Haitian crisis raises concern among Brethren, prompts ecumenical relief efforts.
"Haiti is of great concern for many of us," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, in reference to a political and humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean island nation. "We must be unceasing in our prayer that the killing and warfare cease so peace, God's peace, reigns on earth."
Haiti is in chaos following weeks of killings, the overtaking by rebel forces of a third of the country including the capital city Port-au-Prince, violence by pro-government forces, and the exit of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to asylum in central Africa. The United Nations Security Council approved an international military force from the US, Canada, and France, in an effort to stabilize the country.
Noffsinger shared the denomination's concerns and prayers with Ludovic St. Fleur, pastor of Eglise des Freres Haitiens, a Church of the Brethren congregation in Miami, Fla., and overseer of the Orlando Haitian Fellowship. "The situation (in Haiti) is extremely difficult for everyone," said St. Fleur, who has family there. "The schools and businesses are all closed. People are staying off the streets as it is very dangerous." The St. Fleur family in Haiti, and those worshipping with them, are safe but they have asked the Church of the Brethren to be in prayer for their continued safety and for the killing and violence to end. St. Fleur said the conversation with Noffsinger would be "a source of great comfort and encouragement, to know sisters and brothers will be praying for the Haitian people."
Noffsinger encouraged awareness of churches that have Haitian members and that minister with communities of Haitian immigrants. Atlantic Southeast District, which includes two congregations with Haitian members, is "urging all of our people to keep the Haitians in prayer," said Martha Beach, district executive minister. Some Brethren congregations in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, are composed primarily of Haitian immigrants.
The General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries is actively preparing to respond to the crisis by supporting the efforts of Church World Service (CWS), said Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. On Thursday, staff at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., were busy packing 30 Interchurch Medical Assistance medicine boxes and eight Bristol-Myers Squibb disaster relief boxes scheduled for air shipment Mar. 8. These supplies, along with an air shipment of dehydrated food, will be received in the Dominican Republic and transported to Haiti.
An outpouring of refugees was anticipated, but currently Haiti is relatively calm with the arrival of the international force. The calm has slowed the exodus, reported CWS staff Donna Derr, but continued calm may depend on how quickly rebels are disarmed and a new government established. CWS is making contingency plans with government and ecumenical partners to address humanitarian needs in Haiti, the US, the Dominican Republic, and other countries. In the Dominican Republic, services to refuge seekers could include temporary shelter, food, water, and health care. The CWS Immigration and Refugee Program also has identified services it can provide to Haitians interdicted at sea and taken to the US military's Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. In addition, CWS is advocating on behalf of refugees with the US government, foreign ambassadors to Haiti, and ecumenical partners in Haiti. The organization is urging the US to provide protection to those fleeing Haiti, and to grant temporary protective status to Haitians in the US who fear for their safety if deported.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Friday, March 05, 2004
Church of the Brethren Credit Union is now open to all denominational members.
The Brethren Employees Credit Union took a historic step Feb. 23, as it changed its name and charter to make it possible for all Church of the Brethren members and their families to join. Now congregations can join as institutional members. The credit union also approved a new 12-member national board.
These were the final steps needed for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) to become the credit union's administrator and sponsoring agency. The new name, Church of the Brethren Credit Union, reflects the change in charter expanding membership eligibility. Previously, the credit union was open only to church members and their family members in Illinois and Wisconsin, Brethren pastors and their family members, and staff of denominational agencies and organizations and their family members.
"The approval of these changes voted on by the credit union's owners—its members—sets in place the foundation on which new services to more people within the Church of the Brethren can be built," said Wil Nolen, BBT president. A vote by the membership was the last step in a process that started two years ago when the credit union began exploring partnership with BBT. In addition to ratification by the membership and approval by both boards, the proposed changes also needed approval by the Illinois Department of Financial Institutions.
The changes are milestones in the history of the credit union, which traces its origins to both the Brethren Employee Credit Union (BECU) and the Brethren Parish Credit Union. BECU was organized and chartered as an Illinois corporation in 1938 by the employees of the Brethren Publishing House. The Brethren Parish Credit Union was organized in 1941 by the members of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill.
BBT will assume staffing and administrative functions for the credit union Apr. 1. Dennis Kingery will be director of Credit Union Operations. Other BBT staff will assist with customer service, financial operations, marketing, and promotions. Telephone and fax numbers for the credit union will remain the same. However, e-mail and website addresses will change to cobcu@brethren.org and www.cobcu.org respectively. The credit union will unveil its new website Apr. 1.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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The Brethren Employees Credit Union took a historic step Feb. 23, as it changed its name and charter to make it possible for all Church of the Brethren members and their families to join. Now congregations can join as institutional members. The credit union also approved a new 12-member national board.
