Posts by Communications

Did You Know: Remembering the Last 55 Years

Marilyn Koehler, Fairview COB (with Richard Burger)

In 1960, the Southern Iowa District, the Middle Iowa District, and the Northern Iowa/Minnesota/South Dakota District held separate district conferences for the last time. That year at their district conferences, each voted to approve a merger that would create the Iowa-Minnesota District, one of the final steps in the creation of what we know of today as the Northern Plains District. A few years later, the North Dakota-Eastern Montana District voted to join the Iowa-Minnesota District and the boundaries were set for the Northern Plains District.

My husband David and I were chosen as delegates to the first combined district conference held at South Waterloo Church of the Brethren. The dedication of the conference officers and church made a lasting impression on both of us through business sessions, sermons, hospitality and music. Our host for overnight lodging was the Moore family.

Although I can’t recall specific sermons or business items, I do recall the singing of the hymns as being the best music I had ever heard—some 400 Brethren voices in perfect harmony literally lifting my spirits and understanding of hymnology and voices. We also recall leadership of that and other early conferences—which becomes a list of names of ministers and leaders. The majority were graduates of Bethany Seminary but there were also people who had emerged as leaders in their congregations. There was a nice mix of men and women who were educated, dedicated, conscientious, and servant-minded.

At the risk of leaving out some you may remember (and hopefully will add to the list), I will name a few leaders from the 60s and 70s. Clarence Sink, pastor of South Waterloo; Wanda Will Button, energetic lay leader trained at Bethany Seminary; Jay Johnson, pastor of English River; Berwyn Oltman, pastor of Stover Memorial; Lyle Albright, pastor of Fairview congregation and then District Executive 1962-72; Milton Early, pastor of Ottumwa Church; Dorothy Miller; Ruth Clark; Elmer West, pastor of Salem/Mt Etna churches; Glenn Fruth, pastor of Cando ND church; Joe & Lois Hoffert, members of Stover Memorial; Harold & Joanne Mack, members of Dallas Center church; and Charles Lunkley, missionary and pastor, District Executive in the 70s. Jim Tomlinson, Ivester pastor and District Ministry Chair, guided the first group of Lay Ministers through the 3 year reading course in the 70s.

However, the decision to combine the three districts was not unanimously supported. Change is often fraught with worry about what the changes will bring and/or interrupt a successful arrangement. Often, not always, change is resisted by older experienced members. Recollections of the decision of the Southern Iowa District to combine with the other two districts was recently recalled by retired minister Richard Burger of Fairview Church. Ray Zook, the district executive of the Southern Iowa District had many conversations with members in that area; he had been present at the meetings where pros and cons were debated, sometimes heatedly. Thus, Ray Zook was prepared; his written resignation was in his pocket, ready for submission to the Southern Iowa board. The discussion changed when a young minister, Richard Burger stood to make an observation on the viability of continuing the status quo. After some reflection, the voting body accepted the proposal to merge the three districts. Later, Ray Zook told Richard Burger that he tore up the resignation. Ray Zook became the first District Executive of the Northern Plains District.

The Church of the Brethren was founded and is continuing on the strength of the people and their dedication to God, the Bible, and the local congregation’s willingness to serve others. Part of the willingness to serve includes wisdom, listening to the Spirit, and courage to speak what God has laid on your heart. May it continue to be true for years to come.

One of the memorable events/changes in the late 60s was a conference decision to move District Conference to the Methodist Campground at Cedar Falls, Iowa. The size of the conference, need for overnight lodging, and meal needs were beyond what local churches could handle. Some distinct memories of the years at Methodist Campgrounds:

