- Church of the Brethren contributes to tsunami relief effort.
- Council endorses Selective Service conversations, alternative service consultation.
- Church of the Brethren in Brazil holds fourth Annual Conference.
- Virlina District holds its 33rd district conference.
- West Marva holds two training events simultaneously.
- "Angels Everywhere" raises ministry education funds.
- Historic Brethren pipe organ receives citation.
- Brethren bits: Correction, request for stories, and more.
Friday, December 31, 2004
NEWS
Church of the Brethren contributes to tsunami relief effort.
"This year, again in the season of hope, we have been challenged to be the hands and feet of Christ in the midst of the incredible loss in southern Asia," wrote Roy Winter, the General Board's director of Emergency Response, in an end-of-the-year e-mail to Church of the Brethren district offices and staff. He also called for "unceasing prayer for our neighbors experiencing such tragic loss. May God surround them with comfort and be a light in their worst hour."
Winter recalled a tragic loss this time last year. "A year ago we were focused on the earthquake in Bam, Iran," which also occurred on Dec. 26. The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, "will likely be the largest relief effort in history as the destruction is spread over such a large geographic area," he reported. "As the numbers of victims of the earthquake and tidal wave continue to climb, the Church of the Brethren is actively making a substantial response." As of Dec. 31, news reports estimated the loss of life from the tsunami at over 121,000.
"We are challenged to reach out to our neighbors and 'bear one another's burdens,'" Winter said, encouraging districts to pass up-to-date news of the Church of the Brethren response to congregations. "With your help and the response by our churches, the Church of the Brethren will be touching the lives of many disaster survivors in their time of greatest need."
The Brethren response includes an initial grant of $30,000 from the Emergency Disaster Fund to aid emergency shipments of material supplies by Church World Service (CWS) to at least three of the hardest-hit areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India. Additional grants will be provided as needed, Winter said, and other affected countries may be added as the response expands.
The CWS effort is also supported by many other Christian denominations. It is focused in Indonesia on areas of Aceh, North Sumatra, Lokseumawe, and Nias. In India the focus is on assisting 50,000 families in the states of Andrah Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu with food, blankets, clothing, and supplies. A second phase in India is expected to include reconstruction of homes, building cyclone shelters, and assistance to agriculture and fishing. In Sri Lanka immediate assistance of cooked food, dry rations, temporary sheds, and kitchen utensils is going to 25,000 families that have lost homes, along with some medical assistance and 100 temporary shelters.
Shipments from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., include light-weight blankets, IMA Medicine Boxes, Gift of the Heart Health Kits, and family shelters. "The total cost of materials and shipping will be about $50,000 per 40-foot container," Winter said. "Each of these containers has the potential of providing $500,000 worth of supplies which will help thousands of survivors. This shows how we are able to multiply the value of these donations 10 times," he added. "Let us rejoice that the Church of the Brethren can facilitate these vital shipments of material aid for Church World Service and our other partners."
Among the Brethren partners shipping from the center is IMA (Interchurch Medical Assistance), which is supplying CWS with 75 Medicine Boxes for Sri Lanka and 100 for Indonesia. On Dec. 29 IMA stated that it expected to have shipments ready within a week. IMA's pharmaceutical donors have expressed interest in donating additional medicines and supplies, the release said.
Two particular ways to help have been identified: donation to the Emergency Disaster Fund (mail to Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120); and donation of Gift of the Heart Health Kits (for instructions see www.churchworldservice.org/kits or call the Emergency Response office at 800-451-4407 beginning Jan. 3).
"The greatest need is for financial contributions," Winter said, giving examples: $10 will purchase and ship a light-weight blanket; $108 will provide a temporary shelter for a family in Sri Lanka; $400 will provide medicines and medical supplies for 1,000 people for three months; $50,000 will provide materials and shipping costs for a 40-foot container. "Our supply of health kits is already depleted," he informed the districts. "We need a large number of health kits assembled and brought or shipped to the Brethren Service Center as soon as possible." Winter also reminded the districts that Emergency Response continues work in Florida, Virginia, and Nebraska following 2004's disastrous storms, and is monitoring flooding in California.
The National Council of Churches has made worship resources related to the tsunami available at www.ncccusa.org/resources/tsunami-worship-resources.htm.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
"This year, again in the season of hope, we have been challenged to be the hands and feet of Christ in the midst of the incredible loss in southern Asia," wrote Roy Winter, the General Board's director of Emergency Response, in an end-of-the-year e-mail to Church of the Brethren district offices and staff. He also called for "unceasing prayer for our neighbors experiencing such tragic loss. May God surround them with comfort and be a light in their worst hour."
Winter recalled a tragic loss this time last year. "A year ago we were focused on the earthquake in Bam, Iran," which also occurred on Dec. 26. The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, "will likely be the largest relief effort in history as the destruction is spread over such a large geographic area," he reported. "As the numbers of victims of the earthquake and tidal wave continue to climb, the Church of the Brethren is actively making a substantial response." As of Dec. 31, news reports estimated the loss of life from the tsunami at over 121,000.
"We are challenged to reach out to our neighbors and 'bear one another's burdens,'" Winter said, encouraging districts to pass up-to-date news of the Church of the Brethren response to congregations. "With your help and the response by our churches, the Church of the Brethren will be touching the lives of many disaster survivors in their time of greatest need."