These were the final steps needed for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) to become the credit union's administrator and sponsoring agency. The new name, Church of the Brethren Credit Union, reflects the change in charter expanding membership eligibility. Previously, the credit union was open only to church members and their family members in Illinois and Wisconsin, Brethren pastors and their family members, and staff of denominational agencies and organizations and their family members.
"The approval of these changes voted on by the credit union's owners—its members—sets in place the foundation on which new services to more people within the Church of the Brethren can be built," said Wil Nolen, BBT president. A vote by the membership was the last step in a process that started two years ago when the credit union began exploring partnership with BBT. In addition to ratification by the membership and approval by both boards, the proposed changes also needed approval by the Illinois Department of Financial Institutions.
The changes are milestones in the history of the credit union, which traces its origins to both the Brethren Employee Credit Union (BECU) and the Brethren Parish Credit Union. BECU was organized and chartered as an Illinois corporation in 1938 by the employees of the Brethren Publishing House. The Brethren Parish Credit Union was organized in 1941 by the members of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill.
BBT will assume staffing and administrative functions for the credit union Apr. 1. Dennis Kingery will be director of Credit Union Operations. Other BBT staff will assist with customer service, financial operations, marketing, and promotions. Telephone and fax numbers for the credit union will remain the same. However, e-mail and website addresses will change to cobcu@brethren.org and www.cobcu.org respectively. The credit union will unveil its new website Apr. 1.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Annual Conference 2004 ballot is announced.
The ballot for the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, July 3-7 in Charleston, W.Va., is headed by nominees Ronald D. Beachley and Myrna Long Wheeler, for the position of moderator-elect.
Beachley, of Maple Spring Church of the Brethren, Hollsopple, Pa., is district executive minister of Western Pennsylvania District. Myrna Long Wheeler, of Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship, serves as chaplain at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif.
On the ballot for Conference-related committees are Joan Lawrence Daggett, of Sangerville Church of the Brethren, Bridgewater, Va., and Martha Roudebush, Trinity Church of the Brethren, Blountville, Tenn., for the Annual Conference Council; June Ellen (Forsyth) Switzer, Community Church of the Brethren, Hutchinson, Kan., and Joanna Wave Willoughby, Hope Church of the Brethren, Freeport, Mich., for the Program and Arrangements Committee; Joe A. Detrick, Codorus Church of the Brethren, Loganville, Pa., and Herman Kauffman, Union Center Church of the Brethren, Nappanee, Ind., for the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee; and James O. Eikenberry, Wilmington (Del.) Church of the Brethren, and Robert C. Johansen, Crest Manor Church of the Brethren, South Bend, Ind., for the Committee on Interchurch Relations.
Nominees to boards of Conference-related agencies include General Board at-large nominees Michael Benner, of the yoked Waterside and Koontz congregations in Pennsylvania, and J. Colleen Michael, Wenatchee (Wash.) Brethren-Baptist Church United.
John A. Braun, Olympic View Community Church of the Brethren, Seattle, Wash., and J. Kenneth Kreider, Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, are nominated to the board of Brethren Benefit Trust; Diane Harden, Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren, and Allegra Hess, York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill., to the Association of Brethren Caregivers board; David B. Eller, Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and Jonathan Frye, Monitor Church of the Brethren, McPherson, Kan., for Bethany Theological Seminary trustee representing the colleges; and David Hendricks, Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren, South Bend, Ind., and Robbie Miller, Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren, to the On Earth Peace board.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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The ballot for the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, July 3-7 in Charleston, W.Va., is headed by nominees Ronald D. Beachley and Myrna Long Wheeler, for the position of moderator-elect.
Beachley, of Maple Spring Church of the Brethren, Hollsopple, Pa., is district executive minister of Western Pennsylvania District. Myrna Long Wheeler, of Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship, serves as chaplain at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif.
On the ballot for Conference-related committees are Joan Lawrence Daggett, of Sangerville Church of the Brethren, Bridgewater, Va., and Martha Roudebush, Trinity Church of the Brethren, Blountville, Tenn., for the Annual Conference Council; June Ellen (Forsyth) Switzer, Community Church of the Brethren, Hutchinson, Kan., and Joanna Wave Willoughby, Hope Church of the Brethren, Freeport, Mich., for the Program and Arrangements Committee; Joe A. Detrick, Codorus Church of the Brethren, Loganville, Pa., and Herman Kauffman, Union Center Church of the Brethren, Nappanee, Ind., for the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee; and James O. Eikenberry, Wilmington (Del.) Church of the Brethren, and Robert C. Johansen, Crest Manor Church of the Brethren, South Bend, Ind., for the Committee on Interchurch Relations.
Nominees to boards of Conference-related agencies include General Board at-large nominees Michael Benner, of the yoked Waterside and Koontz congregations in Pennsylvania, and J. Colleen Michael, Wenatchee (Wash.) Brethren-Baptist Church United.
