Monday, February 20, 2006
Nigerian Brethren injured, churches burned in rioting protesting cartoons.
At least five churches of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) were damaged or destroyed in Maiduguri, Nigeria, during riots and protests of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, according to an e-mail report received this afternoon from Robert Krouse, Nigeria mission coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Five EYN members were seriously injured in the rioting on Saturday, Feb. 18, in addition to the damage to buildings.
The Associated Press reported that at least 15 people were killed as Muslims attacked Christians and burned churches in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, in "the deadliest confrontation yet in the whirlwind of Muslim anger over the drawings," the AP report said. The cartoons that are considered offensive for their depiction of the prophet first appeared in a newspaper in Denmark in Sept. 2005, but have been reprinted in other European newspapers. Recently the cartoons have been protested in many places around the world, sometimes with violence. In Maiduguri, 15 churches, including those of EYN, were burned as thousands of rioters held a three-hour rampage, the AP report said.
The five EYN churches that have been damaged are EYN Farm Center, which was completely destroyed; EYN Polo, which was burned but not completely destroyed; EYN Gomarigana, which was burned but not completely destroyed; EYN Bulunkutu, which has steel beams that could not be burned, "so all the pews and other furniture were put in a pile and burned," Krouse said. EYN Dala, which was destroyed in similar violence in 1996, also was completely destroyed, Krouse said. Maiduguri No. One church, which is EYN's largest congregation with thousands of members, was not affected by the violence, Krouse said.
"There is no (loss of) life involved in the crises in Maiduguri in EYN churches, but many people died from other denominations," reported Markus Gamache, a business manager for EYN, in an e-mail to Church of the Brethren representatives attending the World Council of Churches assembly in Brazil. EYN's president, Filibus Gwama, is currently at the assembly.
"Unfortunately there may be additional things to report," Krouse said, adding that the rioting may have affected more EYN churches. "As of late afternoon, Monday, Feb 20, the situation had not been contained," he said. "In addition to the violence in Maiduguri, Katsina saw a flare up as well, but no church buildings were destroyed there. There have also been outbreaks of violence today in Gombe and Bauchi. There are EYN churches in both of those cities."
There is the potential for similar episodes of violence in other places in northern Nigeria, Krouse said. "At this point all Church of the Brethren staff are safe and secure," he reported.
Krouse asked for prayers for peace in Nigeria. "Pray that leaders within the Muslim community will call for peace among their people. Pray that the violence will not continue to escalate. Pray that Christians in Nigeria won't react to the acts of violence that have been committed against them by going on a rampage themselves," he said.
"We need to be remembering our Nigerian church leadership in the quest for bringing about interfaith peace in these times, and for the members of each EYN community affected, as they reach out to the families who have lost loved ones in this round of violence," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, in an e-mail note from Brazil where he also is at the WCC meeting.
Noffsinger reported that EYN recently created a Peace Education Committee at its headquarters in Mubi, in northeastern Nigeria. "Times like these test the fibre of newly founded program, and understanding of the gospel," Noffsinger said as he called for prayer for the Nigerian church.
"We continue to pray for...God's intervention," said Gamache.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
top
At least five churches of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) were damaged or destroyed in Maiduguri, Nigeria, during riots and protests of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, according to an e-mail report received this afternoon from Robert Krouse, Nigeria mission coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Five EYN members were seriously injured in the rioting on Saturday, Feb. 18, in addition to the damage to buildings.
The Associated Press reported that at least 15 people were killed as Muslims attacked Christians and burned churches in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, in "the deadliest confrontation yet in the whirlwind of Muslim anger over the drawings," the AP report said. The cartoons that are considered offensive for their depiction of the prophet first appeared in a newspaper in Denmark in Sept. 2005, but have been reprinted in other European newspapers. Recently the cartoons have been protested in many places around the world, sometimes with violence. In Maiduguri, 15 churches, including those of EYN, were burned as thousands of rioters held a three-hour rampage, the AP report said.
The five EYN churches that have been damaged are EYN Farm Center, which was completely destroyed; EYN Polo, which was burned but not completely destroyed; EYN Gomarigana, which was burned but not completely destroyed; EYN Bulunkutu, which has steel beams that could not be burned, "so all the pews and other furniture were put in a pile and burned," Krouse said. EYN Dala, which was destroyed in similar violence in 1996, also was completely destroyed, Krouse said. Maiduguri No. One church, which is EYN's largest congregation with thousands of members, was not affected by the violence, Krouse said.
"There is no (loss of) life involved in the crises in Maiduguri in EYN churches, but many people died from other denominations," reported Markus Gamache, a business manager for EYN, in an e-mail to Church of the Brethren representatives attending the World Council of Churches assembly in Brazil. EYN's president, Filibus Gwama, is currently at the assembly.
"Unfortunately there may be additional things to report," Krouse said, adding that the rioting may have affected more EYN churches. "As of late afternoon, Monday, Feb 20, the situation had not been contained," he said. "In addition to the violence in Maiduguri, Katsina saw a flare up as well, but no church buildings were destroyed there. There have also been outbreaks of violence today in Gombe and Bauchi. There are EYN churches in both of those cities."
There is the potential for similar episodes of violence in other places in northern Nigeria, Krouse said. "At this point all Church of the Brethren staff are safe and secure," he reported.
Krouse asked for prayers for peace in Nigeria. "Pray that leaders within the Muslim community will call for peace among their people. Pray that the violence will not continue to escalate. Pray that Christians in Nigeria won't react to the acts of violence that have been committed against them by going on a rampage themselves," he said.
"We need to be remembering our Nigerian church leadership in the quest for bringing about interfaith peace in these times, and for the members of each EYN community affected, as they reach out to the families who have lost loved ones in this round of violence," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, in an e-mail note from Brazil where he also is at the WCC meeting.
Noffsinger reported that EYN recently created a Peace Education Committee at its headquarters in Mubi, in northeastern Nigeria. "Times like these test the fibre of newly founded program, and understanding of the gospel," Noffsinger said as he called for prayer for the Nigerian church.
"We continue to pray for...God's intervention," said Gamache.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
top
Brethren enjoy 'front and center' spot at World Council of Churches assembly.
By Walt Wiltschek
Church of the Brethren delegate Jeff Carter and advisor Stan Noffsinger have prime seating at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The assembly runs Feb. 14-23.
The Brethren delegation was seated in the front row, center stage in the plenary hall. Filibus Gwama, the delegate from Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) arrived on Friday, Feb. 17, and is seated with the US delegation.
All three participated Saturday in a workshop on the Historic Peace Churches' contribution to the Decade to Overcome Violence (see story below).
Annual Conference moderator Ron Beachley and his wife, Linda, arrived at the assembly over the weekend, and Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney arrives this week.
Noffsinger--general secretary of the General Board--also was on a press conference panel involving the US Conference of the World Council of Churches. The group presented a statement of confession for the US involvement in recent activities of violence and injustice (see story below).
A visit to Brethren churches in Brazil is planned following the assembly.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of "Messenger" magazine for the Church of the Brethren General Board. More information about the assembly is available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
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By Walt Wiltschek
Church of the Brethren delegate Jeff Carter and advisor Stan Noffsinger have prime seating at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The assembly runs Feb. 14-23.
The Brethren delegation was seated in the front row, center stage in the plenary hall. Filibus Gwama, the delegate from Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) arrived on Friday, Feb. 17, and is seated with the US delegation.
All three participated Saturday in a workshop on the Historic Peace Churches' contribution to the Decade to Overcome Violence (see story below).
Annual Conference moderator Ron Beachley and his wife, Linda, arrived at the assembly over the weekend, and Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney arrives this week.
Noffsinger--general secretary of the General Board--also was on a press conference panel involving the US Conference of the World Council of Churches. The group presented a statement of confession for the US involvement in recent activities of violence and injustice (see story below).
A visit to Brethren churches in Brazil is planned following the assembly.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of "Messenger" magazine for the Church of the Brethren General Board. More information about the assembly is available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
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Historic Peace Churches offer a unique voice for nonviolence.
By Walt Wiltschek
Marilyn Stahl has noticed recently that people have a growing interest in her church. "People hear I'm Mennonite, and they say, 'I wish our church was a peace church,'" said Stahl, from the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle (Wash.) University.
The Historic Peace Churches are small compared to most of the World Council of Churches' 348 member churches. But this group--the Mennonites, Brethren, and Friends (Quakers)--believes it has a unique voice with particular relevance for this time in the council's work. The churches have a long pacifist tradition, based on Jesus' commandment of nonviolence.
"Our gift to the ecumenical dialogue is to be a resource for those people who are thinking about (peace issues)," Stahl said.
The WCC sensed the need for that resource when it launched the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) five years ago with an emphasis on networking and encouraging peace efforts worldwide. The central committee asked the Historic Peace Churches to give special attention to the DOV, and to provide leadership by speaking out of their experiences. Six churches from the three faith traditions are WCC members.
"It's a culture we've grown up in," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "We have an understanding of Christ talking about heaping love on our enemies. We understand the theology of peacemaking not just in response to violence or war; it's a transformative way of life that looks at all of life through a very different lens."
Those groups quickly sensed a need to coordinate their efforts, and a Historic Peace Church conference was organized in Bienenberg, Switzerland, in 2001. A book, "Seeking Cultures of Peace," arose from that meeting. Seeking to broaden the discussion, the churches held their next conference in Kenya in 2004, bringing in voices from Africa. Plans for a third conference, in Asia in 2007 focusing on interfaith conflict, are under way, and a future Latin America conference is being considered.
The Kenyan conference has already borne fruit. Filibus Gwama, an assembly delegate from Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), said his denomination began a peace education program following the conference. Last January a coordinator was called to oversee the network. "The church is working hard to see that there is peace," Gwama said.
That was one of many stories highlighted during a "mutirão" workshop at the assembly, covering various Historic Peace Church contributions to the DOV. Tom Paxson, from the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of the Friends General Conference, recounted another effort: funding a WCC staff position for peace work.
The initiative was finally approved in 1996. Sara Speicher, a member of the Church of the Brethren, was the first to serve in the role, with what was then the Programme to Overcome Violence. Funded initially by Mennonite Central Committee and European Mennonites, it came at a time when the WCC was facing financial difficulties and cutbacks.
"The sustainability of the Programme to Overcome Violence and the Decade to Overcome Violence was very much due to the Historic Peace Churches' engagement," said Hansuli Gerber, director of the DOV since 2002. "Otherwise, I don't know how it could have possibly happened."
Gerber said such practical service is at the heart of what the Historic Peace Churches represent. "It's not just talking, it's not just a matter of what we think," he said. "It's what we do."
Fernando Enns, a German Mennonite originally from Brazil, brought the motion to make overcoming violence a more central part of the WCC's work at the council's assembly in Harare, South Africa, in 1998. Delegates adopted the motion, and the DOV was formally launched with ceremonies in Germany in 2001.
At the mutirão workshop, Enns said the need for that emphasis hasn't diminished. "All over the world, churches are facing the challenge of violence. The question is always before us: How do we respond?"
He said it is easy for Christians to say, "We're fed up with turning the other cheek because they'll slap us again." But, as Historic Peace Churches, "We stick to the conviction that nonviolence is essential to Christian identity."
Representatives of the Historic Peace Churches met during the assembly to speak from that conviction to public issues being studied in Porto Alegre. Of particular concern were pending statements on terrorism and on when the use of force is appropriate for humanitarian intervention. Unlike churches that espouse the "just war theory," the peace church tradition says any use of violence is inappropriate for Christians.
Noffsinger acknowledged that it can be hard for the Historic Peace Church voice to be heard, particularly in the current US environment. "We've tried to speak out, but the drums of war are pretty loud," Noffsinger said. "On one hand it's disheartening that the voice of Christ's peace isn't being heard, but on the other hand it's encouraging: We must be relentless in our search for peace."
They hope others continue to show interest in and join that effort, too. While only three faith traditions are known as Historic Peace Churches, representatives at the assembly said that any denomination--including theirs--can be a living peace church for the world today.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of "Messenger" magazine for the Church of the Brethren General Board. More information about the assembly is available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
top
By Walt Wiltschek
Marilyn Stahl has noticed recently that people have a growing interest in her church. "People hear I'm Mennonite, and they say, 'I wish our church was a peace church,'" said Stahl, from the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle (Wash.) University.
The Historic Peace Churches are small compared to most of the World Council of Churches' 348 member churches. But this group--the Mennonites, Brethren, and Friends (Quakers)--believes it has a unique voice with particular relevance for this time in the council's work. The churches have a long pacifist tradition, based on Jesus' commandment of nonviolence.
"Our gift to the ecumenical dialogue is to be a resource for those people who are thinking about (peace issues)," Stahl said.
The WCC sensed the need for that resource when it launched the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) five years ago with an emphasis on networking and encouraging peace efforts worldwide. The central committee asked the Historic Peace Churches to give special attention to the DOV, and to provide leadership by speaking out of their experiences. Six churches from the three faith traditions are WCC members.
"It's a culture we've grown up in," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "We have an understanding of Christ talking about heaping love on our enemies. We understand the theology of peacemaking not just in response to violence or war; it's a transformative way of life that looks at all of life through a very different lens."
Those groups quickly sensed a need to coordinate their efforts, and a Historic Peace Church conference was organized in Bienenberg, Switzerland, in 2001. A book, "Seeking Cultures of Peace," arose from that meeting. Seeking to broaden the discussion, the churches held their next conference in Kenya in 2004, bringing in voices from Africa. Plans for a third conference, in Asia in 2007 focusing on interfaith conflict, are under way, and a future Latin America conference is being considered.
