Brethren bits: Personnel, job opening, and more.

• Stephanie Hartley, of Lewistown, Pa., left for Nigeria Jan. 20 to serve as a Brethren Volunteer Service/Global Mission Partnerships worker for the General Board. She will teach at the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN—the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) Secondary School at the EYN headquarters near Mubi for two years.
  
  
• The General Board seeks a fulltime receptionist at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The position is available immediately. Responsibilities include managing the switchboard, proficiency with the telephone system, general office duties, and basic computer use. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability in customer service, word processing, general office skills, and the ability to serve as a backup to the Building Services coordinator. Experience in a church or service organization is beneficial. Deadline for applications is Jan. 27. Mail resumes to Mary Lou Garrison, Director of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. For more information call 800-323-8039 or e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service is holding its Winter Orientation Unit 263 from Jan. 23-Feb. 11 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. The 17 trainees include six members of the Church of the Brethren and five Germans. The unit will spend a weekend at Eglise des Freres Haitiens in Miami, Fla., as part of the training. Leadership will include Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace program coordinator for Peace Witness; Phil Jones, director of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office; and Chris Douglas, director of the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service (CPS) workers, and anyone with a connection to BVS or CPS. The potluck will be at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. "We see this potluck as a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers in training from Unit 263 to be able to connect with people that have done similar service," said Sam Bowman of the BVS office.
  
  
• The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) offices have moved to a new location within the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. ABC is now located near the General Board's Communications area. As part of the move, ABC has a new fax number: 847-742-6103. The ABC address and telephone numbers remain the same: 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039 or 847-742-5100.
  
  
• An open letter to President Bush urging him to seize the opportunity to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been signed by 57 Christian leaders. Signers included Phil Jones, director of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, along with National Council of Churches (NCC) general secretary Robert Edgar, leaders of other NCC member churches, and other prominent Christians. The letter was published as a full-page ad in today's "New York Times." It expressed concern for the security and freedom of Israelis and Palestinians and the security and reputation of the US. "We believe that the promise of peace in Jerusalem is the best defense against terrorism," it said. See www.ncccusa.org for more information; for the text of the letter and a list of signers see www.cmep.org.
  
  
• Brethren are invited to sign a National Council of Churches (NCC) statement, "God's Mandate: Care for Creation." Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, issued the invitation saying that the document expresses well the biblical mandate of care for God's creation and the environment. The document was formulated by the NCC's Eco-Justice ministry. The NCC said signatures will be accepted past the announced deadline of today, Jan. 21. The statement and an opportunity to sign may be found at www.nccecojustice.org.
  
  
• Bethany Theological Seminary's Mid-Winter Open House for college students will be held Feb. 26, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on the campus in Richmond, Ind. There will be opportunities for conversation with faculty, staff, and students, a class visit, and a campus tour. "Come join in a day of exploring theological education and its possibilities in your life," invited Kathy Royer, director of Admissions. For more information e-mail her at enroll@bethanyseminary.edu.
  
  
• The registration deadline is approaching for "Manna in the Wilderness/Coming to God in Daily Life," a spiritual retreat with Glenn Mitchell and Jonathan Shively at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., Feb. 24-27. Registration is due Feb. 1. Send name and address and a $25 deposit to: Retreat, 806 W. New Nolte Rd., St. Cloud, FL 34769; or e-mail crousejm@net.net. The retreat is sponsored by New Covenant Church of the Brethren, Bethany Theological Seminary, and Camp Ithiel.
  
  
• Registration has opened for "Hebrews 12:28—Brimming with Worship," a conference celebrating music and the arts in worship at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., April 8-10. For registration forms see www.bethanyseminary.edu.
  
  
• On Earth Peace co-director Bob Gross will lead a workshop on conscientious objection at York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill., 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. tomorrow Jan. 22. The free workshop is open to junior and senior high youth. Topics will include the peace church tradition, scriptural roots of these beliefs, how Selective Service works, and what to do if there's a draft. For information call 630-627-7411.
  
  
• Chambersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren hosted the Chambersburg Community Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service on Monday Jan. 17. Manuel Diaz, pastor of the Chambersburg church, also was on a pastoral panel at Shippensburg University as part of the university's celebration of King.
  
  
• McPherson (Kan.) College has received a matching gift from the SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications. The $5,000 grant is a result of a gift made to the college by McPherson president Ron Hovis, an SBC retiree. David Kerr, president of SBC Kansas, was in McPherson on Jan. 17 to present the grant.
  
  
• Nine Brethren took part in a New Community Project (NCP) Learning Tour to the Ecuadorian Amazon Jan. 3-13. NCP is a Church of the Brethren-related nonprofit. The group focused its trip on the Cuyabeno National Park at the headwaters of the Amazon. The delegation stayed in a rainforest encampment, met with members of the Siona and Cofan tribes, learned about medicinal plants, observed bird and wildlife populations, and saw the effect of oil drilling. The trip was hosted by the SELVA Foundation, an Ecuadorian ecological and human rights organization. In 2005, NCP is planning Learning Tours to Guatemala, Honduras, "Cancer Alley" in Louisiana, and Denali National Park, Arctic Village, Alaska. Tours are open to all ages. Call NCP director David Radcliff at 888-800-2985 or e-mail ncp@newcommunityproject.org.
  
  
• Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo will be the featured speakers at "Renewing the Church--Reclaiming the Gospel," a New Life Ministries (NLM) Leadership Training Event on April 26 at Franconia Mennonite Church in Telford, Pa., in the Philadelphia area. Attendees will earn .6 continuing education units and registration discounts are available for multiple attendees from the same congregation. For more information call Kristen Leverton Helbert, NLM director, at 800-774-3360 or e-mail NLMServiceCenter@aol.com; or see www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. NLM provides resources, training events, and research to Anabaptist congregations in the areas of evangelism, church vitality, and hospitality.

Source: 01/21/2005 Newsline
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