PERSONNEL
UPCOMING EVENTS
FEATURES
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
NEWSNew resources created in effort to save Brethren Medical Plan.
Brethren congregations address issue of global hunger.
Council to develop plan for marketing Annual Conference.
ABC board focuses on wellness, plans 'Lighten Up, Brethren!'
Brethren bits: Personnel, Earth Sunday, and more.
PERSONNELYouth Peace Travel Team for 2005 is named.
UPCOMING EVENTSOn Earth Peace sponsors counter-recruitment conference call.
FEATURESPeters Creek youth participate in Souper Bowl of Caring.
To drill or not to drill--it's not just about the environment.
PERSONNEL
UPCOMING EVENTS
FEATURES
New resources created in effort to save Brethren Medical Plan.
Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) is making new resources available as part of its effort to save the Brethren Medical Plan. The plan is for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, and employees of Annual Conference agencies, and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their families. A video addressing questions about the plan, a power point presentation on the history of the plan, information about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and information about all of the Brethren Insurance Plans, are being made available free of charge. BBT also has worked with the districts, agencies, and Ministers' Association to create an advisory panel for the plan, is training advocates to promote the plan in districts, and will begin providing HSAs in 2006.
The Brethren Medical Plan is in a "death spiral," a downward cyclical phenomenon caused by decreased membership and the erosion of a good spread of risk, increased health care costs, and increased premiums (see the Newsline of Dec. 3, 2004). With the agencies and in districts that have more than 75 percent participation among eligible pastors and staff, the premiums-to-claims ratio is such that the plan should be able to survive, BBT reported. In districts where there is less than 75 percent participation, the premiums-to-claims ratio is such that, left unchecked, the plan could go bankrupt in several years.
Revitalization of the Brethren Medical Plan will come through increased membership and a better spread of health risk. BBT has reinstated a requirement of 75 percent participation among eligible congregations in each district, for districts to continue in the plan. If a district does not have commitments from its congregations by Aug. 31, 2006, to meet that goal, all church employees in the district will be ineligible for the plan on Jan. 1, 2007. BBT states that the 75 percent requirement was part of the Brethren Medical Plan when it began in the 1950s, but "fell by the wayside" in the early 1980s. "The plan must regain an appropriate spread of risk in order to continue," BBT said.
The video helps answer many questions about the Brethren Medical Plan, according to BBT's "Insurance Update" newsletter. It explains the benefits of guaranteed group insurance coverage and the ramifications for pastors and church employees if a district does not meet the 75 percent goal. The video premiered Feb. 2 during a meeting of BBT staff and the Council of District Executives.
BBT has begun training advocates to work in each district to promote the plan with congregations and church leaders. The advocates will use the new video to help rebuild participation in the plan. A first group of seven advocates was trained on March 7-8. As of March 17, 12 of the denomination's 23 districts had named advocates. More advocate trainings will be held in late spring.
In addition, a Brethren Medical Plan Advisory Panel has been formed to create a high-deductible medical plan design using HSAs. The panel includes one person each from the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee (an Annual Conference committee), the Council of District Executives, the Ministers' Association, the Annual Conference agencies, and BBT staff. The panel will hold its first meeting March 31. HSAs, which must be used in conjunction with a high-deductible health plan, are "a way to set aside money for medical, dental, and vision care expenses not paid by an insurance plan or a flexible spending account," BBT said in the newsletter. The Brethren Medical Plan will begin implementing HSAs on Jan. 1, 2006.
An April 18 follow-up meeting between BBT and the Council of District Executives will be held in Richmond, Ind. It was requested by the district executives, BBT said, and will include members of BBT's board and staff, executives of the Annual Conference agencies, representatives of Annual Conference, and members of the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. This summer the Brethren Medical Plan will be a major topic of discussion at Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill.
To order the video in DVD or VHS format, or to receive any other resource mentioned above, call 800-746-1505 ext. 374 or e-mail lpiatt_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) is making new resources available as part of its effort to save the Brethren Medical Plan. The plan is for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, and employees of Annual Conference agencies, and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their families. A video addressing questions about the plan, a power point presentation on the history of the plan, information about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and information about all of the Brethren Insurance Plans, are being made available free of charge. BBT also has worked with the districts, agencies, and Ministers' Association to create an advisory panel for the plan, is training advocates to promote the plan in districts, and will begin providing HSAs in 2006.
The Brethren Medical Plan is in a "death spiral," a downward cyclical phenomenon caused by decreased membership and the erosion of a good spread of risk, increased health care costs, and increased premiums (see the Newsline of Dec. 3, 2004). With the agencies and in districts that have more than 75 percent participation among eligible pastors and staff, the premiums-to-claims ratio is such that the plan should be able to survive, BBT reported. In districts where there is less than 75 percent participation, the premiums-to-claims ratio is such that, left unchecked, the plan could go bankrupt in several years.
Revitalization of the Brethren Medical Plan will come through increased membership and a better spread of health risk. BBT has reinstated a requirement of 75 percent participation among eligible congregations in each district, for districts to continue in the plan. If a district does not have commitments from its congregations by Aug. 31, 2006, to meet that goal, all church employees in the district will be ineligible for the plan on Jan. 1, 2007. BBT states that the 75 percent requirement was part of the Brethren Medical Plan when it began in the 1950s, but "fell by the wayside" in the early 1980s. "The plan must regain an appropriate spread of risk in order to continue," BBT said.
The video helps answer many questions about the Brethren Medical Plan, according to BBT's "Insurance Update" newsletter. It explains the benefits of guaranteed group insurance coverage and the ramifications for pastors and church employees if a district does not meet the 75 percent goal. The video premiered Feb. 2 during a meeting of BBT staff and the Council of District Executives.
BBT has begun training advocates to work in each district to promote the plan with congregations and church leaders. The advocates will use the new video to help rebuild participation in the plan. A first group of seven advocates was trained on March 7-8. As of March 17, 12 of the denomination's 23 districts had named advocates. More advocate trainings will be held in late spring.
In addition, a Brethren Medical Plan Advisory Panel has been formed to create a high-deductible medical plan design using HSAs. The panel includes one person each from the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee (an Annual Conference committee), the Council of District Executives, the Ministers' Association, the Annual Conference agencies, and BBT staff. The panel will hold its first meeting March 31. HSAs, which must be used in conjunction with a high-deductible health plan, are "a way to set aside money for medical, dental, and vision care expenses not paid by an insurance plan or a flexible spending account," BBT said in the newsletter. The Brethren Medical Plan will begin implementing HSAs on Jan. 1, 2006.
An April 18 follow-up meeting between BBT and the Council of District Executives will be held in Richmond, Ind. It was requested by the district executives, BBT said, and will include members of BBT's board and staff, executives of the Annual Conference agencies, representatives of Annual Conference, and members of the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. This summer the Brethren Medical Plan will be a major topic of discussion at Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill.
To order the video in DVD or VHS format, or to receive any other resource mentioned above, call 800-746-1505 ext. 374 or e-mail lpiatt_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Brethren congregations address issue of global hunger.
Growing projects are taking off in several Brethren congregations, reports Howard Royer, manager of the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund. For most of the congregations, 2005 marks the first year of engagement in a growing project, made possible by the Foods Resource Bank. Through the Global Food Crisis Fund, in 2004 the Church of the Brethren became the 16th member of the Foods Resource Bank.
A growing project is initiated by a congregation starting with donated or rented acreage, using donated seed and materials. The congregation plants and tills the crop--usually corn, soybeans, or wheat. The harvest is sold and the income designated to the Foods Resource Bank for development of food production overseas. Rural and urban churches may team up as partners. A dollar invested in the spring generally "grows" into $2.50 by fall, Royer said. Through a one-to-one matching grant from the Foods Resource Bank, funded by a $1 million grant from the US Agency for International Development, the initial investment expands to $5.
At South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, Joan Fumetti of the Foods Resource Bank made a presentation in Sunday school March 6 and asked members of Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center, Iowa, and the Conrad community to help out. South Waterloo has 12 acres lined up for a growing project. The Ivester church will join the Conrad growing project again this year, where a crop of 147 acres is to be planted at four sites, one of which is owned by Ivester's Keith and Dorothy Sheller. Ivester's Lois Kruse is chairing the Conrad planning committee. A field blessing is set for April 17.
At Decatur, Ind., the Pleasant Dale congregation heard from several of its farmers who plan to cultivate a 20-25 acre growing project this season. Pastor Jay Carter indicated the group already has been pledged enough seed corn and chemicals to care for the acreage.
Several other congregations also will be involved in growing projects in 2005. In Illinois, Mount Morris Church of the Brethren and Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren will "twin" on a growing project of eight acres. The Polo congregation has invited Tinley Park United Presbyterian Church to be its partner in cultivating 10-20 acres as part of Polo's centennial observance. In Lanark, Cherry Grove Church of the Brethren member Penny Lauritzen is inviting each landowner of farms she manages to donate one or more acres for a growing project. An Episcopal church in Dixon has been invited to twin with the 15-20 acre project, which has the endorsement of Agriwomen of Illinois.
The McPherson and Monitor congregations in Kansas may join together in a growing project in 2005 or 2006. Brad White of the Rockingham Church of the Brethren in Hardin, Mo., is launching a 25-acre project, and nearby Bethany church may be invited in as a partner. The Eel River church in Indiana is exploring a growing project for 2006.
In a signal act of generosity, the "Brethren account" at the Foods Resource Bank from which the Church of the Brethren may designate specific foods security support, was bolstered by $10,483 given by Norm and Carol Braksick of Portage, Mich. The gift represents the 2004 income from the Braksick family farm, a growing project in Napoleon, Mo. Norm Braksick retired early this year after four years as volunteer executive of Foods Resource Bank.
At Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill., the Foods Resource Bank will have an exhibit and an insight session July 5 will focus on growing projects with Lois Kruse, Joan Fumetti, and Jay Carter as presenters.
Only two Brethren congregations have indicated they will apply for growing projects start-up grants from the Global Food Crisis Fund: Mount Morris and Pleasant Dale. Ten such grants are available. For more information call Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 or e-mail hroyer_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Growing projects are taking off in several Brethren congregations, reports Howard Royer, manager of the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund. For most of the congregations, 2005 marks the first year of engagement in a growing project, made possible by the Foods Resource Bank. Through the Global Food Crisis Fund, in 2004 the Church of the Brethren became the 16th member of the Foods Resource Bank.
A growing project is initiated by a congregation starting with donated or rented acreage, using donated seed and materials. The congregation plants and tills the crop--usually corn, soybeans, or wheat. The harvest is sold and the income designated to the Foods Resource Bank for development of food production overseas. Rural and urban churches may team up as partners. A dollar invested in the spring generally "grows" into $2.50 by fall, Royer said. Through a one-to-one matching grant from the Foods Resource Bank, funded by a $1 million grant from the US Agency for International Development, the initial investment expands to $5.
At South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, Joan Fumetti of the Foods Resource Bank made a presentation in Sunday school March 6 and asked members of Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center, Iowa, and the Conrad community to help out. South Waterloo has 12 acres lined up for a growing project. The Ivester church will join the Conrad growing project again this year, where a crop of 147 acres is to be planted at four sites, one of which is owned by Ivester's Keith and Dorothy Sheller. Ivester's Lois Kruse is chairing the Conrad planning committee. A field blessing is set for April 17.
At Decatur, Ind., the Pleasant Dale congregation heard from several of its farmers who plan to cultivate a 20-25 acre growing project this season. Pastor Jay Carter indicated the group already has been pledged enough seed corn and chemicals to care for the acreage.
Several other congregations also will be involved in growing projects in 2005. In Illinois, Mount Morris Church of the Brethren and Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren will "twin" on a growing project of eight acres. The Polo congregation has invited Tinley Park United Presbyterian Church to be its partner in cultivating 10-20 acres as part of Polo's centennial observance. In Lanark, Cherry Grove Church of the Brethren member Penny Lauritzen is inviting each landowner of farms she manages to donate one or more acres for a growing project. An Episcopal church in Dixon has been invited to twin with the 15-20 acre project, which has the endorsement of Agriwomen of Illinois.
The McPherson and Monitor congregations in Kansas may join together in a growing project in 2005 or 2006. Brad White of the Rockingham Church of the Brethren in Hardin, Mo., is launching a 25-acre project, and nearby Bethany church may be invited in as a partner. The Eel River church in Indiana is exploring a growing project for 2006.
In a signal act of generosity, the "Brethren account" at the Foods Resource Bank from which the Church of the Brethren may designate specific foods security support, was bolstered by $10,483 given by Norm and Carol Braksick of Portage, Mich. The gift represents the 2004 income from the Braksick family farm, a growing project in Napoleon, Mo. Norm Braksick retired early this year after four years as volunteer executive of Foods Resource Bank.
At Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill., the Foods Resource Bank will have an exhibit and an insight session July 5 will focus on growing projects with Lois Kruse, Joan Fumetti, and Jay Carter as presenters.
Only two Brethren congregations have indicated they will apply for growing projects start-up grants from the Global Food Crisis Fund: Mount Morris and Pleasant Dale. Ten such grants are available. For more information call Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 or e-mail hroyer_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Council to develop plan for marketing Annual Conference.
The Annual Conference Council, meeting March 9 in Elgin, Ill., approved the naming of a ministry team to develop a plan for marketing future Annual Conferences, reported secretary Fred Swartz. The council also plans to present a final draft of a strategic plan for Annual Conference, including goals for the next five years, to the 2005 Standing Committee.
The need for a marketing plan arises out of the council's desire to promote a wider knowledge of Annual Conference among the denomination's membership and to insure a growing base of support. A "marketing ministry team" will be appointed by the council following approval of a job description for the team. It is expected that the team will include seasoned and new Annual Conference participants, as well as people who can relate to congregational issues.
