- Neuman-Lee and Shumate head 2007 Annual Conference ballot.
- General Board Executive Committee visits disaster relief in the Gulf.
- Gather 'Round staff set plans for future
- Brethren member participates in Darfur work of UN subcommittee.
- Fund gives grants to Darfur, child care in New Orleans, Florida storms.
- Brethren bits: Personnel, ‘Mission Alive,’ ABC survey, and more.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
NEWS
Neuman-Lee and Shumate head 2007 Annual Conference ballot.
The ballot has been announced for the 2007 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, to be held June 30-July 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee--a committee of the representatives of Church of the Brethren districts--developed a slate of candidates, and Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented. Nominees are listed by position:
The ballot has been announced for the 2007 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, to be held June 30-July 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee--a committee of the representatives of Church of the Brethren districts--developed a slate of candidates, and Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented. Nominees are listed by position:
Annual Conference Moderator-Elect: Jeff Neuman-Lee of Denver, Colo.; David K. Shumate of Roanoke, Va.Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Annual Conference Secretary: Fred W. Swartz of Bridgewater, Va.; Diane (Newcomer) Mason of Moulton, Iowa.
Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee: R. Jan Thompson of Mesa, Ariz.; Sarah B. Steele of Martinsburg, Pa.
Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee: Peter C. Kaltenbaugh Jr. of Frieden, Pa.; Lucinda Barnum-Steggerda of Crown Point, Ind.
Committee on Interchurch Relations: James O. Eikenberry of Stockton, Calif.; Melissa Bennett of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Association of Brethren Caregivers Board: J. Colleen Michael of Wenatchee, Wash.; John Katonah of Evanston, Ill.
Bethany Theological Seminary Trustee, representing colleges: Carol A. Scheppard of Mount Crawford, Va.; Celia Cook-Huffman of Huntingdon, Pa. Representing clergy: Lisa L. Hazen of Wichita, Kan.; William A. Waugh of Greensburg, Pa.
Brethren Benefit Trust Board: Deborah E. Romary of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Willie Hisey Pierson of Plainfield, Ill.
General Board, at large: Laura Guthrie of Chandler, Ariz.; Terrell Lewis of Washington, D.C.
On Earth Peace Board: Susan Chapman of Fincastle, Va.; Linda K. Williams of San Diego, Calif.
General Board Executive Committee visits disaster relief in the Gulf.
The General Board’s Executive Committee and three staff members visited projects related to Emergency Response ministries in the Gulf Coast region on Feb. 15-17.
Members of the Executive Committee included General Board chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder; staff members included Emergency Response director Roy Winter and associate director Zach Wolgemuth, as well as Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who provided this report.
In New Orleans, the group visited an active Disaster Child Care (DCC) project located at FEMA’s Welcome Home Center. The center provides citizens with access to many types of storm-related aid in one location. While parents complete paperwork, apply for loans, or receive counseling, their children can safely play under the care of DCC volunteers.
The group also travelled through the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, where the flood following Hurricane Katrina left few buildings standing. Of those left, many had floated off their foundations and settled askew. Several brick churches remained, but doors and windows were chained shut. One pastor had spray painted his cell phone number on the building so that his congregants could reach him. There were few signs of recovery.
The tour continued in Pearl River, La., where a modular home will soon be placed on its foundation by Brethren Disaster Response. In earlier planning, following the widespread destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, staff had hoped to be able to expand the Brethren Disaster Response program by building modular homes in other parts of the country and then transporting them to the Gulf. But strict building codes and other legalities have rendered that concept unworkable at this time, the Executive Committee learned.
That evening, the group fellowshiped with Brethren Disaster Response volunteers before spending the night in FEMA trailers. "For one night, it was adequate, but for a longterm location for a family, it just wouldn’t cut it," reflected Lahman Yoder. "The rebuilding projects have to go faster so that people can get back into their homes and start to live again," she said.
In Chalmette, La., the church leaders gained a glimpse into another Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding project. Currently, a team of volunteers is rebuilding the home of Ron Richardson. His home is located in St. Bernard Parish, and is one of 27,000 homes destroyed in the area.
Before the storm, St. Bernard Parish had a population of 66,000; only 6,000-12,000 people have returned since the disaster. "It’s shocking because these are people who had ‘done it right,’" said Liz McCartney, co-founder of the St. Bernard Project, a partner organization. "They worked hard, they owned their homes, and many had insurance. Fifty percent of the population was retired. The median household income was $30,000 before the storm, and the crime rate was low."
Later in the same day, the Executive Committee celebrated hope and recovery at a house dedication in Lucedale, Miss. Brethren volunteers, in cooperation with numerous ecumenical volunteers, completed a house for Mrs. Gloria Bradley, who had survived not only the loss of a house but also two heart attacks and as many strokes.
On the final day of the trip, participants traveled to Florida to visit with staff from Rebuild Northwest Florida, the longterm recovery committee in the Pensacola area.
"The destruction is just so widespread," said Dale Minnich, who volunteered with the response project in Chalmette for a few days prior to the Executive Committee’s visit. "It makes me think about how this compares to something like the devastation after World War II in Europe, where so much response was required. It seems like to reclaim this area, a huge response is required."
Harvey, who pastors Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., reflected on the situation in the Gulf coast at the congregation’s Ash Wednesday service. "We must be disciples who use their talents to help rebuild homes, lives, communities, not just in New Orleans, but everywhere," he commented. "We must make disciples who will do the same. The central issue, we must use our voice and position and circumstances to advocate for those who cannot."
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
The General Board’s Executive Committee and three staff members visited projects related to Emergency Response ministries in the Gulf Coast region on Feb. 15-17.
Members of the Executive Committee included General Board chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder; staff members included Emergency Response director Roy Winter and associate director Zach Wolgemuth, as well as Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who provided this report.
In New Orleans, the group visited an active Disaster Child Care (DCC) project located at FEMA’s Welcome Home Center. The center provides citizens with access to many types of storm-related aid in one location. While parents complete paperwork, apply for loans, or receive counseling, their children can safely play under the care of DCC volunteers.
The group also travelled through the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, where the flood following Hurricane Katrina left few buildings standing. Of those left, many had floated off their foundations and settled askew. Several brick churches remained, but doors and windows were chained shut. One pastor had spray painted his cell phone number on the building so that his congregants could reach him. There were few signs of recovery.
The tour continued in Pearl River, La., where a modular home will soon be placed on its foundation by Brethren Disaster Response. In earlier planning, following the widespread destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, staff had hoped to be able to expand the Brethren Disaster Response program by building modular homes in other parts of the country and then transporting them to the Gulf. But strict building codes and other legalities have rendered that concept unworkable at this time, the Executive Committee learned.
That evening, the group fellowshiped with Brethren Disaster Response volunteers before spending the night in FEMA trailers. "For one night, it was adequate, but for a longterm location for a family, it just wouldn’t cut it," reflected Lahman Yoder. "The rebuilding projects have to go faster so that people can get back into their homes and start to live again," she said.
In Chalmette, La., the church leaders gained a glimpse into another Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding project. Currently, a team of volunteers is rebuilding the home of Ron Richardson. His home is located in St. Bernard Parish, and is one of 27,000 homes destroyed in the area.
Before the storm, St. Bernard Parish had a population of 66,000; only 6,000-12,000 people have returned since the disaster. "It’s shocking because these are people who had ‘done it right,’" said Liz McCartney, co-founder of the St. Bernard Project, a partner organization. "They worked hard, they owned their homes, and many had insurance. Fifty percent of the population was retired. The median household income was $30,000 before the storm, and the crime rate was low."
Later in the same day, the Executive Committee celebrated hope and recovery at a house dedication in Lucedale, Miss. Brethren volunteers, in cooperation with numerous ecumenical volunteers, completed a house for Mrs. Gloria Bradley, who had survived not only the loss of a house but also two heart attacks and as many strokes.
On the final day of the trip, participants traveled to Florida to visit with staff from Rebuild Northwest Florida, the longterm recovery committee in the Pensacola area.
"The destruction is just so widespread," said Dale Minnich, who volunteered with the response project in Chalmette for a few days prior to the Executive Committee’s visit. "It makes me think about how this compares to something like the devastation after World War II in Europe, where so much response was required. It seems like to reclaim this area, a huge response is required."
Harvey, who pastors Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., reflected on the situation in the Gulf coast at the congregation’s Ash Wednesday service. "We must be disciples who use their talents to help rebuild homes, lives, communities, not just in New Orleans, but everywhere," he commented. "We must make disciples who will do the same. The central issue, we must use our voice and position and circumstances to advocate for those who cannot."
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Gather 'Round staff set plans for future
Celebration, evaluation, and planning were the focus at a Feb. 6-8 staff "summit" for the Gather 'Round curriculum project. Several members of the team, which gathered from across the US and Canada, also led the weekly chapel service for the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., where the meeting was held.
Gather 'Round is a new Christian education curriculum jointly produced by Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN). The team celebrated successful production and sales of the first three quarters. Many Brethren and Mennonite congregations are reporting good experiences with the curriculum, and a number of other denominations have chosen to promote the curriculum to their members.
In evaluating and planning for the future, the staff paid special attention to feedback from users. "We were very grateful for those people who submitted an evaluation form after the first quarter or who contacted staff members by phone and e-mail," reported Anna Speicher, project director and editor. "These comments are helping us refine and improve the Gather 'Round products. Ongoing refinements are possible because Gather 'Round is produced new every year." Some enhancements will be made as early as the second year of the curriculum, which is currently in production.
Speicher noted that people have responded especially positively to the emphasis on connecting church and home. "We have received much affirmation for using the same Bible story for all age groups, for the Parent/Caregiver guide, and for the at-home Talkabout. These pieces help families connect on the Bible themes throughout the week."
The staff received requests for more active options for the younger children and more alternatives for readers and non-readers in the Primary unit, Speicher said. "To that end, we’ll be revising the Primary student book, the ‘Good News Reader,’ for the fall of 2007. We’ll be adding more options in the teacher’s guides as well."
The staff meeting brought together the steering committee, project staff, and several employees of the partner publishing houses who have a portion of time allocated to the curriculum project. Project staff are Anna Speicher, Amy Gingerich, Terry Mast, Rose Stutzman, Nancy Ryan, and Cyndi Fecher. The steering committee is made up Ron Rempel and Eleanor Snyder from Mennonite Publishing Network, Wendy McFadden from Brethren Press, and Speicher. Other publishing house employees involved in the project are Merrill Miller, Cynthia Linscheid, and Terry Graber from MPN, and Karen Stocking and Jeff Lennard from Brethren Press.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Celebration, evaluation, and planning were the focus at a Feb. 6-8 staff "summit" for the Gather 'Round curriculum project. Several members of the team, which gathered from across the US and Canada, also led the weekly chapel service for the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., where the meeting was held.
