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eBrethren

Tampa

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Annual Conference staff Debbie Noffsinger, Chris Douglas, and Jon Kobel standing by an E-boat in Tampa. Photo by Jane Godfrey

Annual Conference staff Debbie Noffsinger, Chris Douglas,
and Jon Kobel standing by an E-boat in Tampa.
Photo by Jane Godfrey

An interview with the Annual Conference Office

What excites you about Tampa?

Chris Douglas: It’s one of the most beautiful places we’ve had Annual Conference because it’s surrounded by palm trees and water.

Jon Kobel: It’s a great vacation spot. People can bring their families and enjoy fishing excursions or riding paddle boats or E-boats.

Debbie Noffsinger: We should have sunshine and warmth for at least part of Annual Conference. Also, dolphins have been spotted right outside the convention center.

Is there anything special about the hotels or conference center?

Chris: The convention center is smaller than in past years, so we’ll fill the whole building and it will be an intimate gathering. It will also be easier to get around the convention center.

Jon: For hotels, these are the lowest rates we’ve had in nine years, and they are available up to three days after Conference.

What are the must-see sights and attractions in Tampa?

Chris: My favorite is the Henry B. Plant Museum that was built in 1890 and has been beautifully restored. It’s gorgeous and you can learn a lot about the culture of that time.

Jon: We’re selling tickets fordolphin tours, which are really neat. You can also enjoy a stroll on the river walk or ride a street car (for half price with your Conference badge) to the historic Ybor City.

Debbie: There’s also the aquarium, children’s museum, and the history center close to the convention center. We highlighted other options in our recent e-mail blast too.

What restaurants would you recommend?

Jon: You can’t talk about Tampa without mentioning the Columbia Restaurant. It has wonderful, authentic Cuban food, and traditional flamenco dancing may be seen in the evening. I also recommend the Oxford Exchange. It’s the coolest eclectic restaurant with interesting food, a tea emporium, and a coffee center.

Chris: There’s also a place called Channelside (just a five-minute walk away) that has several restaurants. There’s Mexican food, Thai food, and my favorite pizza place.

Is anything unique about this year’s gathering?

Chris: Sunday evening will feature biblical storytelling and music by Ken Medema and Ted & Co.

Jon: The Sunday insight sessions will specifically focus on equipping people with tools to enrich their own lives and serve their churches.

Online registration for Annual Conference closes June 10. Learn more or register today at www.brethren.org/ac .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Serving God’s people

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Theresa Ford and Hannah Shultz Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Theresa Ford and Hannah Shultz
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

By Theresa Ford and Hannah Shultz, 2015 workcamp assistant coordinators.

In just a few weeks, youth and young adults from around the country will gather together in a variety of locations to serve and worship together at workcamps. We’re really excited to be a part of this ministry. While the summer is a big part of our workcamp experience, we’ve also had a busy spring preparing for the workcamp season. We have traveled to each workcamp location, met with organizations, and visited places where we will be staying and sight-seeing. We call these on-site visits.

The organizations that we partner with for workcamps, though they serve diverse purposes, all have a powerful impact in the communities that they serve. Two organizations that we have particularly enjoyed connecting with are the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas, and Capstone in New Orleans. These were special on-site visits because these workcamp locations are new this year, and both are or have been Brethren Volunteer Service project sites.

Another memorable on-site visit was to Los Angeles. We’re excited about the Los Angeles workcamp because we will be reuniting after a summer apart and leading the week together. During this workcamp, we have the opportunity to serve on Skid Row by passing out health kits and food to those experiencing homelessness. During our visit, we got a small taste of what a powerful and humbling experience this will be.

One of our goals this summer is to excite participants about making service a strong component of their lives. We hope to get them thinking about what it might look like to serve in Brethren Volunteer Service one day! For ourselves, we hope to grow as leaders and set examples of what it means to compassionately serve others. We’re looking forward to nourishing a relationship with God, and building a community of faith. Through serving side by side, worshiping together, and enjoying fellowship through recreation and play, we will build friendships and create Christian communities that seek justice and serve God’s people.

