NEWS

• Annual Conference leaders make pastoral visit to Michigan.
  
• Church of the Brethren mourns the death of Hazel Peters.
  
• Brethren hold biennial training event for Decade to Overcome Violence.
  
• Planning for ecclesiology conversations continues.
  
• Six US Brethren participate in Nigeria workcamp.
  
• Emergency Disaster Fund supports recovery work in US, Iraq.
  
• Global Food Crisis Fund allocates more than $33,000 in grants.
  
• Musical compositions sought for Brethren tricentennial.
  
• Funding is available for “Family Friends” projects.
  
• Brethren bits: Annual Conference, Living Peace Church, more.

PERSONNEL

• Lowell Flory will serve as executive director, Advancement and Gift Planning, for Bethany.
  
• LeAnn Wine called as General Board director of Financial Operations; Duane Steiner is interim.
  
• Jeffrey Shireman named president of Lebanon Valley Brethren Home.
  
• Philip Hollinger appointed vice president of Brethren Village.
  
• Youth and young adult workcamp coordinators named for 2005.
  
• South/Central Indiana seeks district executive minister.

COMING EVENTS

• Bethany announces two Exploring Your Call events.

Annual Conference leaders make pastoral visit to Michigan.

Annual Conference moderator Christopher Bowman and moderator-elect Jim Hardenbrook made a pastoral visit to Michigan District in early January, after receiving several contacts from district leaders and with the affirmation of the Annual Conference Council. The district leadership is dealing with the 2002 and 2003 actions of Annual Conference surrounding the issue of ordaining non-celibate homosexual persons.

Bowman and Hardenbrook visited five churches over a four-day visit Jan. 5-8, which was intended to be pastoral in nature rather than bringing, arguing, or enforcing any Annual Conference legislation or interpretation. Marie Willoughby, Michigan District executive, scheduled the conversations.

At each location, Bowman and Hardenbrook felt they were received warmly and that feelings were shared passionately. "I am impressed by the commitment of the brothers and sisters in Michigan to their faith and to each other," Bowman said. "Our visit allowed us to share in some small way the pain of division felt by the faithful Brethren on both sides of the current crisis and to offer the encouragement of the wider church."

"The divisions within the Michigan District are real and deep," Hardenbrook said, "but so is their commitment to Jesus and the church. The desire to restore unity, while not universal, is evident. I encourage the whole denomination to make a concerted effort to pray for the people and leaders of the Michigan District."

Meetings were held at Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamazoo, with about 25 people from four congregations; at Onekama, with 22 people from three congregations; at Beaverton, with 30 people from three congregations; at New Life Fellowship in Mount Pleasant, with 20 people from six congregations; and at Trinity Church of the Brethren in Detroit, with 28 people from four congregations. Some people attended more than one of the meetings. As a follow-up to the visit, district leaders held a telephone conference call with Bowman and Hardenbrook to talk about the visit and their vision, mission, and hope for the district.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Church of the Brethren mourns the death of Hazel Peters.

The church is mourning the death of Hazel Peters, a longtime employee and volunteer of the Church of the Brethren whose stature and impact far exceeded her small physical size. Peters, 84, died Jan. 14 in Roanoke, Va. She was a member of the Central congregation in Roanoke.

Peters began her church career in 1949, when she was among the early groups to enter Brethren Volunteer Service. She went to Europe, working first with Brethren Service Commission tasks in Germany and with refugees in Austria, and later as M.R. Zigler's secretary in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1953 she became administrative assistant for the Brethren Service Commission's main office in Elgin, Ill., and "was at the heart of all Brethren Service activities" for the next 16 years, according to a staff citation, providing a vital link between the denomination's international ministries and the US church. She followed her Brethren Service tenure by serving as administrative assistant to general secretary Loren Bowman, and later as coordinator for the Personnel Office.

The citation read at her retirement from the General Board in 1981 said, "Hazel has style!... and that style always centers on people."

Peters "retired" by becoming an active volunteer with On Earth Peace in New Windsor, Md., for the next 14 years before finally returning to her home in Roanoke, where she continued to help On Earth Peace and also assisted in the Virlina District office.

"If the Brethren had saints," former On Earth Peace director Tom Hurst said, "Hazel would either top my list or come very, very close to the top."

