Brethren Serving from New Windsor

The philosophy of service that found concrete expression at New Windsor was set forth quite clearly and simply in the familiar New Testament passage that Brethren had already chosen, in the Annual Conference of 1941, as the charter for their newly authorized Brethren Service Commission. The words come from Matthew 25:31-46. The setting is Jesus' parable of the separation of the sheep and goats on the day of judgment, when the Son of Man shall come in his glory.

Here are the significant words that were quoted to outline the function of the Brethren Service Committee: I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came unto me. Inasmuch as you did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, you did it unto me."

By the end of World War II, the New Windsor campus had become a bustling center of service activities. The former college buildings were being adapted to a program that would expedite the sending of food and clothing to several areas of the world.

The Brethren were motivated by several factors: an awareness of need; a tradition of caring; a philosophy of service growing out of the New Testament; and a willingness to cooperate with other Christian denominations and agencies to get the job done.

Source: New Windsor Center, Kenneth Morse