NORTHEAST REGION

Brethren Academy 2024 took place November 8-10, and Ashland, OH was graced with the presence of 16 high school-aged, up-and-coming leaders of The Brethren Church! The weekend was full of teaching, fellowship, and communion with the Lord and the Body of Christ. The future of The Brethren Church looks brighter with these students in it! This year marked the last of a 3-year rotation of Brethren Academy themes. The first year of the theme rotation, students learn about their identity in Christ and their identity as members of The Brethren Church. In the second year, they learn about their God-given calling and how they are able to live that out in a uniquely Brethren way wherever they find themselves in life. This year, as the third year of this rotation, students learned what it means to have a Kingdom Witness and why it's important to share it with others. Students learned from Executive Board member and pastor of Gretna Brethren Church, Rob Starnes, and even had the opportunity to practice sharing their Kingdom Witness with the group. Students were led by mentors who walked alongside them, through the weekend, and helped process what the Lord was teaching them. These mentors included Brianna Freel, Chyann Mackey, Shelby Morris, Lydia Smith, Amanda Carriere, and Sarah and David Miller. Patrick Sprague also led students in worship. This is the second year Patrick has led worship and set the tone for the weekend in this meaningful way. Sara Moore, Ryan Smith, and Lydia McCullough also planned and orchestrated the weekend. Thank you, mentors and leaders, for being an integral part of Brethren Academy! On Saturday, students had the opportunity to learn what a Kingdom Witness looks like in unique contexts. They visited the Ashland Public Library and heard from their Community Engagement Manager, Lindsay Brandon-Smith, about how she can share her Kingdom Witness through her day-to-day work as a public library employee. Then, students were joined by a panel of speakers with different backgrounds and understandings of what sharing their Kingdom Witness can look like. Students learned that even though their Kingdom Witness may be different from others, it is still powerful to share because it might be the exact message someone else needs to hear to learn about God. Thank you to our panelists: Cory Smith, Ron Waters, Tony Basham, Louis Mancha, Sadie Vanderzyden, and Amber LeMaster! To end our time, students joined Park Street Brethren Church for their Sunday morning service and heard a timely message from Pastor Nate Bebout about the promises of God’s New Covenant in times of tension. Then, students were joined by local Brethren, Steven Cole, Dale Stoffer, and Alex Hill, to name just a few, who heard highlights from the weekend and prayed over the students as they prepared to return home, equipped with the confidence to share their Kingdom Witness with their friends and family. It was a beautiful time in which The Brethren Church's current and future leaders could gather and support one another. Thank you to all who participated in this beautiful, impactful weekend! The Lord is certainly raising up the future leaders of The Brethren Church, and we are so excited to see what He does in the lives of these students in the months and years to come! Starting in 2025, Brethren Academy will be fully funded by The Brethren Church. At General Conference 2025, our offering will go toward funding Brethren Academy so we can continue the work of raising young leaders for many years to come. Please consider donating to this worthy cause! Lydia McCullough Executive Assistant The Brethren Church

I Choose the Jesus Way Camp Peniel in Meyersdale, PA, was filled with Jesus' love the weekend of August 9th – 11th as the beautiful camp was once again the host site of the Northeast Region Church Leaders Retreat & The Gathering. The weekend began with the 2024 “Jesus Way” Church Leaders Retreat. Hollis Haff facilitated two sessions focusing on recovering the Gospel Jesus preached and the methodology of Jesus’ disciple-making mission. Fifteen participants, representing three Brethren churches (Berlin Brethren, Pleasant View, and Three Seasons), engaged in Friday night’s session, The Gospel According to Jesus, and Saturday morning’s session, Disciple Making According to Jesus. Hollis is a former Pittsburgh Steelers Chaplain, Church Planter, Disciple-Maker, and Faculty Member of The Bonhoeffer Project. Saturday afternoon was the start of the seventh annual Gathering. The event began with free time for outdoor activities such as canoeing, fishing, swimming, corn hole, nature trails, relaxing, catching up with old friends, and fellowshipping with new ones. It was also a time for the 55 overnight guests to get settled in for the weekend. A wonderful dinner was served before the Saturday evening worship session began. The session started off with music provided by the bluegrass band South Penn Crossing. As the younger guests enjoyed time in Kids Korner, Rickey Bolden brought a message you could not ignore focused on the weekend theme from John 3:36. After the session concluded, overnight guests enjoyed fellowship in the lodge, a campfire with smores and song, and some late-night games (always a favorite). Sunday morning began with great conversations over breakfast. As more guests arrived at camp, the Pleasant View Brethren Church worship team prepared our hearts with Spirit-filled songs and led in small group prayer time and testimony time. Once again, the younger guests enjoyed Kids Korner as Rickey picked up from the night before and energized us to be like Peter and get out of the boat on the water with Jesus. If you missed this word, you really missed it! Lunch was provided at the conclusion of the morning session followed by free time. Rickey serves with “Discipleship Works,” discipling our nation’s leadership, and hosting Bible studies with Congressmen and other leaders throughout the Washington D.C. area. Rickey’s lovely wife, Glenda, was also able to join us for the weekend. In all, 200 guests representing 18 different churches took advantage of a powerful, joyful weekend. As the theme, “I Choose the Jesus Way,” was seen throughout the weekend everyone left with knowing our priority needs to be making disciples. The speakers, worship bands, fellowship, and impressive representation by young people make The Gathering one of my favorite weekends of the year! Kerry Hersch Berlin Brethren Church