In other business the council took action aimed at clarifying the role of a denominational "spokesperson" and unified representation for the denomination. The council agreed to draft a document asking the 2005-07 Review and Evaluation Committee, which will be appointed at this year's Annual Conference, to revisit the issue in light of the multiple-agency structure that has followed the redesign of the General Board. Previously, the general secretary of the General Board was the designated spokesperson for all matters concerning denominational participation or response, Swartz said. "The Review and Evaluation Committee report of 2001 seems to confirm this position at one point, but then also refers to other agency heads as authorized to speak `even in ecumenical circles' on matters relating to programs managed by that agency," he reported. "Further, in its recommendation on `Who Speaks for the Church' the committee refers to denominational polity that names the Annual Conference moderator as 'the official representative of the church.'" The council will ask the 2005-07 Review and Evaluation Committee to be more specific in its consideration of the issue.
The council continued to pursue answers to questions concerning ministry presented in the 2003 "Query of Clarification of Confusion." The General Board's Ministry Office provided the council with a reference guide to existing statements on ministry. The council voted to seek a more comprehensive understanding of ministry to satisfy the deep issues raised by the query. The council hopes to secure a wider discussion of the issue with district executives, the director of the Ministry Office, and others.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
The Annual Conference Council, meeting March 9 in Elgin, Ill., approved the naming of a ministry team to develop a plan for marketing future Annual Conferences, reported secretary Fred Swartz. The council also plans to present a final draft of a strategic plan for Annual Conference, including goals for the next five years, to the 2005 Standing Committee.
The need for a marketing plan arises out of the council's desire to promote a wider knowledge of Annual Conference among the denomination's membership and to insure a growing base of support. A "marketing ministry team" will be appointed by the council following approval of a job description for the team. It is expected that the team will include seasoned and new Annual Conference participants, as well as people who can relate to congregational issues.
In other business the council took action aimed at clarifying the role of a denominational "spokesperson" and unified representation for the denomination. The council agreed to draft a document asking the 2005-07 Review and Evaluation Committee, which will be appointed at this year's Annual Conference, to revisit the issue in light of the multiple-agency structure that has followed the redesign of the General Board. Previously, the general secretary of the General Board was the designated spokesperson for all matters concerning denominational participation or response, Swartz said. "The Review and Evaluation Committee report of 2001 seems to confirm this position at one point, but then also refers to other agency heads as authorized to speak `even in ecumenical circles' on matters relating to programs managed by that agency," he reported. "Further, in its recommendation on `Who Speaks for the Church' the committee refers to denominational polity that names the Annual Conference moderator as 'the official representative of the church.'" The council will ask the 2005-07 Review and Evaluation Committee to be more specific in its consideration of the issue.
The council continued to pursue answers to questions concerning ministry presented in the 2003 "Query of Clarification of Confusion." The General Board's Ministry Office provided the council with a reference guide to existing statements on ministry. The council voted to seek a more comprehensive understanding of ministry to satisfy the deep issues raised by the query. The council hopes to secure a wider discussion of the issue with district executives, the director of the Ministry Office, and others.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
ABC board focuses on wellness, plans 'Lighten Up, Brethren!'
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board learned of a newly revamped Wellness Ministry during meetings March 18-19 in Elgin, Ill. ABC provides publications, education, and faith opportunities that encourage the church to do caring ministries as the work of Jesus Christ.
The Wellness Ministry's seven-person committee met a day prior to the board to develop a new mission statement and activities for the coming year. The ministry hopes to challenge Brethren to adopt healthy living behaviors by focusing on "metabolic syndrome"--obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and high cholesterol. These medical conditions, while affected by genetics, can be reduced by lifestyle changes. To raise awareness about the consequences of the syndrome, ABC will provide information under a campaign titled "Lighten Up, Brethren!"
Other goals for the ministry include engaging the church in the current public debate about health care delivery, access, finance reform, and stewardship of healthcare resources. The ministry also will promote simple living, "which is healthy and spiritually centered living," said Kathy Reid, ABC 's executive director and staff liaison for the ministry. The ministry's mission "is an enduring sign of our belief that every person is a treasure, every life a sacred gift, every human being a unity of body, mind, and spirit," she added.
Vernne Greiner, ABC board and Wellness Ministry member, committed to losing ten pounds before the board's next meeting in September, and challenged the board to embrace the campaign by doing the same. Seven other board members accepted the challenge.
In other business, the ABC board approved a new structure for peace church work in health and senior care, as an outgrowth of collaboration between ABC, Friends Services for the Aging, and Mennonite Health Services Alliance. The new structure will allow joint projects to be housed under Peace Church Management, a nonprofit corporation already created by the three groups.
The board heard reports on the Annual Forum, a conference for executives and staff of Brethren retirement centers April 21-23 in North Manchester, Ind.; and Caring Ministries Assembly, a conference for deacons, pastors, chaplains, and caregivers Aug. 11-13 in Bridgewater, Va. The board also participated in a development program on Pietism in the Church of the Brethren.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board learned of a newly revamped Wellness Ministry during meetings March 18-19 in Elgin, Ill. ABC provides publications, education, and faith opportunities that encourage the church to do caring ministries as the work of Jesus Christ.
The Wellness Ministry's seven-person committee met a day prior to the board to develop a new mission statement and activities for the coming year. The ministry hopes to challenge Brethren to adopt healthy living behaviors by focusing on "metabolic syndrome"--obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and high cholesterol. These medical conditions, while affected by genetics, can be reduced by lifestyle changes. To raise awareness about the consequences of the syndrome, ABC will provide information under a campaign titled "Lighten Up, Brethren!"
Other goals for the ministry include engaging the church in the current public debate about health care delivery, access, finance reform, and stewardship of healthcare resources. The ministry also will promote simple living, "which is healthy and spiritually centered living," said Kathy Reid, ABC 's executive director and staff liaison for the ministry. The ministry's mission "is an enduring sign of our belief that every person is a treasure, every life a sacred gift, every human being a unity of body, mind, and spirit," she added.
Vernne Greiner, ABC board and Wellness Ministry member, committed to losing ten pounds before the board's next meeting in September, and challenged the board to embrace the campaign by doing the same. Seven other board members accepted the challenge.
In other business, the ABC board approved a new structure for peace church work in health and senior care, as an outgrowth of collaboration between ABC, Friends Services for the Aging, and Mennonite Health Services Alliance. The new structure will allow joint projects to be housed under Peace Church Management, a nonprofit corporation already created by the three groups.
The board heard reports on the Annual Forum, a conference for executives and staff of Brethren retirement centers April 21-23 in North Manchester, Ind.; and Caring Ministries Assembly, a conference for deacons, pastors, chaplains, and caregivers Aug. 11-13 in Bridgewater, Va. The board also participated in a development program on Pietism in the Church of the Brethren.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Brethren bits: Personnel, Earth Sunday, and more.
- Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., has appointed Glenn R. Sharfman as vice president and dean for academic affairs effective July 1. He succeeds Jo Young Switzer who became president of the college on Dec. 1, 2004. Sharfman has served as chair of the History Department and as associate dean and director of graduate studies at Hiram College.
- Shanita Hamlin began as customer resource specialist for Brethren Press in Elgin, Ill., on March 21. She has ten years of customer service background including three years with a religious organization. She is a part-time business administration student at the College of Dupage.
- The General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is highlighting Earth Sunday April 24 as "an excellent opportunity for congregations to reflect on their relationship with God's creation." Worship resources and a bulletin insert on the National Council of Churches' emphasis for the day, "S.acred O.ceans & S.eas," including action suggestions for protecting the oceans, are available from the office. Call 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
- Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren in Blacksburg, Va., is holding a Mortgage Burning Celebration at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10. The church also seeks letters with memories and stories of the church's ministry for a scrapbook. Call 540-951-2588 or e-mail hagedors@vt.edu.
- Northern Plains District has joined other Christians asking for prayer for Red Lake, Minn., following a school shooting March 21. "Let us pray for the Red Lake community. May Christ be present as we continue in this Holy Week," wrote district executive Connie Burkholder in an e-mail to the district. She also communicated the response of the Minnesota Council of Churches, of which the district is a member. The council expressed condolences to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa and urged people to pray, offer support, and cherish children. Council staff also attended a Pipe Ceremony at the state capitol, contacted the All Nations Church to offer assistance, and contacted the Jewish Community Relations Council to express concern about the Nazi website component of the tragedy.
- "Building Health Congregations: Equipping Conflict Transformation Teams," a Ministry of Reconciliation workshop for pastors and church leaders, will be held April 5-8 at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center. The workshop led by Barbara Date will prepare participants to understand and work with personal style differences, assist those in conflict, and plan strategies for intervention. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Reconciliation program of On Earth Peace and the districts of Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle Pennsylvania, Southern Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, Shenandoah, Virlina, and West Marva.
- Dan Southerland, founder of Church Transitions, Inc., will lead a workshop on "Leading Your Church Through Change... and Living to Tell About It" sponsored by the Church Life and Growth Team of Western Pennsylvania District on April 1-2 in Johnstown, Pa. Cost is $90. Participants may receive continuing education units. Call 814-479-7058 or e-mail gram8x@verizon.net.
- A January-term class at the University of La Verne, Calif., took on a service learning project for Habitat for Humanity. In three weeks, the class organized a dinner, auction, dance, and raffle to benefit a blitz-build of six houses in six days. Proceeds totaled more than $6,000. "The real winners of the event were the students who had a sense of camaraderie and the ability to make a difference for those in need," reported Julia Wheeler, university relations staff.
- A 10th annual Wenger Foundation Praise Dinner on April 21 at the Lebanon (Pa.) Expo Center will benefit COBYS Family Services among other nonprofit groups. COBYS is affiliated with Atlantic Northeast District and serves children and families in several Pennsylvania counties. The Wenger Foundation, Inc., was established in 1996 as a response to a tragic death of a family member, and has since awarded more than $750,000 to a variety of nonprofits. Many in the Wenger family are members of Myerstown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, reported Donald R. Fitzkee, development and interpretation coordinator for COBYS. The Booth Brothers Trio and the Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet, both winners of the Southern Gospel Music Association's New Artist of the Year Award, will provide the entertainment at the dinner. Cost is $100 per person or $1,000 for a table of ten.
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) announces delegations to the US/Mexico borderlands May 26-June 7, June 25-July 2, and July 30-Aug. 6. "US border control policies deliberately channel migrants into the most dangerous and inhospitable areas of the desert, resulting in more than 200 migrant deaths in the Arizona borderlands over each of the past two years," CPT reported. "A dramatic increase in the number of Border Patrol agents has militarized the area and residents of US border towns have reported violations of their civil rights." The first delegation will include a six-day, 75-mile walk from Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico, to Tucson, Ariz. Cost of $350 includes on-ground transportation, food, simple accommodations, and fees. See www.cpt.org (click on "Delegations"), call 773-277-0253, or e-mail delegations@cpt.org. CPT is an initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations.
Youth Peace Travel Team for 2005 is named.
Members have been named for the Youth Peace Travel Team 2005. The team will include Nicole Fowler of First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.; Rachel McFadden, Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind.; Ben Bear, Nokesville (Va.) Church of the Brethren; and Ben Ritchey Martin, Grossnickle Church of the Brethren, Myersville, Md.
This young adult team will begin its work with Ministry Summer Service Orientation June 5-9 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and then spend the summer traveling to Church of the Brethren camps in the East and Midwest to lead peace education for youth. The team is sponsored by the Outdoor Ministries Association, On Earth Peace, and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren Volunteer Service, and Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Members have been named for the Youth Peace Travel Team 2005. The team will include Nicole Fowler of First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.; Rachel McFadden, Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind.; Ben Bear, Nokesville (Va.) Church of the Brethren; and Ben Ritchey Martin, Grossnickle Church of the Brethren, Myersville, Md.
This young adult team will begin its work with Ministry Summer Service Orientation June 5-9 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and then spend the summer traveling to Church of the Brethren camps in the East and Midwest to lead peace education for youth. The team is sponsored by the Outdoor Ministries Association, On Earth Peace, and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren Volunteer Service, and Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
On Earth Peace sponsors counter-recruitment conference call.
In response to increased numbers of requests for information about how to counter military recruitment in high schools, On Earth Peace has scheduled a conference call for April 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, to discuss the issue. On Earth Peace is a peace education organization in the Church of the Brethren. Part of its mission is to "empower people to discern the things that make for peace."
The purpose of the conference call is to bring people together who are concerned and working on the issue of counter-recruitment so that they can share experiences and ideas, reported Kim Stuckey Hissong, On Earth Peace program coordinator of Peacemaker Formation. Oskar Castro, program associate for the National Youth and Militarism Program of the American Friends Service Committee, will serve as a specially invited resource person to answer questions, provide guidance, and give up-to-date information. Phil Jones, of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, also will participate. The conference call will be moderated by On Earth Peace staff.
"There is a growing movement in the country by persons concerned about the prevalence of military recruiting and the increase in JROTC programs in local high schools," said Hissong. "Counter-recruitment offers students different opportunities for post-graduation plans and helps students to see that information provided by military recruiters may not always be reliable and factual."
For the agenda and information about how to join the conference call, contact Matt Guynn at 765-962-6234 or e-mail mattguynn@earthlink.net.
In other news from On Earth Peace, Brethren can now stay up to date on peace news with a new monthly column, "Living Peace Church News and Notes." The column sent by e-mail in PDF format will have information about topics of concern for Brethren peacemakers, announcements of upcoming events, and practical guides for reconciliation and peace work, and is intended for congregations and districts to include in newsletters and publications. To receive it, send your e-mail address to bsayler_oepa@brethren.org. Specify if the column should be sent to an address other than your own.
On Earth Peace's Peace Witness Action List, another e-mail service, provides positive news about creative nonviolence in the US and around the world. The list's 380 members receive 3-10 e-mails per week. To join, send your e-mail address to mattguynn@earthlink.net.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
In response to increased numbers of requests for information about how to counter military recruitment in high schools, On Earth Peace has scheduled a conference call for April 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, to discuss the issue. On Earth Peace is a peace education organization in the Church of the Brethren. Part of its mission is to "empower people to discern the things that make for peace."
