August 10, 2012

ELGIN, IL – The sixth annual theological training seminar of L'Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) will 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, "The Church's Foundation Is Christ." Participants will focus on the pre-eminence of Christ as a person for the Church of the Brethren, particularly represented in the church's understanding of Jesus as the Prince of Peace.

The training will review related Church of the Brethren concepts, such as the idea that as followers of Jesus the Church of the Brethren is a living peace church, and the Brethren peace position as evidenced in its church polity. The Haitian Brethren will consider as well the belief that there should be no force in religion.

Other aspects of church life that will be presented include the structure of 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 determined? What constitutes a church? These are just a few of the church-formation issues the theological training seminar aims to address.

Approximately 75 leaders in the Haitian congregations are expected to attend, representing the 24 churches and preaching points in the denomination. Leadership will include Annual Conference moderator Robert Krouse, mission and 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 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 celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Newsline: Church of the Brethren New Service
Anna Emrick, coordinator of the Global Mission and Service Office of the Church of the Brethren, provided this report.