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
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