A review of 2003: Celebrating a year of Brethren activity and ministry.

While stories of war and violence filled many of the national and international headlines in 2003, stories of Brethren continuing the work of Jesus Christ in various ways and places also permeated the year. In an annual Newsline tradition, following are highlights of some of those stories from the past 12 months:

• New leaders were called for several of the denomination's major agencies. Stanley J. Noffsinger succeeded Judy Mills Reimer in July as general secretary for the Church of the Brethren General Board, promising to “roll up his sleeves’ for the difficult work ahead; Kathy G. Reid was called as executive director of the Association of Brethren Caregivers near year's end, succeeding Steve Mason; and Stephen Breck Reid became academic dean for Bethany Theological Seminary in July, following Rick Gardner.
  
  
• The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a ministry training partnership of the Church of the Brethren General Board and Bethany Theological Seminary, was selected in November to receive a grant of $2 million from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to participate in a national program called “Sustaining Pastoral Excellence.”
  
  
• Brethren were closely engaged with developments in Iraq--issuing statements, joining in ecumenical conversations, and participating in protests and educational events in the days leading up to the war, and later sending aid to the devastated nation.
  
  
• The Susquehanna Valley Satellite of Bethany Theological Seminary observed its 10th anniversary with a celebration at Carlisle (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on Nov. 2. The Elizabethtown, Pa.-based satellite now partners with five area districts in its ministry.
  
  
• Dr. Haruun Ruun, who is supported in his work as executive secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) by the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office, was honored with the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award in a ceremony in Philadelphia on Nov. 8. Haruun received the award from Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
  
  
• Brethren Benefit Trust agreed to serve as third-party administrator for the Brethren Employees' Credit Union beginning in spring 2004, with the aim of providing a new array of services to a wider Brethren audience.
  
  
• An Annual Conference that 2003 moderator Harriet Finney of North Manchester, Ind., characterized as “bathed in prayer” took place July 5-9 at Boise State University in Idaho. About 2,900 people registered for the event, making it one of the largest conferences Boise had ever hosted.
  
  
• Brethren responded to a host of natural disasters with financial and material aid as well as volunteer hours. Major responses included cleanup and recovery efforts following Hurricane Isabel in September and a wave of severe tornadoes in the spring, plus rebuilding projects in Wisconsin, Mississippi, Illinois, and elsewhere. A Church of the Brethren Disaster Child Care project responded to rampant wildfires in southern California in the fall, with 26 volunteers making contact with nearly 500 children during the 19-day response.
  
  
• General Board Global Mission Partnerships executive director Merv Keeney joined National Council of Churches (NCC) general secretary Bob Edgar, Church World Service (CWS) executive director John L. McCullough, and four others in a delegation to North Korea and South Korea in mid-November, capping a year-long effort by the NCC and CWS to address political tensions and severe humanitarian needs on the Korean Peninsula.
  
  
• Sixteen interns, matching the record high set in 2002, were present for the 2003 Ministry Summer Service orientation in Richmond, Ind. The annual program, sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult and Ministry offices, allows young adults to consider ministry options by placing them in ministry settings with a mentor for the summer.
  
  
• More than 250 Brethren gathered at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren Aug. 14-16 for the biennial Caring Ministries Assembly sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers. This year's theme, “Healing Out of Silence,” focused on spiritual growth and practical help with caregiving issues.
  
  
• A celebration of the Brethren family's historical roots and present-day worldwide ministry marked the Brethren World Assembly, held July 23-26 in Winona Lake, Ind. About 100 people registered for the event, which wa sponsored by Brethren Encyclopedia Inc. and held on the Grace College campus. It was the third time such an assembly has been held, and the first since 1998. All six major denominations tracing their roots to Alexander Mack's 1708 movement were represented.
  
  
• The Council of District Executives initiated a process to discuss and study the ecclesiology of the church, with a series of meetings and events planned for the next few years. All of the Annual Conference agencies have joined in the effort, which will examine what it means to be the church and how the church goes about its ministry.
  
  
• Delegates at Annual Conference gave a strong endorsement to a Call for a Living Peace Church, looking for practical ways to live out the denomination's peace position. On Earth Peace and the General Board, which co-sponsored the resolution, are moving forward with ideas, plans, and resources.
  
