- Association of Brethren Caregivers re-envisions ministries.
- Plans for Conversations on Being the Church continue.
- Writers meet for Gather 'Round curriculum conference.
- Atlantic Northeast District focuses on PLAN to bear fruit.
- Atlantic Southeast holds conference despite hurricanes.
- Southern Ohio celebrates 150th annual district conference.
- Brethren bits: Job opening, call for dramas, and more.
Friday, October 29, 2004
NEWS
Association of Brethren Caregivers re-envisions ministries.
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board approved a re-envisioning of ministries at Sept. 24-26 meetings in Elgin, Ill. The board agreed with staff recommendations to change ABC's focus, from nine distinct ministries to five ministry imperatives: Whole-Person Health Ministry, Disabilities Ministry, Older Adult Ministry, Mental Health/Illness Ministry, and Uncompensated Care.
"We're changing the paradigm around the way ABC has provided ministry to the denomination," said Kathy Reid, executive director. "Under this structure of imperatives, ABC can focus its attention on five specific areas, allowing more flexibility to respond to new concerns and inviting opportunities for collaboration." By focusing on five ministries, staff hope to engage in fact finding, create measurable outcomes, and evaluate programs after a two- or three-year period, reported communication director Mary Dulabaum. Outcomes could include creating workshops for congregational meetings, providing sessions at district and denominational conferences, offering resources through the Internet, and advocating on special issues.
Reid explained implications the re-envisioning has for ABC's services: resources for the Denominational Deacon Ministry will be provided by each new imperative, providing crossover between the imperatives and people providing caregiving in congregations; each imperative has a component devoted to family life concerns; the Voice Ministry will continue with several ministry components but will devote attention to the Mental Health/Illness Ministry; the Whole-Person Health Ministry, a re-naming of the Lafiya program, will shift from a congregational approach to a focus on individual awareness of health and wholeness. Ongoing programs such as National Older Adult Conference and the Caring Ministries Assembly will continue and be opportunities for education and advocacy for new imperatives.
One new imperative is the issue of Uncompensated Care. Emerging from the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, this imperative will raise awareness of problems Brethren homes experience by providing $14 million of uncompensated care annually to residents no longer able to pay for care. The Brethren Chaplains Network has been realigned to the General Board's Ministry Office to better serve the denomination's chaplains. ABC will continue to provide training events for chaplains at denominational conferences.
In other work, the board created a study committee to evaluate how ABC and its ministries fit into the structure of the denomination. This committee will report its findings at the Fall 2005 board meeting. ABC will then be prepared to share its viewpoint with the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee, to evaluate Brethren structure and programs in 2006.
In other business, the board approved a break-even budget for 2005 after struggling with how to balance the budget in a year when conference income comes from the Caring Ministries Assembly, which does not generate significant revenue. Bylaw changes were made to allow the chair of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a ministry of ABC, to serve as an ex officio board member with voting ability. The board recognized the contributions and services of Connie Burk Davis, whose term expires Jan. 1; elected Allegra Hess of West Chicago, Ill., and John Katonah of Evanston, Ill., to second terms on the board; and elected Daniel McRoberts of Caledonia, Mich., to a first term.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board approved a re-envisioning of ministries at Sept. 24-26 meetings in Elgin, Ill. The board agreed with staff recommendations to change ABC's focus, from nine distinct ministries to five ministry imperatives: Whole-Person Health Ministry, Disabilities Ministry, Older Adult Ministry, Mental Health/Illness Ministry, and Uncompensated Care.
"We're changing the paradigm around the way ABC has provided ministry to the denomination," said Kathy Reid, executive director. "Under this structure of imperatives, ABC can focus its attention on five specific areas, allowing more flexibility to respond to new concerns and inviting opportunities for collaboration." By focusing on five ministries, staff hope to engage in fact finding, create measurable outcomes, and evaluate programs after a two- or three-year period, reported communication director Mary Dulabaum. Outcomes could include creating workshops for congregational meetings, providing sessions at district and denominational conferences, offering resources through the Internet, and advocating on special issues.
Reid explained implications the re-envisioning has for ABC's services: resources for the Denominational Deacon Ministry will be provided by each new imperative, providing crossover between the imperatives and people providing caregiving in congregations; each imperative has a component devoted to family life concerns; the Voice Ministry will continue with several ministry components but will devote attention to the Mental Health/Illness Ministry; the Whole-Person Health Ministry, a re-naming of the Lafiya program, will shift from a congregational approach to a focus on individual awareness of health and wholeness. Ongoing programs such as National Older Adult Conference and the Caring Ministries Assembly will continue and be opportunities for education and advocacy for new imperatives.
One new imperative is the issue of Uncompensated Care. Emerging from the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, this imperative will raise awareness of problems Brethren homes experience by providing $14 million of uncompensated care annually to residents no longer able to pay for care. The Brethren Chaplains Network has been realigned to the General Board's Ministry Office to better serve the denomination's chaplains. ABC will continue to provide training events for chaplains at denominational conferences.
In other work, the board created a study committee to evaluate how ABC and its ministries fit into the structure of the denomination. This committee will report its findings at the Fall 2005 board meeting. ABC will then be prepared to share its viewpoint with the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee, to evaluate Brethren structure and programs in 2006.
In other business, the board approved a break-even budget for 2005 after struggling with how to balance the budget in a year when conference income comes from the Caring Ministries Assembly, which does not generate significant revenue. Bylaw changes were made to allow the chair of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a ministry of ABC, to serve as an ex officio board member with voting ability. The board recognized the contributions and services of Connie Burk Davis, whose term expires Jan. 1; elected Allegra Hess of West Chicago, Ill., and John Katonah of Evanston, Ill., to second terms on the board; and elected Daniel McRoberts of Caledonia, Mich., to a first term.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Plans for 'Conversations on Being the Church' continue.
A group making plans for a denomination-wide conversation on the state of the church has announced a new name for the effort and a timeline of events. The group of representatives of Annual Conference, the districts, and Conference agencies met Sept. 29-30 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. "TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church" is the new name for the effort previously referred to as an "ecclesiology consultation."
At the meeting, the group "put more thought into the basics. We got some good work done," reported Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden. Agenda items included the new name, a logo, budget, a timeline of events, a study guide, and continuing discussion of questions raised at previous meetings.
Graphic designer Debbie Noffsinger is being commissioned to create a logo using church images that are "undisputed," said McFadden, "images that all can rally around." Images that may be used include the cross, the bread and cup, and the basin and towel.
A timeline for the conversations, which will take place in 2006-07, will begin with a Launch Event Feb. 24-26, 2006, in New Windsor, Md. The launch will train some 125 representatives of districts and Conference agencies to lead conversations in their own areas, districts, and congregations following Annual Conference that year, said Julie Hostetter of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams and chair of the launch subcommittee. "A key component is the study guide," she said. The "TOGETHER" guide will be used in the conversations at all levels: Annual Conference, district conferences, area events, and congregations. The group discussed possible writers and McFadden was given responsibility to continue planning the guide.
Following the launch, conversations will continue at Annual Conference 2006 in 30-minute time slots during each business session, and at some insight sessions. District conferences in 2006 will be invited to have "TOGETHER" conversations. Throughout the latter half of 2006 and the first half of 2007, those trained at the launch will lead conversations. Area events will be coordinated by Ron and Harriett Finney. "TOGETHER" will culminate at Annual Conference 2007.
Other key issues are still in the planning stage, McFadden said, such as how to secure financing and how to include all segments of the denomination. The group continued discussing "Who is listening?"--a question raised at its last meeting in May. A subcommittee was appointed to work on "listening teams" for the process.
Representing the districts were chair Mark Flory Steury of Southern Ohio, Don Booz of Mid-Atlantic, and David Shumate of Virlina. Representing Annual Conference was secretary Fred Swartz. Representing the agencies were, from the Association of Brethren Caregivers, executive director Kathy Reid; from Bethany, professor Jeff Bach and dean Steve Reid; from Brethren Benefit Trust, president Wil Nolen; from the General Board, Ministry director Mary Jo Flory Steury, Hostetter, Congregational Life Ministries executive Del Keeney, McFadden; from On Earth Peace, peace witness coordinator Matt Guynn; and Bethany Academy director Jonathan Shively. Ron and Harriett Finney attended as coordinators of the regional events. The group will meet again Jan. 20-21 at Bethany.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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A group making plans for a denomination-wide conversation on the state of the church has announced a new name for the effort and a timeline of events. The group of representatives of Annual Conference, the districts, and Conference agencies met Sept. 29-30 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. "TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church" is the new name for the effort previously referred to as an "ecclesiology consultation."
At the meeting, the group "put more thought into the basics. We got some good work done," reported Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden. Agenda items included the new name, a logo, budget, a timeline of events, a study guide, and continuing discussion of questions raised at previous meetings.
Graphic designer Debbie Noffsinger is being commissioned to create a logo using church images that are "undisputed," said McFadden, "images that all can rally around." Images that may be used include the cross, the bread and cup, and the basin and towel.
A timeline for the conversations, which will take place in 2006-07, will begin with a Launch Event Feb. 24-26, 2006, in New Windsor, Md. The launch will train some 125 representatives of districts and Conference agencies to lead conversations in their own areas, districts, and congregations following Annual Conference that year, said Julie Hostetter of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams and chair of the launch subcommittee. "A key component is the study guide," she said. The "TOGETHER" guide will be used in the conversations at all levels: Annual Conference, district conferences, area events, and congregations. The group discussed possible writers and McFadden was given responsibility to continue planning the guide.
Following the launch, conversations will continue at Annual Conference 2006 in 30-minute time slots during each business session, and at some insight sessions. District conferences in 2006 will be invited to have "TOGETHER" conversations. Throughout the latter half of 2006 and the first half of 2007, those trained at the launch will lead conversations. Area events will be coordinated by Ron and Harriett Finney. "TOGETHER" will culminate at Annual Conference 2007.
Other key issues are still in the planning stage, McFadden said, such as how to secure financing and how to include all segments of the denomination. The group continued discussing "Who is listening?"--a question raised at its last meeting in May. A subcommittee was appointed to work on "listening teams" for the process.
Representing the districts were chair Mark Flory Steury of Southern Ohio, Don Booz of Mid-Atlantic, and David Shumate of Virlina. Representing Annual Conference was secretary Fred Swartz. Representing the agencies were, from the Association of Brethren Caregivers, executive director Kathy Reid; from Bethany, professor Jeff Bach and dean Steve Reid; from Brethren Benefit Trust, president Wil Nolen; from the General Board, Ministry director Mary Jo Flory Steury, Hostetter, Congregational Life Ministries executive Del Keeney, McFadden; from On Earth Peace, peace witness coordinator Matt Guynn; and Bethany Academy director Jonathan Shively. Ron and Harriett Finney attended as coordinators of the regional events. The group will meet again Jan. 20-21 at Bethany.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Writers meet for Gather 'Round curriculum conference.
Writers, editors, and resource people from the Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Church USA, and Mennonite Church Canada met Sept. 19-23 at a Writer's Conference for the new Sunday school curriculum project Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God's Good News. For five days at Camp Alexander Mack near Milford, Ind., the group embodied the title for the curriculum, "gathering 'round" to worship with the Bible texts, pray, look for God's good news for each age level, and plan lesson outlines.
"It is a wonderful, scary feeling to be at the beginning of a new venture in children's curriculum," said Eleanor Snyder, director of Faith and Life Resources, Mennonite Publishing Network. "What I saw at the conference were writers deeply committed to children's faith formation and finding creative ways to hear and share God's story."
Frank Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, is writing the parent/caregivers unit. He compared the collaborative aspect of writing curriculum to theater. "In theater, you have a writer, director, designers, builders, actors, and an audience, and you realize that no play is the creation of any one person, but of many as the word becomes flesh. Now with God's word we're counting on the Word becoming flesh through the efforts of writers, editors, designers, marketers, teachers, and students."
Other writers at the conference were Brethren member Susan Fuentes, who is writing Early Childhood for ages 2-4; Rebecca Seiling, of the Mennonite Church Canada, writing the fall quarter of Primary for ages K-grade 2; Brethren member Dianna Ullery, writing Middler for grades 3-5; Carol Duerksen, of the Mennonite Church USA, writing Junior Youth for grades 6-8; and Sarah Pinnell, of the Mennonite Church Canada, writing the Multiage component for grades K-8 and intergenerational use.
For Anna Speicher, project director, the conference was another significant step in the curriculum development--steps that have included establishing curriculum philosophy and guidelines, initial Bible outlining, advisory group meetings, adoption of a name and logo, and recruitment of consultants and writers. Gather 'Round is slated to begin in the Fall of 2006, with the first quarter available for congregations to preview early in 2006.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
top
Writers, editors, and resource people from the Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Church USA, and Mennonite Church Canada met Sept. 19-23 at a Writer's Conference for the new Sunday school curriculum project Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God's Good News. For five days at Camp Alexander Mack near Milford, Ind., the group embodied the title for the curriculum, "gathering 'round" to worship with the Bible texts, pray, look for God's good news for each age level, and plan lesson outlines.
"It is a wonderful, scary feeling to be at the beginning of a new venture in children's curriculum," said Eleanor Snyder, director of Faith and Life Resources, Mennonite Publishing Network. "What I saw at the conference were writers deeply committed to children's faith formation and finding creative ways to hear and share God's story."
