Tag Archives: eBrethren

eBrethren

Great things in 2014

Posted on by
Reply
From all of the staff, volunteers, and Mission and Ministry Board members of the Church of the Brethren, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

From all of the staff, volunteers, and Mission and Ministry
Board members of the Church of the Brethren,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Thank you for praying, serving, giving to support the Church of the Brethren in 2014. There are many things that we were able to do together:

2,390 students, advisers, staff, and volunteers attended National Youth Conference (and 19 from international Brethren groups).

123 volunteers served 248,720 hours at Brethren Volunteer Service projects.

9 Ministry Summer Service interns explored their vocations in ministry placements across the country.

Volunteers maintained a Brethren presence in 9 different countries.

Over 377 deacons and church leaders attended 9 deacon training events.

19 BVS volunteers served at international projects, and 11 international students served in the US.

98 individuals participated in the Church Planting Conference.

152 Global Mission Advocates are now connected to the network.

165 individuals attended 4 Intercultural Ministry related events.

140 participants served at 8 workcamps.

83 congregations began or continued participating in the Vital Ministry Journey.

62 individuals represented 13 districts at Young Adult Conference.

3 Mission and Ministry Board meetings were held and 3 new members were welcomed.

684 congregations financially supported the Church of the Brethren.

151 donors gave to the core ministries of the Church of the Brethren for the first time.

And so much more!

Thank you for generously giving to your church. Your faithful support is inspiring, and ensures that the many life-changing, loving-giving ministries of the Church of the Brethren will continue into the future.

If you are excited about or have been blessed by the ministries of the Church of the Brethren, support them at www.brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

God’s hands

Posted on by
Reply
The final stop on the Brethren Volunter Service "Coast to coast" bike trip at Cannon Beach, Ore. Photo from Chelsea Goss

The final stop on the Brethren Volunteer Service
“Coast to coast” bike trip at Cannon Beach, Ore.
Photo from Chelsea Goss

A reflection by Chelsea Goss

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the rain fall soft upon your field.
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of God’s hands.

This blessing shared at the end of each Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) orientation scrolled through my head almost every day this summer as I rode my bike from the coast of Virginia to Cannon Beach, Ore. with my companion Rebekah. We covered a total of 5,200 miles visiting churches, conferences, and BVS sites, and often experienced incredible beauty alongside discomfort and fear.

Imagine the taste of fresh air, the smell of evergreens, the sound of birds singing as they fly beside you, and the sight of vibrant colored wildflowers swaying in the breeze.… But then you remember: your legs are tired, you’re hungry again, and you’ve been biking up a mountain for two hours.

I found myself in this situation more than once on our trek. The BVS blessing came to mind often—not for the irony that the wind was never at our backs, or because the rain was usually a harsh thunderstorm—but because of the last line: “May God hold you in the palm of God’s hands.”

I held onto this phrase whenever I was scared about riding conditions—when cars were driving too close and the wind was strong enough to blow us off the road. “May God hold us in the palm of God’s hands…” There were always risks and things to worry about, but we kept going, trusting that things would turn out because we were in God’s hands.

And you know what? When storms came, we found shelter quickly. When we didn’t think we could climb another Pennsylvania mountain, someone told us about a path that wove around them. And when we didn’t know where we would stay the night, someone would offer their home. Exactly what we needed at just the right time.

What an amazing experience it was to take in the beauty of creation and the kindness of strangers, and to each day trust that we were going to be alright. What a blessing it was to feel the strength and comfort of the palm of God’s hands.

Chelsea Goss served as a volunteer for the office of Brethren Volunteer Service. To learn more about this ministry or support it today, visit www.brethren.org/bvs .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

God’s grace

Posted on by
Reply
Blessed by God's grace at National Youth Conference 2014 . Photo by Nevin Dulabaum

Blessed by God’s grace at National Youth Conference 2014 .
Photo by Nevin Dulabaum

A reflection by Donna Kline

Minnie Mouse flew head first from the back seat to the front, accompanied by giggles and “Mommy, can I have Minnie back, please?” “No, I’m sorry, you can’t. Last time you threw her you promised to never do it again, so you made a bad choice. You can have her back when we get home.”