  
• The National Youth Cabinet declared a denomination-wide Youth Day of Prayer for Sept. 28, asking youth across the Church of the Brethren to join together in prayer in creative ways. Earlier, on March 7, Brethren gathered at three denominational sites for special prayer services held in conjunction with the World Day of Prayer. Both initiatives, along with some activities at Annual Conference, came in response to the “Call to Prayer” query passed by the 2002 Conference.
  
  
• Thirty-five grants were made from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund, totaling nearly half a million dollars. The aid supported relief work through Church World Service and other organizations across the United States and in all corners of the world.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service worker Don Vermilyea continued his “Walk Across America,” trekking across the Rockies and the Plains in his quest to visit every Church of the Brethren congregation that will host him. By year's end he had crossed the 8,000-mile point in his journey as he reached Nebraska.
  
  
• Brethren traveled to Sudan as part of a Faith & Advocacy delegation led by Phil and Louie Baldwin Rieman in late summer and to Nigeria on an annual workcamp sponsored by the Global Mission Partnerships office. Workcampers on the latter trip continued construction of a classroom at the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN) Comprehensive Secondary School.
  
  
• New leadership was called for major Brethren mission areas, with Irv and Nancy Heishman beginning as coordinators in the Dominican Republic, and Greg and Karin Davidson Laszakovits called as representatives for Brazil. A search is under way for a successor to John and Janet Tubbs in Nigeria.
  
  
• The 2003 youth/young adult workcamp season ended in mid-August after more than 500 youth, youth advisors, and young adults participated in 26 workcamps across the US, in the Caribbean, and in Northern Ireland and Ecuador.
  
  
• A November Ministry of Reconciliation workshop at Camp Mack in Milford, Ind., titled “Leadership in Times of Controversy,” provided space for people involved in deep and ongoing conflict to sit down and talk openly with one another.
  
  
• The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board this fall completed the first cycle of its Vision and Planning Process by adopting a document entitled “Strategic Goals, Objectives, and Action Steps.” The document sets in place an action plan for the next three years.
  
  
• Brethren Colleges Abroad officially launched its new Peace and Justice programs, enabling students to study in these fields by examining current world issues at universities and colleges in Cuba, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Belgium, and Wales.
  
  
• The Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic continues to grow, with two preaching points--Boca Chica and Sabana Torsa--given congregational status at the church's annual “conferencia,” and two other worshipping communities in Peniel and La Caya formally recognized as preaching points.
  
  
• The 2003 Youth Peace Travel Team of Laura Sweitzer, Erica Schatz, and Mandy Wampler traveled to Church of the Brethren camps in the Midwest and to Annual Conference, the 13th year a team has been sent out to do peace education.
  
  
• More than 70 people gathered in Gotha, Fla., to attend the denomination's annual Cross-Cultural Consultation, making it the largest gathering in the five-year history of the energetic and multilingual event.
  
  
• A “Toward a Brethren Philosophy of Higher Education” conference coordinated by Elizabethtown (Pa.) College's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies presented viewpoints on varied aspects of higher education, representing both the college and church perspectives. Topics included biblical and theological foundations, the importance of having Brethren personnel at the denomination's colleges, the church-college relationship, and models of maintaining Brethren identity on campus.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service began the year with one of the largest winter units in recent history, and continued with strong enrollment throughout the year. Several orientations were held in unique locations and formats, including emphases on spiritual growth and simple living.
  
  
• The Brethren Press children's book “Faith the Cow,” originally published in 1995 to tell the story of the origins of Heifer Project, passed the 15,000-copy level in sales this summer. The book recently went to press for its sixth printing.
  
  
• Two dozen Church of the Brethren pastors, district executives, and new church development committee members gathered in Phoenix in January for a seminar on coaching church planters, part of an ongoing drive to provide training and resources in church planting.
  
  
• A dedication service for the 10-acre campus of the new Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center was held Sept. 7 in Harrisonburg, Va... Southern Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic districts again joined for an annual meat canning project, processing 80,000 pounds of chicken... About 160 people gathered at Idaho's Camp Wilbur Stover June 29 to July 5 for the seventh annual Song & Story Fest... Other groups met for a youth ministry workshop in New Windsor, Md., led by Mark DeVries; a Fellowship of Brethren Homes Forum; an annual Young Adult Conference held at Camp Eder in Fairfield, Pa.; a youth Christian Citizenship Seminar in New York and Washington, D.C., focusing on globalization issues; an “Organizing for Peace” event in Richmond, Ind.; and an Anabaptist Evangelism Council conference in Chicago examining worship.