  • Leaving southern Iowa with only short-sleeved summer clothing and experiencing a dramatic change of temperature on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the conference was a mix of colorful blankets over shoulders as we attended the services.
  • Being elected to District Board, serving first on Witness then on Nurture Committees with mostly pastors.
  • One especially hot Saturday p.m. business session, Harold Mack was explaining a long, detailed budget. The Evangelism Committee appeared with cups of cold water for delegates; Harold sat down, and the Budget passed without more comment.
  • As District Moderator in 1980, I wrote to each of those who were to provide reports, strongly suggesting they keep the length of their report to 5 minutes. After some concern by those reporting, most were able to do it. The most memorable was the report by Paul Hoffman president of McPherson College who outlined 12 goals for students attending college in 5 minutes. For a few years, I could remember most of the goals.
  • Galen Snell was our guest speaker for 1980 with his text on Philippians 2. The Saturday evening service ended with a candlelight service as people circled the outer rim of the great hall holding candles as the only light. (We later learned candles were not allowed because the building construction was wooden.)
  • One of my greatest memories is taking Fairview Youth group to District Conference in late 60s and early 70s, renting one cabin for the boys and another for the girls. The youth were able to have planned and unplanned activities with other youth of the district as they had free rein to conference grounds. To their credit, they attended the worship services and planned youth activities without prompting. Cooking for 18-20 people was a challenge; I remember when one youth asked if we youth leaders could NOT have macaroni again! He had a point…but it was easy to cook and served so many!
  • In 1981, the Methodists decided to do some extensive remodeling to the conference accommodations, so District Conference moved to the college campus at Wartburg. There were some restrictions there which did not allow the freedom of worship we had experienced at the Methodist campground. Such is progress.

I also have memories of serving at Camp Pine Lake during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

  • Serving as Camp Pine Lake Counselor, first for Junior Campers in 1966 with John Smith as Dean. After overhearing a plot to steal the clapper out of the bell, John painted the clapper with green poster paint which remained wet in heavy dew. Later John walked to the boys cabins, asked for a show of hands and retrieved the clapper. Great disappointment for the perpetrators!
  • Many years as Camp Pine Lake Counselor with the last time at Youth Camp in 1989. I was called for an interview for a principal position. The greatest worry of the campers was that I would not return that evening to complete my week with them. That year, Gordon Hoffert allowed a beauty contest of male youth in women’s clothing. My red dress worn by one of the campers was stunning on him, and he won the vote for best dressed!

And I was blessed to work as Area Evangelism Counselor on the District Evangelism Committee with Jean Lichty Hendricks, Larry Little, and others, traveling to 23 churches over a 3 year period to encourage the churches with weekend workshops which included setting goals for future activities in the church.

The Northern Plains District has operated well during the last 55 years; dedicated people have served loyally, providing devotion and expertise to various boards and committees. The District has met budget, sometimes with extra prodding, and the work of the church has continued to fuel local fellowships toward greater efforts on the challenges of the times. May it always be so.

District News & Announcements – January 2016

District News & Announcements

January 2016

 “District News and Announcements” is a monthly e-newsletter for members and friends of the Church of the Brethren in the Northern Plains District.  District Leaders, Commissions, Committees, and those doing special ministries share information on programs and activities.  Local churches share news and invitations.  Send submissions by January 25th for inclusion in next month’s newsletter to Hannah Button-Harrison, Interim Director of Communications, communications@nplains.org.

In this issue

  1. Sending of the Seventy
  2. 2016 Prayer Calendars
  3. In Our Prayers…
  4. Message from the Moderator
  5. Did You Know…?
  6. RYC Reminder
  7. BDM Trip
  8. Heritage Tour
  9. New Financial Secretary Reminder
  10. Fairview Update
  11. Leadership Development Musings
  12. Do Black Lives Really Matter?
  13. Holiness in our Midst
Quick info

Calendar of Events | District Staff & Leadership Contacts | Documents & Resources

Banner photo: Toys collected for the Fairview Church of the Brethren Children’s Gift Program; photo by Diane Mason. Send in your photos for future newsletters! Emailcommunications@nplains.org.

 

Holiness in our midst: Session 40

Holiness in our Midst

SESSION XL: ON FIRST STEPS

What is your dream for the coming year? What is the first step toward realizing it?