Both of our grandchildren have parents who try to give them choices whenever possible:  a couple of outfits to choose from when getting dressed; two or three different fruits or vegetables; whether or not to throw stuffed animals. Some choices simply give them a feeling of independence, that they have some control over their young lives; others have more “significant” consequences.

We spend our days making choices, and I daresay my grandchildren’s track records in making good ones are likely no better than yours or mine. But our God, like any good parent, also gives us second chances. And third. And so on. And that’s what I’m thankful for today, what I try to be thankful for—or at least mindful of—every day. In spite of the incredible number of bad choices I’ve made and continue to make, I almost always get another chance to make things right. That’s called grace.

Choices—and second chances—come in all sorts of flavors. We all regret certain fashion or hairstyle choices as we laugh over old family photos. More significant, certainly, are poor choices in the way we treat others, or how we choose to spend our time and energy and other resources. We all fall short; we all get another chance.

But what if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity to make a needed course correction? What if we refuse to see that our actions are hurtful? What if we continue to use our resources to better our own lives rather than seeing that we have more than enough and sharing the excess with those who have so little? What if we decide to throw the gift of grace back in God’s face and say, “Thanks, but I’ll continue down this comfortable path?” What happens then?

Then, God gives us yet another chance. God’s grace is endless. That grace is what I’m most thankful for, and my prayer is that each day I will need less.

Donna Kline is the former director of Deacon Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. Support the ministries of the Church today at brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Hope: See the unexpected

Posted on by
Reply
Participate in the Advent Offering today at brethren.org/adventoffering . Photo by Mandy Garcia

Participate in the Advent Offering today at brethren.org/adventoffering .
Photo by Mandy Garcia

A reflection by Tim Harvey

“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord”(Luke 1:39-45).

As a pastor, it is tempting to stay on the well-worn path of Jesus’ birth through the season of Advent. But in Luke 1, the author shows us a new perspective. He pulls back the curtain to reveal what people were doing “when no one was looking.” How did the ordinary people who encountered God respond to the invitation to serve? This is an important question because if people like Mary and Elizabeth can say “yes” to God, so can you and I.

Because we’re accustomed to the story, it is easy to miss the magnificent risks Mary took by becoming pregnant out of wedlock, or how uncommon it was for people to take trips in that time. Yet Mary, an unwed, pregnant teenager, took a several-days-long trip by herself.

Consider Mary’s risks and motivations for visiting Elizabeth. Why did she leave so quickly? Did she need a trusted friend? Had her father kicked her out? Were the judgmental stares of her neighbors too much to bear? There were so many possible answers to Elizabeth’s question, “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?”

One lesson from this story is to notice that saying yes to whatever God calls us to do may take us places we never imagined. Relationships may need to be reexamined, and the place where we live might even change as we respond to God in ways that deemed socially unacceptable.

A challenge of this tradition-rich time of year is to stop long enough to notice what God is doing around us. Fortunately, Luke gives us a snapshot to help us see what God can do in the midst of ordinary people. How might God break in to our lives this Advent season? What do we need to do differently that would make room for a fresh infusion of God’s grace? Where do we need to go, to whom do we need to speak, that our eyes might be opened to how God is bringing hope in unexpected places?

Tim Harvey is the pastor at Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va. He wrote this and several other worship resources for this year’s Advent Offering. Read them all, order bulletin inserts, or give now at www.brethren.org/adventoffering .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Growing friendships

Posted on by
Reply
Squash harvested from the garden at Mount Morris Church of the Brethren. Photo by Carol Erickson

Squash harvested from the garden at
Mount Morris Church of the Brethren.
Photo by Carol Erickson

By Carol Erickson, garden coordinator for the Mount Morris (Ill.) Church of the Brethren

Plans for our garden at the Mount Morris Church of the Brethren began on a snowy evening in 2009. Experienced and rookie gardeners, church people, limited income adults, and curious individuals gathered to discuss planting 32 garden plots across the street from the church. We decided that this garden would be dedicated to growing produce for the Loaves and Fish Food Pantry. Five years later, the garden has become not only a place to grow food but a place to grow friendships.

