On Earth Peace board meets on the theme, 'Seeking.'

The On Earth Peace Board of Directors and staff met Sept. 6-7 at Anderson (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, with the Advancement, Personnel, Finance, and Executive Committees meeting during the day Sept. 6. The devotional theme focused on "Seeking." The board, led by chair Bev Weaver, continued its use of the Formal Consensus process for discussion and decision-making. Members of the Anderson church hosted the board members in their homes and provided meals.

Committee reports included the Advancement Committee's new ideas for donors, such as day sponsorship and finding ways to include younger donors; the Finance Committee's note that contributions from congregations and individuals are above last year; the Personnel Committee sharing of an updated Personnel Policy Manual, and welcoming of new staff member Susanna Farahat; and the Nominating Committee's highlight of the re-election of Debbie Roberts and Ken Edwards to the board, as well as the election at Annual Conference of Sarah Quinter Malone. Nominating Committee also reported an initiative to identify additional roles people could play in the organization to make a clear contribution although not serving on the board itself, such as educational, spiritual, fundraising, and other roles.

Staff reported upcoming events and program initiatives: an increased number of congregations involved in or considering intervention or mediation services; new ideas for projects in the Peacemaker Formation program; co-sponsorship with Christian Peacemaker Teams of a delegation to Israel/Palestine in January; coordination of a nationwide network on countering military recruitment in schools; and the Ministry of Reconciliation workshop "Advanced Reconciliation Skills: The Polarity Principles" Nov. 16-18 at Camp Mack in Indiana. The board and staff also took time to brainstorm ideas for upcoming "Living Peace Church News and Notes."

The staff reported on work with consultant Erika Thorne on becoming an anti-racist organization. Goals emerged including building relationships with non-mainstream congregations and leaders in the church; developing a working relationship with the Cross-Cultural Ministries Team; providing resources that are accessible and useful for all segments of the church; sharing what the staff have learned with the larger church; taking a closer look at racial and economic violence in our communities and incorporating that into the peace witness program; and working to make the Youth Peace Travel Team a more multicultural ministry in both participation and service. The board welcomed Duane Grady, a member of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams and the primary staff liaison to the Cross-Cultural Ministries Team, as a guest.

A morning was spent reviewing responses from a survey conducted at Annual Conference during the On Earth Peace report. Strong themes that emerged were the importance of making a connection to scripture and Christian faith in the work of peacemaking; the call for peace work to be done in the family, community, and church contexts, with domestic violence, church conflict, and communities needs mentioned most often; responses deeming Christianity as supporting and defending American culture, while others seeing Christianity as counter-cultural; a priority for the church to work at reducing violence through immediate and close-to-home, practical applications. "When naming visions for peacemaking within the Church of the Brethren, responses were overwhelming hopeful and positive," a report from the meeting said.

The board also heard that for fiscal year 2005, which ends Sept. 30, income will be sufficient to cover expenses with both income and expense ahead of projections. The board approved a balanced budget of $502,000 for fiscal year 2006.

Other topics of discussion included financial aid for draft non-registrants; Church of the Brethren investments in the Caterpillar Corporation, whose products are being used as military weapons in Israel/Palestine; and a new peace game designed by board member Verdena Lee, entitled "C.O.D.E.," which has been produced and is available for sale. The game helps participants think about their beliefs and whether they are conscientious objectors.

A reorganization of the board called a new executive committee: Bev Weaver, chair; Ken Frantz, vice-chair; Lauree Hersch Meyer, secretary; Doris Abdullah, treasurer; and Verdena Lee and Robbie Miller, at-large members. The board recognized board member Eugene Lichty for his long service, excellent leadership, and faithful witness.

Source: 9/28/2005 Newsline
top