And in 2004, the work of Jesus continues!

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Church World Service begins large-scale response to Iran earthquake.

Responding to the immediate need for medical supplies in earthquake-ravaged Bam, Iran, Church World Service (CWS) announced this week that it will airlift medical supplies to serve 1,000 people for three months, as well as 5,000 hygiene kits. The 20-foot container shipment is expected to leave for Iran on Jan. 6.

The shipment launches a long-range response commitment for CWS, which announced on Monday a $500,000 appeal for survivors of the devastating Dec. 26 earthquake, estimated to have killed more than 30,000 people according to news reports. Some 200,000 people live in and around Bam and about 70 percent of the houses in Bam were destroyed by the 6.6-magnitude quake, Iranian State Television reported.

CWS also issued an emergency grant immediately following the earthquake for the purchase and distribution of emergency shelter materials for Bam's survivors. CWS is responding to a direct request from the Iranian Red Crescent through the Middle East Council of Churches.

“Medical and hygiene supplies are vitally needed now by the thousands of survivors still struggling and unprotected in what is essentially a demolished city,” CWS Emergency Response Program director Rick Augsburger said. “We are acting immediately.”

The airlift's shipment contains 100 Interchurch Medical Assistance medicine boxes, valued at $3,500 each. The boxes contain medicines for adults and children including pain relievers, vitamin/mineral supplements, gauze bandages and pads, adhesives, medicine for intestinal worm infection, Amoxicillin, topical antibiotic and antifungal agents, oral rehydration salts, aminophylline for asthma, atini-infective/anti-protozoals for adults and children, antianemia drugs, antiseptic, antihistamine, and Cefzil (for treatment of bacterial infections).

The approximately 5,000 Church World Service health kits each include one hand towel , one washcloth, one comb, one metal nail file or nail clipper, one bar of soap (bath size), one toothbrush, one tube of toothpaste (4-7 ounces), and six Band-Aids. Details on creating the kits can be found at www.churchworldservice.org.

Augsburger said that complete recovery from the earthquake “will take several years.” This latest emergency response in Iran is part of CWS' longstanding presence in the Middle East, including support to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Emergency Disaster Fund aids projects in Iraq, Puerto Rico.

Two new grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund were made during the final weeks of the year.

The first will send $15,000 in additional support for the Church World Service “All Our Children” campaign in Iraq. Funds will help secure health and medical assistance for children in Iraq, where ongoing violence has hindered relief efforts.

A second grant, for $4,000, will go toward Church World Service's response to flooding in Puerto Rico. Unusually heavy rains on the island caused severe flooding and landslides, affecting more than 5,000 homes in 21 particularly hard-hit municipalities. The funds will help to provide material aid and to support local recovery groups.

Thirty-five grants have now been made from the fund in 2003.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Annual Conference Council responds to queries, makes plans for Charleston.

The Annual Conference Council met Dec. 8-9 in Elizabethtown, Pa., with a full agenda. Major items included the council's response to an unanswered portion of a query sent to Conference from Michigan District, a revised draft of the Annual Conference paper on The Role and Qualifications of Local Church Moderators, next steps toward a revision of the denomination's Manual of Organization and Polity, and items related to preparation for the 2004 Conference in Charleston, W.Va.

The council was charged by 2003 Conference delegates with the task of responding to a number of questions raised in a Michigan query titled, “Clarification of Confusion.” The request for clarification related to both procedural and theological issues in the denomination's policies for calling and disciplining set-apart ministers.

After considerable discussion relating to each question, the council felt that answers should come from a larger group than the council itself, and that a consultation on ministry issues, involving especially the General Board Office of Ministry and district executives, should occur as soon as possible. Current moderator Chris Bowman and moderator-elect Jim Hardenbrook are also planning a visit to several areas of Michigan District.

Aware of both the Michigan issues and similar concerns throughout the denomination, the council made plans to hold a session at the 2004 Conference in which individuals and groups will have “opportunity to share with the council and fellow Conferencegoers concerns, observations, and suggestions relating to denominational life and ministry.” the session is scheduled for July 4 at 9 p.m. On Earth Peace has agreed to help facilitate the discussion.