Many individuals have helped plan and tend our community garden. In January, we gathered to share favorite hot dishes, pore over seed catalogs, and brainstorm ways to improve the garden. A local farmer offered his Japanese beetle-free farm for growing sweet corn and winter squash. Elderly residents of the Pinecrest Community grew seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs that were transplanted to the garden in May. In the spring, members of the church and community planted 50 pounds of potatoes, 20 asparagus plants, 20 new strawberry plants, and more.

The “Going to the Garden” grant from the Global Food Crisis Fund and the Office of Public Witness, which empowers congregations to start or improve community gardens, has helped us reach our goals. Thanks to the extra funds, we have improved access to water by purchasing hoses and instruments to collect rainwater off the church. We have increased productivity by building new frames to contain each plot of vegetables, and by installing cattle gates to support the growth of tomato plants. We have also strengthened the community aspect of the garden by painting two weathered picnic tables and adorning them with umbrellas for shade.

To further improve the community of the garden, we offer planned activities. Gardeners gathered in June at the Mount Morris Senior Center to can strawberry jam. Monthly potlucks allow gardeners to prepare tasty dishes and share from their garden’s abundance. The garden is also available for picnics.

By harvest time, our community garden will provide over 5,000 pounds of vegetables to the food pantry, and residents of Pinecrest Community will receive two deliveries of sweet corn. We are so thankful for the “Going to the Garden” grant. It has helped us grow healthy, fresh produce for many, and cultivate meaningful relationships. It has helped us come a long way since that first snowy night.

“Going to the garden” is a joint initiative of the Global Food Crisis Fund and the Office of Public Witness. Visit brethren.org/givegfcf to support this ministry today.

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

New adventures

Posted on by
Reply
Ministry Summer Service interns preparing for their summer adventures at orientation in May. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Ministry Summer Service interns preparing for their
summer adventures at orientation in May.
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

By Lauren Seganos, Ministry Summer Service intern

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

It is both exciting and challenging to begin a new adventure: move to a new place, start a new job, meet new people. But as people of faith we trust that, wherever we go, God will be there. This summer I, along with several other young adults, had the opportunity to put our faith into action through Ministry Summer Service (MSS) of the Youth and Young Adult and Ministry Offices of the Church of the Brethren.

MSS provides young adults with summer ministry experiences in congregations, camps, district offices, and national programs. I participated in MSS as a seminary student seeking leadership development in a Brethren congregation, and I was blessed to serve at the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren in Elizabethtown, Pa.

One of the most important lessons I learned this summer was finding confidence and trusting in my authority as a young, female minister. This was something that my MSS mentor, Pastor Pam Reist, and I discussed at the beginning of the summer, and it was a repeated theme throughout my experience. My 10 weeks at ECOB was an affirming exercise in finding my confidence as a minister and learning to trust in that authority more each day.

During my time at E-town, I also learned that pastoral ministry—being invited into people’s most special and vulnerable times—is truly a privilege. This summer I was present for and participated in anointings, funeral services, post-surgery prayers, end-of-life blessings, communion, and many other moments of vulnerability, connection, and community. I learned that pastors have a unique role in the Christian community, and to serve as a pastor of a Brethren congregation is a challenging and rewarding call.

God was surely at work this summer—in the ministry of MSS, in the congregations, camps, and offices who welcomed interns, and in the lives of those young adults who took on a new adventure to serve the church. I am thankful for Ministry Summer Service and the gift it offers young, emerging leaders in the Church of the Brethren.

Learn more about MSS at brethren.org/mss or by emailing bullomnaugle@brethren.org . Support this important ministry at brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Dirty work

Posted on by
Reply
Footwashing among members of Brethren Volunter Service Unit 305. Photo by Ben Bear

Footwashing among members of Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 305.
Photo by Ben Bear

By Ben Bear, Brethren Volunteer Service recruiter

My placement during my second year of Brethren Volunteer Service was in Cincinnati at a shelter for families with kids. Our office was a former rectory and we used the adjoining unused church for storage. During my first week there, the office manager, MerryBeth, took me on a tour of the extra space on the other side of the courtyard. We hadn’t visited it the first day because my pants were too dark. Yes, too dark.

