Brethren Service Center committee holds first meeting.

The Brethren Service Center Ministry Options Exploration Committee held its initial meeting in New Windsor, Md., Aug. 22-24. The group is a committee of the Church of the Brethren General Board, and was formed following the action of the board in March as it dealt with stewardship of property issues related to use of its main properties in New Windsor and Elgin, Ill.

The committee’s charge is “to explore ministry options for ministries related to properties associated with the Brethren Service Center.” The group has been asked to recommend an answer to the question, “What will be the best use of the New Windsor property to support, grow, and extend the ministry of the General Board on behalf of the Church of the Brethren?” said chair Dale Minnich in his report from the meeting.

As background for its work, the committee reviewed the history of the Brethren Service Center since the property was purchased by the denomination in 1944, reviewed the recent history of the stewardship property study and subsequent General Board action, toured the facility, and visited with staff. The group discussed reports of the four areas of General Board ministry located at the Brethren Service Center: Service Ministries, Emergency Response, the New Windsor Conference Center, and New Windsor Buildings and Grounds.

The committee also met with two working groups of staff and community members launched by the center’s executive director Roy Winter, in order to generate thinking for the process of the committee’s study.

A number of assignments were made both to committee members and to staff, Minnich reported. The assignments will help the committee “flesh out possibilities to strengthen the Brethren Service Center’s ministries,” his report said. The group will receive reports of the assignments at its next meeting on Nov. 10-12.

Members of the committee are Jim Stokes-Buckles of New York, N.Y.; Kim Stuckey Hissong of Westminster, Md.; David R. Miller of Dayton, Va.; Fran Nyce of Westminster, Md.; Janet Ober of Upland, Calif.; Dale Roth of State College, Pa.; Jack Tevis of Westminster, Md.; and Dale Minnich, General Board representative, of Moundridge, Kan. General Board staff who met with the committee throughout its first meeting were general secretary Stan Noffsinger, service center executive director Roy Winter, and director of financial operations LeAnn Wine.

Source: 8/31/2006 Newsline
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