Proclaim: Rejoice in Christ

Find worship resources for this year's Mission Offering at www.brethren.org/missionoffering .

Find worship resources for this year’s Mission Offering at www.brethren.org/missionoffering .

A theme interpretation written for the 2015 Mission Offering.

Amidst the busyness of life, it’s important to stay focused. Hardships, responsibilities, opportunities, short-comings, and “nay sayers” can all take our attention away from what is most important.

Challenges and obstacles are also a regular part of life for our partners around the globe. Facing daily persecution, violence, and limitations, their efforts to show love to God and neighbor is challenged regularly. Whether completing a project or staying dedicated to a mission, being faithful to what God has called us requires perseverance.

Staying focused in ministry has been a challenge since the very beginning of the church. In Paul’s words to the Philippians, he acknowledged their disappointments and wounds. Having experienced many challenges himself, Paul understood what it meant to come up short of a goal. However, while sitting in jail, Paul recognized the Philippians as a precious gift. In spite of the hardships experienced by Paul and the church of Philippi, Paul reminded them of what is most important: “that Christ is proclaimed in every way” (1:18). Despite the persecutions they had encountered, Paul reminded them not to worry about people and factors beyond their control.

The declaration and power of the gospel is not hindered by the short-coming of humanity. We can choose to obsess about the vain preachers or the peddlers of prosperity, or we can choose to celebrate the places where Jesus is proclaimed in word and action. God alone is able and worthy to judge the minds and hearts of each person. As the body of Christ, our first responsibility is to celebrate in the proclamation of Jesus’ name.

The ministry of Jesus and power of God in the world is not dampened by our failures either. If we ever lose focus or stumble, God’s love and grace remain present. If the good news of Jesus is proclaimed in our words and actions, there is reason for celebration through any season.

While it may seem that our own limitations or external challenges prevent us from celebrating the work of God, we can find comfort and joy each day if the name of Jesus is proclaimed. It is in witnessing this proclamation in every way that we have reason to rejoice in Christ.

Written by Matt DeBall, coordinator of Donor Communications. Find a full order of service written by Ken Gibble for the 2015 Mission Offering (suggested date Sept. 20) at www.brethren.org/missionoffering or support the Church of the Brethren today at www.brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

Devotions (EYN Daily Link) August 16 -22, 2015

DAILY LINK WITH GOD 2015EYN Devotions graphic
A Daily Devotional Guide from the
EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)

EYN leaders in Nigeria believe prayer is one of the most important ways to support the Nigerian people and the Church.  These daily devotions were written by EYN members and published by the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. Reading them daily is a powerful way we can be in solidarity and connect with our brothers and sisters caught in this crisis.  EYN’s daily devotional for 2015 will be posted a week at a time on this blog, appearing mid-week for the following week. More information about the crisis can be found at www.nigeriacrisis.org.

Click on this link for Devotions August 16-22, 2015

Youth Peace Travel Team 2015 – Camp Swatara (again!)

campfire rock pileart projectspeace and donuts

Well friends, this is it. Our last post as YPTT 2015. It has been an awesome ride and journey through our summer of teaching and learning about peace together. We couldn’t have done anything without the help of all of you wonderful people! We also would like to issue a HUGE THANK YOU to our sponsors, Church of the Brethren (Youth/Young Adult Ministry and Office of Public Witness), On Earth Peace, Outdoor Ministries Association, and Bethany Seminary! These are the beautiful people that make the experience of YPTT possible. So a big thank you to them, and also to all the people that we have met along the way who gave us advice or even just a friendly smile, you helped us through our summer together! Another thank you to all the camps we attended and their great staff and awesome campers! Without all those people, Youth Peace Travel Team would just be a summer of us traveling around talking to one another and accomplishing nothing! We are so grateful and so blessed to have been a part of YPTT 2015, so thank you to all who helped make it happen. On to our final blog post (sniffle).

We spent our final week together at Camp Swatara, attending and helping with their “Wet and Wacky” Camp. The camp is very aptly named, as it was both wet and wacky the whole week! It was a very fun camp for us to end our summer on, and we had a great time! While at Swatara we also helped lead some sessions for the Big and Small Camp and the Girl Power Camp that were happening this week as well! Here for the last time are some of our thoughts from the week.

