Brethren Volunteer Service

From supporting students to coordinating Church of the Brethren FaithX service trips, Brethren Volunteer Service worker Aly Heckeroth helps others put their faith into practice.

And your support of the Church of the Brethren's core ministries sustains these types of opportunities to serve, build relationships, and grow in faith.

Read more, in this week's issue of eBrethren: https://tinyurl.com/eBrethren-26Oct01

Drumroll please…. Introducing BVS Unit #340!

Last week, we wrapped up fall orientation at Camp Emmaus and sent our volunteers off to their projects. We had an amazing time working and learning together, and wanted to introduce our new volunteers and share where they will be serving! If you have any advice, well wishes, or questions for our incoming volunteers, please comment below. They would love to hear from you!

Back row, left to right:

Leokadia - Project PLASE, Baltimore, Maryland
Silas - Fundación Brethren y Unida, Ecuador
Noah - La Puente Home, Alamosa, Colorado
Hope - Camp Koinonia, Cle Elum, Washington

Front row, left to right:
Caroline - Project PLASE, Baltimore, Maryland
Zippora - La Puente Home, Alamosa, Colorado
Ellie - La Puente Home, Alamosa, Colorado
Mia - SnowCap Community Charities, Portland, Oregon
Sonja - Innisfree Village, Crozet, Virginia

Please hold a good thought or prayer for our volunteers as they experience this transition. Thank you!

It’s a Bernardo Kohler summer! Previous volunteers Julian and Cäcilia visited current BVSer Leah and Bernardo Kohler Center employee Eva at BKC this summer (pic 1). BKC/BVS alum Marianne Fitzkee also visited Leah the next week (pic 2). We love when volunteers meet up and send us photos!!

LouElla Imhoff and her son Ernie visited BVS Co-Directors Marissa and Virginia at summer orientation. Ernie served in BVS Unit 105 (1973) and LouElla served in BVS Unit 10 (1951)!
We feel so lucky to have such a wonderful community of BVS alumni who go out of their way to come say hi.

Orientation can look like a lot of things, and this summer it included a trip to Cleveland, an art museum, campfires and coffee, puzzles, frog hunting, and bread baking. We’re so grateful for this time together and for the beautiful setting at Inspiration Hills.

As much as orientation is a time for fun, it’s also a time for learning and growing together. Here are some photos from the various sessions with summer orientation Unit 339, covering topics like resiliency, building a support system, budgeting, conflict management, and more!

Whoops…. We got a little behind posting photos from Unit 339 Summer Orientation! We promise to catch up in the next few days. Here are some photos of our volunteers doing service projects during orientation - painting picnic tables at Inspiration Hills and helping with a summer back to school event at Akron Springfield Church of the Brethren!

We’re so grateful for this service and the year to come.

We encourage you to join the Church of the Brethren's Deportation Defense Response (DDR) team tomorrow at 12pm eastern/9am pacific for a Zoom prayer gathering for Immigrant Justice.

This group comes together to pray for immigrants who are detained, for those who are at risk of detention and deportation, and for all who are supporting them. Bring prayer requests, concerns, celebrations, prayers, poems, Scripture, and liturgy to share or choose to listen and pray silently with us.

RSVP at the webpage in the comments to receive the Zoom join link.

The DDR Zoom prayer gatherings happen two times per month, so watch for On Earth Peace to post dates if you'd like to attend regularly. September gatherings will be on the 10th and 24th.

Unit 339 finished orientation 2 weeks ago! Interested in volunteering in 2027? Email us at [email protected]!

Congratulations to the 13 members of Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 339 as they begin service at their project sites!

Following their orientation at Inspiration Hills Camp & Retreat Center, they're now headed to their project sites and getting started with their year or two of service.

Curious where BVS could take you? Learn more at: www.brethren.org/bvs

Cooking at orientation with Unit 339!

This week, we’ll be posting some orientation recap photos including cooking, sessions, city day, and service. Today’s theme is cooking! Volunteers cook for each other using $1 per person per meal. The challenge teaches them to shop on a budget and learn more about how to navigate the grocery store and kitchen.