John A. Braun, Olympic View Community Church of the Brethren, Seattle, Wash., and J. Kenneth Kreider, Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, are nominated to the board of Brethren Benefit Trust; Diane Harden, Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren, and Allegra Hess, York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill., to the Association of Brethren Caregivers board; David B. Eller, Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and Jonathan Frye, Monitor Church of the Brethren, McPherson, Kan., for Bethany Theological Seminary trustee representing the colleges; and David Hendricks, Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren, South Bend, Ind., and Robbie Miller, Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren, to the On Earth Peace board.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Relationship with the American Baptist Churches is rekindled.
When leaders from the American Baptist Churches (ABC) and the Church of the Brethren met to review a 30-year "associated relationship" between the two denominations, they found plenty of reasons to continue.
The denominations created the relationship in 1973, following conversations between Norman J. Baugher, general secretary of the General Board, and Edwin H. Tuller, his counterpart in the American Baptist Convention. As fruits of that endeavor, today seven congregations are dually affiliated. Each denomination also has sent an "observer/consultant" to the other's general board. Occasionally the Church of the Brethren's Committee on Interchurch Relations has met with the ABC Committee on Christian Unity.
As time has gone by, however, fewer people in each denomination remember that there is an associated relationship and how it began. Both groups began to sense that it was time to review the relationship and to ask whether it was being fulfilled in the best way possible.
Through a day-long meeting in Valley Forge, Pa., where the American Baptist Churches are headquartered, leaders from both churches met to become better acquainted with each other's ministries and to discuss ways to enhance the relationship. The American Baptists were represented by Roy Medley, general secretary, and the ABC executive leadership council. The Church of the Brethren was represented by Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, and the General Board's leadership team.
In addition to sharing congregations, the denominations relate through ecumenical involvements in areas such as stewardship and publishing. Participants in the meeting identified additional areas where the churches could learn from each other, including disaster response, peace, new church development, and how to become more multi-cultural. The group recommended that the "observer/consultant" connection move out of the board setting and directly into the ecumenical committees, where it can be more fruitful. The group also plans to invite the counsel of dually affiliated congregations regarding the associated relationship. The two leadership teams will meet again in February 2005.
"I rejoice in this day," said Roy Medley, as he brought the meeting to a close. "I look forward to the way God will bless this relationship."
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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When leaders from the American Baptist Churches (ABC) and the Church of the Brethren met to review a 30-year "associated relationship" between the two denominations, they found plenty of reasons to continue.
The denominations created the relationship in 1973, following conversations between Norman J. Baugher, general secretary of the General Board, and Edwin H. Tuller, his counterpart in the American Baptist Convention. As fruits of that endeavor, today seven congregations are dually affiliated. Each denomination also has sent an "observer/consultant" to the other's general board. Occasionally the Church of the Brethren's Committee on Interchurch Relations has met with the ABC Committee on Christian Unity.
As time has gone by, however, fewer people in each denomination remember that there is an associated relationship and how it began. Both groups began to sense that it was time to review the relationship and to ask whether it was being fulfilled in the best way possible.
Through a day-long meeting in Valley Forge, Pa., where the American Baptist Churches are headquartered, leaders from both churches met to become better acquainted with each other's ministries and to discuss ways to enhance the relationship. The American Baptists were represented by Roy Medley, general secretary, and the ABC executive leadership council. The Church of the Brethren was represented by Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, and the General Board's leadership team.
In addition to sharing congregations, the denominations relate through ecumenical involvements in areas such as stewardship and publishing. Participants in the meeting identified additional areas where the churches could learn from each other, including disaster response, peace, new church development, and how to become more multi-cultural. The group recommended that the "observer/consultant" connection move out of the board setting and directly into the ecumenical committees, where it can be more fruitful. The group also plans to invite the counsel of dually affiliated congregations regarding the associated relationship. The two leadership teams will meet again in February 2005.
"I rejoice in this day," said Roy Medley, as he brought the meeting to a close. "I look forward to the way God will bless this relationship."
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Global Food Crisis Fund supports cow breeding, potable water, trees, and stoves.
More than $64,000 worth of grants from the Global Food Crisis Fund have been allocated for use in Eritrea and Guatemala.
A grant of $50,000 has been made to support a multi-million dollar, multi-faceted humanitarian appeal for the needs of repatriated Eritreans. Agricultural activity in the south of Eritrea, along the Ethiopian border, is hampered by drought and land mines. Cattle were looted or slaughtered during the border war, and families are left with no source of income. The grant will provide 100 breeding cows for 100 households predominantly headed by women. The funds are part of an ecumenical response led by the Lutheran World Federation and sent through Church World Service.
In the Ixtahuacan region of Guatemala, $11,000 will extend projects providing trees, cisterns, and stoves. A grant of $5,000 has been made for reforestation and fruit tree propagation; $5,000 to build water systems for ten families; and $1,000 to build 20 fuel-efficient wood stoves. The reforestation program is directed by Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) worker Todd Bauer, and the cistern and stove project by Jorge Garcia. The work is supervised by Tom Benevento, General Board Global Mission Partnerships staff.