The Kenyan conference has already borne fruit. Filibus Gwama, an assembly delegate from Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), said his denomination began a peace education program following the conference. Last January a coordinator was called to oversee the network. "The church is working hard to see that there is peace," Gwama said.
That was one of many stories highlighted during a "mutirão" workshop at the assembly, covering various Historic Peace Church contributions to the DOV. Tom Paxson, from the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of the Friends General Conference, recounted another effort: funding a WCC staff position for peace work.
The initiative was finally approved in 1996. Sara Speicher, a member of the Church of the Brethren, was the first to serve in the role, with what was then the Programme to Overcome Violence. Funded initially by Mennonite Central Committee and European Mennonites, it came at a time when the WCC was facing financial difficulties and cutbacks.
"The sustainability of the Programme to Overcome Violence and the Decade to Overcome Violence was very much due to the Historic Peace Churches' engagement," said Hansuli Gerber, director of the DOV since 2002. "Otherwise, I don't know how it could have possibly happened."
Gerber said such practical service is at the heart of what the Historic Peace Churches represent. "It's not just talking, it's not just a matter of what we think," he said. "It's what we do."
Fernando Enns, a German Mennonite originally from Brazil, brought the motion to make overcoming violence a more central part of the WCC's work at the council's assembly in Harare, South Africa, in 1998. Delegates adopted the motion, and the DOV was formally launched with ceremonies in Germany in 2001.
At the mutirão workshop, Enns said the need for that emphasis hasn't diminished. "All over the world, churches are facing the challenge of violence. The question is always before us: How do we respond?"
He said it is easy for Christians to say, "We're fed up with turning the other cheek because they'll slap us again." But, as Historic Peace Churches, "We stick to the conviction that nonviolence is essential to Christian identity."
Representatives of the Historic Peace Churches met during the assembly to speak from that conviction to public issues being studied in Porto Alegre. Of particular concern were pending statements on terrorism and on when the use of force is appropriate for humanitarian intervention. Unlike churches that espouse the "just war theory," the peace church tradition says any use of violence is inappropriate for Christians.
Noffsinger acknowledged that it can be hard for the Historic Peace Church voice to be heard, particularly in the current US environment. "We've tried to speak out, but the drums of war are pretty loud," Noffsinger said. "On one hand it's disheartening that the voice of Christ's peace isn't being heard, but on the other hand it's encouraging: We must be relentless in our search for peace."
They hope others continue to show interest in and join that effort, too. While only three faith traditions are known as Historic Peace Churches, representatives at the assembly said that any denomination--including theirs--can be a living peace church for the world today.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of "Messenger" magazine for the Church of the Brethren General Board. More information about the assembly is available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
top
US Christian leaders apologize on violence, poverty, and ecology.
Representatives of the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC) addressed a message to the WCC's 9th Assembly on Feb. 18 saying that the US-led Iraq war was a "mistake," and apologized to the ecumenical community for failing to raise a prophetic voice to prevent it.
Leonid Kishkovsky, moderator of the US Conference for the WCC, made up of 34 US churches that are members of the council, told a plenary session, "We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched with deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights."
Speaking at a press conference earlier, Kishkovsky said the delegation was making the statement to the ecumenical community to "show repentance and solidarity with those who suffered".
President of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the US (NCC), Michael Livingstone, referred to solidarity shown with the US over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, saying, "In a number of ecumenical settings, we were deeply moved by post 9/11 visits, where we were offered sympathy over the tragic loss of life."
Nevertheless, the statement says, the US responded to the attacks "by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable among our global neighbors.
"Our leaders turned a deaf ear to the voices of church leaders throughout our nation and the world, entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of our own national interests. Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas that are nothing short of idolatrous."
Presented in the form of a prayer of repentance, the message continues, "We confess that we have failed to raise a prophetic voice loud enough and persistent enough to call our nation to global responsibility for creation, that we ourselves are complicit in a culture of consumption that diminishes the earth. Christ, have mercy." The statement says that while global warming goes on unchecked, the US refuses to acknowledge its responsibility and rejects multilateral agreements aimed at reversing disastrous trends.
It says, "Starvation, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the treatable diseases that go untreated indict us, revealing the grim features of global economic injustice we have too often failed to acknowledge or confront."
"Hurricane Katrina," it continues, "revealed to the world those left behind in our own nation by the rupture of our social contract. As a nation we have refused to confront the racism that infects our policies around the world."
Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, who supported the statement, said, "This letter is not an attempt to undermine American troops. They are brave men and women who are our sons and daughters and our neighbors. But here we gather with Christians around the world, and meet the parents of other sons and daughters."
Visibly moved, she said, "We come face to face with brothers and sisters who suffered because of choices our government made, and we are making the statement to acknowledge solidarity with the suffering."
The statement itself affirms, "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war; we acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."
Explaining the timing of the statement, John Thomas, president of United Church of Christ, said, "An emerging theme in conversation with our partners around the world is that the US is being perceived as a dangerous nation."
He said that the assembly was "a unique opportunity to make this statement to all our colleagues" in the ecumenical movement. The statement says, "We come to you seeking to be partners in the search for unity and justice."
Thomas acknowledged that not all church members would agree with the thrust of the statement, but said it was their responsibility as leaders to "speak a prophetic and pastoral word as we believe God is offering it to us."
The US Conference for the World Council of Churches is composed of 34 US churches which belong to the WCC. For more information go to www.wcc-usa.org/about-us/member-churches.html. The full text of the statement can be found at
www.wcc-assembly.info/en/theme-issues/assembly-documents/non-official-documents/letter-from-us-conference-for-the-wcc.html. For more about the assembly, see www.wcc-assembly.info. This story is from a WCC release.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
top
Representatives of the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC) addressed a message to the WCC's 9th Assembly on Feb. 18 saying that the US-led Iraq war was a "mistake," and apologized to the ecumenical community for failing to raise a prophetic voice to prevent it.
Leonid Kishkovsky, moderator of the US Conference for the WCC, made up of 34 US churches that are members of the council, told a plenary session, "We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched with deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights."
Speaking at a press conference earlier, Kishkovsky said the delegation was making the statement to the ecumenical community to "show repentance and solidarity with those who suffered".
President of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the US (NCC), Michael Livingstone, referred to solidarity shown with the US over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, saying, "In a number of ecumenical settings, we were deeply moved by post 9/11 visits, where we were offered sympathy over the tragic loss of life."
Nevertheless, the statement says, the US responded to the attacks "by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable among our global neighbors.
"Our leaders turned a deaf ear to the voices of church leaders throughout our nation and the world, entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of our own national interests. Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas that are nothing short of idolatrous."
Presented in the form of a prayer of repentance, the message continues, "We confess that we have failed to raise a prophetic voice loud enough and persistent enough to call our nation to global responsibility for creation, that we ourselves are complicit in a culture of consumption that diminishes the earth. Christ, have mercy." The statement says that while global warming goes on unchecked, the US refuses to acknowledge its responsibility and rejects multilateral agreements aimed at reversing disastrous trends.
It says, "Starvation, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the treatable diseases that go untreated indict us, revealing the grim features of global economic injustice we have too often failed to acknowledge or confront."
"Hurricane Katrina," it continues, "revealed to the world those left behind in our own nation by the rupture of our social contract. As a nation we have refused to confront the racism that infects our policies around the world."
Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, who supported the statement, said, "This letter is not an attempt to undermine American troops. They are brave men and women who are our sons and daughters and our neighbors. But here we gather with Christians around the world, and meet the parents of other sons and daughters."
Visibly moved, she said, "We come face to face with brothers and sisters who suffered because of choices our government made, and we are making the statement to acknowledge solidarity with the suffering."
The statement itself affirms, "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war; we acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."
Explaining the timing of the statement, John Thomas, president of United Church of Christ, said, "An emerging theme in conversation with our partners around the world is that the US is being perceived as a dangerous nation."
He said that the assembly was "a unique opportunity to make this statement to all our colleagues" in the ecumenical movement. The statement says, "We come to you seeking to be partners in the search for unity and justice."
Thomas acknowledged that not all church members would agree with the thrust of the statement, but said it was their responsibility as leaders to "speak a prophetic and pastoral word as we believe God is offering it to us."
The US Conference for the World Council of Churches is composed of 34 US churches which belong to the WCC. For more information go to www.wcc-usa.org/about-us/member-churches.html. The full text of the statement can be found at
www.wcc-assembly.info/en/theme-issues/assembly-documents/non-official-documents/letter-from-us-conference-for-the-wcc.html. For more about the assembly, see www.wcc-assembly.info. This story is from a WCC release.
Source: 2/20/2006 Newsline
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Wednesday, February 15, 2006
NEWS
- Conference committee meets with Brethren Mennonite Council.
- Brethren Volunteers take part in vocations program.
- Bethany Seminary students and friends visit Greece.
- Brethren bits: Corrections, remembrances, job openings, more.
- Eshbach resigns as dean of Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center.
- Krouse completes service as Nigeria mission coordinator.
Conference committee meets with Brethren Mennonite Council.
A meeting between the Program and Arrangement Committee of Annual Conference and representatives of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests (BMC) took place Jan. 21 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The meeting, held at the invitation of the Program and Arrangements Committee, followed the issuing of revised guidelines for exhibits and literature distribution at Annual Conference.
The committee "felt it was important to have a face-to-face meeting with members of the Brethren Mennonite Council after denying a request for exhibit space at Annual Conference for 2006," reported Annual Conference moderator Ronald Beachley. BMC, founded in 1976, has requested exhibit space for more than 20 years, according to BMC director Carol Wise. Those requests have been denied.
At the meeting, time was spent talking about the history of BMC, its relationship with the General Board Liaison program, and its relationship with the Program and Arrangements Committee, Beachley said. Those at the meeting watched the video "Body of Dissent," produced by BMC. The committee's representatives shared reasons why BMC was not granted exhibit space for the 2006 Annual Conference, and the group talked about how to encourage and foster dialogue. The meeting was "a mutual style conversation, with all of us exploring various ways to foster dialogue and move the church forward," Wise said.
Beachley reported that "the representatives of the Program and Arrangements Committee felt the major reasons exhibit hall space was not given to BMC had to do with the church's stance on covenantal homosexual relationships and a concern for those in the denomination who view scripture differently." The conversation did not produce any major breakthroughs and no decisions were made, he said, "but being at the same table talking was a first step."
Find the recently revised guidelines for Annual Conference exhibits and literature distribution at www.brethren.org/ac/ click on "Polity, Policies, and Guidelines."
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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A meeting between the Program and Arrangement Committee of Annual Conference and representatives of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests (BMC) took place Jan. 21 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The meeting, held at the invitation of the Program and Arrangements Committee, followed the issuing of revised guidelines for exhibits and literature distribution at Annual Conference.
The committee "felt it was important to have a face-to-face meeting with members of the Brethren Mennonite Council after denying a request for exhibit space at Annual Conference for 2006," reported Annual Conference moderator Ronald Beachley. BMC, founded in 1976, has requested exhibit space for more than 20 years, according to BMC director Carol Wise. Those requests have been denied.
At the meeting, time was spent talking about the history of BMC, its relationship with the General Board Liaison program, and its relationship with the Program and Arrangements Committee, Beachley said. Those at the meeting watched the video "Body of Dissent," produced by BMC. The committee's representatives shared reasons why BMC was not granted exhibit space for the 2006 Annual Conference, and the group talked about how to encourage and foster dialogue. The meeting was "a mutual style conversation, with all of us exploring various ways to foster dialogue and move the church forward," Wise said.
Beachley reported that "the representatives of the Program and Arrangements Committee felt the major reasons exhibit hall space was not given to BMC had to do with the church's stance on covenantal homosexual relationships and a concern for those in the denomination who view scripture differently." The conversation did not produce any major breakthroughs and no decisions were made, he said, "but being at the same table talking was a first step."
Find the recently revised guidelines for Annual Conference exhibits and literature distribution at www.brethren.org/ac/ click on "Polity, Policies, and Guidelines."
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Brethren volunteers take part in vocations program.
A pilot project is giving 11 volunteers with Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) a chance to think about their vocational calling. The year-long project of the Lilly Foundation's Theological Exploration of Vocation program is for college-age fulltime volunteers. It is being carried out with five volunteer organizations: BVS, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Mission Year Program, and the Presbyterian Year in Mission.
Each organization has its own facilitator for the project--the BVS facilitator is David Witkovsky, campus minister at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. James Ellison, an outreach minister of the Presbyterian Church working with at-risk children and youth at the Mother Jones House in Wheeling, W.Va., is a consultant for the project and has been visiting each of the volunteer organizations to interview participants as well as "alumni" volunteers. Leading the team of facilitators is Wayne Meisel, head of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation that since 1989 has become one of the largest privately-funded service scholarship programs and a philanthropic leader in the anti-hunger movement (see www.bonner.org).
The Fund for Theological Education became interested in volunteer organizations as a source for the pilot project because they represent a cadre of young people involved in the church who may become church leaders in the future, Ellison explained.
The volunteer organizations--as well as the volunteers--will benefit from a more disciplined approach to the discernment of vocation, Ellison said. BVS hopes that the project will help volunteers "think more seriously about where God's calling them during this time and afterward," said director Dan McFadden. Many volunteers choose fulltime service because of the spirituality component of such work, he said.
The project, which began in the late summer of last year, will include three retreats for the 11 BVS participants, led by Witkovsky. Each participating volunteer seeks out a mentor to guide in thinking about call and vocation, and each is asked to participate actively in a local faith community. In March, six participating volunteers from each organization will attend a conference at Princeton University.