Frank Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, is writing the parent/caregivers unit. He compared the collaborative aspect of writing curriculum to theater. "In theater, you have a writer, director, designers, builders, actors, and an audience, and you realize that no play is the creation of any one person, but of many as the word becomes flesh. Now with God's word we're counting on the Word becoming flesh through the efforts of writers, editors, designers, marketers, teachers, and students."
Other writers at the conference were Brethren member Susan Fuentes, who is writing Early Childhood for ages 2-4; Rebecca Seiling, of the Mennonite Church Canada, writing the fall quarter of Primary for ages K-grade 2; Brethren member Dianna Ullery, writing Middler for grades 3-5; Carol Duerksen, of the Mennonite Church USA, writing Junior Youth for grades 6-8; and Sarah Pinnell, of the Mennonite Church Canada, writing the Multiage component for grades K-8 and intergenerational use.
For Anna Speicher, project director, the conference was another significant step in the curriculum development--steps that have included establishing curriculum philosophy and guidelines, initial Bible outlining, advisory group meetings, adoption of a name and logo, and recruitment of consultants and writers. Gather 'Round is slated to begin in the Fall of 2006, with the first quarter available for congregations to preview early in 2006.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Atlantic Northeast District focuses on 'PLAN' to bear fruit.
Atlantic Northeast District held its 2004 conference Oct. 8-9 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with the theme "PLAN to bear much fruit...PLAN to be a disciple," from John 15:7-8. Herbert High, of Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, served as moderator and led delegates through conference business including approval of a slate of nominees, a 2005 budget of $709,835, and a variety of reports.
Speakers included Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, who was the keynote speaker for the Friday evening worship service. The Spring Creek Praise Team opened the service with inspirational singing. James Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator, brought greetings to the gathering and eight Nigerian brothers and sisters were welcomed and shared musical selections. On Saturday the youth of the district led worship.
Four congregations shared "Vision Stories": Big Swatara, Hanoverdale Church of the Brethren in Hummelstown, Pa.; Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Mount Zion Road Church of the Brethren in Lebanon, Pa.; and First Church of the Brethren in Reading, Pa. Four new fellowships were welcomed and recognized: New Beginnings, meeting in Brickerville, Pa., and led by Michael Wise of Chiques Church of the Brethren in Manheim, Pa.; New Creation, worshiping in Reading, Pa., under the direction of David Weiss; Lirio de los Valles, a Hispanic fellowship meeting in Lebanon, Pa., and pastored by Eduardo Rivera; and Maranatha Multicultural, which worships at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren with leadership by Guillermo Encarnacion and Monroe Good.
An offering of $2,432.50 will benefit the following ministries: ten percent to go to Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), ten percent to Seeds of Faith, thirty percent to the Mission Church Support Fund, and fifty percent to Foundational Ministries.
Wayne L. Miller and Guy E. Wampler were recognized as 50-year ordained ministers. Wendi Butterfoss, of Florin Church of the Brethren in Mount Joy, Pa., was called as moderator-elect; Donald Fitzkee and John A. Harpold were called to Standing Committee. Larry O'Neill, of Skippack Church of the Brethren, Collegeville, Pa., was installed as moderator for the 2005 conference which will be held Oct. 7-8 at Elizabethtown College.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Atlantic Northeast District held its 2004 conference Oct. 8-9 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with the theme "PLAN to bear much fruit...PLAN to be a disciple," from John 15:7-8. Herbert High, of Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, served as moderator and led delegates through conference business including approval of a slate of nominees, a 2005 budget of $709,835, and a variety of reports.
Speakers included Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, who was the keynote speaker for the Friday evening worship service. The Spring Creek Praise Team opened the service with inspirational singing. James Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator, brought greetings to the gathering and eight Nigerian brothers and sisters were welcomed and shared musical selections. On Saturday the youth of the district led worship.
Four congregations shared "Vision Stories": Big Swatara, Hanoverdale Church of the Brethren in Hummelstown, Pa.; Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Mount Zion Road Church of the Brethren in Lebanon, Pa.; and First Church of the Brethren in Reading, Pa. Four new fellowships were welcomed and recognized: New Beginnings, meeting in Brickerville, Pa., and led by Michael Wise of Chiques Church of the Brethren in Manheim, Pa.; New Creation, worshiping in Reading, Pa., under the direction of David Weiss; Lirio de los Valles, a Hispanic fellowship meeting in Lebanon, Pa., and pastored by Eduardo Rivera; and Maranatha Multicultural, which worships at Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren with leadership by Guillermo Encarnacion and Monroe Good.
An offering of $2,432.50 will benefit the following ministries: ten percent to go to Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), ten percent to Seeds of Faith, thirty percent to the Mission Church Support Fund, and fifty percent to Foundational Ministries.
Wayne L. Miller and Guy E. Wampler were recognized as 50-year ordained ministers. Wendi Butterfoss, of Florin Church of the Brethren in Mount Joy, Pa., was called as moderator-elect; Donald Fitzkee and John A. Harpold were called to Standing Committee. Larry O'Neill, of Skippack Church of the Brethren, Collegeville, Pa., was installed as moderator for the 2005 conference which will be held Oct. 7-8 at Elizabethtown College.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Atlantic Southeast holds conference despite hurricanes.
Despite massive hurricane damage to the state of Florida over the last six weeks, Atlantic Southeast District held its 80th district conference Oct. 8-9. "Nothing could daunt the good spirits of participants," reported Nancy Cruz, district ministry staff for the General Board, and a member of the district. The multi-cultural membership of the district was celebrated as many attended from the district's Haitian and Puerto Rican churches.
The conference was held at Sebring (Fla.) Church of the Brethren, with the theme, "Strangers No More." The location of the conference was changed twice before actually taking place in Sebring, due to construction issues at the Sebring church and loss of utilities at Lorida (Fla.) Church of the Brethren because of the storms.
The conference moderator was Berwyn Oltman, former district executive and pastor in the district. The speaker for a seminar and the opening worship service was Jeff Wright, executive director of the Center for Anabaptist Leadership in Pasadena, Calif., and executive minister of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Mennonite Church.
Business was highlighted by the acceptance of "La Casa del Amigo" as a new church fellowship in Arecibo, P.R. Hector Perez was elected as moderator-elect and John Mueller was re-elected as chair of the District Board through 2007.
A special feature of the conference was a Pie Auction that raised over $1,400 to benefit the work of the Church Development Council. Several pies brought over $200 each, and a hat and t-shirt worn for disaster clean-up by the district executive's husband, Robert Beach, brought $140.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Despite massive hurricane damage to the state of Florida over the last six weeks, Atlantic Southeast District held its 80th district conference Oct. 8-9. "Nothing could daunt the good spirits of participants," reported Nancy Cruz, district ministry staff for the General Board, and a member of the district. The multi-cultural membership of the district was celebrated as many attended from the district's Haitian and Puerto Rican churches.
The conference was held at Sebring (Fla.) Church of the Brethren, with the theme, "Strangers No More." The location of the conference was changed twice before actually taking place in Sebring, due to construction issues at the Sebring church and loss of utilities at Lorida (Fla.) Church of the Brethren because of the storms.
The conference moderator was Berwyn Oltman, former district executive and pastor in the district. The speaker for a seminar and the opening worship service was Jeff Wright, executive director of the Center for Anabaptist Leadership in Pasadena, Calif., and executive minister of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Mennonite Church.
Business was highlighted by the acceptance of "La Casa del Amigo" as a new church fellowship in Arecibo, P.R. Hector Perez was elected as moderator-elect and John Mueller was re-elected as chair of the District Board through 2007.
A special feature of the conference was a Pie Auction that raised over $1,400 to benefit the work of the Church Development Council. Several pies brought over $200 each, and a hat and t-shirt worn for disaster clean-up by the district executive's husband, Robert Beach, brought $140.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Southern Ohio celebrates 150th annual district conference.
On Oct. 8-9, about 225 Brethren from the 52 congregations of Southern Ohio District met at Salem Church of the Brethren in Englewood for the 150th annual district conference. Moderator Sheila Shumaker, pastor of the Troy congregation, led the meeting.
The theme, "Celebrating Diversity," was introduced in an exciting and powerful worship experience, reported Mary Sue Rosenberger, chaplain at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville. The diversity of music included congregational hymns, praise choruses, handbells, a choir anthem with visual accompaniment, African instruments, and a small group of district instrumentalists known as the "Whotkee R. We Yin?" Remnant Band.
Worshipers celebrated the colorful diversity of the rainbow as a paraphrase of scriptures was read affirming the variety of spiritual gifts. "The congregation responded by waving ribbons of rainbow colors, re-creating the beauty of the rainbow's blended brilliance," she reported. "The scripture, Luke 4:18-19, was read in eight different languages, giving worshipers a new appreciation both of the diversity and the unity we have in Christ Jesus. Rev. Dr. Daryl Ward, senior pastor of the Omega Baptist Church of Dayton, shared God's word in such a timely and inspired way that an occasional heartfelt Brethren 'Amen' could be heard!"
In business, 150 delegates focused on reports rather than diversity. Representatives of mission partners shared images of how the Brethren of Southern Ohio share the knowledge and love of Christ in and beyond the district. A detailed report was given by the district board preparing the delegates to consider--and adopt--a budget of $136,575 for 2005. Pastors new to the district were introduced and 18 ministers were recognized for their years of service. An offering of over $1,000 was taken to aid Atlantic Southeast District's disaster relief efforts.
As a centerpiece of the celebration of diversity, a large cooking pot labeled "Brethren Diversity Soup" graced a communion table throughout the day of business. Between reports and items of business, representatives of six congregations shared stories of how their churches celebrate diversity. Tales were told of children leading worship, the installation of an elevator, ecumenical service ministries, expanded use of technology in worship, ministry to women in a county jail, and a spiritual gifts assessment. Each storyteller contributed an ingredient to the symbolic soup. "As adjournment time approached, the soup 'miraculously' became real and each person was able to enjoy the delicious flavor of diversity," Rosenberger reported.
Leaders called to serve the district are Dave Shetler, moderator; Dan Poole, moderator-elect; Sharon Fellers, clerk; and Dave Shoup, treasurer. Mark Gardner, Gene Karn, Anke Pietsch, Ty Pyles, and Kathy Reynolds will join the board. Charles Cupp was called to Standing Committee and Fred Bernhard and Robert Smart as trustees for the Brethren Retirement Community. Southern Ohio's next annual gathering will be at Oakland Church of the Brethren Oct. 7-8, 2005.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
top
On Oct. 8-9, about 225 Brethren from the 52 congregations of Southern Ohio District met at Salem Church of the Brethren in Englewood for the 150th annual district conference. Moderator Sheila Shumaker, pastor of the Troy congregation, led the meeting.
The theme, "Celebrating Diversity," was introduced in an exciting and powerful worship experience, reported Mary Sue Rosenberger, chaplain at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville. The diversity of music included congregational hymns, praise choruses, handbells, a choir anthem with visual accompaniment, African instruments, and a small group of district instrumentalists known as the "Whotkee R. We Yin?" Remnant Band.
Worshipers celebrated the colorful diversity of the rainbow as a paraphrase of scriptures was read affirming the variety of spiritual gifts. "The congregation responded by waving ribbons of rainbow colors, re-creating the beauty of the rainbow's blended brilliance," she reported. "The scripture, Luke 4:18-19, was read in eight different languages, giving worshipers a new appreciation both of the diversity and the unity we have in Christ Jesus. Rev. Dr. Daryl Ward, senior pastor of the Omega Baptist Church of Dayton, shared God's word in such a timely and inspired way that an occasional heartfelt Brethren 'Amen' could be heard!"
In business, 150 delegates focused on reports rather than diversity. Representatives of mission partners shared images of how the Brethren of Southern Ohio share the knowledge and love of Christ in and beyond the district. A detailed report was given by the district board preparing the delegates to consider--and adopt--a budget of $136,575 for 2005. Pastors new to the district were introduced and 18 ministers were recognized for their years of service. An offering of over $1,000 was taken to aid Atlantic Southeast District's disaster relief efforts.
As a centerpiece of the celebration of diversity, a large cooking pot labeled "Brethren Diversity Soup" graced a communion table throughout the day of business. Between reports and items of business, representatives of six congregations shared stories of how their churches celebrate diversity. Tales were told of children leading worship, the installation of an elevator, ecumenical service ministries, expanded use of technology in worship, ministry to women in a county jail, and a spiritual gifts assessment. Each storyteller contributed an ingredient to the symbolic soup. "As adjournment time approached, the soup 'miraculously' became real and each person was able to enjoy the delicious flavor of diversity," Rosenberger reported.
Leaders called to serve the district are Dave Shetler, moderator; Dan Poole, moderator-elect; Sharon Fellers, clerk; and Dave Shoup, treasurer. Mark Gardner, Gene Karn, Anke Pietsch, Ty Pyles, and Kathy Reynolds will join the board. Charles Cupp was called to Standing Committee and Fred Bernhard and Robert Smart as trustees for the Brethren Retirement Community. Southern Ohio's next annual gathering will be at Oakland Church of the Brethren Oct. 7-8, 2005.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Job opening, call for dramas, and more.
