration policy by also providing legal expertise on related issues.

Dr. Emerson Pierre, a family physician visiting from Haiti, spoke at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on Jan. 12. He works with the mobile medical clinics sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Haiti Medical Project.

In this issue: Webpage of "Know Your Rights" resources, prayer request for the DR Congo, job opening at the Brethren and Mennonite Heritage Center, Shepherd's Spring 35th anniversary, regional youth conferences, 2025 Song and Story Fest, CWS statement on executive order suspending refugee admissions, and more

Registration for the Church of the Brethren’s FaithX older adult (55-plus) service trip closes on Feb. 1. Please help us spread the word!

The Intercultural Ministries office and Intercultural Ministries Advisory Committee (IMAC) are encouraging our congregations and districts to help members to know their constitutional rights. As a denomination, we are striving to be a resource and referral space providing tangible information.

“Give now to support California wildfire response through Brethren Disaster Ministries,” said an appeal shared by denominational staff this week. “Children’s Disaster Services is already responding to the needs of children and families. Working with the Pacific Southwest District and partner organizations, Brethren Disaster Ministries is planning to address short- and long-term needs of vulnerable people impacted by the fires.”