Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, job openings, and more.
  • Galen S. Young Sr., 94, a major contributor to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethown (Pa.) College, died on July 8 at his home in Fort Myers, Fla. The center was named in his honor in 1989. "The Young Center exists today largely because of the vision and generosity of Galen S. and Jessie B. Young," said a statement in the fall issue of the “Young Center News.” An obituary in the “Philadelphia Inquirer” described Young as “a hero” for the osteopathic profession. He was a chancellor of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he served as a surgeon for 45 years, and was a past president of the American Osteopathic Association. According to the Inquirer, a conversation between Young and then-presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower was what prompted Eisenhower to include funds for osteopathic medical schools in his first national budget. Young was a 1934 graduate of Elizabethtown and received an honorary doctorate of science degree from the college in 1951. He served as an Elizabethtown trustee for more than 30 years, joining the board in 1973 and achieving emeritus status in 2004. He received the college’s Outstanding Alumni Award and Educate for Service Award and was a charter member of the President’s Club. In other church involvements, he helped found Brethren congregations in Philadelphia and Paoli, was a founder and moderator of Drexel Hill (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and was a moderator of North Atlantic District Conference. For the past 10 years he lived in Fort Myers and Ocean City, N.J. He is survived by his daughter Sandra and sons Galen and Jeffrey, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. A life celebration was held at Arlington Cemetery Chapel in Drexel Hill on July 14.

  • Three Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) workers have begun terms of service for the Church of the Brethren General Board in Elgin, Ill. Rachel McFadden and Travis Beam have begun one-year terms as workcamp assistant coordinators in Youth and Young Adult Ministries. McFadden is from North Manchester, Ind. Beam is from Concord, N.C. Tim Stauffer will work for the board’s information services department. Stauffer is from Polo, Ill.

  • Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., is accepting applications for the position of campus pastor, to plan and coordinate religious services and oversee religious life programming. Additional responsibilities include serving on the counseling staff and maintaining relationships with the Church of the Brethren and ecumenical agencies. A minimum of a Master of Divinity or equivalent master’s degree and ordination in the Church of the Brethren is required. The college offers a competitive pay and benefits package including health insurance, retirement, and tuition. Submit a cover letter, resume, and employment application (see www.manchester.edu/OHR/applicationprocess.htm) to Human Resources, Attn: CP/B, Manchester College, 604 E. College Ave., North Manchester, IN 46962. Applications will be reviewed beginning immediately and continue until the position is filled.

  • The Brethren Home Community of New Oxford, Pa., seeks a fulltime chaplain for its Cross Keys Village. Primary responsibilities include visitation (scheduled and during crisis), leading devotions and Bible study, on-call coverage, leading worship, and some preaching. Qualified candidates should be licensed into Christian ministry and moving to ordination with good standing in their denomination. Clinical Pastoral Education experience is highly desired. The Brethren Home Community is looking for a caring and motivated person to join its Pastoral Care and Brethren Home team. Interested candidates should contact Merv Wunderlich, Director of Pastoral Care, by e-mail at m.wunderlich@brethrenhome.org. The position will be open until Sept. 30.

  • Older adults from Church of the Brethren congregations across the country will converge on Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina next week for National Older Adult Conference. The conference Sept. 4-8 is sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers to offer inspiration, renewal, and community for adults age 50 and older. More than 1,100 participants are expected to meet on the theme, “Walk in the Light” (Matthew 5:14).

  • The Ministry of Reconciliation (MOR) of On Earth Peace is offering “Advanced Reconciliation Skills: A Systems Approach to Conflict and Self Understanding,” a fall practitioner workshop, on Nov. 15-17 at Camp Mack in Milford, Ind. Participants will learn a biblical approach to consulting and healing broken communities, the dynamics of emotional fields, brain function and co-causal understandings of human interaction, and skills for self-understanding and differentiation in healing ministries. Leadership is provided by Jim Kinsey, a member of the General Board’s Congregational Life Teams and a certified trainer, consultant, and practitioner of the Bowen, Friedman, Steinke Systems Process. Cost of $120 covers tuition, materials, meals, and two nights lodging. Commuters pay $84 for tuition, materials, three meals, and day-use fees. The workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and concludes at 4 p.m. Friday. Time for worship and fellowship is included. One continuing education unit is available to Church of the Brethren ministers through the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. Registration deadline is Oct. 15. To register or for more information, contact Annie Clark, MOR coordinator, at annieclark@mchsi.com.

