Newsline: Haiti theological training to focus on church's foundation in Christ

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

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

Haiti theological training to focus on church's foundation in Christ

(Aug. 10, 2012) Elgin, IL --   The sixth annual theological training semina r 
of L'Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) wil l 
take place Aug. 13-16 and will conclude with a day of church business on  Aug. 
17.

A final worship service will include the licensing of 19 new ministers.

A key text from 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 will form the theme for the week, "Th e 
Church's Foundation Is Christ." Participants will focus on the pre-eminen ce of 
Christ as a person for the Church of the Brethren, particularly repre sented in 
the church's understanding of Jesus as the Prince of Peace.

The training will review related Church of the Brethren concepts, such as t he 
idea that as followers of Jesus the Church of the Brethren is a living p eace 
church, and the Brethren peace position as evidenced in its church pol ity. The 
Haitian Brethren will consider as well the belief that there shoul d be no 
force in religion.

Other aspects of church life that will be presented include the structure o f 
an annual gathering of delegates to determine the church's life together  as a 
body and questions such as, What is a delegate? How are delegates dete rmined? 
What constitutes a church? These are just a few of the church-forma tion issues 
the theological training seminar aims to address.

Approximately 75 leaders in the Haitian congregations are expected to atten d, 
representing the 24 churches and preaching points in the denomination. L 
eadership will include Annual Conference moderator Robert Krouse, mission a nd 
service executive Jay Wittmeyer, Ludovic St. Fleur who pastors two Miami  
(Fla.) congregations, and Dominican pastors Isaias Santo Teña and Pedro  
Sanchez.

This annual seminar is intended to become the annual conference of L'Eglise  
des Freres Haitiens. This year's theme will reinforce that goal and give a  
framework to lead in this direction.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing 
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 t 
raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the Unit ed 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria,  
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

(Anna Emrick, coordinator of the Global Mission and Service Office of the C 
hurch of the Brethren, provided this report.)

># # #

>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