Youth, young adults, and advisors will gather soon for 19 different summer workcamps. Workcamps provide a unique opportunity for youth to serve, worship, and learn together in community. These experiences shape lives and give youth direction for the future. Learn more about workcamps at www.brethren.org/workcamps or support them today at www.brethren.org/give .

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eBrethren

Wait for the Spirit

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www.brethren.org/pentecost Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

www.brethren.org/pentecost
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

An excerpt from “Sermon starter: the witness of work” written by Paula Bowser, pastor of Trotwood Church of the Brethren, Ohio.

I want to begin with a familiar story. Cinderella is the stuff of royalty, but nobody knows it. She’s the stepsister in the background. She’s in the ash heap cleaning the soot from the hearth. She’s working behind the scenes like a common drudge, and her older sisters either ignore her or treat her like a slave.

But when her fairy godmother comes to visit, everything changes. Cinderella is clothed in fine silks and outfitted like a queen. Her beauty and her worth are finally recognized. And when the prince throws a party, she’s the belle of the ball.

I once heard a famous theologian refer to the Holy Spirit as the Cinderella of the Trinity, and I agree. For most of the Bible, especially in the Gospels, the focus is on the Father and the Son. But as the ministry of Jesus draws to a close, he begins to teach the disciples about the Holy Spirit.

Right before Jesus goes to the cross, he says, “I’m leaving you. Pretty soon you’ll look for me and I won’t be here, because I’m going to the Father.” He then says, quite mysteriously, “But I won’t abandon you like orphans. I’m going to come to you. God will send the Comforter. This is the Advocate, the Counselor, the Paraclete. This is the Holy Ghost, who will guide you into all truth, and help you remember everything I taught you. You’re going to need this, because without me you can do nothing.”

Just before Jesus ascends into heaven he says, “Wait for it. Wait for the promise of God. John baptized with water but you’re going to be baptized by the Spirit. You’re going to receive power when the Holy Spirit falls on you. Then you’ll be my witnesses—starting here in Jerusalem, stretching out to Samaria, and then all the way to the uttermost parts of the earth. But don’t start out on your own. Don’t do anything until it is time.”

Read this worship resource in full and find others for the 2015 Pentecost Offering at www.brethren.org/pentecost. Support the life-changing ministries of the Church of the Brethren today at www.brethren.org/give.

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Living lesson

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“Every meal was a living lesson.” Photo by Regina Holmes

“Every meal was a living lesson.”
Photo by Regina Holmes

Adapted from “Raising a Grateful Child” by Dr. Rich Melheim.

“Example is not the main thing in life. It is the only thing.”
—Albert Schweitzer

I grew up in a home where thanksgiving and thanks-living were core—not only to what we did but also to who we were.

Every meal at our table started with “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest” and ended with “O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and his mercies endureth forever.” My sisters and I didn’t need a lecture, lesson, or worksheet on gratitude. Every meal was a living lesson.

We lived in a little railroad town where the homeless, drifters, and vagabonds filtered through every spring and fall on their way to somewhere and often on their way to nowhere. These travelers had our little house pegged as a place for a free meal and some kindness.

From May to October, there were constant knocks at the door, sometimes multiple times a week. Mom would open to the hungry face, then send our unexpected—yet expected—guest around to the back step for a hot plate of home-cooked food, a smile, and a listening ear. Mother often muttered something about “entertaining angels unaware” after visitors left. My sisters and I didn’t need a lecture, lesson, or a worksheet on stewardship. Every back-door meal was a living lesson.

On Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, we entertained a houseful of college students from faraway and others who were alone on these special days. My parents’ attitude was “you can always throw more water in the soup” and “where there’s love, there’s room.” We grew up serving these guests every holy day before we ourselves would eat. We spent countless festivals carting borrowed card tables and chairs from church to fill our house with hospitality, laughter, and love.

To my parents, there was no caring without sharing. If you were blessed, you were blessed to be a blessing. Again, we didn’t need a lecture, lesson, or worksheet on hospitality while growing up. Every holiday was a holy day and an opportunity for a living lesson.