  • A fire destroyed much of the parsonage of Denton (Md.) Church of the Brethren on Sunday, Aug. 20. “The fire started in the kitchen area and spread throughout the house with the major damage to the downstairs area,” reported Mid-Atlantic District executive minister Don Booz, who added that church members are surrounding pastor Alan Kieffaber and his wife, Marilyn, “with care, love, and support.” The district is receiving contributions to a replacement fund for the family.

  • Three Church of the Brethren colleges--Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., and Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.--made the “best schools” listings for 2007 from “US News & World Report.” The magazine publishes an annual study of colleges and universities in the US. Juniata was ranked 95th in the listing of “top schools” among liberal arts colleges. In listings for comprehensive colleges in the north, Elizabethtown was ranked second for “best value” and third of the “top schools.” In listings for comprehensive colleges in the midwest, Manchester was ranked third for “best value” and 20th of the “top schools.” A release from Manchester said the magazine uses 15 indicators of academic excellence and bases 25 percent of its ranking on the opinions of presidents, provosts, and deans of peer institutions. “We're thrilled to be near the top of the Best Value list year after year,” said David F. McFadden, executive vice president of Manchester, which has made the rankings for 12 consecutive years. The listings are available at www.usnews.com.

  • A Church of the Brethren advocate to halt capital punishment, SueZann Bosler, will speak on Sept. 6 at McPherson (Kan.) College in conjunction with the Kansas premiere of “Frozen,” the first play of the college’s new theater season. The play about a serial pedophile, and the human capacity for forgiveness, is described as “powerful and disturbing...about forgiving the unforgivable,” in a release from the college. Bosler has spoken against the death penalty following the 1986 murder of her father, Billy Bosler, when he was pastor of First Miami Church of the Brethren in Florida. “Frozen” by playwright Bryony Lavery will be performed Sept. 7-9 as a senior project. The play premiered in England in 1998 and was a Tony Award Nominee for Best Play in 2004. “Frozen” is not the usual offering from McPherson theater department, the college said, and is not recommended for children; some viewers may be disturbed by content and language. For more go to www.mcpherson.edu/news/index.asp?action=fullnews&id=860.

  • Camp Bethel in Fincastle, Va., is offering free bluegrass concerts by Brethren musicians over Labor Day weekend. “The Comptons” will play on Sept 1, 8-9 p.m. “Wow! What talent in the Church of the Brethren!” commented the camp newsletter. “Makeshift” plays on Sept. 2, from 8-9 p.m., described as “an exciting, young, upcoming band” ranging in age from 14-17. “Enjoy hearing Makeshift live before they hit the big time, (or at least before they all turn 18!),” said the newsletter. “The Whispering Pines” performs on Sept. 3, 8-9 p.m., featuring Matt Spence and family, based at Masons Cove Church of the Brethren in Salem, Va. See the entire Labor Day Family Weekend schedule of activities and meals at www.campbethelvirginia.org/labor_day.htm.

  • A “Brethren tree” is one of several trees nominated for inclusion in the book, “Remarkable Trees of Virginia,” according to the “Daily News-Record” of Harrisonburg. “Ruth Fifer of Bridgewater nominated the black oak on the lawn of Summit Church of the Brethren” in Bridgewater, Va., the paper said in an article that includes a stanza of Fifer’s poem written in honor of the tree. The poem and a picture of the tree may be found at the Remarkable Trees website www.cnr.vt.edu/4h/remarkabletree/.
Source: 8/31/2006 Newsline
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