Ellison is interviewing the participating volunteers and BVS alumni, visiting the volunteers' placement sites, and helping with issues that they raise. In the process he will help BVS figure out what works and what does not work for people who are using the volunteer experience to help them discern their calling. A grant of $20,000 has been given to BVS from the Fund for Theological Education to cover expenses for these events as well as some other work that BVS is doing to facilitate conversation with pastors.
The volunteers will learn a lot about themselves, but so will the organizations taking part. Ellison gave examples of weaknesses and strengths the organizations are already discovering through the process of meeting with each other's staff. "The Brethren model really impressed everybody," he said. BVS's three-week orientation is "very in depth," and it was the only organization to have volunteer placement take place during orientation, he said. BVS also is "unique" in the volunteers' "strong sense of community and strong identity with the denomination," he added.
Staff of other volunteer agencies "worried about the way Dan feeds the volunteers during orientation," Ellison said with a smile. BVS volunteers receive only $2.25 per day for food during orientation, and part of the orientation is spent learning how to shop and eat adequately with that small amount of money. Another concern raised with "tongue-in-cheek" comments by Ellison was the "drop-off day" during orientation, in which pairs of volunteers are dropped off in an unfamiliar location and must find their way back to the orientation after working for free for a family or organization along the way. "In many way they (the other volunteer agencies) thought that was a pretty neat thing to do," McFadden said of the drop-off day.
Ellison hopes the one-year pilot will expand into a several-year program, and will include more volunteer organizations in the future. The end result of the project will be a report and a design for larger investment into volunteer programs, he said.
McFadden hopes that volunteers who participate "are listening for the call and are paying attention to that call," he said. "Are we looking for more pastors? Sure. But the bigger picture is that service is for all of us who are trying to follow Christ's call."
For more information about BVS see www.brethren.org/genbd/bvs/index.htm.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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A pilot project is giving 11 volunteers with Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) a chance to think about their vocational calling. The year-long project of the Lilly Foundation's Theological Exploration of Vocation program is for college-age fulltime volunteers. It is being carried out with five volunteer organizations: BVS, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Mission Year Program, and the Presbyterian Year in Mission.
Each organization has its own facilitator for the project--the BVS facilitator is David Witkovsky, campus minister at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. James Ellison, an outreach minister of the Presbyterian Church working with at-risk children and youth at the Mother Jones House in Wheeling, W.Va., is a consultant for the project and has been visiting each of the volunteer organizations to interview participants as well as "alumni" volunteers. Leading the team of facilitators is Wayne Meisel, head of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation that since 1989 has become one of the largest privately-funded service scholarship programs and a philanthropic leader in the anti-hunger movement (see www.bonner.org).
The Fund for Theological Education became interested in volunteer organizations as a source for the pilot project because they represent a cadre of young people involved in the church who may become church leaders in the future, Ellison explained.
The volunteer organizations--as well as the volunteers--will benefit from a more disciplined approach to the discernment of vocation, Ellison said. BVS hopes that the project will help volunteers "think more seriously about where God's calling them during this time and afterward," said director Dan McFadden. Many volunteers choose fulltime service because of the spirituality component of such work, he said.
The project, which began in the late summer of last year, will include three retreats for the 11 BVS participants, led by Witkovsky. Each participating volunteer seeks out a mentor to guide in thinking about call and vocation, and each is asked to participate actively in a local faith community. In March, six participating volunteers from each organization will attend a conference at Princeton University.
Ellison is interviewing the participating volunteers and BVS alumni, visiting the volunteers' placement sites, and helping with issues that they raise. In the process he will help BVS figure out what works and what does not work for people who are using the volunteer experience to help them discern their calling. A grant of $20,000 has been given to BVS from the Fund for Theological Education to cover expenses for these events as well as some other work that BVS is doing to facilitate conversation with pastors.
The volunteers will learn a lot about themselves, but so will the organizations taking part. Ellison gave examples of weaknesses and strengths the organizations are already discovering through the process of meeting with each other's staff. "The Brethren model really impressed everybody," he said. BVS's three-week orientation is "very in depth," and it was the only organization to have volunteer placement take place during orientation, he said. BVS also is "unique" in the volunteers' "strong sense of community and strong identity with the denomination," he added.
Staff of other volunteer agencies "worried about the way Dan feeds the volunteers during orientation," Ellison said with a smile. BVS volunteers receive only $2.25 per day for food during orientation, and part of the orientation is spent learning how to shop and eat adequately with that small amount of money. Another concern raised with "tongue-in-cheek" comments by Ellison was the "drop-off day" during orientation, in which pairs of volunteers are dropped off in an unfamiliar location and must find their way back to the orientation after working for free for a family or organization along the way. "In many way they (the other volunteer agencies) thought that was a pretty neat thing to do," McFadden said of the drop-off day.
Ellison hopes the one-year pilot will expand into a several-year program, and will include more volunteer organizations in the future. The end result of the project will be a report and a design for larger investment into volunteer programs, he said.
McFadden hopes that volunteers who participate "are listening for the call and are paying attention to that call," he said. "Are we looking for more pastors? Sure. But the bigger picture is that service is for all of us who are trying to follow Christ's call."
For more information about BVS see www.brethren.org/genbd/bvs/index.htm.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Bethany Seminary students and friends visit Greece.
Thirteen Bethany Theological Seminary students and friends recently spent 12 days touring historical and religious sites in Greece, accompanied by Nadine Pence Frantz, professor of theological studies. Bethany students enrolled in the Master of Divinity (M. Div.) and Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.Th.) degree programs are required to take at least one course in cross-cultural studies which includes direct experience of and reflection on a cultural context other than their own. Cross-cultural courses enhance students' appreciation and respect for different cultural perspectives, increase their ability to critique their own society and culture, and allow them to explore possibilities for ministry in a different social and cultural context.
The group left the U.S. on December 27, 2005 and returned on January 8, 2006. The trip was Dr. Frantz's first to lead to Greece, and included Mycenaean, Classical Greek, Roman, early Christian, Byzantine and Greek Orthodox sites on the mainland of Greece and the Peloponese. Cities visited were Athens, Delphi, Olympia, the Lousios Gorge, Mystras, Geraki, Sparti, and Corinth. The students were required to do some reading and to meet for preparatory sessions before the study tour and to do a paper on a particular site or aspect of the trip once they returned. Three of the travelers were not taking it as a course for credit but were interested in learning more about Greece's history and culture. "The trip was a wonderful mixture of history, culture and people," said Dr. Frantz, "and helped us understand the culture and context of the church that developed within the Greek culture."
The trip was a positive experience for participating students that will be a continuing influence on their studies and faith journeys. Sue Ross of Fort Wayne, Ind., says that the trip allowed her to "see" some of the history that she has read about in books. "Standing in the place of Paul at Corinth brought his letters alive to me." Kendra Flory of McPherson, Kan., observes, "Physically connecting with the land of our religious and spiritual history has prompted in me many questions and feelings about my beliefs and own spiritual journey, and experiencing contemporary Greek culture and its secular and spiritual traditions has brought me to a special place of reflection about my own traditions." "The way I approach preaching God's word will be different since catching a glimpse of the world in which it was told," says Laura Price of Empire, Cal. "I will remember and cherish this experience forever," says Sandra Jenkins of Clarksville, Ohio.
For more information about cross-cultural opportunities or Bethany's educational programs, contact the Admissions Office at 800-287-8822 ext. 1832.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Thirteen Bethany Theological Seminary students and friends recently spent 12 days touring historical and religious sites in Greece, accompanied by Nadine Pence Frantz, professor of theological studies. Bethany students enrolled in the Master of Divinity (M. Div.) and Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.Th.) degree programs are required to take at least one course in cross-cultural studies which includes direct experience of and reflection on a cultural context other than their own. Cross-cultural courses enhance students' appreciation and respect for different cultural perspectives, increase their ability to critique their own society and culture, and allow them to explore possibilities for ministry in a different social and cultural context.
The group left the U.S. on December 27, 2005 and returned on January 8, 2006. The trip was Dr. Frantz's first to lead to Greece, and included Mycenaean, Classical Greek, Roman, early Christian, Byzantine and Greek Orthodox sites on the mainland of Greece and the Peloponese. Cities visited were Athens, Delphi, Olympia, the Lousios Gorge, Mystras, Geraki, Sparti, and Corinth. The students were required to do some reading and to meet for preparatory sessions before the study tour and to do a paper on a particular site or aspect of the trip once they returned. Three of the travelers were not taking it as a course for credit but were interested in learning more about Greece's history and culture. "The trip was a wonderful mixture of history, culture and people," said Dr. Frantz, "and helped us understand the culture and context of the church that developed within the Greek culture."
The trip was a positive experience for participating students that will be a continuing influence on their studies and faith journeys. Sue Ross of Fort Wayne, Ind., says that the trip allowed her to "see" some of the history that she has read about in books. "Standing in the place of Paul at Corinth brought his letters alive to me." Kendra Flory of McPherson, Kan., observes, "Physically connecting with the land of our religious and spiritual history has prompted in me many questions and feelings about my beliefs and own spiritual journey, and experiencing contemporary Greek culture and its secular and spiritual traditions has brought me to a special place of reflection about my own traditions." "The way I approach preaching God's word will be different since catching a glimpse of the world in which it was told," says Laura Price of Empire, Cal. "I will remember and cherish this experience forever," says Sandra Jenkins of Clarksville, Ohio.
For more information about cross-cultural opportunities or Bethany's educational programs, contact the Admissions Office at 800-287-8822 ext. 1832.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Corrections, remembrances, job openings, more.
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- Corrections: The date of Coretta Scott King's death was given as Feb. 31 in the Feb 1 issue of Newsline; the correct date is Jan. 31. Also in the Feb. 1 issue, sabbatical dates for Bethany Seminary's academic dean Stephen Reid were incorrect; correct dates are Dec. 2006-April 2007.
- Former China and Ecuador missionary Rolland C. Flory, age 93, passed away Feb. 13 at a hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He had lived at Timbercrest Church of the Brethren Home in North Manchester, Ind., since 1989. Flory's work for the Church of the Brethren General Board included service in China during the World War II years, along with his wife Josephine, also deceased. The couple began their work in China in 1940 but in Feb. 1941 moved to the Philippines because of the Japanese occupation of China. By the end of the year they were put in a Japanese internment camp, where they were held until Feb. 1945. During his internment, Flory was one of four missionaries in the camp who suffered beatings and torture while being interrogated. After returning to the US, Flory earned an agriculture degree from Cornell University. The couple then returned to China, spending three years at a Brethren rural mission in Kiangsi Province. After Spanish language study in Costa Rica, they then spent eight years in the Brethren mission in Llano Grande, Ecuador. Returning from Ecuador, the Florys moved to West Lafayette, Ind., where he worked in the Purdue University Grounds Department until retirement in 1978. Flory was raised in China, having traveled there with his missionary parents Raymond C. And Lizzie M. Neher Flory when he was a toddler in 1914, and returning with them to the US in 1927. He attended high school in Grants Pass, Ore., and graduated from Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., in 1938. Flory is survived by son Jim Flory and his wife, Eileen, by son John Flory and his wife, Becky, and by three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in the Timbercrest Chapel at a later date.
- Patricia L. "Pattie" Bittinger Stern, age 75, died Feb. 5, in McPherson, Kan. The memorial service was held Feb. 11 at McPherson Church of the Brethren. She and her husband, Irven, served the Church of the Brethren in pastoral ministry, as mission workers in Nigeria and as district co-executives. She was born in Garkida, Nigeria, on Christmas Day 1930, the daughter of Church of the Brethren missionaries Desmond and Irene Bittinger. After graduating at McPherson College and attending Bethany Theological Seminary, Pattie and Irven worked in Nigeria with the Church of the Brethren General Board from 1954-62. They helped start Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), with Pattie teaching and serving as principal of the women's school, and Irven serving as the college's first principal. In 1962 they returned to Kansas, where Pattie taught in the public schools. In 1974 the couple moved to San Diego. They were co-executive ministers of Pacific Southwest District from 1985 until retirement in 1993--the first husband-wife couple to serve the denomination in such a capacity. Her volunteer work for the denomination included service on the Pacific Southwest District Board, as chair, as well as the board of Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif., the New Church Coordinating Committee, the Program Coordinating Committee, and Annual Conference study committees on Mission Philosophy and Brotherhood Understanding. Ecumenical involvements included the Council of Religious Leaders in Southern California and the Pacific Conference on World Christian Mission, as dean. She was an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and, following retirement, the Sterns co-pastored Live Oak (Calif.) Church of the Brethren. McPherson College honored them in 1991 with a Citation of Merit Award as outstanding alumni. Since their move to the Cedars in McPherson, the Sterns have continued to be active in the church and the work of Western Plains District. She is survived by her husband, three children, 6 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. Memorial gifts are designated for McPherson Church of the Brethren Building Fund working on accessibility or McPherson College.
- Stanley Wampler, former district executive minister of Shenandoah District and Tri-District Executive, died on Jan. 31 at age 86. A memorial service was held Feb. 4 at First Church of the Brethren in Harrisonburg, Va. Wampler was baptized in 1928 at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers Cave, Va., and licensed and ordained to ministry at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren in Port Republic, Va. He served pastorates in Virginia and then as a district executive from 1954 until retirement in 1984. He was executive for Northern Virginia District 1954-65, for the Tri-District of Virginia (Eastern, Northern, and Second)1965-67, and for Shenandoah District from its creation in 1967 until 1984. He is remembered for playing a leadership role in recognizing the need for retirement homes in the southeast region of the Church of the Brethren, with a vision that has now become the Bridgewater Retirement Community and two other Brethren-related retirement communities. In volunteer positions Wampler served the denomination on the Council of District Executives as chair, on the Standing Committee of Annual Conference, and on the Committee on Interchurch Relations. He also served on ecumenical committees including the Virginia Council of Churches as president, the Chaplain Services of the Churches of Virginia as president, the Industrial Commercial Ministries and Hospital Chaplaincies Programs, and the Bridgewater Healthcare Foundation Board. In retirement he was minister of visitation and welcome for his congregation. Wampler was a graduate of Bridgewater (Va.) College and Bethany Theological Seminary. He was in the army in the European Theater in 1944-45. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mazie Kirby Wampler; two sons, Wayne Wampler and wife, Sue, and Jerry Wampler and wife, Barbie; six granddaughters; and a brother and sister. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Joyce Wampler Ferranti, in 2003. The family has designated memorial contributions to the Bridgewater Healthcare Foundation or to First Church of the Brethren in Harrisonburg.
