Connect

Newsletter

April 1, 2026

Greetings!

In this issue, I’m excited to share our 2025 Annual Report.

When we started brainstorming content ideas for the Report back in September 2025, an unexpected theme emerged: resiliency. As we crafted the articles in this Report, I had the joy of collaborating with people to tell their stories of resiliency, celebrating how God helped them overcome trouble and hardship.

I pray their stories encourage you in your own adversity.

Be blessed!

Salynda Hogsett

BIC U.S. Communications, content editor

Elizabethtown BIC, Pennsylvania.

📰 In this month's issue:

‣ Scripture Meditation: The First Supper

‣ Back to Life: Church Growth Beyond Numbers + Annual Report

‣ Theological Training made accessible

‣ Bringing People Together for Action: 8 Steps for Mobilization

Quick Links

📰 New Shalom: Artificial Intelligence and the Church

🎓 New BIC Learning and Leadership Scholarship for College Students

🕊️ General Assembly: Early Bird Registration ends April 3!

🌏 Meet New BIC Missionaries

• Curt & Evelyn Bookhammer – Serving among international students
• Steve & Phyllis Smith – Serving in Japan
• Preston & Rebekah T. – Serving in Lithuania

Scripture Meditation

The First Supper

📖 READ

Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

🙏 REFLECT

This passage comes from the Last Supper, the Passover meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. But the practices he began at this meal – foot washing and communion – are still practiced today. Consider these two-thousand-year-old practices; how do they impact your faith community today?

Back to Life

Envisioning Church Growth Beyond Numbers

How do you measure church growth?

Is it last Sunday’s attendance? Do you track weekly giving? Or are there other things, less visible but ultimately more important, that indicate a congregation’s growth?

LifeHouse Church, a BIC congregation in Abilene, Kans., has asked many of these questions over the past two years as they’ve journeyed from the brink of closure to a position of health and outreach.



Growth was crucial, but rather than measuring LifeHouse’s growth by their weekly attendance, Lead Pastor Brian Emig’s focus was on spiritual growth. “Individual’s growth is really what I’m keying in on,” he says. “I want to see people grow in their spiritual walk.”

Theological Training Made Accessible

Equipping individuals for ministry through the Directed Study Program.

From a pastor pursuing ordination to a lay person expanding their biblical knowledge, the Directed Study Program (DSP) provides online, high-quality, self-paced theology courses from a BIC perspective.

In the video below, pastors Naomi Smith of Dillsburg BIC, Jeff Piepho of Revolution Church, and Joshua Nolt of Lancaster BIC share how the DSP has impacted them and their congregations.

Summer 2026 Term

The Summer 2026 Term just opened for registration, with courses running May 4 through August 7. Courses offered:

Bringing People Together for Action

8 Ways to Partner with World Missions in Global Ministry

From Vicky Landis, mobilization administrator for World Missions

For many years, I felt alone in the responsibility of mobilizing global workers. But that’s not true, and it’s not God’s design. Mobilizing the Church is something we do together.

Pastors, youth leaders, spiritual directors, Sunday school teachers, small group facilitators and so many more walk with people as they discern God’s calling on their lives. For some, that call may be to cross-cultural ministry.

That’s why I want to invite you to partner with me in mobilizing the people in your congregation who may be called to go globally.



Here are eight practical ways we can work together to invite your congregation to consider global service:

Family Support

Emerald House, East Canton, Ohio

“When you’re starting anything, you go to your family to get support. The Brethren in Christ Foundation, they’re family, so they’re the first person you would call!”



Last year, we published “The Story of Emerald House,” which highlights how the BIC Foundation - and the broader BIC community - rallied around the small congregation with a big vision. Today, we are pleased to share our interview with Pastor Sue Mathie, including new video footage of Emerald House.

Want more from BIC U.S.?

Follow us for stories, videos, resources, and more!

Employment Opportunities | Blog | News | Contact Us