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- Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., has opened its search for a vice president and dean for academic affairs. In addition to leadership of 70 fulltime faculty members in instructional divisions, the athletics program, and campus library, the vice president will have a key role in executing a new five-year strategic plan. Curriculum, academic programs, assessment, instructional technology, and faculty development and recruitment are key roles. The closing date for applications is Nov. 30. Candidates should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and three professional performance references to Manchester College, Attn: Kimberly A. Votaw, Vice President for Human Resources, 604 E. College Ave., North Manchester, IN 46962.
- The Annual Conference 300th Anniversary Committee has issued a call for submissions of dramatic pieces representing the theme for the 2008 celebration, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." Submissions can be full-length dramas, skits, monologues, or vignettes for adults, youth, or children. Submissions may be used in congregations and districts leading up to the anniversary year, and at Annual Conference in 2008. For an interpretation of the theme, contact the Annual Conference office at 800-323-8039. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2005. Name, address, and phone number of the author should be included on a separate page from the submission. All dramas submitted will become the property of the Anniversary Committee and will not be returned. Mail submissions to Annual Conference Office, Attn: Anniversary Drama, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
- The Intercultural Study Committee (formerly called the Multi-Ethnic/Cross-Cultural Study Committee) elected at Annual Conference this summer held its initial meeting Oct. 17-18 in Elgin, Ill. Asha Solanky was selected as chair; Nadine Monn was selected as recorder. Other members are Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff, Ruben DeOleo, Neemita Pandya, Gilbert Romero, and Thomas Dowdy. An ex-officio member from the American Baptist Churches, USA, will soon be appointed. In addition to organizing, the committee explored reasons for the study, what research needs to be done, and what dialogue is needed with the denomination. A general timeline was established and committee member assignments were made.
- Nine pastors from Indiana and Northern Illinois recently gathered with Brethren Press staff to select scripture texts for the covers of the 2006 Living Word Bulletin series. The texts based on the Revised Common Lectionary, will be paired with photos by Brethren photographers from around the denomination as well as stock photography provided by Anchor Wallace Publishers. Each quarter, a cross-section of Brethren pastors and laypeople write reflections and worship resources to appear on the backs of the bulletins. Bulletins created and written "by Brethren for Brethren" reach 56,000 people in Church of the Brethren congregations every week, reported Brethren Press managing editor Nancy Klemm. This year's Advent and Christmas bulletins were designed especially for the Church of the Brethren by Gwen Stamm, a Mennonite artist and calligrapher from Scottdale, Pa., who was commissioned by Anchor Wallace at the request of Brethren Press. To place a standing order for bulletin covers call Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.
- "Disaster response, caring for children, environmental preservation, confronting racial barriers, experiencing new cultures, exploring urban poverty and rural development issues--all of these opportunities and more are available to youth and young adults through the 2005 National Workcamps," said coordinators Cindy Laprade, Beth Rhodes, and Steve Van Houten in a note inviting youth and young adults to participate in workcamps next summer. The theme will be "Rivers of Life" based on John 7:38. Workcampers will be invited to "step into the flow of other people's lives and experiences, and to affect change in the people and places that have been washed away by the currents of our society," the coordinators said. Brochures are available from district offices, congregations, or the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office at 800-323-8039. A website also provides information and registration materials, see www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/workcamps. Registration begins Dec. 1. Contact the coordinators at 800-323-8039 or by e-mail at cobyouth_gb@brethren.org.
- Brethren are invited to join the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office at a rally to "Call for an Absolute End to the School of Americas" at Fort Benning, Ga., Nov. 19-21. The rally culminates a year-long effort by those witnessing against the documented atrocities of the military trained at the School of Western Hemispheric Institution for Security Cooperation--also called the School of the Americas. The office will sponsor a few events at the rally including an information table outside the gates Nov. 20-21 and a gathering for Brethren 5:30-6 p.m. Nov. 20 followed by a concert by the Brethren band Mutual Kumquat in the Howard Johnson Presidential Room, 1011 Veterans Pky., Columbus, Ga. For more information call 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org. For a rally schedule see www.soaw.org.
- Walter Brueggemann will give the Bethany Theological Seminary Founders Lecture Series on Nov. 11-12 in Richmond, Ind. Brueggemann is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Ga.; author of numerous books and articles; has served on the Editorial Council of the "Journal of Biblical Literature"; and has been president of the Society of Biblical Literature. "Nurtured in Thickness" is the theme for the three lectures scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in an open class session at the Earlham College Loose Lecture Hall in the Bolling Center; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Bethany's Nicarry Chapel; and 11 a.m. Nov. 12 at Nicarry Chapel. The lecture series honors the founders of the seminary, A.C. Wieand and E.B. Hoff. All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information call 765-983-1823.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is distributing donor pins to lift up National Donor Sabbath Nov. 14. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 81,000 men, women, and children nationwide are waiting for organ transplants, an average of 66 people each day receive a transplant, and some 17 patients die each day while waiting for a transplant. Congregations are urged to honor the observance through worship, prayer, or by wearing donation pins. Resources are available at ABC's website at www.brethren.org/abc/. Congregations can receive up to 25 donor pins by contacting ABC at 800-323-8039.
- "HIV/AIDS--How Will You Respond?" is a new bulletin insert available for congregations to use with World AIDS Day Dec. 1 or the first Sunday in December. The insert describes the problem of HIV/AIDS in the US and overseas and suggests ways Brethren can respond. Created by the Association of Brethren Caregivers and the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships, the bulletin insert can be downloaded from www.brethren.org.
- The Chicago-based CBS show "Different Drummers" featured the General Board's youth and young adult workcamp program with coordinators Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes. Agata Zalewski, a youth workcamp participant from York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill., was interviewed as were several other Brethren members in the audience including youth and advisors from Chicago-area congregations. The show aired Oct. 23 at 5 a.m.
- Pacific Southwest District holds its conference Oct. 29-31 at Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship, with David Hurlbut as moderator.
- The location of the Virlina District Conference Nov. 12-13 has been changed to Green Ridge Baptist Church, 5521 Green Ridge Rd., NW, Roanoke, Va. The Ministers and Spouses Dinner will be held at Summerdean Church of the Brethren as scheduled. Contact the district office at 540-362-1816 or e-mail virlina@aol.com.
- Heifer International received the 2004 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize on Oct. 28. The $1 million award is the world's largest humanitarian award. "Heifer International's success proves that it's often simple ideas that are the best," said Steve Hilton. "Ideas on how to help the poor in our world come and go, but Heifer has produced a model that has endured for 60 years." The organization was begun as a Church of the Brethren program by Brethren leader Dan West, who had the original "simple idea." Today, Heifer works in 38 US states and 50 countries providing more than 30 types of animals. To learn more about Heifer's history and beginnings, order the DVD/video "Dan West Peacemaker" from Brethren Press, call 800-441-3712. A monologue telling Dan West's story is available at www.Brethren.org./genbd/BP/LivingWaters. For more information visit www.heifer.org and www.hiltonfoundation.org.
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BBT and MAA hire joint field representatives.
Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) and the Mutual Aid Association (MAA) have announced the hiring of Peg Yoder and Randy Yoder of Huntingdon, Pa., to a joint position shared between the two organizations. Beginning Jan. 2, the Yoders will serve half-time as field representatives for BBT and one-fourth time in the same capacity for MAA. They will represent both organizations at congregational, district, and denominational events, working with current and potential members and clients.
Peg Yoder retired in June from teaching English at Juniata Valley High School. Randy Yoder, who will retire at the end of December, has served as executive of Middle Pennsylvania District for the past 20 years. They are members of Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon. The Yoders will work out of their home with the e-mail address pryoder_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) and the Mutual Aid Association (MAA) have announced the hiring of Peg Yoder and Randy Yoder of Huntingdon, Pa., to a joint position shared between the two organizations. Beginning Jan. 2, the Yoders will serve half-time as field representatives for BBT and one-fourth time in the same capacity for MAA. They will represent both organizations at congregational, district, and denominational events, working with current and potential members and clients.
Peg Yoder retired in June from teaching English at Juniata Valley High School. Randy Yoder, who will retire at the end of December, has served as executive of Middle Pennsylvania District for the past 20 years. They are members of Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon. The Yoders will work out of their home with the e-mail address pryoder_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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On Earth Peace works to become institutionally anti-racist.
By Kim Stuckey Hissong
At the Fall 2004 board meeting of On Earth Peace, board and staff participated in a training with the General Board's Anti-Racism Team (ART). The training was the next step in a larger effort of On Earth Peace to become an institutionally anti-racist organization. We have been working on this process for almost a year, and decided that it was a good time to get board and staff together for formal training, recognizing that this is just one more step in a longterm process.
Using small group discussion, video, and Bible study, ART members Barbara Cuffie, Torin Eikler, and Sharon Reich led participants on a journey of examining prejudice and stereotypes, exploring white privilege, and envisioning a new Kingdom. While time was spent dealing with institutional racism, many members gained personal insight as well. Board member Eugene Lichty, from McPherson, Kan., said, "Most Brethren have enjoyed few or no close friends of a different race. Being so isolated from those who are different means there are many subtleties of race, involving culture, customs, and conversation of which we are unaware. As a result, we often do and say things which can cause misunderstandings and offenses. Participating in this Anti-Racism Training helped me to avoid at least some of these pitfalls."
Institutional racism is different from personal attitudes and feelings. It goes to the very core of how organizations operate and may, in fact, be an unintentional product of how an organization functions. Board member Dena Lee, from Kent, Ohio, found lots of value in the training. "It seemed that many members of the board and staff became aware of ways in which we limit our resources by applying white privilege to everything from recommendations for employment of staff and nomination of board members to the focus of On Earth Peace programming on peace as opposed to peace and justice."
Spending five hours of a meeting on this topic was a bold move for the board. But as staff member Annie Clark explained, "It is valuable for the church...because we are called to love our neighbors. Loving our neighbors means truly seeing all as equals, seeing their joys as our joys, and doing our best to celebrate together. It also means seeing everyone's needs as our needs, and doing our best to work together for change." ART has been called by the denomination to help congregations and groups figure out how to do that better.
Co-executive director Bob Gross summed up the experience, "I'm very glad that as an organization On Earth Peace is waking up to how we are affected by institutional racism in the church and society. If the church is going to be what God calls it to be, it will need to escape the traps of privilege, power, and prejudice. That does not happen without effort and humility." As the Church of the Brethren seeks to become more multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, it will be training experiences like this one that will help to move along the process.
--On Earth Peace staff member Kim Stuckey Hissong is program coordinator of Peacemaker Formation.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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By Kim Stuckey Hissong
At the Fall 2004 board meeting of On Earth Peace, board and staff participated in a training with the General Board's Anti-Racism Team (ART). The training was the next step in a larger effort of On Earth Peace to become an institutionally anti-racist organization. We have been working on this process for almost a year, and decided that it was a good time to get board and staff together for formal training, recognizing that this is just one more step in a longterm process.
Using small group discussion, video, and Bible study, ART members Barbara Cuffie, Torin Eikler, and Sharon Reich led participants on a journey of examining prejudice and stereotypes, exploring white privilege, and envisioning a new Kingdom. While time was spent dealing with institutional racism, many members gained personal insight as well. Board member Eugene Lichty, from McPherson, Kan., said, "Most Brethren have enjoyed few or no close friends of a different race. Being so isolated from those who are different means there are many subtleties of race, involving culture, customs, and conversation of which we are unaware. As a result, we often do and say things which can cause misunderstandings and offenses. Participating in this Anti-Racism Training helped me to avoid at least some of these pitfalls."
Institutional racism is different from personal attitudes and feelings. It goes to the very core of how organizations operate and may, in fact, be an unintentional product of how an organization functions. Board member Dena Lee, from Kent, Ohio, found lots of value in the training. "It seemed that many members of the board and staff became aware of ways in which we limit our resources by applying white privilege to everything from recommendations for employment of staff and nomination of board members to the focus of On Earth Peace programming on peace as opposed to peace and justice."
Spending five hours of a meeting on this topic was a bold move for the board. But as staff member Annie Clark explained, "It is valuable for the church...because we are called to love our neighbors. Loving our neighbors means truly seeing all as equals, seeing their joys as our joys, and doing our best to celebrate together. It also means seeing everyone's needs as our needs, and doing our best to work together for change." ART has been called by the denomination to help congregations and groups figure out how to do that better.
Co-executive director Bob Gross summed up the experience, "I'm very glad that as an organization On Earth Peace is waking up to how we are affected by institutional racism in the church and society. If the church is going to be what God calls it to be, it will need to escape the traps of privilege, power, and prejudice. That does not happen without effort and humility." As the Church of the Brethren seeks to become more multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, it will be training experiences like this one that will help to move along the process.
--On Earth Peace staff member Kim Stuckey Hissong is program coordinator of Peacemaker Formation.
Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Nancy Cruz, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Doris Frysinger, Jeri S. Kornegay, and Mary Sue Rosenberger contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Nancy Cruz, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Doris Frysinger, Jeri S. Kornegay, and Mary Sue Rosenberger contributed to this report.
Friday, October 15, 2004
NEWS
- Annual Conference theme, plans for 2005 announced.