The Brethren response includes an initial grant of $30,000 from the Emergency Disaster Fund to aid emergency shipments of material supplies by Church World Service (CWS) to at least three of the hardest-hit areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India. Additional grants will be provided as needed, Winter said, and other affected countries may be added as the response expands.
The CWS effort is also supported by many other Christian denominations. It is focused in Indonesia on areas of Aceh, North Sumatra, Lokseumawe, and Nias. In India the focus is on assisting 50,000 families in the states of Andrah Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu with food, blankets, clothing, and supplies. A second phase in India is expected to include reconstruction of homes, building cyclone shelters, and assistance to agriculture and fishing. In Sri Lanka immediate assistance of cooked food, dry rations, temporary sheds, and kitchen utensils is going to 25,000 families that have lost homes, along with some medical assistance and 100 temporary shelters.
Shipments from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., include light-weight blankets, IMA Medicine Boxes, Gift of the Heart Health Kits, and family shelters. "The total cost of materials and shipping will be about $50,000 per 40-foot container," Winter said. "Each of these containers has the potential of providing $500,000 worth of supplies which will help thousands of survivors. This shows how we are able to multiply the value of these donations 10 times," he added. "Let us rejoice that the Church of the Brethren can facilitate these vital shipments of material aid for Church World Service and our other partners."
Among the Brethren partners shipping from the center is IMA (Interchurch Medical Assistance), which is supplying CWS with 75 Medicine Boxes for Sri Lanka and 100 for Indonesia. On Dec. 29 IMA stated that it expected to have shipments ready within a week. IMA's pharmaceutical donors have expressed interest in donating additional medicines and supplies, the release said.
Two particular ways to help have been identified: donation to the Emergency Disaster Fund (mail to Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120); and donation of Gift of the Heart Health Kits (for instructions see www.churchworldservice.org/kits or call the Emergency Response office at 800-451-4407 beginning Jan. 3).
"The greatest need is for financial contributions," Winter said, giving examples: $10 will purchase and ship a light-weight blanket; $108 will provide a temporary shelter for a family in Sri Lanka; $400 will provide medicines and medical supplies for 1,000 people for three months; $50,000 will provide materials and shipping costs for a 40-foot container. "Our supply of health kits is already depleted," he informed the districts. "We need a large number of health kits assembled and brought or shipped to the Brethren Service Center as soon as possible." Winter also reminded the districts that Emergency Response continues work in Florida, Virginia, and Nebraska following 2004's disastrous storms, and is monitoring flooding in California.
The National Council of Churches has made worship resources related to the tsunami available at www.ncccusa.org/resources/tsunami-worship-resources.htm.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Council endorses Selective Service conversations, alternative service consultation.
The Annual Conference Council has given its endorsement to continued conversations between the General Board and Selective Service in a telephone conference call Dec. 10. The endorsement was given in response to the invitation by Selective Service for the Church of the Brethren, as a historic peace church, to develop a plan for alternative service opportunities. The council also endorsed Church of the Brethren participation in an Anabaptist meeting on alternative service opportunities.
Earl K. Ziegler, chair of the council, called the group together to discuss the matter at the request of Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board. Noffsinger turned to the council in its capacity as executive committee of the Conference, reported Conference secretary Fred Swartz. Noffsinger told the council that he considered the opportunity and call to be larger than a General Board program, and an invitation to the entire denomination to be involved in a positive witness to its heritage and faith.
"The council understood from the background material given that Selective Service, or the Bush administration, have no plans in the offing to institute a new draft," Swartz reported. "There have been discussions during the past two presidential administrations of the eventual possibility of some kind of general national service. Selective Service officials explained to General Board staff that they want alternative service opportunities to be in place if and when such a program would be launched."
The council unanimously agreed to "give the general secretary our encouragement to maximize our efforts to have alternative service opportunities in place" and "to continue to explore the relationship with Selective Service." The council added a strong urging for all Annual Conference agencies "to renew the task of resourcing the church with tools to guide our youth in their choice of nonviolent service." Noffsinger reported that he will give On Earth Peace a full report of the conversations with Selective Service and will make sure that agency is a participant in the discussion. "We don't want to miss the part of providing resources to our youth that will help them understand and embrace the Brethren peace witness," commented Chris Bowman, moderator of the 2004 Conference.
Noffsinger and Jim Hardenbrook, 2005 Annual Conference moderator, also reported to the council their participation in a recent meeting of executives and moderators of Anabaptist communions. Although this fellowship has met annually, the Church of the Brethren has not been involved for six years. The meeting also included officers of the Mennonite Church US, the Brethren in Christ, the Conservative Mennonite Church, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) US, and the Mennonite Brethren USA.
At the Anabaptist meeting, the MCC's executive director Rolando Santiago brought a proposal urging Anabaptist churches to intensify their witness to service. After Church of the Brethren representatives disclosed the contacts with Selective Service, the group made plans for a consultation of representatives of Anabaptist communions to discuss the tradition's understanding of service and how to prepare for alternative service opportunities. At Noffsinger's invitation the consultation will be held at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
After hearing the report, the Annual Conference Council took action to support "our denomination's participation in a consultation on alternative service March 4-6, 2005, to be held in Elgin, Ill., as proposed by the council of moderators and secretaries of the Anabaptist churches, and in which the Annual Conference moderator and General Board general secretary will participate on behalf of the Church of the Brethren." Council members participating in the meeting were Ziegler, Bowman, Hardenbrook, Swartz, Ron Beachley, Joan Daggett, and Lerry Fogle.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
The Annual Conference Council has given its endorsement to continued conversations between the General Board and Selective Service in a telephone conference call Dec. 10. The endorsement was given in response to the invitation by Selective Service for the Church of the Brethren, as a historic peace church, to develop a plan for alternative service opportunities. The council also endorsed Church of the Brethren participation in an Anabaptist meeting on alternative service opportunities.
