Mission offering invites Brethren to ‘widen the circle.’

"Called to love all: Widening the circle of God’s Love" is the theme for the 2007 World Mission Offering of the Church of the Brethren General Board. The suggested date for the offering is Sunday, Oct. 14.

"The call to share God's love with everyone is integral to living the faith," said Carol Bowman, coordinator of stewardship formation for the General Board. "In addition to the reality of already living in multicultural communities, we know that globalization and immigration are bringing persons of varied cultural and religious backgrounds into our everyday lives, challenging many of us to expand our comfort zones of love and inclusion. Simply put, the world is with us."

A packet of World Mission Offering materials has been mailed to all Church of the Brethren congregations. The resources were developed in a collaboration between the board’s stewardship office and Global Mission Partnerships, to help congregations reach out across the globe and across town as they participate in the offering. Included are ideas for sermons and theological reflection, options for planning a worship service on the theme, a bulletin insert, an offering envelope, a pamphlet about current Brethren mission workers and their calling, and an order form to receive quantities of resources for distribution in a congregation. Resources are offered in Spanish and English.

The pamphlet titled, "Stories of God's Call to Mission," also includes study questions to help church members reflect on their own personal and congregational calls to mission. Multiple copies are available by contacting Janis Pyle, coordinator for mission connections, at 800-323-8039 ext. 227 or jpyle_gb@brethren.org.

The resources are posted at www.brethren.org/genbd/funding/opportun/WorldMission.htm, along with downloadable slides for PowerPoint or media presentations in congregations.

Source: 9/12/2007 Newsline Extra