Newsline: Brethren World Assembly planned for July 2013

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl 
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

>Brethren World Assembly planned for July 2013

(May 24, 2012) Elgin, IL --A Brethren World Assembly, consisting of 
constituents and friends of the Brethren groups descended from the German 
Anabaptist/Radical Pietist religious leader Alexander Mack in the early 1700s, 
will be held in the Dayton, Ohio, area Thursday-Sunday, July 11-14, 2013.

The meetings will be hosted by the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, 
Ohio, with evening worship services at Salem Church of the Brethren and 
Brookville Grace Brethren Church.

Utilizing the theme "Brethren Spirituality: How Brethren Conceive of and 
Practice the Spiritual Life," the program will include daily plenary addresses, 
workshops, and panel discussions on such topics as "Brethren Hymnody," 
"Separation from the World and Engagement with the World," "Brethren Devotional 
Literature and Poetry," and more. Friday and Saturday afternoon tours will be 
offered to historic Brethren sites in the proximity of Brookville and southern 
Ohio.

A planning committee for the event has been meeting regularly and is being led 
by Robert Alley, immediate past moderator of the Church of the Brethren. Other 
groups participating in the event include the Brethren Church, the Fellowship 
of Grace Brethren Churches, Conservative Grace Brethren Churches International, 
Dunkard Brethren Church, Old German Baptist Brethren Church, and Old German 
Baptist Brethren Church, New Conference.

The Brethren movement had its origin in Schwarzenau, Germany, in late summer of 
1708 when reformer Alexander Mack and seven others participated in believer's 
baptism in the Eder River. According to Alley, the purpose of the gathering is 
to provide an opportunity for all who value the Brethren heritage to join 
together in conversation around a common theme. He said, "We would seek to 
balance study and worship, to enhance dialogue among our Brethren bodies, and 
to acquaint Brethren with their historic roots. Hopefully, there will be 
international guests from some of our Brethren bodies."

Registration will open at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2013, and the assembly 
will conclude with Sunday worship services at congregations of the various 
Brethren groups. Further details regarding lodging, registration costs, and 
specific program details will be released as the event draws closer. Updates 
will be available through www.brethrenencyclopedia.org and through the Brethren 
Heritage Center at www.brethrenheritagecenter.org .

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing 
the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, 
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org