Brethren bits: Church of the Brethren Credit Union, Brethren Press, and more.

• The Board of Directors of the new Church of the Brethren Credit Union expressed thanks this week to the people who for the past several years have staffed the credit union's predecessor organization, Brethren Employees' Credit Union (BECU). Dennis Fisher, BECU president and CEO, concluded his service March 31, and Stacie Wirtz and Jane Potoczny concluded their service today, April 2. As of April 1, the credit union offices were moved to a new location within the Brethren Benefit Trust offices in Elgin, Ill. The credit union will hold an open house at 10 a.m. April 5. Contact the credit union at its new website, www.cobcu.org, where membership applications and loan applications may be made online.
  
  
• Alana Geuder will begin April 5 as the General Board's Customer Service Resource Specialist for Brethren Press, a position located at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Through her background in retail management, Geuder has experience in customer service, order-processing, inventory management, and daily operations.
  
  
• The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) seeks a full-time administrative assistant to serve as assistant to the executive director and other staff. The position also carries responsibilities for administering ABC's loans and scholarship program, maintaining all financial services, and acting as registrar for all ABC-sponsored conferences. Applicants may contact Mary Lou Garrison at (847) 742-5100 or e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has named Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose as co-directors, to begin Sept. 1. Gene Stoltzfus has served as director for the past 16 years. Rose, of Wichita, Kan., will become Operations Co-Director and Pritchard, of Toronto, Canada, will be Program Co-Director. Rose recently completed six years of pastoral leadership in the Mennonite Church of the Servant in Wichita, and previously worked for 13 years with Mennonite Central Committee in Honduras, Thailand, the Philippines, and Lancaster, Pa. Pritchard, a member of Toronto United Mennonite Church, is coordinator of CPT Canada, a position he has held since the inception of the program in 1997. CPT is an ecumenical program initiated by Brethren and Mennonite Congregations and Friends Meetings.
  
  
• "Many thanks to those who have already used the system and gained the benefits!" wrote Lerry Fogle, Annual Conference executive director, in a statement expressing appreciation to those who are pre-registering for the 2004 Conference. Registration using www.brethren.org/ac facilitates the work of his office and will make registration for next year's Conference even easier, he said. Information collected this year will be retained to expedite future registrations and send customized Conference invitations. Benefits of pre-registering online before May 15 include a discount of $10 per registration for each attendee or family member, and no waiting in line on arrival in Charleston. Name tags and Conference booklets will be mailed in advance to those who pre-register. In addition, those who pre-register have two payment options, via credit card while online or by sending a check after registering.
  
  
• Volunteer translators are needed for the English-Spanish translation services at the 2004 Annual Conference. Nadine L. Monn will be coordinating the translation effort. Monn is working on written translation of business items and any sermons that are available in advance of the Conference. Volunteers are needed for on-site translation of business sessions, worship services, and any insight sessions or meal events, as a service to Hispanic attendees. Contact Monn at 301-759-4710 or e-mail nadine_monn@yahoo.com.
  
  
• A planned tour of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., on the morning of Saturday March 20 expanded into an all-day experience for the Maryland Boy's Choir when their bus broke down. Volunteer hosts at the Conference Center made sure the visitors--50 boys and 16 chaperones--had a good experience, according to Kathleen Campanella, BSC's manager of communications. To fill the time, a generous chaperone provided each member of the group with $20 to spend in SERRV's International Gift Shop. "The chaperone really took 'Shopping is Mission' seriously," Campanella reported. "We also provided a place for the group to eat their bag lunches, basketballs to burn off some energy, and a place to rehearse for their next performance."
  
  
• As of March 31, 212 people have registered to participate in National Young Adult Conference. The Young Adult Steering Committee encourages young adults aged 18-35 to register soon, because registration will close April 15. To register online, go to www.nyac2004.org and click on the registration link. All forms and the entire registration fee of $225 are due in the NYAC Office by April 15. For questions or more information, please visit the website or contact Becky Ullom at 800-323-8039, ext. 286.
  
  
• The Susquehanna Valley Satellite of Bethany Theological Seminary sponsored a Continuing Education event for pastors on March 13. "Restoring the Soul of Ministry: Weaving Spiritual Practices in Solitude and Community" was led by Kent Ira Groff, founding mentor of Oasis Ministries. The retreat-seminar was conducted through video teleconferencing between Juniata College and Elizabethtown College. Thirty-six pastors participated.
  