Earl K. Ziegler, chair of the council, called the group together to discuss the matter at the request of Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board. Noffsinger turned to the council in its capacity as executive committee of the Conference, reported Conference secretary Fred Swartz. Noffsinger told the council that he considered the opportunity and call to be larger than a General Board program, and an invitation to the entire denomination to be involved in a positive witness to its heritage and faith.
"The council understood from the background material given that Selective Service, or the Bush administration, have no plans in the offing to institute a new draft," Swartz reported. "There have been discussions during the past two presidential administrations of the eventual possibility of some kind of general national service. Selective Service officials explained to General Board staff that they want alternative service opportunities to be in place if and when such a program would be launched."
The council unanimously agreed to "give the general secretary our encouragement to maximize our efforts to have alternative service opportunities in place" and "to continue to explore the relationship with Selective Service." The council added a strong urging for all Annual Conference agencies "to renew the task of resourcing the church with tools to guide our youth in their choice of nonviolent service." Noffsinger reported that he will give On Earth Peace a full report of the conversations with Selective Service and will make sure that agency is a participant in the discussion. "We don't want to miss the part of providing resources to our youth that will help them understand and embrace the Brethren peace witness," commented Chris Bowman, moderator of the 2004 Conference.
Noffsinger and Jim Hardenbrook, 2005 Annual Conference moderator, also reported to the council their participation in a recent meeting of executives and moderators of Anabaptist communions. Although this fellowship has met annually, the Church of the Brethren has not been involved for six years. The meeting also included officers of the Mennonite Church US, the Brethren in Christ, the Conservative Mennonite Church, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) US, and the Mennonite Brethren USA.
At the Anabaptist meeting, the MCC's executive director Rolando Santiago brought a proposal urging Anabaptist churches to intensify their witness to service. After Church of the Brethren representatives disclosed the contacts with Selective Service, the group made plans for a consultation of representatives of Anabaptist communions to discuss the tradition's understanding of service and how to prepare for alternative service opportunities. At Noffsinger's invitation the consultation will be held at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
After hearing the report, the Annual Conference Council took action to support "our denomination's participation in a consultation on alternative service March 4-6, 2005, to be held in Elgin, Ill., as proposed by the council of moderators and secretaries of the Anabaptist churches, and in which the Annual Conference moderator and General Board general secretary will participate on behalf of the Church of the Brethren." Council members participating in the meeting were Ziegler, Bowman, Hardenbrook, Swartz, Ron Beachley, Joan Daggett, and Lerry Fogle.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Church of the Brethren in Brazil holds fourth Annual Conference.
Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil) celebrated its fourth Annual Conference Nov. 13-14, 2004, focusing on Jesus' words, "My peace I leave you" (John 14:27). More than 50 people participated, with representation from every congregation and fellowship.
It was evident throughout the conference that business was secondary to worship and fellowship, reported Greg Davidson Laszakovits, a General Board representative in Brazil. Worship, jointly led by national directors Marcos and Suely Inhauser, was filled with meaningful sermons, joyous congregational singing, and testimonies from congregants, he said. Sermons were delivered by pastors who considered various aspects of peace in the holistic sense of "shalom," preaching on peace of and through Jesus the Christ, social and political peace and discipleship, and peace in the congregation and community.
Much like Annual Conferences in the US, the Brazilian conference gave members from different congregations a chance to reunite with brothers and sisters and meet new ones, as well as share stories of their lives and congregations. The sharing was highlighted by testimonies by congregants from all of the congregations, which were peppered throughout the conference. A member of the Indiatuba congregation shared that she "looked 40 years for a church like this. It's been a blessing in my life." A member of the Campinas congregation explained how she came to know the about her congregation via Marcos Inhauser's weekly column in the city newspaper, tackling religious and cultural topics. Through these columns she learned about a congregation that was doing things in a different way, became interested, and eventually a member.
The highlight of the conference was celebration of new life in Christ in four baptisms. After pastor Nelson Gervonni of the Indiatuba congregation baptized and welcomed the new members into the church, he exclaimed, "Nothing gives me greater joy in pastoring!"
A light-hearted but intentional emphasis on community was punctuated in worship, communal meals, and afternoons to simply be together. Soccer games, swimming, playing with children, and a lot of conversation were shared. Marcos Inhauser underscored the importance of times to build community in the conference journal. "We need to be together, to talk, to open our hearts, to understand the scriptures, in order to be a body, a community," he wrote.
The motto of Igreja da Irmandade, "A different kind of church doing things differently," was reflected throughout the conference as the church shed the weight of business to celebrate new life in Christ, invigorating worship, and meaningful fellowship as nothing less than body of Christ.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil) celebrated its fourth Annual Conference Nov. 13-14, 2004, focusing on Jesus' words, "My peace I leave you" (John 14:27). More than 50 people participated, with representation from every congregation and fellowship.