Dr. Rich Melheim is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This story was published in full in the 2015 edition of Givingmagazine, produced by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center and distributed by the Church of the Brethren. Order complimentary copies of this and past issues at www.brethren.org/givingmag .

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eBrethren

Be Still

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BVS volunteer Sarah Seibert in one of her sacred spaces. Photo by Brethren Volunteer Service

BVS volunteer Sarah Seibert in one of her sacred spaces.
Photo by Brethren Volunteer Service

By Sarah Seibert, Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 305

I spend the majority of my day assisting in a kindergarten classroom in Roanoke, Va. I tie shoes, sound out words, and referee disputes. My mind is always whirling as I try to think one step ahead, make decisions on the fly, and respond to the chorus of little voices calling my name. As much as I love it, sometimes it is exhausting!

I also coordinate a weekend snack program that sends food home to the school’s neediest students. All its supplies are stored in a closet on the top floor of the building. Amidst the chaos of the classroom, this has become my reprieve. In this windowless pantry I am in total control. I organize, restore order, and strangely enough, have found a sanctuary. It is my sacred space in the school.

A synonym of “sacred” is “holy” which means “set apart.” The storage closet and the space I create when I curl up after a long week with dinner and a good book have become sacred to me because they are places that are set apart for me to rest.

Rest is essential for human beings. Our brains process information while we sleep, but our bodies were not built to be always on the go. God rested (Genesis 2:2-3), and when God brought his people out of slavery and established them as a new nation, God gave them the gift of Sabbath—regular times set apart for rest (cf. Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Leviticus 23).

My life is full of commitments and requests, and there is always more I wish I could do. The temptation to overfill my schedule is always present. Even so—or perhaps all the more—I am called to create sacred spaces to rest. Regular times of rest force me to prioritize, help me gain perspective, and give me a chance to recharge so I can return to work refreshed. These times of rest do not have to only be on Sunday. The purpose of the Sabbath is to ensure we finite humans regularly rest our bodies and reconnect with God.

I encourage you to find ways to create sacred spaces in your life. Embrace God’s gift of Sabbath rest wherever you can find it. Have the courage to be still; forgive yourself when you fail. Return restored and refreshed.

Learn more about Brethren Volunteer Service at www.brethren.org/bvs or support it and many other life-changing ministries of the Church of the Brethren at www.brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Growing together

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Debbie Eisenbise, director of Intergenerational Ministries Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Debbie Eisenbise, director of Intergenerational Ministries
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

An interview with Debbie Eisenbise

What excites you about your new role?

What excites me most is working with groups of people. I like bringing people together to learn and connect. Part of my job is helping lead National Older Adult Conference, and it’s like throwing a great party and bringing a whole bunch of people together to learn and worship.

I am also excited about raising awareness and advocating for vulnerable peoples. There are a variety of folks who have experienced or are experiencing issues, because of age or circumstance, that make them vulnerable. As the church gathers together, we can find ways to address their needs, but also integrate them into our communities, learn from them, and allow them to give too.

Why are intergenerational ministries important?

There can be tensions in our churches between age groups, and it really has to do with life perceptions. Each group has very different views of giving, church, life goals, and work. By becoming more cognizant of these differences and engaging together in intentional intergenerational conversation, we can inform each other and grow together in faith.

How can we become more involved in intergenerational ministries?

One way that people can get involved is by asking questions in their own context and congregations and seek to understand how they perceive people of different generations. Be willing to share your experiences and also listen to the stories of others.

Another way is by praying that the Spirit might open us up to each other in new ways. Pray for openness and the ability to grow beyond our own comfort zones and move into new life.

Debbie Eisenbise grew up in Wilmington, Del., and attended Davidson College, Pacific School of Religion, and Bethany Theological Seminary. She started as director of Intergenerational Ministries Jan. 15, but also served the Church of the Brethren in the 1990s as Brethren Volunteer Service coordinator of Recruitment and Orientation.