The purpose of the conference call is to bring people together who are concerned and working on the issue of counter-recruitment so that they can share experiences and ideas, reported Kim Stuckey Hissong, On Earth Peace program coordinator of Peacemaker Formation. Oskar Castro, program associate for the National Youth and Militarism Program of the American Friends Service Committee, will serve as a specially invited resource person to answer questions, provide guidance, and give up-to-date information. Phil Jones, of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, also will participate. The conference call will be moderated by On Earth Peace staff.
"There is a growing movement in the country by persons concerned about the prevalence of military recruiting and the increase in JROTC programs in local high schools," said Hissong. "Counter-recruitment offers students different opportunities for post-graduation plans and helps students to see that information provided by military recruiters may not always be reliable and factual."
For the agenda and information about how to join the conference call, contact Matt Guynn at 765-962-6234 or e-mail mattguynn@earthlink.net.
In other news from On Earth Peace, Brethren can now stay up to date on peace news with a new monthly column, "Living Peace Church News and Notes." The column sent by e-mail in PDF format will have information about topics of concern for Brethren peacemakers, announcements of upcoming events, and practical guides for reconciliation and peace work, and is intended for congregations and districts to include in newsletters and publications. To receive it, send your e-mail address to bsayler_oepa@brethren.org. Specify if the column should be sent to an address other than your own.
On Earth Peace's Peace Witness Action List, another e-mail service, provides positive news about creative nonviolence in the US and around the world. The list's 380 members receive 3-10 e-mails per week. To join, send your e-mail address to mattguynn@earthlink.net.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Peters Creek youth participate in Souper Bowl of Caring.
By Jack Lowe
Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for the past ten years. I learned of it several years before in a mailing from the organization. It seemed like such a simple idea that I was surprised to learn how few churches were actually involved.
I asked the youth of Peters Creek to assist in receiving a special offering for the Souper Bowl of Caring. That's how it works. On Super Bowl Sunday youth stand at the doors of the church following worship with soup pots or bowls. Worshipers are asked to put in $1 as they leave worship. The funds are given to an agency that works on world hunger--a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a denominational hunger fund, or a like agency.
We chose RAM House, a ministry of Roanoke Area Ministries, where people can receive a free breakfast and lunch, food assistance, financial assistance for utilities and prescriptions, and employment assistance. This year our offering included an added component. Our challenge was to raise $250 and receive 250 cans of soup. Results were an offering of $146 and 150 cans of soup, plus other food and paper items. We canceled worship on the last two Sundays of January because of snow and ice, so a special "Joyful Noise Offering" and an offering for tsunami relief also fell to Super Bowl Sunday. Our total for the three special offerings was over $1,700.
The Souper Bowl of Caring began when seminarian Brad Smith prayed in worship at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., on Super Bowl Sunday 1989. "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat," he said. The youth were inspired by the prayer and planned the first Souper Bowl of Caring in the Columbia area in 1990. From 22 churches, it has grown to 10,673 churches and schools raising $3,803,833 so far in 2005. In the Roanoke Valley, Peters Creek is one of over 50 churches that participate. Each year, we seek to recruit at least one new church. My hope is that every Church of the Brethren congregation will join in. For more information see www.souperbowl.org or write to Souper Bowl, Inc., P.O. Box 29224, Columbia, SC 29224.
--Jack Lowe pastors Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
By Jack Lowe
Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for the past ten years. I learned of it several years before in a mailing from the organization. It seemed like such a simple idea that I was surprised to learn how few churches were actually involved.
I asked the youth of Peters Creek to assist in receiving a special offering for the Souper Bowl of Caring. That's how it works. On Super Bowl Sunday youth stand at the doors of the church following worship with soup pots or bowls. Worshipers are asked to put in $1 as they leave worship. The funds are given to an agency that works on world hunger--a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a denominational hunger fund, or a like agency.
We chose RAM House, a ministry of Roanoke Area Ministries, where people can receive a free breakfast and lunch, food assistance, financial assistance for utilities and prescriptions, and employment assistance. This year our offering included an added component. Our challenge was to raise $250 and receive 250 cans of soup. Results were an offering of $146 and 150 cans of soup, plus other food and paper items. We canceled worship on the last two Sundays of January because of snow and ice, so a special "Joyful Noise Offering" and an offering for tsunami relief also fell to Super Bowl Sunday. Our total for the three special offerings was over $1,700.
The Souper Bowl of Caring began when seminarian Brad Smith prayed in worship at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., on Super Bowl Sunday 1989. "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat," he said. The youth were inspired by the prayer and planned the first Souper Bowl of Caring in the Columbia area in 1990. From 22 churches, it has grown to 10,673 churches and schools raising $3,803,833 so far in 2005. In the Roanoke Valley, Peters Creek is one of over 50 churches that participate. Each year, we seek to recruit at least one new church. My hope is that every Church of the Brethren congregation will join in. For more information see www.souperbowl.org or write to Souper Bowl, Inc., P.O. Box 29224, Columbia, SC 29224.
--Jack Lowe pastors Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
To drill or not to drill--it's not just about the environment.
By David Radcliff
The debate over whether or not to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge often centers on environmental concerns. The narrow coastal plain of the 19-million acre preserve--where the drilling is proposed--is summer home to 130 species of birds, as well as mammals as diverse as musk ox and polar bears.
And there's the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The herd, numbering some 130,000 animals, heads to the coastal plain each spring to give birth to as many as 40,000 calves. As a maternity ward for caribou, this is an ideal spot: flat so as to give warning of predators, with wind to keep mosquitoes at bay, and with plenty of tender plant shoots to nourish calves for their end-of-the-summer departure on a 400-mile migration south.
Arguments for and against drilling turn on how much oil is there (some say as little as six-months' worth of US demand), whether there are better ways to reduce our energy dependence (raising the fuel efficiency of the US vehicle fleet, which remains at 1980 levels), and what the impact will be on wildlife and the pristine nature of the area--the last five percent of the northern shore of Alaska that hasn't been opened to oil exploration.
Over the past several years, I have been learning about another dimension of the debate: the effect drilling may have on people 100 miles south of the coastal plain. The Gwich'in people of Arctic Village, Alaska, who host New Community Project delegations, have lived in this part of the world for thousands of years. They are Native American by birth, Episcopalian by baptism, and caribou by culture. In other words, their life revolves around the Porcupine Caribou Herd as it migrates past their village, and others like theirs.
Caribou is a central part of the Gwich'in diet, providing as much as 75 percent of their food. In earlier times, and to some extent today, clothing and tools were derived from the animals. An equally important feature of the Gwich'in relationship with the caribou can be said to be spiritual. "We have always been here," says Gwich'in leader Sarah James. "The Creator put us here to take care of this part of the world."
According to skilled hunter and community leader Charlie Swaney, his people won't go up on the coastal plain to hunt even if they're starving. "We call it `the sacred place where life began.'" There are rules for hunting: not taking the female caribou with calves, and not killing the herd's leaders. Many members of the community take part in the hunt itself, setting up camps on the mountainside nearby. Being in camp provides an opportunity for tribal elders to pass on hunting skills as well as stories of their people to the next generation.
In an action reminiscent of Paul's admonition to the Corinthians concerning the Lord's Supper, the food that the hunters get is shared with others in the community. One of our delegations was with a young hunter named Danny Gemmil when he managed to bag five caribou in one lucky afternoon--just what his growing family needed to make it through the winter. When the animals were taken back to the village, however, they didn't end up in his smokehouse alone. Before the end of the day, people from around the community had stopped by to congratulate him, and take home a portion for themselves.
To drill or not to drill--that may be the question. But it's about more than oil, and our nation's insatiable appetite for it, and the impact drilling is bound to have on the ecosystem. It's also about our neighbors the Gwich'in, the life they have lived for millennia, and what they may have to teach us about community and the sanctity of God's creation.
Want to do something to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Write Congress to oppose drilling in ANWR and support higher mileage standards for vehicles (House: Washington, DC 20515; Senate: Washington, DC 20510). Cut down on your oil consumption--driving a hybrid vehicle will save 3,500 gallons of gasoline in ten years, a bike will save lots more. Visit the Arctic to learn about the Gwich'in and their way of life.
--David Radcliff directs the New Community Project, a Church of the Brethren-related nonprofit organization. He has led delegations to the Arctic each summer since 2002. This year New Community Project will hold an Arctic Village Learning Tour Aug. 20-29. See www.newcommunityproject.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
By David Radcliff
The debate over whether or not to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge often centers on environmental concerns. The narrow coastal plain of the 19-million acre preserve--where the drilling is proposed--is summer home to 130 species of birds, as well as mammals as diverse as musk ox and polar bears.
And there's the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The herd, numbering some 130,000 animals, heads to the coastal plain each spring to give birth to as many as 40,000 calves. As a maternity ward for caribou, this is an ideal spot: flat so as to give warning of predators, with wind to keep mosquitoes at bay, and with plenty of tender plant shoots to nourish calves for their end-of-the-summer departure on a 400-mile migration south.
Arguments for and against drilling turn on how much oil is there (some say as little as six-months' worth of US demand), whether there are better ways to reduce our energy dependence (raising the fuel efficiency of the US vehicle fleet, which remains at 1980 levels), and what the impact will be on wildlife and the pristine nature of the area--the last five percent of the northern shore of Alaska that hasn't been opened to oil exploration.
Over the past several years, I have been learning about another dimension of the debate: the effect drilling may have on people 100 miles south of the coastal plain. The Gwich'in people of Arctic Village, Alaska, who host New Community Project delegations, have lived in this part of the world for thousands of years. They are Native American by birth, Episcopalian by baptism, and caribou by culture. In other words, their life revolves around the Porcupine Caribou Herd as it migrates past their village, and others like theirs.
Caribou is a central part of the Gwich'in diet, providing as much as 75 percent of their food. In earlier times, and to some extent today, clothing and tools were derived from the animals. An equally important feature of the Gwich'in relationship with the caribou can be said to be spiritual. "We have always been here," says Gwich'in leader Sarah James. "The Creator put us here to take care of this part of the world."
According to skilled hunter and community leader Charlie Swaney, his people won't go up on the coastal plain to hunt even if they're starving. "We call it `the sacred place where life began.'" There are rules for hunting: not taking the female caribou with calves, and not killing the herd's leaders. Many members of the community take part in the hunt itself, setting up camps on the mountainside nearby. Being in camp provides an opportunity for tribal elders to pass on hunting skills as well as stories of their people to the next generation.
In an action reminiscent of Paul's admonition to the Corinthians concerning the Lord's Supper, the food that the hunters get is shared with others in the community. One of our delegations was with a young hunter named Danny Gemmil when he managed to bag five caribou in one lucky afternoon--just what his growing family needed to make it through the winter. When the animals were taken back to the village, however, they didn't end up in his smokehouse alone. Before the end of the day, people from around the community had stopped by to congratulate him, and take home a portion for themselves.
To drill or not to drill--that may be the question. But it's about more than oil, and our nation's insatiable appetite for it, and the impact drilling is bound to have on the ecosystem. It's also about our neighbors the Gwich'in, the life they have lived for millennia, and what they may have to teach us about community and the sanctity of God's creation.
Want to do something to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Write Congress to oppose drilling in ANWR and support higher mileage standards for vehicles (House: Washington, DC 20515; Senate: Washington, DC 20510). Cut down on your oil consumption--driving a hybrid vehicle will save 3,500 gallons of gasoline in ten years, a bike will save lots more. Visit the Arctic to learn about the Gwich'in and their way of life.
--David Radcliff directs the New Community Project, a Church of the Brethren-related nonprofit organization. He has led delegations to the Arctic each summer since 2002. This year New Community Project will hold an Arctic Village Learning Tour Aug. 20-29. See www.newcommunityproject.org.
Source: 03/30/2005 Newsline
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Chris Douglas, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Kim Stuckey Hissong, Jeri S. Kornegay, Howard Royer, Fred Swartz, and Julia Wheeler contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Chris Douglas, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Kim Stuckey Hissong, Jeri S. Kornegay, Howard Royer, Fred Swartz, and Julia Wheeler contributed to this report.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
NEWS
- General Board hears good news, shares glimpses of the church.
- Church-college conversation focuses on vocation.
- Inter-Agency Forum holds 'successful and gratifying meeting.'
- Global Food Crisis Fund distributes $90,000 for hunger relief.
- Disaster fund gives grants, disaster projects are completed.
- Dominican assembly welcomes church planting projects.
- Brethren bits: Personnel, Annual Conference, and more.
General Board hears good news, shares glimpses of the church.
Meeting in Elgin, Ill., March 11-14, the General Board received numerous reports of positive developments in the agency and in the church. The agenda included time to focus on stories from board members and their congregations and districts (see feature story below).
A positive income report headed the good news (see the Feb. 16 Newsline). A giving report for 2004 "showed the first growth in years" in congregational giving to the board's Core Ministries Fund, according to Ken Neher, director of Funding and Donor Development. Other categories of giving were up as well, and the prospect for 2005 is similarly bright. Self-allocation reporting from congregations for 2005, which is up 8.9 percent from 2004, was another positive note, as was the giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) this year, which totals $868,775. "It is remarkable what our gifts can do when bound together in Christ," Neher said.
Reports of recent out-of-the-ordinary efforts highlighted the breadth of the board's work: the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service on CBS, the response to the tsunami, and the Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service. Reports of these three juxtaposed in one meeting gave a sense of how the board is working in areas of worship, peace, service, and witness.
The board also received a report from Dale Roth, chair of the Stewardship of Properties Committee, a board-appointed committee considering use of General Board properties in Elgin, Ill., and New Windsor, Md. He reported plans to gather data from board members and staff, districts, the church at large, Annual Conference agencies, and other organizations that rent from the board. "We're open to the Spirit," he said, adding that the committee does not have a "preconceived notion" about the outcome of its work. He outlined questions the committee will ask and a timeline for the study, which will include an insight session at Annual Conference and conclude with a report and recommendations to the board in March 2006.
Board members discussed how to have informed decision making when the recommendation is received and asked that the board's October meeting include consideration of the committee's survey questions as a group. Heads of other Conference agencies may be invited. "This must be a very transparent and collaborative discussion," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary.