As asked by the 2003 Conference, the council assembled a committee of key people to help revise the paper on local church moderators. With the help of this ad-hoc committee, the council revised the paper for consideration by the 2004 Conference. The new paper provides for the moderator to work in whatever structure the congregation has, including the possibility for moderators to be called from beyond the local church. The paper still maintains the traditional requirement for moderators to be members of the Church of the Brethren.

At the invitation of the council, Wayne Miller had been working at revising the 2001 Manual of Organization and Polity, primarily gathering materials for a section that will provide information on the Annual Conference agencies. Miller asked to be relieved of further responsibilities for the revision, so the council asked Conference secretary Fred Swartz to form a committee to help him complete an initial draft of the revision.

The initial draft will be posted on the Annual Conference web page prior to the 2005 Conference, when a new denominational Review and Evaluation Committee is to be called by Conference. A new manual will not be published in hard-copy form until after the next Review and Evaluation Committee has made its report.

In other actions, the council:

• received with regret the resignation of council member Sandy Bosserman, who cited unexpected responsibilities at home and work. Annual Conference delegates will be asked to elect another district executive to fill the vacancy on the council.
  
  
• confirmed that it now shares with Standing Committee the responsibility to provide for denominational envisioning. The moderator and moderator-elect will engage the 2004 Standing Committee in a process to begin the fulfillment of that function.
  
  
• confirmed a mission statement and refined core value and vision statements as part of a strategic planning process. The council plans to submit the statements to Standing Committee in Charleston for consideration, then do further work on goals and objectives.
  
  
• heard and ratified plans from the Conference officers to prepare materials and hold information sessions where invited on the preparation of queries for Annual Conference.
  
  
• heard reports from the moderator and Annual Conference executive on preparations for the 2004 Conference in Charleston, W.Va., and approved the executive director's salary package for 2004.

The council next meets March 16-17 in Elgin, Ill.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Brethren bits: NYAC registration, peace award, and more.

Brethren bits: Brief news and updates from around the denomination and beyond.

• The General Board's Service Ministries program received a Certificate of Appreciation from the American Red Cross in recognition of service following Hurricane Isabel this past fall. Shipments of blankets and Gift of the Heart kits were made to shelters in Maryland and Virginia.
  
  
• Registration for the 2004 National Young Adult Conference opened Jan. 1 at www.nyac2004.org. The event--the first of its kind in size and scope--will be held June 14-18 in Winter Park, Colo.
  
  
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) worker Peggy Gish, a member of the Church of the Brethren, accepted the Yoko Tada Human Rights Award at a Dec. 18 ceremony in Tokyo for her work with CPT. Gish has spent much of the past year as part of a CPT presence in Iraq. Japanese journalist Masakazu Honda nominated Gish for the award after he interviewed her in Jordan last March. Three Yoko Tada awards are presented each year.
  
  
• Collaboration among Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA), Mennonite Central Committee, and Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) has resulted in a $25,000 ERD grant to support surgical services provided by a hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. The grant aids treatment for children suffering from hydrocephalus due to birth defects or from infections such as meningitis or encephalitis. The hospital has experienced a severe shortage of medical supplies.
  
  
• Manchester College (North Manchester, Ind.) has received a $750,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for its growing collaboration with Wabash County and North Manchester economic development efforts. The four-year grant will allow the college to develop a wide-reaching local program of student internships and entrepreneurial support that will seek to stem the significant loss of college graduates from Indiana, and especially Wabash County; and to improve job opportunities for other Indiana workers.
  
  
• An ecumenical conference held in late November and early December in Prague, Czech Republic, continued a series of such meetings held since 1986 to discuss and work together on common issues in an academic context. The theme for this most recent conference was “The Significance of Reforming and Prophetic Movements in Church and Society.” Church of the Brethren member Donald F. Durnbaugh was among those attending, and made a presentation on “The Witness of the Historic Peace Churches.” Durnbaugh is also serving on a Continuation Committee to plan future gatherings for the group. A number of other Brethren have also been involved with the process over the past two decades. A story on the “Prague Conference” series is planned for the March issue of “Messenger.”

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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General Board seeks director of Identity and Relations.

