So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
-- 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NKJV
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Search Committee for New DEM Announced | |
The following persons have been called to serve on the Search Committee for a new District Executive Minister: Kenneth Cup, Lebanon, Bev Funkhouser, Round Hill, Deb Horst, Wakemans Grove, Terry Houff, Bridgewater, Daniel House, District Leadership Team representative, Terry Jewell, Knight’s Chapel, Josh Merritt, Sugar Grove, Amanda Orndorff, Sunrise, and Wayne Pence, Mountain View. They will be assisted and resourced in their work by Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, director of the Church of the Brethren Ministry Office.
Current District Executive Minister John Jantzi announced his retirement date of March 1, 2025, earlier this year. The search team will begin meeting this month. District Leadership Team Chair Kevin Daggett encourages District members to “Share with them your gratitude for their willingness to give their time and energy for this important work and let us together pray for them as they take up and carry out this responsibility.”
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Brethren Woods Staffing Changes and Opportunities | |
Betty Taylor and Megan Babcock
(Photo courtesy of L. Alley)
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Pieter Tramper
(Photo courtesy of L. Alley)
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A release from Brethren Woods Director Linetta Alley yesterday announced, “After 27 years, Betty Taylor has announced that she will be retiring from her role as Administrative Assistant. Her last day in that role will be August 23, 2024.” Alley continued by noting that “Brethren Woods has been blessed by Betty’s presence and work from her part-time beginning in 1997 and then her transition to full-time work in the early 2000s. She is often the first contact that people have with camp.” Alley praised the work of Taylor, writing that each person “she interacts with is greeted ... with the warmth, hospitality, friendship, and love that Betty embodies.”
Highlighting Taylor's accomplishments, Betty has patiently persisted in moving camp forward from paper to computer to online registration, rental reservations, staffing, and donations. She has added many ‘hats’ over the years and now juggles roles like receptionist, registrar, financial secretary, reservationist, host, secretary, proof-reader, and many more! While we all knew it would have to happen eventually, we will surely miss having Betty with us on a daily basis in the camp office.” Alley invited people to send her an email at camp@brethrenwoods.org, give her a call at 540-269-2741, stop by, or send a card to 4896 Armentrout Path, Keezletown, Virginia 22832, to express your appreciation for her many years of faithful service to Christ and the church through the ministry at Brethren Woods.
As Taylor prepares for retirement, Brethren Woods welcomes Megan Babcock as the new office manager. Alley wrote that Babcock has a history at Brethren Woods as a camper, a junior staff member, a summer staff member and a summer intern on the leadership team. Babcock has a degree in outdoor recreation management and is preparing to enroll in a master's degree in executive leadership online. She is currently working with Taylor to ensure a smooth transition.
Another transition will begin this fall when Program Coordinator Pieter Tramper steps down. Tramper has served six years as a full-time staff member at Brethren Woods. Alley wrote that he was initially a 2012 international summer camp staff member and remarked that he “had blessed thousands of summer campers, outdoor school students, and adventure participants with his deep faith commitment, expansive skill set, and good-natured humor. His social media and technology skills have shared camp’s message far and wide!”
Brethren Woods is advertising for a program director. The position is full-time, year-round, with a salary based on an average of 40 hours per week, including occasional evenings and weekends for programs and events. Benefits include a salary based on experience and within the context of our non-profit environment, camp-provided housing and utilities, paid vacation and sick leave, a generous holiday schedule, a pension plan and professional growth funds. Information about applying may be found here.
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423 Buckets; 169 Boxes for Church World Service | |
The Church World Service truck came to the Kit Depot on June 19 to transport donated clean-up buckets, school and hygiene kits and other donated supplies. District Disaster Ministries Coordinator Jerry Ruff said 473 buckets and 169 boxes, including over 1,000 school and hygiene kits, were loaded on the truck by volunteers to send to Church World Service. There, they will be distributed to disaster areas when needs arise. | |
District Conference to be Hosted in New Locations | |
Director of District Conference and Youth Services Rebecca House recently noted that information for the 2024 Shenandoah District Conference will be publicized soon. This year, the event will take place on November 1-2 at two new locations. Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren (91 Valley Church Road, Weyers Cave) will host the Friday events, and First Church Harrisonburg (315 South Dogwood Drive, Harrisonburg) will host Saturday's sessions. | |
How to Donate to the Auction to Disaster Ministry | |
All proceeds of the Disaster Ministry Auction and Sale will provide resources to respond with Brethren Disaster Ministries to devastated areas and assist with critical home repairs locally. Online donations may be made to either the auction or Brethren Disaster Ministries on the district webpage at www.shencob.org. Click the blue donate button at the top right of the landing page and choose how to direct the funds. Checks may be mailed to the Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren, P. O. Box 67, Weyers Cave, Virginia, 24486. Be sure to indicate in the memo line whether funds are intended for the auction, local ministry, or the national Brethren Disaster Ministries. Financial donations will be processed through August 31. | |
Helping the Auction in Other Practical Ways: | |
The Shenandoah District Disaster Auction Coordinating Committee is accepting new members for 2025. Volunteers typically meet 7-8 times annually to plan the annual auction and sale. Next year's event will be held at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg on May 16-17. For more information about volunteering, contact the District Office at 540-234-8555. | |
On June 9, Pleasant Valley issued a call to Harry Jarrett to serve as full-time pastor. | |
Planning for the 2025 Coin Auction | |
The Disaster Ministries Coin Auction coordinator, Henry Hawkins, announces that planning for 2025 is underway. Hawkins requested, “If coins are to be included in a future auction, please contact me no later than December 31 to discuss potential coins or currency for donation.” Hawkins may be reached via email at hawkinshe@comcast.net. | |
“Worship in the Woods” will be held this summer at the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center! BMHC will host vespers services each Sunday at 7 p.m. through August 11 in its beautiful outdoor, wooded amphitheater. For more information and to see the schedule of speakers and musicians, visit https://brethrenmennoniteheritage.org/events-calendar.