In lieu of resolutions, I’ve challenged myself to name a dream and do the first step towards achieving it. New Year’s dream is to go back to graduate school and complete my Master’s Degree in English at Iowa State University. I plan to call my contacts there by Jan. 15. There it is, my dream in writing!

Dreams die for many reasons, not the least is failure to take the first step. Nevertheless, dreams are worth stating and working toward. Here are some helpful notes about what we may face along the way and some suggestions to aid in those dreams coming true:

 

  • Expect early roadblocks.
  • Deal head on with unrealistic expectations of yourself and others.  
  • Make it doable.
  • Team with others.
  • Pray to the One “who makes all things new.”

 

STORY CIRCLE PROMPT: What is your dream for the New Year? What is a first step (with a concrete deadline) you can take today toward making it come true?

FOR PERSONAL/JOURNAL REFLECTION:

  1. Read the above reflection.
  2. Write a journal reflection on dreams that have come true in your life. What is your latest dream? What is a first step?

FOR GROUP STUDY:

  1. Read aloud Session XL.
  2. Ask each person to answer the Story Circle Prompt.

[View Past Sessions Here]

Note: Holiness in Our Midst: Sharing Our Stories to Encourage and Heal is a monthly on-line feature created by Janis Pyle to facilitate sharing of our personal experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and spiritual practices with one another, especially through stories. Barriers are broken down when we begin to see all persons, even those with whom we disagree ideologically, as sacred and constantly attended to by a loving Creator. Each column is accompanied by a “story circle” prompt and study guides for personal and group reflection. To share your stories, contact Hannah Button-Harrison at communications@nplains.org. Janis Pyle can be reached at janispyle@yahoo.com.

Do Black Lives Really Matter?

By Carol Wise, Common Spirit COB

I live in Minnesota. My state is a land of beautiful contrasts; with iron rich hills and flat, fertile farmlands; lush summers and barren winters; dynamic metropolitans and isolated swaths of wilderness. It is also a land of harsh contrasts, particularly when it comes to measures of equality and well being between its white population and communities of color. Among all of the fifty states, Minnesota has some of the highest levels of disparities between white and black people, particularly in areas of education and criminal justice. According to 2013 statistics from the Council on Crime and Justice, in Minnesota:

  • A black person is 20x more likely to be stopped for a traffic offense than a white person.
  • Black youth comprise 7% of the population, yet are 40% of those youth held in juvenile detention. This contrasts with white youth who are 82% of the overall youth population and 38% of youth detained in juvenile detention.
  • Black adults, who represent 5.2% of the overall adult population, represent 37% of the Minnesota prison population. American Indians, with just 1.2% of the state adult population, comprise 9% of the prison population.
  • According to the US Department of Education, the achievement gap between white students and students of color is one of the highest in the nation.

Minnesota is a state where Black lives don’t seem to matter very much at all, a statement more of fact than opinion. This was brought violently home during another fatal police shooting of a black man, Jamar Clark, who was shot in the head on November 15.  A week later, a group of white supremacists shot five Black Lives Matter protestors in a disturbing display of planned hatred and domestic terrorism, although it was never labeled that way and has largely faded from our newspapers. Tellingly, no one seems particularly interested in how these young, white men were radicalized and what influences led them to pose with deadly firearms and then deliberately seek out trouble.

These racial divides in my state and across our nation are not simply a matter of troubling politics for me. Rather, they represent profound challenges to my deepest values of faith; calling into question any easy proclamations that I might make or hear about God’s love for all people or the inherent dignity of each and every one of us. The prophet Isaiah captures this state: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Is 59:14)

It is because of, and not in spite of, my faith that I, a white woman, have marched twice now with Black Lives Matter. I’ll confess that I have sometimes felt uneasy in those protests. This new brand of dissent seems harsher, more vocal and less accommodating than previous witnesses. The tools of social media have quickened the pace of information and also exposure. Videos are easy to access and can be used to enflame tensions over and over again. The goal is not to quietly persuade but to loudly disrupt. Anger is fierce and freely expressed. It makes me uncomfortable…and that is precisely the salient point. It is not about my comfort, but about the deep, fervent and encompassing pain that this anger is seeking to exorcise.