- Anti-racism training, positive financial report highlight On Earth Peace meeting.
- Believers church conference explores Christianity and politics.
- Disaster Child Care opens two new centers in Florida.
- Chiques congregation hosts evacuees of toxic fire.
- Brethren bits: Personnel, October observances, and more.
Annual Conference theme, plans for 2005 announced.
"Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus," based on Hebrews 12:1-4, is the theme for Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6, 2005. The Program and Arrangements Committee and Worship Committee met in Elgin, Ill., Aug. 26-27 and Sept. 26-28 respectively, to choose preachers, worship leaders, Bible study leaders, and themes and scriptures.
"The Church has always been in need of a call to remember Jesus," moderator Jim Hardenbrook wrote about the theme. "The book of Hebrews calls a group of Christians to reconsider Jesus. In the midst of their persecution and questions the writer asks them to take another look at Jesus; to consider him. I'm convinced such an exercise would be good for us."
Rosanna Eller McFadden, professional calligrapher and a member of the committee, designed the logo using the theme words. "I wanted Jesus to be central to this logo," she said. "I chose light as the symbol which illustrates where we should fix our eyes.... Our Christian lives depend on being able to see the Light in the darkness. But this is not just any light, and it is not just for Christians; it breaks the bounds of darkness and goes out into the world in the form of the cross."
Hardenbrook will preach Saturday with moderator-elect Ron Beachley leading worship. Galen Hackman, pastor of Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, will preach Sunday with Frances Townsend, pastor of Onekama (Mich.) Church of the Brethren, as worship leader. Sandy Bosserman, executive of Missouri and Arkansas District, will preach Monday with worship leader Thomas Dowdy Jr., pastor of Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren, Los Angeles, Calif. Gerald and Rebecca Crouse, on the pastoral team at New Beginnings Church of the Brethren, Warrensburg, Mo., will lead worship Tuesday with the preacher to be announced. Chris Douglas, the General Board's director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, will speak Wednesday with a worship team of Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace program coordinator for Peace Witness; Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes, coordinators of youth and young adult workcamps; and Nate Polzin, licensed minister from Mount Pleasant, Mich.
McFadden will serve as worship coordinator. Beth and Keith Hollenberg, a pastor at First Church of the Brethren, York, Pa., will coordinate music with Marilyn Mason as organist, Rich Brode on the piano/keyboard, and Joan Fyock Norris directing the choir. Bible study leaders will be Bob Neff, Old Testament scholar; Ruben DeOleo, director of Hispanic Ministry for Atlantic Northeast District; Levi Ziegler, ordained minister from Manheim, Pa.; and Pearl Rohrer, Bethany Theological Seminary student. Debbie Eisenbise, pastor of Skyridge Church of the Brethren, Kalamazoo, Mich., will lead theological studies.
The Program and Arrangements Committee includes the moderator, moderator-elect, McFadden, Judy Epps, Joanna Wave Willoughby, secretary Fred Swartz, treasurer Judy Keyser, and Lerry Fogle, executive director. The Worship Committee comprises the Program and Arrangements Committee plus music coordinators and choir director. For more information and to view the logo, see the Annual Conference web pages at www.brethren.org.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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"Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus," based on Hebrews 12:1-4, is the theme for Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6, 2005. The Program and Arrangements Committee and Worship Committee met in Elgin, Ill., Aug. 26-27 and Sept. 26-28 respectively, to choose preachers, worship leaders, Bible study leaders, and themes and scriptures.
"The Church has always been in need of a call to remember Jesus," moderator Jim Hardenbrook wrote about the theme. "The book of Hebrews calls a group of Christians to reconsider Jesus. In the midst of their persecution and questions the writer asks them to take another look at Jesus; to consider him. I'm convinced such an exercise would be good for us."
Rosanna Eller McFadden, professional calligrapher and a member of the committee, designed the logo using the theme words. "I wanted Jesus to be central to this logo," she said. "I chose light as the symbol which illustrates where we should fix our eyes.... Our Christian lives depend on being able to see the Light in the darkness. But this is not just any light, and it is not just for Christians; it breaks the bounds of darkness and goes out into the world in the form of the cross."
Hardenbrook will preach Saturday with moderator-elect Ron Beachley leading worship. Galen Hackman, pastor of Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, will preach Sunday with Frances Townsend, pastor of Onekama (Mich.) Church of the Brethren, as worship leader. Sandy Bosserman, executive of Missouri and Arkansas District, will preach Monday with worship leader Thomas Dowdy Jr., pastor of Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren, Los Angeles, Calif. Gerald and Rebecca Crouse, on the pastoral team at New Beginnings Church of the Brethren, Warrensburg, Mo., will lead worship Tuesday with the preacher to be announced. Chris Douglas, the General Board's director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, will speak Wednesday with a worship team of Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace program coordinator for Peace Witness; Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes, coordinators of youth and young adult workcamps; and Nate Polzin, licensed minister from Mount Pleasant, Mich.
McFadden will serve as worship coordinator. Beth and Keith Hollenberg, a pastor at First Church of the Brethren, York, Pa., will coordinate music with Marilyn Mason as organist, Rich Brode on the piano/keyboard, and Joan Fyock Norris directing the choir. Bible study leaders will be Bob Neff, Old Testament scholar; Ruben DeOleo, director of Hispanic Ministry for Atlantic Northeast District; Levi Ziegler, ordained minister from Manheim, Pa.; and Pearl Rohrer, Bethany Theological Seminary student. Debbie Eisenbise, pastor of Skyridge Church of the Brethren, Kalamazoo, Mich., will lead theological studies.
The Program and Arrangements Committee includes the moderator, moderator-elect, McFadden, Judy Epps, Joanna Wave Willoughby, secretary Fred Swartz, treasurer Judy Keyser, and Lerry Fogle, executive director. The Worship Committee comprises the Program and Arrangements Committee plus music coordinators and choir director. For more information and to view the logo, see the Annual Conference web pages at www.brethren.org.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Anti-racism training, positive financial report highlight On Earth Peace meeting.
The On Earth Peace Board of Directors and staff met Sept. 24-25 at New Windsor, Md., with the theme "Living God's Peace—Together." The agency's Advancement, Personnel, Finance, and Executive Committees met Sept. 23. Led by chair Bev Weaver, the board continued use of the "Formal Consensus" process for discussion and decision-making.
"The group took time to reflect on bringing together our passionate concern for all people, our covenant of service, our need to forgive and be forgiven as a part of reconciliation, and our recognition to remember and represent the Body of Christ in the work that we do to answer Christ's call to peace," said co-executive director Barb Sayler. Highlights of the meeting were a training with the General Board's Anti-Racism Training Team, a positive financial report, calling of new leaders, and a case study.
Board and staff spent a morning and part of an afternoon with Barbara Cuffie, Torin Eikler, and Sharon Reich of the Anti-Racism Training Team. The training recognized the tendency to assign privilege according to class, power, and ethnicity, and examined On Earth Peace's institutional practices through the lens of race. "The training allowed the group to see more clearly how On Earth Peace, in its programs and projects, is affected by white privilege," Sayler reported. Next steps include planning for changing the effects of privilege and racism in the work of On Earth Peace, and dialogue among board and staff to propose projects not oriented to white, middle- and upper-middle-class people. Also at the meeting was Orlando Redekopp, pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Chicago, Ill, and a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams Steering Committee, who challenged On Earth Peace "to go deeper in its peacemaking," she added.
The financial report, given just days before the end of the fiscal year, showed a positive balance of income to expense, with a drop in congregational giving and an increase in individual giving. A budget of $440,000 was adopted, "reflecting the program expansion anticipated in the coming year in response to requests and rising expectations from the denomination," Sayler said. The Advancement Committee is developing a program for the fundraising role of the board and introduced "Talking Points" for board members.
It was announced that the next round of organizational evaluation will be accomplished in a larger assessment of the Church of the Brethren as a Living Peace Church. Time was spent on a case study of how to respond in situations in which the peace testimony of the church is not supported. After working in small groups, the board shared ideas about dialogue, building relationships, and speaking the truth in love.
The board welcomed new member Verdena Lee, who is filling an unfinished term. Other new members are Henry Pierre, also filling an unfinished term, and Robbie Miller, elected by Annual Conference. Bev Weaver and David Jehnsen were re-elected by constituents.
The process of calling a new Executive Committee included naming responsibilities and qualities needed for each position, a time of silence and prayer, opportunity to name those who may be able to serve well, and time to be in prayer about the decision overnight. Executive Committee members are chair Bev Weaver, vice-chair Ken Frantz, treasurer Phil Miller, secretary Lauree Hersch Meyer, and at-large members Doris Abdullah and Dena Gilbert. Vice-chair Tom Leard Longenecker, who led the process, was recognized for completing a five-year term on the board.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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The On Earth Peace Board of Directors and staff met Sept. 24-25 at New Windsor, Md., with the theme "Living God's Peace—Together." The agency's Advancement, Personnel, Finance, and Executive Committees met Sept. 23. Led by chair Bev Weaver, the board continued use of the "Formal Consensus" process for discussion and decision-making.
"The group took time to reflect on bringing together our passionate concern for all people, our covenant of service, our need to forgive and be forgiven as a part of reconciliation, and our recognition to remember and represent the Body of Christ in the work that we do to answer Christ's call to peace," said co-executive director Barb Sayler. Highlights of the meeting were a training with the General Board's Anti-Racism Training Team, a positive financial report, calling of new leaders, and a case study.
Board and staff spent a morning and part of an afternoon with Barbara Cuffie, Torin Eikler, and Sharon Reich of the Anti-Racism Training Team. The training recognized the tendency to assign privilege according to class, power, and ethnicity, and examined On Earth Peace's institutional practices through the lens of race. "The training allowed the group to see more clearly how On Earth Peace, in its programs and projects, is affected by white privilege," Sayler reported. Next steps include planning for changing the effects of privilege and racism in the work of On Earth Peace, and dialogue among board and staff to propose projects not oriented to white, middle- and upper-middle-class people. Also at the meeting was Orlando Redekopp, pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Chicago, Ill, and a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams Steering Committee, who challenged On Earth Peace "to go deeper in its peacemaking," she added.
The financial report, given just days before the end of the fiscal year, showed a positive balance of income to expense, with a drop in congregational giving and an increase in individual giving. A budget of $440,000 was adopted, "reflecting the program expansion anticipated in the coming year in response to requests and rising expectations from the denomination," Sayler said. The Advancement Committee is developing a program for the fundraising role of the board and introduced "Talking Points" for board members.
It was announced that the next round of organizational evaluation will be accomplished in a larger assessment of the Church of the Brethren as a Living Peace Church. Time was spent on a case study of how to respond in situations in which the peace testimony of the church is not supported. After working in small groups, the board shared ideas about dialogue, building relationships, and speaking the truth in love.
The board welcomed new member Verdena Lee, who is filling an unfinished term. Other new members are Henry Pierre, also filling an unfinished term, and Robbie Miller, elected by Annual Conference. Bev Weaver and David Jehnsen were re-elected by constituents.
The process of calling a new Executive Committee included naming responsibilities and qualities needed for each position, a time of silence and prayer, opportunity to name those who may be able to serve well, and time to be in prayer about the decision overnight. Executive Committee members are chair Bev Weaver, vice-chair Ken Frantz, treasurer Phil Miller, secretary Lauree Hersch Meyer, and at-large members Doris Abdullah and Dena Gilbert. Vice-chair Tom Leard Longenecker, who led the process, was recognized for completing a five-year term on the board.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Believers church conference explores Christianity and politics.
Questions about the response of Christians who live in a democracy that is the world's only superpower resulted in an election-season conference on "God, Democracy, and US Power." The 15th Believers Church Conference, held Sept. 23-25, was co-hosted by Bridgewater (Va.) College and Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), with sessions divided between the two campuses.
Speakers from varying traditions discussed issues such as political behavior, biblical pacifism, economic justice, and justice for oppressed minorities. Traditions associated with the Believers Church include Adventists, Baptists, Brethren, Discipleship of Christ, Mennonites, Methodists, Pentecostals, Plymouth Brethren, and Quakers—denominations that view membership in the church as a voluntary act of faith.
A highlight of the conference was an address by Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. As the world becomes more burdened with violence, hate, and injustice, Edgar emphasized the active role Christians must play for change. "Questioning our government and its leaders' actions doesn't mean that we don't love our country," he said, "We live in a global village. God transcends national boundaries, and God calls us to be shapers, shakers, and remakers of this fragile planet Earth."
Echoing Edgar's themes, Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of preaching and worship at Bethany Theological Seminary, gave a sermon on the parable of the widow confronting the unjust judge in Luke 18:2-8. She challenged the audience to call for justice in America, "the largest single superpower the world now knows—and resents."
Mwizenge Tembo, a Zambian native and associate professor of sociology at Bridgewater, brought an international perspective. Chatting with neighbors on a recent visit to Zambia, Tembo heard a man praising Osama bin Laden for engineering the Sept. 11 attacks. Friends were surprised to hear Tembo reply, "I could have been on those planes. I live there. I saw the suffering." Tembo saw the man's remark as a mirror image of the attitudes of many Americans who are unaware of the effects of US government and business on people across the world.
