On April 9th, over 20 pastors gathered at North Manchester for a time of encouragement and dialogue about their local ministries in their local Brethren churches. The day started with some simple and intimate worship led by Tom Schiefer, who reminded us that God can hear all of our prayers at once, which is a common way for people in other cultures to pray.
Miles Larson then led those gathered through a time of celebrating one another, reminding us that we have a responsibility to encourage one another in the hard work of ministry, both with urgency and consistency, as the writer of Hebrews shares.
Before moving into a time of identifying some of the significant local challenges we are all facing, elders shared a meal and discussed resources, books, and other tools that we use to inform our ministry, how we’re continuing our education, and staying committed to sharpening ourselves in ministry.
In the final part of the meeting, Steven Cole gave an update on several efforts of The Brethren Church on the national level and many ministry developments to celebrate. Following that, about half of the pastors gathered went to golf on a beautiful spring day in Indiana. Our time together was encouraging and refreshing. There is much to celebrate in the continued efforts of The Brethren Church in the Midwest!