Another $3,040 supports projects in Union Victoria, Guatemala, a Mayan village of resettled refugees from the country's brutal 36-year civil war. Primarily used to help develop a potable water system, the money also will fund scholarships, a dental clinic, medical kits and training, and agriculture teaching. The projects were taken on through BVS workers Anthony Banout and Julie Kult.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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More than $64,000 worth of grants from the Global Food Crisis Fund have been allocated for use in Eritrea and Guatemala.
A grant of $50,000 has been made to support a multi-million dollar, multi-faceted humanitarian appeal for the needs of repatriated Eritreans. Agricultural activity in the south of Eritrea, along the Ethiopian border, is hampered by drought and land mines. Cattle were looted or slaughtered during the border war, and families are left with no source of income. The grant will provide 100 breeding cows for 100 households predominantly headed by women. The funds are part of an ecumenical response led by the Lutheran World Federation and sent through Church World Service.
In the Ixtahuacan region of Guatemala, $11,000 will extend projects providing trees, cisterns, and stoves. A grant of $5,000 has been made for reforestation and fruit tree propagation; $5,000 to build water systems for ten families; and $1,000 to build 20 fuel-efficient wood stoves. The reforestation program is directed by Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) worker Todd Bauer, and the cistern and stove project by Jorge Garcia. The work is supervised by Tom Benevento, General Board Global Mission Partnerships staff.
Another $3,040 supports projects in Union Victoria, Guatemala, a Mayan village of resettled refugees from the country's brutal 36-year civil war. Primarily used to help develop a potable water system, the money also will fund scholarships, a dental clinic, medical kits and training, and agriculture teaching. The projects were taken on through BVS workers Anthony Banout and Julie Kult.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Emergency Disaster Fund sends aid to Nicaraguan children.
The Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund has distributed funds to meet health concerns in Nicaragua.
A grant of $12,500 will support an Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) appeal to provide de-worming medication to more than one million children ages 6-12. The growth, nutrition, and school performance of these children is greatly harmed by chronic intestinal parasites. "We hope that this will also give an opportunity for people in the rural communities to have some hope and to keep going forward in difficult times," said Laura Parajon, a physician and director of Provadenic (Providing Vaccines to Rural Communities in Nicaragua), IMA's partner agency in the country.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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The Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund has distributed funds to meet health concerns in Nicaragua.
A grant of $12,500 will support an Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) appeal to provide de-worming medication to more than one million children ages 6-12. The growth, nutrition, and school performance of these children is greatly harmed by chronic intestinal parasites. "We hope that this will also give an opportunity for people in the rural communities to have some hope and to keep going forward in difficult times," said Laura Parajon, a physician and director of Provadenic (Providing Vaccines to Rural Communities in Nicaragua), IMA's partner agency in the country.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 258 completes orientation, enters into service.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 258 held its orientation Jan. 18-Feb. 6 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., near Orlando. The orientation included a long-weekend visit to the Eglise des Freres Haitiens congregation in Miami and a potluck for people in the area connected to BVS and Civilian Public Service.
Volunteers, their home towns, and their project assignments are Olga Berscheminski, of Schifferstadt, Germany, assigned to Step 2, Reno, Nev.; Cherie George, Gainesville, Fla., to L'Arche Community, Ireland; Christoph Hillejan, Ochtrup, Germany, to MedShare International, Lithonia, Ga.; Christian Junker, Nauheim, Germany, to Trees for Life, Wichita, Kan.; Madaline Keros, Concord, N.H., to L'Arche Community, Ireland; Molly Knobbe, Cimarron, Kan., to Camp Bethel, Fincastle, Va.; Sarah Lockhart, Vacaville, Calif., to The Junction, Derry/Londonderry, N. Ireland; Jim Malin, Bridgeport, Conn., to Samaritan House, Atlanta, Ga.; Kylee North, Tacoma, Wash., to Quaker Cottage, Belfast, N. Ireland; Jonas Schonfelder, Berlin, Germany, to Cafe 458, Atlanta; Michelle Storey, Minneapolis, Minn., to ASONOG, Copan, Honduras; Anne Volk, Regenburg, Germany, to Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos, Houston, Texas; Michelle Williams, Bloomfield, Mich., to Center on Conscience and War, Washington, D.C.; and Georges Zemanek, Houston, to Brother David Darst Center, Chicago, Ill.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 258 held its orientation Jan. 18-Feb. 6 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., near Orlando. The orientation included a long-weekend visit to the Eglise des Freres Haitiens congregation in Miami and a potluck for people in the area connected to BVS and Civilian Public Service.