A memorial service for Peters is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Central congregation in Roanoke. It was originally scheduled for Jan. 25 but was postponed by ice and snow in the region.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Brethren hold biennial training event for Decade to Overcome Violence.

A workshop for district and congregational representatives for the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) drew 48 participants to New Windsor, Md., Dec. 5-7. DOV is a program begun by the World Council of Churches. This second DOV training event for Brethren was sponsored by the General Board's Witness/Washington Office, On Earth Peace (OEP), Bethany Theological Seminary, and the H.C. Gemmer Christian Foundation.

The workshop, titled "Overcome Evil with Good," is viewed as formative for Brethren DOV representatives. Presentations by peace workers Bernard Lafayette Jr. and David Jehnsen were central to the event. Lafayette was an instrumental member of the nonviolent organizing efforts of Martin Luther King Jr., co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960, and leader of the Nashville Movement the same year. David Jehnsen is a social change activist and educator who was involved with King, Lafayette, and others in the Albany Movement of 1962, served as deputy director of the US Congressional Commission charged with design of the United States Institute of Peace from 1980-82, and is a member of the OEP board of directors. Jehnsen and Lafayette challenged participants, through historical analysis and strategic theory, to embrace principles for nonviolence and the philosophy of King. Their presentation offered hope and a structured methodology for moving forward.

In addition to staff leadership from OEP and Brethren Witness, Brethren Volunteer Service worker Rachel Peterson coordinated the event. Worship resources were provided by Jeff Carter, pastor at Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren, and David Radcliff of the New Community Project. The event also included shared meals, shared stories, and a shared dialog about how the DOV program could best be structured in the Church of the Brethren. Participants had the opportunity to role play and develop strategies that may lead to a new nonviolence movement within the church.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Planning for ecclesiology conversations continues.

The cross-denominational group working on a series of "ecclesiology conversations," exploring what it means to be the church, met again Jan. 15-16 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. Representatives of Annual Conference and all five of its agencies were present, along with several members of the Council of District Executives-the body that initiated the effort.

Agenda items at the January meeting included sharing input obtained from various groups within the denomination, discussing ways to secure grants to fund the events being planned, and working on plans for a launching event in 2005 or early 2006.

Brethren Press is developing a guide for a study process that will enable groups to wrestle with questions and share stories. The committee expects to test the process in small groups at the launching event, which will be national in scope and will include worship times with some major keynote speakers. A subcommittee is working on details for the event.

After a period of regional events and opportunities for congregational groups and others to give input through the study process, a large-scale culminating event is envisioned for 2007. Organizers hope it will bring together a vision that can bring renewal for the church at all levels.

The committee is scheduled to meet again in late spring to continue planning.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Six US Brethren participate in Nigeria workcamp.

From Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, six US Brethren are joining others from Europe, and about two dozen Nigerians, to continue construction on the Comprehensive Secondary School at the EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) headquarters near Mubi.

"The annual Nigeria workcamp helps participants connect with the past and plant seeds for the future," said Jeff Mummau, coordinator for the annual project. Now in his 11th year in the role, he said, "I enjoy giving people the opportunity to leave their comfort zone and stretch themselves. For four weeks, workcampers work alongside the Nigerians, sleep in their homes, and eat their food."

The school "is a big dream of the Nigerian church," said Merv Keeney, executive director of the Global Missions Partnerships office of the General Board. "It's amazing how it is going forward. The school is gaining a good reputation. It's exciting." For the past several years, workcamps from the US and Europe have contributed to building the school. A Brethren Volunteer Service worker, Callie Surber of Champaign (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, also is teaching at the school.

The workcamp is sponsored by the Global Mission Partnerships office. The US participants are Lester Boleyn of the Hagerstown (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Amy Luckenbill and Jeff Mummau, Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Ralph Miner, Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill.; Anne Sales, First Peoria (Ill.) Church of the Brethren; and Lorraine Walker, Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Emergency Disaster Fund supports recovery work in US, Iraq.

A total of $51,000 is being allocated from the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund for the work of the Church of the Brethren Emergency Response program and Mennonite Central Committee.

