NEWSLINE, May 20, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

May 20, 2014 "There was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9b). NEWS 1) Planting conference looks toward an intercultural church 2) Bethany Seminary celebrates commencement 3) Nominations sought for Open Roof Awards 4) Committee studying ecumenism seeks responses to survey NIGERIA UPDATES 5) Attack by Boko Haram kills Nigerian Brethren, EYN president requests continued prayer 6) EYN church leaders meet with 58 Chibok schoolgirls’ parents 7) Brethren and ecumenical partners continue support for Nigeria and the abducted girls RESOURCES 8) Ten Bible studies available to help youth prepare for NYC 2014 FEATURE 9) One man’s journey to all 44 churches in Southern Pennsylvania District 10) Brethren bits: Remembering mission doctor Marvin Blough, assistant coordinators named for 2015 workcamps, workcamp commissioning resources, DC church seeks food ministries coordinator, promising new legislation in the DR, orientation dates for Brethren Academy, more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-may-20-2014.html ****************************************************** Quote of the week: “Special prayers were offered for peace in the country, for the release of the abducted, for comfort to the parents, for provision to the displaced, condolence to those who lost their relatives, for the government to be just, and for the insurgents to change their mind.” -- Description of prayers offered in Chibok, Nigeria, when leaders of EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) met with 58 parents of abducted schoolgirls. The EYN leaders also distributed relief funds to the families and donations to five affected church districts. Top EYN leaders took part in the meeting including president Samuel Dante Dali, general secretary Jinatu Wamdeo, and Amos Duwala, chairman of the EYN Relief Committee. Read the report from EYN communications staff Zakariya Musa, below. ****************************************************** 1) Planting conference looks toward an intercultural church Church of the Brethren planters and those interested in church planting gathered for the 2014 conference, “Plant Generously, Reap Bountifully--Toward an Intercultural Future.” The conference is offered every two years, sponsored by Congregational Life Ministries and the New Church Development Advisory Committee. Held May 15-17 in Richmond, Ind., with hosting from Bethany Theological Seminary, the gathering used Rev. 7:9 as a focus for conversation about developing church plants and revitalizing existing congregations to reflect the intercultural nature of the vision of Revelation. Find a photo album from the conference at www.bluemelon.com/churchofthebrethren/2014churchplantingconference . The Twitter conversation from the event is found via the hashtag #cobplant . Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/planting-conference-looks-to-intercultural-church.html 2) Bethany Seminary celebrates commencement By Jenny Williams On Saturday, May 10, Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., honored its newest graduates at the 2014 commencement ceremony. The eight members of the class received master of divinity degrees in Nicarry Chapel, surrounded by uplifting music, the blessing of faculty and staff, and the support of family and friends. Find the Bethany Seminary release at www.bethanyseminary.edu/news/2014CommencePost 3) Nominations sought for Open Roof Awards The deadline is drawing near for nominations for the 2014 Open Roof Awards, presented annually to a congregation or district in the Church of the Brethren that has made great strides in becoming accessible to people with disabilities and offering opportunities for them to serve. The scripture theme for the Open Roof Awards comes from Mark 2:3-4. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/nominations-sought-for-open-roof-award.html 4) Committee studying ecumenism seeks responses to survey By Nancy Miner The Annual Conference study committee on a Vision of Ecumenism for the 21st Century is conducting a survey of the delegates of Annual Conference 2013, Young Adult Conference participants, those involved in district ministry, and Mission and Ministry Board members as it prepares to write a Church of the Brethren vision paper on ecumenism. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/committee-on-ecumenism-sends-out-survey.html NIGERIA UPDATES 5) Attack by Boko Haram kills Nigerian Brethren, EYN president requests continued prayer Samuel Dali, president of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria or EYN), sent news today by e-mail of a new attack by Boko Haram in which several EYN members were killed. In other breaking news from Nigeria, twin bombings in the business district of Jos, a city in central Nigeria, have killed at least 118 people and wounded at least 45. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/attack-by-boko-haram-kills-brethren.html 6) EYN church leaders meet with 58 Chibok schoolgirls’ parents By Zakariya Musa The president of EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren Nigeria) Samuel D. Dali, met with parents of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted on April 14. EYN, a world known peace church, operates largely in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States in Nigeria, where a state of emergency has been in place for over a year. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/eyn-church-leaders-meet-with-chibok-parents.html 7) Brethren and ecumenical partners continue support for Nigeria and the abducted girls A round up of news tidbits from this past week, demonstrating a variety of ways in which Brethren congregations and districts have been offering prayer and support for Nigerian Brethren and the abducted schoolgirls. Also below: statements of support from ecumenical partners, as well as media interviews and stories with links to find them online. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-and-ecumenical-partners-continue-support-for-nigeria.html RESOURCES 8) Ten Bible studies available to help youth prepare for NYC 2014 By Tim Heishman The National Youth Conference (NYC) Office has released 10 Bible studies for youth groups to use as they prepare to attend the July 19-24conference. Several of the Bible studies were written by NYC speakers, using the scripture text they will preach on during the week of NYC. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/ten-bible-studies-for-nyc.html FEATURE 9) One man’s journey to all 44 churches in Southern Pennsylvania District By Scott Nedrow While sitting at our District Conference in 2011, I turned to my pastor and whispered that I suddenly felt a need to visit all 44 congregations in our district. His look of question probably matched my confused feeling, for even as the words left my mouth I had no idea why I had the need to do this. I wasn’t sure I had the time, or the energy, to carry it through. Up to this point, I had only visited a few other congregations outside of Mechanicsburg, which I have been part of since birth. All I knew for sure was that I was being nudged for some unknown reason to take this venture. Read this feature at www.brethren.org/news/2014/one-mans-journey-thru-s-pa-district.html 10) Brethren bits In this issue: Remembering former mission doctor Marvin Blough, assistant coordinators named for next workcamp season--plus workcamp commissioning resources, Washington City Church seeks food ministries coordinator, promising new legislation in the Dominican Republic, orientation dates for the Brethren Academy, and much more. Read the Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-may-20.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Galen Hackman, Elizabeth Harvey, Hannah Heinzekehr, Tim Heishman, Donna Kline, Rick Koch, Fran Massie, Nancy Miner, Zakariya Musa, Scott Nedrow, Stan Noffsinger, Emily Tyler, 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 Tuesday, May 27.

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