It was evident throughout the conference that business was secondary to worship and fellowship, reported Greg Davidson Laszakovits, a General Board representative in Brazil. Worship, jointly led by national directors Marcos and Suely Inhauser, was filled with meaningful sermons, joyous congregational singing, and testimonies from congregants, he said. Sermons were delivered by pastors who considered various aspects of peace in the holistic sense of "shalom," preaching on peace of and through Jesus the Christ, social and political peace and discipleship, and peace in the congregation and community.
Much like Annual Conferences in the US, the Brazilian conference gave members from different congregations a chance to reunite with brothers and sisters and meet new ones, as well as share stories of their lives and congregations. The sharing was highlighted by testimonies by congregants from all of the congregations, which were peppered throughout the conference. A member of the Indiatuba congregation shared that she "looked 40 years for a church like this. It's been a blessing in my life." A member of the Campinas congregation explained how she came to know the about her congregation via Marcos Inhauser's weekly column in the city newspaper, tackling religious and cultural topics. Through these columns she learned about a congregation that was doing things in a different way, became interested, and eventually a member.
The highlight of the conference was celebration of new life in Christ in four baptisms. After pastor Nelson Gervonni of the Indiatuba congregation baptized and welcomed the new members into the church, he exclaimed, "Nothing gives me greater joy in pastoring!"
A light-hearted but intentional emphasis on community was punctuated in worship, communal meals, and afternoons to simply be together. Soccer games, swimming, playing with children, and a lot of conversation were shared. Marcos Inhauser underscored the importance of times to build community in the conference journal. "We need to be together, to talk, to open our hearts, to understand the scriptures, in order to be a body, a community," he wrote.
The motto of Igreja da Irmandade, "A different kind of church doing things differently," was reflected throughout the conference as the church shed the weight of business to celebrate new life in Christ, invigorating worship, and meaningful fellowship as nothing less than body of Christ.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Virlina District holds its 33rd district conference.
The 33rd Virlina District Conference met at Green Ridge Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., on Nov. 12-13. The theme was "We are an Offering" (Romans 12:1-2), reported Frank Davis of Laurel Branch Church of the Brethren near Floyd, Va. A total of 562 people registered including 243 delegates representing 77 congregations. Moderator David W. Minnich led participants in the worship and business life of the district.
Keynote speakers were Walt Wiltschek, editor of the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger," and Donna L. Shumate, chair of the General Board. More than 80 people attended a Ministers and Spouses Banquet at Summerdean Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, which was addressed by the 2005 Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook.
A highlight of the conference was the report that the indebtedness for the Trailblazer II project at Camp Bethel had been retired. New business included approval of amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws changing the title of camp manager to camp director. Delegates granted authority to the Church Extension Committee to receive the Living Faith Church of the Brethren in Concord, N.C. as a congregation, and approved a District Board budget of $283,491.80 for 2005. The conference received offerings of $1,102.10 for the Church Extension Committee, $1,452.98 for District Conference, and $652.92 for Disaster Response.
Reports were received from district staff, District Board, Outdoor Ministries Committee, Camp Bethel, and other institutions of the district and denomination. Camp Bethel will have a budget of $433,050.00 for 2005. Delegates also heard that 19 congregations and fellowships were involved in pastoral placement processes during the year and new pastors were introduced. The conference honored Frederick C. Driver for 50 years of ministerial service.
Delegates called Shirley B. Jamison as moderator-elect; Kathie S. Robinson as clerk, Jimmy O. Cannaday to Standing Committee of Annual Conference; Sam Garst, Tanya M. Reece, and Earl F. Stovall to the Nominating and Personnel Committee; Betty B. Altic and Dan Brogan to Program and Arrangements Committee; Sarah Grim and Earl Patrick Starkey to the Outdoor Ministries Committee; Lenoria Naff, Jill Bishop, Marie V. Thomas, Michael D. Elmore, Michael Battle, Debbie Humphrey, Sandy D. Foster, Robert Myers, Ed McKimmy, and Marianne Rhoades Pittman to the District Board. Glenn McCrickard will serve as District Board chair for 2004-05.
The 34th Virlina District Conference will be in Beckley, W.Va., Nov. 11-12, 2005, with moderator Russell L. Payne.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
The 33rd Virlina District Conference met at Green Ridge Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., on Nov. 12-13. The theme was "We are an Offering" (Romans 12:1-2), reported Frank Davis of Laurel Branch Church of the Brethren near Floyd, Va. A total of 562 people registered including 243 delegates representing 77 congregations. Moderator David W. Minnich led participants in the worship and business life of the district.
Keynote speakers were Walt Wiltschek, editor of the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger," and Donna L. Shumate, chair of the General Board. More than 80 people attended a Ministers and Spouses Banquet at Summerdean Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, which was addressed by the 2005 Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook.
A highlight of the conference was the report that the indebtedness for the Trailblazer II project at Camp Bethel had been retired. New business included approval of amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws changing the title of camp manager to camp director. Delegates granted authority to the Church Extension Committee to receive the Living Faith Church of the Brethren in Concord, N.C. as a congregation, and approved a District Board budget of $283,491.80 for 2005. The conference received offerings of $1,102.10 for the Church Extension Committee, $1,452.98 for District Conference, and $652.92 for Disaster Response.
