- Northern Plains District is part of relief effort for Iowa floods.
- Grant will help Northern Plains District disaster work.
- Children’s Disaster Services cares for children in Cedar Falls.
- Church World Service aids nearly 1 million people in Myanmar.
- Disaster response bits: Correction, Indiana flood response, grants, more.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
DISASTER RESPONSE NEWS
Northern Plains District is part of relief effort for Iowa floods.
Over the past weekend, the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District issued an e-mail report on its congregations and members affected by flooding in Iowa, and how the district is contributing to the relief effort. The report dated June 21 noted that as flood waters recede in many areas damage is being assessed, and flooding continues south of Iowa along the Mississippi.
The Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund is giving a grant of $5,000 to Northern Plains District in support of its efforts to assist in cleanup following the flooding (see story below).
Following are excerpts from the district report:
Gahm reported that Root River Church of the Brethren just raised $700 for clean-up buckets during Vacation Bible School. With those funds they have assembled 15 kits and will assemble five more. The Hands of Christ group in Rochester is working with Root River by purchasing items for the kits.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Over the past weekend, the Church of the Brethren’s Northern Plains District issued an e-mail report on its congregations and members affected by flooding in Iowa, and how the district is contributing to the relief effort. The report dated June 21 noted that as flood waters recede in many areas damage is being assessed, and flooding continues south of Iowa along the Mississippi.
The Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund is giving a grant of $5,000 to Northern Plains District in support of its efforts to assist in cleanup following the flooding (see story below).
Following are excerpts from the district report:
"Cedar Rapids was especially hit by the Cedar River that broke flood records. Tammy Buseman, pastor of Cedar Rapids Baptist and Church of the Brethren, shares that her congregation has been directing people to be involved in locally coordinated relief efforts. In addition, the church is working to provide direct support to members of the church severely impacted by the flood. Several have lost homes and businesses.The district report went on to highlight the great need for Emergency Clean-up Buckets. Go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html for information about contents and how to assemble Emergency Clean-up Bucket kits. Gary Gahm is working with Church World Service to determine a distribution site for buckets in Iowa. The Northern Plains District Conference also will hold a buckets collection on July 25-26 at Hammond Avenue Church in Waterloo.
"Sandy Marsau, board chair of South Waterloo Church of the Brethren, shares that her congregation has provided financial assistance to several families connected with the church who were uprooted by the flooded Cedar River. One family who feared the total loss of their home was relieved to find that flood waters had stopped at the ground floor level.
"The flooded Shell Rock River impacted many in the town of Greene where our Greene Church of the Brethren/Methodist Church is located. Loran McRoberts, moderator of the Greene Church, lost everything in the basement which was filled with 5-6 feet of water/sewage. The same thing happened in the church parsonage and in the Methodist Church facility. Ashok Patat, pastor of the Greene Church, shares that one family in the church completely lost their home.
"Gary Gahm is our Northern Plains District disaster coordinator and the district contact person for requests for assistance and offers of help.... Inform him of those persons in your church who are interested in volunteering with clean-up and rebuilding efforts. Especially important are the names of persons from your church who will be coordinating volunteers. Contact Gary Gahm at gahmg@juno.com or 712-328-0894 or 712-314-1326.
"Gahm has been working at state-level coordination efforts. A website has been set up for receiving funds, requests for assistance, and offers of volunteer help and he has now been trained to use that site as a coordination tool. He also has been working with Zach Wolgemuth and Jane Yount of Brethren Disaster Ministries to receive a grant for district disaster response efforts and to begin planning for the longterm volunteer and recovery effort.
"On June 13, Tim Button-Harrison, interim district executive, along with Gary Gahm and Zach Wolgemuth, participated in a conference call of Iowa church leaders and disaster coordinators to share information and discuss ways to cooperate in providing immediate and longterm relief. Out of the discussion, the Episcopal Diocese offered to set up a central website for Iowa church leaders to share and coordinate information. A follow-up conference call of Iowa church leaders is scheduled for June 24.
"Grants are now available from the District Disaster Fund for congregations to assist families in need, for general flood relief work of congregations, and for expense reimbursements of volunteers serving on behalf of the district and our churches. There is an urgent need of financial contributions to the District Disaster Fund. Funds will be used to provide grants, through congregations, to individuals in need, to support local and district relief efforts, and to reimburse expenses of volunteers working on behalf of the district and its churches. Send checks to Disaster Fund, Northern Plains District--Church of the Brethren, P.O. Box 493, Ankeny, IA 50021.
"A message we need to share is DO NOT SEND CLOTHES. There may be special clothing needs that arise, but until the word comes out about such a need, clothes are not needed."
Gahm reported that Root River Church of the Brethren just raised $700 for clean-up buckets during Vacation Bible School. With those funds they have assembled 15 kits and will assemble five more. The Hands of Christ group in Rochester is working with Root River by purchasing items for the kits.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Grant will help Northern Plains District disaster work.
It was raining again this week in Iowa as Gary Gahm, Northern Plains District disaster coordinator, was preparing a grant request for $5,000 through the Emergency Disaster Fund. The fund is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Through the Brethren Disaster Ministries program, the fund makes small grants available to assist the disaster relief efforts of local churches or an effort of a whole district.
Gahm explained, "With all the flooding and tornadoes in Iowa there is a lot of clean up to do now and longterm. The goal will be to help as many people as we are able."
