This week I leave for the fifth meeting of the Brethren World Assembly, a gathering of Brethren folks from the various denominations who trace their heritage to the pietist Alexander Mack, founder of the 18^th century “new Anabaptists” at Schwarzenau, Germany. This meets every five years and this time around I have been asked to speak on a topic related to Brethren spirituality and “community, family, and individual.” I've chosen to focus on three historical personalities who were all part of the Brethren tradition but have diverse experiences: Peter Nead was an important 19^th c. representative from the Old German Baptist Brethren; Estella Myers was a missionary pioneer to Africa; and Herman Hoyt was the second president of Grace College and Theological Seminary here in Winona Lake Indiana. I hope to flesh out the sense of historical “place” for each of these individuals and then reflect on some of the tensions and issues regarding community/family/individual. The gathering meets at the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, OH.