Reports were received from district staff, District Board, Outdoor Ministries Committee, Camp Bethel, and other institutions of the district and denomination. Camp Bethel will have a budget of $433,050.00 for 2005. Delegates also heard that 19 congregations and fellowships were involved in pastoral placement processes during the year and new pastors were introduced. The conference honored Frederick C. Driver for 50 years of ministerial service.
Delegates called Shirley B. Jamison as moderator-elect; Kathie S. Robinson as clerk, Jimmy O. Cannaday to Standing Committee of Annual Conference; Sam Garst, Tanya M. Reece, and Earl F. Stovall to the Nominating and Personnel Committee; Betty B. Altic and Dan Brogan to Program and Arrangements Committee; Sarah Grim and Earl Patrick Starkey to the Outdoor Ministries Committee; Lenoria Naff, Jill Bishop, Marie V. Thomas, Michael D. Elmore, Michael Battle, Debbie Humphrey, Sandy D. Foster, Robert Myers, Ed McKimmy, and Marianne Rhoades Pittman to the District Board. Glenn McCrickard will serve as District Board chair for 2004-05.
The 34th Virlina District Conference will be in Beckley, W.Va., Nov. 11-12, 2005, with moderator Russell L. Payne.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
West Marva holds two training events simultaneously.
Knowing that all licensed and ordained clergy would be required to attend a district-wide Ministerial Ethics Training Workshop, the West Marva District Nurture Commission decided to try something different, reported Julie M. Hostetter, Congregational Life Team coordinator for Area 3. "They chose to provide a Christian education event that would take place on the same day and at the same location as the ethics training," she said.
On Nov. 13, participants for both events met together for opening worship, lunch, and closing worship at Sunnyside Church of the Brethren in New Creek, W.Va. Seventy-two pastors from 49 churches spent their morning and afternoon in sessions focusing on ministerial ethics with Mary Jo Flory-Steury, director of Ministry for the General Board. Forty-four church educators from 20 congregations attended a plenary session, "Called to Teach!" led by Hostetter.
Participants had the option of choosing from workshops options including "Learning Centers for Children," "Ministry with Youth/Young Adults," "Exciting Adult Education," "Christian Education with Special Needs Students," "Teacher Calling, Equipping, and Encouraging," "Storytelling for Children," "Media and Christian Education," "Small Group Ministry for Adults," "Christian Education for Students with ADD and ADHD," and "Many Ways of Teaching/Learning." Leadership for the workshops included Jennifer Sanders and Patsy Shenk from West Marva District and Alice Geiman, Jan Matteson, and Mary Alice Womble from Shenandoah District.
In a show-and-tell session, participants shared what was going on in the nurture and education programs of their congregations as well as what they learned in the workshops. Pastors and educators had the opportunity to peruse a display of curricula published and recommended by the denomination, and to purchase resources from Brethren Press.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Knowing that all licensed and ordained clergy would be required to attend a district-wide Ministerial Ethics Training Workshop, the West Marva District Nurture Commission decided to try something different, reported Julie M. Hostetter, Congregational Life Team coordinator for Area 3. "They chose to provide a Christian education event that would take place on the same day and at the same location as the ethics training," she said.
On Nov. 13, participants for both events met together for opening worship, lunch, and closing worship at Sunnyside Church of the Brethren in New Creek, W.Va. Seventy-two pastors from 49 churches spent their morning and afternoon in sessions focusing on ministerial ethics with Mary Jo Flory-Steury, director of Ministry for the General Board. Forty-four church educators from 20 congregations attended a plenary session, "Called to Teach!" led by Hostetter.
Participants had the option of choosing from workshops options including "Learning Centers for Children," "Ministry with Youth/Young Adults," "Exciting Adult Education," "Christian Education with Special Needs Students," "Teacher Calling, Equipping, and Encouraging," "Storytelling for Children," "Media and Christian Education," "Small Group Ministry for Adults," "Christian Education for Students with ADD and ADHD," and "Many Ways of Teaching/Learning." Leadership for the workshops included Jennifer Sanders and Patsy Shenk from West Marva District and Alice Geiman, Jan Matteson, and Mary Alice Womble from Shenandoah District.
In a show-and-tell session, participants shared what was going on in the nurture and education programs of their congregations as well as what they learned in the workshops. Pastors and educators had the opportunity to peruse a display of curricula published and recommended by the denomination, and to purchase resources from Brethren Press.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
"Angels Everywhere" raises ministry education funds.
The musical "Angels Everywhere: A True Story of the Brethren" by Frank Ramirez and Steve Engle, raised $8,024.96 for Middle Pennsylvania District for use in ministry education. The project was developed in response to criticism that arose when the district raised money by selling sandwich tickets through fast food outlets, Ramirez reported. The effort was headed by Eleanor Fix, pastor of Cherry Lane Church of the Brethren in Clearville, Pa.
"Angels Everywhere" is the story of Catharine Hummer, a Brethren teenager who claimed she saw angels in 1762. Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a prolific writer for Brethren Press and "Messenger" magazine, has been studying the story since 1997. He wrote the first draft of the script and lyrics and asked Steve Engle, a Church of the Brethren author, songwriter, and ventriloquist, to join the project. Engle wrote the music and contributed to both the script and lyrics.