The building was infested with thousands of baby fleas from feral cats who had found a way into the building. Lighter-colored pants were necessary so you could make sure that you knocked off all of the tiny fleas clinging to the lower half of your pants once you left the building. That was some dirty work!

Loving people we don’t know can feel like dirty work—sometimes because we don’t understand them. Loving people we do know can be dirty work, too, sometimes because we assume we know them better than we do. We are called to love others as we love ourselves, but even loving ourselves can be a dirty, muddled topic. We are dirty work, and we have lots of work to do.

But why do we feel compelled to do the dirty work of love? Maybe we do it because loving ourselves allows us to see ways to love the rest of the world. Maybe we love the world because Jesus calls us to it every day, to follow his example from the very first Love Feast when he did the dirty work of washing his disciples’ feet.

What are you doing to find the dirty, necessary work of loving and serving? Whom will you try to understand better? To whom will you apologize and start anew? How are you striving to love yourself? We are called to serve: the faces we may have yet to meet, those who are familiar to us, and even ourselves. It’ll be downright hard a lot of the time, and yes, it can be a mess, but that’s okay. Let’s get some dirt under our fingernails. Let’s do the work of loving.

Join or support the dirty, loving work of Brethren Volunteer Service at brethren.org/bvs .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Ablaze

Posted on by
Reply
Shelley West arm-wrestles fellow Youth Peace Travel Team member Chris Bache at National Youth Conference . Photo by Glenn Riegel

Shelley West arm-wrestles fellow Youth Peace Travel Team
member Chris Bache at National Youth Conference .
Photo by Glenn Riegel

By Shelley West, member of the 2014 Youth Peace Travel Team.

“While our understanding of peace is rooted in scripture and Jesus’ teachings, we think it has many different manifestations in our world today that are worth exploring. Peace is about more than not going off to war or not fighting with your siblings!”

This is a phrase that frequented my introduction of the Youth Peace Travel Team and our work when we faced campers for the first time on jittery Sunday evenings. While our goal was to introduce the five specific perspectives of peace that we would be teaching throughout the week, it was a genuine reminder to ourselves of the variety of unexpected ways that peace showed its face to us all summer long.

Peace was found in the group’s acceptance of my exceptionally poor performance during a camp-wide kickball game at Camp Colorado. Peace was found in the inclusive and enthusiastic clamor surrounding our “Arm Wrestling for Peace” booth at National Youth Conference’s Brethren Block Party. Peace was found as our team struggled up the metaphorical mountain together, but made it to the top and gazed out at the spectacular view.

Peace is found in whatever moment you decide to seek and pursue it. Jesus’ example of peace was radical, but versatile and all-embracing. We, too, are called to this job of uninhibited love-spreading. In each encounter with our siblings in Christ, we have a grand opportunity to look into their eyes, listen to their musings, and verbally affirm that our hearts are open to the sharing of this human experience. Whether with strangers in the neighborhood or parents we’ve never truly gotten to know, this interaction brings a smile to our God’s face and a spark of hope to those who we have stepped outside of our comfort zones to engage.

Let us be active and willing in our approaches to peacemaking—at camp, at home, and around the world. In remembering our global brothers and sisters through fervent prayer, may we be simultaneously empowered to search for peace in our daily lives. May our hearts burn ablaze with a passion to search, to work, to love. Amen.

September 21 is International Day of Peace. It is also the suggested date for the Mission Offering—an opportunity for congregations to support Church of the Brethren partnerships that maintain a peaceful presence all over the world. Visit brethren.org/missionoffering to find out more, and brethren.org/give to support all of these ministries today.

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Love with your life

Posted on by
Reply
The 2014 Camp Harmony workcamp. Photo from Jenna Stacy

The 2014 Camp Harmony workcamp.
Photo from Jenna Stacy

By Jenna Stacy, 2014 workcamp coordinator

“Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity…” (1 Timothy 4:11).