A colleague of mine is fond of quoting Paul Batalden: “Every system is exquisitely designed to produce the results it gets. If you want to change the results, you have to change the system.” I have been comfortable for too long with our system of racial inequality, and it has dulled my capacity to hear the prophetic call for justice.

With humility and hope, I offer this pledge for the coming year:

  • To listen intently to the voices of Black Lives Matter and to trust their experience.
  • To participate in marches and protests as I am able.
  • To deepen my understanding of the dynamics of white privilege and challenge situations where I see white privilege practiced.
  • To use the power of my vote and civic engagement to dismantle the practices and structures of racial bias and injustice within my state and country.
  • To continue to pray for the well being and peace of my communities and especially for those who are most impacted by systems of injustice and violence.
  • To financially support organizations that are working for racial justice and healing in my community.

As a church, we have responded mightily to the needs of our sisters and brothers in Nigeria who were, and continue to be, besieged by violence.  This has been a powerful statement about our faith values and also about our understanding of our shared humanity.

In that same spirit, what if we duplicated those same efforts for the sake of black lives here in this country? What if we initiated a formal partnership, inviting Black Lives Matter leaders to address us at Annual Conference, opening our churches for meetings, raising funds for the work, and committing ourselves to prayer, support and active engagement? What if we took seriously the violence and discrimination that is daily directed at black lives? What if we demanded that our pastors, our leaders, and each of us were accountable to myriad of resolutions and Annual Conference Statements about race and equality that we have made over the years? What if our church, the Church of the Brethren, was truly committed to embodying the truth about the value and dignity of black lives?  I cannot help but believe that we would be a transformed people and a transformed church.

In this season of incarnation, I am grateful to the Black Lives Matter movement for speaking the truth that invites uprightness back into the public square. And I pray that I might have the courage to faithfully respond to this prophetic call.

Leadership Development Musings: January 2016

As I was studying and researching for the sermon for today Christmas 1, Luke 2:41-51, the story of Jesus in the temple at age 12, I found the following thoughts written by Rev. Dwight Moody CBF and I thought they fit some of the thoughts Laura and I have about Leadership Development.  They also mirror what some have told us they experienced as they felt the call to ministry.  I pray they speak to you and give you pause as you encounter those with gifts and talents in you congregations, your clusters, the wider district.

“God speaks to the soul, at age 13 and at age 63 at any age. God stirs us to do something, go somewhere, serve somebody, preach news to people for whom it is good and glorious and God-sent.

What do you say when a teenager confides to you, “I want to be a preacher”?

There was a time when the minister was held in high esteem. They were one of the few educated persons in the community: the teacher, the doctor, the lawyer/judge, the minister; these were the professions.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph thought this way about Jesus. The rabbi, then and now, is a position of high honor is Judaism. It has retained more of its social clout than the Christian minister or priest. Did Mary and Joseph envision Jesus as one of the esteemed rabbis of Galilee, perhaps a leader of the party of the Pharisees, perhaps even making it all the way to the temple hierarchy, exercising influence over the political and cultural life of the Jewish people?

Who knows?

But times have changed for us. Other professions have surpassed the preacher: educator, scientist, journalist, programmer, film director, professional athlete, entrepreneur. The minister is more a missionary in his home country. They must fight public opinion as well as spiritual lethargy. Gospel work is not an easy life.

Mary and Joseph found Jesus at the center of religious life in Jerusalem–in the temple. He was listening, the text says, and then it says: they were astounded at his answers. Jesus both listened and spoke. He was a genius. He was brilliant. Even on a human level, he was destined for greatness.

Can Jesus be a role model for young people seeking their way in the world?

Can Jesus be an inspiration today for teenagers longing to hear the voice of God?

