Church of the Brethren NOAC

09/06/2026

A year ago we were gathered at Lake Junaluska, NC for 2025 NOAC!
Hope to see you a year from now for the 2027 NOAC!!! Who will be there?

08/08/2026

Folks at NOAC 2025 appreciated the workshop led by Tim Grove and Lois Grove on Trauma-Informed Care. Here is an opportunity for those who wish to learn more.

Fall Ventures series takes a deep dive into stress, trauma, and resilience
This fall, learn from one of the nation's leading voices in Trauma-Informed Care. Tim Grove joins the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson College to present a special 2026-27 season-opening series: "Creating a Better World: A deep dive into stress, trauma, and resilience as a pathway to healthier people, families, and communities."

This series is open to everyone—whether you are a church leader, a caregiver, or simply interested in cultivating greater resiliency. Unlike Ventures' typical standalone courses, each of these six sessions builds sequentially on the last, so registering for the full series is highly recommended. If you miss a live session, course recordings will be provided so you can catch up in chronological order before the next class.

Find full series and session details at the Ventures website: www.mcpherson.edu/ventures.

Series Description
We will explore five key concepts related to stress, trauma, and resilience in the first five sessions and then spend a sixth "bonus" session talking about how these concepts influence the navigation of a complex, media-dominant, and politically charged world. Each virtual session will be two hours long, and recordings will be available after each session ends.

Special Note: The content for this series will be anchored in Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey's book "What Happened To You" and Dr. Perry's website (Disaster Support | NMnetwork). Participants are encouraged to explore these resources before, during, and after this series.

Session Schedule

All sessions are held online on Tuesdays from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Central Time.

Session 1 (Sept 29): Stress, Trauma and Resilience: What's in a Name?!
Session 2 (Oct 6): When Stress Creates Difficulty
Session 3 (Oct 20): Superpower #1: Connection
Session 4 (Oct 27): Superpower #2: Regulation
Session 5 (Nov 10): Taking Care of the Carer
Bonus Session (Nov 17): Collective and Continuous Stress
About the Presenter
Tim Grove retired in 2025 after a 30-year career in social services, including 26 years at Wellpoint Care Network. Tim began his career serving youth and families in the foster care system, and his work broadened over time to include work with adults, community programs, child welfare, program administration, quality improvement, and training.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Tim is a national leader in Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and the creator of Wellpoint's 7 Essential Ingredients (7ei) curriculum. His expertise as a Mentor in Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model and an ACE Interface Master Trainer has reached diverse fields from healthcare to justice. Tim's work has been featured on 60 Minutes with Oprah Winfrey and published in the Journal of Child Custody. Read Tim's full bio at www.mcpherson.edu/ventures.

Registration and Credit
To learn more about Ventures in Christian Discipleship and to register for courses, visit www.mcpherson.edu/ventures.

CEU Credit: Continuing education credit is available for $10 per course.
Donations: During registration, you will have the opportunity to pay for CEUs and provide an optional donation to the Ventures program.

Send a message to learn more

07/08/2026

Do you know youth and adult advisors who are going to National Youth Conference next week? Please be in prayer for all participants and staff as we prepare for this amazing event in Estes Park, CO, July 17-23.

06/25/2026

Today is Lake Junaluska Day, 113 years of mission and ministry with everyone who holds this special place in their hearts! 🎉🥳
🙏 Pray for the mission and ministry of Lake Junaluska.

06/22/2026

Look what is new at Lake Junaluska!!!

05/26/2026

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford caught the NOAC Planning Team hard at work last week!

05/21/2026

NOAC 2027 Planning is up and running!! The NOAC Team met in Elgin this week to begin the planning process. We have a GREAT team!

We will share more information soon on the theme, preachers, and keynote speakers!

Thanks to Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford for taking this photo.

Left to right:
Dennis Webb, Illinois/Wisconsin district, Intercultural Coordinator
Heidi Berkenbosch, N. Plains, district, Workshop Coordinator
Kim McDowell, Mid Atlantic district, Worship Co-Coordinator
Glenn Bollinger, Shenandoah district, Hospitality Coordinator
Christy Waltersdorff, Illinois/Wisconsin district, NOAC Coordinator
Ilexene Alphonse, Atlantic Southeast district, Worship Co-coordinator

04/21/2026

Our NOAC family is grieving the death of Leonard Matheny. He died yesterday of liver cancer. Leonard served on the NOAC Planning Team for NOAC 2023 and NOAC 2025. He was such a hard worker I couldn't find a photo of him sitting down! He was a man of deep faith, exuberant kindness, and overflowing joy.

From the Illinois/Wisconsin District District Executive, Walt Wiltschek:
Leonard was a member at Peoria First and long-time dedicated volunteer in the Illinois/Wisconsin District and denomination. Leonard was most recently serving as financial secretary for the district. He previously had been chair of the Church Revitalization and Development Team, coordinator of the Potluck Experience planning team, a leadership team member, and served a term as district moderator, among other roles.

Denominationally, he served on the National Older Adult Conference planning team and for many years was delegate registration coordinator at Annual Conference. He was also quite active at Peoria First and the community, serving in a variety of capacities.

We are grateful for Leonard's generous and cheerful life and ministry, and our prayers are with his wife, Vicki; his children, Wendy and Justin; and the rest of his family, as well as with the Peoria First congregation, as we grieve in this time of loss.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 25, at the First Church of the Brethren in Peoria (4714 N Sheridan Road, Peoria).
9:00-11:00 Visitation
11:00-12:00 Service
12:00 Lunch
In lieu of flowers, we welcome donations in Leonard’s memory to the First Church of the Brethren of Peoria with a note designating Mountain Mission or to the OSF Cancer Institute.

photo: Vicki and Leonard Matheny preparing for NOAC at Lake Junaluska

03/29/2026

The NOAC Book Study group is going strong!

Tuesday evening Dominique Gilliard will join us to discuss his book, SUBVERSIVE WITNESS.

We meet from 6:30-8:00 pm central time.

If you wish to join us, send an email to [email protected] to request the zoom link.