Gather 'Round is a new Christian education curriculum jointly produced by Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN). The team celebrated successful production and sales of the first three quarters. Many Brethren and Mennonite congregations are reporting good experiences with the curriculum, and a number of other denominations have chosen to promote the curriculum to their members.
In evaluating and planning for the future, the staff paid special attention to feedback from users. "We were very grateful for those people who submitted an evaluation form after the first quarter or who contacted staff members by phone and e-mail," reported Anna Speicher, project director and editor. "These comments are helping us refine and improve the Gather 'Round products. Ongoing refinements are possible because Gather 'Round is produced new every year." Some enhancements will be made as early as the second year of the curriculum, which is currently in production.
Speicher noted that people have responded especially positively to the emphasis on connecting church and home. "We have received much affirmation for using the same Bible story for all age groups, for the Parent/Caregiver guide, and for the at-home Talkabout. These pieces help families connect on the Bible themes throughout the week."
The staff received requests for more active options for the younger children and more alternatives for readers and non-readers in the Primary unit, Speicher said. "To that end, we’ll be revising the Primary student book, the ‘Good News Reader,’ for the fall of 2007. We’ll be adding more options in the teacher’s guides as well."
The staff meeting brought together the steering committee, project staff, and several employees of the partner publishing houses who have a portion of time allocated to the curriculum project. Project staff are Anna Speicher, Amy Gingerich, Terry Mast, Rose Stutzman, Nancy Ryan, and Cyndi Fecher. The steering committee is made up Ron Rempel and Eleanor Snyder from Mennonite Publishing Network, Wendy McFadden from Brethren Press, and Speicher. Other publishing house employees involved in the project are Merrill Miller, Cynthia Linscheid, and Terry Graber from MPN, and Karen Stocking and Jeff Lennard from Brethren Press.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren member participates in Darfur work of UN subcommittee.
A position statement and suggested strategies for nongovernmental (NGO) action on Darfur, Sudan, was issued Feb. 8 by the United Nation’s "Sub-Committee for Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance of the NGO Committee on Human Rights." Church of the Brethren member Doris Abdullah serves on the subcommittee, representing On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren.
The subcommittee hosted a meeting on Darfur for more than 60 nongovernmental organizations at the UN Church Center in New York on Jan. 10. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing on the status of the crisis in Darfur and to develop strategies for assisting in bringing it to an end. The position statement and suggested strategies were issued as a "following narrative" to the discussion at the meeting, and have been offered to nongovernmental organizations for their consideration.
The position statement said in part, "The situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains dangerous, fluid, and volatile. News reports inform us that advocacy efforts to date are having a positive impact. This tells us that it is important to maintain the forward momentum of our efforts. At this time the dying continues, the rapes continue, the starvation and severe health risks continue, the displacement and sense of hopelessness continues, and these conditions are spreading across borders. We assert that this is a human rights tragedy that is caused by racism, discrimination, and targeted intolerance....
"We recognize that the UN NGO community has an obligation to seek, find, and use every opportunity to expand global awareness of the Darfur crisis, and to hold those who choose culpable silence and egregious indifference publicly accountable for the persistence of the crisis. The genocide in Dafur must be condemned without reservation," the statement continued. "We implore the general public to compassionately and conscientiously end the agony in Darfur."
Suggested strategies for action included sending letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the UN’s Human Rights Council, the UN Security Council, other international and national bodies, individual political leaders, and political organizations. The subcommittee also suggested forming a broadly representative interfaith delegation to Khartoum, Sudan, and putting pressure on companies and corporations investing in Sudan.
In other work, the subcommittee is preparing a presentation for the "200th Anniversary of the End of Trans-Atlantic Slavery Commemorations," a session of the UN General Assembly beginning March 26 with speaker Rex Nettleford, chair of the UNESCO Slave Routes Project.
"I am glad for the work of Doris and the UN subcommittee," said Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones, who also noted that the subcommittee’s statement at points conflicts with Church of the Brethren positions of nonviolence "This may be a good time to refer Brethren to a very helpful Annual Conference paper of 1996, ‘Nonviolence and Humanitarian Intervention,’" Jones said (go to www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/96Nonviolence.htm).
"Darfur continues to be one of the most difficult issues I face in my work," Jones said. "If we say genocide is occurring, which I am convinced it is, and yet armed intervention, in whatever form, is not the answer--then it remains an imperative challenge that we come up with an alternative nonviolent solution."
For the subcommittee’s position statement, contact Abdullah at angramyn45@aol.com.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
A position statement and suggested strategies for nongovernmental (NGO) action on Darfur, Sudan, was issued Feb. 8 by the United Nation’s "Sub-Committee for Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance of the NGO Committee on Human Rights." Church of the Brethren member Doris Abdullah serves on the subcommittee, representing On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren.
The subcommittee hosted a meeting on Darfur for more than 60 nongovernmental organizations at the UN Church Center in New York on Jan. 10. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing on the status of the crisis in Darfur and to develop strategies for assisting in bringing it to an end. The position statement and suggested strategies were issued as a "following narrative" to the discussion at the meeting, and have been offered to nongovernmental organizations for their consideration.
The position statement said in part, "The situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains dangerous, fluid, and volatile. News reports inform us that advocacy efforts to date are having a positive impact. This tells us that it is important to maintain the forward momentum of our efforts. At this time the dying continues, the rapes continue, the starvation and severe health risks continue, the displacement and sense of hopelessness continues, and these conditions are spreading across borders. We assert that this is a human rights tragedy that is caused by racism, discrimination, and targeted intolerance....
"We recognize that the UN NGO community has an obligation to seek, find, and use every opportunity to expand global awareness of the Darfur crisis, and to hold those who choose culpable silence and egregious indifference publicly accountable for the persistence of the crisis. The genocide in Dafur must be condemned without reservation," the statement continued. "We implore the general public to compassionately and conscientiously end the agony in Darfur."
Suggested strategies for action included sending letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the UN’s Human Rights Council, the UN Security Council, other international and national bodies, individual political leaders, and political organizations. The subcommittee also suggested forming a broadly representative interfaith delegation to Khartoum, Sudan, and putting pressure on companies and corporations investing in Sudan.
In other work, the subcommittee is preparing a presentation for the "200th Anniversary of the End of Trans-Atlantic Slavery Commemorations," a session of the UN General Assembly beginning March 26 with speaker Rex Nettleford, chair of the UNESCO Slave Routes Project.
"I am glad for the work of Doris and the UN subcommittee," said Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones, who also noted that the subcommittee’s statement at points conflicts with Church of the Brethren positions of nonviolence "This may be a good time to refer Brethren to a very helpful Annual Conference paper of 1996, ‘Nonviolence and Humanitarian Intervention,’" Jones said (go to www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/96Nonviolence.htm).
"Darfur continues to be one of the most difficult issues I face in my work," Jones said. "If we say genocide is occurring, which I am convinced it is, and yet armed intervention, in whatever form, is not the answer--then it remains an imperative challenge that we come up with an alternative nonviolent solution."
For the subcommittee’s position statement, contact Abdullah at angramyn45@aol.com.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Fund gives grants to Darfur, child care in New Orleans, Florida storms.
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the Church of the Brethren General Board has given $45,000 for the crisis in Darfur, Sudan; $20,000 for a Disaster Child Care project in New Orleans; and $4,000 responding to tornados in Florida.
The grant for Sudan represents an additional allocation and continuing support for longterm relief work by Church World Service (CWS). The funds will help provide medical care, nutrition, shelters, schools, and water supply to more than 300,000 people. Three previous allocations to this project total $170,000.
The grant to Disaster Child Care also represents an additional allocation. The New Orleans site provides child care assistance to people returning home to the area following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, at the request of FEMA. The grant supports volunteer expenses.
The allocation for Florida supports CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons, local longterm recovery groups, and the shipping of material resources following tornados and storms in central Florida on Feb. 2.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the Church of the Brethren General Board has given $45,000 for the crisis in Darfur, Sudan; $20,000 for a Disaster Child Care project in New Orleans; and $4,000 responding to tornados in Florida.
The grant for Sudan represents an additional allocation and continuing support for longterm relief work by Church World Service (CWS). The funds will help provide medical care, nutrition, shelters, schools, and water supply to more than 300,000 people. Three previous allocations to this project total $170,000.
The grant to Disaster Child Care also represents an additional allocation. The New Orleans site provides child care assistance to people returning home to the area following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, at the request of FEMA. The grant supports volunteer expenses.
The allocation for Florida supports CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons, local longterm recovery groups, and the shipping of material resources following tornados and storms in central Florida on Feb. 2.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren bits: Personnel, ‘Mission Alive,’ ABC survey, and more.
- Joan McGrath will begin March 6 as human resources coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. She brings a diverse background to the role, having been the owner of Footsteps to Health in Westminster, Md., the human resources administrator for ROI Technologies in Baltimore, and manager of Corporate Services for an organization in Bethesda. She is a University of Maryland graduate with a bachelor of science degree in Technology and Management.
- Paula Martin of New Windsor, Md., has been employed as registration coordinator for the 2007 Annual Conference. She will function in this position fulltime from Feb. 19-May 25 in the Annual Conference Office in New Windsor. Her primary responsibilities are registration activities for delegates and nondelegates attending the Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, this summer.
- Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., has appointed Stuart D. Jones as dean of enrollment, in a restructuring of leadership to enhance its enrollment strategy. Jones is a member of Manchester Church of the Brethren and has been director of the Career Center and executive director of a new campus Success Center. He joined the college in July 2002, and also has served on key campus operating, planning, and program committees, as well as directing Conference Services and working with a range of student programs. He holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University, a master's degree from Christian Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a doctorate in education from Northcentral University.
- A re-roofing project at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been completed. The work began Sept. 4, 2006, with an expected completion date of Nov. 3, 2006. However, unusually wet weather caused extended delays and frozen ground will also delay landscaping repairs until the spring, reports Dave Ingold, director of buildings and grounds. Olsson Roofing was awarded the contract to replace the roof, Burnidge and Cassell Associates provided architectural design and oversight, and STR Building Resources served as consultants. The re-roofing included a fully tapered roof system that directs water to drains, covered with a Firestone rubber membrane, all new aluminum flashing, new skylights, chimney tuck pointing, new lightning protection, and a new roof hatch. To reduce future energy consumption, the project included insulating values that went beyond Illinois state insulation requirements. Ingold reported that the cost was significantly reduced because of the exceptional quality of the original building design and materials. The General Board approved up to $1,400,000 for the project, which has been completed for $881,000.