I can’t believe we just finished our last camp as the Youth Peace Travel Team! The last 10 weeks have gone by so quickly! Our final week of camp was a fantastic time spent at Swatara again! We helped out in a variety of ways including a little bit of morning praise, Bible and some peace sessions. We led our creation care activity with the intermediate aged, and elementary aged campers. The campers always impress me with their knowledge of environmental issues and solutions. Even the young elementary aged campers had a lot to offer! A big highlight of the week for me was all of the fun and crazy water games we got to play. This week was wet and wacky week at Swatara so we spent a lot of time in a swimming suit doing something exciting. We had pool parties and water games every day. Another pretty wacky aspect of the week was meal times. Each mealtime we had some sort of challenge that made eating slightly more interesting. Some of the challenges were eating in the dark, only talking n questions, no utensils, being tied to your neighbor and opposite day. Swatara was a really swell way to end the summer! – Annika

“Isn’t that wacky? Isn’t that zany?” These phrases seemed to be the battle cry this week, and it was excellent. This past week at Swatara was in many ways the perfect week to end a summer on. The camp itself was crazy and high energy and helped us all to forget how tired we really were, and the campers and staff were awesome! This week we got to hang out and join in on a lot of the wacky and wet activities that happened around camp, such as “Organized Chaos” which is as wacky and wet as it sounds and pool parties and beach parties and all around fun! We also got the chance to lead a couple sessions for the youth, which was awesome! We again led our Creation Care session that focuses on sustainability and caring for the Earth, and got to hear some incredible ideas on how to do that from the campers. We also got to lead some bible times for the different camps that were going on! We led a session about John Kline and Sarah Major that we call our Peace/Faith in Action session! (Shoutout to Nell, who was John Kline’s horse, who we represented with a homemade stick horse. She was beautiful and traveled to 7 different states with us.) A highlight from the week for me was the sacred campfire that we had Thursday night. We created torches out of branches and towels and the counselors carried them down to the lake where we had a floating campfire that we lit and had our service next to. It was a beautiful sight. This week was so awesome and it was the perfect to wrap up our wacky (and wet at times) summer!!

P.S. Thank you to my teammates Annika and Brean. It’s been an incredible ride together, thank you for your ministry and for your part in the awesome experience that YPTT is. Blessings to you both as you continue to spread the peace. – Kerrick

This week at Swatara’s Wet and Wacky camp, I have learned that letting nearly fifty campers loose with mud, shaving cream, ice, Jell-O and feathers is probably both a genius and crazy idea. But that was right along with the theme of the week, and the kids seemed perfectly happy to go along with it-and so did I! I mostly enjoyed the themed dinners, from the resource staff dressing up “fancy”-and coming out looking like we were from different time periods-to only being able to speak in questions. All the themes were equally challenging and wacky. The camp activities were plenty wet too, with both a beach party and a pool party. The water was cold sometimes! A funny moment was when staff started leading dancing and exercising to keep the kids warm, although most of it was just jumping around. Besides the wet and wacky, I also enjoyed hike day, and revisiting the rock pile. The view of everything was just as beautiful as before. All in all, this week was a wonderfully fun week to close the summer on. – Brean

Well there it is. The last blog post from YPTT 2015. Thank you to Camp Swatara for the excellent last week, and for allowing us to have our debriefing there after the week was done. If you haven’t made it out to Camp Swatara, you most definitely should take a visit, it is truly a wonderful place! Another big thank you to YOU for reading and supporting us in our journey this summer, YOU ROCK! Blessings in all that you do, and as always, keep spreading the beautiful message of peace and love. Thank you all again. We love you.

Signing off for the last time, the YPTT 2015.

July Activities of WYEAHI

Aishatu

Aishatu

WYEAHI (Women and Youth Empowerment for Advancement & Health Initiative) is a Nigerian non-profit run by Aishatu Margima. Her NGO funds the much needed distribution of livelihoods. This organization is incredibly efficient and very much appreciated.

 

WYEAHI distribution of livelihoods july

 

In July they distributed fifteen (15) complete sewing machines units and thirty (30) bean cake making kits which include a frying pan, tray, turning spoon, 50kg bag of beans and 30 litres of cooking oil.

 

In addition to giving out livelihoods, workshops are held for the participants to help ensure success  of their small businesses. The goals of the workshop include:

  • To teach the participants the skills necessary for the operation and maintenance of the sewing machines and bean cake making
  • To enlighten them on the importance of keeping their body and environment clean
  • To empower them with knowledge of record keeping
  • To encourage them to form groups and have a spirit of team work
WYEAHI training july2

Recipients at the training workshop

Testimonies from the recipients

“This kind of distribution is different from other distribution that I have witnessed; there is no bias in the distribution, both Christians and Muslims have benefited.

Ibrahim really appreciated the effort of Church of the Brethren and WYEAHI saying, “Thank you for spreading the gospel in this manner; you are one in a million”.

Another beneficiary said, “Shame to boko haram for taking my wife’s sewing machine. I never thought such an opportunity could come my way, but with God all things are possible. To God alone be the glory for what He has done for me and my family through Church of the Brethren and WYEAHI.”

Bean Cake Business in Operation

Bean Cake Business in Operation

Using their gifts

Using the sewing machine

 

 

Keep On, Keeping On

Almost every week, someone asks “What should I do? What should my congregation be doing?”

