Newsletter

General Conference for the Brethren Church will be held July 18-22 at Ashland University. More information will be coming soon on our website and in the next issue of The Evangelist. Hotel information will be available soon. Be sure to plan to bring your leadership board to General Conference this year, so your team can experience a week of training together!

Interested in becoming a certified coach, or sharpening your coaching focus? CoachNet is offering Standard Certification, Specialized and Advanced Coach training at Ashland Theological Seminary the week of May 14-18. You can also earn CEU's for this training! Visit the CoachNet website (https://bridge.coachnet.org/v.4/module/Store) for more details on all 3 tracks. Then make sure you check with Gary at the National Office to take advantage of our significant "Partnership" discount.

Thanks to all our current trained and certified coaches for using what you have learned as you serve others in this important kind of intentional relationship! CoachNet will soon be offering some specialized training and new tools for coaching Church Planters and Teams. We will soon need several of you to serve in those areas of focus, along with Leadership Effectiveness. Email gary@brethrenchurch.org to let him know which area of interest you would like to pursue.

Congregations connecting with an Intentional Interim process: Milford (IN), Pleasant View (PA), Masontown (PA), College Corner (IN), St. James (MD)

Congregations elsewhere in the Transition journey: Hammond Ave. (IA), New Paris (IN), Burlington (IN), Warsaw (IN), Elkhart First (IN), Roanoke (IN)

Please pray for Pastor Billy and Norene Hesketh now that their ministry has concluded at Milford. Pray also for Pastor Kurt Snyder as he concludes his ministry duties at Roanoke, and all these congregations as they discern their next steps.

Are YOU a Pastor in Transition?
If you are in a season of personal ministry transition, let's talk about how the MOBILIZE team might be able to help you prepare for your next ministry context through adding some new tools to your toolbox, or sharpening those tools and skills you already have. Call Gary at 877-289-1708 for more details.

A group called IPM (www.interimpastors.com) is hosting an orientation/training event April 12-13 near Chicago, IL for anyone considering Intentional Interim ministry. Several Brethren leaders are already signed up, but there is room for you to attend. If you are ready to explore this type of specialized and increasingly important ministry, contact Gary for more details.

Last year, in addition to the annual Statistical Report that each church completed, an additional survey regarding Brethren Pastor’s Survey’s was conducted in an effort to gain a greater understanding on current levels of pastor support. To view a brief summary of the survey - CLICK HERE.

Mark your calendar now to attend Catalyst with us!

This amazing event takes place October 3-5, in Atlanta, GA. We have reserved 25 tickets so that we can experience Catalyst together as a group. Begin now to discuss with your leadership board and plan to bring 1 or 2 people with you. The experience is even greater with your leaders present.  But remember to contact us as soon as possible before the tickets are gone! Ticket prices are $159/person.  

Please contact Gary or Paula that you are intersted in attending with us. 

More information about Catalyst can be found at www.catalystconference.com. 

PEACE POLES
Brethren Peace Initiative

I received some good news about a month ago – Ashland University has “planted” a nice aluminum PEACE POLE on the lawn outside Memorial Chapel on the campus!
Under the leadership of President Fred Finks, and with the approval of the President’s Cabinet, the Peace Pole displays the words, May Peace Prevail on Earth, in 8 languages:
ENGLISH - ARABIC - SPANISH - SWAHILI - CHINESE - HEBREW - JAPANESE - KOREAN.
We hope to have further information about that project in the future.

All Peace Poles announce the same message – May Peace Prevail on Earth. But it can be announced in 4 to 8 of the over 200 languages to choose from. For all the details, prices, pictures, sample dedication service, and more, contact:
Peace Pole Makers  www.peacepoles.com 
7221 S. Wheeler Road  
Maple City, MI 49664
(231) 326-4567

We have had a wooden Peace Pole in our front yard for several years ..... as is true of the church where we worship every Sunday. Our languages are English, Korean, Spanish, Hebrew.
What languages will you choose to proclaim the message of peace where you live?
Phil Lersch — BPI Leadership Team

(Read the March 5, 2012 Brethren Peace Initiative Newsletter in its entirety HERE.)

We are working hard to always maintain good communication with each church. One of the ways we are working to improve how we serve you is by increasing our visibility on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google ). We recently added links for each of these sites to our homepage. If you haven't started following us on Twitter or found us on Facebook, please take a moment to do that. We'd love your feedback as we work to improve the communication between our office and the churches.

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