- A date for the next Mission Alive conference has been announced by the Church of the Brethren General Board: April 4-6, 2008. Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships, reports that a planning committee is being formed to plan and implement this gathering, following the pattern of the first such event in 2005 in Goshen, Ind. The region recommended by the previous committee for this event was the Shenandoah Valley area, although the actual site is yet to be determined.
- The deadline for pre-publication orders of "Fresh from the Word" is March 15, said a reminder from Brethren Press. "Fresh from the Word" is a daily devotional commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement. Publication is scheduled for July 1; the hardback book will offer 366 daily devotions from Jan.1 through Dec. 31, 2008, written by members of all the Brethren bodies. Groups or congregations save 40 percent on orders of 10 or more copies before March 15, with pre-publication price of $12 per copy plus shipping and handling (the regular price will be $20 plus shipping and handling). Individuals who order before March 15 receive a price of $15 per copy plus shipping and handling. Brethren Press reports that the Brethren Church also is promoting the book to all of its congregations. Call 800-441-3712 to place orders.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) invites all Church of the Brethren members to complete a short online survey to help gauge how its ministries and services to the denomination are perceived by individuals and church leaders. The data is being collected until March 14 and will be provided to the ABC Board at its spring meeting on March 15-16 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The survey is available at www.brethren-caregivers.org. Printed copies of the survey may be requested by calling ABC at 800-323-8039.
- Online registration for the Association of Brethren Caregiver's Spring Deacon Training Events is now available through ABC's website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. The one-day training events will be held March 10 at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren; April 21 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif.; and June 9 at The Cedars in McPherson, Kan. For the first time, participants may use credit cards or request to be invoiced for the $15 registration fee.
- Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) Cristo El Senor in Vega Baja, P.R., has announced its first radio program, "30 Minutes with Our Master," with host and church evangelist Jose Calleja Otero. The program airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. eastern time. Brethren in the US can listen as the program airs via www.unored.com (look for the link "Mas Estaciones" at the bottom of the box "Radio en Television en Vivo" and click on "Nueva Victoria 1350" to connect with the radio station). Pastor Hector Perez Borges, who also serves as a member of the Church of the Brethren General Board, announced that the first transmission took place Dec. 5.
- Virlina District has called for prayer for Jones Chapel Church of the Brethren in Martinsville, Va., which was broken into and vandalized in the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 21. "Please pray for the church membership and pastor Barry and Judy during this traumatic time," the district requested. "The damage is widespread and on all three levels of the church." The sanctuary was damaged, stained glass windows and classroom windows were broken, items were stolen from the sanctuary, fire extinguishers were discharged, flourescent lights were broken, pastor Sink’s automobiles were damaged, and the parsonage was broken into and robbed, among other damage. There also was damage to two other homes in the neighborhood. A number of church members and volunteers from the district helped clean up the church the next day. Police have an 18-year-old man in custody believed to be the one responsible. "We prayed for him in hopes he would understand the wrong he has done. The Scriptures tell you to forgive...your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Sink told the "Martinsville Bulletin."
- Madison Ave. Church of the Brethren was one of 14 local congregations in York, Pa., and some 5,600 Christian churches across the country to join in singing "Amazing Grace" on Feb. 17 to recognize the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade and to advocate against modern forms of slavery. Bermudian Church of the Brethren and Faith Community of the Brethren Home Community were also among the congregations participating, according to a report by the "York Daily Record."
- David B. Eller pled guilty on Feb. 21 in a Dauphin County, Pa., court to charges of attempted unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer. Eller is former director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies and former chair of the Religious Studies Department of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. He was arrested on July 20, 2006 (see the Newsline report of July 22, 2006). According to a report by the campus newspaper, "The Etownian," his sentencing is scheduled for June 1.
- In memory of the civil rights leader's 1968 address to Manchester College a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated today, Feb. 28, very near the actual site of his speech on the college campus in North Manchester, Ind. Using the podium from which Dr. King delivered his speech, titled, "The Future of Integration," the college dedicated a 17-inch tall bust created by Fort Wayne sculptor Will Clark. King spoke at the college on Feb. 1, 1968, two months before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. It is believed to have been his final campus speech. The event originally took place in the former Gymnasium/Auditorium, which was razed in 2000. The brief dedication ceremony was on the second floor of the Physicians Atrium of the Science Center, almost on the site of the former auditorium. For more about the college, visit www.manchester.edu.
- The Steering Committee of Womaen's Caucus will meet in the La Verne, Calif., area on March 22-25. The group will host a gathering of interested members and friends on Saturday evening, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. at La Verne Church of the Brethren. Lasagna will be provided for dinner, with vegetarian options available; bring a salad or dessert. Those who plan to come to the meeting are requested to let the Steering Committee know by e-mailing agd@riseup.net. Steering Committee members are convener Carla Kilgore, Deb Peterson, Lucy Loomis, Audrey de Coursey, Peg Yoder, and administrator Jan Eller.
- Church World Service (CWS) has made an urgent appeal for Gift of the Heart School Kits and Baby Kits. The Emergency Response program of the Church of the Brethren General Board is supporting this appeal. At the moment, CWS has only about 200 school kits in inventory that are uncommitted for upcoming shipments. Requests for school kits, just since the first of the year, have exceeded requests during the whole of last year, said Donna Derr of the CWS staff. The inventory of baby kits is dwindling as well, and needs to be replenished over the next two to three months. For information about how to pack and send kits to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/school-kits.html and www.churchworldservice.org/kits/baby-kits.html. Brethren also may deliver school kits and baby kits to the Emergency Response booth at Annual Conference in Cleveland, June 30-July 4.
- New resources from the National Council of Churches (NCC) include resources for Earth Day Sunday 2007 on April 22 and study guides on wilderness, and environmental racism. The Earth Day Sunday resource titled "Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden" addresses justice in farm and food systems, featuring background information, sermon starters, a bulletin insert, ideas for youth and adult study, suggestions for action, and a two-page insert introducing faith-based principles for a more just farm and food policy (go to www.ncccusa.org/news/070206earthdaysunday.html). The wilderness study guide, "Out of the Wilderness: Building Christian Faith and Keeping God's Creation," encourages Christians to seek out wilderness and quiet places to reconnect with God, renew and refresh themselves for ministry, and rediscover their role as caretakers of creation; it offers information and theological reflections, sermon starters, a bulletin insert, suggestions for adult and youth study, and ideas for action and service (go to www.nccecojustice.org/resources.html). "Environmental Racism: An Ecumenical Study Guide" is for use in Christian education; it can be downloaded by signing into the NCC Eco-Justice network at www.nccecojustice.org/network.
300th anniversary of the Brethren: Bits and pieces.
- Commemorative calendars for the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, dated Sept. 2007 through Dec. 2008 and featuring 36 large and inset contemporary photos of historical sites or items along with much historical information, are now available from the Church of the Brethren’s 300th Anniversary Committee. Several congregations plan to give a calendar to each church family as a unique teaching and learning resource, the committee reports. The 40-page calendar may be ordered through the Annual Conference Office or purchased during Annual Conference in Cleveland, go to the Anniversary Committee’s exhibit booth. Order forms for use prior to Annual Conference can be found at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org. Individual calendars sell for $5 plus, $3 shipping; or may be ordered in bulk of 50 for $200, or 25 for $100, shipping included in the price of bulk orders. Go to www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org.
- Church of the Brethren member Al Huston is taking a 1776 Sauer Bible to any church that would like to see it, as part of the anniversary celebration. "He is offering this as a way to help us appreciate the importance of the Bible in our faith, and as a pilgrimage of prayer for the church as a whole," said Jeff Bach, chair of the 300th Anniversary Committee. Bach added that Huston and his son have developed a video that tells about the Sauer press, the connection of the press to the Brethren, and the Bibles that the press printed. For more information about the "Bible Visit" project or to schedule a visit to a congregation, go to www.biblevisit.com.
- Ed-Ventures Inc. is offering three different itineraries to Europe in the summer of 2008 that each include the 300th anniversary celebration in Schwarzenau, Germany, in early August. Each group will be accompanied by a Church of the Brethren pastor. Choose from Zurich-Amsterdam, Berlin-Zurich, or Munich-Amsterdam. Call 800-658-7128 or visit www.ed-ventures.com.
- A Faith Heritage Tour on July 26-Aug. 9, 2008, including anniversary celebrations Aug. 2-3 in Schwarzenau, Germany, is offered by Mark and Mary Jo Flory-Steury. The tour includes visits to sites related to Martin Luther, the birthplace of Pietism, and Anabaptist sites in Germany and Switzerland. Contact Mark and Mary Jo Flory Steury, 4017 Wagner Rd., Kettering, OH 45440; mflorysteu@aol.com.
- Manchester College professor Ken Rogers will offer free walking tours of religious sites in Marburg an der Lahn (near Schwarzenau) to Brethren groups in the summer of 2007 and again in the summer of 2008. Each tour will last about three hours and visit sites such as the Elizabeth Church, the Old University, the medieval town, the city church, and the castle. The tours will be educational, with Rogers drawing upon years of study and teaching of church history and theology. Those taking the tours will need to pay nominal admission fees at some sites, and will be asked to consider a voluntary contribution to the "Project for German-American Understanding" sponsored by the theology department of Marburg University. Write to HKRogers@Manchester.edu.
Annual Conference registration and housing opens March 9.
Registration for hotel rooms for the 2007 Annual Conference will be available online beginning March 9. Advance registration of nondelegates also begins March 9. The Conference will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from June 30-July 4.
Conference attendees are encouraged to utilize the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the Annual Conference Information CD that will be distributed in early March to each congregation. The Conference office is requesting participants to consider obtaining hotel rooms through the housing facility that, in turn, holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. Participants also are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference. To obtain housing starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Advance registration of nondelegates begins March 9 online or through registration forms in the Information Packet. Participants can register themselves and family members, sign up for age-group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Advance registration saves more than 33 percent. The deadline is May 20. To register online starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
The 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet being distributed on CD also will be available online in early March. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies of the packet can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Registration for hotel rooms for the 2007 Annual Conference will be available online beginning March 9. Advance registration of nondelegates also begins March 9. The Conference will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from June 30-July 4.
Conference attendees are encouraged to utilize the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the Annual Conference Information CD that will be distributed in early March to each congregation. The Conference office is requesting participants to consider obtaining hotel rooms through the housing facility that, in turn, holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. Participants also are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference. To obtain housing starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Advance registration of nondelegates begins March 9 online or through registration forms in the Information Packet. Participants can register themselves and family members, sign up for age-group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Advance registration saves more than 33 percent. The deadline is May 20. To register online starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
The 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet being distributed on CD also will be available online in early March. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies of the packet can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Health Promotion Sunday resources are available.