"Contrary to popular opinion, and we don't want to say it too loudly, we are only as good and as precious as everyone else in this world in God's eyes," said speaker David Radcliff of the New Community Project in Elgin, Ill. Asked whether Christians should seek persecution or hardship, Radcliff responded, "Those things come naturally if you live out the heart of your faith."
J. Daryl Byler, director of the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office, spoke of Jeremiah's prophesy of a long, hard exile in Babylon. Notwithstanding easier circumstances, he said Christian pacifists in America face an exile in which pacifism becomes less tolerated. "We must find ways to both love and resist the empire," Byler said.
Conference planners are working with Pandora Press Canada for a forthcoming book in the "Studies in the Believers Church Tradition" series that will continue the conversation of the conference. Jim Bishop, of EMU; Karen Doss Bowman, of Bridgewater College; and freelance writer Chris Edwards contributed to this report.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Questions about the response of Christians who live in a democracy that is the world's only superpower resulted in an election-season conference on "God, Democracy, and US Power." The 15th Believers Church Conference, held Sept. 23-25, was co-hosted by Bridgewater (Va.) College and Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), with sessions divided between the two campuses.
Speakers from varying traditions discussed issues such as political behavior, biblical pacifism, economic justice, and justice for oppressed minorities. Traditions associated with the Believers Church include Adventists, Baptists, Brethren, Discipleship of Christ, Mennonites, Methodists, Pentecostals, Plymouth Brethren, and Quakers—denominations that view membership in the church as a voluntary act of faith.
A highlight of the conference was an address by Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. As the world becomes more burdened with violence, hate, and injustice, Edgar emphasized the active role Christians must play for change. "Questioning our government and its leaders' actions doesn't mean that we don't love our country," he said, "We live in a global village. God transcends national boundaries, and God calls us to be shapers, shakers, and remakers of this fragile planet Earth."
Echoing Edgar's themes, Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of preaching and worship at Bethany Theological Seminary, gave a sermon on the parable of the widow confronting the unjust judge in Luke 18:2-8. She challenged the audience to call for justice in America, "the largest single superpower the world now knows—and resents."
Mwizenge Tembo, a Zambian native and associate professor of sociology at Bridgewater, brought an international perspective. Chatting with neighbors on a recent visit to Zambia, Tembo heard a man praising Osama bin Laden for engineering the Sept. 11 attacks. Friends were surprised to hear Tembo reply, "I could have been on those planes. I live there. I saw the suffering." Tembo saw the man's remark as a mirror image of the attitudes of many Americans who are unaware of the effects of US government and business on people across the world.
"Contrary to popular opinion, and we don't want to say it too loudly, we are only as good and as precious as everyone else in this world in God's eyes," said speaker David Radcliff of the New Community Project in Elgin, Ill. Asked whether Christians should seek persecution or hardship, Radcliff responded, "Those things come naturally if you live out the heart of your faith."
J. Daryl Byler, director of the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office, spoke of Jeremiah's prophesy of a long, hard exile in Babylon. Notwithstanding easier circumstances, he said Christian pacifists in America face an exile in which pacifism becomes less tolerated. "We must find ways to both love and resist the empire," Byler said.
Conference planners are working with Pandora Press Canada for a forthcoming book in the "Studies in the Believers Church Tradition" series that will continue the conversation of the conference. Jim Bishop, of EMU; Karen Doss Bowman, of Bridgewater College; and freelance writer Chris Edwards contributed to this report.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Disaster Child Care opens two new centers in Florida.
Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne—Disaster Child Care (DCC) volunteers will have responded to each of these disasters with the opening of two new child care centers this week in Vero Beach and Winter Haven, Fla. Two teams of volunteers and a project manager from the General Board program are being deployed to these locations at the request of the American Red Cross, reported coordinator Helen Stonesifer.
Volunteers continue to meet the needs of children in two locations in Pensacola and at the Osceola Square Mall in Kissimmee, Fla. Centers in Gulf Breeze, Wauchula, and Englewood, Fla., have closed, as have those in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Claysburgh, Pa., and in Salem, Va. Since DCC began its response to the hurricanes, some 86 volunteers have made contact with over 1,900 children.
Parents, as well as the Red Cross and emergency staff, have been very appreciative of the service, Stonesifer said. She passed along the comment of a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency director, that the DCC volunteers' "gift goes far beyond just watching over a child while the parent(s) goes through the tedious application process essential to assisting the family in their recovery.... This contact is often the first real attention many of the children have been able to receive from an adult, and it has served to remind the parents that the children are in need of assistance in this recovery process as well."
An article about the work of DCC at an American Red Cross center in Pensacola, "In Panhandle, a miserable wait," by Susan Kim, can be found at www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=2442.
A team of three child care volunteers—Laurene Holsinger, John Surr, and Brenda Palsgrove—will serve at the 10th Annual National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation in Arlington, Va., Oct. 16-17. Care will be provided for children of victims' families from the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The foundation was incorporated in 1995 by air crash survivors and family members of victims. "Disaster Child Care is very honored to have been requested to participate in this event again this year," said Stonesifer.
In other disaster-related news, the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has provided $20,000 for food relief in Kenya, where a tenth of the people are at risk of famine, reported Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. "Kenya is suffering a massive crop failure due to irregular rainfall patterns and contamination of grain reserves by afllatoxin, a toxin created by grain mold," he wrote in the grant application. "It is estimated that 3.3 million people need emergency assistance." The grant will support efforts at food relief for 18,722 families.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne—Disaster Child Care (DCC) volunteers will have responded to each of these disasters with the opening of two new child care centers this week in Vero Beach and Winter Haven, Fla. Two teams of volunteers and a project manager from the General Board program are being deployed to these locations at the request of the American Red Cross, reported coordinator Helen Stonesifer.
Volunteers continue to meet the needs of children in two locations in Pensacola and at the Osceola Square Mall in Kissimmee, Fla. Centers in Gulf Breeze, Wauchula, and Englewood, Fla., have closed, as have those in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Claysburgh, Pa., and in Salem, Va. Since DCC began its response to the hurricanes, some 86 volunteers have made contact with over 1,900 children.
Parents, as well as the Red Cross and emergency staff, have been very appreciative of the service, Stonesifer said. She passed along the comment of a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency director, that the DCC volunteers' "gift goes far beyond just watching over a child while the parent(s) goes through the tedious application process essential to assisting the family in their recovery.... This contact is often the first real attention many of the children have been able to receive from an adult, and it has served to remind the parents that the children are in need of assistance in this recovery process as well."
An article about the work of DCC at an American Red Cross center in Pensacola, "In Panhandle, a miserable wait," by Susan Kim, can be found at www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=2442.
A team of three child care volunteers—Laurene Holsinger, John Surr, and Brenda Palsgrove—will serve at the 10th Annual National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation in Arlington, Va., Oct. 16-17. Care will be provided for children of victims' families from the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The foundation was incorporated in 1995 by air crash survivors and family members of victims. "Disaster Child Care is very honored to have been requested to participate in this event again this year," said Stonesifer.
In other disaster-related news, the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has provided $20,000 for food relief in Kenya, where a tenth of the people are at risk of famine, reported Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. "Kenya is suffering a massive crop failure due to irregular rainfall patterns and contamination of grain reserves by afllatoxin, a toxin created by grain mold," he wrote in the grant application. "It is estimated that 3.3 million people need emergency assistance." The grant will support efforts at food relief for 18,722 families.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Chiques congregation hosts evacuees of toxic fire.
Chiques Church of the Brethren, Manheim, Pa., hosted evacuees of a toxic fire that closed 19 miles of Pennsylvania turnpike for nearly 11 hours on Oct. 7. The truck fire involved the toxic chemical potassium cyanide, which was spread by the wind forcing the evacuation of 12 square miles near Mount Gretna and Mastersonville. The evacuation included at least 100 homes, an RV park, an elementary school, and a retirement center.
More than 50 evacuees were sent to the church for shelter. The call to the deacons came very early that morning, with some homes evacuated as early as 5:30 a.m. A deacon's wife—who preferred not to be named in order to give credit to the whole congregation for its hospitable response—happened to have the day off from work. She also had taken Disaster Child Care training and was familiar with emergency response and the needs of those in disaster situations.
She and five other church members opened the building and made the education wing and the library available to the evacuees, as well as toys for the children. "We just tried to make people feel at home," she said, adding that those who sheltered at the church were of all types and ages ranging from an elderly couple to a young mother with three children. As soon the hosts realized that evacuees had not had time to eat, and would need lunch, they also arranged meals.
She gave high marks to firefighters from Lititz who came to the church to give an update on the situation—filling a need for information that the hosts could not provide—and gave credit to Lancaster Church of the Brethren for an offer of help and the Salvation Army for sending a food truck, that unfortunately arrived too late.
The evacuation was covered by local media, with television crews at the church doors asking for access to the evacuees and a call from a radio station. "I'm not used to managing an evacuation center," the deacon's wife said. She struggled with the decision to let the media in, agreeing only after reporters said they would get individuals' permission before filming.
The Chiques church had agreed some time ago to be an emergency shelter, "not thinking it would be necessary," she said. "It was necessary."
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Chiques Church of the Brethren, Manheim, Pa., hosted evacuees of a toxic fire that closed 19 miles of Pennsylvania turnpike for nearly 11 hours on Oct. 7. The truck fire involved the toxic chemical potassium cyanide, which was spread by the wind forcing the evacuation of 12 square miles near Mount Gretna and Mastersonville. The evacuation included at least 100 homes, an RV park, an elementary school, and a retirement center.
More than 50 evacuees were sent to the church for shelter. The call to the deacons came very early that morning, with some homes evacuated as early as 5:30 a.m. A deacon's wife—who preferred not to be named in order to give credit to the whole congregation for its hospitable response—happened to have the day off from work. She also had taken Disaster Child Care training and was familiar with emergency response and the needs of those in disaster situations.
She and five other church members opened the building and made the education wing and the library available to the evacuees, as well as toys for the children. "We just tried to make people feel at home," she said, adding that those who sheltered at the church were of all types and ages ranging from an elderly couple to a young mother with three children. As soon the hosts realized that evacuees had not had time to eat, and would need lunch, they also arranged meals.
She gave high marks to firefighters from Lititz who came to the church to give an update on the situation—filling a need for information that the hosts could not provide—and gave credit to Lancaster Church of the Brethren for an offer of help and the Salvation Army for sending a food truck, that unfortunately arrived too late.
The evacuation was covered by local media, with television crews at the church doors asking for access to the evacuees and a call from a radio station. "I'm not used to managing an evacuation center," the deacon's wife said. She struggled with the decision to let the media in, agreeing only after reporters said they would get individuals' permission before filming.
The Chiques church had agreed some time ago to be an emergency shelter, "not thinking it would be necessary," she said. "It was necessary."
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Personnel, October observances, and more.
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- Steve Van Houten has accepted a call to assist as a workcamp coordinator for the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministries on a part-time, shared basis for the 2005 program year. He is lead pastor at Akron, Springfield Church of the Brethren in Ohio. He will begin in the position Jan. 2005, and will work with workcamp coordinators Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) seeks a director of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a half-time position. Responsibilities include program implementation through the Fellowship of Brethren Homes and personal contact with homes. Qualifications are a Bachelor's degree; grounding in Church of the Brethren and ABC values, history, and policy; background and experience in longterm care; communication and interpersonal skills; administrative skills in a nonprofit, church-related organization. Resumes and letters of references will be accepted until Nov. 20. ABC hopes to fill the position by Jan. 2005 or earlier. A position description and application form are available at www.brethren.org/abc or call 800-323-8039. Qualified candidates are invited to submit a resume and cover letter of application, and to request three references to send letters of recommendation to Kathryn Reid, Executive Director, ABC, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is encouraging congregations to lift up October as Disabilities Awareness Month, and to observe National Children's Sabbath this weekend Oct. 15-17. Resources for Disabilities Awareness Month created by members of the Church and Persons with Disabilities Network, a ministry of ABC, are available at www.brethren.org/abc/. The theme for the National Children's Sabbath is "Say That I'm a Child of God: Assuring Justice and Care to Leave No Child Behind." For more information visit the Children's Defense Fund website, or order the 2004 Children's Sabbath Resource Manual from the Children's Defense Fund Religious Action Division for $7 by calling 202-662-3589.
- Brethren leaders have signed two letters related to the presidential debates: Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, and Wil Nolen, president of Brethren Benefit Trust, were among 22 leaders of religion, labor, science, and government who signed a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates asking that issues of energy and environment be raised; and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office joined more than 20 Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic organizations including the National Council of Churches (NCC) posing questions on poverty and health care to the candidates. Noffsinger and Nolen signed the letter to the commission in response to Annual Conference's stated concern for care for creation and in support of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, which BBT supports as a part of its focus on socially responsible investing. The letter to the candidates pointed to US Census Bureau data revealing an increase in poverty in the last two years, asking how the candidates plan to reduce poverty, particularly for children, and decrease the number of people without health insurance. For the letter to the debate commission, see "Announcements" at www.iccr.org. For the letter to the candidates see www.ncccusa.org, click on "NCC News."
