Brethren bits: Personnel, job openings, and much more.

• Marisel Olivencia has been engaged on a contract basis by the Congregational Life Ministries of the General Board to assist with preparations for the 2006 Cross-Cultural Consultation and Celebration in Lancaster, Pa., May 4-7. She will provide services on the board's behalf from Jan. 23-May 8. Her responsibilities will include reaching out to Spanish-speaking congregations, coordinating a youth event and day care for the celebration, and helping to coordinate information. Olivencia serves as part-time Hispanic pastor at First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa. For more information about the Cross-Cultural Consultation and Celebration see www.brethren.org/genbd/clm/clt/CrossCultural.html.
  
  
• MAX (Mutual Aid eXchange) has named Carl Litwiller of Lancaster, Pa., as executive vice president of MAX Mutual Aid Ministries, and Scott Forland as executive vice president of Insurance Operations. Forland, who has been instrumental in merging 10 former mutual aid organizations into MAX, will oversee and manage insurance operations throughout the US and Canada. For more information about MAX see www.mutualaidexchange.com.
  
  
• The Church of the Brethren General Board seeks a fulltime director of Human Resources, located in Elgin, Ill. Responsibilities include developing, implementing, and managing human resources procedures and systems; promoting and maintaining employee relationships and development; maintaining accurate position descriptions and compensation system; assuring compliance with policies and employment law; facilitating periodic training events; directing the hiring process. Qualifications include a minimum of five years in a generalist position in human resources; communication skills; experience with computer systems including HRIS, word processing, and spreadsheets; progressive management and supervisory skills. Education and experience requirements include a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, with SHRM certification beneficial. A position description and application form are available on request. Application deadline is March 10. Qualified candidates are invited to complete the General Board application form, submit a résumé and letter of application, and request three references to send letters of recommendation to the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 258; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org. Job openings in Church of the Brethren-related organizations are regularly posted at www.brethren.org/mrkclass.html.
  
  
• The General Board seeks an associate director of Emergency Response to fill a fulltime position located at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Responsibilities include engaging church constituents in the activities of the program; maintaining ecumenical relationships; providing financial management in coordination with the director; giving oversight to maintenance, property, and equipment; providing supervision and training for staff and volunteers of Brethren Disaster Response and Disaster Child Care. Qualifications include experience in managing staff and volunteers; knowledge of house construction, repairs, and building codes; communication skills, with background in adult education, workshops, or other training experience; ability to travel extensively in the US. A bachelor's degree is preferred. A position description and application form are available on request. Application deadline is Feb. 28. Qualified candidates are invited to complete the General Board application form, submit a resume and letter of application, and request three references to send letters of recommendation to the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 258; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• The Annual Conference Office seeks a fulltime, salaried Annual Conference assistant. Start date is June 5. Location will be in New Windsor, Md. Position functions include administration of the daily operation of the Annual Conference office; office communications; supervision of part-time employees; work with convention centers and the Program and Arrangements Committee; establishment of offices at Annual Conference sites; creation, coordination, editing, and shipping of a variety of materials; coordination of responsibilities for meal events and insight sessions at Conferences. Skills and knowledge required include administrative and office management background; effective and pleasant communication style; software proficiency with Windows-based applications, Word, Excel, Quark; customer service skills; ability to travel to other states. A minimum of five years of progressive office responsibilities is required, as well as working with and training volunteers or other groups. A minimum of some college education, plus extensive experience, is required; a college graduate is preferred. Submit a cover letter, resume, application form, and three letters of reference by March 31 to the following address. Forms and information also are available from the Office of Human Resources, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 258; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• The Annual Conference Office seeks a registration coordinator to fill a temporary, fulltime position from March 1 through May 31. Position functions include tasks related to the registration process of Annual Conference, registration reports, processing payments, serving as the initial contact person for registration, and other clerical functions as necessary. Skills and knowledge required include strong word processing skills, effective and pleasant communication style, experience with software applications such as Word and Excel, and demonstrated quality customer service skills. Two to three years of experience in a general office setting is required, including experience in a variety of work situations with direct contact with customers. Education required is a minimum of high school graduation. Application deadline is Jan. 19. Send cover letter and resume to Office of Human Resources, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 259; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• The Nominating Committee of the Annual Conference Standing Committee met recently in Elgin, Ill., to structure the 2006 ballot for Annual Conference. Chair Bruce Hostetler of South/Central Indiana District extended appreciation to everyone in the denomination who allowed their names to be placed in nomination, and to the many people who submitted nominations. Other members of the committee are Kathryn Ludwick of West Marva District, Ron McAdams of Southern Ohio District, Sue Ellen Wheatley of Mid-Atlantic District, Don Fitzkee of Atlantic Northeast District, Mary Anne Whited of Middle Pennsylvania District, Larry Dentler of Southern Pennsylvania District, and Glenn Bollinger of Shenandoah District. The 2006 ballot will be announced in early March. For more information about the election process, contact Annual Conference executive director Lerry Fogle or Conference secretary Fred Swartz at the Annual Conference Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039.
  