When we find young people, even 12-year-old kids, who are smart, talented, love Jesus and want to make a difference in the world, can we say to them: “Perhaps God wants you to be a preacher like Jesus.” Perhaps God is calling you like he called and anointed Jesus: An interpreter of the word of God, a teller of stories, a rebuker of the political and religious establishment, a caregiver of souls, a healer of diseases, a leader of people, one who stands and delivers a word for our time, who calls us all to abandon lives of selfish gain, who issues to us a challenge to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Not everybody knows at age 10 or 12 or 14 where the road ahead will lead. Not even Jesus knew all that we know now about his life, about his death and resurrection. But he was one man who went on his own way, followed his own sense of direction, and marched to the beat of his own drummer. He was full of the Holy Spirit, they said then, and we say now.

Young people today hear that ancient question, “Who will go for us?”

It speaks to them. It reaches into their souls. That question reorients their life, their loves, their longing.

And when they kneel before the almighty and everlasting God and say, “Here am I; send me,” let us go before them to prepare the way, let us stretch our hand above them and give them our blessing, let us kneel with them and pray that God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will protect and prosper them as they declare the unsearchable riches of the man who stayed behind in Jerusalem to pursue the calling that God had placed upon his life.”

Brothers and Sisters we pray that when you see the spark of gifts and calling for ministry in our midst we acknowledge them, pray with that person, encourage that person, recommend books, mentor them, listen to them!

Next month we will provide a list of young people who have already expressed the nudging of God on their hearts. Please continue to pray for those in leadership in our midst as we begin the 150th year of our Northern Plaines District.  Blessings, love, joy, and prayers to you all in the New Year, Sister Barbara

Message from the Moderator: January 2016

Our Story, Our Song: A Covenant with Our God

Throughout the Biblical Story, God repeatedly reminds the people to remember the Story. As God’s people, it is important for us to remember and tell God’s Story and to sing the songs of our faith—in good times and in bad times—so we don’t forget who we are and whose we are. When we forget who we are and whose we are, when we fail to remember and tell God’s Story and to sing the songs of our faith, we run the risk of allowing our identity and lives to be shaped by the prevailing stories of society.

So as we continue to move through this year, I invite you to join me in an ongoing exploration of the overarching Story of God and God’s people—a story that continues to unfold through us today. To provide structure for this journey of remembrance and reflection, I am drawing on God’s Story, Our Story: Getting Lost and Found in the Bible by Sean Gladding.

So grab your hymnal and your Bible and join me in exploring the Story that reminds us who we are, whose we are, and who we are called to be and become.

Sing: My Soul Proclaims with Wonder (Hymnal: A Worship Book, 181)

Read: Genesis 12-22

We pick up our story with Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah.  The sins of humanity led to catastrophic consequences: the disruption of relationship between God and humanity, between one human being and another, and between humanity and creation. Even the flood failed to change the hearts of humanity and restore right relationships.  But God wasn’t ready to give up. God’s faithfulness was, and is, unfailing. God simply adopted a new approach to work at restoration and reconciliation. God chose one family to partner with in the work of re-creation: the family of Abraham.

God’s relationship with Abram begins with a command:  “Go!” (Genesis 12:1) God calls Abram to leave his country, his relatives, and his father’s house (his source of blessing). But this command comes with a promise; God promises to replace what Abram is leaving behind with a new land, a new family, and a new blessing.

Abram responded, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t stumble along the way. Like us, he experienced doubt and fear. He asked questions of God. He put Sarai in harm’s way. He accepted Sarai’s offer that Abram conceive an heir with her servant Hagar, which ultimately led to pain and heartbreak for Sarah, for Hagar, for Ishmael, and for Abraham.  Abraham’s trust in God developed over many years.

Abram and Sarai had suffered from barrenness long before God promised to make Abraham’s descendents more numerous than the stars. Their vulnerability was only magnified as they continued to suffer from barrenness for thirteen long years after God and Abram entered into a covenantal relationship. At that point, God renewed the covenant with Abram and Sarai, gave them new names—symbolizing the blessing God had promised in addition to a new land and a new family—and made an additional promise “to be God to you and to your offspring” (Genesis 17:7b). God used their barrenness, their vulnerability to create new life: in the form of Isaac and in the form of a renewed commitment to restoration, reconciliation, and re-creation.