A capital proposal was approved for up to $130,000 for masonry repair on the four oldest buildings at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Repairs are needed "so it doesn't deteriorate any further and become a more expensive problem," said executive director Roy Winter. Safety concerns also motivated the proposal.
A project to increase donations to the Emerging Global Mission Fund was presented early in the meeting. The fund supports new church planting in the US and mission in Brazil. "New Birth, New Life" would encourage Brethren to mark events of new life—such as baptisms, births, anniversaries, memorials—with gifts to the fund. A concern that the approach would not generate the amount of money needed was expressed as well. "We see this as seed planting," said Del Keeney, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries. "This feels incremental but it has the potential to change folk." By the end of the meeting, two unsolicited donations to the Emerging Global Mission Fund had been received. A collection for One Great Hour of Sharing, taken on Sunday morning when many congregations observed the annual offering, received $536.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
Meeting in Elgin, Ill., March 11-14, the General Board received numerous reports of positive developments in the agency and in the church. The agenda included time to focus on stories from board members and their congregations and districts (see feature story below).
A positive income report headed the good news (see the Feb. 16 Newsline). A giving report for 2004 "showed the first growth in years" in congregational giving to the board's Core Ministries Fund, according to Ken Neher, director of Funding and Donor Development. Other categories of giving were up as well, and the prospect for 2005 is similarly bright. Self-allocation reporting from congregations for 2005, which is up 8.9 percent from 2004, was another positive note, as was the giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) this year, which totals $868,775. "It is remarkable what our gifts can do when bound together in Christ," Neher said.
Reports of recent out-of-the-ordinary efforts highlighted the breadth of the board's work: the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service on CBS, the response to the tsunami, and the Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service. Reports of these three juxtaposed in one meeting gave a sense of how the board is working in areas of worship, peace, service, and witness.
The board also received a report from Dale Roth, chair of the Stewardship of Properties Committee, a board-appointed committee considering use of General Board properties in Elgin, Ill., and New Windsor, Md. He reported plans to gather data from board members and staff, districts, the church at large, Annual Conference agencies, and other organizations that rent from the board. "We're open to the Spirit," he said, adding that the committee does not have a "preconceived notion" about the outcome of its work. He outlined questions the committee will ask and a timeline for the study, which will include an insight session at Annual Conference and conclude with a report and recommendations to the board in March 2006.
Board members discussed how to have informed decision making when the recommendation is received and asked that the board's October meeting include consideration of the committee's survey questions as a group. Heads of other Conference agencies may be invited. "This must be a very transparent and collaborative discussion," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary.
A capital proposal was approved for up to $130,000 for masonry repair on the four oldest buildings at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Repairs are needed "so it doesn't deteriorate any further and become a more expensive problem," said executive director Roy Winter. Safety concerns also motivated the proposal.
A project to increase donations to the Emerging Global Mission Fund was presented early in the meeting. The fund supports new church planting in the US and mission in Brazil. "New Birth, New Life" would encourage Brethren to mark events of new life—such as baptisms, births, anniversaries, memorials—with gifts to the fund. A concern that the approach would not generate the amount of money needed was expressed as well. "We see this as seed planting," said Del Keeney, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries. "This feels incremental but it has the potential to change folk." By the end of the meeting, two unsolicited donations to the Emerging Global Mission Fund had been received. A collection for One Great Hour of Sharing, taken on Sunday morning when many congregations observed the annual offering, received $536.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
Church-college conversation focuses on vocation.
About 70 Brethren college administrators, college chaplains, denominational staff members, pastors, and others met Feb. 10-12 at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., for a "Church-College Conversation" on issues of faith leadership and vocation. Manchester campus chaplain Jim Chinworth said the time was intended "to create a space where we can listen, not just to each other, but to the holy and sacred."
The group was joined for the second half of the meeting by more than 20 college students who have been part of Ministry Summer Service (MSS) or Theological Exploration of Vocation (TEV), programs designed to help young adults explore Christian vocation. Those students then stayed on for a student leadership conference.
Manchester president Jo Young Switzer thanked the Lilly Endowment for the funds that made the events possible, calling it a tremendous gift. "Let's be like kids at Christmas time, rip it open, and have some fun," she said.
Margee Iddings of the Rising Phoenix Retreat Center in Maryland led several worship times, weaving in biblical background for leadership and vocation. Two of the worship times included listening circles in which participants were able to share their own stories of call and examine the challenges, fears, and joys of those callings. In another main session Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, a member of Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn., and an ordained minister, shared her personal journey that led to ordination. Del Keeney, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries for the General Board, followed with an overview of Brethren heritage and tradition related to calling. "In our tradition, to aspire to leadership is the quickest way not to be called to it," Keeney said. "It is the community that names the gifts and calls them out and affirms them."
Further exploration of calling came via short vignettes that students shared before each meal, in small-group table discussions, and through journaling. David White of Emory University's Candler School of Theology led a session of "creative play," in which participants created living sculptures to illustrate their perceptions of the church-college relationship. White and the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry director Chris Douglas teamed up to share some of the learnings and best practices of MSS and TEV. MSS has had 110 young adult interns serving in congregations or other ministry settings over the past nine years, while TEV has placed 91 college students over the past four summers, many in Brethren Volunteer Service projects. This coming summer is the last funded by a special Lilly grant.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
About 70 Brethren college administrators, college chaplains, denominational staff members, pastors, and others met Feb. 10-12 at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., for a "Church-College Conversation" on issues of faith leadership and vocation. Manchester campus chaplain Jim Chinworth said the time was intended "to create a space where we can listen, not just to each other, but to the holy and sacred."
The group was joined for the second half of the meeting by more than 20 college students who have been part of Ministry Summer Service (MSS) or Theological Exploration of Vocation (TEV), programs designed to help young adults explore Christian vocation. Those students then stayed on for a student leadership conference.
Manchester president Jo Young Switzer thanked the Lilly Endowment for the funds that made the events possible, calling it a tremendous gift. "Let's be like kids at Christmas time, rip it open, and have some fun," she said.
Margee Iddings of the Rising Phoenix Retreat Center in Maryland led several worship times, weaving in biblical background for leadership and vocation. Two of the worship times included listening circles in which participants were able to share their own stories of call and examine the challenges, fears, and joys of those callings. In another main session Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, a member of Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn., and an ordained minister, shared her personal journey that led to ordination. Del Keeney, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries for the General Board, followed with an overview of Brethren heritage and tradition related to calling. "In our tradition, to aspire to leadership is the quickest way not to be called to it," Keeney said. "It is the community that names the gifts and calls them out and affirms them."
Further exploration of calling came via short vignettes that students shared before each meal, in small-group table discussions, and through journaling. David White of Emory University's Candler School of Theology led a session of "creative play," in which participants created living sculptures to illustrate their perceptions of the church-college relationship. White and the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry director Chris Douglas teamed up to share some of the learnings and best practices of MSS and TEV. MSS has had 110 young adult interns serving in congregations or other ministry settings over the past nine years, while TEV has placed 91 college students over the past four summers, many in Brethren Volunteer Service projects. This coming summer is the last funded by a special Lilly grant.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
Inter-Agency Forum holds 'successful and gratifying meeting.'
The Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) held its ninth annual meeting Feb. 2-3 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Annual Conference officers and executive director, a representative from the Council of District Executives (CODE), and executives and board chairs of the five Conference agencies were present. Chris Bowman, immediate past Conference moderator, led the meeting.
Collaboration and economization of resources by sharing common tasks was a dominant theme. One member commented that the desire to work together was more evident now than he had seen in more than 30 years' association with the denomination.
A major item of discussion was how agencies can collaborate to provide a more effective and comprehensive report to district conferences. The discussion began in a CODE meeting on the eve of the IAF meeting. A proposal was presented to designate representatives from two of the agencies to give a video presentation of the work of all the agencies, and then briefly talk in more detail about the work of their own agencies. Representatives of two other agencies would visit that district conference the following year, and the final agency would be represented the next year, with all agencies to be represented each three years. Exhibits would reflect a collaborative effort to present the entire work of the denomination.
District executives cautioned that each district conference is unique in its agenda and time allotment, but gave a warm reception to the idea, especially as it demonstrates an effort to show unity and creativity in denominational reporting. Members of IAF developed the idea in more detail and commissioned the communications staffs of the agencies to propose a design, beginning with the 2005 district conference season.
Other arenas in which a more unified purpose can be presented include Annual Conference, the annual consultation with Standing Committee, and the memorial time for church leaders observed at Conference.
The IAF also examined some issues of critical nature for the denomination: providing a medical plan for pastors and church workers, promoting deferred giving to denominational agencies, the study of the stewardship of denominational properties, pros and cons of dispersed staff, and how IAF members should be involved in and informed about issues that divide the denomination and alienate segments of the membership. Annual Conference, CODE, and the agencies reported their activities, financial status, and concerns as the IAF concluded what was called its most successful and gratifying meeting, reported Fred Swartz, Annual Conference secretary.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
The Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) held its ninth annual meeting Feb. 2-3 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Annual Conference officers and executive director, a representative from the Council of District Executives (CODE), and executives and board chairs of the five Conference agencies were present. Chris Bowman, immediate past Conference moderator, led the meeting.
Collaboration and economization of resources by sharing common tasks was a dominant theme. One member commented that the desire to work together was more evident now than he had seen in more than 30 years' association with the denomination.
A major item of discussion was how agencies can collaborate to provide a more effective and comprehensive report to district conferences. The discussion began in a CODE meeting on the eve of the IAF meeting. A proposal was presented to designate representatives from two of the agencies to give a video presentation of the work of all the agencies, and then briefly talk in more detail about the work of their own agencies. Representatives of two other agencies would visit that district conference the following year, and the final agency would be represented the next year, with all agencies to be represented each three years. Exhibits would reflect a collaborative effort to present the entire work of the denomination.
District executives cautioned that each district conference is unique in its agenda and time allotment, but gave a warm reception to the idea, especially as it demonstrates an effort to show unity and creativity in denominational reporting. Members of IAF developed the idea in more detail and commissioned the communications staffs of the agencies to propose a design, beginning with the 2005 district conference season.
Other arenas in which a more unified purpose can be presented include Annual Conference, the annual consultation with Standing Committee, and the memorial time for church leaders observed at Conference.
The IAF also examined some issues of critical nature for the denomination: providing a medical plan for pastors and church workers, promoting deferred giving to denominational agencies, the study of the stewardship of denominational properties, pros and cons of dispersed staff, and how IAF members should be involved in and informed about issues that divide the denomination and alienate segments of the membership. Annual Conference, CODE, and the agencies reported their activities, financial status, and concerns as the IAF concluded what was called its most successful and gratifying meeting, reported Fred Swartz, Annual Conference secretary.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
Global Food Crisis Fund distributes $90,000 for hunger relief.
The General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) has issued three large grants for hunger relief in North Korea, El Salvador, and Angola.
The GFCF allocated $50,000 to continue support for a longterm international farm rehabilitation project in North Korea. The project encompasses 24,000 acres across three coastal and inland counties, and involves four large farm cooperatives. The first $60,000 GFCF grant toward this effort in Jan. 2004 supported early planting of barley and rice; this new grant will help provide new and additional grain and vegetables along with material for protective covering of the crops.
In other grants the GFCF gave $20,000 to support Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel in an irrigation and water conservation project in the San Simon area of El Salvador, which will help ten communities with water management, growing crops, fruit tree cultivation, reforestation, and education. In Angola, the fund gave $20,000 to support SHARECircle in the agricultural phase of its post-war construction work. The funds will go toward equipping and training 10,000 family farmers with tools to grow grains and vegetables and will assist with water management and infrastructure.
For more information about the Global Food Crisis Fund, see www.brethren.org.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
The General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) has issued three large grants for hunger relief in North Korea, El Salvador, and Angola.
The GFCF allocated $50,000 to continue support for a longterm international farm rehabilitation project in North Korea. The project encompasses 24,000 acres across three coastal and inland counties, and involves four large farm cooperatives. The first $60,000 GFCF grant toward this effort in Jan. 2004 supported early planting of barley and rice; this new grant will help provide new and additional grain and vegetables along with material for protective covering of the crops.
In other grants the GFCF gave $20,000 to support Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel in an irrigation and water conservation project in the San Simon area of El Salvador, which will help ten communities with water management, growing crops, fruit tree cultivation, reforestation, and education. In Angola, the fund gave $20,000 to support SHARECircle in the agricultural phase of its post-war construction work. The funds will go toward equipping and training 10,000 family farmers with tools to grow grains and vegetables and will assist with water management and infrastructure.
For more information about the Global Food Crisis Fund, see www.brethren.org.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Disaster fund gives grants, disaster projects are completed.
Several grants have been given from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) totaling $50,000, and disaster response staff are celebrating completion of disaster rebuilding and repair projects in Poquoson, Va., and Camp Ithiel in Florida.
The EDF grants are headed by $20,000 for the Brethren Disaster Response work in Florida, where funds will continue clean-up, repair, and rebuilding projects. An allocation of $10,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for peace and rebuilding initiatives in post-war Liberia, including building permanent shelters, distributing tools and seeds, and health services for women, youth, and children. Another $10,000 goes to CWS hurricane disaster response work in nine US states and territories, continuing to provide small grants to recovery groups, trauma response training, "Gift of the Heart" kits, and supporting staff working on longterm recovery. A grant of $5,000 supports a CWS appeal for longterm recovery from severe flooding and mudslides in five US states: California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Arizona. Another $5,000 supports CWS recovery work in the Philippines following flooding and mudslides in Nov. 2004.
In other disaster response news, the rebuilding project in Poquoson, Va., is completed and will close March 19. "In the past 13 months, over 700 volunteers have assisted more than 50 families," reported Jane Yount, of the General Board's Emergency Response. "Well done!" she added in a newsletter for disaster volunteers. "It's difficult to say goodbye to a community that has been so warm and accepting of our presence, but we rejoice at their recovery and healing from Hurricane Isabel."