- The Church of the Brethren General Board seeks a mission coordinator in Nigeria, to work through the Global Mission Partnerships program. This fulltime staff position, located in Nigeria, is responsible to be the Nigeria mission team leader and primary link with leadership of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The preferred candidate brings seminary training and pastoral experience, ability to articulate the identity of the Church of the Brethren, strong administrative and communication skills, and the ability to learn some Hausa language. Qualifications include grounding in Church of the Brethren heritage, theology, and polity; oral and written communication skills; ability to facilitate change and motivate others; ability to function collaboratively with colleagues in a team context. Theological education is an asset and international mission experience and/or pastoral experience is a plus. The position will be open in the summer, preferably in June. A position description and application form are available on request. Applications will be received and the search will continue until the position is filled, with an initial deadline of March 7 for candidates to indicate interest. Qualified candidates are invited to complete the General Board application form, submit a resume and letter of application, and to 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. 259; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) seeks a director of Family and Older Adult Ministries. The position is fulltime, located at the ABC offices, starting May 15. Responsibilities include to provide leadership for the interpretation, development, and integration of the missions and resources of the Older Adult Ministry and Family Life ministries of ABC; and to provide program interpretation and resources that will serve the needs of congregations, districts, and conferences within the Church of the Brethren. Qualifications include a minimum education requirement of a bachelor's degree with background in social work, family services, gerontology, or related field preferred. Experience required includes a comprehensive knowledge and experience in resource development, leadership training or teaching; experience working with a variety of ages (children, youth, parents, older adults) on issues impacting family life; communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and within a small team; commitment to and understanding of Church of the Brethren structures, beliefs, and practices. Applications will be received beginning immediately, with a deadline of March 14. A position description and application forms are available on request. Qualified candidates are invited to submit a resume, cover letter, application forms, and to request three individuals to send letters of recommendation to Mary Lou Garrison, Director of Human Resources, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; mgarrison_gb@brethren.org. For more information about ABC see www.brethren-caregivers.org.
- Spanish translation volunteers are needed at the 2006 Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Volunteer translators are needed for simultaneous translation during the business sessions and worship services at the Conference that will be held July 1-5. Any interested individuals should contact Nadine L. Monn at nadine_monn@yahoo.com or 215-844-1534 for more information.
- Resources for Spanish-speaking delegates and guests will be provided at Annual Conference this year. The agency annual reports, worship programs, and new business items will be translated into Spanish for delegate use at the 2006 Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. If you are aware of any Spanish-speaking delegates or invited guests or visitors, please contact Nadine L. Monn for resource planning at nadine_monn@yahoo.com or 215-844-1534.
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Eshbach resigns as dean of Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center.
Warren Eshbach has resigned as dean of the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center, a Brethren Ministry Education Partnership of Bethany Theological Seminary and the districts of Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle Pennsylvania, Southern Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania. He has filled the part-time position for nine years.
At its winter meeting, the center's Executive Committee accepted the resignation "with deep regret" according to Bob Neff, chair of the Governing Board. "As a board and a community, we have much to celebrate in Warren's leadership, an outstanding educational product, an effective and dedicated staff, sound financial management, and record enrollments," Neff said. "These circumstances enable us to deal with the loss of an excellent leader from a position of strength."
Eshbach's leadership in the Church of the Brethren has included positions as director of Pastoral Care at the Brethren Home Community in New Oxford, Pa., 1997-2000; district executive minister for Southern Pennsylvania District 1983-97; chaplain of the Brethren Home Community 1972-76; and three pastorates. He has served as adjunct faculty for Bethany Theological Seminary and has been an instructor for the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and the Keystone Bible Institute. He also currently works part-time as adjunct faculty for Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa.
In volunteer positions, he has been a member of the boards of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, the Brethren Home Community, the Church of the Brethren General Board 1998-2003--where he served as chair for one year--and has served on the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches.
Eshbach plans to work through a time of transition of leadership to provide continuity for the ministry center, then hopes to devote more time to his family, teaching, and writing.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Warren Eshbach has resigned as dean of the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center, a Brethren Ministry Education Partnership of Bethany Theological Seminary and the districts of Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle Pennsylvania, Southern Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania. He has filled the part-time position for nine years.
At its winter meeting, the center's Executive Committee accepted the resignation "with deep regret" according to Bob Neff, chair of the Governing Board. "As a board and a community, we have much to celebrate in Warren's leadership, an outstanding educational product, an effective and dedicated staff, sound financial management, and record enrollments," Neff said. "These circumstances enable us to deal with the loss of an excellent leader from a position of strength."
Eshbach's leadership in the Church of the Brethren has included positions as director of Pastoral Care at the Brethren Home Community in New Oxford, Pa., 1997-2000; district executive minister for Southern Pennsylvania District 1983-97; chaplain of the Brethren Home Community 1972-76; and three pastorates. He has served as adjunct faculty for Bethany Theological Seminary and has been an instructor for the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and the Keystone Bible Institute. He also currently works part-time as adjunct faculty for Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa.
In volunteer positions, he has been a member of the boards of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, the Brethren Home Community, the Church of the Brethren General Board 1998-2003--where he served as chair for one year--and has served on the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches.
Eshbach plans to work through a time of transition of leadership to provide continuity for the ministry center, then hopes to devote more time to his family, teaching, and writing.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Krouse completes service as Nigeria mission coordinator.
Robert Krouse has completed his term of service as mission coordinator for Nigeria, effective July, 2006. At that time he will have served in the position for two years, working through the Global Mission Partnerships Program of the Church of the Brethren General Board since July of 2004.
In Nigeria, he and his wife, Carol, worked with Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The Krouses also spent two years in mission work in Nigeria from 1985-87. During that period of time they worked to open a new mission point for EYN.
"Bob has applied his gifts and made important contributions in the areas of congregational renewal and leadership development, leading workshops across the country that have impacted 85 percent of the active pastors in the Nigerian church," said Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships. "He and Carol have also served on the planning group for EYN's AIDS response, and he served on the scholarship committee. All this while leading the Church of the Brethren team in Nigeria."
This period of time in Nigeria followed almost 10 years of involvement with church planting in Pennsylvania, where Krouse was founding pastor of Cornerstone Christian Church in Lebanon, Pa. Krouse is a graduate of Temple University and Bethany Theological Seminary.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Robert Krouse has completed his term of service as mission coordinator for Nigeria, effective July, 2006. At that time he will have served in the position for two years, working through the Global Mission Partnerships Program of the Church of the Brethren General Board since July of 2004.
In Nigeria, he and his wife, Carol, worked with Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The Krouses also spent two years in mission work in Nigeria from 1985-87. During that period of time they worked to open a new mission point for EYN.
"Bob has applied his gifts and made important contributions in the areas of congregational renewal and leadership development, leading workshops across the country that have impacted 85 percent of the active pastors in the Nigerian church," said Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships. "He and Carol have also served on the planning group for EYN's AIDS response, and he served on the scholarship committee. All this while leading the Church of the Brethren team in Nigeria."
This period of time in Nigeria followed almost 10 years of involvement with church planting in Pennsylvania, where Krouse was founding pastor of Cornerstone Christian Church in Lebanon, Pa. Krouse is a graduate of Temple University and Bethany Theological Seminary.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Resources coming soon for Together conversations.
A conversation guide for "Together: Conversations on Being the Church" will come off the press soon, just in time for a training event for district representatives in New Windsor, Md., Feb. 24-26. The conversation guide is one of several resources already available or coming soon to facilitate a denomination-wide conversations about what "being the church" means.
The Together conversations were initiated by the Council of District Executives in 2003, with a statement of concern and a call for the denomination to begin a discussion of "ecclesiology," or what it means to be the church. Planning for carrying out such a conversation denomination-wide has since been carried by a committee of representatives of the district executives and the Annual Conference agencies.
The Together conversation guide written by James Benedict, pastor of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren, is published by Brethren Press and will be used at Annual Conference this summer and at many district conferences and regional events this year and next. The guide also is available for Together conversations in congregations, Sunday school classes, and small groups. The guide is specially priced at a discount for groups and may be purchased for $4.95 a copy, plus shipping and handling. Call 800-441-3712.
The conversation guide is supplemented by a short DVD. Groups should order one book for each participant, and one DVD for the group. The DVD has a preliminary price of $4.95, and also may be ordered from Brethren Press.
Another resource for the Together conversations is a website, offering an explanation of the conversation process, background information, worship resources, scriptures, and other materials in English and Spanish. As conversations take place across the denomination, short statements from each discussion group will be posted at the site. For more go to www.togetherconversations.org (English) or www.brethren.org/together/eventsSp.html (Spanish).
An upcoming Bible study in the series, "A Guide for Biblical Studies" is recommended by Brethren Press as a supplemental study for the Together conversations. The Summer (June, July, and August) 2006 Bible study written by James Eikenberry, "Called to Be a Christian Community," focuses on 1 and 2 Corinthians to consider the nature of the church. It is available from Brethren Press for $2.90 a copy or $5.15 in large-print, plus shipping and handling. Call 800-441-3712.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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A conversation guide for "Together: Conversations on Being the Church" will come off the press soon, just in time for a training event for district representatives in New Windsor, Md., Feb. 24-26. The conversation guide is one of several resources already available or coming soon to facilitate a denomination-wide conversations about what "being the church" means.
The Together conversations were initiated by the Council of District Executives in 2003, with a statement of concern and a call for the denomination to begin a discussion of "ecclesiology," or what it means to be the church. Planning for carrying out such a conversation denomination-wide has since been carried by a committee of representatives of the district executives and the Annual Conference agencies.
The Together conversation guide written by James Benedict, pastor of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren, is published by Brethren Press and will be used at Annual Conference this summer and at many district conferences and regional events this year and next. The guide also is available for Together conversations in congregations, Sunday school classes, and small groups. The guide is specially priced at a discount for groups and may be purchased for $4.95 a copy, plus shipping and handling. Call 800-441-3712.
The conversation guide is supplemented by a short DVD. Groups should order one book for each participant, and one DVD for the group. The DVD has a preliminary price of $4.95, and also may be ordered from Brethren Press.
Another resource for the Together conversations is a website, offering an explanation of the conversation process, background information, worship resources, scriptures, and other materials in English and Spanish. As conversations take place across the denomination, short statements from each discussion group will be posted at the site. For more go to www.togetherconversations.org (English) or www.brethren.org/together/eventsSp.html (Spanish).
An upcoming Bible study in the series, "A Guide for Biblical Studies" is recommended by Brethren Press as a supplemental study for the Together conversations. The Summer (June, July, and August) 2006 Bible study written by James Eikenberry, "Called to Be a Christian Community," focuses on 1 and 2 Corinthians to consider the nature of the church. It is available from Brethren Press for $2.90 a copy or $5.15 in large-print, plus shipping and handling. Call 800-441-3712.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
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Campaign calls peacemakers to 'Shine the Light' in Washington.
By Todd Flory
In the basement of the Washington Peace Center, around a dozen Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) members and supporters gathered to worship, eat, fellowship, and review the logistics of that afternoon's events. It was Wednesday, and the group was scheduled to protest outside of the weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin's world headquarters in southern Maryland.
To help demonstrate its opposition to the war in Iraq, CPT held a 'Shine the Light' campaign in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19-29, in which a protest was held outside of a different war-compliance institution each day. Each session ended with a prayer vigil outside of the White House. Many supporters of the cause, including the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board, participated with CPT at various times throughout the week-and-a-half campaign.
"The Shine the Light campaign is both shining light on institutions of war and on the captives, those held captive by all aspects of war," said Church of the Brethren and CPT member Cliff Kindy. "It's a shine for release. As we work with issues of justice and peace, maybe what's underneath is an issue of power; who's in charge."
Outside of Lockheed Martin, a mix of honks, waves, cheers, and sneers from passengers driving along the road greeted the Shine the Light campaign as its members walked solemnly in front of the corporation in a single-file line holding candles and signs. Two people walking along the sidewalk even stopped for a few minutes to join the group in the protest. "Our presence at these institutions is an invitation to those in there to come out of it, and be changed by the light," Kindy explained.
Some of the other institutions that the campaign visited included the State Department, military recruiting offices, Internal Revenue Service, Central Intelligence Agency, and Pentagon. According to Kindy, the group was received with the least amount of receptiveness while visiting the Pentagon. When some members of the public stopped to talk with the CPT members, and when they all gathered together to pray, security quintupled from five guards to 25.
Kindy believes that the public's knowledge of and compassion toward other people and parts of the world, coupled with sociably responsible actions, could further help to bring peace to the world. "We stop paying money to the IRS, and the war stops," he said. "The recruiters stop getting recruits, and the war stops. Lockheed Martin stops making weapons, and the war stops. If any one of them stops, the war stops. Even pulling out one of the pillars stops the war."
--Todd Flory is a Brethren Volunteer Service worker and a legislative associate at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
top
By Todd Flory
In the basement of the Washington Peace Center, around a dozen Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) members and supporters gathered to worship, eat, fellowship, and review the logistics of that afternoon's events. It was Wednesday, and the group was scheduled to protest outside of the weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin's world headquarters in southern Maryland.