  
• As a fund-raiser for Church of the Brethren disaster response, a small group at University Park Church of the Brethren in Hyattsville, Md., is selling prints of a photograph of Scharzenau, Germany, and the Eder River. Church member Warren Kissinger took the photograph during the denomination's 250th anniversary celebration at the site of the founding of the Brethren movement. Copies of the photograph hang in the University Park church, the Mid-Atlantic District office, and the Young Center at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. Another will be auctioned at the Mid-Atlantic District Relief Auction this spring. Cost for 11-by-14-inch unframed prints is $20. Contact University Park Church of the Brethren, 4413 Tuckerman St., Hyattsville, MD 20782.
  
  
• Cincinnati (Ohio) Church of the Brethren is holding a mosque tour May 1. The one-and-a-half-hour tour, which can accommodate up to 150 people, will begin at 1 p.m. at the Islamic Center, 8092 Plantation Dr., West Chester, OH 45069. The tour will address Islamic beliefs, the art and architecture of the mosque, and major issues in the community. A $2 per person donation is suggested. Women are asked to dress appropriately in pants or long skirts and wear head coverings. For more information contact Wendy Smith at 513-947-0539 or e-mail kurtandwendy@fuse.net.
  
  
• The Level 1 Disaster Child Care (DCC) Training Workshop scheduled for March 26-27 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Frederick, Md., has been rescheduled to Sept. 17-18 at Frederick Church of the Brethren. Space is still available for additional participants in the Level 1 DCC Training Workshop at the Tearcoat Church of the Brethren in Augusta, W.Va., April 16-17. The trainings are for volunteers interested in ministering with children following a disaster. DCC is a ministry of the General Board. For more information contact Helen Stonesifer, DCC coordinator, at 800-451-4407 or e-mail hstonesifer_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• The Middle Pennsylvania District Church of the Brethren Resource Network Catalog is now available online. The network, which is primarily for use within the district, provides materials and information for ministry including print and video resources located at the District Center for Congregational Ministry as well as some helpful Web resources and a listing of individuals with special ministry focus areas who are willing to assist others. Log on to the website at either www.midpacob.org or public.juniata.edu/midpa. For more information call the District Center at 814-643-0601 or e-mail dness_ds@brethren.org.
  
  
• "Evangelism and the Progressive Church" is the theme for the Western Regional Event sponsored by Voices for an Open Spirit (VOS), 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 8 at Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren. Jim Burklo, pastor of the Sausalito Presbyterian Church and author of "Open Christianity: Home by Another Way" will be the presenter. Cost for the day is $25. For more information visit www.voicesforanopenspirit.org where VOS is described as "a network of people who want to give voice to a progressive spirit in the Church of the Brethren."
  
  
• "Brethren Alive 2004," a conference sponsored by the Brethren Revival Fellowship July 23-25 at Elizabethtown College, will focus on the theme, "The Christian Family--Under the Design of God." Speakers are Garnet Myers, minister at Upton/Trinity Church of the Brethren, Greencastle, Pa.; Kenneth Nell, minister at Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren, Spring Grove, Pa.; Mervin Keller, minister at Lewiston (Maine) Church of the Brethren; and Craig Smith, district executive minister of Atlantic Northeast District. The purpose of the meeting is to gather evangelical Brethren "to celebrate our life in Christ and encourage one another to spiritual growth and faithfulness." Cost is $50. Contact Brethren Alive 2004, 155 Denver Rd., Denver, PA 17517.
  
  
• An "early bird" registration discount is available through April 15 for the North American Stewardship Conference on the theme, "The Joy of Stewardship: A Guide to Generous Giving" June 23-26 in Toronto, Canada. The conference is for congregational stewardship leaders to receive inspiration, practical help, and creative insights. For more information see www.stewardshipresources.org.
  
  
• April 2 is the deadline to receive a special event room rate for the North American Conference on Christian Philanthropy, to be held April 28-30 in St. Louis, Mo. The conference provides resources, ideas, and connections with others committed to faithful and creative stewardship ministries. For more information go to www.stewardshipresources.org.

Source: Newsline 4/02/2004 top