A project to repair storm damage at Camp Ithiel, a Church of the Brethren camp in Gotha, Fla., also has been completed. Over 100 volunteers worked at the camp and in the surrounding community starting in January. "Now it is time to move on," Yount said, reporting that the project will move to Pensacola, Fla., over Holy Week. Pensacola and neighboring Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties bore the brunt of Hurricane Ivan on Sept. 16, 2004, the third of four hurricanes to strike Florida in a five-week period. Volunteer Glenn Kinsel reported, "Upon flying in over the area, I was immediately struck with the preponderance of blue (tarped) roofs.... The older, non-affluent area of the inner city of Pensacola is indeed in bad shape.... One shocking statistic is that as of now one in eight persons in the area is homeless." Volunteers will repair roofs and water-damaged sections of homes.
For more information about the General Board's disaster response work, see www.brethren.org.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Several grants have been given from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) totaling $50,000, and disaster response staff are celebrating completion of disaster rebuilding and repair projects in Poquoson, Va., and Camp Ithiel in Florida.
The EDF grants are headed by $20,000 for the Brethren Disaster Response work in Florida, where funds will continue clean-up, repair, and rebuilding projects. An allocation of $10,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for peace and rebuilding initiatives in post-war Liberia, including building permanent shelters, distributing tools and seeds, and health services for women, youth, and children. Another $10,000 goes to CWS hurricane disaster response work in nine US states and territories, continuing to provide small grants to recovery groups, trauma response training, "Gift of the Heart" kits, and supporting staff working on longterm recovery. A grant of $5,000 supports a CWS appeal for longterm recovery from severe flooding and mudslides in five US states: California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Arizona. Another $5,000 supports CWS recovery work in the Philippines following flooding and mudslides in Nov. 2004.
In other disaster response news, the rebuilding project in Poquoson, Va., is completed and will close March 19. "In the past 13 months, over 700 volunteers have assisted more than 50 families," reported Jane Yount, of the General Board's Emergency Response. "Well done!" she added in a newsletter for disaster volunteers. "It's difficult to say goodbye to a community that has been so warm and accepting of our presence, but we rejoice at their recovery and healing from Hurricane Isabel."
A project to repair storm damage at Camp Ithiel, a Church of the Brethren camp in Gotha, Fla., also has been completed. Over 100 volunteers worked at the camp and in the surrounding community starting in January. "Now it is time to move on," Yount said, reporting that the project will move to Pensacola, Fla., over Holy Week. Pensacola and neighboring Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties bore the brunt of Hurricane Ivan on Sept. 16, 2004, the third of four hurricanes to strike Florida in a five-week period. Volunteer Glenn Kinsel reported, "Upon flying in over the area, I was immediately struck with the preponderance of blue (tarped) roofs.... The older, non-affluent area of the inner city of Pensacola is indeed in bad shape.... One shocking statistic is that as of now one in eight persons in the area is homeless." Volunteers will repair roofs and water-damaged sections of homes.
For more information about the General Board's disaster response work, see www.brethren.org.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Dominican assembly welcomes church planting projects.
The 14th Annual Assembly of the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic was held Feb. 18-20 in Santo Domingo with the theme "Peace in the Storm" from Luke 8:22-25. Preachers included Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, and Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator.
Led by moderator and pastor Anastacia Bueno Beltre, some 95 delegates and many additional attenders enjoyed a spirited weekend of worship, business, and fellowship. The 19 Dominican congregations gave a hearty official welcome to three new church planting projects: Carmona, located in the area of Sabana Grande de Boya, is a "daughter" of the San Luis congregation and because of its larger size was welcomed as a fellowship; Al Coride, a preaching point of the Peniel congregation; and Villa Esperanza, a preaching point of the San Juan congregation. Delegates elected as pastor Mardocheo Catalice from the "Fe en Cristo" congregation in Boca Chica as moderator-elect and approved a 2005 budget.
The assembly also received reports from all the congregations, elected leaders, and General Board staff working in the DR, while the children in attendance enjoyed activities provided by Dominican church leaders working jointly with a work group from Florin Church of the Brethren, Mount Joy, Pa. Youth and young adults were led in Bible study by Carol Yeazell, a member of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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The 14th Annual Assembly of the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic was held Feb. 18-20 in Santo Domingo with the theme "Peace in the Storm" from Luke 8:22-25. Preachers included Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, and Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator.
Led by moderator and pastor Anastacia Bueno Beltre, some 95 delegates and many additional attenders enjoyed a spirited weekend of worship, business, and fellowship. The 19 Dominican congregations gave a hearty official welcome to three new church planting projects: Carmona, located in the area of Sabana Grande de Boya, is a "daughter" of the San Luis congregation and because of its larger size was welcomed as a fellowship; Al Coride, a preaching point of the Peniel congregation; and Villa Esperanza, a preaching point of the San Juan congregation. Delegates elected as pastor Mardocheo Catalice from the "Fe en Cristo" congregation in Boca Chica as moderator-elect and approved a 2005 budget.
The assembly also received reports from all the congregations, elected leaders, and General Board staff working in the DR, while the children in attendance enjoyed activities provided by Dominican church leaders working jointly with a work group from Florin Church of the Brethren, Mount Joy, Pa. Youth and young adults were led in Bible study by Carol Yeazell, a member of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Brethren bits: Personnel, Annual Conference, and more.
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- Marilyn Ziegler has been appointed interim manager of the Pension Plan and Church Workers Assistance Plan at Brethren Benefit Trust effective March 1. She will occupy the former office of Don Fecher. At this time, the appointment is until the end of 2005.
- Pre-registration for Annual Conference 2005 in Peoria, Ill., is now available online at www.brethren.org/ac or by using the pre-registration form in the Information Packet. The packet has been sent on CD to Church of the Brethren congregations in the March Source mailing, and is available online. For more information call the Annual Conference Office at 800-323-8039.
- The Annual Conference Anniversary Committee invites submissions of music, drama, and worship resources representing the 2008 Tricentennial theme "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." Music submissions, due June 30, may include hymns, folk songs, praise songs, anthems, and children's songs. Dramatic writings, due Dec. 31, may be full-length dramas, skits, monologues, and vignettes for adults, children, and/or youth. Worship resources, due Dec. 31, may include calls to worship, prayers, litanies, responsive readings, offertory statements, children's stories, benedictions, worship centers (description and/or drawing), power point presentations, and interpretive movements. All submissions become the property of the Anniversary Committee for use in tricentennial activities. Name, address, and phone number of the writer or composer should not appear on the submission but should be included on a separate page. Send submissions to the Annual Conference Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
- March 31 is the deadline for this year's "Messenger" youth essay contest. It is open to anyone age 13-18 during the current school year. Answer the question, "What do you like best about the Church of the Brethren?" in 300 words or less and send it to messenger@brethren.org or to 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, postmarked by March 31. Include name, address, age, phone number, e-mail, and home congregation. Up to five entries will be published in the July/August issue; the writer of the top entry will be invited to share his or her essay at the 2005 "Messenger" dinner at Annual Conference.
- "Messenger" magazine readers noted a few months ago that a Church of the Brethren high school senior was recognized as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. While these names often are published in local newspapers, there is no way to research the total Church of the Brethren list. If you are aware of a National Merit Scholarship finalist who is a member of the Church of the Brethren and attending either high school or college, please send that information to cobnews@aol.com.
- "Ever eaten a haystack?" asks the Global Mission Partnership Office of the General Board, sponsor of the Mission Alive 2005 conference in Goshen, Ind., April 1-3. Youth from Goshen's Rock Run Church of the Brethren are providing a regional dish known as a "haystack" for the Saturday evening meal at the conference, as a fundraiser for National Youth Conference. Participation by nearby congregations in meal preparation, music, and other aspects of the conference has been an important dimension of the event, organizers said. Participants also are coming from across the US and a few other nations. Keynote speaker Nathan Showalter is traveling from China to attend, and workshop and panel speakers Marcos and Suely Inhauser will attend from Igreja da Irmandade Brasil (the Church of the Brethren in Brazil). Participants are reminded to bring a gift for new missions from their congregations and "Hymnal: A Worship Book." For more information see the Mission Alive page of www.brethren.org, including the list of 21 workshops that will be offered. Registration also continues at this site, or call Mary Munson at 800-323-8039 ext. 230.
- The General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is supporting activities March 18-20 in Fayetteville, N.C., to voice opposition to the war in Iraq on the second anniversary of the war. Activities will include a march and rally, a concert by hip-hop artists Ricanstruction and Little Brother, and a meeting on "Organizing in the South: Strengthening Our Communities, Sharpening Our Skills." The first national meetings of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Gold Star Families for Peace are also planned. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office will set up a table March 19 and will gather Brethren participants to march together. Last year a similar event in Fayetteville, which is home to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, drew 1,500 people. Heavy involvement by veterans and military families makes the Fayetteville events unique, according to an Action Alert from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. For more information see www.ncpeacejustice.org, call the office at 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org. See www.unitedforpeace.org for information about events planned in other parts of the country.
- Don Vermilyea has passed the 14,000-mile mark and has begun year four of his Walk Across America. The Brethren Volunteer Service worker is attempting to walk to every Church of the Brethren congregation. See http://www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html or listen to Vermilyea's phone message at 800-323-8039 ext. 239.
- "Study of the Psalms," a Teleconference Continuing Education Event sponsored by Bethany Theological Seminary's Susquehanna Valley Satellite 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 9, will feature Robert Neff, a Church of the Brethren biblical scholar. Cost is $100 plus a $10 continuing education fee. Pre-registration is required by March 25. The teleconference is limited to 20 seats at each location. For more information call 814-643-6001 or e-mail svs@etown.edu.
- A church-supported boycott of Taco Bell and its parent company, Yum Brands, ended March 8 after Taco Bell agreed to a penny-per-pound increase in wages for migrant tomato pickers in Florida, reports Religion News Service. Church groups that joined the boycott included the National Council of Churches, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Tomato pickers earn about 40 cents for each 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, according to "The Washington Post," and must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50. Labor leader Lucas Benitez said, "This is an important victory for farmworkers, one that establishes a new standard of social responsibility for the fast-food industry and makes an immediate material change in the lives of workers."
- The early-bird registration deadline is approaching for a New Life Ministries event led by Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren in Telford, Pa., April 26. "Renewing the Church—Reclaiming the Gospel" also features Brethren workshop leaders Fred Bernhard, Steve Clapp, S. Joan Hershey, David Young, and Paul Mundey. Save $10 by registering before April 1. Church of the Brethren attendees will earn .6 continuing education units. For more information call 800-774-3360, e-mail NLMServiceCenter@aol.com, or visit www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.
- "Let March 20 this year be a celebration of the beginning of the end of the war and occupation" in Iraq, wrote Cliff Kindy, a Church of the Brethren member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). March 20 is the second anniversary of the beginning of the war. "This is the day the US public should proclaim the end of the war," Kindy urged in a letter to supporters of his peacemaking work based in Baghdad. His suggestions for celebratory peacemaking actions on March 20 included bringing the US soldiers home, supporting military resisters, and wrapping peace ribbons around weapons factories, among many others. "CPT has been here in Iraq for well over two years. Please hear this proposal," Kindy asked. "March 20 will no longer be a time to remember war, but a time of new beginnings." For more information about Kindy's work see www.cpt.org. CPT is an initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations.
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Julie Hostetter resigns from Congregational Life Teams.
Julie M. Hostetter, coordinator of Congregational Life Team (CLT) Area 3 for the General Board, has resigned effective April 30. She has accepted the position of Academic Coordinator for United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where she received her master of divinity degree in 1982 and served as administrative staff for five-and-a-half years.
Hostetter began with the board in 1997, working from Roanoke, Va. She brought experience as a co-pastor, pastoral administrator, church musician, and teacher, as well as a priority for education and the place of children to her work. Her duties included resourcing and consulting with congregations and districts, networking with Annual Conference agencies, and providing leadership training in Christian education, worship, music, and ethics. She coordinated the editorial team for "The Seed Packet" Christian education newsletter, served on the advisory committee for the new Gather 'Round curriculum, and chaired the launch committee for TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church.
Hostetter plans to bring her regional work to a close by April 30, but will continue denomination-related tasks during a time of transition. Carol Yeazell, Area 3 CLT member, will serve as interim coordinator until a new CLT staff member is hired.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Julie M. Hostetter, coordinator of Congregational Life Team (CLT) Area 3 for the General Board, has resigned effective April 30. She has accepted the position of Academic Coordinator for United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where she received her master of divinity degree in 1982 and served as administrative staff for five-and-a-half years.
Hostetter began with the board in 1997, working from Roanoke, Va. She brought experience as a co-pastor, pastoral administrator, church musician, and teacher, as well as a priority for education and the place of children to her work. Her duties included resourcing and consulting with congregations and districts, networking with Annual Conference agencies, and providing leadership training in Christian education, worship, music, and ethics. She coordinated the editorial team for "The Seed Packet" Christian education newsletter, served on the advisory committee for the new Gather 'Round curriculum, and chaired the launch committee for TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church.
Hostetter plans to bring her regional work to a close by April 30, but will continue denomination-related tasks during a time of transition. Carol Yeazell, Area 3 CLT member, will serve as interim coordinator until a new CLT staff member is hired.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Young adults will meet on 'Provoking Love and Good Deeds.'
Young Adult Conference (YAC) will be held the weekend of May 27-29 at Woodland Altars, a Church of the Brethren camp near Peebles, Ohio. The theme for the conference is "Provoking Love and Good Deeds" from Hebrews 10:24.
"A majority of the leadership is already in place," reported Bob Etzweiler of the Young Adult Steering Committee. "Music and worship are in good hands." Church of the Brethren musicians Shawn Kirchner and Joseph Helfrich are leading music and General Board staff Walt Wiltschek and Becky Ullom are planning worship. Speakers Kurt Borgmann, Cliff Kindy, and Margo Miller will focus three worship times during the weekend. A fourth worship time will use drama and multimedia to explore the theme.
