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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