Young Adult Conference - May 23-25, 2014

May 23-25, 2014
Camp Brethren Woods
near Keezletown, VA
$125 • Young adults 18 - 35

Would you like to get connected to the young adult community in the Church of the Brethren? Plan to attend Young Adult Conference next May. This three day event typically takes place at a Brethren camp and is full of worship, fun, and fellowship. Come to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones! We’ll explore God’s word and learn about what it means to be a young adult in the Church of the Brethren.

Register now at www.brethren.org/yac

Come for: 

Worship • Bible Study
Community Groups • Workshops
Recreation • Fellowship

Speakers include: Emily Shonk Edwards, Joel Gibbel, Kelsey Murray, and Marcus Harden. Worship coordinators are Eric Landrum and Bethany Clark. The music coordinator is Jessica Strawderman.

BVS scholarships and local church scholarships available by request. Contact Becky Ullom Naugle at bullomnaugle@brethren.org.

McPherson Regional Youth Conference - March 28-30

The Church of the Brethren Regional Youth Conference hosted by McPherson (Kan.) College is March 28-30 on the theme “Called by God: Preparing for the Journey Together.” Guest speakers and musicians will be Jacob and Jerry Crouse. Online registration and schedule can be found at www.mcpherson.edu/ryc. Registration deadline is March 24.

Source: 2/25/2014 Newsline

Bridgewater Youth Roundtable - March 21-23

Youth Roundtable, a regional youth conference hosted by Bridgewater (Va.) College, will be March 21-23. The event includes workshops, small groups, songs, open mic night, and worship. The speaker will be Eric Landram, a Bridgewater College alumnus and member of Staunton (Va.) Church of the Brethren who is now attending Bethany Theological Seminary. Go to http://iycroundtable.wix.com/iycbc for updates and to register online. Cost is approximately $50.

Source: 2/25/2014 Newsline

Young adults to study Jeremiah 29:11 at YAC

The Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference (YAC) will be held May 23-25 at Camp Brethren Woods near Keezletown, Va. With the words from Jeremiah 29:11 as a focus, participants will address the theme “Coming Home: For I Know the Plans I Have for You.”

Speakers include Emily Shonk Edwards, Joel Gibbel, Kelsey Murray, and Marcus Harden. Music and worship leadership will be by Jessica Strawderman, Eric Landram, and Bethany Clark. The cost for the weekend (food, lodging, and programming) is $125. Scholarships are available from local churches and for those currently serving in Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS).

Registration is open online at www.brethren.org/yac. For more information or to request scholarship assistance, contact Becky Ullom Naugle in the Youth/Young Adult office at bullomnaugle@brethren.org.

Source: 2/15/2014 Newsline

National Youth Conference

• Hashtag NYC! The National Youth Conference coordinators have posted a fun video overview of the upcoming youth conference via hashtags. NYC takes place in Colorado in July, find out more at www.brethren.org/yya/nyc/.
  
  

• In another note from the NYC office, this weekend is the last chance to send in entries to the National Youth Conference youth speech and music contests. Submit entries at www.brethren.org/yya/nyc/forms.html . Entries are due by Sunday, Feb. 16.

Source: 2/15/2014 Newsline

Registration for upcoming events at Bethany Theological Seminary

Registration deadlines for upcoming events at Bethany Theological Seminary have been announced, including the deadline for the early registration discount for the Presidential Forum on April 4-5 at the campus in Richmond, Ind.; and closing of online registration for the junior high event Immerse! on June 12-17 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College and Explore Your Call (EYC) for senior highs in advance of National Youth Conference on July 15-19. Junior high youth having completed 7th, 8th, or 9th grades have one more month to register for Immerse!, the seminary’s junior high Bible immersion and Brethren history program; online registration closes March 14. Go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/immerse. The EYC online application deadline is March 31; go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/eyc. EYC will be held July 15-19 at Colorado State University immediately preceding National Youth Conference. Rising juniors and seniors in high school may attend this free, grant-funded discernment program. For more information about Immerse! or EYC contact Bekah Houff, coordinator of outreach programs, at houffre@bethanyseminary.edu or 765-983-1809. Those who wish to receive a discount rate for the Presidential Forum have until midnight Feb. 15 to register (registration at the regular rate will remain open). The forum on “Living Love Feast” will be April 4-5 on the Bethany campus. For information and to register, go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/forum2014.

Source: 2/15/2014 Newsline

NYC offers intercultural scholarships to 100 youth and advisors.

By Tim Heishman

The National Youth Conference (NYC) Office awarded about 100 intercultural scholarships last week to youth and advisors from around the denomination. NYC has offered scholarships for many years to congregations that have a membership that is majority intercultural.

Scholarships were awarded to youth and advisors from 12 churches in 5 districts:

• Atlantic Northeast District--Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren
• Atlantic Southeast District--Castañer (P.R.) Iglesia de los Hermanos, Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren, and Eglise des Frere, a Haitian Brethren congregation in Miami
• Illinois and Wisconsin District--Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren and Rockford (Ill.) Community Church of the Brethren
• Pacific Southwest District--Glendale (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, Empire Church of the Brethren in Modesto, Calif., Iglesia de Cristo Sion in Pomona, Calif., and Principe de Paz in Santa Ana, Calif.
• Virlina District--the Renacer congregations in Roanoke and in Floyd County, Va.

Applications for intercultural scholarships are still being accepted. They are considered on a case-by-case basis, and awarded based on need. Youth groups attending by scholarship plan to fundraise and coordinate with other groups traveling from their district to minimize travel costs. For inquiries related to NYC intercultural scholarships, please contact the NYC office at 847-429-4323 or cobyouth@brethren.org.

National Youth Conference is the largest gathering of Church of the Brethren youth and takes place every four years. NYC 2014 will be held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., from July 19-24. All youth who have completed ninth grade through one year post high school at the time of NYC are eligible and encouraged to attend. For more information visit www.brethren.org/NYC.

-- Tim Heishman is one of the coordinators of the 2014 National Youth Conference, and a Brethren Volunteer Service worker.

Source: 2/8/2014 Newsline

Youth Peace Travel Team is announced for 2014

By Becky Ullom Naugle

Members of the 2014 Youth Peace Travel Team have been announced. The team is sponsored each year by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Church of the Brethren, the Ministry Office, the Office of Public Witness, the Outdoor Ministries Association, and On Earth Peace. The group of young adults spends the summer at camps across the denomination, teaching about peace, justice, and reconciliation.

Members of the 2014 team are:

• Chris Bache of La Cañada, Calif., and La Verne Church of the Brethren
• Christy Crouse of Warrensburg, Mo., and Warrensburg Church of the Brethren
• Jake Frye of McPherson, Kan., and Monitor Church of the Brethren
• Shelley West of Union, Ohio, and Happy Corner Church of the Brethren.

As the team spends time with youth this summer at camps across the Church of the Brethren, they will teach about peace, justice, and reconciliation, all core values throughout the church’s more than 300-year history. Follow the ministry of the 2014 Youth Peace Travel Team by visiting www.brethren.org/youthpeacetravelteam.

Source: 2/8/2014 Newsline