Brethren bits: Mission Alive, citizenship seminar, and more.

• The General Board has decided to cancel the Mission Alive 2007 conference scheduled for April 2007. Staff made the decision after key sponsoring partners withdrew their support over disagreement with staff decisions and process. Mission executive Mervin Keeney expressed his disappointment at the turn of events. "The first mission conference had been a unifying and energizing event that had been meaningful in the life of the church, and a series of such conferences was proposed to continue to build momentum and common ground," he said. "The General Board seeks to serve and hold together all the parts of the church," Keeney said. "This has been a difficult decision, but is made in the best interest of the church." Conversations around future mission conferences are anticipated.
  
  
• The 2007 Christian Citizenship Seminar on the theme, "The State of Our Health," will be held March 24-29, 2007, in New York City and Washington, D.C. The event for high school age youth is sponsored by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board. Participants will learn about the HIV/AIDS explosion in Africa and the impact of poverty on health worldwide, and have the opportunity to discuss the advantages, challenges, and privilges of health care programs. Online registration begins Jan. 1, 2007, with participation reserved for the first 100 youth who register. Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at 800-785-3246, or the Youth and Young Adult office at 800-323-8039 for more information.
  
  
• The Brethren Witness/Washington Office will have a presence at the School of Americas Watch event at Fort Benning, Ga., Nov. 17-19. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board. The office plans to offer an information table on Saturday and Sunday, and from 7-9:30 p.m. on Saturday evening will host a Brethren gathering followed by a concert with Mutual Kumquat. The gathering and concert will be held at the Presidential Room at the Howard Johnson hotel. For more information contact the office at 800-785-3246. For detailed information about the witness see www.soaw.org.
  
  
• Jeffrey Kovac, professor of chemistry and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee, will speak on "Confrontation at the Locks: A National Protest of the Japanese Evacuation" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in Cole Hall at Bridgewater (Va.) College. Kovac's address will focus on the experience of a college student of Japanese descent, George Kiyoshi Yamada, who was a conscientious objector and went to Civilian Public Service (CPS) camp at Cascade Locks, Ore., during World War II. Sponsored by the W. Harold Row Lecture Series, the address is open to the public at no charge. For more about Bridgewater College, go to www.bridgewater.edu.
  
  
• The 60-voice McPherson (Kan.) College Choir will open its 2006-07 season with a Homecoming Concert on Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. at McPherson Church of the Brethren. The choir is conducted by Steven Gustafson, who holds the Dotzour Chair in Music and is in his 27th year on the college faculty. The choir is in its 74th year. The concert is free, and the public is invited to attend. A free-will offering will help underwrite expenses of the choral program. For more about McPherson College go to www.mcpherson.edu.
  
  
• The Steering Committee of Womaen's Caucus will meet in Oak Park and Lombard, Ill., in October. The group has extended an invitation to Church of the Brethren members to meet with them on Saturday evening, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. at York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, to share about the work of Womaen's Caucus and women's issues in the church. Lasagna and salads will be provided; participants are asked to bring a side dish or dessert. Please reply to Audrey de Coursey at agd@riseup.net.
  
  
• Atlantic Southeast District holds its district conference on Oct. 13-14 at Iglesia de los Hermanos in Yahuecas, Adjuntas, P.R. The theme is, "Living Stones Building a Spiritual Church/Piedras Vivas Edificando una Iglesia Espiritual" (1 Peter 2:5/1 Pedro 2:5).
  
  
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has announced a Depleted Uranium Delegation to take place Nov. 24-Dec. 3, part of a campaign to halt production of depleted uranium munitions. Such weapons have factored into the 89 percent of US military personnel from the first Gulf War who are receiving disability payments, and may be currently used by coalition forces in Iraq, CPT said. The delegation will start in Jonesborough, Tenn., and travel to Rocket Center, W.Va., locations of the two main depleted uranium weapons production facilities in the US. Participants arrange their own transportation to Knoxville, Tenn., and raise $400 for on-ground expenses. For more information see www.cpt.org, click on "Delegations." Originally a violence-reduction initiative of the historic peace churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of Christian denominations.
  
  
• The New Community Project, a Brethren related nonprofit, has announced its line-up of Learning Tours for 2007. The trips aim for personal and spiritual growth, gaining a better understanding of the world, and building relationships with worldwide neighbors and God's creation. The trips are open to all ages. Tours are planned to Sudan on Jan. 5-23, Guatemala on March 5-14; Ecuador Amazon on May 15-26; Honduras on July 10-20; Denali/Kenai Fjords National Parks in Alaska on Aug. 10-19; Arctic Village, Alaska, on Aug. 19-28. Dates are pending for a tour to Nepal. For details about plans for learning tour activities, leadership for each tour, and costs, visit www.newcommunityproject.org or contact David Radcliff at 888-800-2985 or dradcliff@newcommunityproject.org.
  
  
• Church of the Brethren child rights activist Richard Propes has begun a hunger strike in response to the school shootings in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Recognized for his wheelchair Tenderness Tour devoted to ending child abuse and domestic violence, he began a hunger strike at midnight on Oct. 5 with the vision of calling 10,000 people to join him in a renewed commitment to children. The Tenderness Tour is accepting pledges to work to end violence in the lives of children in the community. All 10,000 people who write will be listed on a special "10,000 Voices" page on the website www.tendernesstour.com. Send an e-mail to Richard@tendernesstour.com and include name, last initial, age, and location; or send a postcard or letter to Tenderness Tour, P.O. Box 20367, Indianapolis, IN 46220, including name, last initial, age, and location. Propes plans to extend his hunger strike until 10,000 separate e-mails, letters, or postcards are received. Keep track of the status of the effort at www.myspace.com/tendernesstour.

Source: 10/11/2006 Newsline