Volunteers, their home towns, and their project assignments are Olga Berscheminski, of Schifferstadt, Germany, assigned to Step 2, Reno, Nev.; Cherie George, Gainesville, Fla., to L'Arche Community, Ireland; Christoph Hillejan, Ochtrup, Germany, to MedShare International, Lithonia, Ga.; Christian Junker, Nauheim, Germany, to Trees for Life, Wichita, Kan.; Madaline Keros, Concord, N.H., to L'Arche Community, Ireland; Molly Knobbe, Cimarron, Kan., to Camp Bethel, Fincastle, Va.; Sarah Lockhart, Vacaville, Calif., to The Junction, Derry/Londonderry, N. Ireland; Jim Malin, Bridgeport, Conn., to Samaritan House, Atlanta, Ga.; Kylee North, Tacoma, Wash., to Quaker Cottage, Belfast, N. Ireland; Jonas Schonfelder, Berlin, Germany, to Cafe 458, Atlanta; Michelle Storey, Minneapolis, Minn., to ASONOG, Copan, Honduras; Anne Volk, Regenburg, Germany, to Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos, Houston, Texas; Michelle Williams, Bloomfield, Mich., to Center on Conscience and War, Washington, D.C.; and Georges Zemanek, Houston, to Brother David Darst Center, Chicago, Ill.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Brethren bits: Brethren Benefit Trust and General Board positions, and more.
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- Connie Sandman will be moving from the Communications and Information Services department of Brethren Benefit Trust to the newly established Church of the Brethren Credit Union, where she will be the member services representative. Sandman joined BBT in 1982 as a medical claims processor. In 1999, she moved to BBT's Information Services department as a customer service representative and computer technician, and in 2000 became administrative assistant to BBT's newly combined Communications and Information Services departments. She will become the primary contact for the credit union Apr. 1.
- The General Board is seeking a full-time customer service resource specialist, to begin Mar. 17. The position provides Brethren Press resource information to congregations and individuals, handles orders, and processes accounts receivable, monthly statements, and other reports. Candidates will have ability in customer service, word processing, basic accounting, and general office skills. Experience in a church or service organization and some college credit is preferred. For more information or to apply contact Mary Lou Garrison, director of human resources, e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org, or call 847-742-5100. Application deadline is Mar. 10.
- The Annual Conference Office has a new website that is designed to be user friendly and informative. The site will provide access to all of the information found on the old site and, starting Mar. 17, will feature online registration and information for the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va. The new site can be accessed at www.brethren.org/ac/.
- A series of six Disaster Child Care Level 1 Volunteer Training Workshops begins today at the Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. The Church of the Brethren program prepares volunteers to care for children affected by disasters. Trainings continue Mar. 26-27 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Frederick, Md.; Apr. 16-17 at Tearcoat Church of the Brethren, Augusta, W.Va.; Apr. 24-25 at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Apr. 30-May 1 at Christ United Methodist Church, Amherst, N.Y.; and May 21-22 at Lanark (Ill.) Church of the Brethren.
- The registration deadline for the District Disaster Coordinators Seminar has been extended to Mar. 15. The event will be held Apr. 20-22 in New Windsor, Md. The General Board's Emergency Response office is encouraging all 23 districts to be represented. For more information call Jane Yount, 800-451-4407, ext. 4.
- The deadline is fast approaching for submissions of stories for the Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR) ecumenical citations, to be given at Annual Conference 2004. In keeping with the goals of the Decade to Overcome Violence, CIR's focus is on youth and young adults involved in peacemaking. Stories about exemplary Brethren youth and young adults doing creative work or projects to help reduce and overcome violence are sought. Please send stories to the General Secretary's Office, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, or e-mail generalboard@brethren.org. Stories need to be received by Mar. 15. More information can be found at www.brethren.org/genbd/CIR/CIRFlyer.html.
- "Christ Is Our Peace: Breaking Down Dividing Walls," an urban ministry event held Feb. 17 at Hollins Road Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va., was attended by 18 clergy from 12 congregations in Virlina District. The district's newly recognized Urban Ministry Committee hosted the event, with leadership by Bruce A. Yoder, director of Capital Campaign YMCA of Greater Richmond. Sessions focused on the biblical text and the "Big Six Model of Community" from Yoder's doctoral work, identifying possibilities for congregations to provide opportunities for belonging, intimacy, generativity, stability, influence, and exploration.
- Four volunteers have been trained as a resource for a two-year "Growing Faithful Disciples" emphasis in Middle Pennsylvania District. The Gifts Assessment Team of Jerriann Heiser Wenger, Harold Bowser, Chris Knepp, and Duane Rhodes will assist congregations in examining gifts discernment as a process of identifying personal spiritual gifts, and help congregations put into motion a gifts assessment plan. Jan Glass King, coordinator for Congregational Life Team Area 1, provided training to the team which will, in turn, respond to invitations from congregations and church leaders interested in pursuing gifts assessment.