To help demonstrate its opposition to the war in Iraq, CPT held a 'Shine the Light' campaign in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19-29, in which a protest was held outside of a different war-compliance institution each day. Each session ended with a prayer vigil outside of the White House. Many supporters of the cause, including the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board, participated with CPT at various times throughout the week-and-a-half campaign.
"The Shine the Light campaign is both shining light on institutions of war and on the captives, those held captive by all aspects of war," said Church of the Brethren and CPT member Cliff Kindy. "It's a shine for release. As we work with issues of justice and peace, maybe what's underneath is an issue of power; who's in charge."
Outside of Lockheed Martin, a mix of honks, waves, cheers, and sneers from passengers driving along the road greeted the Shine the Light campaign as its members walked solemnly in front of the corporation in a single-file line holding candles and signs. Two people walking along the sidewalk even stopped for a few minutes to join the group in the protest. "Our presence at these institutions is an invitation to those in there to come out of it, and be changed by the light," Kindy explained.
Some of the other institutions that the campaign visited included the State Department, military recruiting offices, Internal Revenue Service, Central Intelligence Agency, and Pentagon. According to Kindy, the group was received with the least amount of receptiveness while visiting the Pentagon. When some members of the public stopped to talk with the CPT members, and when they all gathered together to pray, security quintupled from five guards to 25.
Kindy believes that the public's knowledge of and compassion toward other people and parts of the world, coupled with sociably responsible actions, could further help to bring peace to the world. "We stop paying money to the IRS, and the war stops," he said. "The recruiters stop getting recruits, and the war stops. Lockheed Martin stops making weapons, and the war stops. If any one of them stops, the war stops. Even pulling out one of the pillars stops the war."
--Todd Flory is a Brethren Volunteer Service worker and a legislative associate at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office.
Source: 2/15/2006 Newsline
top
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Ronald Beachley, Mary Lou Garrison, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Mary Schiavoni, and Marcia Shetler contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Ronald Beachley, Mary Lou Garrison, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Mary Schiavoni, and Marcia Shetler contributed to this report.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
NEWSRESOURCES
Brethren are called to pray for the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly.
This Sunday, Feb. 12, churches around the world are invited to celebrate the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, called on the Brethren "to uphold the assembly and Church of the Brethren participants" in prayer this Sunday and for the duration of the assembly, which takes place Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The assembly, which is held every eight years, is the highest governing body of the WCC and will bring some 3,000 Christians from around the world together for ecumenical encounter, prayer, celebration, and deliberation.
A Prayer of Transformation (see below) was recommended by Noffsinger as a worship resource for Brethren congregations during this time. The theme for the assembly is itself a prayer, "God, in Your Grace, Transform the World." Subthemes include "The Hand of God," "Creation and the Cross," "The Spirit of Peace," "The Covenant Rainbow," and "The Transformed World."
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; Dale Brown, professor emeritus at Bethany Theological Seminary, attending as an observer; and from the General Board staff Noffsinger, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships Merv Keeney, and "Messenger" editor Walt Wiltschek, who is seconded to the WCC news services office to help cover the event.
"Assemblies are often turning points in the life of the World Council and this assembly will surely leave its mark on ecumenical history," said WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia in a letter to churches. "I would like to invite churches, communities, and Christians in all places to pray together on Sunday Feb. 12 and during the days of the assembly which will follow, united in a common faith an common vision, that the Spirit of God will come upon us and guide our work during that time, and to offer solidarity and support for the event and the proposals and vision which will emerge from the gathering."
The assembly is anticipated to be the most diverse in the council's history, according to a WCC press release. Among the participants will be 700 delegates from 347 member churches around the world. The meeting, which marks the fifth anniversary of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), will include "thematic plenaries" on economic justice, youth overcoming violence, church unity, Christian identity and religious plurality, and Latin America.
In business sessions delegates will reflect on the work of the WCC since the 8th Assembly in Harare, South Africa, in 1998. They also will receive reports and consider amendments to the council's constitution, create an assembly "message" and statements on significant public issues, and formulate priorities for the WCC for the next eight years. The WCC leadership and a 150-member central committee will be elected as well. In addition, the event will feature hundreds of workshops, presentations, stands, and exhibits.
This assembly will "wave goodbye to old-style parliamentary majority votes," according to a press release from the WCC, and instead begin using a consensus-style model with delegates holding blue and orange "indicator cards" to indicate their feelings about discussion on the floor.
The new model was put in place at the suggestion of a Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, established by the 8th Assembly to address concerns from Orthodox churches that their alternative views had not been taken into account, and that their voice be more effectively heard. The model was adopted by the WCC Central Committee unanimously in Feb. 2005. A manual for consensus procedures will help delegates become accustomed to the new method, the release said. Training sessions will be held for leadership, as well as delegates.
Pre-assembly events include a Youth Event, Women's Gathering, and Ecumenical Disabilities Advocacy Network. A congress for theology students will run concurrently with the assembly, on the theme "Mission and Ecumenism in Latin America."
Among the many resources related to the assembly, this website may be most valuable: www.wcc-assembly.info (also accessible at the website of the General Secretary of the General Board, www.brethren.org/genbd/GeneralSecretary/index.htm). The website offers resources in several languages; an overview of what will happen at the assembly; 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.
A prayer of transformation.
Lord, our God Almighty
Transformer and Creator
God of fatherly peace and motherly love
we gather before you with our pleas of despair
from our hearts filled with hope.
Gracious God, your church has experienced
the pangs of birth and its infancy
on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Be with your church as it continues its growth
across the world into adulthood and full unity.
With the church still in its adolescence
we pray for your gift of transformation.
Revive in us a spirit of community.
Mold our thoughts into ones of love.
Instill in us a sense of your peace.
Give us the courage and resilience to accept transformation
for ourselves and for others
for the ones who suffer and the ones who inflict it
for the victims and the perpetrators
and for all your people.
In a world filled with violence and hatred
give us the courage to sow love and harmony.
In a world rampant with discrimination and inequity
nurture in us the seeds of unity and grant us the foresight to see
and resolve our divisions.
Prepare our hearts, mind, and hands to reap your harvest. Amen.
--A prayer prepared for the WCC Assembly Sunday by the group of youth interns in the World Council of Churches. Additional resources for prayer, worship, and Bible study are available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Reflection on the assembly theme: Be careful what you pray for....
By Simon Oxley
The theme of the upcoming 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is a prayer: "God, in your grace, transform the world." But perhaps we ought to ask the question, "What would we do if God actually answered that prayer?" Or, "Dare we pray for transformation?"
Our immediate reaction might be to rejoice. The world does need to be transformed. The monstrous evil of poverty that destroys the lives of so many could be defeated. Everyone could enjoy clean water, sufficient food, and an education. Trade could be fair with no one's labor being exploited. Killer diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis could be eradicated. The spread of HIV/AIDS could be halted and effective and affordable treatment be provided for all. Political and economic corruption could be curtailed and we could cease to rely on armed force to make others do our bidding.
All that is possible now. The transformation required is that of our political will. But would we really rejoice?
None of that can happen without us being changed too. Some of us are very comfortable with our style of life--our food, our clothes, our entertainment, our cars. We can even convince ourselves that we deserve these things. We will have to let go and give back our unfair shares of resources and power. Our attitudes and behavior will have to be transformed, and we may not like it.
Praying for radical changes. The transformation of the world cannot happen painlessly through charity--by those who have being more generous to those who do not have. It is a matter of justice. In recent years, there has been discussion in the ecumenical movement about "restorative justice"--the kind of justice that works to put right the wrong that was done.
However, the assembly theme and biblical conceptions of justice take us beyond this. We should think of God's justice as transformative justice. Justice that goes further than punishing the offender and putting wrongs right towards creating that which is completely new.
Jesus spoke of this as the kingdom of God. Each time we use the Lord's Prayer we pray: "Your kingdom come / your will be done / on earth as it is in heaven." We are so used to these words that we can easily forget the radical change for which we pray.
Praying, "God, in your grace, transform the world" means being open to transformation for believers, churches, and the ecumenical movement itself. We may only believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in ways that are convenient for us. We may enlist God to support our causes rather than responding to the call of God to selfless love and service. We may try to draw boundaries 'round the love of God rather than celebrate its universality. Our actions as churches and our relationships with sisters and brothers in Christ may deny the gospel. We can be so certain that we are right and others are wrong that we forget to be humble before the One who is beyond all our understandings.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we can read how Peter's certainties about faith were transformed. Peter was certain that what we now call Christianity was something contained within Judaism. It meant keeping the dietary requirements. It meant that the good news of Jesus was for those who were Jews.
But then some extraordinary things happened. Peter had that dream (Acts 10:9-35) where he was invited to eat "unclean" food, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to a Roman centurion's household. This is a significant moment in the history of Christianity. Peter's certainties about the nature of faith were transformed, as was the church's understanding of its mission.
It is hard for us, almost 2,000 years on, to appreciate the magnitude of the earthquake of Peter's certainties. How prepared are we to have self-serving or limited understandings of God, the church, or the ecumenical movement transformed?
The preaching of the first Christians was so effective that they were accused of "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). We recognize that the world still needs turning upside down, but are we prepared to be turned upside down too?
There is a saying: "Be careful what you pray for, you might just get it." So the WCC may have done a very dangerous thing to choose "God, in your grace, transform the world" as its assembly theme. But in that lies our hope.
--Simon Oxley is a minister of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and program executive for ecumenical learning at the World Council of Churches. This is one of a series of reflections on the theme of the WCC assembly. For more such reflections go to www.wcc-assembly.info.
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed.
Brethren are called to pray for the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly.
This Sunday, Feb. 12, churches around the world are invited to celebrate the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, called on the Brethren "to uphold the assembly and Church of the Brethren participants" in prayer this Sunday and for the duration of the assembly, which takes place Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The assembly, which is held every eight years, is the highest governing body of the WCC and will bring some 3,000 Christians from around the world together for ecumenical encounter, prayer, celebration, and deliberation.
A Prayer of Transformation (see below) was recommended by Noffsinger as a worship resource for Brethren congregations during this time. The theme for the assembly is itself a prayer, "God, in Your Grace, Transform the World." Subthemes include "The Hand of God," "Creation and the Cross," "The Spirit of Peace," "The Covenant Rainbow," and "The Transformed World."
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; Dale Brown, professor emeritus at Bethany Theological Seminary, attending as an observer; and from the General Board staff Noffsinger, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships Merv Keeney, and "Messenger" editor Walt Wiltschek, who is seconded to the WCC news services office to help cover the event.
"Assemblies are often turning points in the life of the World Council and this assembly will surely leave its mark on ecumenical history," said WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia in a letter to churches. "I would like to invite churches, communities, and Christians in all places to pray together on Sunday Feb. 12 and during the days of the assembly which will follow, united in a common faith an common vision, that the Spirit of God will come upon us and guide our work during that time, and to offer solidarity and support for the event and the proposals and vision which will emerge from the gathering."
The assembly is anticipated to be the most diverse in the council's history, according to a WCC press release. Among the participants will be 700 delegates from 347 member churches around the world. The meeting, which marks the fifth anniversary of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), will include "thematic plenaries" on economic justice, youth overcoming violence, church unity, Christian identity and religious plurality, and Latin America.
In business sessions delegates will reflect on the work of the WCC since the 8th Assembly in Harare, South Africa, in 1998. They also will receive reports and consider amendments to the council's constitution, create an assembly "message" and statements on significant public issues, and formulate priorities for the WCC for the next eight years. The WCC leadership and a 150-member central committee will be elected as well. In addition, the event will feature hundreds of workshops, presentations, stands, and exhibits.
This assembly will "wave goodbye to old-style parliamentary majority votes," according to a press release from the WCC, and instead begin using a consensus-style model with delegates holding blue and orange "indicator cards" to indicate their feelings about discussion on the floor.
The new model was put in place at the suggestion of a Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, established by the 8th Assembly to address concerns from Orthodox churches that their alternative views had not been taken into account, and that their voice be more effectively heard. The model was adopted by the WCC Central Committee unanimously in Feb. 2005. A manual for consensus procedures will help delegates become accustomed to the new method, the release said. Training sessions will be held for leadership, as well as delegates.
Pre-assembly events include a Youth Event, Women's Gathering, and Ecumenical Disabilities Advocacy Network. A congress for theology students will run concurrently with the assembly, on the theme "Mission and Ecumenism in Latin America."
Among the many resources related to the assembly, this website may be most valuable: www.wcc-assembly.info (also accessible at the website of the General Secretary of the General Board, www.brethren.org/genbd/GeneralSecretary/index.htm). The website offers resources in several languages; an overview of what will happen at the assembly; 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.
A prayer of transformation.
Lord, our God Almighty
Transformer and Creator
God of fatherly peace and motherly love
we gather before you with our pleas of despair
from our hearts filled with hope.
Gracious God, your church has experienced
the pangs of birth and its infancy
on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Be with your church as it continues its growth
across the world into adulthood and full unity.
With the church still in its adolescence
we pray for your gift of transformation.
Revive in us a spirit of community.
Mold our thoughts into ones of love.
Instill in us a sense of your peace.
Give us the courage and resilience to accept transformation
for ourselves and for others
for the ones who suffer and the ones who inflict it
for the victims and the perpetrators
and for all your people.
In a world filled with violence and hatred
give us the courage to sow love and harmony.
In a world rampant with discrimination and inequity
nurture in us the seeds of unity and grant us the foresight to see
and resolve our divisions.
Prepare our hearts, mind, and hands to reap your harvest. Amen.