  
• Districts are sending representatives to a launch event for Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God's Good News, Feb. 10-12 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The new Sunday school curriculum comes from Brethren Press and the Mennonite Publishing Network. Church of the Brethren districts are sending representatives to be trained in use of the curriculum in church school classes for all ages. Free samples sessions for different age groups are at www.gatherround.org, as well as more information about the curriculum including documents that show its theological and educational foundations. The curriculum is available in February for use beginning this fall. Sample kits will be available for $79.95 plus shipping and handling beginning in February, call Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.
  
  
• The spring issue of "A Guide for Biblical Studies" has been released by Brethren Press. The theme for the Bible study series for March, April, and May is "Living in and as God's Creation" focusing on passages from the Psalms, Job, Mark, Ecclesiastes, John, and Proverbs. The writer for the spring quarter is William Abshire, a professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Bridgewater (Va.) College. Frank Ramirez, pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, writes the "Out of Context" column. Order from Brethren Press for $2.90 each, $5.15 for large print, plus shipping and handling; call 800-441-3712.
  
  
• A free five-minute DVD presenting a music-video style glimpse of the overall work of the Church of the Brethren General Board is available from Brethren videographer David Sollenberger. The video is suitable for use as an inspirational component during a morning worship service, or to share with a church board, ministry coordinating team, Sunday school class, or small group. "Bound Together" was used at Annual Conference 2005. Copies will be mailed free of charge. Please e-mail a request to LSVideo@Comcast.net or call 717-867-4187 or write to 1804 Horseshoe Pike, Annville, PA 17003.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) announces its 2006 winter orientation, Jan. 29-Feb. 17, at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. This will be the 268th BVS training unit, and will be made up of seven volunteers from across the US and Germany including several Church of the Brethren members. A weekend immersion with the Haitian Brethren community in Miami is planned, and while in the city the volunteers also will work at food banks and Habitat for Humanity. The group also will work at Camp Ithiel for a day. A BVS potluck is open to all those who are interested on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Camp Ithiel. "Please feel free to come and welcome the new BVS volunteers and share your own experiences," invited Becky Snavely, of the BVS office."As always your prayer support is welcome and needed. Please pray for the unit, and the people they will touch during their year of service." For more information contact the BVS office at 800-323-8039 ext. 423.
  
  
• US Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona visited Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren on Jan. 9 while touring a clinic that is hosted by the congregation. The Mission of Mercy's Mobile Medical Clinic provides free medical, dental, and prescription coverage to thousands of Frederick County residents each year, according to an article about the event in the "Frederick News-Post." Frederick pastor Paul Mundey reported that the congregation has provided space for "a mobile medical clinic for the working poor" for some time. Carmona told the paper that what inspired him most was that "the only clearance to come here is a need. There's no paperwork, there's no qualification, and what's dispensed here is not as much care as it is love and dignity for a fellow human being." To find the newspaper article online go to http://www.gazette.net/stories/010906/frednew153957_31912.shtml.
  