"Workshops were done a little differently at National Young Adult Conference this past year," Etzweiler added. "Called 'padares,' there was a shift from focus on the seeker to more group participation. They'll be a part of YAC this year with a lot of topics to choose from," he said. "With the chance to meet other young adults, singing, worship, a coffeehouse or two, small groups, recreation, padares, free time, and just hanging out, YAC promises to be a great weekend. We hope to see you there!"
For more information and to register see www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/yac.htm. Cost is $80. Participants may request the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office to send a letter to their home congregations asking them to provide a $50 scholarship. Scholarship requests must be received by April 30.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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Young Adult Conference (YAC) will be held the weekend of May 27-29 at Woodland Altars, a Church of the Brethren camp near Peebles, Ohio. The theme for the conference is "Provoking Love and Good Deeds" from Hebrews 10:24.
"A majority of the leadership is already in place," reported Bob Etzweiler of the Young Adult Steering Committee. "Music and worship are in good hands." Church of the Brethren musicians Shawn Kirchner and Joseph Helfrich are leading music and General Board staff Walt Wiltschek and Becky Ullom are planning worship. Speakers Kurt Borgmann, Cliff Kindy, and Margo Miller will focus three worship times during the weekend. A fourth worship time will use drama and multimedia to explore the theme.
"Workshops were done a little differently at National Young Adult Conference this past year," Etzweiler added. "Called 'padares,' there was a shift from focus on the seeker to more group participation. They'll be a part of YAC this year with a lot of topics to choose from," he said. "With the chance to meet other young adults, singing, worship, a coffeehouse or two, small groups, recreation, padares, free time, and just hanging out, YAC promises to be a great weekend. We hope to see you there!"
For more information and to register see www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/yac.htm. Cost is $80. Participants may request the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office to send a letter to their home congregations asking them to provide a $50 scholarship. Scholarship requests must be received by April 30.
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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General Board shares glimpses of the church.
The General Board in its March 11-14 meeting shared stories from congregations and districts that became, in effect, an informal collective "snapshot" of the church.
Many board members talked enthusiastically of energy and excitement in their congregations and districts for the work of Jesus Christ and the task of calling new disciples. In his general secretary's report, Stan Noffsinger spoke of being at the annual assembly of the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic, where each announcement of a new fellowship was met with a round of applause. From that point on, General Board members applauded each mention of a new fellowship—as well as other signs of new life in the church.
"God indeed has blessed our congregation," said J.D. Glick, who pastors a new church that three weeks ago moved into its first building, enabled by generous gifts to pay half of the $700,000 cost in one down payment. Jaime Diaz reported news of a large youth group at the new fellowship in Arecibo, P.R., and an "explosion" in attendance at Rio Prieto. Dale Minnich talked about the transformation movement in Western Plains District. Russell Betz reported renewal in two small congregations in Southern Plains District. "We're seeing God working in our churches," he said. Janet Stutzman praised the powerful prayer chain at the Sunnyslope Brethren/United Church of Christ congregation. "I just think the church is ready to explode," said Doug Diamond of his congregation's enthusiasm for saving souls, "because people are just ready to invite their neighbors to be part of the church."
"What does it mean to build a church?" asked Doug Price, one of several board members who also gave voice to key questions currently facing the church. Price reflected on the experience of helping to build a church in Honduras, for a congregation that grew out of disaster relief work. Tim Harvey asked a related question, "How do we become a missional congregation?"
"Are we intentional about calling pastors out of our congregations?" asked Jay Carter, who recently began work as a pastor after 28 years in secular work. David Sollenberger echoed the concern for calling ministers and the process of licensing and ordination.
How the church welcomes children is another challenge, said Michael Benner. The church can see children "as a gift God has brought into our midst" or "give them the cold shoulder." Others echoed the concern for youth and extended it to young adults. Susan Kinsel Fitze told the story of a youth ministry that began in the Trotwood (Ohio) Church of the Brethren following the tragic death of the custodian's 18-year-old son. Jeff Neuman-Lee reported on a personal "What If" project to new patterns of worship for young adults. Is the church "willing to attract young people or are they not?" Carol Kussart asked.
"This is an incredible time to be in church work," summarized Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook. "Believe it or not, the world is looking to us, looking to the church for answers. We are in a spiritual awakening."
In his moderator's report, he urged the board not to squander what may be a crucial moment of opportunity for the Church of the Brethren. Hardenbrook referred to two unprecedented events as indicators of what he called a "tipping point," that when looking for a church to provide its annual Christmas Eve service, CBS turned to the Church of the Brethren; and Selective Service also turned to the Brethren from among the peace churches. "It is very possible in this church's life that this is one of those tipping points," Hardenbrook said. "Use it well."
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
Top
The General Board in its March 11-14 meeting shared stories from congregations and districts that became, in effect, an informal collective "snapshot" of the church.
Many board members talked enthusiastically of energy and excitement in their congregations and districts for the work of Jesus Christ and the task of calling new disciples. In his general secretary's report, Stan Noffsinger spoke of being at the annual assembly of the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic, where each announcement of a new fellowship was met with a round of applause. From that point on, General Board members applauded each mention of a new fellowship—as well as other signs of new life in the church.
"God indeed has blessed our congregation," said J.D. Glick, who pastors a new church that three weeks ago moved into its first building, enabled by generous gifts to pay half of the $700,000 cost in one down payment. Jaime Diaz reported news of a large youth group at the new fellowship in Arecibo, P.R., and an "explosion" in attendance at Rio Prieto. Dale Minnich talked about the transformation movement in Western Plains District. Russell Betz reported renewal in two small congregations in Southern Plains District. "We're seeing God working in our churches," he said. Janet Stutzman praised the powerful prayer chain at the Sunnyslope Brethren/United Church of Christ congregation. "I just think the church is ready to explode," said Doug Diamond of his congregation's enthusiasm for saving souls, "because people are just ready to invite their neighbors to be part of the church."
"What does it mean to build a church?" asked Doug Price, one of several board members who also gave voice to key questions currently facing the church. Price reflected on the experience of helping to build a church in Honduras, for a congregation that grew out of disaster relief work. Tim Harvey asked a related question, "How do we become a missional congregation?"
"Are we intentional about calling pastors out of our congregations?" asked Jay Carter, who recently began work as a pastor after 28 years in secular work. David Sollenberger echoed the concern for calling ministers and the process of licensing and ordination.
How the church welcomes children is another challenge, said Michael Benner. The church can see children "as a gift God has brought into our midst" or "give them the cold shoulder." Others echoed the concern for youth and extended it to young adults. Susan Kinsel Fitze told the story of a youth ministry that began in the Trotwood (Ohio) Church of the Brethren following the tragic death of the custodian's 18-year-old son. Jeff Neuman-Lee reported on a personal "What If" project to new patterns of worship for young adults. Is the church "willing to attract young people or are they not?" Carol Kussart asked.
"This is an incredible time to be in church work," summarized Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook. "Believe it or not, the world is looking to us, looking to the church for answers. We are in a spiritual awakening."
In his moderator's report, he urged the board not to squander what may be a crucial moment of opportunity for the Church of the Brethren. Hardenbrook referred to two unprecedented events as indicators of what he called a "tipping point," that when looking for a church to provide its annual Christmas Eve service, CBS turned to the Church of the Brethren; and Selective Service also turned to the Brethren from among the peace churches. "It is very possible in this church's life that this is one of those tipping points," Hardenbrook said. "Use it well."
Source: Newsline 3/16/05
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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. Bob Etzweiler, Mary Lou Garrison, Julie Hostetter, Irvin and Nancy Heishman, Merv Keeney, Fred Swartz, and Walt Wiltschek 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. Bob Etzweiler, Mary Lou Garrison, Julie Hostetter, Irvin and Nancy Heishman, Merv Keeney, Fred Swartz, and Walt Wiltschek contributed to this report.
Monday, March 07, 2005
SPECIAL REPORT
- Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service meets on the possibility of a military draft, discusses military recruitment, and highlights the tradition of Christian service.
- Statement by members of the Council of Moderators and Secretaries in attendance at the Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service.
An Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service March 4-5 in Elgin, Ill., brought together more than 90 people from the historic peace churches--Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, Brethren in Christ and Friends (Quakers)--and other peacemaking traditions to address the possibility of a military draft, discuss increased military recruitment, and highlight the tradition of Christian service.
Participants came away from the meeting with renewed determination and new ideas to strengthen the peace witness of their churches, the task of working together in the event of a draft, and a priority to counter military recruitment of youth and young adults, which was called a "back-door draft" that is already happening across the country.
Participants also said the churches need to strengthen their commitment to Christian service whether there is a draft or not, and need to extend the Christian peace witness and the conversation about these issues beyond the peace churches. "This calling is not just for Anabaptists," said Dick Davis, pastor of Peace Mennonite Church in Dallas, Texas, and a former Southern Baptist Army chaplain. "This calling extends beyond our communities. We are agents of reconciliation, ambassadors of Jesus."
A Selective Service System official told the group no draft is planned. "The administration's position on the draft is quite simple: There isn't going to be any," said Richard S. Flahavan, associate director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for Selective Service. Cassandra Costley, manager of Selective Service's Alternative Service Division, also gave a presentation on current planning for what a draft would look like if it were enacted.
In a counter viewpoint, J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience and War, a conscientious objector advocacy group, urged participants to consider the draft a real possibility. Recruitment shortfalls by the National Guard, Army, and Marines indicate a draft can't be ruled out, she said.
Many speakers warned that increased military recruitment is creating unprecedented enticements that disproportionately target youth in communities of color and in impoverished communities. "In reality, the draft is ongoing as we speak. It's what I call a back-door draft," said Davis, who noted he hoped this would stir churches to become increasingly concerned about communities outside their own.
The military has long enticed people of color by promising a better life and options that would not otherwise be available to them, Conrad Moore, an anti-racism trainer for Mennonite Central Committee US, told the group. Moore, who joined the Marines as a young man and later turned against the violence of the military, pointed out that slaves were promised freedom for fighting in wars, that those who were free hoped to become first-class citizens. For all people of color "it was always about improving our condition," Moore said.
Presentations on denominational volunteer service programs focused on discipleship to Jesus Christ as the foundation of Christian service. Dan McFadden, director of Brethren Volunteer Service, represented service as counter-cultural in North American society, and talked of preparing volunteers to deal with the racism, sexism, classism, and the discrimination endemic in society.
He also pointed out the need for more funding, staff, and church support for volunteer programs in the event of a draft, citing rises in numbers of volunteers in church service programs during the Vietnam war.
Mennonite service programs reflect the belief that "we really can transform the world," said Iris de Leon-Hartshorn, director of Peace and Justice Ministries for Mennonite Central Committee US. She cited the reform of the mental health care system after Civilian Public Service workers—mostly conscientious objectors—worked in state hospitals and other mental health facilities during World War II, witnessed abuses, and worked to correct them. "The historic peace churches were a voice for the voiceless," she said.
De Leon-Hartshorn raised three ethical questions for denominational service programs: how to listen to communities in which service is being done, how to connect short-term service experiences with longterm advocacy, and how to connect overseas and domestic assignments. "We must form partnerships that are loving and mutual," she urged.
Other questions related to service included how to create service opportunities for people of color and economically disadvantaged youth, and how service programs can provide opportunities to undocumented church members.
The Council of Moderators and Secretaries (COMS), a group of leaders of Mennonite and Brethren denominations that sponsored the consultation, will carry forward the issues and concerns raised in the consultation.
The consultation was held at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Participants attended from the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonite Church USA, the Brethren in Christ Church of North America, the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Mennonite Central Committee US, the Conservative Mennonite Conference, the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (Evangelical Friends International), the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Friends United Meeting, the Beachy Amish, Amish Mennonite Church, and the Bruderhof Communities.
Church of the Brethren members who took part were Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator; Ronald D. Beachley, Annual Conference moderator-elect; Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board; Dan McFadden, director of Brethren Volunteer Service; Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office; Ken Shaffer, archivist for the General Board's Brethren Historical Library and Archives; Kim Stuckey Hissong, program coordinator for Peacemaker Formation at On Earth Peace; Verdena Lee, a physician and board member of On Earth Peace; Tim McElwee, Plowshares Associate Professor of Peace Studies at Manchester College; Debbie Roberts, campus minister and director of the Peace Studies Program at the University of La Verne (Calif.); Belita D. Mitchell, pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Harrisburg, Pa.; William Olivencia, a youth from First Harrisburg; Andrew Duffey, a youth at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Scott Duffey, pastor at Westminster; Richard M. Judy Jr., on the ministry team at New Covenant Church of the Brethren, Columbus, Ohio; Carrie and Torin Eikler, students at Bethany Theological Seminary; and Travis Poling, a student at Manchester. Brethren videographer David Sollenberger filmed the consultation.
Source: Newsline 3/7/2005
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Participants came away from the meeting with renewed determination and new ideas to strengthen the peace witness of their churches, the task of working together in the event of a draft, and a priority to counter military recruitment of youth and young adults, which was called a "back-door draft" that is already happening across the country.
Participants also said the churches need to strengthen their commitment to Christian service whether there is a draft or not, and need to extend the Christian peace witness and the conversation about these issues beyond the peace churches. "This calling is not just for Anabaptists," said Dick Davis, pastor of Peace Mennonite Church in Dallas, Texas, and a former Southern Baptist Army chaplain. "This calling extends beyond our communities. We are agents of reconciliation, ambassadors of Jesus."
A Selective Service System official told the group no draft is planned. "The administration's position on the draft is quite simple: There isn't going to be any," said Richard S. Flahavan, associate director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for Selective Service. Cassandra Costley, manager of Selective Service's Alternative Service Division, also gave a presentation on current planning for what a draft would look like if it were enacted.
In a counter viewpoint, J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience and War, a conscientious objector advocacy group, urged participants to consider the draft a real possibility. Recruitment shortfalls by the National Guard, Army, and Marines indicate a draft can't be ruled out, she said.