- Fall meetings of the General Board will be held Oct. 15-18 in Elgin, Ill. The Executive Committee will meet the afternoon of Oct. 15, the Audit and Investment Committee will meet that evening, and the board will meet the morning of Oct. 16 through the morning of Oct. 18. On the agenda is the role of observers with the American Baptist Churches USA, financial reports and the 2005 budget, a report on the Stewardship of Property Committee, mission in Haiti, a report from the Cross Cultural Ministries Consultation, and polity revisions. The board also will receive several other reports and hold a recognition celebration for employees.
- The Annual Conference study committee that will answer the query "Doing Church Business" convened in Elgin, Ill., Sept. 30-Oct. 2. David Shetler, of Oakland Church of the Brethren, Bradford, Ohio, is chair. Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace staff from Richmond, Ind., is recorder. Other members of the committee are Joe Detrick, Verdena Lee, and Dale Posthumus. The study committee organized, identified research that needs to be carried out, identified individuals and groups to be interviewed, discussed ways of having dialogue with the denomination, and developed a general time schedule for its activities, reported Lerry Fogle, Conference executive director. Contact information for the committee will be available soon on the Conference website. The committee is to bring a report in 2005.
- Nov. 7 is National Junior High Sunday with "Maturing in Faith," Luke 2:52, as the theme. A Bible study, skit, worship resources, and other materials are available at www.brethren.org: click on General Board, search for key words Youth & Young Adults. For purposes of conservation, packets of these materials were not mailed out to each congregation, according to an announcement from Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Instead, junior high advisors received postcards directing them to the website, where all of the materials may be printed out.
- Registration forms for the Cross Cultural Consultation and Celebration April 21-24 in Richmond, Ind., are available from Duane Grady, Congregational Life Team staff for the General Board and coordinator of the event. There is no registration fee, but advance registration will help the host congregation plan meals. The board will provide travel assistance for one to two participants from each Church of the Brethren congregation. Grady encouraged participants to join travel caravans to share expenses. Housing costs of $59 per night at a motel will be covered by participants, with the option of staying in a private home on a first-come first-served basis. Donations will be "gladly accepted," Grady said, and should be made out to the General Board. Call 800-505-1596 or e-mail dgrady_gb@brethren.org.
- April 23-28, 2005, high school youth and advisors are invited to the 2005 Christian Citizenship Seminar in New York and Washington, D.C. The event will be open to 100 participants on a first-come first-served basis. The topic is "Conscientious Objection." Cost is $350. The seminar is sponsored by the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Brethren Witness/Washington Office. "It is a unique opportunity to visit the United Nations and Capitol Hill, meet with senators and representatives, as we study the questions of how to make life choices based on our Christian discipleship," said Youth and Young Adult Ministry director Chris Douglas. Registration is available at www.brethren.org: click on General Board, keyword Youth & Young Adults. For brochures call 800-323-8039.
- Goshen City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren celebrates 105 years as a congregation during worship Oct. 17. The service will be followed by a hog roast and a concert by Ryan Hirschy and Brad Byerly. For more information call 574-533-1884.
- Selma (Va.) Church of the Brethren will have its 90th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration on Oct. 24 at 11 a.m., with a 2 p.m. Memorial Service. Enos Griffith, a former pastor, will be the guest speaker. A luncheon will be provided.
- Dedication of HIS Way Fellowship in Southeastern District will be Oct. 24 from 4-6 p.m. with a worship service and carry-in meal. Co-pastors Raul and Lidia Gonzalez will be installed. For more information contact the district at 423-378-6027.
- Franklin Grove (Ill.) Church of the Brethren will pray for peace in Iraq and for the safe return of US troops at a Candlelight Prayer Vigil 6-8 p.m. Oct. 17. The vigil will center on lighting over 1,000 luminaries, one for each US soldier killed. Participants will receive information on soldiers including pictures, ages, home states, and how they died. For information call 815-857-3719.
- Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren, Kettering, Ohio, is holding a homecoming on Oct. 23-24. The celebration will include a final "Wahsum Fall Festival" in memory of Leroy Wahsum, who unexpectedly passed away Aug. 29. A worship celebration will include the burning of the mortgage for the sanctuary, built 11 years ago. Guest speaker is Dean E. Wolfe, Episcopal bishop of Kansas, who grew up in the congregation. Call 937-294-0708.
- The 50-member sanctuary choir of La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren will present a choral concert featuring the original music and choral arrangements of Shawn Kirchner, the church's minister of music, on Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 and proceeds will be placed in "A Fund for Healing and Rebuilding" to assist victims of the devastating fires in California a year ago. Several church family members and others in the region were affected. Choir director Susan Winckler will conduct, with Kirchner accompanying on organ and piano. The concert will include "Rain Come Down," composed the day after the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999 as Kirchner was driving through rain to his home in Chicago. In 2002 the song received top honors in the University of Oregon's "Waging Peace Through Singing" choral composition contest. Also featured will be excerpts from a Mass that Kirchner is in the process of composing. For more information contact the church at 909-593-1364.
- Two districts will gather for conferences this weekend and next: Western Pennsylvania will meet Oct. 16 at Meyersdale (Pa.) Church of the Brethren with Mildred Hartzell as moderator; Middle Pennsylvania will meet Oct. 22-23 at Dunnings Creek Church of the Brethren, New Paris, Pa., with Sarah Malone as moderator.
- Virlina District congregations continue to receive offerings to assist Brethren disaster work following the hurricanes. As of Oct. 14, the district has received $24,790.10 from 48 congregations and fellowships, including gifts from individual members.
- American participants in the Watu Wa Amani: People of Peace conference in Kenya in August will give a program at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30. The Historic Peace Church conference related to the Decade to Overcome Violence and addressed issues of peacemaking in Africa, hearing stories of violence, conflict, and reconciliation brought by African participants. Bethany's program will share the stories and give the perspectives of presenters Scott Holland, associate professor of Peace Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies; Donald Miller, emeritus professor of Christian Education and Ethics, who convened the Watu Wa Amani planning committee; Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Preaching and Worship; Ben Richmond, director of North American Ministries of Friends United Meeting; and Aletha Stahl, professor of French at Earlham College. For more information call 765-983-1800.
- Camp Eder holds its 26th Annual Fall Festival Oct. 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The event will include dedication of the Miller Meeting House at 3 p.m., as well as an auction, crafts, food, a climbing wall and zip line, and a Pig and Turkey Roast. For more information call 717-642-8256.
- The second annual Plowshares National Student Peace and Justice Conference will be Oct. 22-24 in Richmond, Ind., on the theme, "Bringing Our Pieces Together: Peacebuilding Through Intercultural Dialogue." Presenters include Aaron Miller, president of Seeds for Peace; Mental Notes, of the Movement in Motion arts collective of New York; Jennie Kiesling, professor of history at the US Military Academy; Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X; Funkdesi, a musical ensemble; and Saoud El Mawla, Earlham's Plowshares professor. Plowshares is a collaborative project of Manchester College, Earlham College, and Goshen College, and is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. For more information see www.plowsharesproject.org.
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Ralph McFadden to retire from the Association of Brethren Caregivers.
Ralph McFadden will retire Dec. 31 from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) as director of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a position he has held since 2001.
McFadden has worked to strengthen the relationship between Brethren retirement centers and districts and congregations, increased the homes' presence at Annual Conference, and led development of a paper on uncompensated care in Brethren retirement centers. He represented the denomination in ecumenical endeavors including the Peace Church Purchasing Group, Center for Faith-Based Leadership, and American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
McFadden has served in the Church of the Brethren as a pastor, a district executive, and executive for the Parish Ministries Commission of the General Board. McFadden also has been chaplain and bereavement counselor at Hospice of Metro Denver, Colo. He is a member of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Ralph McFadden will retire Dec. 31 from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) as director of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a position he has held since 2001.
McFadden has worked to strengthen the relationship between Brethren retirement centers and districts and congregations, increased the homes' presence at Annual Conference, and led development of a paper on uncompensated care in Brethren retirement centers. He represented the denomination in ecumenical endeavors including the Peace Church Purchasing Group, Center for Faith-Based Leadership, and American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
McFadden has served in the Church of the Brethren as a pastor, a district executive, and executive for the Parish Ministries Commission of the General Board. McFadden also has been chaplain and bereavement counselor at Hospice of Metro Denver, Colo. He is a member of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Bethany announces music and arts in worship conference.
"Hebrews 12:28—Brimming with Worship" is the title of a conference celebrating music and the arts in worship April 8-10, 2005. The conference is funded by the Rosenberger Memorial Recital Series and the Stephen I. Katonah Endowment for Faith and the Arts and is part of Bethany Theological Seminary's centennial. It will take place at Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren.
Keynote addresses will be given by Sally Morgenthaler, founder of Sacramentis.com; James Abbington, professor of Music at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.; and Nadine Pence Frantz, professor of Theological Studies at Bethany. Morgenthaler works to move worship beyond presentation to an interactive, sacred experience involving all the arts. Abbington is executive editor of the African American Church Music Series published by GIA Publications, Inc. Frantz is developing a set of reflections around images of Jesus as the Christ, and a book using visual art to engage with theology.
The conference will include workshops and worship. Nancy Faus, professor emerita at Bethany, will preach Friday. The Saturday service in the style of emergent worship will be coordinated by Brian Messler, associate pastor at Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren. Abbington will lead worship Sunday.
Cost is $199 for the first person from a congregation, $129 for others from the same congregation, and includes lunches and lodging. Cost for commuters is $99/$69. Participants qualify for 1.5 continuing education units. Registration forms will be available in January.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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"Hebrews 12:28—Brimming with Worship" is the title of a conference celebrating music and the arts in worship April 8-10, 2005. The conference is funded by the Rosenberger Memorial Recital Series and the Stephen I. Katonah Endowment for Faith and the Arts and is part of Bethany Theological Seminary's centennial. It will take place at Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren.
Keynote addresses will be given by Sally Morgenthaler, founder of Sacramentis.com; James Abbington, professor of Music at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.; and Nadine Pence Frantz, professor of Theological Studies at Bethany. Morgenthaler works to move worship beyond presentation to an interactive, sacred experience involving all the arts. Abbington is executive editor of the African American Church Music Series published by GIA Publications, Inc. Frantz is developing a set of reflections around images of Jesus as the Christ, and a book using visual art to engage with theology.
The conference will include workshops and worship. Nancy Faus, professor emerita at Bethany, will preach Friday. The Saturday service in the style of emergent worship will be coordinated by Brian Messler, associate pastor at Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren. Abbington will lead worship Sunday.
Cost is $199 for the first person from a congregation, $129 for others from the same congregation, and includes lunches and lodging. Cost for commuters is $99/$69. Participants qualify for 1.5 continuing education units. Registration forms will be available in January.
Source: 10/15/2004 Newsline
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Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Chris Douglas, Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Stan Noffsinger, Marcia Shetler, and Helen Stonesifer contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Chris Douglas, Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Stan Noffsinger, Marcia Shetler, and Helen Stonesifer contributed to this report.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
SPECIAL EDITION
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
SPECIAL EDITION
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
SPECIAL EDITION
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
Church of the Brethren invited to provide Christmas Eve special on CBS.
Television network CBS has invited the Church of the Brethren to provide its nationally telecast Christmas Eve service. A different denomination is invited each year. The program will air 11:35 p.m.-12:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time during the slot normally occupied by the David Letterman show. The service will be taped Nov. 23 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and is being produced by the General Board.
“This is a rare opportunity, and we are honored by the invitation,” said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, whose office received the invitation from CBS on behalf of the denomination. “We are grateful for the involvement of the Bethany Theological Seminary community, which is lending Nicarry Chapel for the worship venue.”
Those who are planning the service are Chris Bowman, pastor of Oakton (Va.) Church of the Brethren, who will deliver the message; music coordinator Shawn Kirchner, minister of music at La Verne Church of the Brethren and a professional musician with the Los Angeles Master Chorale; worship consultant Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, assistant professor of Ministry Studies at Bethany; consultants Stan Noffsinger and Del Keeney, executive director of the board’s Congregational Life Ministries; and executive producer Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press.
A news release will be made available to Church of the Brethren congregations after taping is complete, to be sent to local news outlets as a customized “home town” release. Also, look for a report on the taping of the service in the Dec. 2 Newsline. Brethren Press is planning to offer DVD/videotapes of the service, and Brethren videographer David Sollenberger is planning a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the service, as bonus material on the DVD. A web page with more information will be available soon.
Friday, October 01, 2004
NEWS
- Disaster Child Care sets record number of centers, states.
- Funds support Church World Service, programs in Angola, Sudan.
- Ecumenical committee strengthens American Baptist connections.
- Northern Plains District considers 'Tradition and Change.'
- Michigan District renews vision.
- Northern Indiana focuses on 'Loving God and Neighbor.'
- Brethren bits: Correction, remembrances, and more.
Disaster Child Care sets record number of centers, states.
Volunteers with Disaster Child Care (DCC), a General Board program, are serving in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia following a record number of hurricanes to hit the US in recent weeks. "To my knowledge, this is the first time Disaster Child Care volunteers have staffed eight child care centers at one time, in three states, since the program began in 1980," said coordinator Helen Stonesifer. "We're setting a record for ourselves, don't know if that's good or bad."