Thomas Dowdy

Rev. Thomas Dowdy speaks at Annual Conference 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Glenn Riegel.

In light of the news about the militarization of the police force, the prison industrial complex, and social inequities it seems that we must do something…often something new. And, often we are seeking out new and different ways of doing ministry because we want to see different results.

Yet, whatever we “should be doing” needs to happen within the context of our faith. At Annual Conference, Rev. Brother Thomas Dowdy also reminded us that we have to keep doing what Jesus commanded us to do: Preach the Gospel, Equip Servant Leaders, Assist the Poor, Care for the Sick, and Educate the Next Generation.

Sometimes we have to “keep on, keeping on” – doing what we have been doing until there is enough momentum to really be a part of the change. To stay on the path because though we are early in the journey, we are travelling in the right direction. These tried but true ways are as relevant today as they were when Christ gave us the great commission and can be applied to the work ahead of us, in America, as we seek to address the disturbing current events and trends around race, ethnicity, and intercultural ministries.

What ministries will your church be continuing that could be an example of “What should we do?”

As Director of Intercultural Ministries, Gimbiya Kettering seeks to continue and expand the conversation and ministry work for those working in intercultural and cross-cultural settings. To join the conversation leave a comment or email her directly at gkettering@brethern.org.

Devotions (EYN Daily Link) August 9 – 15, 2015

DAILY LINK WITH GOD 2015EYN Devotions graphic
A Daily Devotional Guide from the
EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)

EYN leaders in Nigeria believe prayer is one of the most important ways to support the Nigerian people and the Church.  These daily devotions were written by EYN members and published by the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. Reading them daily is a powerful way we can be in solidarity and connect with our brothers and sisters caught in this crisis.  EYN’s daily devotional for 2015 will be posted a week at a time on this blog, appearing mid-week for the following week. More information about the crisis can be found at www.nigeriacrisis.org.

Click on this link for Devotions August 9 – 15, 2015

Youth Peace Travel Team 2015 – Adventure Camp

Bird's eye view by the river gathered by the slidejpg on top of a rock Team

Hello friends! We are winding down on our summer, but that doesn’t mean we’re not having just as much fun as before! We spent the past week in North Carolina, at the Brethren United Adventure Camp (or the Brethren United Mountain Adventure Trip, BUMAT for short, as Camp Bethel calls it.) This camp is hosted by Camp Carmel, run by Camp Ithiel, and also attended this year by Camp Bethel, Camp Brethren Woods, Camp Inspiration Hills, and Camp Harmony!! Each of the six camps had campers and counselors that they sent and we all got to hang out and do adventure trip things together! We all had a blast, and here are some of our thoughts from the week! Thanks for reading!

Adventure camp was super exciting!  Campers and staff from six camps all got together for a giant week of excitement.  We had a new adventure every day.  On our first day we hiked to a natural waterslide. There we got to slide down a gentle waterfall along rock into a pool of water.  On the second day we hiked all the way up to the top of a mountain.  Once we got to the top we could see clouds moving in and they came right on top of us on the mountain.  It was so beautiful, we could see for miles (when the clouds were not in the way). The last day of camp was the busiest.  We went to a high ropes course, tubing on a river, and to a park.  It was so fantastic to spend all day hiking and exploring while getting to know campers. In addition to adventuring the Youth Peace Travel Team lead morning watch, a peace session in the middle of the day, and campfire every night.  A highlight for me was Faith in Action day where we did a session on John Kline and peaceful problem solving.  The horse prop named Nell that we use has now been to seven states!  I also really enjoyed hiking to the top of the mountain and playing Ultimate Frisbee in the park. – Annika

What a week! It was so busy and tiring, I found myself sleeping any chance I received, but I had so much fun! The views we saw while out hiking were breathtaking and so new to me-it was my first time seeing such a grand waterfall, and being on top of a mountain. The views and fresh, light air make me want to live the mountains, even if I’ll have to be walking up hills much of the time, and there were many steep hills. I’m just happy that being up so high didn’t scare me-I found it exhilarating…especially on the ropes course we went to on Thursday. I was expecting that I wouldn’t do well on it, since I have been doing poorly on other high ropes courses this summer, but most of Thursday’s course proved to be a test of courage and balance-not too much strength was needed, which I lack. I was so proud of myself for reaching the third and hardest level on the course, even if it was just because I wanted to propel down from the top. With all the new and exciting experiences, as well as the awesome and fun staff and campers who we accompanied, it truly was an adventure camp. – Brean