Resources will be available this week for Church of the Brethren congregations wishing to celebrate Health Promotion Sunday on May 20. The theme for this year’s emphasis is "Christ Exalted in the Body: Congregational and Personal Health." The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) sponsors Health Promotion Sunday for the denomination.
The annual emphasis each May looks at issues affecting the caring ministries of the church. This year’s theme describes how church leaders from across denominational boundaries are lifting up the need for healthier clergy and congregation members. "Jesus modeled a ministry that cared for the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of all people," said an announcement from ABC. "The church’s renewed emphasis on wholeness, or complete health in body, mind, and spirit, is vital for others to experience the healing touch of Christ."
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Resources will be available this week for Church of the Brethren congregations wishing to celebrate Health Promotion Sunday on May 20. The theme for this year’s emphasis is "Christ Exalted in the Body: Congregational and Personal Health." The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) sponsors Health Promotion Sunday for the denomination.
The annual emphasis each May looks at issues affecting the caring ministries of the church. This year’s theme describes how church leaders from across denominational boundaries are lifting up the need for healthier clergy and congregation members. "Jesus modeled a ministry that cared for the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of all people," said an announcement from ABC. "The church’s renewed emphasis on wholeness, or complete health in body, mind, and spirit, is vital for others to experience the healing touch of Christ."
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Church of the Brethren webcast series is launched.
Webcasts--sometimes called "podcasts"--are now being offered through a joint project of several Church of the Brethren agencies and Annual Conference. Sponsors include the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, the General Board, and On Earth Peace.
Initiative for the project came from Bethany Seminary, which is hosting the webcasts at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, with impetus from Enten Eller, the seminary’s director of Distributed Education and Electronic Communication, who is serving as executive producer for the webcast series.
Every two weeks, coinciding with each issue of Newsline, new audio webcasts will be offered featuring information from one of the agencies or from Annual Conference. Webcasts may be listened to online using most computers by visiting www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or they may be downloaded and played on an MP3 player or iPod. Free subscriptions (through an RSS feed) are also offered. Newsline will include announcements of the topics of webcasts as they become available. For more information, visit the cobwebcast website listed above.
Today's inaugural webcasts are about BBT’s socially responsible investment (SRI) ministry. Interviews with Eller and Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing, and Dawn Wolfe of the staff of Boston Common Asset Management, tell the story of how BBT-owned shares helped launch a landmark move by insurance company Aflac, the first US corporation to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation. Included is additional information about the extent and details of BBT’s SRI ministry and advocacy work, SRI events coming up at this year’s Annual Conference, and the encouragement given by last year’s Annual Conference for Brethren members to review their own investments.
For more information go to http://www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or contact Enten Eller at Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374; 800-287-8822 ext. 1831; Enten@BethanySeminary.edu or webcast@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Webcasts--sometimes called "podcasts"--are now being offered through a joint project of several Church of the Brethren agencies and Annual Conference. Sponsors include the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, the General Board, and On Earth Peace.
Initiative for the project came from Bethany Seminary, which is hosting the webcasts at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, with impetus from Enten Eller, the seminary’s director of Distributed Education and Electronic Communication, who is serving as executive producer for the webcast series.
Every two weeks, coinciding with each issue of Newsline, new audio webcasts will be offered featuring information from one of the agencies or from Annual Conference. Webcasts may be listened to online using most computers by visiting www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or they may be downloaded and played on an MP3 player or iPod. Free subscriptions (through an RSS feed) are also offered. Newsline will include announcements of the topics of webcasts as they become available. For more information, visit the cobwebcast website listed above.
Today's inaugural webcasts are about BBT’s socially responsible investment (SRI) ministry. Interviews with Eller and Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing, and Dawn Wolfe of the staff of Boston Common Asset Management, tell the story of how BBT-owned shares helped launch a landmark move by insurance company Aflac, the first US corporation to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation. Included is additional information about the extent and details of BBT’s SRI ministry and advocacy work, SRI events coming up at this year’s Annual Conference, and the encouragement given by last year’s Annual Conference for Brethren members to review their own investments.
For more information go to http://www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or contact Enten Eller at Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374; 800-287-8822 ext. 1831; Enten@BethanySeminary.edu or webcast@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common celebrate Aflac’s decision to give shareholders a say on pay.
It was a quack heard ’round the business world.
On Feb. 14, Aflac Incorporated, the insurance giant famous for using a duck in its television commercials, announced that its board had approved a resolution making it the first major US company that will give shareholders an advisory vote on the compensation it pays its executives.
It was Brethren Benefit Trust’s shares as an Aflac investor and advocacy work by Boston Common Asset Management that helped prompt Aflac into agreeing to give its shareholders such a vote.
"This is a landmark decision pertaining to an issue of justice," said Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing. "It is common to think of unfair wages being paid in developing countries, but one does not have to look beyond the US border to find salary and benefits inequities that rise to the obscene."
In 1962, chief executive officers earned, on average, 24 times that of the average hourly worker, according to an Economic Policy Institute study. In 2005, the ratio of CEOs’ pay within the US to that of the average worker had skyrocketed to 262 to 1.
One of the recent jaw-dropping examples of compensation disparity was Home Depot’s Robert L. Nardelli, who resigned as chairman and chief executive at the beginning of this year, taking with him a "golden parachute" retirement package worth in excess of $200 million. During Nardelli’s six-year tenure, he received an additional $200 million in compensation and perks. Although revenues grew 12 percent each year and profits doubled during that timespan, the company’s total return to shareholders was down 13 percent.
The issue with Aflac actually began last October when Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common Asset Management co-signed a letter with the 275-member Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that was sent to about 150 large firms. The letter asked for shareholders to be given a "say on pay," that is, the opportunity to cast advisory votes on their respective company’s executive compensation report.
"We believe that there are real and significant concerns about excessive executive compensation practices that call for investors to become actively involved," the letter stated. "In some cases, escalating executive compensation appears to bear little relationship to company financial performance. Additionally, consultant-driven compensation recommendations that advocate for top-tier pay packages create a spiraling-up effect. These concerns are amplified against a backdrop of stagnant wage growth for the average employee."
ICCR staff subsequently identified firms that did not respond to the letter and asked its member organizations to engage in dialogue with one or more of the companies. Boston Common picked Aflac, which long had been held in the BBT portfolio. Boston Common is one of BBT’s eight investment managers and works closely with BBT on a number of socially responsible investing initiatives.
Dawn Wolfe, a social researcher and shareholder advocate for Boston Common, twice attempted to contact Aflac. Receiving no response, Boston Common used BBT’s Aflac holdings to file a shareholder resolution to pressure the firm into giving shareholders a nonbinding say on pay.
"They were very surprised to receive the resolution from us," Wolfe said. "One of the reasons was that they believe they have exemplary practices when it comes to pay-for-performance, and so they believed our filing of the proposal was essentially unwarranted."
Over the span of about a dozen phone conversations and many e-mails, Boston Common learned of the metrics the insurance giant uses in establishing its executive compensation. Top Aflac officials, in turn, learned that the firm had not been targeted because they had a severe divergence between pay and performance, but because Boston Common believes shareholders have the right to express their views on executive pay.
The Aflac board ultimately decided to allow the shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation, but not until 2009 when new executive compensation disclosure rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission will be fully implemented. Being the first Fortune 500 company to make this decision, the announcement made major headlines. The story received page one coverage from "USA Today," and was picked up by National Public Radio’s "Marketplace," the "Chicago Tribune," the "Washington Post," and a number of other national, regional, and local media outlets.
"Aflac is the first major US company to agree to allow its shareholders to voice their opinions with regard to the firm’s executive compensation," Dulabaum said. "Shareholder advocates nationwide hope that Aflac’s move will prompt other companies to agree to such nonbinding votes as well."
All companies make decisions as corporate citizens as to how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and the environment. "I think it is important for shareholders to ask their firms to do more because these businesses impact our lives in so many ways," Wolfe said. "We need to hold them to high standards."
The task can be daunting. Those who engage in socially responsible investing initiatives can find the work to be long and tedious with often little to show from the endeavor. That is why Boston Common and BBT celebrate Aflac’s decision.
"I think it’s a great story, what BBT’s ownership in Aflac enabled Boston Common to do," said Wolfe. "Without BBT’s consent to use its shares, we would not have been able to file the resolution that led to Aflac agreeing to allow shareholders to vote on a nonbinding executive compensation resolution."
BBT manages $415 million for more than 5,000 Church of the Brethren Pension Plan and Insurance members and Brethren Foundation clients. All of these funds are invested in a socially responsible manner, with investment screens and activist initiatives guided by Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statements and guidelines.
For more information contact Jay Wittmeyer, Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust, 1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800 746-1505; jwittmeyer_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
It was a quack heard ’round the business world.
On Feb. 14, Aflac Incorporated, the insurance giant famous for using a duck in its television commercials, announced that its board had approved a resolution making it the first major US company that will give shareholders an advisory vote on the compensation it pays its executives.
It was Brethren Benefit Trust’s shares as an Aflac investor and advocacy work by Boston Common Asset Management that helped prompt Aflac into agreeing to give its shareholders such a vote.
"This is a landmark decision pertaining to an issue of justice," said Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing. "It is common to think of unfair wages being paid in developing countries, but one does not have to look beyond the US border to find salary and benefits inequities that rise to the obscene."
In 1962, chief executive officers earned, on average, 24 times that of the average hourly worker, according to an Economic Policy Institute study. In 2005, the ratio of CEOs’ pay within the US to that of the average worker had skyrocketed to 262 to 1.
One of the recent jaw-dropping examples of compensation disparity was Home Depot’s Robert L. Nardelli, who resigned as chairman and chief executive at the beginning of this year, taking with him a "golden parachute" retirement package worth in excess of $200 million. During Nardelli’s six-year tenure, he received an additional $200 million in compensation and perks. Although revenues grew 12 percent each year and profits doubled during that timespan, the company’s total return to shareholders was down 13 percent.
The issue with Aflac actually began last October when Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common Asset Management co-signed a letter with the 275-member Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that was sent to about 150 large firms. The letter asked for shareholders to be given a "say on pay," that is, the opportunity to cast advisory votes on their respective company’s executive compensation report.
"We believe that there are real and significant concerns about excessive executive compensation practices that call for investors to become actively involved," the letter stated. "In some cases, escalating executive compensation appears to bear little relationship to company financial performance. Additionally, consultant-driven compensation recommendations that advocate for top-tier pay packages create a spiraling-up effect. These concerns are amplified against a backdrop of stagnant wage growth for the average employee."
