News Notes

District News Notes, October 30, 2025

*Please forward this to those on your mailing list. Thank you. 

GOSHEN CITY

Sweet Pea Three to Perform at Goshen City Church

Goshen City Church invites the community to enjoy an evening of live music with Sweet Pea Three on Friday, November 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The acoustic trio blends folk and Americana harmonies with touches of jazz and bluegrass—offering a mix of old favorites and new tunes.

Guests can enjoy a casual supper of sloppy joes, hot dogs, chips, and drinks while taking in the performance. The event will be held at Goshen City Church, 203 N. 5th Street. All are welcome to attend.

CREEKSIDE

Holiday Cookie-Candy Walk

Saturday, December 6, 2025

8:00-11:30am

Creekside Church of the Brethren

60455 County Road 113 

Elkhart, Indiana 46517

574-875-7800

PLEASANT CHAPEL

November 1st: We would love to have you join us at Pleasant Chapel's semi-annual Waffle- Bacon Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 

1993 County Road 8, Ashley, IN 46705. We also have a variety of toppings for the waffles + juice, milk, coffee, & wonderful fellowship! 

Freewill donations are gratefully accepted.

NIDCOB WOMEN'S FALL RETREAT 2025

Agape Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne will be hosting the retreat on November 8, 2025, from 9-3.  Carol Carpenter from Pendleton is our speaker and her topic is "Hope that Thrives" as she shares in story and song.  

The cost for the day is only $15 which covers a light breakfast and catered lunch.  Registration information has been sent to most congregations by email, but if needed the fliers and registrations can be mailed. 

Contact Becky Morris beckyteaches232@yahoo.com, call or text 260-760-7036 with questions or more information.  We hope you plan to join us for a day of encouragement, visiting with friends (old and new), and focusing on hope in our world.  

National Youth Conference 2026

National Youth Conference 2026 will take place July 18-23, 2026, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The theme for NYC 2026 is “Light Within Us,” based on Matthew 5:14-16. Youth who have finished 9th grade through their first year of college (or age equivalent) are invited to attend with adult advisors. This will be a week full of fellowship, worship, service projects, recreation, and so much more!

Registration opens January 5, 2026, visit www.brethren.org/nyc for more information. The cost of NYC is $625 for early bird registration, $650 for regular registration, and $675 for late registration.

If you have any questions, reach out to Rachel Johnson (rjohnson@brethren.org).

2026 Pastoral Compensation Resources Now Available

The 2026 Pastoral Compensation Guidelines and Tools are now available through the CoB Office of Ministry website at: https://www.brethren.org/ministryoffice/compensation/

All congregations are encouraged to review these documents on a yearly basis as they prepare the annual budgets.

Ventures Courses Now Available

Registration is now live for the Ventures in Christian Discipleship 2025-2026 webinar series. All courses are previewed below, and additional information is attached for the fall courses. We hope you will share widely with your district churches, lay leaders and pastors. CEUs are available. All are welcome!

·         November 8: “Making Sense of God’s Violent Behavior in the Old Testament,” presented by Eric Seibert

·         January 20 & 27: “Building Bridges Between Brethren through Compassionate Listening: Let Thy Kingdom Come!” presented by Barbara Daté, Joe Vecchio, & Harriet Koscho

·         February 21: “The Ecology of Vitality: Mutuality in Pastoral and Congregational Well-Being,” presented by John Fillmore

·         March 28: “God’s Earth, Our Home: Engaging Creation Care through Faith,” presented by David Radcliff

Participants can learn more and register online at www.mcpherson.edu/ventures . Please be in touch if you have any questions.

OEP: Gun Violence Prevention Ambassador Gathering

Join the national Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Action Team and On Earth Peace staff on Friday, November 1, from 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST for a dedicated GVP Ambassador Gathering. This is a vital opportunity for GVP Congregational Ambassadors at every stage. Whether you are actively engaged in your community, newly appointed, or simply exploring the role come to connect with peers across the country.

Come share your experiences, discuss the support you need to begin or sustain your vital work, and help strengthen our collective effort to prevent gun violence.

RSVP Here

FaithX for 50+

This February, FaithX is hosting a special service trip for adults ages 50+ at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, FL – and you are invited to join! See below for more information. Registration is open now and will close on February 1, 2026 – https://www.brethren.org/faithx/older-adult/ If you have questions, feel free to contact them by email (faithx@brethren.org) or phone (847-429-4337).

BRETHREN DISASTER MINISTRIES

Once again we have received an appeal for help!  No surprise there!!  There is an urgent need for help October 12- 18.  Yes, that’s pretty soon – going to Johnson County, TN.  The S. Ohio/KY group is seeking persons to fulfill their 15 member commitment to this project. Transportation from Dayton area provided. Norm Waggy - our District BDM Rep – has committed to half a crew (7 persons)  from N. IN to work the week of Feb 15-21.  Can you make this work?  I can guarantee you it is an experience you will not forget.  And, really, how full is your calendar in February . . . . 

2025 New Community Project Learning Tours

David Radcliff, New Community Project dradcliffncp@yahoo.com Go. Meet. Learn. Grow. Change yourself – and your world. These trips will take participants of all ages to: Borneo in mid-May (orangutans & sun bears, tropical forests, mangrove restoration); the Ecuadorian Amazon in early June (amazing wildlife, inspiring native leaders, threats from palm oil and oil drilling);Lybrook, NM in late June (native Dineh craftspeople and traditional healers, work projects, Chaco Culture historical ruins, impacts of fracking); Denali/Kenai Fjords National Parks in early August (big mountains, big critters, climate impacts, seacoast experience); Nepal in mid-January, 2026 (human trafficking, Himalaya, a wildlife park, NCP support of girls and women). For more information: www.newcommunityproject.info/learning-tour

2026 L.E.A.D. Conference: Leadership matters!

Learning more about leading well can only help pastors and congregations. The Church of the Brethren LEAD Conference will encourage, inspire, and equip you and your congregation’s leaders to further develop your ministry’s effectiveness and earn CEU credit. Join us for powerful times of worship, in-depth keynote messages, and practical breakout sessions taught by practitioners who are eager to share lessons they’ve learned that you can adapt and implement in your own ministry context.

This will be a leadership development conference for congregational leaders such as pastors and church board members. The focus will be on raising the leadership skills of congregational leaders to help them be more effective in their local ministries. The event will be a mix of plenary and break-out sessions.

Dates: May 1-3, 2026

Location: Ephrata Church of the Brethren, Ephrata, PA

For more information please see the official website here: https://www.brethren.org/dlf/lead-conference/

Children’s Disaster Services

Learn how to bring comfort and care to children following disasters

By Michael Scalzi

Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is very excited to have new volunteer trainings scheduled for the Spring of 2026 in addition to the Fall of 2025. Join a CDS volunteer training and learn how to bring comfort and care to children following disasters.

The CDS training program is a 25-hour training that equips volunteers with the skills needed to understand and respond to children who have encountered both human-caused and natural disasters. Learn more and register for a training at www.brethren.org/cds or call 410-635-8735.

For training dates and locations go to www.brethren.org/news/2025/learn-how-to-bring-comfort