1896 Big Swatara German Baptist Brethren Church (Church of the Brethren) votes to form a fellowship in Harrisburg
1959 First Church decided to remain in Harrisburg and gave land to District to start a new congregation in Susquehanna Twp.
1960 First Brethren Volunteer Service worker comes: Marilyn Dickerson
1961 Construction started on Christian Education Building
1963 Fellowship House was established
1966 Murry L. Wagner comes as first Community Minister
1967 Day Care Center started in First Church building
1967 John Nantz comes as Community Minister
1969 Coffee House opens for senior high youth
1972 Church purchases 244 Hummel St. as BVSers’ House and names it the Dan West House
1976 Community Ministries include Free Children’s Books distributed in cooperation with RIF, day camps and field trips, volleyball, story time, youth drop in center (Lighthouse), MagicCocoon TV program, Citizen’s Alliance to Save Harrisburg, Allison Hill Civic Association, After School Program, dart baseball, touch football, etc.
1979 Wayne Eberly helps start La Casa de Amistad (House of Friendship)
1980 Community Ministries include after school recreation crafts groups, cooking classes, weightlifting class, coffee house, stamp project, basketball in back lot, volleyball in front lot, summer recreation field trips, hikes, etc.
1982 Atlantic Northeast District Witness Commission conducts evaluation of First Church Community Ministry
1982 Deborah Lolling serves as Community Minister
1982 Community Ministries include Drop-In Center for Teens, Volleyball Fridays in Parking Lot, game room, crafts, cooking class, Bible study, field trips, basketball, handball, Multi-Parish, Big Brother/Sister Day at Elizabethtown College, La Casa de Amistad, etc.
1983 Gerald W. Rhoades comes as Community Minister
1983 Crime Watch/Block Club ministry begins
1984 Food Distribution in cooperation with Food and Shelter Ministries
1985 Cambodians work with Bill Hawkins to begin Khmer Church, TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets at church
1985 Community Ministries include Cooking Classes with Joyce Albin, Self Defense Classes, Hiking Club, Archery Classes, English as a Second Language classes, food distribution, Hispanic Mennonites share building, Head Start program, La Casa de Amistad, Multi-Parish, Block Clubs and Crime Watch, South Allison Hill Civic Association, game room, dart ball, drama, day trips, etc.
1986 Street Fair starts
1987 Donna and Alan Benson begin Tutoring Program
1988 Brethren Housing Association begins with the sale of the Fellowship House to it by First Church for a dollar
1989 Community Ministries include Craft Classes with Kim Joseph, 4-H Club: Pets Club, Geology Club, Cooking Club, English as a Second Language Classes, weekly outings during summer
1994 Saturday Evening Praise and Prayer Worship starts
1995 First Church adopts vision statement: We are called to build a Christ-centered multi- cultural community in the inner city, sharing the love, healing, peace and justice of Christ
1995 Prison Worship Services begin to be led by group from First Church
1996 Friday Bible Studies begin
1997 Nutrition Classes begin with Marie Miller from Penn State Extension
1997 KIDS’ Church starts
1997 Computer Classes with Gov. Leader’s Program starts
1998 Narcotics Anonymous Group began meeting here
1999 4-H Cooking Classes started with Penn State Extension
1999 Brethren Community Thrift Shop starts, open 20 hours a week. Lois L. Strickland hired as Assistant Manager for Thrift Shop part time
2001 Launch of Agape-Satyagraha, a youth leadership training program in peaceful conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation, and social change targeted at reducing violence in our community
2002 Brethren Community Thrift Shop opens in storefront at 1319 Derry St.
2005 Thrift Shop closed and storefront rented to Safe-Haven Quality Care, L.L.C., which provides assistance to the elderly, the disabled, and other homebound individuals. They provide direct, non-medical, in-home services in the areas of companionship, errands, chores, house-keeping, personal care, meal preparation, and socialization
2008 On Earth Peace partners with Brethren Community Ministries to offer the Agape-Satyagraha program across the country 2008
2011 LHACC ( Latino Hispanic American Cultural Center) establishes a presence at 1317-1319 Derry St. to hold community meetings and provide services
2012 Gerald W. Rhoades retires as Executive Director of Brethren Community Ministries after faithfully serving the community for 30 years. He served since 1983 as Director of Community Ministries at Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren and since 2000 as the Executive Director for Brethren Community Ministries. In this role, he established programs for children, youth, and adults; these include developing Agape-Satyagraha Conflict Resolution Training for youth, KIDS’ Church, computer classes, coordinating a weekly food distribution and Bible study, and serving as the first Executive Director of Brethren Housing Association. Pastor Rhoades has been recognized by the governor and mayor for his ministry.
2012 On Earth Peace assumes ownership of and responsibility for the program now called Agape-Satyagraha with Brethren Community Ministries, being the originator of the program, retaining certain privileges, especially in the Tri-County region
2012 Brethren Community Ministries becomes a Partner Faith Community of the Harrisburg Chapter of Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence and agrees to serve as its fiscal agent. Pastor Belita Mitchell agrees to serve as Chair of the Chapter’s Coordinating Committee and Rev. Ron Tilley agrees to serve as the Chapter’s Organizer.
2014 Ronald B. Tilley II begins serving as Executive Director of Brethren Community Ministries
2014 Brethren Community Ministries starts to use the motto “Be the Peace” and establishes a social media presence using the name bcmPEACE as a shortened version of our name, Brethren Community Ministries
2014 In response to incidents of young black men being killed by police, graduates of bcmPEACE’s Agape-Satyagraha program are asked by the Community Responders Network (CRN) to lead listening sessions to strengthen police/community relations. Using skills learned in Agape-Satyagraha, youth led their peers in circle-process discussions. CRN incorporated the reflections from these listening sessions into Police Training sessions developed by CRN in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice and local law enforcement.
2016 bcmPEACE changes its mission to “bcmPEACE serves Allison Hill in becoming a safer, healthier community, empowered by God’s peace.” The board implements a committee structure to more effectively achieve its mission.
2020 bcmPEACE is honored to be the spotlight ministry at the Atlantic Northeast District Conference