Brethren bits: Former missionary remembered, BBT job opening, and more.

• Shirley Fike, a nurse and former missionary for the Church of the Brethren, died May 2 in Winona Lake, Ind., at the age of 71. With her husband, Don, she served with the General Board in Equador 1957-59; as a house parent in Elgin, Ill., in 1959; and in Puerto Rico at the church and hospital in Castaner, 1960-74. She also taught and lectured about nutrition and spiritual growth as they relate to wholeness, and was a graduate of McPherson (Kan.) College. After pastorates in Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland, the Fikes lived in Warm Springs, Va., for the past several years. A memorial service will be held May 8 at Zion Chapel in Goshen, Ind.
  
  
• The Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) Communications and Information Services Department seeks to fill the newly defined salaried staff position of Office, Production, and Information Services coordinator. The coordinator will provide leadership in the production of news and informational, promotional, and operational resources including desktop publishing, website updating, and work with print vendors. The job also entails office coordination, assistance with business services, tech support, and basic hardware and software functions. For a position description call Susan Brandenbusch, 800-746-1505 or e-mail sbrandenbusch_bbt@brethren.org. Candidates should send a resume, along with three references, to Brandenbusch by noon May 17.
  
  
• On behalf of the Church of the Brethren, the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) has signed on to the Cover the Uninsured Campaign, which focuses attention on the plight of nearly 44 million uninsured Americans. Cover the Uninsured is a national campaign that has organized a range of events to educate the public about the social injustice and compounding problems that the lack of health insurance brings to all Americans. ABC has posted "A Call to Care for People Without Insurance" on its website at www.brethren.org/abc/ and encourages congregations to participate in awareness-raising and educational events planned for their areas during Cover the Uninsured Week May 10-16. To find out more, visit www.CoverTheUninsured.com.
  
  
• Scott Holland, assistant professor of Peace Studies and Cross Cultural Studies at the Church of the Brethren's Bethany Theological Seminary, is scheduled to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on May 20, along with Ann Riggs, National Council of Churches' associate general secretary for Faith and Order. The two are members of an organizing committee for the "Watu Kwa Amani" conference in August in Kenya, the next in a series of Historic Peace Church conferences engaging with the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence, and co-editors of a recently published book of papers from the first such conference, held in Bienenberg, Switzerland, in 2001. The third co-editor is Fernando Enns, a German Mennonite theologian. The book, "Seeking Cultures of Peace: A Peace Church Conversation," can be ordered from Cascadia Publishing at 215-723-9125 or www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com.
  
  
• A new version of an old resource, the "Messenger" study guide, is available at www.brethren.org. The study guide provides food for thought, questions for discussion, and activities to help individuals, classes, and small groups use the denominational magazine "Messenger" as a focus for study and reflection. The first study guide to be posted is for the May issue of the magazine, and future study guides will be posted in time for the arrival in the mail of each month's new issue. The guide is offered in a pdf format. "Messenger" readers are encouraged to print study guides as needed for individual or group use.
  
  
• Dates for the next National Youth Conference have been announced by the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Office. NYC will be held July 22-27, 2006, at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo., beginning Saturday evening with dinner at 5 p.m. through closing worship Thursday morning ending at 11:30 a.m. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday.
  
  
• Dates also have been set for the 2005 Christian Citizenship Seminar, April 23-28 in New York and Washington, D.C. The focus will be on conscientious objection to war.
  
  
• Candidates for Disaster Project Director Training are sought by the General Board's Emergency Response program. The next training will be held in New Windsor, Md., Nov. 7-9. Requirements for volunteer disaster project directors include skills in leadership and organization and a heart for Christian service. Construction or handyman skills are preferred. Couples whose skills complement each other are welcome. Call Jane Yount at 800-451-4407 or 410-635-8730.
  
  
• The New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center seeks service-oriented volunteers interested in being host or hostess. Volunteers receive their own apartment, free meals, and a small stipend. Volunteer hosts typically have been retired couples, widows, and widowers, but other mature adults are welcome. Contact Elaine Hyde at 410-635-8700 or toll free 800-766-1553.
  
  
• More than 130 middle school students, teachers, and chaperones spent April 23 on the campus of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., for a learning and volunteer experience. Lisa Blevins, a member of the Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren and a teacher at East Middle School in Westminster, coordinated the visit. Staff and volunteers from Emergency Response/Service Ministries, On Earth Peace, SERRV International, Interchurch Medical Assistance, and the Conference Center worked together to plan activities, present information and help with crowd control.
  
  
• "When Saints Become Sad," a workshop on depression sponsored by Western Plains District, will be held May 8 at Topeka (Kan.) Church of the Brethren and June 5 at Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in Littleton, Colo. For more information contact the district office at 620-241-4240 or e-mail WesternPlains@brethren.org.
  
  
• In response to the 2003 Annual Conference call to be a living peace church, Virlina District Peace Affairs Committee is hosting a 2nd Annual Virlina District Peace Seminar 9 a.m. to 12 noon May 8 at Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va. Presentations will be made by On Earth Peace, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and Christian Peacemaker Teams.
  
  
• The Village at Morrisons Cove, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Martinsburg, Pa., seeks volunteers for a new lay shepherding program in the home's long-term care facility. Chaplain Millie Baker adds, "We are currently seeking training resources and possible information from other programs. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated." Contact Baker at 814-793-2104 or e-mail dccob@nb.net.
  
  
• Good Shepherd Home, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Fostoria, Ohio, is celebrating its 100th year in 2004—all year. The "Big Bash" anniversary celebration is June 25, but Good Shepherd is holding celebrations every month to let the community know of its history and vision. The home also is selling 100th anniversary shirts. For more information contact executive director Chris Widman at 419-435-1801 or log on to www.goodshepherdhome.com.
  
  
• Paul Mundey, pastor of Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren, will deliver the message at Bridgewater (Va.) College's baccalaureate May 16. Mundey is father of graduating senior, Peter. Myles Brand, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, will deliver the commencement address. In other news from the college, Judy Mills Reimer, past general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, was elected to the Board of Trustees. Brethren also were among six honored at an Alumni Weekend April 16-17: Betty Blough Martin, a leading Bridgewater citizen and member of Bridgewater Church of the Brethren; and Stuart R. Suter, a chemist, attorney, and consultant in the field of patent matters and technology transfer in the chemical and pharmaceutical areas and a member of Ambler (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Others honored were Ralph S. Wolfe, a researcher in the field of microbiology; Matthew Burton Garber, a university professor and physical therapist in the Army; Sarah Smith Greenleaf, a researcher on the pollination services of native bees; and Beverly Wampler Lineweaver, a volunteer in the General Board's Disaster Child Care program.
  
  
• "Raise Your Voice," a retreat and training event for young adults May 28-31 at Camp Emmaus in Mount Morris, Ill., is sponsored by the New Community Project and the Ecumenical Eco-Justice Network. The retreat will equip young adults to raise concerns of justice and caring for the earth, and is open to Church of the Brethren young adults out of high school up to their mid-twenties. Cost is $150 with scholarship assistance available. To register, e-mail Karen Hodges at hodgesk@etown.edu. For more information contact David Radcliff at 888-800-2985 or e-mail dradcliff@newcommunityproject.org.

Source: Newsline 5/7/2004
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