Three grants totaling $25,000 will support current Emergency Response projects in the US. A grant of $5,000 will go to fire-damaged southern California, continuing support for Disaster Child Care while parents work to clean debris and rebuild their homes. A $10,000 grant has been allocated for a project in Metropolis, Ill., covering remaining expenses of work resulting from tornado and storm damage in the spring of 2003. Another $10,000 will help begin a long-term recovery project in Poquoson, Va., the result of damage done by Hurricane Isabel on the East Coast in the fall of 2003.

A grant of $26,000 has been made to Mennonite Central Committee to help rebuild a school in Baghdad, Iraq. This grant is a continuation of a previous allocation. The school serves 370 children who are day students, and 80 older children who receive vocational training in the evenings.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Global Food Crisis Fund allocates more than $33,000 in grants.

Two grants made by the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund will support the Western Service Workers Association in Santa Ana, Calif., and the Mustard Seed Neighborhood Center in Wenatchee, Wash.

A grant of $20,000 will help retrofit the Western Service Workers Association's 3,000-square-foot structure, providing space for organizer training, clothing, and supplemental food distribution. A grant of $11,045 will support Mustard Seed's direct feeding program and nutrition education for low-income children ages 4 weeks to 12 years. The funds for Mustard Seed will be distributed in two parts: $7,045 in 2004 for the purchase of kitchen equipment and support of a half-time nutrition planner, and $4,000 in 2005 for the nutrition planner.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Musical compositions sought for Brethren tricentennial.

The Annual Conference 300th Anniversary Committee is inviting the submission of compositions representing the 2008 tricentennial theme: "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." The selected piece or pieces will be used in a variety of ways throughout 2008.

Compositions can be in the form of hymns, folk songs, praise songs, anthems, or children's songs. A full score must be included for each submission; an audio tape also is requested.

Deadline for all submissions is June 30, 2005. The name, address, and phone number of the composer should not appear on the score but should be included on a separate page. All compositions become property of the Annual Conference Anniversary Committee and will not be returned. Send submissions to: Annual Conference, Attention: Anniversary Music, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.

A statement on the theme, which is based on John 12:24-26a, can be found on the Annual Conference website at www.brethren.org/ac/Anniversary/theme interpretation.pdf.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Funding is available for "Family Friends" projects.

The National Council on the Aging (NCOA) will fund six to eight local organizations wanting to establish "Family Friends" projects. The Family Friends projects are intergenerational volunteer programs that pair volunteers, 55 years and older, with families who have children with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses.

Family Friends volunteers are screened and trained to provide support and practical assistance to families served through the programs. Each grant recipient will receive approximately $70,000 annually for projects that are to last 30 months. Funding is provided to NCOA by the US Administration on Aging. Grant applications are being accepted until Jan. 30. For more information, contact the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) at 800-323-8039 or NCOA at 202-479-6672, or visit www.family-friends.org. ABC's ministries represent issues of family life, older adults, and people with disabilities for the Church of the Brethren.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Brethren bits: Annual Conference, Living Peace Church, more.

• The Annual Conference office is seeking the following volunteers for Conference tasks: registration, ushers, tellers, unloading/loading crew, age groups (early childhood through young adults), information station, nurse. Please contact Rose Nolan at 800-323-8039 ext. 296 or e-mail RNolan_ac@brethren.org.
  
  
• The Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., has received an abundance of publicity recently. Articles in the Carroll County (Md.) Times and The Sun of Baltimore gave prominent coverage to the recent earthquake relief shipment sent to Iran via the New Windsor distribution center. Disaster News Network also carried a feature this month on the center's relief work and another feature highlighting Interchurch Medical Assistance, which is based at the center.
  
  
• The Sunshine State becomes a hub of Brethren activity over the course of the next month. The Council of District Executives, the Inter-Agency Forum, and the Mission and Ministries Planning Council all meet in Daytona Beach, Fla., in consecutive meetings during the first week of February. Brethren Volunteer Service, which is in the midst of a volunteer orientation unit at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., will hold an in-service retreat there Feb. 9-13 for current volunteers. And Feb. 20-21, Disaster Child Care offers a Level 1 training workshop in West Palm Beach.
  