- A 16-person delegation from six Church of the Brethren districts will join other international visitors to serve as monitors for the Mar. 21 presidential elections in El Salvador. The trip is organized by the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization. The election, in which a former rebel leader is on the ballot, may be critical to the country's continued emergence from decades-long civil conflict. The team will be hosted by long-time Brethren partner Emmanuel Baptist Church. A number of participants are from Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind., which has had a sister-church relationship with Emmanuel Baptist.
- A conference titled "The Reformation and the Anabaptists—Steps to Reconciliation" will be held June 26 in Zurich, Switzerland. The conference will aim to "help heal wounds of the Reformation," according to Mennonite Weekly Review. Up to 100 North American Anabaptists are expected to be invited to attend.
- A consortium of five health care-related organizations, including Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA), has been awarded $335 million over five years to provide anti-retroviral therapy to HIV/AIDS patients in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The award is part of the US administration's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, resulting from a $15 billion commitment to treat two million people with HIV/AIDS, prevent seven million new infections, and provide care and support for orphans and ten million people living with HIV/AIDS. The consortium is led by Catholic Relief Services and includes the University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, and the Futures Group. IMA warehouses its medical supplies at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
- A gathering on global issues of peace and justice will take place in Arlington, Va., this weekend Mar. 5-8. "I Will Feed Them with Justice" (Ezek. 34:16) is the theme for the second annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Several hundred attendees are expected, representing a broad range of churches and faith-based coalitions worldwide. Heading the list of 35 noted speakers and presenters is Samuel Kobia, the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches and former head of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The weekend will include six different focus tracks on Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, economic justice, and nuclear disarmament. Planners expect about 350 attendees to hold lobbying meetings on Capitol Hill. For a complete schedule of events and a list of speakers and topics, or to register online, go to www.advocacydays.org.
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Becky Ullom to become the General Board's director of identity and relations.
Becky Ullom has accepted the position of director of identity and relations for the General Board, as of July. In the meantime, she will complete her current responsibilities as coordinator of National Young Adult Conference.
Ullom will have responsibility for connecting individuals and congregations to the mission and ministry of the board, a communication task that will involve personal contact and a variety of media as well as administration of the Church of the Brethren website.
A native of Wiley, Colo., she has a bachelor of arts degree in English and Spanish from McPherson (Kan.) College. Prior to her current position she taught high school English and has teaching certifications for Spanish and English as a second language. She has served the denomination as coordinator of National Youth Conference in 2001-2002.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Becky Ullom has accepted the position of director of identity and relations for the General Board, as of July. In the meantime, she will complete her current responsibilities as coordinator of National Young Adult Conference.
Ullom will have responsibility for connecting individuals and congregations to the mission and ministry of the board, a communication task that will involve personal contact and a variety of media as well as administration of the Church of the Brethren website.
A native of Wiley, Colo., she has a bachelor of arts degree in English and Spanish from McPherson (Kan.) College. Prior to her current position she taught high school English and has teaching certifications for Spanish and English as a second language. She has served the denomination as coordinator of National Youth Conference in 2001-2002.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Robert Krouse to serve as Church of the Brethren mission coordinator in Nigeria.
Robert Krouse, of Lebanon, Pa., has accepted the position of mission coordinator in Nigeria, to begin in July this year.
Krouse is the founding pastor of the Cornerstone Christian Church in Lebanon, where he is currently serving as pastor. He and his wife Carol served previously in Nigeria from 1985-87, as they worked to open a new mission point for Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN—the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). He is a graduate of Temple University and Bethany Theological Seminary.
In Nigeria, Krouse will be working under the Global Mission Partnerships Office of the General Board.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Robert Krouse, of Lebanon, Pa., has accepted the position of mission coordinator in Nigeria, to begin in July this year.
Krouse is the founding pastor of the Cornerstone Christian Church in Lebanon, where he is currently serving as pastor. He and his wife Carol served previously in Nigeria from 1985-87, as they worked to open a new mission point for Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN—the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). He is a graduate of Temple University and Bethany Theological Seminary.
In Nigeria, Krouse will be working under the Global Mission Partnerships Office of the General Board.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Carol Davis is chosen as CEO of Pinecrest Community.
Carol A. Davis, of Celina, Ohio, has been chosen as chief executive officer of Pinecrest Community, a Brethren retirement center in Mount Morris, Ill. Vernon Showalter, who has served as Pinecrest's CEO since April 1988, has announced plans to retire.
Davis is vice-president of Marketing, Independent Living, and Development at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio, where she previously served as director of Major and Planned Giving. She also has been an adjunct professor of sociology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Pinecrest Community is made up of Pinecrest Village, which offers independent living and congregate living apartments, and Pinecrest Manor and Pinecrest Terrace offering intermediate care, skilled care, and Alzheimer care.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Carol A. Davis, of Celina, Ohio, has been chosen as chief executive officer of Pinecrest Community, a Brethren retirement center in Mount Morris, Ill. Vernon Showalter, who has served as Pinecrest's CEO since April 1988, has announced plans to retire.