  
• Trees for Life's president, Balbir Mathur, will be featured in a radio interview Thursday, Jan. 19, that can be heard also on the Internet. The interview will be on WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago Public Radio at 12 noon to 1 p.m. central time. Trees for Life is a nonprofit people-to-people movement that helps plant fruit trees in developing countries, based in Wichita, Kan. It was begun in 1984 with connections to the Church of the Brethren. It also is a Brethren Volunteer Service project site. To hear the broadcast live online go to www.chicagopublicradio.org, under "Listen Now" click the link for Live Webcast in RealAudio. The interview also will be available in the archives at www.chicagopublicradio.org/audio_library/wv_rajan06.asp. (To listen to the interview online, Real Player must be installed on the computer, see www.real.com.) For more information see www.treesforlife.org, or contact Trees for Life, 3006 W. St. Louis, Wichita, KS 67203; 316-945-6929; info@treesforlife.org.
  
  
• The Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center in Harrisonburg, Va., and the Valley Research Associates announce publication of Volume III of "Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the Shenandoah Valley" by Bittinger, Rodes, and Wenger. This third in a projected seven-volume history of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia focuses on Rockingham County families in and around the towns of Bridgewater and Dayton and westward to the mountains. The series has been noted for adding new information about the effects of Gen. Sheridan's campaign of burning and destruction carried out in Oct. 1864, said a release from the center. The volumes also add new information about the Underground Railroad created in the Shenandoah Valley, naming different escape routes across the western mountains and giving the names of pilots, guides, numerous "safe houses," their locations, organizers of the routes, and volume of traffic. A total of 126 local families are included in the three volumes published to date. Each volume retails for $49.95 plus tax ($44.95 for each additional book) plus shipping. Order from Valley Research Associates, P.O. Box 526, Dayton, VA 22821; VRAssociates526@aol.com.
  
  
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) held a "Follow the Light" Epiphany fast in front of the White House on Jan. 6-8. The group had sent a letter to the Bush administration requesting a meeting with the president and his staff to share stories and words of wisdom about the US presence in Iraq, reported Todd Flory of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. "The fast is kind of a spiritual under-girding for that request," said Church of the Brethren and CPT member Cliff Kindy. "It's to recognize the ways in which we're all held captive by the war, whether we're CPTers held captive by the Swords of Righteousness or soldiers held captive or Iraqis or even a president held captive by the idea of war and missing the realities of it." Throughout the three days of fasting, many people stopped to chat with the CPT members while others gave their support or disapproval as they passed, Flory reported. "The people who stop have been positive," said CPT member Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. "The people who aren't so positive keep walking by." President Bush did not grant CPT's request for a visit.
  
  
• By visiting www.wcc-assembly.info, you can be part of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Feb. 14-23. The site also can be accessed via www.brethren.org/genbd/GeneralSecretary/index.htm. The assembly, which is held every eight years, will bring thousands of Christians from around the world together for ecumenical encounter, prayer, celebration, and deliberation. The website offers an overview of what will happen at the assembly including the theme, "God, in your grace, transform the world"; issues and concerns to be discussed; prayers and Bible studies; news and photos; stories of transformation from churches; and the program and preparation documents. During the assembly the site will provide news coverage as it happens, video summaries, live webcasts of plenaries, and an e-news service. Brethren who will attend the assembly include the Church of the Brethren delegate Jeffrey W. Carter, pastor of Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren; Annual Conference moderator Ronald Beachley and his wife, Linda; Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board; Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships for the General Board; Dale Brown, professor emeritus at Bethany Theological Seminary, attending as an observer; and Walt Wiltschek, editor of "Messenger" magazine, who will work with the WCC communications team.

Source: 1/18/2006 Newsline
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