018 The Grace Brethren Churches, church splits, the ties that bind, more splits, and what happens when the hand doesn't go under in a Baptist baptism.

Episode 018 The Grace Brethren Churches, church splits, the ties that bind, more splits, and what happens when the hand doesn't go under in a Baptist baptism.This week we visited a church that is part of the Brethren movement, specifically part of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.  We hike through the history of the Brethren movement and the 100s of splits (don't worry, we only hit the top 3 or 4).  We talk about what happens at a Baptist church (well, some) when the candidate for baptism has a hand that stays out of the water during FULL immersion.  We discuss why asking for our last names as first time visitors creeps us out.  We also discuss a moment in the announcement time of all times when we felt the Spirit speak truth to us about a few dresses being sown for refugee girls in the CAR (Central African Republic).  "It's just a drop in the bucket," the man said "but that shouldn't stop us from starting to do good."  We talk about the moments we spend among people of faith that look very different from us but when we feel the ties that really bind us together. For an OFFICIAL view of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, visit fcgb.orgFor an article related to the crisis in the CAR that this local church was helping to bring a drop of hope to, see Foreign Policy's "Escape from a nightmare"