Many speakers warned that increased military recruitment is creating unprecedented enticements that disproportionately target youth in communities of color and in impoverished communities. "In reality, the draft is ongoing as we speak. It's what I call a back-door draft," said Davis, who noted he hoped this would stir churches to become increasingly concerned about communities outside their own.
The military has long enticed people of color by promising a better life and options that would not otherwise be available to them, Conrad Moore, an anti-racism trainer for Mennonite Central Committee US, told the group. Moore, who joined the Marines as a young man and later turned against the violence of the military, pointed out that slaves were promised freedom for fighting in wars, that those who were free hoped to become first-class citizens. For all people of color "it was always about improving our condition," Moore said.
Presentations on denominational volunteer service programs focused on discipleship to Jesus Christ as the foundation of Christian service. Dan McFadden, director of Brethren Volunteer Service, represented service as counter-cultural in North American society, and talked of preparing volunteers to deal with the racism, sexism, classism, and the discrimination endemic in society.
He also pointed out the need for more funding, staff, and church support for volunteer programs in the event of a draft, citing rises in numbers of volunteers in church service programs during the Vietnam war.
Mennonite service programs reflect the belief that "we really can transform the world," said Iris de Leon-Hartshorn, director of Peace and Justice Ministries for Mennonite Central Committee US. She cited the reform of the mental health care system after Civilian Public Service workers—mostly conscientious objectors—worked in state hospitals and other mental health facilities during World War II, witnessed abuses, and worked to correct them. "The historic peace churches were a voice for the voiceless," she said.
De Leon-Hartshorn raised three ethical questions for denominational service programs: how to listen to communities in which service is being done, how to connect short-term service experiences with longterm advocacy, and how to connect overseas and domestic assignments. "We must form partnerships that are loving and mutual," she urged.
Other questions related to service included how to create service opportunities for people of color and economically disadvantaged youth, and how service programs can provide opportunities to undocumented church members.
The Council of Moderators and Secretaries (COMS), a group of leaders of Mennonite and Brethren denominations that sponsored the consultation, will carry forward the issues and concerns raised in the consultation.
The consultation was held at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Participants attended from the Church of the Brethren, the Mennonite Church USA, the Brethren in Christ Church of North America, the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Mennonite Central Committee US, the Conservative Mennonite Conference, the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends (Evangelical Friends International), the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Friends United Meeting, the Beachy Amish, Amish Mennonite Church, and the Bruderhof Communities.
Church of the Brethren members who took part were Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator; Ronald D. Beachley, Annual Conference moderator-elect; Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board; Dan McFadden, director of Brethren Volunteer Service; Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office; Ken Shaffer, archivist for the General Board's Brethren Historical Library and Archives; Kim Stuckey Hissong, program coordinator for Peacemaker Formation at On Earth Peace; Verdena Lee, a physician and board member of On Earth Peace; Tim McElwee, Plowshares Associate Professor of Peace Studies at Manchester College; Debbie Roberts, campus minister and director of the Peace Studies Program at the University of La Verne (Calif.); Belita D. Mitchell, pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Harrisburg, Pa.; William Olivencia, a youth from First Harrisburg; Andrew Duffey, a youth at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Scott Duffey, pastor at Westminster; Richard M. Judy Jr., on the ministry team at New Covenant Church of the Brethren, Columbus, Ohio; Carrie and Torin Eikler, students at Bethany Theological Seminary; and Travis Poling, a student at Manchester. Brethren videographer David Sollenberger filmed the consultation.
Source: Newsline 3/7/2005
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A statement by members of the Council of Moderators and Secretaries in attendance at the Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service:
The Council of Moderators and Secretaries includes the leaders of the following denominations: Brethren-in-Christ, Church of the Brethren, Conservative Mennonite Conference, Mennonite Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA.
"As members of the Historic Peace Church family of churches, we gathered in Elgin, Ill., on March 4 and 5, 2005, as people in need of God's salvation, seeking God's healing and peace in a time of war and violence. Aware of the rich history on which we stand, we leave asking God for grace and courage as we face the challenges and the opportunities before us.
"We are called to a clear allegiance to Christ above all other allegiances, and a recognition that it is only through Christ that we can show love to our enemies. We confess that not only have we often failed to love our enemies, we have not always shown respect and love to one another in the Spirit of Christ. We remain rooted in our conviction that Jesus calls us to a life of love and peace, and call on our members to reject violence in all its forms.
"We listened carefully to presentations by staff from the Selective Service System and the Center on Conscience and War about the potential for a return to military conscription. Selective Service reported that a draft has not been authorized and is not imminent, but detailed plans for a draft and alternative service are in place in the event a draft becomes law. We acknowledge with appreciation the sincere efforts of Selective Service to protect the right of conscientious objection to war.
"Whether conscription is imminent or in the distant future, we know that God calls us to lives of joyful and sacrificial service in the way of Christ. We confess that we have not always modeled this in our own lives. To teach peace only when a draft seems imminent is a failure to live out the full meaning of Christ's ministry of reconciliation.
"We learned that intensified, high-pressure military recruitment is already occurring where poverty and racism exclude our brothers and sisters from the opportunities that give life meaning and hope. We were challenged to offer clear and meaningful alternatives to young people who would otherwise go to the military for jobs, education, or leadership training.
"We learned that many past and present models of service are designed around the needs of those serving without adequate thought to the longterm impact on the communities being served. We believe that God's Spirit is stirring anew among us, enlivening our imaginations and opening our hearts to patterns of relationship that are characterized by mutuality across the lines of race, class, and nation that too often divide us.
"We were called to openness and transparency in sharing Christ's way of peace and loving service beyond ourselves, with our neighbors, our communities, and our world.
"The Council of Moderators and Secretaries will be the authorizing and delegating body for continuing work on the issues discussed at the consultation, such as: contingency plans for a military draft or mandatory national service; responses to the ongoing military recruitment among communities of color and areas of poverty."
—Stan Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren; Charles Buller, US Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches; James Schrag, Mennonite Church USA; and Ben Shirk, Conservative Mennonite Conference.
Source: Newsline 3/7/2005
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The Council of Moderators and Secretaries includes the leaders of the following denominations: Brethren-in-Christ, Church of the Brethren, Conservative Mennonite Conference, Mennonite Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA.
"As members of the Historic Peace Church family of churches, we gathered in Elgin, Ill., on March 4 and 5, 2005, as people in need of God's salvation, seeking God's healing and peace in a time of war and violence. Aware of the rich history on which we stand, we leave asking God for grace and courage as we face the challenges and the opportunities before us.
"We are called to a clear allegiance to Christ above all other allegiances, and a recognition that it is only through Christ that we can show love to our enemies. We confess that not only have we often failed to love our enemies, we have not always shown respect and love to one another in the Spirit of Christ. We remain rooted in our conviction that Jesus calls us to a life of love and peace, and call on our members to reject violence in all its forms.
"We listened carefully to presentations by staff from the Selective Service System and the Center on Conscience and War about the potential for a return to military conscription. Selective Service reported that a draft has not been authorized and is not imminent, but detailed plans for a draft and alternative service are in place in the event a draft becomes law. We acknowledge with appreciation the sincere efforts of Selective Service to protect the right of conscientious objection to war.
"Whether conscription is imminent or in the distant future, we know that God calls us to lives of joyful and sacrificial service in the way of Christ. We confess that we have not always modeled this in our own lives. To teach peace only when a draft seems imminent is a failure to live out the full meaning of Christ's ministry of reconciliation.
"We learned that intensified, high-pressure military recruitment is already occurring where poverty and racism exclude our brothers and sisters from the opportunities that give life meaning and hope. We were challenged to offer clear and meaningful alternatives to young people who would otherwise go to the military for jobs, education, or leadership training.
"We learned that many past and present models of service are designed around the needs of those serving without adequate thought to the longterm impact on the communities being served. We believe that God's Spirit is stirring anew among us, enlivening our imaginations and opening our hearts to patterns of relationship that are characterized by mutuality across the lines of race, class, and nation that too often divide us.
"We were called to openness and transparency in sharing Christ's way of peace and loving service beyond ourselves, with our neighbors, our communities, and our world.
"The Council of Moderators and Secretaries will be the authorizing and delegating body for continuing work on the issues discussed at the consultation, such as: contingency plans for a military draft or mandatory national service; responses to the ongoing military recruitment among communities of color and areas of poverty."
—Stan Noffsinger, Church of the Brethren; Charles Buller, US Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches; James Schrag, Mennonite Church USA; and Ben Shirk, Conservative Mennonite Conference.
Source: Newsline 3/7/2005
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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. Marla Pierson Lester and Paul Schrag 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. Marla Pierson Lester and Paul Schrag contributed to this report.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
NEWS
- Ballot is announced for Annual Conference 2005.
- Church of the Brethren, American Baptist leadership teams meet.
- On Earth Peace gives peace resource to ministry students.
- Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, and more.
- Health Promotion Sunday explores impact of uncompensated care.
- Early registration for Bethany worship conference due soon.
Ballot is announced for Annual Conference 2005.
The Annual Conference Office has announced the ballot for Annual Conference July 2-6 in Peoria, Ill. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee developed a full slate of candidates in January. Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented to the Conference delegates.
Nominees on the ballot, by position, are:
The 2005 registration fee schedule for adult non-delegates is $75 for the whole conference if pre-registered, $85 onsite; $40 pre-registered for the weekend only, $50 onsite; and $25 for daily registrations. For more information about children's rates, rates for Brethren Volunteer Service workers, and group discounts, see the website. The Conference hotel price range this year is $70-$92 with an 11.5 percent hotel room tax.
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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The Annual Conference Office has announced the ballot for Annual Conference July 2-6 in Peoria, Ill. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee developed a full slate of candidates in January. Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented to the Conference delegates.
Nominees on the ballot, by position, are:
- MODERATOR-ELECT:
- Ruthann Knechel Johansen,
- Belita D. Mitchell;
- ANNUAL CONFERENCE COUNCIL:
- Earle Fike Jr.,
- James F. Myer;
- PROGRAM AND ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE:
- Sonja Pauline Griffith,
- Kristi A. Kellerman;
- PASTORAL COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
- Jill I. Loomis,
- David Shoup;
- REVIEW AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE:
- Dale W. Brown,
- Wanda Will Button,
- Michaela Camps,
- Rebecca Baile Crouse,
- Craig L. Gandy,
- Paul Hoffman,
- Brian Mackie,
- James Edward Martinez,
- Janet Ober,
- Orlando Redekopp;
- ASSOCIATION OF BRETHREN CAREGIVERS:
- Brian S. Black,
- Tammy (Craig) Kiser,
- Patrick R. Liley,
- Heather L. Neff;
- BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TRUSTEE--MINISTRY:
- John David Bowman,
- Craig Alan Myers;
- BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TRUSTEE--LAITY:
- Ted Flory,
- Mary Patterson Wysong;
- BRETHREN BENEFIT TRUST:
- Sally A. Brubaker,
- Carol Ann Jackson Greenwood;
- ON EARTH PEACE:
- Janice Dull Eller,
- Sarah Quinter Malone;
- COMMITTEE ON INTERCHURCH RELATIONS:
- Ilexene Alphonse,
- Rene Quintanilla.
The 2005 registration fee schedule for adult non-delegates is $75 for the whole conference if pre-registered, $85 onsite; $40 pre-registered for the weekend only, $50 onsite; and $25 for daily registrations. For more information about children's rates, rates for Brethren Volunteer Service workers, and group discounts, see the website. The Conference hotel price range this year is $70-$92 with an 11.5 percent hotel room tax.
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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Church of the Brethren, American Baptist leadership teams meet.
Leadership teams from the Church of the Brethren General Board and the American Baptist Churches USA met Feb. 7 at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center, following up a similar meeting a year ago at American Baptist headquarters in Valley Forge, Pa. The two denominations have had an associated relationship since 1973 and have been renewing connections over the last two years.
The meeting began with worship and then noted the variety of ways in which the two denominations are interacting. Among newest developments: the American Baptists were pleased by a request that an American Baptist be appointed to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference committee studying ways to become a more multicultural church, and have made an appointment to that committee; the president of American Baptist-affiliated Judson College in Elgin, Ill., attended a Church of the Brethren consultation on church-college connections Feb. 10-12 at Manchester College; and Belita Mitchell, chair of the Church of the Brethren Committee on Interchurch Relations, attended the American Baptist Committee on Christian Unity.
The group spent time discussing Brethren approaches to working at reconciliation in situations of conflict. The session was led by Annie Clark, program coordinator of Conflict Transformation for On Earth Peace. In other conversations the group shared experiences about specific areas of denominational work, including long-range planning, new church planting, and overseas mission. A tour of the Brethren Service Center gave the American Baptists the opportunity to see the warehousing and distribution work of Church World Service and Interchurch Medical Assistance, as well as their own "White Cross" program.
American Baptists attending the meeting were Roy Medley, general secretary, and members of the executive leadership council: Sumner Grant, Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board; Margaret Cowden, National Ministries; and Charles Jones, International Ministries. From the Church of the Brethren General Board leadership team, participants were Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, and executive directors of the General Board's ministry areas: Judy Keyser, Centralized Resources; Merv Keeney, Global Mission Partnerships; Wendy McFadden, Brethren Press; Roy Winter, Brethren Service Center; and Del Keeney, Congregational Life Ministries.
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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Leadership teams from the Church of the Brethren General Board and the American Baptist Churches USA met Feb. 7 at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center, following up a similar meeting a year ago at American Baptist headquarters in Valley Forge, Pa. The two denominations have had an associated relationship since 1973 and have been renewing connections over the last two years.
The meeting began with worship and then noted the variety of ways in which the two denominations are interacting. Among newest developments: the American Baptists were pleased by a request that an American Baptist be appointed to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference committee studying ways to become a more multicultural church, and have made an appointment to that committee; the president of American Baptist-affiliated Judson College in Elgin, Ill., attended a Church of the Brethren consultation on church-college connections Feb. 10-12 at Manchester College; and Belita Mitchell, chair of the Church of the Brethren Committee on Interchurch Relations, attended the American Baptist Committee on Christian Unity.
