District Conference Announcements: May 2016

This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song: Looking Ahead to District Conference

Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, Moderator

Guest Leadership
Rev. Dr. Jeff Carter, President of Bethany Theological Seminary, will be preaching during the Sunday morning worship service at District Conference.  A graduate of Bridgewater College, Bethany Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, he is a passionate servant of Christ and the Church. Prior to being called to Bethany, Jeff served the Manassas Church of the Brethren in Manassas, Virginia for almost 18 years, first as associate pastor and then as pastor.  While in Manassas, he also served as lead chaplain for the Department of Fire and Rescue of Prince William County, Virginia.  In addition to engaging in local ministry, through the years Jeff has served the denomination in a variety of capacities: while in BVS, he served as a legislative aide in the Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren; he served as Church of the Brethren representative to the World Council of Churches for eight years; he served as a member of Standing Committee representing the Mid-Atlantic District; and he served as chair of both the Annual Conference Study Committee on Denomination Name and the Forms Reception Committee as part of the Special Response Process. Jeff has also been a featured speaker at Annual Conference, National Youth Conference, National Junior High Conference, and many other events. Jeff and his wife, Kim, have three school-age daughters: Anna, Grace, and Julie. In addition to preaching on Sunday morning, Jeff will also be providing leadership for a workshop and spending time with our youth and young adults during District Conference.

Carol Hipps Elmore, Minister of Nurture and Music at the Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Virginia, will provide music leadership at District Conference, leading both congregational singing and directing the conference choir. Carol is a graduate of Bridgewater College. Twice she has been called by the denomination to serve as music coordinator for Annual Conference, most recently in 2015. Carol is not only a gifted musician, she is a vibrant and joyful disciple of Christ. She and her husband, Mike, have two children, Landon (a current Bridgewater student) and Kate (a soon-to-be Bridgewater student). Describing herself, Carol says: “I love life! …and chips and dip! My favorite job is being mom to two fantastic people and wife to one. I love youth, old and young. Life is good. Oh!…and music! I am thankful to be created in the image of God. May I reflect that.”  In addition to leading music in worship, Carol will also be providing leadership for a workshop and spending time with our youth during District Conference.

When In Our Music God is Glorified: Musical Opportunities at District Conference
All singers are invited to be part of the District Conference Choir. The choir will sing in worship on Saturday evening and again on Sunday morning. Rehearsals will be held after worship Friday evening, during the lunch hour on Saturday, and again Sunday morning before worship. The choir will be directed by Carol Elmore, one of our guest leaders.

Instrumentalists are also invited to share their gifts at District Conference. Those who play guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and percussion may be tapped to help provide accompaniment for congregational singing. In addition, Merlin Grady is coordinating a wind ensemble to play at some point during District Conference.  It would be helpful to know who might be interested in being part of the wind ensemble in advance of conference for planning purposes.  If you play a woodwind or brass instrument and are willing to share your talents to glorify our God, please contact Rhonda Pittman Gingrich at rpgingrich@yahoo.com or Merlin Grady at merlin@merlingrady.com. Finally, a small string ensemble may also play at District Conference. If you play violin, viola, cello, or bass, please contact Rhonda Pittman Gingrich at rpgingrich@yahoo.com.