ICCR staff subsequently identified firms that did not respond to the letter and asked its member organizations to engage in dialogue with one or more of the companies. Boston Common picked Aflac, which long had been held in the BBT portfolio. Boston Common is one of BBT’s eight investment managers and works closely with BBT on a number of socially responsible investing initiatives.
Dawn Wolfe, a social researcher and shareholder advocate for Boston Common, twice attempted to contact Aflac. Receiving no response, Boston Common used BBT’s Aflac holdings to file a shareholder resolution to pressure the firm into giving shareholders a nonbinding say on pay.
"They were very surprised to receive the resolution from us," Wolfe said. "One of the reasons was that they believe they have exemplary practices when it comes to pay-for-performance, and so they believed our filing of the proposal was essentially unwarranted."
Over the span of about a dozen phone conversations and many e-mails, Boston Common learned of the metrics the insurance giant uses in establishing its executive compensation. Top Aflac officials, in turn, learned that the firm had not been targeted because they had a severe divergence between pay and performance, but because Boston Common believes shareholders have the right to express their views on executive pay.
The Aflac board ultimately decided to allow the shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation, but not until 2009 when new executive compensation disclosure rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission will be fully implemented. Being the first Fortune 500 company to make this decision, the announcement made major headlines. The story received page one coverage from "USA Today," and was picked up by National Public Radio’s "Marketplace," the "Chicago Tribune," the "Washington Post," and a number of other national, regional, and local media outlets.
"Aflac is the first major US company to agree to allow its shareholders to voice their opinions with regard to the firm’s executive compensation," Dulabaum said. "Shareholder advocates nationwide hope that Aflac’s move will prompt other companies to agree to such nonbinding votes as well."
All companies make decisions as corporate citizens as to how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and the environment. "I think it is important for shareholders to ask their firms to do more because these businesses impact our lives in so many ways," Wolfe said. "We need to hold them to high standards."
The task can be daunting. Those who engage in socially responsible investing initiatives can find the work to be long and tedious with often little to show from the endeavor. That is why Boston Common and BBT celebrate Aflac’s decision.
"I think it’s a great story, what BBT’s ownership in Aflac enabled Boston Common to do," said Wolfe. "Without BBT’s consent to use its shares, we would not have been able to file the resolution that led to Aflac agreeing to allow shareholders to vote on a nonbinding executive compensation resolution."
BBT manages $415 million for more than 5,000 Church of the Brethren Pension Plan and Insurance members and Brethren Foundation clients. All of these funds are invested in a socially responsible manner, with investment screens and activist initiatives guided by Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statements and guidelines.
For more information contact Jay Wittmeyer, Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust, 1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800 746-1505; jwittmeyer_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Call For Prayer For Bluffton Univeristy, Communities Affected By Tornados
Church of the Brethren members are called to prayer today for Bluffton University, a Mennonite school in Ohio, after members of its baseball team were killed in a tragic bus accident this morning; and for Americus, Ga., and other communities across the south hit by tornados last night. The call to prayer included Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., where several students died when a tornado hit the school yesterday.
A charter bus carrying the Bluffton baseball team fell from an overpass onto Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Ga., early this morning. The team was traveling to a tournament in Florida, and was to play Eastern Mennonite University in Sarasota on Saturday. Six people were killed including the bus driver and his wife and four students, and several other students were critically injured. The coach, James Grandey, is in serious condition but expected to improve, according to an MSNBC report.
"This is a profound and tragic day in the life of Bluffton University," said school president James Harder to reporters, according to MSNBC. "This is deeply impacting all of our students, faculty, and staff."
Among communities across the south affected by tornados last night was Americus, Ga., where the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity are located. Church of the Brethren congregations and members frequently partner with Habitat chapters to build homes for low-income families.
Nine people were killed by tornados across southern Georgia, with two people killed in Americus, according to CNN. In Americus, a tornado destroyed the offices of the American Red Cross, hit Sumter Regional Hospital, and destroyed up to 200 homes as well as downtown businesses, CNN said. Storms also destroyed a neighborhood and mobile home community near Newton, Ga., among other destruction.
"Uplift the Bluffton College community and the family members of those who were on the bus," requested Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "Remember in your prayer also the students, staff, and families of Enterprise High School. Pray for the town of Americus, the staff and families of Habitat and the Red Cross, and keep in prayer all those affected by these deadly storms."
Staff of the General Board's Emergency Response and Disaster Child Care ministries reported that they have been in touch with partner organizations in disaster response, including Mennonite Disaster Service, which is involved in the aftermath of the bus accident, and the national Red Cross.
Disaster Child Care coordinator Helen Stonesifer said that her program is concerned to find out where needs may be following the swath of tornados yesterday and last night. "We have been in touch with partners to find out how we can help, and our services have been offered to the Mennonites," added Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. The Brethren Disaster Response program also is exploring the need for rapid response following the tornados.
Source: 3/2/2007 Newsline Extra
Church of the Brethren members are called to prayer today for Bluffton University, a Mennonite school in Ohio, after members of its baseball team were killed in a tragic bus accident this morning; and for Americus, Ga., and other communities across the south hit by tornados last night. The call to prayer included Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., where several students died when a tornado hit the school yesterday.
A charter bus carrying the Bluffton baseball team fell from an overpass onto Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Ga., early this morning. The team was traveling to a tournament in Florida, and was to play Eastern Mennonite University in Sarasota on Saturday. Six people were killed including the bus driver and his wife and four students, and several other students were critically injured. The coach, James Grandey, is in serious condition but expected to improve, according to an MSNBC report.
"This is a profound and tragic day in the life of Bluffton University," said school president James Harder to reporters, according to MSNBC. "This is deeply impacting all of our students, faculty, and staff."
Among communities across the south affected by tornados last night was Americus, Ga., where the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity are located. Church of the Brethren congregations and members frequently partner with Habitat chapters to build homes for low-income families.
Nine people were killed by tornados across southern Georgia, with two people killed in Americus, according to CNN. In Americus, a tornado destroyed the offices of the American Red Cross, hit Sumter Regional Hospital, and destroyed up to 200 homes as well as downtown businesses, CNN said. Storms also destroyed a neighborhood and mobile home community near Newton, Ga., among other destruction.
"Uplift the Bluffton College community and the family members of those who were on the bus," requested Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "Remember in your prayer also the students, staff, and families of Enterprise High School. Pray for the town of Americus, the staff and families of Habitat and the Red Cross, and keep in prayer all those affected by these deadly storms."
Staff of the General Board's Emergency Response and Disaster Child Care ministries reported that they have been in touch with partner organizations in disaster response, including Mennonite Disaster Service, which is involved in the aftermath of the bus accident, and the national Red Cross.
Disaster Child Care coordinator Helen Stonesifer said that her program is concerned to find out where needs may be following the swath of tornados yesterday and last night. "We have been in touch with partners to find out how we can help, and our services have been offered to the Mennonites," added Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. The Brethren Disaster Response program also is exploring the need for rapid response following the tornados.
Source: 3/2/2007 Newsline Extra
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Jan Eller, Lerry Fogle, Dave Ingold, Merv Keeney, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Karin Krog, Wendy McFadden, Anna Speicher, Becky Ullom, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Jan Eller, Lerry Fogle, Dave Ingold, Merv Keeney, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Karin Krog, Wendy McFadden, Anna Speicher, Becky Ullom, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Faith expedition takes Brethren to Vietnam.
By Jordan Blevins
A faith expedition organized by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, in conjunction with Church World Service (CWS), completed a successful and uplifting trip to Vietnam in the first two weeks of January. The office is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Church World Service currently works in eight provinces in Vietnam: five in the north and three in the south. The first week of the trip was spent in and around Hanoi visiting numerous CWS project sites and learning about the work they do. CWS benefits from a relationship with the government of Vietnam that dates back to the Vietnam War, when it did not discriminate in its aid. Currently, CWS focuses on funding and coordinating with the government on water and sanitation issues, known as "WATSAN." CWS works with schools in poorer areas, and often with many of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups. Working with government officials on all levels, CWS conducts assessments to determine areas and schools most in need of facilities.
The Brethren delegation spent time in the Thai Nguyen and Ha Tay province, visiting seven schools to which CWS currently or in the past provided support. The school projects were at different stages of progress. CWS provides training and funding for the projects to happen, and then puts the projects in the hands of the community, helping to ensure the projects meets the needs of the communities. The projects visited by the Brethren group varied from a three-classroom project with bathroom facilities, to a boarding school at which CWS has provided funding for numerous handwashing stations and bathrooms, to a computer lab, library, and greenhouse.
At one stop, the Brethren were able to view a site that is still in the planning stage, and to see the situation before the work of CWS had begun. The work CWS is doing is really improving the quality of education--and thus the quality of life--for children who are amongst the poorest in Vietnam.
The second week of the trip was spent experiencing the history and culture of Vietnam, which included the personal stories of two of the people who traveled with the group: Dennis and Van Metzger. Dennis Metzger worked for Vietnam Christian Service in Tam Ky during the Vietnam War, bringing a more efficient way for the people to harvest the rice crop. During his time in Vietnam, he met and married Van. This was the couple’s first trip back to Vietnam in more than 30 years.
As the delegation traveled through the central and southern parts of the country, time was spent learning about the last dynasty of Vietnam and visiting tombs of emperors and the citadel, or the old imperial city, one of the main battle fronts of the Tet offensive during the Vietnam War. Time also was spent in worship with the Evangelical Church of Vietnam. The group learned as well about the Cham people, another original group to Vietnam and the only Hindu group, as well as the CaoDai, a newer religion whose headquarters and holy city is located in Vietnam. All of this gave a rich representation of the history and culture of the people of Vietnam.
The delegation attempted to visit the Di Linh province, where Brethren martyr Ted Studebaker had lived and worked for Vietnam Christian Service until he was killed, but the group was denied permission by the Vietnamese government. However, the Brethren could not be stopped from holding up Ted Studebaker’s memory: a brief memorial service was held in the hotel in Ho Chi Mihn City to remember the life of a man who truly put into practice "another way of living."
The trip included a visit with the Mennonite Church of Vietnam, where the group heard about the persecution through which they have come since the war. This followed an emotional trip to the War Memorial Museum in Ho Chi Mihn.
The experiences of the trip were vast and rich on a multitude of levels, allowing us to see the work of faith in action, and the hope of a people recovering from the worst kind of pain humanity can create for itself.
--Jordan Blevins is a legislative intern at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
By Jordan Blevins
A faith expedition organized by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, in conjunction with Church World Service (CWS), completed a successful and uplifting trip to Vietnam in the first two weeks of January. The office is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Church World Service currently works in eight provinces in Vietnam: five in the north and three in the south. The first week of the trip was spent in and around Hanoi visiting numerous CWS project sites and learning about the work they do. CWS benefits from a relationship with the government of Vietnam that dates back to the Vietnam War, when it did not discriminate in its aid. Currently, CWS focuses on funding and coordinating with the government on water and sanitation issues, known as "WATSAN." CWS works with schools in poorer areas, and often with many of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups. Working with government officials on all levels, CWS conducts assessments to determine areas and schools most in need of facilities.