--A prayer prepared for the WCC Assembly Sunday by the group of youth interns in the World Council of Churches. Additional resources for prayer, worship, and Bible study are available at www.wcc-assembly.info.
Reflection on the assembly theme: Be careful what you pray for....
By Simon Oxley
The theme of the upcoming 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is a prayer: "God, in your grace, transform the world." But perhaps we ought to ask the question, "What would we do if God actually answered that prayer?" Or, "Dare we pray for transformation?"
Our immediate reaction might be to rejoice. The world does need to be transformed. The monstrous evil of poverty that destroys the lives of so many could be defeated. Everyone could enjoy clean water, sufficient food, and an education. Trade could be fair with no one's labor being exploited. Killer diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis could be eradicated. The spread of HIV/AIDS could be halted and effective and affordable treatment be provided for all. Political and economic corruption could be curtailed and we could cease to rely on armed force to make others do our bidding.
All that is possible now. The transformation required is that of our political will. But would we really rejoice?
None of that can happen without us being changed too. Some of us are very comfortable with our style of life--our food, our clothes, our entertainment, our cars. We can even convince ourselves that we deserve these things. We will have to let go and give back our unfair shares of resources and power. Our attitudes and behavior will have to be transformed, and we may not like it.
Praying for radical changes. The transformation of the world cannot happen painlessly through charity--by those who have being more generous to those who do not have. It is a matter of justice. In recent years, there has been discussion in the ecumenical movement about "restorative justice"--the kind of justice that works to put right the wrong that was done.
However, the assembly theme and biblical conceptions of justice take us beyond this. We should think of God's justice as transformative justice. Justice that goes further than punishing the offender and putting wrongs right towards creating that which is completely new.
Jesus spoke of this as the kingdom of God. Each time we use the Lord's Prayer we pray: "Your kingdom come / your will be done / on earth as it is in heaven." We are so used to these words that we can easily forget the radical change for which we pray.
Praying, "God, in your grace, transform the world" means being open to transformation for believers, churches, and the ecumenical movement itself. We may only believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in ways that are convenient for us. We may enlist God to support our causes rather than responding to the call of God to selfless love and service. We may try to draw boundaries 'round the love of God rather than celebrate its universality. Our actions as churches and our relationships with sisters and brothers in Christ may deny the gospel. We can be so certain that we are right and others are wrong that we forget to be humble before the One who is beyond all our understandings.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we can read how Peter's certainties about faith were transformed. Peter was certain that what we now call Christianity was something contained within Judaism. It meant keeping the dietary requirements. It meant that the good news of Jesus was for those who were Jews.
But then some extraordinary things happened. Peter had that dream (Acts 10:9-35) where he was invited to eat "unclean" food, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to a Roman centurion's household. This is a significant moment in the history of Christianity. Peter's certainties about the nature of faith were transformed, as was the church's understanding of its mission.
It is hard for us, almost 2,000 years on, to appreciate the magnitude of the earthquake of Peter's certainties. How prepared are we to have self-serving or limited understandings of God, the church, or the ecumenical movement transformed?
The preaching of the first Christians was so effective that they were accused of "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). We recognize that the world still needs turning upside down, but are we prepared to be turned upside down too?
There is a saying: "Be careful what you pray for, you might just get it." So the WCC may have done a very dangerous thing to choose "God, in your grace, transform the world" as its assembly theme. But in that lies our hope.
--Simon Oxley is a minister of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and program executive for ecumenical learning at the World Council of Churches. This is one of a series of reflections on the theme of the WCC assembly. For more such reflections go to www.wcc-assembly.info.
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
NEWS
- General Board reports record funding figures for 2005.
- Video shows missing peacemakers alive in Iraq.
- Intercultural Study Committee develops web log.
- Bethany board increases tuition, prepares for accreditation renewal.
- Walk Across America makes change in scheduling church visits.
- Disaster Child Care releases 2005 figures, announces trainings.
- Committee on Interchurch Relations issues call for nominations.
- Children's book illustrator Raschka receives Caldecott Medal.
- Brethren bits: Remembrance, Annual Conference, and more.
General Board reports record funding figures for 2005.
In preliminary year-end funding figures, the Church of the Brethren General Board has reported record funding for 2005. The figures came from pre-audit reports of cumulative donations received from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2005. Donations of more than $3.6 million to the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) almost equalled donations to the board's Core Ministries Fund, which exceeded $3.7 million in giving received from individuals and congregations.
"The remarkable giving to EDF has added $2 million new dollars in giving to General Board ministries, and that must be celebrated," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the board. Comparable figures from 2004 reveal "the generosity of the Brethren," Noffsinger said. In 2004 the EDF received giving of less than a million dollars, totaling $838,037. Giving to the Core Ministries Fund was slightly higher the previous year, totaling $3,829,879 in 2004.
The EDF provides grants to support disaster relief work carried out by Brethren Disaster Response, Disaster Child Care, Church World Service, longterm disaster recovery groups, and refugee services.
The Core Ministries Fund supports much of the work of the board's program units that are not self-funded, including Congregational Life Ministries, the Youth and Young Adult Office, Global Mission Partnerships, and Brethren Volunteer Service among others.
In other pre-audit year-end totals, other funds of the General Board also fared well in 2005: the Global Food Crisis Fund received giving of more than $295,000 (as compared to $290,820 in 2004); the Emerging Mission Fund received donations of more than $75,000 (as compared to $42,788 in 2004).
A complete audited financial report for the General Board will be available this summer with the board's 2005 Annual Report.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
top
In preliminary year-end funding figures, the Church of the Brethren General Board has reported record funding for 2005. The figures came from pre-audit reports of cumulative donations received from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2005. Donations of more than $3.6 million to the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) almost equalled donations to the board's Core Ministries Fund, which exceeded $3.7 million in giving received from individuals and congregations.
"The remarkable giving to EDF has added $2 million new dollars in giving to General Board ministries, and that must be celebrated," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the board. Comparable figures from 2004 reveal "the generosity of the Brethren," Noffsinger said. In 2004 the EDF received giving of less than a million dollars, totaling $838,037. Giving to the Core Ministries Fund was slightly higher the previous year, totaling $3,829,879 in 2004.
The EDF provides grants to support disaster relief work carried out by Brethren Disaster Response, Disaster Child Care, Church World Service, longterm disaster recovery groups, and refugee services.
The Core Ministries Fund supports much of the work of the board's program units that are not self-funded, including Congregational Life Ministries, the Youth and Young Adult Office, Global Mission Partnerships, and Brethren Volunteer Service among others.
In other pre-audit year-end totals, other funds of the General Board also fared well in 2005: the Global Food Crisis Fund received giving of more than $295,000 (as compared to $290,820 in 2004); the Emerging Mission Fund received donations of more than $75,000 (as compared to $42,788 in 2004).
A complete audited financial report for the General Board will be available this summer with the board's 2005 Annual Report.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
top
Video shows missing peacemakers alive in Iraq.
A video shown by Al Jazeera television on Jan. 28 showed four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members alive in Iraq, but included a renewed death threat if the US does not release its prisoners in Iraq.
CPT has its roots in the Historic Peace Churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker) and is an ecumenical violence-reduction program that places teams of trained peacemakers in areas of lethal conflict. It has been present in Iraq since Oct. 2002, providing humanitarian aid in the form of training and human rights documentation.
The four peacemakers--Tom Fox, 54, from Clearbrook, Va.; Norman Kember, 74, from London, England; James Loney, 41, from Toronto, Canada; and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, from Montreal, Canada--have been missing since Nov. 26. A videotape in November claimed that the CPT volunteers had been taken hostage by a previously unknown group called Swords of Righteousness Brigades. Since December, when the group issued a deadline for the US to release all prisoners in Iraq or the peacemakers would be killed, nothing further had been heard from the four men.
"We are so grateful and heartened to see James, Harmeet, Norman, and Tom alive on the videotape dated Jan. 21," said a release from CPT. "This news is an answer to our prayers. We continue to hope and pray for their release."
"All of us in Christian Peacemaker Teams remain very disturbed by the abduction of our teammates," the release continued. "We pray that those who hold them will host them with the grace that so many of us in CPT have received as guests in Iraq. James, Harmeet, Norman, and Tom are peace workers who have not collaborated with the occupation of Iraq and who have worked for justice for all Iraqis, especially those detained."
Church of the Brethren leaders, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and On Earth Peace have made statements calling for the release of the peacemakers (see http://www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2005/dec0505.htm and http://www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2005/nov2905.htm), joining other religious groups and leaders around the world including Palestinian and Iraqi Muslim leaders along with the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches in the US. Some Church of the Brethren congregations and groups also have held prayer vigils for the peacemakers.
"The first pictures since last November of the Christian peacemakers held captive in Iraq shows the four men looking haggard and gaunt," the National Council of Churches (NCC) said in a press release. "Friends of the prisoners continue to reflect on the irony that the shadowy kidnappers selected these devout peace advocates and open critics of the Iraq war to make their point."
For more about Christian Peacemaker Teams see www.cpt.org.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
top
A video shown by Al Jazeera television on Jan. 28 showed four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members alive in Iraq, but included a renewed death threat if the US does not release its prisoners in Iraq.
CPT has its roots in the Historic Peace Churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker) and is an ecumenical violence-reduction program that places teams of trained peacemakers in areas of lethal conflict. It has been present in Iraq since Oct. 2002, providing humanitarian aid in the form of training and human rights documentation.
The four peacemakers--Tom Fox, 54, from Clearbrook, Va.; Norman Kember, 74, from London, England; James Loney, 41, from Toronto, Canada; and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, from Montreal, Canada--have been missing since Nov. 26. A videotape in November claimed that the CPT volunteers had been taken hostage by a previously unknown group called Swords of Righteousness Brigades. Since December, when the group issued a deadline for the US to release all prisoners in Iraq or the peacemakers would be killed, nothing further had been heard from the four men.
"We are so grateful and heartened to see James, Harmeet, Norman, and Tom alive on the videotape dated Jan. 21," said a release from CPT. "This news is an answer to our prayers. We continue to hope and pray for their release."
"All of us in Christian Peacemaker Teams remain very disturbed by the abduction of our teammates," the release continued. "We pray that those who hold them will host them with the grace that so many of us in CPT have received as guests in Iraq. James, Harmeet, Norman, and Tom are peace workers who have not collaborated with the occupation of Iraq and who have worked for justice for all Iraqis, especially those detained."
Church of the Brethren leaders, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and On Earth Peace have made statements calling for the release of the peacemakers (see http://www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2005/dec0505.htm and http://www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2005/nov2905.htm), joining other religious groups and leaders around the world including Palestinian and Iraqi Muslim leaders along with the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches in the US. Some Church of the Brethren congregations and groups also have held prayer vigils for the peacemakers.
"The first pictures since last November of the Christian peacemakers held captive in Iraq shows the four men looking haggard and gaunt," the National Council of Churches (NCC) said in a press release. "Friends of the prisoners continue to reflect on the irony that the shadowy kidnappers selected these devout peace advocates and open critics of the Iraq war to make their point."
For more about Christian Peacemaker Teams see www.cpt.org.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Intercultural Study Committee develops web log.
The Intercultural Study Committee formed by the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has developed a web log in an effort to foster discussion of its investigative work on intercultural issues in the Church of the Brethren.
The study committee was elected at the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston as a result of two queries, "Becoming a Multi-Ethnic Church," brought by Atlantic Southeast District; and "The Need for Cross-Cultural Ministries," from Oregon-Washington District. The queries referred to scripture in calling for action "to bring us into conformity with the biblical vision of a church from every nation, tribe, people, and language, united in worship before the throne of God" (Isaiah 56:6-7; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 7:9).
The committee continues to work on two of its five tasks, in a report from recorder Nadine L Monn. The group is working on an intercultural ministries progress report format for Annual Conference through 2010, and on action recommendations for the denomination, districts, congregations, and church members. Interested church members can visit the web log to see updates from the committee's work and to comment on them.
Additions also have been made to the committee's portion of the Annual Conference website, including a questionnaire for member input on action recommendations, a diversity survey that was circulated to all of the district executive ministers, and a table of previous Annual Conference recommendations adopted since 1989.
"Please be in prayer for the denomination as we work together to realize the Revelation 7:9 vision," Monn said. "The committee members request prayer for them as they write their 2006 Annual Conference report."
Committee members are Asha Solanky, chair; Nadine L. Monn, recorder; Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff; Ruben DeOleo; Thomas Dowdy; Neemita Pandya; Gilbert Romero; and Glenn Hatfield, ex-officio representative of the American Baptist Churches USA.
To visit the Intercultural Study Committee's portion of the Annual Conference website go to www.brethren.org/ac/multiethnic.htm. To visit the web log go to http://interculturalcob.blogspot.com.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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The Intercultural Study Committee formed by the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has developed a web log in an effort to foster discussion of its investigative work on intercultural issues in the Church of the Brethren.
The study committee was elected at the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston as a result of two queries, "Becoming a Multi-Ethnic Church," brought by Atlantic Southeast District; and "The Need for Cross-Cultural Ministries," from Oregon-Washington District. The queries referred to scripture in calling for action "to bring us into conformity with the biblical vision of a church from every nation, tribe, people, and language, united in worship before the throne of God" (Isaiah 56:6-7; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 7:9).
The committee continues to work on two of its five tasks, in a report from recorder Nadine L Monn. The group is working on an intercultural ministries progress report format for Annual Conference through 2010, and on action recommendations for the denomination, districts, congregations, and church members. Interested church members can visit the web log to see updates from the committee's work and to comment on them.
