Kettering begins as coordinator of Intercultural Ministries.

Photo by Ken Wenger

Gimbiya Kettering, shown here speaking at the On Earth Peace breakfast at the 2009 Annual Conference

Gimbiya Kettering began Jan. 7 in a part-time position as coordinator of Intercultural Ministries for the Church of the Brethren. Her position is within the staff of Congregational Life Ministries.

The focus of her position will be to facilitate planning for the Intercultural Consultation and Celebration and its successors, to strengthen and develop networks of support for ethnic minority congregations and their leaders, and to assist denominational staff in becoming more effective at helping the church live out the intercultural vision articulated in the Annual Conference paper “Separate No More.”

She brings a lifetime of experience with the Church of the Brethren, both abroad and in the US, which has been enhanced with ecumenical relationships. As a young adult of color, she brings insight and passion toward building an intercultural identity for the Church of the Brethren.

In previous service to the church, Kettering was communications coordinator for On Earth Peace for close to five years, from Aug. 2007-Dec. 2011. She has a degree in International Studies from Maryville College, Tenn., and holds an MFA degree in Creative Writing from American University. Recently she was named the “Undiscovered Voices Scholar” at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Md., she has been published in national literary magazines, and continues to work on her first novel. After college, she interned with her father Merlyn Kettering on a series of workshops and peace gatherings led by the New Sudan Council of Churches and sponsored by the Church of the Brethren, which culminated with the publication of a book entitled “Inside Sudan: The Story of People-to-People Peacemaking in Southern Sudan.”

She remains rooted in Maple Grove Church of the Brethren in Ashland, Ohio, and lives in the Washington, D.C., area.

Source: 1/10/2013 Newsline