Today I am still representing the Village at the Brethren in Christ Church General Conference at Messiah College that started on Friday and will end this evening. Every two years about 400 delegates from North America meet to be inspired and do the business of the Church.

We at the Village exist because of the vision and efforts of Brethren In Christ members. Two things particularly stand out from the Conference: (1) A report that touched me deeply was that the Zimbabwe BIC Church gave $1,000 to help the people of Haiti. Zimbabwe is one of the poorest countries in the world, so for them to give to others is truly generous. (2) Last night Pastor Woody Dalton of the Harrisburg BIC Church talked about how God desires diversity. Woody outlined the demographic transition that is coming to America, including Central PA. He made it clear that we need to learn to worship, live and work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community. I was challenged to think how we at the Village can be a more inviting multi-cultural and multi-ethnic workplace. And, how can we begin to embrace more residents and clients from a variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Tags: Brethren in Christ, Messiah Village, Our Journey, retirement community