Brethren history, beliefs and practices to be focus of December lecture
Dr. Jeffrey A. Bach, director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elizabethtown College, will give the inaugural Brethren Faith and Heritage Lecture on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in Nicarry Meetinghouse at Cross Keys Village – The Brethren Home Community.
The free, public lecture is intended to better acquaint non-Brethren and even Church of the Brethren members with the rich heritage and vibrant present of this relatively small denomination, which takes its name from the “community” of men and women who chose to follow the way of Jesus during His life and ministry.
Bach chaired the 300th Anniversary Committee for the Church of the Brethren – the celebration took place in 2008 – and he is a graduate of the Brethren-affiliated McPherson College in Kansas and Bethany Theological Seminary in Illinois, where he taught Brethren and historical studies. He earned his Ph.D. in religion from Duke University. He was named director of the Young Center in 2007.
The Young Center fosters and promotes the study of the Church of the Brethren and other Anabaptist and Pietist groups. Its website, www.etown.edu/YoungCenter, has more information about the center and the church.
Cross Keys Village – The Brethren Home Community is located at the intersection of U.S. 30 and PA 94 (Cross Keys), less than two miles east of New Oxford’s town circle. Nicarry Meetinghouse is best accessed from the U.S. 30/Village Drive entrance at the northwest corner of campus.
