NEWSLINE, April 8, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

April 8, 2014 “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him” (Matthew 4:10b). NEWS 1) Bethany Seminary’s Presidential Forum takes a look at the love feast 2) Children’s Disaster Services responds to Washington mudslide 3) Brethren mission workers serve alongside Nigerian group aiding refugees 4) Ecumenical Advocacy Days resist violence, build peace UPCOMING EVENTS 5) Church of the Brethren co-sponsors ‘Church and Post-Christian Culture’ event FEATURES 6) Touching lives deeply: Reflecting on a workcamp in Haiti 7) We continue the mission of the church: A report from Falfurrias, Texas 8) Brethren bits: Letter on Israel-Palestine, extension of TPS for Haitians, district collects mudslide donations, Easter at CrossRoads, 13th Sounds of the Mountains, antibiotic stewardship at Fahrney-Keedy, alumni honors at Bridgewater, new book series “Passing the Privilege,” more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-april-8-2014.html ****************************************************** Quote of the week: “God, may I not become so consumed in the routine of ‘worship’ that I do not see those struggling before my eyes. Stir my heart to act in the ways of compassion that each moment of my day will be lifted up as worship to you.” -- National Youth Conference (NYC) coordinator and Brethren Volunteer Service worker Katie Cummings (http://blog.brethren.org ). ****************************************************** 1) Bethany Seminary’s Presidential Forum takes a look at the love feast “Living Love Feast” was the theme of the sixth Presidential Forum held at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. A Pre-Forum Gathering April 3-4 was led by Bethany faculty and alumni. The forum on April 4-5 featured guest speakers and presenters including activist and peacemaker Shane Claiborne, actor and playwright Ted Swartz, Janet R. Walton of Union Theological Seminary, and Ruth Anne Reese of Asbury Theological Seminary. Previous Presidential Forums have addressed a wide variety of themes, from “Hearing Scriptures of Peace” in 2008 to “The Bible in Our Bones” in 2013. The intent of the forum is to build community among those at the seminary, the wider church, and the public, and to provide visionary leadership for reimagining the role of seminaries in public discourse, by exploring topics that thoughtfully address issues of faith and ethics. A grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations endows the forum. (Find a photo album atwww.bluemelon.com/churchofthebrethren/livinglovefeastbethanyseminaryforum2014 .) Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/bethany-seminary-presidential-forum-on-love-feast.html 2) Children’s Disaster Services responds to Washington mudslide  Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) deployed seven volunteers in response to the catastrophic mudslide in Snohomish County, Wash. CDS is a program of Brethren Disaster Ministries. The CDS team served in Darrington, a community near the slide location. The response ended Sunday, April 6, having made a total of 83 child contacts, according to CDS associate director Kathy Fry-Miller. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/childrens-disaster-services-responds-to-mudslide.html 3) Brethren mission workers serve alongside Nigerian group aiding refugeesBy Roxane Hill    Over the weekend of March 14-16, the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) served 509 refugees around the Headquarters and Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). CCEPI distributed 4,292 articles of clothing and shoes, 2,000 kilograms of corn, along with buckets and cups. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-mission-workers-help-aid-refugees-in-nigeria.html 4) Ecumenical Advocacy Days resist violence, build peaceBy Christy Crouse The vision of “peace in the community, peace among the peoples, peace in the marketplace, and peace with the earth” was explored at the 12th annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) in Washington, D.C. This conference took place March 21-24, and brought together nearly 1,000 Christians from Sri-Lanka to Alaska to learn about the call to peace in our world. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/ecumenical-advocacy-days.html UPCOMING EVENTS 5) Church of the Brethren co-sponsors ‘Church and Post-Christian Culture’ eventBy Joshua Brockway Missio Alliance has announced a conference titled “Church and Post-Christian Culture: Christian Witness” in the Way of Jesus. “Church and Post-Christian Culture” seeks to gather historic Anabaptist groups along with a growing group of leaders who have found a new home in the theological visions of the tradition. The Church of the Brethren is co-sponsoring the gathering with Missio Alliance. The event is scheduled for Sept. 19-20 at Carlisle (Pa.) Brethren in Christ Church. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/church-of-the-brethren-co-sponsors-missio-alliance-event.html FEATURES 6) Touching lives deeply: Reflecting on a workcamp in HaitiBy Thomas R. Lauer The week of Feb. 1-8, a team of 23 people traveled to Haiti on a short-term mission trip. The trip was arranged and facilitated by New Fairview Church of the Brethren in York, Pa. There were at least five denominations represented. I know of no other experience that touches lives so deeply. Through the mission experience and the work of the Holy Spirit there is dramatic and dynamic life change. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/touching-lives-deeply-in-haiti.html 7) We continue the mission of the church: A report from Falfurrias, Texas Falfurrias (Texas) Church of the Brethren is one of the congregations receiving support from the Global Food Crisis Fund and the Office of Public Witness through the “Going to the Garden” initiative that gives grants for community gardens. Recently, church members reported to GFCF manager Jeff Boshart how the church’s mission is continuing. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/we-continue-the-mission-of-the-church.html 8) Brethren bits In this issue: Letter on Israel-Palestine, extension of TPS for Haitians, Pacific Northwest District collects mudslide donations, Easter sunrise service at CrossRoads, 13th Sounds of the Mountains festival, Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Fahrney-Keedy, alumni honors at Bridgewater College, new book series in the works called “Passing the Privilege,” and much more. Read the Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-april-8.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Don and Lucinda Anderson, Jeff Boshart, Joshua Brockway, Christy Crouse, Andrew Hamilton, Bryan Hanger, Mary Kay Heatwole, Roxane Hill, Jeri S. Kornegay, Thomas R. Lauer, Michael Leiter, Glen Sargent, Jane Yount, 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 Tuesday, April 15.

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