Brethren Volunteer Service

08/26/2026

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.

08/19/2026

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

08/10/2026

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.

08/06/2026

Drumroll please…. Introducing BVS Unit #339!

Yesterday we wrapped up our summer orientation session at Inspiration Hills 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:

Sam - Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, Washington DC
Gillian - Greenhill YMCA, Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Dominic - Washington City Church of the Brethren, Washington DC
Kelan - Ferncliff Camp, Little Rock, Arkansas
Will - Gould Farm, Monterey, Massachusetts

Middle row, left to right:
Colleen - Greenhill YMCA, Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Leah - Bernardo Kohler Center, Austin, Texas
Josethy - L’Arche Cork, Cork, Ireland
Dimitri - Ferncliff Camp, Little Rock, Arkansas
Nico - Camp Stevens, Julian, California

Front row, left to right:
Miriam - Greenhill YMCA, Newcastle, Northern Ireland
Elise - The Shalom Project, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Darek - ABODE, Fremont, California

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

08/02/2026

An appropriate message as the summer orientation group gets ready to worship this morning with Akron Springfield Church of the Brethren. Happy Sunday to all!

“Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat’” (Matthew 14:16, NRSVue).

Today's bulletin features a photo of Brethren Volunteer Service orientation by Benjamin Hoffmann, and a reflection on the back by Virginia Rendler, interim co-director of BVS.

07/26/2026

An album of ALL of our group photos from the BVS and Church of the Brethren FaithX Escape Room! Everyone made it out alive! Comment below which pic is yours or if you see someone you know - and if you comment your team name, we’ll tell you your time!!

07/25/2026

The BVS team had a FANTASTIC week in Estes Park, Colorado, at the YMCA of the Rockies for National Youth Conference! We painted faces, worked with small groups, hosted an escape room, made a collaborative collage, led workshops, and so much more! Our next posts will be a TON of photos from our escape room, so stay tuned!!

07/08/2026

Here’s a rapid recap of everything else the BVS and FaithX team got up to at Annual Conference:

• Coordinated and hosted service projects! (pics 1-4)

• Activities with junior and senior high youth! (pics 5-10)

• Led an equipping session about using technological tools to reboot your ministry! (pics 11 & 12)

• Hung out at the BVS table in the exhibit hall! (pic 13)

• BVS Co-Director Virginia coordinated senior high youth activities! (pic 14)

More photos can be found at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference website: https://churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com/AC-2026
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and chatted with us last week in Fort Wayne. We can’t wait for next year!!

06/30/2026

The BVS/FaithX Luncheon happened yesterday at Annual Conference. We had a wonderful time in fellowship together and hearing from our speakers Bob Gross, Cliff Kindy, John Hartsough, and Mary Jane Shearer. We are so grateful for our community, especially this week at Annual Conference.