Additions also have been made to the committee's portion of the Annual Conference website, including a questionnaire for member input on action recommendations, a diversity survey that was circulated to all of the district executive ministers, and a table of previous Annual Conference recommendations adopted since 1989.
"Please be in prayer for the denomination as we work together to realize the Revelation 7:9 vision," Monn said. "The committee members request prayer for them as they write their 2006 Annual Conference report."
Committee members are Asha Solanky, chair; Nadine L. Monn, recorder; Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff; Ruben DeOleo; Thomas Dowdy; Neemita Pandya; Gilbert Romero; and Glenn Hatfield, ex-officio representative of the American Baptist Churches USA.
To visit the Intercultural Study Committee's portion of the Annual Conference website go to www.brethren.org/ac/multiethnic.htm. To visit the web log go to http://interculturalcob.blogspot.com.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Bethany board increases tuition, prepares for accreditation renewal.
The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered for a semi-annual meeting Oct. 28-30, 2005. The trustees approved a tuition increase, heard of progress in preparing for the seminary's accreditation renewal, celebrated an initial goal achieved by a fundraising campaign, approved sabbaticals for faculty, and welcomed new board members.
The board approved a recommendation from the Student and Business Affairs Committee for a 4.96 percent tuition increase effective in the 2006-07 academic year. The board also approved a student profile for the graduate programs, a working document that will be used by administration to set policy regarding financial aid and admissions efforts. Review of the financial aid program is a component of the seminary's "coherence in the graduate program" strategic initiative. The Recruitment and Student Development Committee reported that 24 students were admitted to the graduate school this fall.
The Academic Affairs Committee gave a progress report on self-study preparations and strategic initiatives for the accreditation review in the fall of 2006. The self-study based on 10 standards prescribed by the Association of Theological Schools will be presented to the board in the spring.
A report also was received of revisions to the course structure of Connections, the seminary's distributed education program, from Dan Ulrich, associate professor of New Testament Studies and director of Distributed Education; and also reviewed a report from the first Connections student cohort about the group's experience in the program.
Recommendations for faculty sabbaticals in 2006 were approved including a Dec. 2005-April 2006 sabbatical for Stephen Breck Reid, academic dean; a spring 2006 sabbatical for Tara Hornbacker, associate professor of Ministry Formation; and a fall 2006 sabbatical for Ulrich, in anticipation of his return to fulltime teaching following.
The Institutional Advancement Committee heard that the seminary has achieved its initial goal for a fundraising campaign titled "Inspired by the Spirit--Educating for Ministry." The campaign received gifts and commitments totaling more than $15,700,000. In other financial reports, the Audit Committee reported that once again Bethany has received an unqualified report--the highest commendation possible--from its auditors for the 2004-05 fiscal year. The Investment Committee has developed criteria for evaluating the seminary's investment managers, with guidelines that conform more closely to the benchmarks of each.
Bethany teaching faculty reported on their participation in the Lexington Seminar supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc., and sponsored by Lexington Theological Seminary. The seminar is focused on theological teaching for the churches' ministries, and seeks to support faculty, president, and dean working together on an issue critical for the institution. Criteria for selection include demonstrated academic integrity and excellence, a faculty and administration committed to working together to improve teaching and learning for the ministries of the church, and stability needed to implement a project that will have an effect on on the way the institution carries out its mission. Bethany is one of 35 seminaries participating.
The board welcomed new members John David Bowman of Lititz, Pa.; and Paul Wampler of Manassas, Va.; as well as Lisa Hazen of Wichita, Kan., and Jim Hardenbrook of Nampa, Idaho, who were unable to attend the meeting.
For more information about Bethany Theological Seminary go to www.brethren.org/bethany.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees gathered for a semi-annual meeting Oct. 28-30, 2005. The trustees approved a tuition increase, heard of progress in preparing for the seminary's accreditation renewal, celebrated an initial goal achieved by a fundraising campaign, approved sabbaticals for faculty, and welcomed new board members.
The board approved a recommendation from the Student and Business Affairs Committee for a 4.96 percent tuition increase effective in the 2006-07 academic year. The board also approved a student profile for the graduate programs, a working document that will be used by administration to set policy regarding financial aid and admissions efforts. Review of the financial aid program is a component of the seminary's "coherence in the graduate program" strategic initiative. The Recruitment and Student Development Committee reported that 24 students were admitted to the graduate school this fall.
The Academic Affairs Committee gave a progress report on self-study preparations and strategic initiatives for the accreditation review in the fall of 2006. The self-study based on 10 standards prescribed by the Association of Theological Schools will be presented to the board in the spring.
A report also was received of revisions to the course structure of Connections, the seminary's distributed education program, from Dan Ulrich, associate professor of New Testament Studies and director of Distributed Education; and also reviewed a report from the first Connections student cohort about the group's experience in the program.
Recommendations for faculty sabbaticals in 2006 were approved including a Dec. 2005-April 2006 sabbatical for Stephen Breck Reid, academic dean; a spring 2006 sabbatical for Tara Hornbacker, associate professor of Ministry Formation; and a fall 2006 sabbatical for Ulrich, in anticipation of his return to fulltime teaching following.
The Institutional Advancement Committee heard that the seminary has achieved its initial goal for a fundraising campaign titled "Inspired by the Spirit--Educating for Ministry." The campaign received gifts and commitments totaling more than $15,700,000. In other financial reports, the Audit Committee reported that once again Bethany has received an unqualified report--the highest commendation possible--from its auditors for the 2004-05 fiscal year. The Investment Committee has developed criteria for evaluating the seminary's investment managers, with guidelines that conform more closely to the benchmarks of each.
Bethany teaching faculty reported on their participation in the Lexington Seminar supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc., and sponsored by Lexington Theological Seminary. The seminar is focused on theological teaching for the churches' ministries, and seeks to support faculty, president, and dean working together on an issue critical for the institution. Criteria for selection include demonstrated academic integrity and excellence, a faculty and administration committed to working together to improve teaching and learning for the ministries of the church, and stability needed to implement a project that will have an effect on on the way the institution carries out its mission. Bethany is one of 35 seminaries participating.
The board welcomed new members John David Bowman of Lititz, Pa.; and Paul Wampler of Manassas, Va.; as well as Lisa Hazen of Wichita, Kan., and Jim Hardenbrook of Nampa, Idaho, who were unable to attend the meeting.
For more information about Bethany Theological Seminary go to www.brethren.org/bethany.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Walk Across America makes change in scheduling of church visits.
"After over four years and 18,000 miles it is time for a change in the way scheduling has been handled," said Don Vermilyea, in an announcement about the Walk Across America. Vermilyea is a Brethren Volunteer Service worker who began a 'Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' in Feb. 2002. He started walking in Tucson, Ariz., with the goal of walking to every Church of the Brethren congregation in the US.
After Feb. 12, Vermilyea is asking congregations to take the initiative in arranging for him to visit, by calling contact people who will be handling the scheduling of his church visits. Vermilyea said he is no longer able to make arrangements for congregational visits from the road, and will no longer take the initiative to call congregations that are on his route in order to arrange the visits.
He also announced a change in the name of the effort: "Chapter One of the 'Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' will end Feb. 12 in Jacksonville, Fla.," he said. "The next day, Chapter Two will begin as the 'Walk for Jesus' from Florida to Michigan."
Vermilyea plans to be in Southeastern District beginning in February. "Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina, western Virginia, and eastern Tennessee are next up," he said, adding that he already has visited the Church of the Brethren congregations in Alabama, in the fall of 2005.
After Southeastern District, Vermilyea plans to traverse Kentucky and Indiana on the way to Michigan. Four other Church of the Brethren members will be his contact people for those states. Their names and phone numbers will be publicized while Vermilyea is completing the walk in Southeastern District.
Frank Thornton, a member of Fruitdale (Ala.) Church of the Brethren and former Southeastern District moderator, will be Vermilyea's contact for the churches of Southeastern District. Congregations interested in hosting the Walk for Jesus are asked to call Thornton at 251-827-6337.
"If you or your congregation would like to host the Walk, please make direct phone contact with Frank" or one of the other four contact people who will be named for later parts of the walk, Vermilyea requested, asking that congregational representatives speak personally with the contact person named for their area. Thornton and the other contact people are familiar with the walk and will be able to answer most questions. "The schedule will fill in, thus timeliness is important on your part," Vermilyea alerted congregations who are still on his route across the country.
For more information about the Walk for Jesus, and for stories and photos from Don Vermilyea's experiences on the road, visit www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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"After over four years and 18,000 miles it is time for a change in the way scheduling has been handled," said Don Vermilyea, in an announcement about the Walk Across America. Vermilyea is a Brethren Volunteer Service worker who began a 'Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' in Feb. 2002. He started walking in Tucson, Ariz., with the goal of walking to every Church of the Brethren congregation in the US.
After Feb. 12, Vermilyea is asking congregations to take the initiative in arranging for him to visit, by calling contact people who will be handling the scheduling of his church visits. Vermilyea said he is no longer able to make arrangements for congregational visits from the road, and will no longer take the initiative to call congregations that are on his route in order to arrange the visits.
He also announced a change in the name of the effort: "Chapter One of the 'Walk Across America for Jesus Christ' will end Feb. 12 in Jacksonville, Fla.," he said. "The next day, Chapter Two will begin as the 'Walk for Jesus' from Florida to Michigan."
Vermilyea plans to be in Southeastern District beginning in February. "Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina, western Virginia, and eastern Tennessee are next up," he said, adding that he already has visited the Church of the Brethren congregations in Alabama, in the fall of 2005.
After Southeastern District, Vermilyea plans to traverse Kentucky and Indiana on the way to Michigan. Four other Church of the Brethren members will be his contact people for those states. Their names and phone numbers will be publicized while Vermilyea is completing the walk in Southeastern District.
Frank Thornton, a member of Fruitdale (Ala.) Church of the Brethren and former Southeastern District moderator, will be Vermilyea's contact for the churches of Southeastern District. Congregations interested in hosting the Walk for Jesus are asked to call Thornton at 251-827-6337.
"If you or your congregation would like to host the Walk, please make direct phone contact with Frank" or one of the other four contact people who will be named for later parts of the walk, Vermilyea requested, asking that congregational representatives speak personally with the contact person named for their area. Thornton and the other contact people are familiar with the walk and will be able to answer most questions. "The schedule will fill in, thus timeliness is important on your part," Vermilyea alerted congregations who are still on his route across the country.
For more information about the Walk for Jesus, and for stories and photos from Don Vermilyea's experiences on the road, visit www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Disaster Child Care releases 2005 figures, announces trainings.
Disaster Child Care (DCC) coordinator Helen Stonesifer has release year-end figures for the program, which is part of the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries. DCC trains volunteers to set up special child care centers in disaster locations to care for young children that have been affected by disaster.
The 2005 statistics "are quite impressive," Stonesifer said, reporting that 148 volunteers served 1,372 days in 20 childcare centers, making 3,152 childcare contacts in the aftermath of four natural and human-caused disasters. "The value of this donated care is estimated at $192,628.80," she said.
In 2005, a total of 162 people were trained at 10 Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops held in Benton, Ark.; Victor, N.Y.; Paw Paw, Mich.; Roanoke, Va.; La Verne, Calif.; Mount Morris, Ill.; Norfolk, Neb.; Brook Park, Ohio; Sodus, N.Y.; and Farmington, Del. "Pending certification, these trainees will become a part of the DCC volunteer network that provides love, comfort, and support to children affected by disaster," Stonesifer said.
Several more Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops will be offered in 2006. "Please encourage persons to attend whom you know are interested in being a part of this ministry to children," Stonesifer said. Cost for each workshop is $45; $55 if less than three weeks prior to workshop; current volunteers may attend for $25.
Level 1 Volunteer Training Workshops are planned for Feb. 17-18 at Beaverton (Mich.) Church of the Brethren; Feb. 25-26 at LaMesa (Calif.) Seventh-Day Adventist Church; March 3-4 at Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren; March 10-11 at Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Va.; March 17-18 at Indian Creek Church of the Brethren in Harleysville, Pa.; and April 28-29 at Deer Park United Methodist Church in Westminster, Md.
To register and for information about Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops, see www.disasterchildcare.org. For copies of the workshop brochure and registration form, call Diane Gosnell at 800-451-4407.
DCC volunteers who received training more than five years ago also are encouraged to participate in a training workshop "to brush up on your skills," Stonesifer said. "Several procedures and policies have recently changed and we want you to know about them."
Among changes for volunteers is a request for a head-and-shoulders photograph, required for picture identification badges, as well as a criminal background check as part of the volunteer certification process. All certified child care volunteers who were trained prior to 2000 are now being requested to send in a photograph and to obtain a criminal background check. Volunteers who already have a criminal background check on file in the DCC office may disregard this request. A criminal background check form can be downloaded from the DCC website at www.disasterchildcare.org or call Diane Gosnell at 800-451-4407 ext. 3.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Disaster Child Care (DCC) coordinator Helen Stonesifer has release year-end figures for the program, which is part of the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries. DCC trains volunteers to set up special child care centers in disaster locations to care for young children that have been affected by disaster.
The 2005 statistics "are quite impressive," Stonesifer said, reporting that 148 volunteers served 1,372 days in 20 childcare centers, making 3,152 childcare contacts in the aftermath of four natural and human-caused disasters. "The value of this donated care is estimated at $192,628.80," she said.
In 2005, a total of 162 people were trained at 10 Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops held in Benton, Ark.; Victor, N.Y.; Paw Paw, Mich.; Roanoke, Va.; La Verne, Calif.; Mount Morris, Ill.; Norfolk, Neb.; Brook Park, Ohio; Sodus, N.Y.; and Farmington, Del. "Pending certification, these trainees will become a part of the DCC volunteer network that provides love, comfort, and support to children affected by disaster," Stonesifer said.