Aug. 3: Ethics training for pastors at Montezuma (4937 Ottobine Road, Dayton), 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
On the horizon:
Sept. 12-13: The Forum for Brethren Studies at Bridgewater College will sponsor a symposium, “Perspectives on the Twenty-First Century: Challenges for the Church of the Brethren,” at Bridgewater College on September 12 and 13. Click here to read the full description.
Nov. 1-2: District Conference. Note that the location changes this year to Pleasant Valley (91 Valley Church Road, Weyers Cave) and First Church of the Brethren (315 South Dogwood Drive), Harrisonburg.
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Annual Conference Highlights | |
This year's Annual Conference concluded Sunday, July 7, with a worship service in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Church of the Brethren Newsline announced the following final registration numbers for the conference: 410 delegates and 1,040 nondelegates (including 45 virtual), for a total of 1,450. Attendance at Sunday morning worship was 600 for in-person participation. The business sessions and daily worship services welcomed online attendance via Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube, and English and Spanish streams. Those numbers are detailed here.
The Sunday morning worship offering was received for the Church of the Brethren Core Ministries, focusing on Global Mission, totaling $5,590.92. The amount for Sunday’s online gifts was $1,180 at the time of publication. The Friday worship offering received online for the Church of the Brethren’s Core Ministries was $1,460. The worship offering for the Annual Conference programming for children and youth was $5,731.35, and the online offering totaled $850.
This year was the final year for the Annual Conference Quilt Auction, which has been sponsored by the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren. It raised $8,200 for hunger relief through the Global Food Initiative.
The Silent Auction raised $10,375 for the Annual Conference translation and interpretation expenses and the general operating budget.
The offering received through the Witness to the Host City initiative totaled $15,418.24. Two organizations were selected in advance for the offering: Kids’ Food Basket and Sleep in Heavenly Peace. In addition, a Bed-Building opportunity resulted in 30 beds being built for needy children. The third—to fifth-grade children’s group at the Annual Conference delivered 103 blankets to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids on Friday.
The Annual Conference blood drive featured onsite and offsite donation opportunities. A Church of the Brethren Newsline article said the onsite blood drive collected 121 units of blood over two days. The Virtual Blood Drive reported 12 whole blood units, including 1 double red, plus five donations of platelets.
In this year's election, delegates selected Don Fitzkee of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Church of the Brethren, in the Atlantic Northeast District, as the moderator-elect. He will preside over the 2026 Annual Conference as moderator. Others elected include:
- Laura Sellers of Happy Corner Church of the Brethren in Clayton, Ohio, Southern Ohio and Kentucky District for the Program and Arrangements Committee.
- Colby Patton of Wichita, Kansas, First Church of the Brethren, Western Plains District, and Erik Brummett of Live Oak, California, Church of the Brethren, Pacific Southwest District for the Mission and Ministry Board, Areas 4 and 5, respectively.
- David McFadden of Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Indiana, South Central Indiana District, for Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees representing the colleges.
- Jennie L Waering of Roanoke, Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Virginia, Virlina District for On Earth Peace.
Read more about the election results here.
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Continuing the Work of Jesus.
Simply. Peacefully. Together.
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Shenandoah District Staff Office Hours | |
District Executive Minister John Jantzi, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday Friday
Director Brethren Woods Linetta Alley, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday - Friday
Director of Communications Brenda Diehl, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Wednesday
and 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Thursday: Onsite second Tuesdays and fourth Wednesdays
Financial Secretary/Bookkeeper Cerise Haas, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday
Director of Finances Gary Higgs, 2-5 p.m., Wednesday
Director of District Conference and Youth Services Rebecca House, 1-4 p.m., Wednesday
Office Assistant Anita Landes, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Tuesday
Office Assistant Sarah Long, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday
Disaster Ministries: Contact Jerry Ruff or Galen Halterman
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You are welcome to call the office anytime.
Someone will assist you when the responsible staff member is not present.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Email header by B. Diehl in Canva
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