Learn more about Older Adult, Family, and Disabilities Ministries of the Church of the Brethren by e-mailing Debbie at deisenbise@brethren.org . Support these and other life-changing ministries at www.brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Love for all creation

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Unit 308 prepares to love all of God's creation at Brethren Volunteer Service orientation. Photo by Brethren Volunteer Service staff

Unit 308 prepares to love all of God’s creation at
Brethren Volunteer Service orientation.
Photo by Brethren Volunteer Service staff

A reflection by Emily Tyler

Vitality. Intergenerational. Intercultural. Transformation. Hope.

These are some of the buzz words that came up during our staff gathering last week. These words surrounded our discussion of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) and the current situation in our church. While comparing our time together in discussion and reflection with Psalm 36, I could not help but notice the parallel.

“The God-rebel… has no regard for God.… When he’s loose on the streets, nobody’s safe. He plays with fire and doesn’t care who gets burned. / God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness, nothing gets lost; not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks” (Psalm 36:1-6, The Message).

There is a stark contrast here: the terror and destruction in our world and God’s meteoric, all-surpassing love. It’s a lot to take in.

What I find interesting about these verses is the largeness of God’s love—spanning from meteoric to oceanic, and everything in between—and letting no person or animal slip through the cracks. This is professed directly after such evil is described. The enormity of God’s love even covers those who do evil.

In our culture, we are taught that life is a reward that we earn—through doing the right deeds, buying the right things, hanging out with the right people. Psalm 36 suggests otherwise. God’s astronomical love is a gift. It’s just given to us. But this gift of life and of God’s love is sometimes experienced along with great resistance, just as Psalm 36 shares.

It seems natural to pray for our own. We pray for the Chibok girls, our EYN sisters and brothers, and our Muslim sisters and brothers with whom we collaborate. We pray for our families, our church leaders, and those with whom we share in ministry.

But do we pray for Boko Haram? Pray for their mothers and fathers? Do we pray for our enemies and those who mean us harm? They, too, are part of God’s creation. I believe this is an expression of God’s love. Loving even those who “play with fire and don’t care who gets burned.”

As we struggled and engaged in conversation last week, I was filled with great hope. Just as our EYN sisters and brothers move forward through their current struggle, so also do we press on, seeking to express God’s love to all of creation.

Emily Tyler is coordinator of Workcamps and Brethren Volunteer Service Recruitment. Support this and many other ministries of the Church of the Brethren that share God’s love at www.brethren.org/give .

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eBrethren

Giving is a privilege

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One Great Hour of Sharing Photo by Craig Thompson

One Great Hour of Sharing
Photo by Craig Thompson

An adaptation of an offertory meditation written by Amy Gopp for the 2015 One Great Hour of Sharing

“They voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4).

During what the Apostle Paul calls a “severe ordeal of affliction,” the early churches of Macedonia somehow managed to “overflow in a wealth of generosity” for their sisters and brothers in need. Their own extreme poverty combined with their abundant joy resulted in this overflow, and as Paul testifies, they not only gave according to their means, they gave beyond their means. Yes, beyond their means! Even more remarkable, they actually begged to share in the “ministry to the saints.” Giving is a privilege.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like not to be able to give?

But God provides all we need, enabling us to be in a constant posture of giving. All that is ours is God’s, so everyone has a gift to give. God does not leave anyone out.

God has created a world where there is more than enough; the sheer joy of that blessing is sharing it! Giving back to God is a matter of faith—it is the natural reaction to our saying “yes!” to following Christ. Once you know the invincible love of God and the Good News of the Gospel, you can’t help but share it. In the sharing of your resources, you are living out your confession of faith as followers of Jesus the Christ.

For well over six decades, we have been putting our faith into action and making a difference, alongside literally millions of other Christians throughout North America, through One Great Hour of Sharing. This offering helps empower people across the nation and around the world.

Praise be to God!

Giving itself is a gift. A privilege. An opportunity to respond to God’s outpouring of love for you.

Giving through One Great Hour of Sharing not only changes the lives of individuals and communities in need, it changes the world.