The Brethren delegation spent time in the Thai Nguyen and Ha Tay province, visiting seven schools to which CWS currently or in the past provided support. The school projects were at different stages of progress. CWS provides training and funding for the projects to happen, and then puts the projects in the hands of the community, helping to ensure the projects meets the needs of the communities. The projects visited by the Brethren group varied from a three-classroom project with bathroom facilities, to a boarding school at which CWS has provided funding for numerous handwashing stations and bathrooms, to a computer lab, library, and greenhouse.
At one stop, the Brethren were able to view a site that is still in the planning stage, and to see the situation before the work of CWS had begun. The work CWS is doing is really improving the quality of education--and thus the quality of life--for children who are amongst the poorest in Vietnam.
The second week of the trip was spent experiencing the history and culture of Vietnam, which included the personal stories of two of the people who traveled with the group: Dennis and Van Metzger. Dennis Metzger worked for Vietnam Christian Service in Tam Ky during the Vietnam War, bringing a more efficient way for the people to harvest the rice crop. During his time in Vietnam, he met and married Van. This was the couple’s first trip back to Vietnam in more than 30 years.
As the delegation traveled through the central and southern parts of the country, time was spent learning about the last dynasty of Vietnam and visiting tombs of emperors and the citadel, or the old imperial city, one of the main battle fronts of the Tet offensive during the Vietnam War. Time also was spent in worship with the Evangelical Church of Vietnam. The group learned as well about the Cham people, another original group to Vietnam and the only Hindu group, as well as the CaoDai, a newer religion whose headquarters and holy city is located in Vietnam. All of this gave a rich representation of the history and culture of the people of Vietnam.
The delegation attempted to visit the Di Linh province, where Brethren martyr Ted Studebaker had lived and worked for Vietnam Christian Service until he was killed, but the group was denied permission by the Vietnamese government. However, the Brethren could not be stopped from holding up Ted Studebaker’s memory: a brief memorial service was held in the hotel in Ho Chi Mihn City to remember the life of a man who truly put into practice "another way of living."
The trip included a visit with the Mennonite Church of Vietnam, where the group heard about the persecution through which they have come since the war. This followed an emotional trip to the War Memorial Museum in Ho Chi Mihn.
The experiences of the trip were vast and rich on a multitude of levels, allowing us to see the work of faith in action, and the hope of a people recovering from the worst kind of pain humanity can create for itself.
--Jordan Blevins is a legislative intern at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
Brethren bits: Personnel, job openings, trips, and much more.
- The Church of the Brethren General Board has announced the placement of Roy Grosbach as interim part-time director of Information Services, serving since the departure of former director Ed Leiter. Grosbach has more than 20 years of information services expertise in a wide range of industries and work areas, and has been a technical consultant helping nonprofit organizations use technology to further their missions. He lives in Evergreen, Colo.
- The Church of the Brethren General Board seeks a fulltime director of Information Services located in Elgin, Ill. A position description and application form are available on request. The application deadline is Feb. 16. Responsibilities include developing, maintaining, and implementing a technology system to support General Board programs; providing management responsibility for day-to-day operations; maintaining and developing appropriate hardware and software systems; budget development, monitoring, and reporting in information services arena; providing for accurate and efficient support of use of computers to meet user needs. Qualifications include knowledge and experience in planning and implementing an information system, budget development, and management; strong technical skills in programming and systems analysis; progressive administrative and leadership skills. Education and experience required include a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in information sciences or a related field, a minimum of five years of significant information services experience including systems analysis and design, and programming involving networks. Complete the General Board application form, submit a resume and letter of application, and request three references to send letters of recommendation to the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 258; kkrog_gb@brethren.org.
- Sharing Services Agency/MAX (MutualAid eXchange) is offering a producer/agent career opportunity in the Anabaptist community. Sharing Services Agency/MAX provides property and casualty insurance products (homeowners, farmowners, church, auto, and commercial policies) and Mutual Aid Ministries programs. The Goshen, Ind., office is seeking a producer/agent to develop strong connections to the Anabaptist community, generate opportunities for providing MAX insurance, and deliver outstanding service to members. Previous insurance experience and a current Property and Casualty insurance license is a plus. Training the right person not already licensed may be considered. To learn more visit www.mutualaidexchange.com. Resumes may be e-mailed to skwine@maxkc.com or faxed to 877-785-0085.
- Annual Conference moderator Belita D. Mitchell and her husband Don Mitchell, will travel to Nigeria from Feb. 26-March 9. The visit with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) will be a historic one for Mitchell as the first African-American woman to hold the highest elected position in the Church of the Brethren. She pastors First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa., and will lead the Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in July. The Mitchells will be accompanied on the trip by Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships for the Church of the Brethren General Board, and Janis Pyle, the board’s coordinator for Mission Connections. In Nigeria, the group will be joined by David Whitten, Nigeria mission coordinator.
- The Executive Committee of the Church of the Brethren General Board will visit Gulf coast areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, from Feb. 15-17. The group will meet with survivors, disaster volunteers, and staff of local longterm recovery organizations, and will visit the Disaster Child Care site at FEMA’s Welcome Home Center in New Orleans as well as Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding sites in Pearl River and St. Bernard Parish, La., and Lucedale, Miss. The trip was organized to provide the committee with a broad overview of the Emergency Response program, and to prompt discussion of key issues related to disaster response and recovery. The committee includes chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Timothy P. Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder. Accompanying the group are Emergency Response director Roy Winter, associate director Zach Wolgemuth, and director of Identity and Relations Becky Ullom. The trip will begin in New Orleans, where the group will tour the Lower Ninth Ward. In Lucedale a highlight will be participating in a house dedication. A night will be spent in FEMA trailers that house volunteers in Pearl River. The trip will end in Florida with a visit to Rebuild Northwest Florida.
- The deadline to apply for the summer 2007 Youth Peace Travel Team has been extended to Feb. 23. This team will provide leadership to Church of the Brethren outdoor ministry programs, sponsored by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren Volunteer Service, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, the Outdoor Ministries Association, and On Earth Peace. Four youth or young adults between the ages of 18-22 will be selected. A stipend is available. Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/WitnessWashOffice.html and click on "Youth Peace Travel Team" to download the application form.
- The March, April, and May issue of "A Guide for Biblical Studies" is available from Brethren Press. This quarter’s Bible study is titled "Our Community Now and in God’s Future," and addresses scripture passages from 1 John and Revelation. Author Frank Ramirez is pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Order for $2.90 each plus shipping and handling, or in large print for $5.15 each plus shipping and handling; call 800-441-3712.
- Every six to eight weeks, On Earth Peace sponsors conference calls for those doing truth-in-recruitment organizing, or who want to get started with the work of opposing military recruitment. Two calls are offered this month on Feb. 28: the first at 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. eastern time, and the second at 7-8:30 p.m. eastern. The calls will feature Christian theological reflection on counter-recruitment, a chance to share and hear stories with other organizers, highlights of recent resources and new developments in the truth-in-recruiting movement, and strategic reflection on themes and common challenges including explanation of a strategy tool to use in counter-recruitment work in a local setting. Facilitators are Matt Guynn, coordinator of Peace Witness for On Earth Peace, and Deb Oskin, peace minister at Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio. Eight slots are available for each call. To participate send an e-mail to peacewitness_oepa@brethren.org. For more information go to www.brethren.org/oepa/programs/peace-witness/counter-recruitment/index.html.
- A new resource from On Earth Peace, "Shalom: Christ’s Way of Peace," is a practical guide to the scriptural roots of reconciliation and peacemaking. The booklet by Lani Wright and Susanna Farahat offers theological grounding, and examples and suggestions for reducing violence. With questions for reflection and discussion, it serves as a study guide for church school and other groups. "The Hebrew word shalom conveys a rich vision far beyond the word peace, which is its most common English translation," said On Earth Peace. "It includes health, wholeness, right relations, justice, and peace. The call to relationship and wholeness is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of scripture. It is an integral part of our faith story: the story of God’s action in the world; of Jesus’ life and ministry; and of the experience and testimony of the faith community." The 32-page booklet is available for $2 plus shipping and handling, call 410-635-8704 or visit www.brethren.org/oepa/resources/everyone/ShalomBook.html. A bulletin insert about the resource is available at www.brethren.org/oepa/resources/pastors/living-peace-news/index.html.
- The Committee on Interchurch Relations is seeking nominations of individuals or congregations in the Church of the Brethren who are doing exemplary work in interfaith peacebuilding, for the 2007 Ecumenical Citation to be given at Annual Conference in July. "We are looking for stories of either congregations or individuals that can be shared with others to show creative, meaningful ways to express Christ’s love for all people," committee member Robert C. Johansen said. Stories may include interfaith connections and witness through someone’s work or through volunteer activities, outreach through congregational activities, an ongoing church ministry to those of other faiths, and individual acts of kindness or compassion that cross boundaries which too often divide and encourage hostility between groups. Nominations may be mailed to the Office of the General Secretary, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; or submitted at www.brethren.org, go to keyword "CIR/Ecumenical." The deadline is March 16.
- The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies has announced a major step forward in a large fundraising campaign. In 2004, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awarded the Young Center a $500,000 matching grant, with the expectation that it would raise $2 million by Jan. 31, 2008. In a recent release the center reported that it has raised cash and pledges totaling $1.95 million, and is within $50,000 of reaching the goal. "We are looking forward to meeting our $2 million goal and to celebrating the completion of this campaign on April 5, 2008. That date also marks the 20th anniversary of the Young center," said the statement from interim director Donald B. Kraybill, and Elizabethtown College director of church relations Allen Hansell. The center is located at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. The NEH award and the money raised will create a $2.5 million endowment, allowing the center to endow an academic chair, enhance a visiting fellows program, and expand its collection of books and archival materials. In the same release, the center also reported that a large portion of the late Donald Durnbaugh’s library has been donated by his wife, Hedda Durnbaugh. "A preeminent scholar of the Brethren experience in Europe and America, Durnbaugh cared deeply for the work of the Young Center and we are honored to have these materials," said Kraybill and Hansell.
- The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) is one of 100 groups calling for major changes in the "No Child Left Behind" law. The legislation is up for reauthorization during this term of Congress. The groups have released a joint statement that urges the law’s emphasis "shift from applying sanctions for failing to raise test scores to holding states and localities accountable for making the systemic changes that improve student achievement" (see www.edaccountability.org). The NCC’s Committee on Public Education and Literacy has created a webpage inviting responses to a Congressional Letters Project at www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/LeftBehind.html. The committee provides ten different letters, one for each of ten moral concerns it has identified, and is asking writers to add a personal story to each letter about how the legislation is affecting a particular school, child, teacher, or community.
