November 27, 2007

ELGIN, IL – For a third straight year, members of the Church of the Brethren's Western Plains District met together to celebrate the transformation occurring in the district and to gain new tools and support for the work ahead. Called "The Gathering," the annual retreat at a conference center in Salina, Kan., is the centerpiece of a larger renewal and revitalization effort for many of the 38 congregations in the Western Plains District.

About 300 people attended this year's event on Oct. 26-28, engaging in worship, plenary sessions, workshops, and fellowship. Events for children and youth were held concurrently.

Eight congregations entered into a "covenant process" with the district in 2005, eight more in 2006, and another five this year. The congregations each appoint a transformation steering team to work at discernment and to set goals, and each receives coaching from the district. The Gathering offers a chance for the congregations to come together, learn, and share about their journeys.

For some congregations, the change has been incremental. For others, it has been fairly dramatic – such as Independence (Kan.) Church of the Brethren in southeastern Kansas, which has freed its pastor to spend most of his time leading disaster relief efforts for the area that was struck by severe flooding earlier this year. The Independence youth group now has about 50 participants.

Other congregations also have seen growth or have become significantly involved in community ministries. A new DVD created by Chris Stover- Brown, shown at the Gathering, featured four of those stories.

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. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts almost 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Church of the Brethren News Service