A Side Bar: Although the covenant was ultimately fulfilled in the birth of Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac, God also promised not to forget Ishmael and to make a great nation of him as well, saving him when he might have perished in the wilderness. Our Muslim brothers and sisters—whom God promised not to forget—are descendents of that great nation—a fact we are often prone to forget when we demonize all Muslims in the wake of terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists.

But back to our story…After the birth of Isaac, Abraham and Sarah were feeling blessed indeed. But then God challenged Abraham one last time, calling him to take his son, the son he loves and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountain. (Note: this is the first time the word love appears in Scripture.) When God called Abraham to leave his land, his family, his father’s house, God asked Abraham to give up his past. In calling Abraham to sacrifice his son, God asks Abraham to give up his future.  And this time offers no promises. Through Moses, God later asserts that we are first and foremost to “Love the Lord (our) God with all (our) heart, and with (all) our soul, and with all (our) might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Given the use of the word love in reference to Abraham’s relationship with Isaac, was this a test to see if Abraham genuinely loved God above all else, with heart, soul, and might?

Only after Abraham acts in obedience, does God stop him from sacrificing Isaac and reiterate the promises to bless Abraham and his descendents and to move forward with plans for reconciling the world through them.  Covenants by their very nature involve a commitment on the part of both parties. Throughout this story arc, God promises to bless Abraham and to continue the work of restoration, reconciliation, and re-creation. This last episode emphasizes Abraham’s responding commitment to partner with God in that work.

Throughout his life, God continued to call Abraham to greater and greater faithfulness—and God continues to call us to greater faithfulness: calling us to trust in God’s faithfulness, calling us to place our trust in one another in the context of community, calling us to partner in the sometimes difficult work of re-creation. Like Abraham, we will stumble along the way, but love for our God and trust in God’s love for us has the power to overcome our fear and doubt.

When have you experienced a sense of palpable barrenness and vulnerability and the accompanying fear and doubt? When have you experienced new life in the midst of barrenness, blessing in the midst of vulnerability? Do you strive for control over a life that is unpredictable and uncontrollable? Or do you surrender your life to our God who promises blessings and unfailing presence?

We are still a sent people. God doesn’t call us to huddle together in the safety and security of our homes and our church buildings. God calls us to go forth, to take up the cross and follow Christ, to carry the life-giving light of reconciliation to the world.  Who are the lost and the least, the suffering and the marginalized, the strangers and the seekers in your community that God is calling you to engage? (This is the focus for our new round of The Sending of the Seventy in the Northern Plains District.)  Abraham and Sarah responded to God’s command to “go”. Later they opened their home and welcomed strangers and in doing so, found themselves entertaining angels and receiving God’s blessing. What blessings have you received when you have responded to God’s command to “go”?

At the start of each new year, many people make New Year’s Resolutions.  As we continue to reflect on who we are, whose we are, and who we are called to be and become—as individuals, as members of the Northern Plains District and its congregations, as the people of God—may we remember and bear witness to God’s faithfulness as expressed in the song of Psalm 105, renewing our covenant with our God. To “go” and live faithfully as God’s children, holy and beloved, is the most important resolution any of us can make.

Sing: O God, Who Gives Us Life (Hymnal: A Worship Book, 483)

 

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

As we look ahead to the Big Meeting, August 5-7, 2016, when we will gather as brothers and sisters for the 150th time, celebrating a long history of continuous ministry in the upper Midwest, the District Conference Planning Committee wants to invite all of the congregations in the district to participate in a couple projects.