- Ecumenical Advocacy Days are planned for March 9-12 in Washington, D.C., on the theme, "And How Are the Children?" The gathering is expected to draw more than 1,000 religious advocates from a wide array of Christian communions. Experts will train participants how to do advocacy and inform them of US domestic and international policies. The gathering will conclude with a visit to Capitol Hill where participants will ask their Congressional representatives to make the needs of children the center of the 2007 legislative agenda. Cost of registration is $150. For more information and to register go to www.advocacydays.org.
New African-American music group to tour.
A brief tour in late February will mark the performance debut of a newly formed "African American Community and Family Project." The project will give worship concerts in three congregations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Concerts are free and open to the public. Freewill offerings will be received.
Music will include original songs by group founder and ordained minister James Washington of Whitehouse, Texas. The group was created to present African American music to the Church of the Brethren and was initiated at the 2006 Cross Cultural Celebration in Lancaster, Pa. Other members are Scott Duffey, pastor of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Sandra Pink of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert Varnam, pastor of Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Greg Reco Clark of Los Angeles; Larry Brumfield, licensed minister from Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Don Mitchell of Harrisburg, Pa.; and Joseph Craddock, a community minister at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia.
The tour kicks off Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and continues Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. with a performance at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren, closing Sunday morning, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. with a worship concert at First Church of the Brethren, Baltimore, Md.
The African American Community and Family Project also will be part of the next Church of the Brethren Cross-Cultural Celebration on April 19-22 in New Windsor, Md., and will perform at Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in early July.
The tour is one of an ongoing series of similar events happening across the Church of the Brethren to promote racial and ethnic diversity. Contact Duane Grady, Congregational Life Team, 3124 E. 5th St., Anderson, IN 46012; 800-505-1596; dgrady_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
A brief tour in late February will mark the performance debut of a newly formed "African American Community and Family Project." The project will give worship concerts in three congregations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Concerts are free and open to the public. Freewill offerings will be received.
Music will include original songs by group founder and ordained minister James Washington of Whitehouse, Texas. The group was created to present African American music to the Church of the Brethren and was initiated at the 2006 Cross Cultural Celebration in Lancaster, Pa. Other members are Scott Duffey, pastor of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Sandra Pink of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert Varnam, pastor of Papago Buttes Church of the Brethren in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Greg Reco Clark of Los Angeles; Larry Brumfield, licensed minister from Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Don Mitchell of Harrisburg, Pa.; and Joseph Craddock, a community minister at Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia.
The tour kicks off Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and continues Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. with a performance at Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren, closing Sunday morning, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. with a worship concert at First Church of the Brethren, Baltimore, Md.
The African American Community and Family Project also will be part of the next Church of the Brethren Cross-Cultural Celebration on April 19-22 in New Windsor, Md., and will perform at Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in early July.
The tour is one of an ongoing series of similar events happening across the Church of the Brethren to promote racial and ethnic diversity. Contact Duane Grady, Congregational Life Team, 3124 E. 5th St., Anderson, IN 46012; 800-505-1596; dgrady_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
Brethren help sponsor Christian peace witness on war anniversary.
A "Christian Peace Witness for Iraq" is planned for Washington, D.C., on March 16-17, marking the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war. Two Church of the Brethren ministries--the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office of the General Board and On Earth Peace--are among organizations partnering to sponsor the event. Others include Christian Peacemaker Teams, Every Church a Peace Church, as well the American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Support Network, and other peace fellowships and ministries.
The Brethren Witness/ Washington Office hopes to have a large number of Brethren participate, said in an announcement. The witness will begin 7 p.m. Friday evening, March 16, with an ecumenical worship service at the Washington National Cathedral. A candlelight procession to the White House will take place after the worship service, with a prayer vigil following.
On Saturday morning, March 17, Brethren are invited to gather at 9 a.m. at Washington City Church of the Brethren for breakfast. Following the breakfast, all are encouraged to participate in a March 17 national protest titled "March on the Pentagon," commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War and calling for the withdrawal of US troops. The march will assemble at 12 noon at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"We believe it is imperative that members of the Church of the Brethren raise their voices in protest against the current direction of our nation's foreign policy, specifically in regards to the Iraq war," said an announcement from the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office. An invitation from On Earth Peace invited those not attending the event in person to join in prayers and preparation for nonviolent resistance in their own contexts. The website for the event (www.christianpeacewitness.org) offers suggestions for participation in congregations and communities around the country.
Participants are asked to register at www.christianpeacewitness.org (registration is required for the worship service at the National Cathedral). For more about the March 17 event go to http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=8107. Brethren planning to attend are requested to communicate with the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office at 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
A "Christian Peace Witness for Iraq" is planned for Washington, D.C., on March 16-17, marking the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war. Two Church of the Brethren ministries--the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office of the General Board and On Earth Peace--are among organizations partnering to sponsor the event. Others include Christian Peacemaker Teams, Every Church a Peace Church, as well the American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Church USA Peace and Justice Support Network, and other peace fellowships and ministries.
The Brethren Witness/ Washington Office hopes to have a large number of Brethren participate, said in an announcement. The witness will begin 7 p.m. Friday evening, March 16, with an ecumenical worship service at the Washington National Cathedral. A candlelight procession to the White House will take place after the worship service, with a prayer vigil following.
On Saturday morning, March 17, Brethren are invited to gather at 9 a.m. at Washington City Church of the Brethren for breakfast. Following the breakfast, all are encouraged to participate in a March 17 national protest titled "March on the Pentagon," commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War and calling for the withdrawal of US troops. The march will assemble at 12 noon at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"We believe it is imperative that members of the Church of the Brethren raise their voices in protest against the current direction of our nation's foreign policy, specifically in regards to the Iraq war," said an announcement from the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office. An invitation from On Earth Peace invited those not attending the event in person to join in prayers and preparation for nonviolent resistance in their own contexts. The website for the event (www.christianpeacewitness.org) offers suggestions for participation in congregations and communities around the country.
Participants are asked to register at www.christianpeacewitness.org (registration is required for the worship service at the National Cathedral). For more about the March 17 event go to http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=8107. Brethren planning to attend are requested to communicate with the Brethren Witness/ Washington Office at 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
Plans progress for 300th anniversary of Brethren movement.
The Anniversary Committee of Annual Conference has announced several plans for special events and commemorations of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement. Among them are an opening celebration this fall in Germantown, Pa., joint events will be held with the Brethren Church at the 2008 Annual Conference, and a "300th Anniversary Celebration Sunday" for congregations on Aug. 3, 2008.
"Our committee views the period from Annual Conference ’07 to Annual Conference ’08 as the time of celebration for the 300th anniversary," said committee chair Jeff Bach. The opening event will be held Sept. 15-16, 2007, at Germantown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, the site of the first Brethren meetinghouse in America. The meetinghouse was built in 1770. A day of worship will be the focus, with Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m. led by the congregation, and a service at 2 p.m. serving as the denominational celebration. Other activities on Saturday will include cemetery tours, visits to the site of the first Brethren baptism in America at Wissahickon Creek, tours of Philadelphia, exhibits, a hymn sing, and informational presentations.
An academic conference at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College is planned for Oct. 11-13, 2007, to celebrate the past heritage, present, and future prospects for the Church of the Brethren, Bach reported. Preliminary information is at the website of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, www.etown.edu/YoungCenter.aspx?topic=Brethren+Call+for+Papers.
The Annual Conference scheduled for July 12-16, 2008, in Richmond, Va., will include a joint day of worship and celebration with the Brethren Church on Sunday, July 13, and a joint closing service on July 16. A joint event on mission and the global church will take place on Sunday evening, July 13. The two denominations will gather under the theme, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." The two denominations will have separate worship and business sessions on July 14-15.
On Aug. 3, 2008, the Brethren Encyclopedia Board is planning an anniversary event in Schwarzenau, Germany, the site of the baptisms of the first group of eight Brethren. Several Church of the Brethren members are planning tours to Europe to coincide with this event. The anniversary committee encourages interested individuals to contact tour leaders directly for more information, Bach said.
Aug. 3, 2008, also is designated as "300th Anniversary Celebration Sunday" for Church of the Brethren congregations. The anniversary committee invites congregations and districts to mark the anniversary with special events. Activities being suggested include district speech contests for youth on the anniversary theme, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit," or on the topics, "I’m Brethren because…," or "My hopes for the Church of the Brethren as we move into our fourth century are…." Winning speeches may be given at district conferences or district-wide anniversary celebrations.
Districts also have been invited to participate in Youth Heritage Travel Teams. A training event for Youth Heritage Travel Teams is scheduled for April 13-15, 2007, at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Each district has been invited to name a team of two youth to attend the training. Districts will cover travel expenses but other expenses such as room and board, materials, and leadership are covered by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board. The youth teams will provide leadership at district events and in congregations throughout the anniversary year. They will be trained in the areas of storytelling, public speaking, drama, music, heritage, and Brethren beliefs and practices.
An anniversary resource packet including a six-lesson study guide on the anniversary theme, and a bibliography of worship and drama resources that will be posted at the anniversary website, was mailed to congregations and districts last fall. To request a copy of the resource packet contact the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186. A children's curriculum, "Piecing Together the Brethren Way," also will be available this year. It is suitable to be used for Vacation Bible School or church camp, may be expanded into a 14-week Sunday school unit, and may be adapted for use by youth and adults as well.
Find the 300th anniversary website at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org. To receive the e-mail newsletter of the 300th Anniversary Committee, send a request to Dean Garrett at garet_poplrgrv@yahoo.com.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
The Anniversary Committee of Annual Conference has announced several plans for special events and commemorations of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement. Among them are an opening celebration this fall in Germantown, Pa., joint events will be held with the Brethren Church at the 2008 Annual Conference, and a "300th Anniversary Celebration Sunday" for congregations on Aug. 3, 2008.
"Our committee views the period from Annual Conference ’07 to Annual Conference ’08 as the time of celebration for the 300th anniversary," said committee chair Jeff Bach. The opening event will be held Sept. 15-16, 2007, at Germantown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, the site of the first Brethren meetinghouse in America. The meetinghouse was built in 1770. A day of worship will be the focus, with Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m. led by the congregation, and a service at 2 p.m. serving as the denominational celebration. Other activities on Saturday will include cemetery tours, visits to the site of the first Brethren baptism in America at Wissahickon Creek, tours of Philadelphia, exhibits, a hymn sing, and informational presentations.