Our theme scripture for workcamps this summer was 1 Timothy 4:11-16. It highlights five words that help us “teach with our lives,” and each day we focused on one: word, demeanor, love, faith, and integrity. We defined them, read scripture that addressed them, told stories, and used lives from Brethren history and current times to show how others have taught with their lives.

While teaching my workcampers about this scripture and how we can teach with our lives, they taught me a lot too. And while the curriculum stayed the same each week, the kids did not; each one brought something priceless and unique to worship.

One recurring lesson that stuck out to me all summer was with the theme of love. We included a list of definitions of love in the leadership resources, all from four- to eight-year-olds. Here are a few of their answers:

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
—Billy, age 4

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”—Chrissy, age 6

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”—Jessica, age 8

All of these definitions of love are so pure, but the one that stood out to me was from four-year-old Terri, “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”

You may know that a workcamp summer is an exhausting one—traveling from place to place each week, living out of a suitcase, learning new names and addressing new needs of children. There was one week in particular when I was insanely tired, but I kept going because of love—love for workcamps, love for the kids and the excitement in their eyes, love for teaching with my life, love for God, and God’s love for me. Love is what kept me going this summer, and kept me smiling, even when I was tired.

I pray that you feel God’s love when you are tired and that his love will continue to make you smile so that you can continue on your journeys and teach with your lives.

Workcamps are part of Global Mission and Service ministries. Support these important programs at brethren.org/give . See photos and more at brethren.org/workcamps .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

eBrethren

Punks

Posted on by
Reply
Jarrod McKenna blesses Dunker Punks at National Youth Conference. Photo by Nevin Dulabaum

Jarrod McKenna blesses Dunker Punks at National Youth Conference.
Photo by Nevin Dulabaum

By Maddie Dulabaum

Sitting on the stadium floor next to my friend Aaron before worship on Wednesday night, I was afraid that National Youth Conference might pass me by with only a gigantic pillow to show for it. I’d always heard that NYC was a life-changing experience, but so far I hadn’t really felt changed.

Enter: Worship on Wednesday night.

I had enjoyed Jarrod McKenna’s workshop about causing Christ-like trouble the day before, so I was excited about the word he would bring that night. I was not disappointed. As he introduced the concept of the “Dunker Punk,” my fear of leaving NYC unchanged dissipated. Jarrod reminded us that only eight brave people started our Brethren Dunker Punk movement more than 300 years ago, that they began a “Mustard Seed Revolution.” Then he called for eight more brave brothers and sisters to continue this radical love, and I was changed. For the first time all week I felt an overwhelming sense of call.

When Jarrod asked for at least eight people to come and stand with him, to dedicate themselves to being Dunker Punks, I didn’t hesitate. In the mass of people flooding the stage, Aaron and I were side by side.

After the service, we sat outside the arena while people bustled around us, getting psyched for the concert that was about to follow worship. “Do you think tomorrow all these people will remember that they stood?” Aaron asked.

That question has consumed me ever since. Watching everyone laugh and scream as they made their way back into the arena for the concert, it was easy to think that maybe we wouldn’t remember. Maybe we would forget that we aligned ourselves to the renewal of our heritage of Christ-like love. Maybe we would get back home and everything would return to how it was before NYC. Maybe all of this would just be a great memory.

But that hasn’t happened. With a Facebook page, Twitter handle, and website devoted to the Dunker Punk movement, our little Mustard Seed Revolution has already spread beyond Fort Collins and NYC. With those two tiny words we claimed a name and started something with big potential. With our lives that often feel small, we came together and realized our strength. It seems incredible to think about but, then again, we Brethren have always been called from small beginnings.

Maddie Dulabaum was a youth participant and member of the news team at NYC this summer, and will begin college this fall. To read coverage from the conference, visit brethren.org/nyc . To support the Youth and Young Adult Ministries that are dedicated to creating experiences like NYC for Brethren young people, visit brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)