The group spent time discussing Brethren approaches to working at reconciliation in situations of conflict. The session was led by Annie Clark, program coordinator of Conflict Transformation for On Earth Peace. In other conversations the group shared experiences about specific areas of denominational work, including long-range planning, new church planting, and overseas mission. A tour of the Brethren Service Center gave the American Baptists the opportunity to see the warehousing and distribution work of Church World Service and Interchurch Medical Assistance, as well as their own "White Cross" program.
American Baptists attending the meeting were Roy Medley, general secretary, and members of the executive leadership council: Sumner Grant, Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board; Margaret Cowden, National Ministries; and Charles Jones, International Ministries. From the Church of the Brethren General Board leadership team, participants were Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, and executive directors of the General Board's ministry areas: Judy Keyser, Centralized Resources; Merv Keeney, Global Mission Partnerships; Wendy McFadden, Brethren Press; Roy Winter, Brethren Service Center; and Del Keeney, Congregational Life Ministries.
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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On Earth Peace gives peace resource to ministry students.
On Earth Peace is giving a copy of Dale Brown's book "Biblical Pacifism" to each ministry student and minister-in-training in the Church of the Brethren. With a concern for pastoral leadership well-grounded in the scriptural basis of the teachings of the church, On Earth Peace is donating copies of the book to students at Bethany Theological Seminary and its Susquehanna Valley Satellite, and all participants in the nondegree ministry training programs TRIM and ACTS. In addition, the book will be available to students in district-based ministry training programs.
On Earth Peace also has offered to provide leadership for seminars or Bible studies focused on the book by Brown, a retired Bethany professor who continues to teach as adjunct faculty for the seminary's satellite program.
Leaders of ministry training programs were appreciative. "Let me express deep gratitude for this generous gift to the students. Dale's book is timeless and important," said Amy Gall Ritchie, director of student development at Bethany.
The gift of hundreds of books is made possible by a donation from longtime supporters of On Earth Peace. "We deeply appreciate the initiative and generosity of these donors," said Bob Gross, co-executive director. "We are always glad for this kind of partnership with other denominational institutions, and with committed individual members who care about the faithfulness and vitality of the church."
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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On Earth Peace is giving a copy of Dale Brown's book "Biblical Pacifism" to each ministry student and minister-in-training in the Church of the Brethren. With a concern for pastoral leadership well-grounded in the scriptural basis of the teachings of the church, On Earth Peace is donating copies of the book to students at Bethany Theological Seminary and its Susquehanna Valley Satellite, and all participants in the nondegree ministry training programs TRIM and ACTS. In addition, the book will be available to students in district-based ministry training programs.
On Earth Peace also has offered to provide leadership for seminars or Bible studies focused on the book by Brown, a retired Bethany professor who continues to teach as adjunct faculty for the seminary's satellite program.
Leaders of ministry training programs were appreciative. "Let me express deep gratitude for this generous gift to the students. Dale's book is timeless and important," said Amy Gall Ritchie, director of student development at Bethany.
The gift of hundreds of books is made possible by a donation from longtime supporters of On Earth Peace. "We deeply appreciate the initiative and generosity of these donors," said Bob Gross, co-executive director. "We are always glad for this kind of partnership with other denominational institutions, and with committed individual members who care about the faithfulness and vitality of the church."
Source: 03/02/2005 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, and more.
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- Florence (Flossie) Miller Royer, a longtime mission worker with the Church of the Brethren, died Feb. 25 in Ft. Wayne, Ind. She and her husband, Ralph, served with the church in Niger and Nigeria for 35 years. Royer began her mission work in Nigeria 1951-55 as a nurse in the mission-run leprosarium. She received her nursing degree from the nursing school at Swedish Covenant Hospital. In 1957 the Royers returned to Nigeria where she continued to work as a nurse in hospitals and dispensaries and her husband worked as an educator. Royer also served as a houseparent at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria, and was a leader in Girl's Brigade, a Christian organization for Nigerian girls similar to Girl Scouts. In 1976 the couple moved to Niger during a time of drought and famine to do community development work on behalf of the church. There in 1980 Flossie began a six-year term as a nurse in a Peace Corps medical unit while Ralph helped develop appropriate technology and then led the work of Church World Service in Niger. The Royers also served with Church World Service in Liberia. The Royers spoke three African languages--Margi, Bura, and Hausa--as well as French. Since 1987 the Royers have lived in Claypool, Ind., where they farmed and built an energy-efficient home. They have been active in Eel River Community Church of the Brethren, Silver Lake, Ind. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 4, at the church.
- Brethren Press and the Mennonite Publishing Network, which are jointly sponsoring the new Gather `Round Sunday school curriculum, have secured two additional staff for the project. Amy Gingerich of Washington, D.C., has begun as fulltime managing editor. She has a master of divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion and writing and editing experience with newspapers in Indiana and California. Terry Stutzman Mast of Lodi, Calif., has begun as half-time associate editor. Mast is a graduate of Bluffton College in Ohio, a degree in writing from Illinois State University, and background in writing, design, and editing for a variety of magazines and projects. Gingerich and Mast join Gather 'Round project director Anna Speicher on the curriculum staff.
- Mark Hartwig will begin March 28 as computer and programming specialist for the General Board in Elgin, Ill. His background includes positions as computer coordinator/trainer and Information Services manager. He also holds a master's degree in pastoral studies and is a spiritual director.
- Diane Graefen of East Dundee, Ill., has begun as Annual Conference registration coordinator, a temporary position through June 10. Her primary responsibilities are registration for delegates and non-delegates attending the Conference July 2-6 in Peoria, Ill.
- On Earth Peace, an agency of the Church of the Brethren with responsibility for peace and reconciliation ministries, seeks a program coordinator for Peacemaker Formation to work at its office at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The position plans and coordinates overall peace education program including retreats for youth and peace resource programs, interpretation, and cooperative projects. Qualifications are commitment to Christian peacemaking; experience with faith-based education; understanding of conflict resolution, justice issues, nonviolence, and the scriptural basis of peacemaking; ability to work independently and in a team; communication and computer skills and organizational ability; willingness to travel; familiarity with the Church of the Brethren; and a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. For position description see www.brethren.org/oepa/PeacemakerFormationCoordinator.html. The position is available Aug. 15. Review of applications begins April 30 until the position is filled. Send resume, letter of application, and contact information for three to four references to both On Earth Peace executive directors: Barbara Sayler, bsayler_oepa@brethren.org, 502-222-5886; and Bob Gross, bgross@igc.org, 260-982-7751. E-mail with attachments is the preferred form of application. If applying by post or fax send to: Search Committee, On Earth Peace, P.O. Box 188, New Windsor, MD 21776-0188; fax 410-635-8707.
- The General Board seeks a part-time (15 hours per week) promotions specialist for "Messenger" magazine, location negotiable. The position is available spring of 2005, with funding available for two years. The promotions specialist will work with congregations and small groups to increase subscriptions to "Messenger." The ideal candidate has abilities in the areas of marketing or promotions and strong knowledge of the Church of the Brethren including familiarity with "Messenger"; is skilled in oral and written communication and is proficient in Word, Quark Xpress, other graphic design tools, and Internet use; and has a minimum of an associate's degree or equivalent, with a bachelor's degree preferred. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to Mary Lou Garrison, Director of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Application deadline is April 15.
- Today the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships hosted Church World Service regional director Janet Young and a delegation of eight church leaders from Argentina at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The group is visiting the US to observe church ministries responding to hunger, homelessness, and poverty. They visited Elgin's Interfaith Food Pantry and met with Elgin Cooperative Ministries, PADS (a cooperative organization of churches providing shelter to the homeless), and the Community Crisis Center. The delegation will spend about two weeks in Illinois and Nebraska and conclude the trip at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C.
- The Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., will host a by-invitation-only Anabaptist Consultation on Alternative Service March 4-5. The meeting will bring together more than 85 people from the historic peace churches--Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, Brethren in Christ, and Friends (Quakers)--and other peacemaking traditions to do contingency planning in case of a military draft, discuss increased military recruitment, and highlight the tradition of service. The Council of Moderators and Secretaries, a group of leaders from Anabaptist denominations, is sponsoring the consultation.
- Two more 2005 Level 1 Disaster Child Care Training Workshops have been announced, in addition to those listed in the Newsline of Feb. 2. The additional workshops for those interested in becoming child care volunteers following disasters will be held Sept. 16-17 at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., and Nov. 11-12 at Brook Park (Ohio) Community Church of the Brethren. For more information call Helen Stonesifer at 800-451-4407 (option 5) or see www.disasterchildcare.org.
- Brochures and registration forms are available for the Retreat for Clergy Women Nov. 14-17, sponsored by the General Board's Ministry Office. The retreat in East Troy, Wis., is for licensed and ordained clergywomen in the Church of the Brethren. Leadership will be provided by Jan Richardson, an artist, writer, and ordained United Methodist minister. Registration is $175 before June 1, $200 before Aug. 1, with a discount for fulltime seminary or TRIM students. Contact Myrna Wheeler, 608 Santa Cruz Ct., San Dimas, CA 91773-3332.
- Members of Hope Church of the Brethren in Freeport, Mich., combined talents on Feb. 12 to produce a show called "Love Blooms on Hopeful Prairie," in the vein of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion." James Kinsey, a member of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams, organized the show to celebrate the area served by the church, according to an article in the "Lakewood News." The show benefited Habitat for Humanity. Contact Kinsey for a copy of the script, which is available for use by anyone who is interested; e-mail jkinsey_gb@brethren.org
- Williamson Road Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., will host "Awakening 2005" on March 10-12. Bridgewater (Va.) College will provide leadership for the event with Robbie Miller, director of Religious Life and college chaplain, speaking Thursday evening; the college's Concert Choir, Chorale, and Bell Choir performing Friday to begin their spring concert season; and William Abshire, associate professor of Religion, bringing the message Saturday evening. The Thursday and Saturday services will begin with a hymn sing at 7 p.m., with the services and the Friday concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Child care will be provided and rides are available for residents of Friendship Manor. For more information call the church at 540-366-0291.
- Beatrice Biira of Uganda will be the featured speaker at a Heifer International information forum and fundraising banquet 6 p.m. March 14 at Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren, Quarryville, Pa. Biira will explain how the gift of a goat helped her fulfill her lifelong dream of going to school. She is a freshman at Connecticut College. Cost is $135 for a table of eight. For more information e-mail wjb@paonline.com.
- Eighteen Brethren congregations met together for a service to benefit York (Pa.) Habitat for Humanity Feb. 27. The hymn and praise service was at First Church of the Brethren in York.
- Twenty two people gathered in Wonder Valley in the foothills below Sequoia National Park for a retreat for licensed ministers in Pacific South West District Feb. 5-6. The retreat was planned to offer encouragement, educational experiences, and opportunities for ministers to support each other, reported R. Jan Thompson. "Spouses were invited to attend so they could also learn to know others who are seeking to fulfill a call into some form of ministry," he said. Del Keeney, the General Board's executive director of Congregational Life Ministries, provided leadership, drawing upon his years of experience in the pastoral ministry. Planning Sunday morning worship as a group was a highlight of the weekend. Bryan Boyer, district executive, also led the group in a full love feast. For a few attendees, it was the first time to participate in feetwashing. Licensed ministers traveled as far as 740 miles because of the large geographic size of the district.
- Southern Pennsylvania District is holding its First Annual Missions Dinner at 6 p.m. March 5 at Chambersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. The featured speaker is Irvin Heishman, General Board mission staff in the Dominican Republic. Cost is $10. An offering will be taken to support the denomination's work in the DR. For more information see www.cob-net.org/church/sopa_dinner.htm.
- Inspiration Hills Camp in Burbank, Ohio, is hosting "Cherry Lodge Get-Away: Peace Skills for the Family" March 11-12, with leadership from On Earth Peace and Northern Ohio District's Peace Task Team and district Peace/Conciliation worker Russ Veal. Overnight charge is $15 per person. For more information call 419-945-2327 or 330-484-1106, or e-mail djparker@bright.net or vealrev@aol.com.
- Bridgewater (Va.) College's 45-voice Concert Choir will perform at Brethren congregations during its spring tour: 7:30 p.m. March 11 at the Roanoke Valley Churches of the Brethren Awakening Service at Williamson Road Church of the Brethren; 7:30 p.m. March 12 at Antioch Church of the Brethren, Rocky Mount, Va.; 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 13, at Peters Creek Church of the Brethren, Roanoke; 3 p.m. March 13 at Charlottesville (Va.) Church of the Brethren; 7:30 p.m. March 13 at Waynesboro (Va.) Church of the Brethren; 7:30 p.m. April 1 at Somerset (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; 7:30 p.m. April 2 at Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; 10:40 a.m. Sunday April 3 at Waynesboro (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; and 11 a.m. Sunday April 10 at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren. Concerts will feature, in addition to the choir, the 23-voice Chorale and student-directed Handbell Choir. The choir and chorale are directed by Jesse E. Hopkins, the Edwin L. Turner Distinguished Professor of Music who was choir director for the 2004 Annual Conference. Repertory includes requiem movements from works by Brahms, Durufle, Faure, and Mozart, as well as works by contemporary composers.
- Church World Service (CWS) is working with WorldManna.org on an interfaith initiative to persuade the food industry to donate one percent of proceeds to hunger. Established in June 2004, WorldManna.org is an interfaith program initiated by SocialAction.com of Jewish Family & Life. Proceeds will go to international nonprofits. "By amassing the collective purchasing power of consumers, faith-based organizations are sending a clear message to food manufacturers to compel them to join us in the worldwide effort to alleviate and prevent world hunger," said CWS executive director John L. McCullough. Consumers visit www.worldmanna.org to sign a pledge indicating how much they spend on groceries each month. With this collective purchasing power, WorldManna.org hopes to persuade food companies to exchange one percent of profits for permission to put the WorldManna.org seal on their products, as a sign that the purchase directly fights hunger. WorldManna.org estimates that the 7,900 who have signed the pledge already represent a purchasing power of more than $1.3 million.
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