NEWSLINE, May 7, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

May 7, 2014 “Then the Lord said, ‘I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed . . . . I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave master. I know about their pain” (Exodus 3:7). SPECIAL NEWS SECTION ON NIGERIA 1) Congregations invited to pray for girls abducted from school in Chibok, Nigeria 2) Conference moderator provides resources for daily prayer for Nigeria 3) Action Alert: Bring Back Our Girls 4) Walking with the Nigerian church: An interview with Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and mission executive Jay Wittmeyer 5) Brethren bits: Correction, job opening at Brethren Nutrition Program in Washington, D.C., BVS Coast to Coast in the news, new alumni/ae leadership at Bethany Seminary, and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-may-7-2014.html ****************************************************** Quote of the week: “We pray God’s unconditional love will touch the consciences of the men who did this.” -- Stan Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren general secretary, quoted in a release from the National Council of Churches about the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls, many of whom are from EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Noffsinger’s quote appeared May 2 as the Religion News Service “Quote of the Day.” ****************************************************** 1) Congregations invited to pray for girls abducted from school in Chibok, Nigeria In a letter being mailed this week, each Church of the Brethren congregation is invited to pray for one of the girls abducted from Chibok, Nigeria, by name. The majority of the more than 200 abducted schoolgirls, ages 16 to 18, were from EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) although the group included both Muslim and Christian girls. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/congregations-invited-to-pray-for-girls.html 2) Conference moderator provides resources for daily prayer for Nigeria Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman has written a resource for daily prayer for Nigeria, for the girls abducted from a school in Chibok, and for their families. Titled, “With Anguished Tears and Bold Prayers, May We Be One,” the resource is posted online atwww.brethren.org/Nigeriaprayerguides . Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/conference-moderator-provides-resource-for-daily-prayer.html 3) Action Alert: Bring Back Our Girls By Nathan Hosler and Bryan Hanger As many of you know, three weeks ago, over 200 girls (many of them EYN Brethren) were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram, an Islamic sect in northern Nigeria violently seeking a “pure” Islamic state. This is deplorable and absolutely unacceptable. Nigerian Brethren have been living under the threat of violence for many years, and this mass kidnapping by Boko Haram is just the latest example of the true fear our Nigerian brothers and sisters have to live with every day. Find the full alert at http://cob.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=35141&em_id=27761.0 4) Walking with the Nigerian church: An interview with Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and mission executive Jay Wittmeyer In this interview conducted last month, shortly after they returned from a trip to Nigeria, Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger and Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer spoke with Newsline editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford about the trip and the situation of the church in Nigeria. They attended the Majalisa or annual conference at the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), met with EYN leaders and the Brethren mission staff in Nigeria--Carol Smith and Carl and Roxane Hill--and visited the capital city Abuja. This is an excerpt from a lengthier interview that may appear in an upcoming issue of “Messenger” magazine: Stan Noffsinger: Our presence was significant to the church. I don’t know how many times we heard, either from Samuel [EYN president Samuel Dali] or from Jinatu [EYN general secretary Jinatu Wamdeo] or members, how they recognized the risk we took to be there. Jay Wittmeyer: And how encouraging it was. They were deeply encouraged by our presence and our willingness to walk with them in these times.... Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/walking-with-the-nigerian-church.html 5) Brethren bits In this issue: A correction, a job opening at Brethren Nutrition Program in Washington, D.C., BVS Coast to Coast in the news, new alumni/ae leadership at Bethany Seminary, and more. Read the Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-may-7-2014.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Ben Bear, Christopher Fitz, Bryan Hanger, Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, Nathan Hosler, Stan Noffsinger, Howard Royer, 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 13.

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Newsline appears every week, with special issues as needed. Stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Forward Newsline to a friend    Subscribe to Newsline