Forum considers relationship of Brethren retirement centers to the districts.

More than 50 participants from 13 facilities attended the seventh annual Forum for CEOs, administrators, senior management, board members, and residents of Church of the Brethren retirement centers. The forum is sponsored annually by the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

The Brethren Retirement Community, Greenville, Ohio, hosted the event March 4-6. District executive ministers were invited to the meeting to consider the ongoing relationships of the homes and districts. Seventeen of the 23 districts have historic and current relationships with Brethren retirement centers.

Other highlights included a recognition and awards dinner, presentations, workshops, a tour of the host facilities, and significant times of fellowship. Recognitions were given to three CEOs who have retired or are no longer with the homes: LeRoy Weddle from The Cedars, McPherson, Kan., who retired at the end of 2003; Vernon Showalter of Pinecrest Community, Mount Morris, Ill., who will retire this spring; and Cathy Snell, of the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, Palmyra, Pa., who died in 2003. Eleven staff, volunteers, board members, and facilities were given "outstanding" awards.

Nine sponsors provided exhibits, workshops, and financial support. Participants also heard from Brethren Benefit Trust, Bethany Theological Seminary, and The Peace Church Purchasing Group, a collaborative agency of the Friends, Mennonites, and Church of the Brethren. The next Forum is tentatively scheduled for March 17-19, 2005, at Timbercrest Senior Living Community, North Manchester, Ind.

Source: Newsline 4/02/2004 top