wfn.org | Newsline: 300th Anniversary conference of two Brethren denominations

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RICHMOND HOSTS 300th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN  AND THE BRETHREN CHURCH

May 16, 2008 (Elgin, Ill.) -- A special conference celebrating the 300th  Anniversary of the Church of the Brethren and of the Brethren Church will  be held as a joint meeting between the two denominations in Richmond, Va.,  on July 12-16. The theme for the Conference is "Surrendered to God--Transfo rmed in Christ--Empowered by the Spirit" (John 12:24-26a).

This will mark a historic occasion as the first joint annual  meeting of the two Brethren denominations since a schism of the Brethren  movement in the late 1800s. It also will be the Church of the Brethren's  222nd recorded Annual Conference. The event is expected to bring up to  7,000 people to Richmond.

The Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church both stem from  the Brethren movement that began in 1708 in the village of Schwarzenau,  Germany, where the eight founders of the movement were first baptized in  the Eder River.

Richmond will welcome Brethren from across the US and Puerto Rico,  as well as international guests and members of Brethren denominations  outside the US. Participants will include individual church members and  families, pastors and delegates from congregations and church districts,  and denominational officers and staff. People of all ages will attend,  and special activities for children, youth, and young adults will be offered  along with the main events.

The Conference will convene at the Greater Richmond Convention  Center, with worship services and business sessions at the Richmond  Coliseum. Some events will be at the Richmond Marriott.

A "Service Blitz"--two days of service projects in a variety of  locations around Richmond--is planned for July 12 and 14, and a Food Drive  also will be held to benefit the Central Virginia Food Bank. Organizers  hope several hundred church members will participate in the food drive and  part or all of the two days of service work as a way to "shower the  Richmond community with loving acts of service," in the words of the 300th  Anniversary Committee.

Other highlights will be:

	-- Opening worship beginning at 6:15 p.m. on July 12, followed by  an 8 p.m. worship concert by the National Christian Choir.

-- A major Sunday morning worship event beginning at 9:30 a.m. on  July 13, marking a high point as the two bodies--the Church of the  Brethren and the Brethren Church--join together officially in worship for  the first time since the late 1880s.

-- Arrival the morning of July 13 of the John Kline Riders, a  horseback riding group that commemorates the life of John Kline, a  Brethren peacemaker and martyr of the Civil War era.

-- An afternoon of "Jubilee Events" on July 13 focused on Brethren  history and heritage.

-- A "Global Celebration" of Brethren in mission around the world,  at 7 p.m. on July 13.

-- A concert on July 14 at 8 p.m. with Christian musician Ken  Medema.

The Conference also includes separate business meetings of the  Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church, as well as worship  services for each denomination. Church of the Brethren business meetings  will be led by James Beckwith, pastor of Annville (Pa.) Church of the  Brethren, who is serving as moderator of the Annual Conference.

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. It  is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith  traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It counts  almost 130,000 members and 1,000 congregations across the United States  and Puerto Rico, and also has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, the  Dominican Republic, Brazil, Haiti, India.

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CONTACT

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, Director of News Services		Lerry  Fogle, Executive Director
Church of the Brethren General Board				Church of  the Brethren Annual Conference
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800-323-8039 ext. 260						800-688-518 6
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