Davis is vice-president of Marketing, Independent Living, and Development at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio, where she previously served as director of Major and Planned Giving. She also has been an adjunct professor of sociology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Pinecrest Community is made up of Pinecrest Village, which offers independent living and congregate living apartments, and Pinecrest Manor and Pinecrest Terrace offering intermediate care, skilled care, and Alzheimer care.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Brethren Witness invites participation in events marking first anniversary of the Iraq war.
On Mar. 20, the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office encourages Brethren to join a global day of protest. Brethren also are invited to a two-day memorial procession from Delaware to Washington, D.C., Mar. 14-15.
"As the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq draws near, we as people of faith are asked to make our voices heard in our opposition to this deadly occupation," a release from the office said.
A Mar. 20 protest in New York falls on the first day of the Church of the Brethren's Christian Citizenship Seminar in New York and Washington DC. Brethren may meet at the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York at 10:45 a.m. For more information, visit www.unitedforpeace.org or call the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 800-785-3246.
Brethren Witness also is publicizing a "Dover to D.C. Memorial Procession" Mar. 14-15, to honor those killed and wounded in the war and to call for an end to the violence. The procession will be followed by nonviolent direct action at the White House. A worship service at Camden Friends Meetinghouse in Dover, Del., opens the procession to Dover Air Force Base, where the US war dead arrive in the country. A "funeral caravan" will proceed to Baltimore for the night and then to Washington for observances at Walter Reed Army Hospital, current residence for many US military personnel wounded in Iraq. The procession will end at the White House, where the names of those who have died will be read.
The National Council of Churches (NCC) also is urging congregations nationwide to hold peace vigils sometime on the weekend of Mar. 19-21.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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On Mar. 20, the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office encourages Brethren to join a global day of protest. Brethren also are invited to a two-day memorial procession from Delaware to Washington, D.C., Mar. 14-15.
"As the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq draws near, we as people of faith are asked to make our voices heard in our opposition to this deadly occupation," a release from the office said.
A Mar. 20 protest in New York falls on the first day of the Church of the Brethren's Christian Citizenship Seminar in New York and Washington DC. Brethren may meet at the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York at 10:45 a.m. For more information, visit www.unitedforpeace.org or call the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 800-785-3246.
Brethren Witness also is publicizing a "Dover to D.C. Memorial Procession" Mar. 14-15, to honor those killed and wounded in the war and to call for an end to the violence. The procession will be followed by nonviolent direct action at the White House. A worship service at Camden Friends Meetinghouse in Dover, Del., opens the procession to Dover Air Force Base, where the US war dead arrive in the country. A "funeral caravan" will proceed to Baltimore for the night and then to Washington for observances at Walter Reed Army Hospital, current residence for many US military personnel wounded in Iraq. The procession will end at the White House, where the names of those who have died will be read.
The National Council of Churches (NCC) also is urging congregations nationwide to hold peace vigils sometime on the weekend of Mar. 19-21.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Training for church planting, exploration of Matthew offered by the Brethren Academy.
The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is sponsoring upcoming courses and learning events on church planting and the Gospel of Matthew.
"Deep Roots, Strong Wings," a church planting training event May 17-21 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., is for anyone seeking to discover or deepen church planting skills, support, and strategies. The conference will include dynamic worship and opportunities for interaction with experienced Brethren church planters. The $99 registration fee also covers lodging and meals.
"Exploring the World of Matthew," will be held at Bethany June 21-25 with instructor Richard Gardner, recently retired as academic dean and professor of New Testament. The course is open to anyone who wishes to develop knowledge of Matthew's gospel. Training in Ministry (TRIM) students and pastors who attend will earn education credit. The fee is $150.
Registration brochures for these and other training opportunities offered by the Brethren Academy are available at www.bethanyseminary.edu/academy.html or by calling 800-287-8822, ext. 1824.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is sponsoring upcoming courses and learning events on church planting and the Gospel of Matthew.
"Deep Roots, Strong Wings," a church planting training event May 17-21 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., is for anyone seeking to discover or deepen church planting skills, support, and strategies. The conference will include dynamic worship and opportunities for interaction with experienced Brethren church planters. The $99 registration fee also covers lodging and meals.
"Exploring the World of Matthew," will be held at Bethany June 21-25 with instructor Richard Gardner, recently retired as academic dean and professor of New Testament. The course is open to anyone who wishes to develop knowledge of Matthew's gospel. Training in Ministry (TRIM) students and pastors who attend will earn education credit. The fee is $150.
Registration brochures for these and other training opportunities offered by the Brethren Academy are available at www.bethanyseminary.edu/academy.html or by calling 800-287-8822, ext. 1824.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Additional presenters are added to the NOAC 2004 schedule.