This week put the FUN in ADVENTURE(FUN)CAMP! J This was the first time that the YPTT had ever attended this camp and it was a blast. We played the role of resource people, so we led Morning Watch each day and led a quick peace session in the afternoons and then led Campfire/Vespers at night! In between all of that, we got to hang out with the campers and join them on the adventuring that the week was all about! One of my favorite parts of the week was that each morning and each night a different camp was in charge of leading songs for the group. This meant that all the campers and staff there got to experience a little bit of what the YPTT hears all summer, which is a bunch of new, different versions of the good ol’ camp songs! Another awesome thing was that each day brought new adventures, and with those came new spots for our sessions or campfire! Throughout the week we led sessions at a big rock on a hike to a natural rock water slide, on top of a mountain, and at a beautiful park! We also got to have a campfire on the side of a mountain one night. It was so beautiful every place we went, and it made the sessions that much better! This was our largest group of all senior high youth all summer, so it was a lot of fun to get to interact with them. The whole week was super excellent, from the sessions to the adventures, to the amazing food that Carmel had for us, to just being able to play games and have fun with the campers and staff! Whoooo! – Kerrick

We had an awesome time at adventure camp, and would like to send a major thank you to all the camps who helped make it happen, (Ithiel, Carmel, Bethel, Brethren Woods, Harmony, and Inspiration Hills) you all made the week great and are doing great things with your ministry!! This is our second to last week, so as we wind down with our journey, we’d also like to thank everyone that helped get us to this point, YOU ROCK!! And also, a huge ‘Thank You’ to YOU for reading our blog again, blessings to you in all that you do!

P.S.- Shout-out to Camp Bethel for helping shuttle us to and from BUMAT and throughout the week, you guys are AWESOME!!! (And a shout-out to “Gus Bus” our fantastic van that handled all types of terrain!)

Ishaya

By Janet Crago

CragosWe met Ishaya at the temporary EYN headquarters in Jos this week. He’s from a small city in northeast Nigeria, which, like most towns in the area, is surrounded by mountains.  This town was first attacked by Boko Haram insurgents in August of 2014.  Ishaya was with two of his friends during the attack, and they fled to the mountains together.  The Nigerian army dropped bombs from airplanes and a helicopter, but never took control of the town.Ishaya

When the bombing finally stopped, Ishaya and his friends returned to their city, where they found that his mother, sisters, and younger brother had not fled.  Together they decided that his mother and four sisters would flee south to Michika the next morning.  His father had fled to the mountains and not returned.  Because they were so concerned, Ishaya and his younger brother, Samaila, decided to go in different directions to search for their father.  Ishaya searched for three days. Finally, Samaila found his father and they went together and found Ishaya.  Naturally, they were very happy to all be re-united.  But, — this wasn’t the end of Ishaya’s story!

Their father only had 1200 Naira ($6.00) on him when he fled to the mountains, so he didn’t have enough money to purchase transport for them to flee further from the insurgents.  He also thought that Samaila was young enough that the Boko Haram wouldn’t bother him.  So, he began telling Samaila to return to their city to get money and a few supplies from their house.

During this discussion, they were interrupted by gunshots.  The Boko Haram were shooting in the air and they were very close.  Their father told all of them (Ishaya, Samaila, and the two friends) to flee and hide in the bush.  He said he would climb a tree to see what was happening.  A lot of people had also fled to the mountains and were living in nearby caves.  While his father was watching, the Boko Haram burned everything the refugees had stored in the caves.

After Boko Haram left, Ishaya, Samaila, and Ishaya’s two friends returned to the cave areas, but couldn’t find their father.  They finally decided to climb further into the mountains.  They stopped their journey in a village in the neighboring country of Cameroon, to the east of Nigeria.  Luckily, Ishaya and some friends had visited this village in the past to establish a youth fellowship.  He had made a friend during that previous visit and this friend took them in.  The friend told them that their father wasn’t far away.  They were able to make contact by cell phone and their father joined them.

(Side note – In Nigeria, everyone who has a little money buys a cell phone.  They can purchase “time” from vendors all over Nigeria.  This cell time is very cheap, and costs only a couple pennies per minute!)

After some time the friend left his house to them and traveled to be with his family.  He left his food stores for them.  They lived on the stored food for six months.  There were many refugees fleeing from Boko Haram staying in the same village.  Ishaya estimated as many as 700. Among the refugees were the 21 children and 3 wives of his uncle, who is a Muslim.

 

Devotions (EYN Daily Link) August 2 – 8, 2015

DAILY LINK WITH GOD 2015EYN Devotions graphic
A Daily Devotional Guide from the
EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)

EYN leaders in Nigeria believe prayer is one of the most important ways to support the Nigerian people and the Church.  These daily devotions were written by EYN members and published by the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria. Reading them daily is a powerful way we can be in solidarity and connect with our brothers and sisters caught in this crisis.  EYN’s daily devotional for 2015 will be posted a week at a time on this blog, appearing mid-week for the following week. More information about the crisis can be found at www.nigeriacrisis.org.

Click on this link for Devotions August 2 – 8, 2015