150 Random Acts of Kindness
In the months leading up to District Conference, we want to challenge the congregations in the district to collectively engage in 150 random acts of kindness—or to put it another way, 150 acts of ministry—within your surrounding communities. (Just to be clear, that’s a combined 150 acts as a district, not 150 acts by each congregation?) We are celebrating a significant milestone in our life together, but we don’t want to focus solely on the past. As God’s people we are part of a continuing story. What better way to celebrate that than to actually embody our identity as a “sent people” and to reach out in service to those in need. As you engage in your random acts of kindness, take pictures of your efforts.  Send your pictures to Hannah Button-Harrison communications@nplains.org for publication in the district newsletter and possibly on the website AND bring a copy of your pictures to District Conference for inclusion in a collage that will celebrate the ways we are still engaged in vital ministry in the upper Midwest.

Symbols of Your Ministry
The District Conference Planning Committee also wants to invite each congregation to bring something that represents your congregational story to District Conference. The Northern Plains District is comprised of its congregations; without the congregations there wouldn’t be a district. We are not sure if we will be using these items as part of the worship center or as part of a different display, but we know we want to create a visual representation of the congregations that make up our district. The possibilities are endless. The item you choose to bring might be an historical artifact, it might be a piece of art, it might be a symbol of a long-time and continuous ministry in which you are engaged, it might be a symbol of new vitality.  Hopefully the selection of the item won’t be a unilateral decision made by the pastor or a small committee, but a decision made by the congregation as you reflect together about your story and the ways your story intersects with God’s story.

Moderator Visits
Just a reminder, as a transplant to this district I now call home, I have a strong desire to visit as many congregations as possible between now and District Conference. During those visits, I want to talk about the importance of remembering and faithfully living into God’s Story—in word, song, and action—and I want to listen to the ways in which your own stories have intersected with God’s Story. To schedule a visit, please contact me at 612-239-6214 or rpgingrich@yahoo.com.

District News & Announcements – December 2015

In this issue

  1. New Director at Camp Pine Lake
  2. Brethren Disaster Ministries Trip
  3. Sending of the Seventy: Instructions for Churches
  4. Fundraising Update
  5. Message for Church Treasurers
  6. Moderator Updates
  7. In Our Prayers
  8. Regional Youth Conference
  9. Brethren Heritage Tour
  10. Holiness in our Midst: On Holiday Tradition
  11. Leadership Development Musings
  12. Advent Stories and Events

Banner photo: Brethren Disaster Ministries Trip, Nov. 15-21; photo by Matt Kuecker. Send in your photos for future newsletters! Email communications@nplains.org.

District News & Announcements – October 2015

In this issue

  1. Michael Himlie to Bike for Peace in 2016
  2. Circuit preacher tours SE Iowa Cluster
  3. Highlights from Sr. High Youth Lock-in
  4. Sending of the Seventy: The Needs of Our Neighbors?
  5. New Ministers of Leadership Development Announced
  6. Help Identify our Future District and Denominational Leadership
  7. Fall Board Meeting Roundup
  8. Moderator Update: Our Story, Our Song, Begins with Creation
  9. Holiness in Our Midst: On Seasons

Banner photo: Dedication of new picnic shelter at Prairie City CoB, Oct. 18; photo by Diane Gumm. Send in your photos for future newsletters! Email communications@nplains.org.

District News & Announcements – September 2015

In this issue

  1. District Conference 2016 theme: “This is our story. This is our song.”
  2. Celebrating Stover Memorial CoB’s 70th anniversary: Sat., Oct. 17, 3pm
  3. Haitian Brethren hold march in Port-au-Prince to mark Peace Day 2015
  4. Job openings at Camp Pine Lake & District
  5. Holiness in Our Midst: On Current Reads

District News & Announcements – August 2015

In this issue

  1. Come to “Song of the Pines” at Camp Pine Lake, Sat. Sept. 5th!
  2. Have you heard of the “Dunker Punks?”
  3. District Conference 2015 Wrap-Up
  4. 2015 Milestones in Ministry
  5. In Our Prayers
  6. Pray for Peace – Sept. 21
  7. Holiness in Our Midst: On Gardens
  8. Brethren Heritage Tour next summer!