Additional presenters for the National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) Sept. 6-10 in Lake Junaluska, N.C., are keynote presenter Deforia Lane, ventriloquist Steve Engle, and hymn-leader Wil Nolen. The event is sponsored by the Older Adult Ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC).
Lane, a keynote presenter in place of L. Robert Keck, who is unable to attend, serves as associate director of the Ireland Cancer Center and director of Music Therapy at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ireland Cancer Center, and Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Lane was a keynote presenter for the Caring Ministries Assembly last year in Bridgewater, Va.
Engle and Nolen will provide evening entertainment. Engle, who has created personalities for a family of puppets based on his observations of real-life characters, will perform Tuesday. Nolen will lead a celebration of hymns Thursday. He is president of Brethren Benefit Trust and has conducted the choir of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, lll., for 34 years. Both have performed at past NOACs.
NOAC registration materials are now available from Church of the Brethren congregations, pastors, and districts, as well as online at www.brethren.org/abc/. Housing registrations will be accepted beginning Apr. 1. Registrations for the conference are to be sent to ABC, with registrations for housing and meals to go to the Lake Junaluska Assembly directly. For more information about NOAC call ABC at 800-323-8039. For information about housing and meals call Lake Junaluska Assembly at 800-222-4930.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Additional presenters for the National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) Sept. 6-10 in Lake Junaluska, N.C., are keynote presenter Deforia Lane, ventriloquist Steve Engle, and hymn-leader Wil Nolen. The event is sponsored by the Older Adult Ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC).
Lane, a keynote presenter in place of L. Robert Keck, who is unable to attend, serves as associate director of the Ireland Cancer Center and director of Music Therapy at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ireland Cancer Center, and Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Lane was a keynote presenter for the Caring Ministries Assembly last year in Bridgewater, Va.
Engle and Nolen will provide evening entertainment. Engle, who has created personalities for a family of puppets based on his observations of real-life characters, will perform Tuesday. Nolen will lead a celebration of hymns Thursday. He is president of Brethren Benefit Trust and has conducted the choir of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, lll., for 34 years. Both have performed at past NOACs.
NOAC registration materials are now available from Church of the Brethren congregations, pastors, and districts, as well as online at www.brethren.org/abc/. Housing registrations will be accepted beginning Apr. 1. Registrations for the conference are to be sent to ABC, with registrations for housing and meals to go to the Lake Junaluska Assembly directly. For more information about NOAC call ABC at 800-323-8039. For information about housing and meals call Lake Junaluska Assembly at 800-222-4930.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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More participants sought for youth and young adult workcamps.
Although the majority of the 2004 Church of the Brethren junior high, senior high, and young adult workcamps are filled or nearly filled, the General Board’s Youth and Young Adult Office reports that some locations do not seem to be generating as much interest as others.
"Despite their non-exotic setting, each of these camps would be an amazing experience for all participants," said Beth Rhodes, workcamp co-coordinator. "We want to alert all youth and young adults of the opportunities they have available to them."
Openings are in the Washington, D.C., senior high workcamp July 26-Aug. 1, with space for 14; the young adult trip to Taize, France, and Geneva, Switzerland, May 28-June 10, with space for 10; a senior high workcamp at Gould Farm in Massachusetts Aug. 9-15, with space for eight; a senior high workcamp in Keyser, W.Va., Aug. 9-15, with space for seven; the Disaster Response senior high workcamp July 25-31, with space for five; and the Brethren Revival Fellowship senior high workcamp in the Dominican Republic June 20-30, also with space for five. A junior high workcamp in New Windsor, Md., July 19-23, has openings for three participants. For more information contact the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office, 800-323-8039.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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Although the majority of the 2004 Church of the Brethren junior high, senior high, and young adult workcamps are filled or nearly filled, the General Board’s Youth and Young Adult Office reports that some locations do not seem to be generating as much interest as others.
"Despite their non-exotic setting, each of these camps would be an amazing experience for all participants," said Beth Rhodes, workcamp co-coordinator. "We want to alert all youth and young adults of the opportunities they have available to them."
Openings are in the Washington, D.C., senior high workcamp July 26-Aug. 1, with space for 14; the young adult trip to Taize, France, and Geneva, Switzerland, May 28-June 10, with space for 10; a senior high workcamp at Gould Farm in Massachusetts Aug. 9-15, with space for eight; a senior high workcamp in Keyser, W.Va., Aug. 9-15, with space for seven; the Disaster Response senior high workcamp July 25-31, with space for five; and the Brethren Revival Fellowship senior high workcamp in the Dominican Republic June 20-30, also with space for five. A junior high workcamp in New Windsor, Md., July 19-23, has openings for three participants. For more information contact the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office, 800-323-8039.
Source: Newsline 3/05/2004
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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. Wendy McFadden, Walt Wiltschek, Jane Yount, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, and Larry Elliott 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 3/05/2004
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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. Wendy McFadden, Walt Wiltschek, Jane Yount, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, and Larry Elliott 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 3/05/2004
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