Announcements

Church Retreat


The date has been set for next year's church retreat. It will be held on September 14-16, 2012 at Camp Susque. If you have any ideas for a topic or speaker, please talk with Pastor Eric.

Penny Power - “Helping Children Learn”


We will again be collecting conis and bills for Mennonite Central Committee's (MCC) Penny Power now through April 1. This year's theme is “Helping Children Learn.”

In addition to collecting funds, we will collect school supplies for Global AID Network (GAIN). A list of supplies needed is posted on the bulletin board.

On Wednesday, April 25 both small groups will have a meal together at the church and assemble the school packs as a service project. Everyone is invited to help.

Seder Meal


A Soup Supper will be held on Maundy Thursday, April 5 at 6 PM followed by a traditional Jewish Seder Meal, communion, and foot washing (for those who wish to participate). All are invited to learn more about this Jewish symbolism and its ties to our celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Small Group Update


Both groups are meeting Wednesdays from 6:30-8 PM and are studying “The Forgotten God” by Francis Chan about the role of the Holy Spirit. The next study for Eric & Sherri's group will be “Balancing Life's Demands” by Chip Ingram.

Community Yard Sale


Our Community Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, June 2 (rain date of June 9).

History of the BIC

The Brethren in Christ Church began in 1788 through a religious revival. They simply called themselves Brethren. They baptized one another in a branch of the Susquehanna River, near Marietta, PA and became known as River Brethren. A number of families settled in Ontario, Canada who were called Tunkers (German for to dip). Both names eventually gave way to Brethren in Christ.

The early brethren were known as people of the book. They were determined that everything they believed should be straight from God's Word, not from man's idea. They accepted the basic approach to life taught by the Anabaptists, including non-resistance, believers baptism, discipleship, and separation from the world.

In the late 19th century the Brethren in Christ started city and oversea missions. During this period, the teaching of Wesleyan Holiness entered the churches in the Midwest and the General Conference later endorsed it as an official tenet of faith. Mission outreaches have produced churches in Zimbabwe, Zambia, India, Japan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, and England - in fact, in all continents except Australia and Antarctica! There are presently more Brethren in Christ members overseas than in the US and Canada combined.

In the 20th century the Brethren in Christ sensed a need for educational institutions to equip personnel for mission endeavors. This led to the founding of schools, two of which grew into colleges (Messiah College and Niagara Christian College). In North America special missions have been developed among Native Americans and inner city ministries. Special educational ministries include homes for senior citizens (Messiah Village, PA and Upland Manor, CA), orphanage care (Timber Bay Children's Home, Saskatchewan, Canada and Paxton Street Home, Harrisburg, PA), a number of camps and Christian retreat centers, a publishing house (Evangel Press, IN), and a number of Christian bookstores (Christian Light Bookstore, PA).

Theological Traditions

A unique aspect of the Brethren in Christ Church is the rich blend of theological traditions that make us who we are today. Specifically, preaching and teaching in our churches is shaped by three emphases within the wider Christian community: Anabaptism, Pietism, and Wesleyanism.

Anabaptism

The theological roots of the Brethren in Christ Church reach back to the Protestant Reformation. At that time, reformers called Anabaptists stressed the importance of a personal responsibility toward one's baptism (believer's baptism), as well as the importance of dicipleship, obedience, the seperation of church and state, the practice of non-resistance, and the necessity of community. This Anabaptist strain within our churches theological DNA shows itself most particularly in our emphases on the community of faith, to serving compassionately, to living simply, and to pursuing peace.

Pietism

We Brethren in Christ draw a portion of our identity from certain German believers who, in the seventeenth century, rejected the overly intellectualized expression of the Christian faith that had become popular within certain segments of the church. The Pietists stressed the importance of genuine conversion and a warm, personal experience of renewed life in Christ. This awakening experience swept through Europe and on to America. For the Brethren in Christ, the Christian faith is a relationship with God that is to be enjoyed with the heart, even as it is affirmed with the head.

Wesleyanism

We Brethren in Christ have also been deeply influenced by the teachings of the eighteenth-century British scholar and preacher, John Wesley. The Wesleyan movement in America - also known as the Holiness movement - emphasizes conversion as a conscious acceptance of God, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and daily growth in holiness. The BIC value the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and we are unashamed in sharing the Good News of the Gospel with others.

For more than 200 years, the Brethren in Christ have expressed an understanding of living in relationship to Jesus shaped by these renewal movements. What began in the 1750's in Lancaster County, PA, has since spread across North America and, throuch an overwhelming receptivity to our missionaries, around the world.