Join our ministry of saints as we receive our offering. Let’s overflow in a wealth of generosity and feel our own hearts, minds, and lives change just as we help to improve and transform the lives of others. Amen.

One Great Hour of Sharing is a special opportunity for you and your congregation to support the life-changing ministries of the Church of the Brethren. Find worship resources for this year’s offering at www.brethren.org/oghs or give now at www.brethren.org/giveoghs .

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eBrethren

Christian Citizenship Seminar 2015

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Participants at Christian Citizenship Seminar in 2013. Photo by Rachel Witkovsky

Participants at Christian Citizenship Seminar in 2013.
Photo by Rachel Witkovsky

By Kristen Hoffman, BVS volunteer with Youth and Young Adult Ministry

Christian Citizenship Seminar happens each year and is a powerful experience for all who attend. CCS brings together youth who are passionate, discerning, and concerned about justice and the well-being of our denomination, our communities, and our nation. Participants of past years have shared that their week at CCS was filled with experiences they remember for the rest of their lives.

The 2015 Christian Citizenship Seminar, held April 18 – 23 in New York City and Washington D.C., will focus on the complexities of US immigration policy, suggested reforms, and the consequences of both on immigrant communities. At CCS, high school aged youth and their advisors will explore the issue of immigration and the ways in which faith helps understand and form beliefs about it. This experience will help equip them to understand immigration and to educate their own communities about issues related to immigration.

During this week-long event, participants will explore the ways in which their lives intersect with the lives of immigrants through hearing personal stories from immigrants in the U.S., people who work with immigrants, individuals who are connected with both theology and immigration, and those who work in advocacy and policy-making. Participants will gather new cultural insights in New York City through attending multicultural church services and the United Nations, and in Washington, D.C. they will visit Capitol Hill and meet their representatives and senators to discuss the topic of immigration. Throughout the week, there are important times to get to know other participants, worship together, and reflect upon the day’s events.

Through this conference, students are empowered to take home what they have learned, stay informed about the issue of immigration, and to share about their learning experiences to teach others.

Thank you for supporting great learning opportunities like these that build community and train leaders to address the needs of today.

Learn more about Christian Citizenship Seminar at www.brethren.org/ccs or call Kristen Hoffman at 847-429-4389 or email her at khoffman@brethren.org. Support this and many other life-changing conferences at www.brethren.org/give .

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eBrethren

New steps in the new year

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Where will God lead you in 2015? Photo by Glenn Riegel

Where will God lead you in 2015?
Photo by Glenn Riegel

By Matt DeBall, coordinator of Donor Communications

January can be a great time for setting goals and reflecting; a time to observe our steps from last year and chart a new path for this year. We might make personal challenges related to fitness, nutrition, recreation, relationships, or finances, but sometimes we also receive challenges from God.

God has surely given great challenges to others in the past. For Abraham, God called him to leave his family and explore a foreign land filled with unfamiliar people. For Esther, God led her to a new role and called her to take a great risk to save her people. For both, the choice was available to reject God’s call, but by trusting in God and summoning a great amount of courage, they stepped forward and accepted God’s challenge.

In 2015, there are many events and opportunities to partake in ministry through the Church of the Brethren. Perhaps God is calling you to participate in one or more of the following ways:

Pray for our international partners by receiving the weekly Global Mission Prayer Guide.

Grow by attending a transformative conference like the Intercultural Gathering, Young Adult Conference, National Junior High Conference, Annual Conference, and National Older Adult Conference.

Serve through Brethren Volunteer Service for a year-long project, attend a summer workcamp of the Workcamp Ministry, or spend a week at a disaster project of Brethren Disaster Ministries.

Give to support the continued work of the many life-changing ministries of the Church of the Brethren.

Like Abraham and Esther, we have the choice to remain where we are or to follow where God is leading. While it would be easier to carry on in 2015 just as we did in 2014, God may be challenging us to do something new. May we listen to the Spirit of God, step forward in faith, and trust God to guide our steps in the coming year.

(Read this issue of eBrethren)