An academic conference at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College is planned for Oct. 11-13, 2007, to celebrate the past heritage, present, and future prospects for the Church of the Brethren, Bach reported. Preliminary information is at the website of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, www.etown.edu/YoungCenter.aspx?topic=Brethren+Call+for+Papers.
The Annual Conference scheduled for July 12-16, 2008, in Richmond, Va., will include a joint day of worship and celebration with the Brethren Church on Sunday, July 13, and a joint closing service on July 16. A joint event on mission and the global church will take place on Sunday evening, July 13. The two denominations will gather under the theme, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." The two denominations will have separate worship and business sessions on July 14-15.
On Aug. 3, 2008, the Brethren Encyclopedia Board is planning an anniversary event in Schwarzenau, Germany, the site of the baptisms of the first group of eight Brethren. Several Church of the Brethren members are planning tours to Europe to coincide with this event. The anniversary committee encourages interested individuals to contact tour leaders directly for more information, Bach said.
Aug. 3, 2008, also is designated as "300th Anniversary Celebration Sunday" for Church of the Brethren congregations. The anniversary committee invites congregations and districts to mark the anniversary with special events. Activities being suggested include district speech contests for youth on the anniversary theme, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit," or on the topics, "I’m Brethren because…," or "My hopes for the Church of the Brethren as we move into our fourth century are…." Winning speeches may be given at district conferences or district-wide anniversary celebrations.
Districts also have been invited to participate in Youth Heritage Travel Teams. A training event for Youth Heritage Travel Teams is scheduled for April 13-15, 2007, at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Each district has been invited to name a team of two youth to attend the training. Districts will cover travel expenses but other expenses such as room and board, materials, and leadership are covered by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office of the Church of the Brethren General Board. The youth teams will provide leadership at district events and in congregations throughout the anniversary year. They will be trained in the areas of storytelling, public speaking, drama, music, heritage, and Brethren beliefs and practices.
An anniversary resource packet including a six-lesson study guide on the anniversary theme, and a bibliography of worship and drama resources that will be posted at the anniversary website, was mailed to congregations and districts last fall. To request a copy of the resource packet contact the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186. A children's curriculum, "Piecing Together the Brethren Way," also will be available this year. It is suitable to be used for Vacation Bible School or church camp, may be expanded into a 14-week Sunday school unit, and may be adapted for use by youth and adults as well.
Find the 300th anniversary website at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org. To receive the e-mail newsletter of the 300th Anniversary Committee, send a request to Dean Garrett at garet_poplrgrv@yahoo.com.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
There's more to life than racing.
By Joseph Slacian
Sam Hornish Jr.'s mother believed he would one day become either a minister or a racecar driver.
"I chose the one that probably took a few years off her life," he joked while speaking Sunday, Feb. 11, to the congregation of Roann Church of the Brethren.
And while he's had success at racing--he's the defending pole sitter and champion of the Indianapolis 500 and a three-time Indy Racing League series champion--Hornish has not strayed from his belief in and love of God.
Hornish and his wife, Crystal, were guests at the Roann church, where Hornish brought the message for the congregation. Glen Whisler, interim pastor at the church, is lifelong friends with Hornish, having pastored at Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren in Ohio, where the Hornish family attended while Sam was growing up.
Whisler baptized Hornish into the church when the future racing champion was 9, and officiated at his wedding to Crystal at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis in 2004.
"I don't remember ever missing church growing up except for the occasional family vacation," Hornish told the congregation. "We lived about 30 miles away the church and we made the drive every Sunday.
"And I remember that some of my friends never went to church, so I always tried to bring a friend whenever I could."
Hornish's weekly trips to church had a major change when he turned 11. For that is when his racing career began in earnest. What was supposed to be a five- or 10-weekend-a-year venture for him and his father, Sam Sr., soon blossomed into a 30-weekend-per-year event.
Though he was on the road most weekends at one race track or another, his love of God and his commitment to the church didn't waver.
"I would call my grandmother to see what the message was," Hornish said. "Or I'd listen to a service on the radio. Or my Dad would have me read a passage from the Bible. I always had a Bible with me; I always carried a small one in my bag."
As with most youngsters, as he grew into a teenager, Hornish had trouble motivating himself to go to weekly church service. He would want to sleep in on Sunday mornings, but knew church was important and went to service.
"Teenagers usually stay up late on Saturday night playing video games, watching movies and doing other things," he said. "Go ahead and do those things. But make sure you wake up and get to church the next morning. That's truly the important thing in life."
Teens today face a variety of temptations, Hornish said. Some are major temptations that face everyone; other temptations are minor, such as wanting to sleep in on Sunday mornings.
No one is perfect, he said. Sometimes the teens, like anyone else, make a right decision; other times they make wrong decisions.
"God doesn't care if you make the right decision all the time," he said. "But what he is concerned about is that when you do the wrong thing, you learn from it and try to improve the next time you face that challenge."
As an adult, Hornish continues his devotion to the church, even while at the race track. On race days, he's got a morning filled with commitments of sponsor- and team-related activities. But the commitments don't stop him from attending one of the church services held for the drivers and team members on race day.
Some may wonder why, with a race just hours away, he would spend time in church, he said.
"That's the time I can sit there and not think about racing," he said. "I can go to the service and spend one half hour thinking about God and thinking about my family, the important things in my life."
The church services are sponsored by the Indy Racing League Ministries, which travels with the series to every racing venue at which the league runs. The Hornishes are members of the group's board of directors, bringing what Hornish calls a young person's perspective to the group.
The ministry program brings church services for the drivers and the crews, but it does more than that, both at and away from the track.
At the track, in addition to the church services, pastors go from garage to garage, asking drivers if they want to pray. Most drivers do, he said.
"And there's something we don't like to talk about," Hornish said. "The pastors are there to console the drivers' families in case of an emergency."
Away from the track, the program seeks to help those in the cities where the races take place.
Food left over at the hospitality tents at the race track are taken by ministry representatives to homeless shelters, helping to provide warm food for those there.
It also oversees the "Soap for Hope" program.
"The teams stay at so many hotels during the year," Hornish said. "And, you know, you get the little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo in the room. Even if you don't use it, they throw it away.
"So we take the soap and shampoo to shelters to help them out."
Following the service, Hornish posed for pictures and signed autographs for congregation members. He also met a cousin who lives in North Manchester and a gentleman who worked for Hornish's father at his trucking company several years ago.
--Joseph Slacian is managing editor of the "Wabash (Ind.) Plain Dealer." This article originally appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of the Plain Dealer and is reprinted with permission.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
By Joseph Slacian
Sam Hornish Jr.'s mother believed he would one day become either a minister or a racecar driver.
"I chose the one that probably took a few years off her life," he joked while speaking Sunday, Feb. 11, to the congregation of Roann Church of the Brethren.
And while he's had success at racing--he's the defending pole sitter and champion of the Indianapolis 500 and a three-time Indy Racing League series champion--Hornish has not strayed from his belief in and love of God.
Hornish and his wife, Crystal, were guests at the Roann church, where Hornish brought the message for the congregation. Glen Whisler, interim pastor at the church, is lifelong friends with Hornish, having pastored at Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren in Ohio, where the Hornish family attended while Sam was growing up.
Whisler baptized Hornish into the church when the future racing champion was 9, and officiated at his wedding to Crystal at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis in 2004.
"I don't remember ever missing church growing up except for the occasional family vacation," Hornish told the congregation. "We lived about 30 miles away the church and we made the drive every Sunday.
"And I remember that some of my friends never went to church, so I always tried to bring a friend whenever I could."
Hornish's weekly trips to church had a major change when he turned 11. For that is when his racing career began in earnest. What was supposed to be a five- or 10-weekend-a-year venture for him and his father, Sam Sr., soon blossomed into a 30-weekend-per-year event.
Though he was on the road most weekends at one race track or another, his love of God and his commitment to the church didn't waver.
"I would call my grandmother to see what the message was," Hornish said. "Or I'd listen to a service on the radio. Or my Dad would have me read a passage from the Bible. I always had a Bible with me; I always carried a small one in my bag."
As with most youngsters, as he grew into a teenager, Hornish had trouble motivating himself to go to weekly church service. He would want to sleep in on Sunday mornings, but knew church was important and went to service.
"Teenagers usually stay up late on Saturday night playing video games, watching movies and doing other things," he said. "Go ahead and do those things. But make sure you wake up and get to church the next morning. That's truly the important thing in life."
Teens today face a variety of temptations, Hornish said. Some are major temptations that face everyone; other temptations are minor, such as wanting to sleep in on Sunday mornings.
No one is perfect, he said. Sometimes the teens, like anyone else, make a right decision; other times they make wrong decisions.
"God doesn't care if you make the right decision all the time," he said. "But what he is concerned about is that when you do the wrong thing, you learn from it and try to improve the next time you face that challenge."
As an adult, Hornish continues his devotion to the church, even while at the race track. On race days, he's got a morning filled with commitments of sponsor- and team-related activities. But the commitments don't stop him from attending one of the church services held for the drivers and team members on race day.
Some may wonder why, with a race just hours away, he would spend time in church, he said.
"That's the time I can sit there and not think about racing," he said. "I can go to the service and spend one half hour thinking about God and thinking about my family, the important things in my life."
The church services are sponsored by the Indy Racing League Ministries, which travels with the series to every racing venue at which the league runs. The Hornishes are members of the group's board of directors, bringing what Hornish calls a young person's perspective to the group.
The ministry program brings church services for the drivers and the crews, but it does more than that, both at and away from the track.
At the track, in addition to the church services, pastors go from garage to garage, asking drivers if they want to pray. Most drivers do, he said.
"And there's something we don't like to talk about," Hornish said. "The pastors are there to console the drivers' families in case of an emergency."
Away from the track, the program seeks to help those in the cities where the races take place.
Food left over at the hospitality tents at the race track are taken by ministry representatives to homeless shelters, helping to provide warm food for those there.
It also oversees the "Soap for Hope" program.
"The teams stay at so many hotels during the year," Hornish said. "And, you know, you get the little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo in the room. Even if you don't use it, they throw it away.
"So we take the soap and shampoo to shelters to help them out."
Following the service, Hornish posed for pictures and signed autographs for congregation members. He also met a cousin who lives in North Manchester and a gentleman who worked for Hornish's father at his trucking company several years ago.
--Joseph Slacian is managing editor of the "Wabash (Ind.) Plain Dealer." This article originally appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of the Plain Dealer and is reprinted with permission.
Source: 2/14/2007 Newsline
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Jeff Bach, Karin Krog, Matt Guynn, and Barb Sayler contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Jeff Bach, Karin Krog, Matt Guynn, and Barb Sayler contributed to this report.
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