Brethren Mission House in the Dominican Republic closes.

The Brethren Mission House in the Dominican Republic, a joint venture of the General Board and the Brethren Revival Fellowship developed in 1999, is being discontinued. The mission house, with houseparents overseeing young volunteers traveling to communities to teach English, was an effort to respond to the request for language education by the Dominican church. The Church of the Brethren in the DR had emphasized that English fluency increases employment opportunities, reported the board's Global Mission Partnerships. The first houseparents, Barb and Earl Eby, set up the complex of two houses in Azua in 2000.

In their communication to the Dominican church, mission coordinators Irvin and Nancy Heishman quoted Ecclessiastes 3:1-8, and observed a time for beginnings and endings. A major reason for the decision now, according to Merv Keeney, executive director for Global Mission Partnerships, was the call to shift energies and resources toward other ministry needs over the next few years. Keeney also noted longterm difficulty in finding and keeping teachers, security and break-ins at the house, and continuing discussion about other models of responding to the request for English-language instruction.

Current houseparents Laura and Ron Brinton are closing the house and will return from the DR around the first week of June. English teacher Rob Raker and former teacher Jewel Reyes will continue to teach English classes for the Dominican church in a scaled-down effort for the near future.

Source: 5/11/2005 Newsline
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