In Florida, DCC volunteers are staffing four centers. At the request of FEMA, a new child care project has opened in Gulf Breeze with volunteers who were serving in Orlando and Kissimmee. The program has reopened the center in Kissimmee after FEMA reported that clientele numbers increased dramatically there, and volunteers will arrive Oct. 3. Two teams of child care volunteers deployed to Montgomery, Ala., at the request of the American Red Cross have been reassigned to Pensacola, in Escambia County. The county sustained some of the greatest damage due to Hurricane Ivan, said Stonesifer. Another team has been deployed to replace volunteers who have completed their two-week assignments. Since the first project opened in Florida Aug. 22, over 63 volunteers have made contact with approximately 1,140 children.
Four centers are open in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Three teams of child care volunteers are staffing Disaster Recovery Centers in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Claysburgh, Pa. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency requested that child care be provided in ten FEMA centers, Stonesifer said. "Although, our network of volunteers cannot support staffing ten centers, we have committed to serving in two," she reported. Since then, the program opened a third center as well.
DCC project managers also spent time at a day care center in Pensacola, giving advice on how to help children work through emotions related to disasters. Gloria Cooper and Cheryl Dekker spoke with the director and 18 staff members at the For Kids Only Children's Day School. Stonesifer also announced that DCC is "honored to be hosting Laura Austin, a representative from the Canadian Disaster Child Care Society." Austin will be serving at the Gulf Breeze center for two weeks to learn more about setting up a child care project.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Volunteers with Disaster Child Care (DCC), a General Board program, are serving in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia following a record number of hurricanes to hit the US in recent weeks. "To my knowledge, this is the first time Disaster Child Care volunteers have staffed eight child care centers at one time, in three states, since the program began in 1980," said coordinator Helen Stonesifer. "We're setting a record for ourselves, don't know if that's good or bad."
In Florida, DCC volunteers are staffing four centers. At the request of FEMA, a new child care project has opened in Gulf Breeze with volunteers who were serving in Orlando and Kissimmee. The program has reopened the center in Kissimmee after FEMA reported that clientele numbers increased dramatically there, and volunteers will arrive Oct. 3. Two teams of child care volunteers deployed to Montgomery, Ala., at the request of the American Red Cross have been reassigned to Pensacola, in Escambia County. The county sustained some of the greatest damage due to Hurricane Ivan, said Stonesifer. Another team has been deployed to replace volunteers who have completed their two-week assignments. Since the first project opened in Florida Aug. 22, over 63 volunteers have made contact with approximately 1,140 children.
Four centers are open in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Three teams of child care volunteers are staffing Disaster Recovery Centers in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Claysburgh, Pa. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency requested that child care be provided in ten FEMA centers, Stonesifer said. "Although, our network of volunteers cannot support staffing ten centers, we have committed to serving in two," she reported. Since then, the program opened a third center as well.
DCC project managers also spent time at a day care center in Pensacola, giving advice on how to help children work through emotions related to disasters. Gloria Cooper and Cheryl Dekker spoke with the director and 18 staff members at the For Kids Only Children's Day School. Stonesifer also announced that DCC is "honored to be hosting Laura Austin, a representative from the Canadian Disaster Child Care Society." Austin will be serving at the Gulf Breeze center for two weeks to learn more about setting up a child care project.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Funds support Church World Service, programs in Angola, Sudan.
Grants totaling $68,000 have been made from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) for hurricane and flood relief efforts in the US, the Caribbean, and Bangladesh, and for programs in Angola and Sudan.
Church World Service (CWS) was the recipient of several EDF grants related to recent hurricanes and flooding: $20,000 for emergency aid in the wake of hurricanes in the US, to ship relief supplies and deploy CWS staff to develop longterm recovery groups; $10,000 for work in the wake of hurricanes in the Caribbean, to provide material aid for clean up and repairs in Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic; $7,000 to help recovery from flooding in the DR and Haiti; and $8,000 following devastating floods in Bangladesh, for food assistance, shelter, clothing, and temporary jobs for more than 22,000 families.
The EDF also supported a shipment to Angola of bicycles for transportation and sun ovens for cleaner, efficient cooking with a grant of $13,000. The grant supports the work of the SHAREcircle organization.
A GFCF grant of $10,000 supports the teaching faculty at St. Bakhita Primary Girls School in Narus, southern Sudan. "While providing support for the school is not addressing hunger action in quite the direct manner of most GFCF projects, one cannot overestimate the significance of educating girls in a society where they readily slip into the margins," explained a memo from fund manager Howard Royer. The memo cited the importance of girls' education for raising economic productivity, lowering infant and maternal mortality, improving nutrition, promoting health, and helping prevent HIV/AIDS.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
top
Grants totaling $68,000 have been made from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) for hurricane and flood relief efforts in the US, the Caribbean, and Bangladesh, and for programs in Angola and Sudan.
Church World Service (CWS) was the recipient of several EDF grants related to recent hurricanes and flooding: $20,000 for emergency aid in the wake of hurricanes in the US, to ship relief supplies and deploy CWS staff to develop longterm recovery groups; $10,000 for work in the wake of hurricanes in the Caribbean, to provide material aid for clean up and repairs in Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic; $7,000 to help recovery from flooding in the DR and Haiti; and $8,000 following devastating floods in Bangladesh, for food assistance, shelter, clothing, and temporary jobs for more than 22,000 families.
The EDF also supported a shipment to Angola of bicycles for transportation and sun ovens for cleaner, efficient cooking with a grant of $13,000. The grant supports the work of the SHAREcircle organization.
A GFCF grant of $10,000 supports the teaching faculty at St. Bakhita Primary Girls School in Narus, southern Sudan. "While providing support for the school is not addressing hunger action in quite the direct manner of most GFCF projects, one cannot overestimate the significance of educating girls in a society where they readily slip into the margins," explained a memo from fund manager Howard Royer. The memo cited the importance of girls' education for raising economic productivity, lowering infant and maternal mortality, improving nutrition, promoting health, and helping prevent HIV/AIDS.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
top
Ecumenical committee strengthens American Baptist connections.
The Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR)--the ecumenical committee of Annual Conference and the General Board--met Sept. 17-19 in Elgin, Ill. Jerry Cain, president of Judson College, attended the meeting for the American Baptist Churches USA.
It was the first meeting of the CIR with an American Baptist observer consultant, according to Stan Noffsinger, general secretary and ex-officio member of the committee. Earlier this year, committee member Belita Mitchell attended the equivalent American Baptist group, the Committee on Christian Unity. "Both of these committees can benefit from the fraternal relationship," said Noffsinger.
An effort to strengthen relationship with the American Baptists has been in process for several months, and continues a 30-year "associated relationship" between the two denominations. Brethren and Baptist staff leaders held a day-long meeting in February this year and plan to meet again in February 2005.
CIR is working with American Baptist leaders to identify an American Baptist member to serve on the Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Study Committee, as mandated by Annual Conference this summer. "That contact has been made and we're awaiting their response," Noffsinger said.
The committee also received reports from representatives to other Brethren bodies; held conference calls with representatives to the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches; reviewed ecumenical events at Annual Conference 2004 and planned for 2005; and determined that its ecumenical citation for 2005 will award a youth or young adult active in ecumenical peace work.
Michael Hostetter of Roanoke, Va., serves as chair. Also on the committee are Steve Brady, Lebanon, Ohio; Jim Eikenberry, Calif.; Brandy Fix, Wabash, Ind.; Robert Johansen, Granger, Ind.; and Belita Mitchell, Harrisburg, Pa.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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The Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR)--the ecumenical committee of Annual Conference and the General Board--met Sept. 17-19 in Elgin, Ill. Jerry Cain, president of Judson College, attended the meeting for the American Baptist Churches USA.
It was the first meeting of the CIR with an American Baptist observer consultant, according to Stan Noffsinger, general secretary and ex-officio member of the committee. Earlier this year, committee member Belita Mitchell attended the equivalent American Baptist group, the Committee on Christian Unity. "Both of these committees can benefit from the fraternal relationship," said Noffsinger.
An effort to strengthen relationship with the American Baptists has been in process for several months, and continues a 30-year "associated relationship" between the two denominations. Brethren and Baptist staff leaders held a day-long meeting in February this year and plan to meet again in February 2005.
CIR is working with American Baptist leaders to identify an American Baptist member to serve on the Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Study Committee, as mandated by Annual Conference this summer. "That contact has been made and we're awaiting their response," Noffsinger said.
The committee also received reports from representatives to other Brethren bodies; held conference calls with representatives to the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches; reviewed ecumenical events at Annual Conference 2004 and planned for 2005; and determined that its ecumenical citation for 2005 will award a youth or young adult active in ecumenical peace work.
Michael Hostetter of Roanoke, Va., serves as chair. Also on the committee are Steve Brady, Lebanon, Ohio; Jim Eikenberry, Calif.; Brandy Fix, Wabash, Ind.; Robert Johansen, Granger, Ind.; and Belita Mitchell, Harrisburg, Pa.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Northern Plains District considers 'Tradition and Change.'
"Tradition and Change" was the theme as Northern Plains District met Aug. 6-8 for its conference at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Registered for the weekend were 211 people. Moderator Beth Cage led the conference in "worshipful work" business sessions that included time for congregations to share a tradition or change from the past year.
Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $116,799, received a report from the District Conference Site Committee, approved dates and location for 2005 and 2006, and approved a change in the constitution and by laws. Delegates also called new leaders: moderator-elect Diane Mason; Nominating Committee members Lyle Neher and Darius Elder; Board of Administration members Janice Ackart, Merlin Grady, Sheila Selix, Alice Draper, Betty Kingery, and Ida Van Westen; board youth representative Sam Button-Harrison; and Program Planning Committee member Carol Leland. Guests who gave reports included Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator, and Lowell Flory, director of Institutional Advancement at Bethany Theological Seminary. General Board members Roy Unruh and Jeff Neuman-Lee gave a video presentation.
Worship on Friday evening was experienced with multiple preachers, women and men sitting separately, and traditional hymns. Greg Jones, Cara McCallister, and John Elder shared the preaching. Saturday evening brought a dramatic tour through the Bible by Mennonite duo Ted and Lee. On Sunday morning there was a blending of traditional and new hymns, preaching by moderator Beth Cage, and installation of new district leadership. Tim Peter, pastor of Prairie City (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, received the gavel as the incoming moderator. Offerings totaled $2,736.57.
Conference goers also heard about projects and ideas in the "Free Money...Strings Attached" fundraising approach initiated in 2003. Milestones in Ministry were presented to ordained ministers Richard Burger, Vernon Merkey, Lucinda Douglas, Marjorie Smalley, Marlene Neher, and Clara Glover.
Other highlights of the weekend were a Witness Commission blood drive with the American Red Cross, in which donors gave 46 units of blood. An auction organized by the Nurture Commission contributed $3,029.75 to Heifer International. The youth contributed money from an evening Ice Cream Social for a total of $3,168.65 to help stop hunger around the world.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
top
"Tradition and Change" was the theme as Northern Plains District met Aug. 6-8 for its conference at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Registered for the weekend were 211 people. Moderator Beth Cage led the conference in "worshipful work" business sessions that included time for congregations to share a tradition or change from the past year.
Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $116,799, received a report from the District Conference Site Committee, approved dates and location for 2005 and 2006, and approved a change in the constitution and by laws. Delegates also called new leaders: moderator-elect Diane Mason; Nominating Committee members Lyle Neher and Darius Elder; Board of Administration members Janice Ackart, Merlin Grady, Sheila Selix, Alice Draper, Betty Kingery, and Ida Van Westen; board youth representative Sam Button-Harrison; and Program Planning Committee member Carol Leland. Guests who gave reports included Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator, and Lowell Flory, director of Institutional Advancement at Bethany Theological Seminary. General Board members Roy Unruh and Jeff Neuman-Lee gave a video presentation.
Worship on Friday evening was experienced with multiple preachers, women and men sitting separately, and traditional hymns. Greg Jones, Cara McCallister, and John Elder shared the preaching. Saturday evening brought a dramatic tour through the Bible by Mennonite duo Ted and Lee. On Sunday morning there was a blending of traditional and new hymns, preaching by moderator Beth Cage, and installation of new district leadership. Tim Peter, pastor of Prairie City (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, received the gavel as the incoming moderator. Offerings totaled $2,736.57.
Conference goers also heard about projects and ideas in the "Free Money...Strings Attached" fundraising approach initiated in 2003. Milestones in Ministry were presented to ordained ministers Richard Burger, Vernon Merkey, Lucinda Douglas, Marjorie Smalley, Marlene Neher, and Clara Glover.
Other highlights of the weekend were a Witness Commission blood drive with the American Red Cross, in which donors gave 46 units of blood. An auction organized by the Nurture Commission contributed $3,029.75 to Heifer International. The youth contributed money from an evening Ice Cream Social for a total of $3,168.65 to help stop hunger around the world.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Michigan District renews vision.
"Renewing Our Vision: Of God and His Word, of His Church, of Our Mission" was the theme for the Michigan District conference Aug. 12-15 in Hastings, Mich. Bill Raymor served as moderator and Gary Copenhaver as moderator-elect.
Each of three worship services was based on an aspect of the theme, with James Myer, of the Brethren Revival Fellowship, as preacher. A Love Feast opened the conference, led by Anita Smith Buckwalter. Youth were worship leaders for the Saturday evening service.