The Church of the Brethren General Board is seeking a full-time director of Identity and Relations, based at the denomination's General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

Responsibilities of the position include providing interpretation of the ministries of the General Board through personal contact and a variety of media, working with a peer advisory group to provide coordination of communication and public relations in a cohesive manner, and collaborating with and coaching other staff in sharing about their work.

Applicants must be an active member of the Church of the Brethren, possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, and have familiarity with the General Board's ministry areas. A bachelor's degree in a related field is required; master's preferred.


Application deadline is Jan. 19. Candidates should complete the General Board application form, submit resume' and letter of application, and request three references to send letters of recommendation to: Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694. For application form or other questions, call 800-323-8039, ext. 258, or e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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ABC announces theme, keynote speakers for NOAC 2004.

Plans are coming together for the seventh National Older Adult Conference (NOAC), to be held Sept. 6-10 at Lake Junaluska (N.C.) Assembly. Sponsored by the Older Adult Ministry area of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), the biennial event typically draws more than 1,000 people.

The conference theme will be “Being Renewed Day by Day,” based on 2 Cor. 4:7-16. Keynote speakers will include United Methodist leader and author Tex Sample, Foundation for Global Community fellow L. Robert Keck; Gratis (Ohio) Church of the Brethren member Pamela K. Brubaker, a professor of religion at California Lutheran University; Manchester Church of the Brethren (North Manchester, Ind.) senior pastor Kurt Borgmann; and Beacon Heights (Fort Wayne, Ind.) pastor for worship Deanna Brown. Borgmann and Brown will preach at the opening and closing worship celebrations, respectively.

Morning Bible studies will be led by Stephen Reid, academic dean and professor of Old Testament studies at Bethany Theological Seminary.

Registration details for NOAC will be available in February. For more information about the conference, call ABC at 800-323-8039.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Online registration opens for Organizing for Peace conference.

Online registration for the 2004 Organizing for Peace conference, titled “Peacemaking in the Midst of Diversity,” is now available at www.brethren.org/oepa/ofp2004.html. The conference, sponsored by On Earth Peace, will be held March 11-14 in La Verne, Calif.

Conference leadership will include James Lawson, Ched Myers, Barb Sayler, Matt Guynn, and others, and will feature music by Steve Kinzie and Shawn Kirchner.

Cost for the event, including food, housing, and registration, is $50. Discounts are available for students and those with low incomes.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Level 1 Disaster Child Care workshops planned for 2004.

A series of Level 1 Disaster Child Care training workshops has been scheduled for the first half of 2004 by the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries office.

The first workshop will be held Feb. 20-21 at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Others will be March 5-6 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; March 12-13 at a site to be announced in North Carolina; March 26-27 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Frederick, Md.; April 16-17 at Tearcoat Church of the Brethren, Augusta, W.Va.; April 24-25 at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.; April 30-May 1 for a combined UMCOR/Disaster Child Care training at a site to be announced in Buffalo, N.Y.; and May 21-22 at Lanark (Ill.) Church of the Brethren.

Further details are available at www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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A closing note: Newsline editor Walt Wiltschek signs off.

Dear readers: After writing and editing more than 140 issues of Newsline over the past four and a half years, this first issue of 2004 marks my final one at the helm. I begin this month as editor of Messenger magazine, where I will continue the quest to share the denomination's stories in a different format.

It has been an honor to have stewardship of this communication vehicle, and it has been exciting to watch its continuing growth. More than 2,100 people now receive Newsline directly via e-mail, and many others read it online or see parts of it reprinted in church and district newsletters or elsewhere.

I am pleased to be able to hand over the editing duties to Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, who officially begins as director of news services on March 1. Cheryl has graciously agreed to begin doing much of the writing and editing for Newsline beginning with the Jan. 16 issue, however, so the transition is already under way. She brings strong communications and church experience, and Newsline will be in good hands.

Above all, I have appreciated the opportunity to dialogue with many of you via e-mail or in person, and to see the church at work in so many places and forms while reporting its stories. I am excited about continuing those relationships and building new ones in the pages of Messenger, and I'm excited by some of the things I see happening in the church. Blessings to you on the journey...

Walt Wiltschek

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third and fifth Friday of each month. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Lerry Fogle and Kathleen Campanella contributed to this report.

To receive Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 263, or write CoBNews@AOL.Com. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at http://www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of recent events.

Source: Newsline 1/02/2004
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