"Angels Everywhere" was performed Oct. 9 at Roaring Spring Church of the Brethren, Nov. 20 at Everett Church of the Brethren, and Dec. 4 at Hollidaysburg Church of the Brethren. Each congregation provided a meal as part of a dinner theater package. In addition, excerpts were presented at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren as part of an annual enrichment program. Over 600 came to see the musical. The intergenerational cast included 22 performers from five congregations in the district. The company hopes to arrange a tour of several more congregations in the spring of 2005 and 2006, Ramirez said.
The Hummer incident was the source of much controversy, Ramirez said, and prompted discussion at the Annual Meeting of 1763. "The Annual Meeting decision was a crucial one," he added, "speaking more to the need for Brethren to speak together in love than actually settling the matter. As Alexander Mack Jr. put it, 'Therefore, dear brethren, let us watch and be careful, and above all preserve love, for thus one preserves light.'"
A soundtrack CD of the musical is planned and should be available in early 2005. For performance and CD information call Ramirez at 814-652-2634.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
The musical "Angels Everywhere: A True Story of the Brethren" by Frank Ramirez and Steve Engle, raised $8,024.96 for Middle Pennsylvania District for use in ministry education. The project was developed in response to criticism that arose when the district raised money by selling sandwich tickets through fast food outlets, Ramirez reported. The effort was headed by Eleanor Fix, pastor of Cherry Lane Church of the Brethren in Clearville, Pa.
"Angels Everywhere" is the story of Catharine Hummer, a Brethren teenager who claimed she saw angels in 1762. Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a prolific writer for Brethren Press and "Messenger" magazine, has been studying the story since 1997. He wrote the first draft of the script and lyrics and asked Steve Engle, a Church of the Brethren author, songwriter, and ventriloquist, to join the project. Engle wrote the music and contributed to both the script and lyrics.
"Angels Everywhere" was performed Oct. 9 at Roaring Spring Church of the Brethren, Nov. 20 at Everett Church of the Brethren, and Dec. 4 at Hollidaysburg Church of the Brethren. Each congregation provided a meal as part of a dinner theater package. In addition, excerpts were presented at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren as part of an annual enrichment program. Over 600 came to see the musical. The intergenerational cast included 22 performers from five congregations in the district. The company hopes to arrange a tour of several more congregations in the spring of 2005 and 2006, Ramirez said.
The Hummer incident was the source of much controversy, Ramirez said, and prompted discussion at the Annual Meeting of 1763. "The Annual Meeting decision was a crucial one," he added, "speaking more to the need for Brethren to speak together in love than actually settling the matter. As Alexander Mack Jr. put it, 'Therefore, dear brethren, let us watch and be careful, and above all preserve love, for thus one preserves light.'"
A soundtrack CD of the musical is planned and should be available in early 2005. For performance and CD information call Ramirez at 814-652-2634.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Historic Brethren pipe organ receives citation.
The 1698 Johan Christoph Harttman pipe organ located at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been awarded a citation by the Historic Organ Citations Committee of the Organ Historical Society. The small pipe organ is part of the collection of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives of the General Board.
The Harttman organ is one of the two oldest organs in the US to receive the distinction, wrote Stephen Schnurr, chair of the committee, in a letter to the board's archivist Ken Shaffer. The citations program is part of the society's method of publicly honoring the special historic qualities of a pipe organ. Since the awarding of the first citation in 1975, some 330 organs in the US and Canada have received the honor. The society hopes to present the citation in a ceremony in the autumn of 2005 that may include a brief recital on the organ.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
The 1698 Johan Christoph Harttman pipe organ located at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been awarded a citation by the Historic Organ Citations Committee of the Organ Historical Society. The small pipe organ is part of the collection of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives of the General Board.
The Harttman organ is one of the two oldest organs in the US to receive the distinction, wrote Stephen Schnurr, chair of the committee, in a letter to the board's archivist Ken Shaffer. The citations program is part of the society's method of publicly honoring the special historic qualities of a pipe organ. Since the awarding of the first citation in 1975, some 330 organs in the US and Canada have received the honor. The society hopes to present the citation in a ceremony in the autumn of 2005 that may include a brief recital on the organ.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Brethren bits: Correction, request for stories, and more.
- In a correction to the story "Bethany Seminary board participates in accreditation, strategic plan," in the Dec. 17 issue of Newsline, the seminary's financial campaign "Inspired by the Spirit-Educating for Ministry" has exceeded $13 million.
- The General Board's Communications Team is collecting stories of how the the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service on CBS affected the lives of individuals and congregations. The team also seeks copies of any news stories about the service and any advertisements that were placed for the service. Send copies of news articles and advertisements to Communications Team, Attn: Christmas Eve Service, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Submit stories by e-mail to cobweb@brethren.org.
- A third annual War Toy Public Witness was co-sponsored by Skyridge Church of the Brethren and Kalamazoo Friends Meeting in Kalamazoo, Mich., Dec. 5. The witness was held along South Westnedge Ave., the region's main retail corridor according to a story by Olga Bonfiglie in the "Kalamazoo Gazette." The 13 people participating in the witness included seven Brethren. Ineke Way, a social worker and Skyridge's Outreach Committee co-chair, told the paper that she was concerned that war toys teach children to glorify war and settle their conflicts with violence. Stephanie Higdon, a graduate student, hoped that the witness would prompt shoppers to think twice about buying violent toys for children. Shaun Hittle, also a social worker, said he resents toy manufacturers who make money off of children through violence and appeals to patriotism. He also linked the toys to military recruitment of young people. "Some shoppers appreciated the presence of the demonstrators," the paper reported.