Several more Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops will be offered in 2006. "Please encourage persons to attend whom you know are interested in being a part of this ministry to children," Stonesifer said. Cost for each workshop is $45; $55 if less than three weeks prior to workshop; current volunteers may attend for $25.
Level 1 Volunteer Training Workshops are planned for Feb. 17-18 at Beaverton (Mich.) Church of the Brethren; Feb. 25-26 at LaMesa (Calif.) Seventh-Day Adventist Church; March 3-4 at Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren; March 10-11 at Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Va.; March 17-18 at Indian Creek Church of the Brethren in Harleysville, Pa.; and April 28-29 at Deer Park United Methodist Church in Westminster, Md.
To register and for information about Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshops, see www.disasterchildcare.org. For copies of the workshop brochure and registration form, call Diane Gosnell at 800-451-4407.
DCC volunteers who received training more than five years ago also are encouraged to participate in a training workshop "to brush up on your skills," Stonesifer said. "Several procedures and policies have recently changed and we want you to know about them."
Among changes for volunteers is a request for a head-and-shoulders photograph, required for picture identification badges, as well as a criminal background check as part of the volunteer certification process. All certified child care volunteers who were trained prior to 2000 are now being requested to send in a photograph and to obtain a criminal background check. Volunteers who already have a criminal background check on file in the DCC office may disregard this request. A criminal background check form can be downloaded from the DCC website at www.disasterchildcare.org or call Diane Gosnell at 800-451-4407 ext. 3.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Committee on Interchurch Relations issues call for nominations.
The Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR) has issued a call for stories as nominations for the 2006 Ecumenical Citation. The 2006 citation will be given to a congregation of the Church of the Brethren. CIR is a joint committee of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference and the General Board.
The CIR's focus this year is on congregations working at ecumenical relationships, which include interfaith ecumenism. In keeping with the goals of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), a program of the World Council of Churches, the committee has announced that "the search is on for Church of the Brethren congregations that are involved in ecumenical, including interfaith, peacemaking."
"At a time when tensions are elevated between different religions and groups around the world, there are congregations who are reaching out, each in their own way, to bridge the gap and be the embodiment of Christ amid hatred and misunderstanding," the committee said in its call for stories.
Previous congregational recipients of the citation include Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.; Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren. The 2006 citation will be presented at CIR's Ecumenical Luncheon at Annual Conference in July.
Nominations may be submitted online at www.brethren.org, type in keyword: CIR/Ecumenical. Deadline for nominations is March 15.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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The Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR) has issued a call for stories as nominations for the 2006 Ecumenical Citation. The 2006 citation will be given to a congregation of the Church of the Brethren. CIR is a joint committee of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference and the General Board.
The CIR's focus this year is on congregations working at ecumenical relationships, which include interfaith ecumenism. In keeping with the goals of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), a program of the World Council of Churches, the committee has announced that "the search is on for Church of the Brethren congregations that are involved in ecumenical, including interfaith, peacemaking."
"At a time when tensions are elevated between different religions and groups around the world, there are congregations who are reaching out, each in their own way, to bridge the gap and be the embodiment of Christ amid hatred and misunderstanding," the committee said in its call for stories.
Previous congregational recipients of the citation include Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.; Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren. The 2006 citation will be presented at CIR's Ecumenical Luncheon at Annual Conference in July.
Nominations may be submitted online at www.brethren.org, type in keyword: CIR/Ecumenical. Deadline for nominations is March 15.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Children's book illustrator Raschka receives Caldecott Medal.
The 2006 Caldecott Medal for the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children has been awarded to "The Hello, Goodbye Window," illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norton Juster (Michael di Capua Books, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children). The Caldecott Medal is awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association (ALA).
Raschka is a son of Hedda Durnbaugh and Donald F. Durnbaugh, the "dean of Brethren historians" who passed away in August last year. He also has illustrated several books published by Brethren Press.
About "The Hello, Goodbye Window," the Caldecott website says, "In this sunny portrait of familial love, a little girl tells us about her everyday experiences visiting her grandparents' house. Raschka's style resembles the spontaneous drawings of children, perfectly mirroring the guileless young narrator's exuberant voice." Gratia Banta, chair of the award committee, said, "With a few energetic lines, Raschka suggests a world filled with affection and humor."
Brethren Press books illustrated by Raschka include "Benjamin Brody's Backyard Bag" by Phyllis Vos Wezeman and Colleen Allsburg Wiessner, a children's book about homelessness (1991, available for $15 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712 or go to www.brethrenpress.com/store/bpress/8917.html); "R and R: A Story of Two Alphabets," written and illustrated by Raschka (1990, currently out of print); and "This I Remember" by George Dolnikowski, a memoir by the Russian-born professor emeritus at Juniata College (1994).
Raschka also illustrated two children's books written by Church of the Brethren member Jim Lehman and published by his Brotherstone Publishers: "The Owl and the Tuba" (1991) and "The Saga of Shakespeare Pintlewood and the Great Silver Fountain Pen" (1990).
For more about the Caldecott Medal see www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.htm. For more about Brethren Press and an online catalogue see www.brethrenpress.com.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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The 2006 Caldecott Medal for the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children has been awarded to "The Hello, Goodbye Window," illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norton Juster (Michael di Capua Books, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children). The Caldecott Medal is awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association (ALA).
Raschka is a son of Hedda Durnbaugh and Donald F. Durnbaugh, the "dean of Brethren historians" who passed away in August last year. He also has illustrated several books published by Brethren Press.
About "The Hello, Goodbye Window," the Caldecott website says, "In this sunny portrait of familial love, a little girl tells us about her everyday experiences visiting her grandparents' house. Raschka's style resembles the spontaneous drawings of children, perfectly mirroring the guileless young narrator's exuberant voice." Gratia Banta, chair of the award committee, said, "With a few energetic lines, Raschka suggests a world filled with affection and humor."
Brethren Press books illustrated by Raschka include "Benjamin Brody's Backyard Bag" by Phyllis Vos Wezeman and Colleen Allsburg Wiessner, a children's book about homelessness (1991, available for $15 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712 or go to www.brethrenpress.com/store/bpress/8917.html); "R and R: A Story of Two Alphabets," written and illustrated by Raschka (1990, currently out of print); and "This I Remember" by George Dolnikowski, a memoir by the Russian-born professor emeritus at Juniata College (1994).
Raschka also illustrated two children's books written by Church of the Brethren member Jim Lehman and published by his Brotherstone Publishers: "The Owl and the Tuba" (1991) and "The Saga of Shakespeare Pintlewood and the Great Silver Fountain Pen" (1990).
For more about the Caldecott Medal see www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.htm. For more about Brethren Press and an online catalogue see www.brethrenpress.com.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Remembrance, Annual Conference, and more.
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- "The Church of the Brethren extends its condolences to the Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr. family at the loss of this extraordinary leader in civil rights activism," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. Coretta Scott King died Tuesday, Feb. 31, following a stroke in Aug. 2005. She was "an individual determined to bring about a better world in which all of us will live together as equals. We will certainly miss her leadership and her example," Noffsinger said. Other Christian leaders worldwide joined President Bush and political figures in remembering King this week. The president of the National Council of Churches USA, Michael E. Livingston, said that "she was an unwavering advocate of civil and human rights and a champion of nonviolence. Her strength and fortitude are to be admired and emulated. We will forever be grateful for the legacy that she leaves behind." The World Council of Churches issued a tribute from general secretary Samuel Kobia, "Coretta Scott King was an extraordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life during an extraordinary time.... After Dr. King's assassination, Mrs. King became a leader in the movement for nonviolent social change, insisting that Dr. King's legacy not be forgotten."
- The Annual Conference Council, charged with the responsibility for maintaining Annual Conference polity, has completed a revision of the "Manual of Organization and Polity" that is current with Annual Conference decisions to date. This revision of the 2001 edition is available on the Annual Conference website at www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Polity, Policies, and Guidelines" tab. This revision is an interim version of the polity manual that will be updated again following reviews by some Annual Conference agencies and upon adoption in 2007 of the report of the Review and Evaluation Committee.
- Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is publicizing its Older Adult Program providing volunteer opportunities for older adult volunteers. "We ask you to bring your lifetime of experience and values of faith into volunteering," said an announcement from BVS. While older adults are welcome in any of the orientation units offered throughout the year, BVS provides a special orientation unit for older adults age 50 years and older. This unit is offered this spring in New Windsor, Md., April 24-May 5. The deadline to complete the application process is March 12. The Older Adult program is slightly different from the customary BVS experience in a few ways, including a shorter orientation period--10 days compared to the usual three weeks; older adults are not required to take an assignment immediately following orientation; older adults are asked to commit to a six-month term of service with the option of extending their term; and the date to begin service is negotiable depending on the needs of the volunteer and the project. Contact the BVS office for more information at 800-323-8039 or visit www.brethren.org/genbd/bvs/olderadult.htm for a bulletin insert about the program.
- Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren and member James Groff are producing a half-hour community television program each month, shown on Channel 21 in Portland, and on Channel 11 in Portland and Vancouver, Wash. The effort began in July 2005. "The format is `magazine style' with stories about things which Peace Church is involved," said Groff. "It's one way to let the community know who we are and what we stand for." Featured stories have highlighted Camp Myrtlewood, Christian Peacemaker Teams, a local emergency food program, and being an open and affirming congregation. The February program will feature the Song and Story Fest family camp sponsored by On Earth Peace and others.
- The view has changed at the Pinecrest Community campus in Mount Morris, Ill., according to a press release from the Church of the Brethren retirement community. Passers-by can now see into 20 acres of construction work preparing for a $15 million development to be called Pinecrest Grove. The layout will contain 42 single and duplex cottages. A $3.5-million Community Center will offer a pharmacy, bank, general store, restaurant, a wellness area with exercise classes, and a 200-seat theater. "Pinecrest is happy to open up this building for such a wide array of uses," said CEO Carol Davis. "It's great when we can give back a little to the folks who have always been so generous to us over the 112 years this campus has existed."
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Scott Douglas resigns from ABC staff.
Scott Douglas has resigned as director of Older Adult Ministries of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), effective June 2006. He joined ABC in 1998 as director of resources.
During his eight years with ABC, Douglas has served as the organization's conference coordinator, planning and overseeing five National Older Adult Conferences (NOAC), four Caring Ministries Assemblies, and three regional deacon ministry training events. During his tenure, Douglas served as program staff for several ABC ministries including Denominational Deacon Ministry, Family Life Ministry, Lafiya: A Whole-Person Health Ministry, and the Older Adult Ministry. For the last two years, Douglas' assignment has been as staff for the Older Adult Ministry. He has worked with volunteer members of the Older Adult Ministry Cabinet to raise awareness about the need for an intentional ministry by, for, and with older adults within the Church of the Brethren.
"Scott has been instrumental in sharing with the wider church an understanding of what the caring ministries mean for the denomination today and a theology that supports God's promise and hope for abundant life for all people," said Kathy Reid, executive director for ABC.
Douglas plans to complete a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois, in order to pursue a career in clinical social work as a counseling therapist.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Scott Douglas has resigned as director of Older Adult Ministries of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), effective June 2006. He joined ABC in 1998 as director of resources.
During his eight years with ABC, Douglas has served as the organization's conference coordinator, planning and overseeing five National Older Adult Conferences (NOAC), four Caring Ministries Assemblies, and three regional deacon ministry training events. During his tenure, Douglas served as program staff for several ABC ministries including Denominational Deacon Ministry, Family Life Ministry, Lafiya: A Whole-Person Health Ministry, and the Older Adult Ministry. For the last two years, Douglas' assignment has been as staff for the Older Adult Ministry. He has worked with volunteer members of the Older Adult Ministry Cabinet to raise awareness about the need for an intentional ministry by, for, and with older adults within the Church of the Brethren.
"Scott has been instrumental in sharing with the wider church an understanding of what the caring ministries mean for the denomination today and a theology that supports God's promise and hope for abundant life for all people," said Kathy Reid, executive director for ABC.
Douglas plans to complete a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois, in order to pursue a career in clinical social work as a counseling therapist.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Boshart appointed General Board director of Sudan initiative.
Jeff Boshart has accepted the new position of director for the General Board's new Sudan Initiative, beginning Jan. 30. He brings a strong background in community development and agricultural knowledge to the position. He and his wife, Peggy, served as economic community development coordinators in the Dominican Republic from 2001-04 through the General Board.
Boshart is a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental science. He also holds a Master's degree in international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University. In 1992-94, and again from 1998-2000, he worked with Educational Concern for Hunger Organization Inc. (ECHO) in Nigeria, and then in Haiti in agricultural community development and as an intern coordinator.
Boshart and his family currently live in Pennsylvania but will relocate at a later date. Boshart will work out of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Jeff Boshart has accepted the new position of director for the General Board's new Sudan Initiative, beginning Jan. 30. He brings a strong background in community development and agricultural knowledge to the position. He and his wife, Peggy, served as economic community development coordinators in the Dominican Republic from 2001-04 through the General Board.
Boshart is a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental science. He also holds a Master's degree in international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University. In 1992-94, and again from 1998-2000, he worked with Educational Concern for Hunger Organization Inc. (ECHO) in Nigeria, and then in Haiti in agricultural community development and as an intern coordinator.
Boshart and his family currently live in Pennsylvania but will relocate at a later date. Boshart will work out of the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Source: 2/1/2006 Newsline
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Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Mary Lou Garrison, James Groff, Jon Kobel, Nadine Monn, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, and Don Vermilyea contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Mary Lou Garrison, James Groff, Jon Kobel, Nadine Monn, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, and Don Vermilyea contributed to this report.
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