  
• A maintenance manager is needed at Camp Bethel in Fincastle, Va., for a resident, full-time position. Duties include facilities and equipment maintenance, grounds upkeep, and custodial needs. For more information visit www.campbethelvirginia.org or call 540-992-2940. Send resume', salary history, and cover letter to: Camp Bethel Manager, 328 Bethel Rd., Fincastle, VA 24090; fax 540-992-2940; or e-mail camp.bethel@juno.com.
  
  
• The Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, Palmyra, Pa., is celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2004. Festivities will begin Feb. 21, the anniversary date of the home, with Living History presentations at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The home's new president, Jeffrey Shireman, will be introduced to the home and the community at the presentations.
  
  
• The Brethren Homes Forum 2004 will be hosted by the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio, March 4-6. Highlights of the event will include major business presentations, dialog about homes and districts, an award and recognition dinner, entertainment and games, and a time of planning for the future. For more information contact Ralph McFadden at the Association of Brethren Caregivers, 800-323-8039.
  
  
• Sunday, March 21, is the suggested date of the 2004 One Great Hour of Sharing offering. This year's theme, "God Uses all Gifts for BIG PURPOSES," is based on John 6:9. Packets of information for congregations will be in the mail from the General Board the week of Feb. 2. Each packet includes a colorful poster, a sample offering envelope, a sample colorable fish coin box, worship resources, and children's materials. Standing orders for these materials will be sent simultaneously.
  
  
• A forum with presidential candidates Jan. 30-31 in Columbia, S.C.-reported in the Jan. 16 Newsline-will be used to launch a new National Anti-Poverty Effort by grassroots and faith-based groups including the National Council of Churches. MSNBC.com is planning to webcast segments of the event. The two-day event includes an interfaith service and a day of planning meetings, as well as the candidates' forum.
  
  
• Habitat for Humanity International has been welcomed as an international Christian organization by the World Council of Churches (WCC). Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat, visited the WCC headquarters in Switzerland Jan. 26-27 to explore opportunities for cooperation between the two organizations. In addition to solidifying relationships with the WCC, Fuller will meet with representatives from other organizations including the YWCA and YMCA, the World Student Christian Federation, the Lutheran World Alliance, the Council of European Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Patriarchy of Moscow. "Everyone is needed if we are to rid the world of shacks," Fuller said.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Lowell Flory will serve as executive director, Advancement and Gift Planning, for Bethany.

Bethany Theological Seminary has announced the appointment of Lowell Flory as executive director for Advancement and Gift Planning, effective summer 2004. Flory will have administrative responsibility for annual fund development, gift planning, alumni and congregational relations, publications, and public relations.

Flory joined Bethany's Institutional Advancement staff in 2000 with responsibility for gift planning, which has provided him the opportunity to work with individuals as they develop their estate plans. Such gift planning will remain his responsibility. He also will teach an occasional course in organizational and leadership development.

A Church of the Brethren member and former Annual Conference moderator, Flory holds degrees from McPherson (Kan.) College and the University of Kansas. He is a licensed member of the Kansas Bar. Flory came to Bethany from McPherson, where he had served on the faculty since 1983, chairing the department of business and economics. He also has served on the General Board, the Brethren Benefit Trust board, and the Bethany board.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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LeAnn Wine called as General Board director of Financial Operations; Duane Steiner is interim.

LeAnn Wine, C.P.A., has accepted the General Board position of director of Financial Operations and assistant treasurer, which she will begin around March 8. She is currently a staff accountant with the firm of Trout, Ebersole and Groff, LLP in Lancaster, Pa.

For Wine, who grew up in Enders (Neb.) Church of the Brethren, this new role will fulfill a long-range goal to work within a not-for-profit organization. She is a graduate of McPherson (Kan.) College, where she was a tutor and volunteered accounting services to a variety of charities.

Until Wine can begin, Duane Steiner has contracted with the General Board to be part-time interim director of Financial Operations. He began working with outgoing director Dennis Kingery, who has accepted a position with Brethren Benefit Trust, on Jan. 27.

Steiner previously served as executive director of Annual Conference before retiring in December 2002, and before that as director of development and treasurer/business manager for Bethany Theological Seminary. He is a member of York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill.

Steiner will serve until the end of March or until the transition to Wine has been completed.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Jeffrey Shireman named president of Lebanon Valley Brethren Home.

Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, Palmyra, Pa., has announced the selection of Jeffrey L. Shireman as president. Shireman will begin his duties Feb. 9.

Shireman served most recently as executive director of Crane's Mill Retirement Community in West Caldwell, N.J., and has 20 years of experience in senior care. He serves as an evaluator for the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission and has been active in senior care provider associations such as the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging, the New Jersey Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging, and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Philip Hollinger appointed vice president of The Brethren Village.

The Brethren Village, Lancaster, Pa., recently announced the appointment of Philip S. Hollinger to the position of Vice President-Support Services.

Hollinger brings 24 years of business and engineering experience to the Brethren Village executive leadership team. A native of Mount Joy, he holds a Master's of Administration in Business from Penn State University. At The Brethren Village, he will have administrative responsibility for facilities management, pastoral services, materials management, and the food/dining services departments.

Hollinger is a member and moderator of West Green Tree Church of the Brethren, Elizabethtown, Pa.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Youth and young adult workcamp coordinators named for 2005.

A team of three young adults-two of them familiar faces-will serve as coordinators for the 2005 youth and young adult workcamps offered by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry Office.

The 2004 coordinators, Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade, have agreed to continue as part of the team for another year. Rhodes and Laprade are both from the Virlina District. Rhodes is from the Central congregation in Roanoke, Va., and Laprade is a member of the Antioch congregation in Rocky Mount.



They will be joined for the 2005 planning by Ben Kreider, who served as an assistant coordinator last summer. Kreider is a member of Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and plans to graduate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania this May.

Details on the nearly two dozen 2004 workcamps being offered can be found at www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/workcamps/.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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South/Central Indiana District seeks district executive minister.

The Church of the Brethren South/Central Indiana District seeks a full-time district executive minister. The district is looking for a visionary leader with experience and training in congregational and faith-based organizational management.

Responsibilities include oversight, implementation, and evaluation of district programs; pastoral placement and support; leadership development; communication; and consultation services to congregations. Qualifications include the ability to initiate, implement, and manage creative ministries and relevant programs; knowledge and support of denominational polity, and skill at adapting procedures to meet the unique needs of the district; an ability to work with diverse biblical and theological perspectives; a passion for evangelism and leadership development; a clear commitment to Jesus Christ, New Testament values, and Church of the Brethren faith and heritage; and ordination and pastoral experience.

The position may be shared. It is available April 1. Apply by sending letter of interest and resume' via e-mail to DistrictMinistries_gb@Brethren.org. Applicants are requested to contact three or four people to provide a letter of reference. Application deadline is March 16.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Bethany announces two Exploring Your Call events.

Two Exploring Your Call (EYC) events are scheduled at the Richmond, Ind., campus of Bethany Theological Seminary June 24-28 and July 22-26. The events offer high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors opportunities to consider issues of faith and vocation.

Activities include attending classes taught by seminary professors, shadowing pastors, planning congregational worship services, learning about chaplaincy, visiting residents in a retirement facility, creating and leading worship experiences, and sharing in group-building recreational activities.

Participants in 2003's EYC events-both students and adults-gave positive reviews. "By shadowing a pastor, I experienced what ministry might be like. It helped me think about my own call to ministry," said Lee Smith of Harrisonburg, Va.

EYC is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of a $2 million grant received by Manchester College on behalf of eight Church of the Brethren-related institutions. The grant is part of the endowment's Theological Vocational Exploration Programs Initiative and was developed to encourage young people to consider ministry as a career, and to consider their faith commitments in whatever career they choose.

Youth interested in EYC should visit www.bethanyseminary.edu/eyc.htm and complete an online registration form. Because of grant support, participants' only cost is travel expense to and from EYC. Registration is limited to 20 for each event. Further information is available by e-mail (EYC@bethanyseminary.edu), or call 800-287-8822 and ask for the EYC office.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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Credits

Newsline is written and compiled by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford and produced by the General Board news services office. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Walt Wiltschek, Chris Bowman, Mary Dulabaum, Phil Jones, Janis Pyle, and Marcia Shetler contributed to this report.

Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 263. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events.

Source: Newsline 1/30/2004
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