- The San Diego (Calif.) Church of the Brethren is offering hospitality to Brethren pastors attending the National Pastors Convention and Emergent Convention in San Diego Feb. 1-5. "The San Diego church can make it more affordable by offering a bed and a quick breakfast during the course of the conference," reported Jeff Glass, the General Board's Congregational Life Team Coordinator for Area 5. Call the church at 619-265-8183 or e-mail office@sdbrethrenchurch.org. Glass will arrange a meal for Church of the Brethren participants during the conventions. Call 888-826-4951 or e-mail jglass_gb@brethren.org, if you are interested in meeting other Brethren who are attending or for more information about the conventions or about San Diego.
- Camp Bethel will host a Faith Quest spiritual retreat for youth in grades 10-12 on March 4-6, 2005. Themes for the weekend are "Discovering Self," "Discovering God," and "Discovering Our Relationship with Others." The retreat will include presentations by youth and adults, small groups, music and singing, and the spiritual disciplines of silence, worship, Bible study, prayer, and fasting for one meal. Money that would have been spent on the meal will go to the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund. Contact Virlina District, 540-362-1816 or e-mail virlina@aol.com.
- Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., has received $1 million to enhance its "intellectual capital." The Lilly Endowment Inc. grant will enhance Manchester's faculty and information technology, purchase high-tech equipment for a new Science Center, and determine new use for aged buildings. The grant is part of $100 million the endowment has awarded to 37 colleges and universities for its Initiative to Recruit and Retrain Intellectual Capital for Indiana Higher Education Institutions. The college will invest $400,000 in faculty development, teaching, learning, and research; plans to use $250,000 to purchase the latest science technology for the $17 million Science Center that will open this summer; and will use another $250,000 for information technology and $100,000 to determine the maximum possible use of aged buildings including the current science hall, the 45-year old Holl-Kintner Hall. For more information see www.manchester.edu.
- Volume II of "Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the Shenandoah Valley" is now available, reported the co-publisher of the series, the Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center. Norman Wenger, a Harrisonburg, Va., businessman, was a leading researcher-compiler of the volume. The book tells the stories of 32 families including Brethren and Mennonites as well as Methodist Episcopal and German Reformed, who lived in Rockingham County during the war. Editor Emmert Bittinger, professor emeritus of Bridgewater (Va.) College, prepared the documents for publication and wrote the introduction to the 735 pages. Wenger and Rockingham County businessman David S. Rodes scoured archival records of the Southern Claims Commission to tell how family members held to their convictions regarding slavery and war and maintained loyalty to the Union, despite personal struggles and loss of life and property. Contact Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, P.O. Box 1563, Harrisonburg, VA 22803; or mail order for $58.50 from Valley Research Associates, P.O. Box 526, Dayton, VA 22821.
Jan King moves to half-time position with General Board, takes up chaplaincy.
Jan King, the General Board's Congregational Life Team (CLT) coordinator for Area 1, has accepted a half-time position as chaplain at The Village at Morrison's Cove, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Martinsburg, Pa. She will continue in the CLT role half-time. The move was made at King's choice to pursue her interest and education in the field of gerontology. The change is effective Feb. 1.
The board's Office of Human Resources reported that the services provided by Area One's team will be accomplished in a different manner but will not be reduced. The coordinator position's change to half-time was not prompted by budget constraints, reported the office, and consultants may be used to continue the current level of services.
King has worked for the board since 1997. She is the board's staff liaison to the Association of the Arts in the Church of the Brethren and has worked with Middle Pennsylvania District in developing a new resource, "Growing Faithful Disciples," which will be shared denomination-wide in January.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Jan King, the General Board's Congregational Life Team (CLT) coordinator for Area 1, has accepted a half-time position as chaplain at The Village at Morrison's Cove, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Martinsburg, Pa. She will continue in the CLT role half-time. The move was made at King's choice to pursue her interest and education in the field of gerontology. The change is effective Feb. 1.
The board's Office of Human Resources reported that the services provided by Area One's team will be accomplished in a different manner but will not be reduced. The coordinator position's change to half-time was not prompted by budget constraints, reported the office, and consultants may be used to continue the current level of services.
King has worked for the board since 1997. She is the board's staff liaison to the Association of the Arts in the Church of the Brethren and has worked with Middle Pennsylvania District in developing a new resource, "Growing Faithful Disciples," which will be shared denomination-wide in January.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Alexander Mack Jr. 'Day Book' is published.
A historic Brethren document, "The Day Book/Account Book of Alexander Mack, Jr.," has been published by the Pennsylvania German Society. "Mack's day book/account book is a valuable source of information about the colonial Brethren," reported General Board archivist Ken Shaffer. "It includes information about the Germantown congregation and other colonial Brethren, information about Mack's family, details about his weaving business, and poems he wrote on his birthdays."
The original document is handwritten, some in English, but much of it in German, Shaffer said. The new publication contains a transcription of the contents of the book, a translation of the German by Edward E. Quinter, an index by Kate Mertes, and an introduction and over 500 annotations by Brethren historian Donald F. Durnbaugh.
