- Connie Sandman will be moving from the Communications and Information Services department of Brethren Benefit Trust to the newly established Church of the Brethren Credit Union, where she will be the member services representative. Sandman joined BBT in 1982 as a medical claims processor. In 1999, she moved to BBT's Information Services department as a customer service representative and computer technician, and in 2000 became administrative assistant to BBT's newly combined Communications and Information Services departments. She will become the primary contact for the credit union Apr. 1.
- The General Board is seeking a full-time customer service resource specialist, to begin Mar. 17. The position provides Brethren Press resource information to congregations and individuals, handles orders, and processes accounts receivable, monthly statements, and other reports. Candidates will have ability in customer service, word processing, basic accounting, and general office skills. Experience in a church or service organization and some college credit is preferred. For more information or to apply contact Mary Lou Garrison, director of human resources, e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org, or call 847-742-5100. Application deadline is Mar. 10.
- The Annual Conference Office has a new website that is designed to be user friendly and informative. The site will provide access to all of the information found on the old site and, starting Mar. 17, will feature online registration and information for the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va. The new site can be accessed at www.brethren.org/ac/.
- A series of six Disaster Child Care Level 1 Volunteer Training Workshops begins today at the Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. The Church of the Brethren program prepares volunteers to care for children affected by disasters. Trainings continue Mar. 26-27 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Frederick, Md.; Apr. 16-17 at Tearcoat Church of the Brethren, Augusta, W.Va.; Apr. 24-25 at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Apr. 30-May 1 at Christ United Methodist Church, Amherst, N.Y.; and May 21-22 at Lanark (Ill.) Church of the Brethren.
- The registration deadline for the District Disaster Coordinators Seminar has been extended to Mar. 15. The event will be held Apr. 20-22 in New Windsor, Md. The General Board's Emergency Response office is encouraging all 23 districts to be represented. For more information call Jane Yount, 800-451-4407, ext. 4.
- The deadline is fast approaching for submissions of stories for the Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR) ecumenical citations, to be given at Annual Conference 2004. In keeping with the goals of the Decade to Overcome Violence, CIR's focus is on youth and young adults involved in peacemaking. Stories about exemplary Brethren youth and young adults doing creative work or projects to help reduce and overcome violence are sought. Please send stories to the General Secretary's Office, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, or e-mail generalboard@brethren.org. Stories need to be received by Mar. 15. More information can be found at www.brethren.org/genbd/CIR/CIRFlyer.html.
- "Christ Is Our Peace: Breaking Down Dividing Walls," an urban ministry event held Feb. 17 at Hollins Road Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va., was attended by 18 clergy from 12 congregations in Virlina District. The district's newly recognized Urban Ministry Committee hosted the event, with leadership by Bruce A. Yoder, director of Capital Campaign YMCA of Greater Richmond. Sessions focused on the biblical text and the "Big Six Model of Community" from Yoder's doctoral work, identifying possibilities for congregations to provide opportunities for belonging, intimacy, generativity, stability, influence, and exploration.
- Four volunteers have been trained as a resource for a two-year "Growing Faithful Disciples" emphasis in Middle Pennsylvania District. The Gifts Assessment Team of Jerriann Heiser Wenger, Harold Bowser, Chris Knepp, and Duane Rhodes will assist congregations in examining gifts discernment as a process of identifying personal spiritual gifts, and help congregations put into motion a gifts assessment plan. Jan Glass King, coordinator for Congregational Life Team Area 1, provided training to the team which will, in turn, respond to invitations from congregations and church leaders interested in pursuing gifts assessment.
- A 16-person delegation from six Church of the Brethren districts will join other international visitors to serve as monitors for the Mar. 21 presidential elections in El Salvador. The trip is organized by the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization. The election, in which a former rebel leader is on the ballot, may be critical to the country's continued emergence from decades-long civil conflict. The team will be hosted by long-time Brethren partner Emmanuel Baptist Church. A number of participants are from Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind., which has had a sister-church relationship with Emmanuel Baptist.
- A conference titled "The Reformation and the Anabaptists—Steps to Reconciliation" will be held June 26 in Zurich, Switzerland. The conference will aim to "help heal wounds of the Reformation," according to Mennonite Weekly Review. Up to 100 North American Anabaptists are expected to be invited to attend.
- A consortium of five health care-related organizations, including Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA), has been awarded $335 million over five years to provide anti-retroviral therapy to HIV/AIDS patients in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The award is part of the US administration's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, resulting from a $15 billion commitment to treat two million people with HIV/AIDS, prevent seven million new infections, and provide care and support for orphans and ten million people living with HIV/AIDS. The consortium is led by Catholic Relief Services and includes the University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, and the Futures Group. IMA warehouses its medical supplies at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
- A gathering on global issues of peace and justice will take place in Arlington, Va., this weekend Mar. 5-8. "I Will Feed Them with Justice" (Ezek. 34:16) is the theme for the second annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Several hundred attendees are expected, representing a broad range of churches and faith-based coalitions worldwide. Heading the list of 35 noted speakers and presenters is Samuel Kobia, the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches and former head of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The weekend will include six different focus tracks on Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, economic justice, and nuclear disarmament. Planners expect about 350 attendees to hold lobbying meetings on Capitol Hill. For a complete schedule of events and a list of speakers and topics, or to register online, go to www.advocacydays.org.
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