The conference adopted a District Board gross budget for 2005 of $91,608 (net $77,548), representing an increase from last year's budget with new line items for ministry training and development. The Camp Budget approved for 2005 was $78,580. After much discussion the query, "The Process of Licensing or Ordaining," was returned to Beaverton (Mich.) Church of the Brethren. Delegates voted to shift from the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee to the Shalom Team, with appointees to be affirmed by the district conference. District commissions and committees gave reports and the conference also heard from denominational agencies.
Those elected to leadership were Mary Gault, moderator-elect; Roya Stern, conference writing clerk; Lori Waas, Central Committee; Christina Campbell, Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee; Cindy Tarte, Nominating Committee; Jan Thomas, Nurture Commission; Winnie Toledo, Ministry Commission; Bob Phillips, Stewards Commission; Bob Schnepp, Witness Commission; Frances Townsend, District Board secretary; Nancy Hammond-Chaffin, affirmed as Camp Board representative. Raymor and General Board member Dan McRoberts were recognized for their service on the District Board.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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"Renewing Our Vision: Of God and His Word, of His Church, of Our Mission" was the theme for the Michigan District conference Aug. 12-15 in Hastings, Mich. Bill Raymor served as moderator and Gary Copenhaver as moderator-elect.
Each of three worship services was based on an aspect of the theme, with James Myer, of the Brethren Revival Fellowship, as preacher. A Love Feast opened the conference, led by Anita Smith Buckwalter. Youth were worship leaders for the Saturday evening service.
The conference adopted a District Board gross budget for 2005 of $91,608 (net $77,548), representing an increase from last year's budget with new line items for ministry training and development. The Camp Budget approved for 2005 was $78,580. After much discussion the query, "The Process of Licensing or Ordaining," was returned to Beaverton (Mich.) Church of the Brethren. Delegates voted to shift from the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee to the Shalom Team, with appointees to be affirmed by the district conference. District commissions and committees gave reports and the conference also heard from denominational agencies.
Those elected to leadership were Mary Gault, moderator-elect; Roya Stern, conference writing clerk; Lori Waas, Central Committee; Christina Campbell, Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee; Cindy Tarte, Nominating Committee; Jan Thomas, Nurture Commission; Winnie Toledo, Ministry Commission; Bob Phillips, Stewards Commission; Bob Schnepp, Witness Commission; Frances Townsend, District Board secretary; Nancy Hammond-Chaffin, affirmed as Camp Board representative. Raymor and General Board member Dan McRoberts were recognized for their service on the District Board.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Northern Indiana focuses on 'Loving God and Neighbor.'
Northern Indiana District Conference was held Sept. 17-18 at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind., with Dan Snider serving as moderator. The theme, "Loving God and Neighbor with all your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength," utilized the 2004 Annual Conference banner designed and made by Rosanna McFadden, a member of the district.
A total of 250 people were present for the Friday evening worship service led by Dan Petry, moderator-elect. Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook was the speaker. An offering of $1,215 was received for the Ministry Scholarship Fund.
Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $175,000; approved a constitution and by law change to include a new Assessment and Coaching Team; and approved a revised policy related to church moderators. Dan Petry was installed as moderator for 2004-2005 and will serve the next district conference to be held at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., Sept. 16-17. Other leaders elected were Mike Kauffman, moderator-elect; Jim Davis, Standing Committee delegate; Delia Waits, Program and Arrangements Committee; Phyllis Davis and Dan Snider, District Board; Joe Long and Charles Morris, Personnel Committee.
The District Board presented the "Volunteer of the Year" award to John and Beth Sternberg for their service as Disaster Response coordinators for over 20 years. Executive minister Herman Kauffman was recognized for ten years of district service.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Northern Indiana District Conference was held Sept. 17-18 at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind., with Dan Snider serving as moderator. The theme, "Loving God and Neighbor with all your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength," utilized the 2004 Annual Conference banner designed and made by Rosanna McFadden, a member of the district.
A total of 250 people were present for the Friday evening worship service led by Dan Petry, moderator-elect. Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook was the speaker. An offering of $1,215 was received for the Ministry Scholarship Fund.
Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $175,000; approved a constitution and by law change to include a new Assessment and Coaching Team; and approved a revised policy related to church moderators. Dan Petry was installed as moderator for 2004-2005 and will serve the next district conference to be held at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., Sept. 16-17. Other leaders elected were Mike Kauffman, moderator-elect; Jim Davis, Standing Committee delegate; Delia Waits, Program and Arrangements Committee; Phyllis Davis and Dan Snider, District Board; Joe Long and Charles Morris, Personnel Committee.
The District Board presented the "Volunteer of the Year" award to John and Beth Sternberg for their service as Disaster Response coordinators for over 20 years. Executive minister Herman Kauffman was recognized for ten years of district service.
Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Brethren bits: Correction, remembrances, and more.
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- In a correction to the Sept. 17 story on the National Older Adult Conference, the potter for the opening worship service was Joyce Parker, not Joyce Person as reported.
- Lyle C. Albright, 84, died July 16 in McPherson, Kan. He was executive of Northern Plains District for 10 years and pastored churches in Missouri, Texas, Iowa, and Kansas. He was an ecumenical leader in Kansas, helping found Churches United for Peacemaking, serving on the Holocaust Committee for the Kansas Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and helping plan the "North American Assisi: A Multi-Religious Meeting" in Wichita in 1988. He was a graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary and McPherson (Kan.) College, and was a missionary in Nigeria for a year in the mid-1940s.
- Caleb Hoffer Frantz, 89, who served in several capacities in Puerto Rico, died Sept. 1. He was a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and attended Bethany Biblical Seminary before working at Castaner Hospital in Puerto Rico through Civilian Public Service. He went on to teach public school in Puerto Rico, then became project director and hospital administrator at Castaner from 1960-64. He was a member of Little Swatara Church of the Brethren, Bethel, Pa.
- Former India missionary, teacher, and registered nurse Betty Rogers Blickenstaff, 90, died Sept. 13 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif. She and her late husband Leonard Blickenstaff were mission workers in India 1940-70. She served at the Brethren hospital in Bulsar, the Dahanu Mission Hospital, the Woodstock School, and the Rural Service Center at Anklesvar. According to her staff citation from the General Board, Blickenstaff "played a significant role in working with village women in the fields of nutrition and child and mother care." Blickenstaff also worked as a nurse and medical records librarian at Hillcrest. She was a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and a member of La Verne Church of the Brethren.
- Peter Rudolf, a former missionary in Nigeria with Mission 21, passed away Sept. 9 after a short but severe sickness. Mission 21, formerly Basel Mission, is a partner with Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships. Mission 21 reported that Rudolf fell sick after returning from a five-week assignment at the Mobile Bible School in Kakuma, Kenya, a camp of 70,000 Sudanese refugees. He had recently retired. Rudolf is survived by his wife Regula and children Matthias, David, and Susanne. "We ask you to pray for the family," wrote Albrecht Hieber, head of international relations for the mission. "Mission 21 and all the friends are very sad and shocked about this sudden death, which means a big loss to all of us."
- The Brethren Home Community, New Oxford, Pa., seeks a director of Pastoral Care/chaplain to provide leadership for the spiritual development and well being of the total organization, provide spiritual support for residents, supervise pastoral care staff, and promote holistic care. Requirements are college and seminary training with a Master of Divinity graduate degree, ordination in the Church of the Brethren. Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education is preferred. Contact the Brethren Home Community, Attn: Christine Daoularis, Human Resources, 2990 Carlisle Pike, P.O. Box 128, New Oxford, PA 17350.
- The Mission and Ministries Planning Council met Sept. 12-13 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., to continue its work of receiving and reviewing ideas for new ministries and missions for the denomination. The council heard a proposal for a "New Life Initiative" brought by David Young, updates on General Board mission work, and plans for the Mission Alive 2005 conference. The group also worked on an action item to go to the General Board's October meeting related to church planting and mission in Haiti. The council is a committee of the General Board including wider church representation. General secretary Stan Noffsinger and executive director of Global Mission Partnerships Merv Keeney represent board staff; chair Donna Shumate and Doug Diamond represent the board; moderator Jim Hardenbrook and moderator-elect Ron Beachley represent Annual Conference; Don Booz of Mid-Atlantic and Steven Abe of West Marva represent districts.
- Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service (CPS) workers, and anyone who has a special connection to either program. The meal at Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren will also be a gathering with the volunteers in orientation Unit 262.
- Districts holding conferences Oct. 8-9 include Atlantic Southeast, Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern Ohio. Because of storm damage to utilities around the Lorida area, the Atlantic Southeast conference will be held instead at Sebring (Fla.) Church of the Brethren, with Berwyn Oltman as moderator. Atlantic Northeast delegates will meet at Leffler Chapel on the campus of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, with Herb High as moderator. Mid-Atlantic will meet in Easton, Md., with Charlotte Bear as moderator. Southern Ohio will meet at Salem Church of the Brethren in Englewood, Ohio, with Sheila Shumaker as moderator.
- Camp Bethel, Fincastle, Va., is still planning its 20th Annual Heritage Festival for Oct. 2 despite flooding because of heavy rains earlier this week. "No buildings were washed away, but the water's toll on our ground is great. Our foot bridges, roads, ponds, streams, fences, and landscaping suffered severe damage," wrote manager Barry LeNoir in an email asking for assistance to clean up for the festival. The festival is a fundraising event for the camp and features crafts, baked goods, food, and displays from many of congregations in Virlina District. The theme for this year is "Brethren Heritage" and "old ways." For more information call 540-992-2940 or see www.campbethelvirginia.org.
- The 6th Annual Camp Mack Festival is scheduled for Oct. 2 at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind. A craft sale, food booths, auctions of "baskets full of goodies" prepared by congregations, and a harvest market will raise funds for camper scholarships and rope course activities. For more information contact Mike Kauffman at 574-658-4831.
- Bridgewater (Va.) College holds its Homecoming Oct. 2-3. Events include a Jennifer Harris Organ Donation Walk, Homecoming Festival and Parade, class reunions, football and soccer games, an alumni softball game, a chorale and jazz band concert, and celebrations for the classes of 1969, 1974, and 1979. Preceding Homecoming is an Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Oct. 1 in which Robert E. Baker, Melody Derrow Hinkle, Martin T. Smith Jr., M. Terry Westhafer, N. Paige Will, and Deborah West Windett will be inducted. Call 800-759-8328 or see www.bridgewater.edu.
- Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., holds its 80th annual Homecoming Oct. 8-9. An estimated 500 alumni and visitors are expected. Highlights will be the dedication of Wine Recital Hall; progress on the new Science Center; a fall play; golf, baseball, football, and soccer games; class photos; breakfast with the president; a college and alumni choir; and an Alumni 5K Run and Walk. Education students will provide activities for children ages 4-12. Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 260-982-5223 or 888-257-ALUM or e-mail alumnioffice@manchester.edu.
- An inaugural Harvest Day Celebration is sponsored by Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center on Oct. 16. Sorghum molasses, as it was made in the Brethren-Mennonite community, will be a signature product of the day, with Kenton Brubaker, retired biology professor at Eastern Mennonite University, overseeing the production of half an acre of sorghum at the center site. There will also be stories and activities for children, hayrides and a barnyard petting area, an exhibit of old farm machinery; crosscut log sawing, the making of apple cider, and a variety of music. Soup, corn bread, country ham sandwiches, sorghum molasses cookies, and cold and hot drinks will be served. "We hope this first-ever event will be the start of a long-lasting tradition," said director Steve Shenk. Cost will be $5 per car. Call 540-438-1275 or see www.vbmhc.org.
- Jeff Carter, pastor of Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren, is representing the denomination at the US Conference of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Oct. 5-6 in Atlanta, Ga. "The Power and Promise of Peace" is the theme for the meeting, focused on the Decade to Overcome Violence. Speakers include WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia, former US ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, and WCC North America president Bernice Powell Jackson. The aim of the event is to "expose and inspire" the US churches' peace witness. The meeting will close with a "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" award to individuals and organizations "responsible for creative and courageous peace and justice efforts in their communities," a WCC release said. For more information see www.wcc-usa.org.
- Needed: a few peacemakers. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), an initiative of the World Council of Churches, accompanies Palestinians and Israelis in nonviolent actions and advocacy efforts to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories and to bring about a just and durable solution to the conflict, with two viable and secure nations living side by side in peace. Minimum commitment is three months. For more information see www.eappi.org. Persons wishing to explore this area of service are invited to contact the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships Office at mission_gb@brethren.org.
- Two Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members were attacked and beaten by Israeli settlers Sept. 29, according to a release from CPT. Kim Lamberty, of Washington D.C., and Christopher Brown, of San Francisco, Calif., were accompanying Palestinian children walking to school in the Southern Hebron District of the West Bank. The children escaped uninjured. Lamberty and Brown were taken by ambulance to hospital. Lamberty has been released. Brown sustained broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung, and has undergone surgery. CPT, an initiative of Mennonite and Brethren congregations and Friends meetings, is present in the area of the attack at the request of Palestinian villagers who are suffering repeated harassment from Israeli settlers while Israeli authorities have failed to intervene, the release said. For more visit www.cpt.org.
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