Mack (1712-1803) came with his father and brothers to America in 1729. After his father's death in 1735, he joined the Ephrata community for several years and then spent a couple of years on the Virginia frontier. In the late 1740s he returned to Pennsylvania, married, and became an elder in the Germantown congregation. He earned a living as a weaver and is considered a major leader of the Brethren in second half of the 1700s.
The original document of the book was preserved by Abraham Harley Cassel, a Mack descendant, Shaffer reported. It was purchased from Cassel by Martin Grove Brumbaugh, who later donated it to Juniata College. "At some point it was removed from the college collection and ended up in the hands of collectors," Shaffer said. "Eventually it was purchased by the General Board and is now housed at the Brethren Historical Library and Archives in Elgin, Ill. Now that the transcription and translation have been published, the contents will be easily available to those interested in the early Brethren, the Mack family, and the work of a colonial weaver." The book is available for $20 plus shipping and handling from Brethren Press, 800-441-3712.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
A historic Brethren document, "The Day Book/Account Book of Alexander Mack, Jr.," has been published by the Pennsylvania German Society. "Mack's day book/account book is a valuable source of information about the colonial Brethren," reported General Board archivist Ken Shaffer. "It includes information about the Germantown congregation and other colonial Brethren, information about Mack's family, details about his weaving business, and poems he wrote on his birthdays."
The original document is handwritten, some in English, but much of it in German, Shaffer said. The new publication contains a transcription of the contents of the book, a translation of the German by Edward E. Quinter, an index by Kate Mertes, and an introduction and over 500 annotations by Brethren historian Donald F. Durnbaugh.
Mack (1712-1803) came with his father and brothers to America in 1729. After his father's death in 1735, he joined the Ephrata community for several years and then spent a couple of years on the Virginia frontier. In the late 1740s he returned to Pennsylvania, married, and became an elder in the Germantown congregation. He earned a living as a weaver and is considered a major leader of the Brethren in second half of the 1700s.
The original document of the book was preserved by Abraham Harley Cassel, a Mack descendant, Shaffer reported. It was purchased from Cassel by Martin Grove Brumbaugh, who later donated it to Juniata College. "At some point it was removed from the college collection and ended up in the hands of collectors," Shaffer said. "Eventually it was purchased by the General Board and is now housed at the Brethren Historical Library and Archives in Elgin, Ill. Now that the transcription and translation have been published, the contents will be easily available to those interested in the early Brethren, the Mack family, and the work of a colonial weaver." The book is available for $20 plus shipping and handling from Brethren Press, 800-441-3712.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
Creche travels from Christmas fields to Christmas Eve service.
The olive-wood creche set that was filmed for the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve telecast on CBS has a unique background, reports Howard Royer, who created the decor for the service along with Brethren graphic artist Rosanna Eller McFadden. Royer manages the Global Food Crisis Fund for the General Board and is a member of the board of SERRV/A Greater Gift.
The creche set was made this past year as a special order for the SERRV gift shop at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., said Linda Kjeldgaard, a SERRV staff member. "The artisans are from Shepherds Field workshop and truly work in the fields that once were used by the shepherds during Christ's life," she told Royer.
"The olive wood is from cuttings taken while pruning the olive trees in Israel," she added. "No trees are cut just for their wood. Although many trees have recently been destroyed in the ongoing conflict and the fence-building around the Palestinian compounds, in peaceful times olive trees are kept alive as long as possible with many still surviving from the time of Christ. The artisans are Palestinian Christians and work in small shops or in rooms in their homes. Due to the smaller number of tourists (one of the main customers of their work) they have been especially hard hit by a lack of orders."
"A detail that is hard to figure from a TV screen is the size of the carvings," Royer said. "There were 11 pieces, the taller 20 inches in height." The General Board has purchased the creche set, adding it to the board's art acquisitions.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
The olive-wood creche set that was filmed for the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve telecast on CBS has a unique background, reports Howard Royer, who created the decor for the service along with Brethren graphic artist Rosanna Eller McFadden. Royer manages the Global Food Crisis Fund for the General Board and is a member of the board of SERRV/A Greater Gift.
The creche set was made this past year as a special order for the SERRV gift shop at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., said Linda Kjeldgaard, a SERRV staff member. "The artisans are from Shepherds Field workshop and truly work in the fields that once were used by the shepherds during Christ's life," she told Royer.
"The olive wood is from cuttings taken while pruning the olive trees in Israel," she added. "No trees are cut just for their wood. Although many trees have recently been destroyed in the ongoing conflict and the fence-building around the Palestinian compounds, in peaceful times olive trees are kept alive as long as possible with many still surviving from the time of Christ. The artisans are Palestinian Christians and work in small shops or in rooms in their homes. Due to the smaller number of tourists (one of the main customers of their work) they have been especially hard hit by a lack of orders."
"A detail that is hard to figure from a TV screen is the size of the carvings," Royer said. "There were 11 pieces, the taller 20 inches in height." The General Board has purchased the creche set, adding it to the board's art acquisitions.
Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline
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. Frank Davis, Julie M. Hostetter, Linda Kjeldgaard, Jeri S. Kornegay, Greg Davidson Laszakovits, Howard Royer, Fred Swartz, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Frank Davis, Julie M. Hostetter, Linda Kjeldgaard, Jeri S. Kornegay, Greg Davidson Laszakovits, Howard Royer, Fred Swartz, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
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