The Mennonite Brethren North Carolina District Conference celebrated a name change, which highlights the potential for growth, at its annual convention.

Two years ago, the district voted to change its name to Eastern District Conference when a new congregation of Ethiopian immigrants in Virginia was in the process of joining. Immigration issues slowed the affiliation process, putting the name change on hold. Earlier this year, the congregation, Assemblies of Trinity International, contacted the district about re-engaging the process.

Congolese congregations in Maine, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio are also interested in joining the newly named Eastern District.

After the district’s Sept. 13-15 convention at The Life Center in Lenoir, N.C., the USMB Leadership Board affirmed the name change when it met Nov. 8-9 in Omaha, Neb.

“As the NCDC began to expand into other states, it became apparent that a name change was needed to include the churches in the other states,” said district minister Terry Hunt. He noted that the Atlantic coastal states have one-third of the nation’s population, but “we have only a few MB churches here.”