300th Anniversary bits and pieces.

• Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia, Pa., the oldest Brethren congregation and the "mother church" of the Brethren, celebrated its 285th anniversary with the dedication of a new Family Life Center on June 1. The congregation has been working for some time to create the new center by renovating a warehouse building located next door to the church and parsonage. The dedication ceremony was "a wonderful mix of ethnicity and faith and service," said Craig Smith, Atlantic Northeast District executive minister. "It was a wonderful day." The intercultural congregation is pastored by Richard Kyerematen.
  
  
• Pipe Creek Church of the Brethren in Union Bridge, Md., is celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding. Pipe Creek Fellowship was organized in 1758 and is considered the "mother church" of the Eastern District of Maryland, said an announcement from the church’s Historical Committee. A day of celebration has been planned for Sept. 28. Worship will begin at 10 a.m. the "old-time" way with no musical instruments and lined hymns--progressing to a more modern-day service with piano, organ, and choir. The church hopes to have former pastors participate with a short message. Period dress is of choice. A catered hot meal will follow. The afternoon service will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will feature the congregation’s youth band, and former and present church families and those in Brethren Volunteer Service sharing remembrances of Pipe Creek. The church invites everyone who would like to attend. "Help us celebrate our 250 years of service to the Lord," said the announcement. Respond by Sept. 1 to Beverly Maring at 500 Clear Ridge Rd., Union Bridge, MD 21791; maring2@verizon.net or 410-848-8149.
  
  
• Lewiston (Minn.) Church of the Brethren is making plans for its 150th anniversary celebration the weekend of Sept. 13-14.
  
  
• Palmona Park Community Church of the Brethren in North Fort Myers, Fla., this year is celebrating 55 years in its present location.
  
  
• Online registration is now available for the Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) 60th Anniversary Celebration to be held Sept. 26-28 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Visit www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org to register. If you do not have Internet access, call the BVS office for assistance. Also in celebration of the 60th anniversary of BVS, a limited edition polo shirt with an embroidered 60th anniversary logo is available for $30. Shirts will be available at Annual Conference, National Young Adult Conference, National Older Adult Conference, and the BVS 60th Celebration. For home delivery there is an additional $5 shipping fee. The BVS office can be contact at 800-323-8039 ext. 410.
  
  
• Nearly 250 people attended all or part of the 300th Anniversary Celebration sponsored by the 13 congregations and fellowships of the Church of the Brethren in Floyd County, Va. The celebration took place on June 14 in the Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren's new 3,500 square foot social hall, according to a report from Virlina District. The celebration included hymns from the 1901 "Brethren Hymnal," and the singing of the Archie Naff Family, the Floyd County Ministers, Lester and Judy Weddle, and Statement (a young bluegrass gospel band). Among the speakers were Margaret Hubbard, Elbert Lee Naff, Sr., Roy U. Turpin, and district executive minister David K. Shumate. The event has been the only area gathering to celebrate the 300th Anniversary within the district, and was initiated by a committee from Red Oak Grove Church of the Brethren but grew to include the entire county.
  
  
• The Floyd County, Va., churches also have created a cookbook in celebration of the 300th Anniversary and as a fundraising project for the district’s Hispanic church. The 247-page "What’s Cooking with the Floyd County Brethren?" includes some recipes in both English and Spanish, and is available for $14 from the Virlina District Resource Center. Call 540-362-1816.
  
  
• Fairview Church of the Brethren in Unionville, Iowa, has been celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the denomination all year, according to a note in the Northern Plains District e-mail newsletter. The church’s anniversary projects have included sending 300 notes of appreciation and encouragement to Brethren volunteers, pastors, and church employees; working to memorize 300 Bible verses; and working toward the goal of making 300 Christian Care Calls. The 300th Anniversary Calendars and the anniversary devotional book from Brethren Press, "Fresh from the Word," have been distributed to every family in the congregation. Brethren Heritage was the subject of an eight-week Bible study on Sunday evenings this spring. The church choir has emphasized Brethren heritage stories and music in worship. Youth attended a heritage conference and four members of the church will be attending a heritage tour to Germany later this summer. Most recently, the Fairview congregation surpassed a goal of collecting 300 food items for the local "Lord's Cupboard" pantry, when 314 items were delivered in June.
  
  
• Prairie City (Iowa) Church of the Brethren has been celebrating the 300th Anniversary by working toward having 300 people in worship each month. The congregation met the goal in April, with a total attendance of 337.
  
  
• Northern Colorado Church of the Brethren has announced a Brethren Anniversary Celebration on Aug. 24 at Hygiene, Colo., at the historic Brethren church there. The meetinghouse in the small town of Hygiene, north of Longmont, was the first Brethren church to be built in Colorado. Along with it a sanatarium was built in 1882, started by pastor Jacob S. Flory who had come to the area a few years earlier to work with tuberculosis patients. The Brethren Anniversary Celebration at Hygiene will begin with a picnic at 2 p.m., followed by a short program of history and fellowship.

Source: 7/3/2008 Newsline Extra