The Brethren Missionary Herald Company (BMH) announces an expanded mission of nurturing Great Commission teamwork under the umbrella of a new name – GraceConnect. With the new name comes a dynamic new web site, graceconnect.us, and a re-designed quarterly magazine, GraceConnect.
The name GraceConnect reflects the continued mission of the Brethren Missionary Herald Company (BMH). Throughout its history, BMH has been the connecting point for Grace Brethren congregations in North America. It has told stories of how God is working in the lives of individuals and churches around the world and encouraged people to connect through prayer, giving, and service. It is hoped that this connection will increase through the ministries of GraceConnect.
GraceConnect, with a mission of building bridges of communication, will focus on three priorities: communication, conversation, and conservation.
Communication is the foundation for strengthening the relationships between the people and churches of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Regular news and reports will be found on a variety of platforms, including graceconnect.us, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and the quarterly four-color GraceConnect magazine. (You can currently follow news from Grace Brethren churches on the FGBC World Facebook page, which will soon be re-branded GraceConnect. Twitter feeds are found currently at @fgbcworld.)
Conversation will be an important part of all the platforms maintained by GraceConnect. Content will allow a thoughtful dialogue about topics that encourage the Grace Brethren commitment to the Word of God in all matters of faith and practice. This includes a limited number of new book titles under the BMH Books brand that are available (along with current titles) at bmhbooks.com (and through a variety of other vendors, such as amazon.com, cbd.com, and your local bookstore).
Conservation focuses on preserving the traditions and stories of the Grace Brethren movement, not only through print and online media, but also through venues such as the Brethren Digital Archives, the Brethren Encyclopedia, and the Brethren World Assembly. In addition, BMH/GraceConnect, in partnership with Grace College and other national organizations, is leading the development of a Grace Brethren archive in Winona Lake, Ind.
The graceconnect.us website will be unveiled on January 2, 2013, while the first issue of GraceConnect magazine will be released in late January. It will combine the BMH Editor’s Blog, fgbcworld-blog.com, and the FGBC World website, fgbcworld.com, while retaining many of the stories that have been filed on those sites since their inception. (Both fgbcworld-blog.com and fgbcworld.com will be discontinued. If you subscribe to either of those sites, you’ll want to make sure you change the RSS settings so you get the latest posts from graceconnect.us sent to your email.) Graceconnect.us will be filled with original content – much of it written by volunteers. There will be articles about church planting, leadership development, and integrated ministries; features about the people and places in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (FGBC), and pieces about theological trends within the FGBC and the evangelical world. In addition, you will still find the breaking news in the Grace Brethren network that you’ve come to expect on the Editor’s Blog.
GraceConnect magazine, which will be mailed in February, replaced FGBC World and will focus on in-depth personality features, theological articles, and initiatives led by local Grace Brethren congregations, national organizations, and cooperating ministries. It will continue to be the connecting voice of the Grace Brethren movement, much like FGBC World and the Brethren Missionary Herald magazine before it.
GraceConnect allows BMH to continue its mission of building bridges of communication between the people and congregations of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Like FGBC World, it will be mailed at no charge to pastors, church leaders, and others. It will also be delivered in bulk for distribution at each Grace Brethren Church. We’re happy to provide this publication, knowing it plays a large connecting role in the Grace Brethren network, but we can’t do it without your support.
“In an age when denominationalism is declining, it is our desire that this emphasis will incite a new passion to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ in North America, and in particular, among the people and leaders of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches,” said Liz Cutler Gates, executive director of the Brethren Missionary Herald Company. “We’d like to see that passion expressed and nurtured in partnership with Grace Brethren people and congregations from ‘sea to shining sea.’”