The funds will be used to feed and lodge volunteers, purchase some tools as needed, and other items that may be needed to do the job correctly and safely. The funds also may be used to support local rebuilding efforts or local agencies managing longterm recovery.
Gahm reported that at this time there are 70 counties in Iowa with a presidential disaster declaration, and there are many Brethren families and friends who need assistance in the damaged area. The grant money will be directed through the district office and be paid out by the district treasurer through congregations.
The Emergency Disaster Fund also has given a grant of $5,000 to support the work of Children’s Disaster Services in Iowa and Indiana. As of today, June 25, Children’s Disaster Services has seen 230 children in Iowa and about 200 in Indiana. The fund has given an additional $5,000 to the work of Church World Service in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
It was raining again this week in Iowa as Gary Gahm, Northern Plains District disaster coordinator, was preparing a grant request for $5,000 through the Emergency Disaster Fund. The fund is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Through the Brethren Disaster Ministries program, the fund makes small grants available to assist the disaster relief efforts of local churches or an effort of a whole district.
Gahm explained, "With all the flooding and tornadoes in Iowa there is a lot of clean up to do now and longterm. The goal will be to help as many people as we are able."
The funds will be used to feed and lodge volunteers, purchase some tools as needed, and other items that may be needed to do the job correctly and safely. The funds also may be used to support local rebuilding efforts or local agencies managing longterm recovery.
Gahm reported that at this time there are 70 counties in Iowa with a presidential disaster declaration, and there are many Brethren families and friends who need assistance in the damaged area. The grant money will be directed through the district office and be paid out by the district treasurer through congregations.
The Emergency Disaster Fund also has given a grant of $5,000 to support the work of Children’s Disaster Services in Iowa and Indiana. As of today, June 25, Children’s Disaster Services has seen 230 children in Iowa and about 200 in Indiana. The fund has given an additional $5,000 to the work of Church World Service in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Children's Disaster Services cares for children in Cedar Falls.
A visit to the American Red Cross service center in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is the first stop on the road to recovery for many affected by flooding in the region. For those with children, the process can be more difficult. That's why the volunteers with the Church of the Brethren's Children's Disaster Services are a welcome sight for these parents.
Eighty-five-year-old Jacquelyn Snyder, or Grandma Jackie as she's known to the kids, is one of these volunteers. She comforts the children by playing games, reading stories, and just spending time with them.
"It's so rewarding to know that you can give people a little relief even if it's only for a few hours," said Snyder, who has been with the program for over 10 years. "I went through the flood of 1993 so I can relate to what they are going through."
Volunteers like Snyder have been offering child care assistance to parents and children during local and national disasters since Children's Disaster Services was founded in 1980.
At a time in her life when many people would be slowing down, the Iowa resident says she has a lot more help to give. "As long as I can get around, I'll keep volunteering."
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
A visit to the American Red Cross service center in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is the first stop on the road to recovery for many affected by flooding in the region. For those with children, the process can be more difficult. That's why the volunteers with the Church of the Brethren's Children's Disaster Services are a welcome sight for these parents.
Eighty-five-year-old Jacquelyn Snyder, or Grandma Jackie as she's known to the kids, is one of these volunteers. She comforts the children by playing games, reading stories, and just spending time with them.
"It's so rewarding to know that you can give people a little relief even if it's only for a few hours," said Snyder, who has been with the program for over 10 years. "I went through the flood of 1993 so I can relate to what they are going through."
Volunteers like Snyder have been offering child care assistance to parents and children during local and national disasters since Children's Disaster Services was founded in 1980.
At a time in her life when many people would be slowing down, the Iowa resident says she has a lot more help to give. "As long as I can get around, I'll keep volunteering."
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Church World Service aids nearly 1 million people in Myanmar.
Church World Service (CWS) has reported that as of June 23, it has provided temporary shelter and fresh water supplies sufficient for nearly one million Myanmar (Burma) cyclone survivors. The Church of the Brethren has given a total of $100,000 to the CWS relief work in Myanmar through grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund and the Global Food Crisis Fund.
Cyclone Nargis cut a huge swath of destruction about 100 miles wide across 200 miles of the populous Irrawaddy Delta, killing an estimated more than 100,000 people and thousands of livestock, and destroying homes, crops, and property. Estimates say over two million people were affected.
As of June 19, the CWS team based in Bangkok, Thailand, reported that its local partner in Myanmar had reached a total of 572 villages in the disaster-affected region, had provided supplies sufficient to serve more than 980,000 beneficiaries, and had delivered 3,944 "water baskets." The CWS philosophy is to work through local organizations, which helps people at grassroots levels build greater self-sufficiency and resiliency.
The water baskets, which capture rainwater, alone deliver the potential for 986,000 people to have clean drinking water. Each of the portable, lightweight plastic water container holds the equivalent of a day's clean drinking water for 250 people.
CWS said its local partner has also provided temporary shelter plastic tarpaulins for 41,374 households--more than 25 percent of the total number of households (160,000) the United Nations has estimated to have received emergency tarpaulins so far.
CWS said its fellow INGO members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) alliance have also provided food and other non-food supplies to survivors in the target communities served by the local partner as well.
Church World Service is now shifting to farm recovery and rehabilitation in the devastated Irrawaddy delta area, with a focus on immediate agricultural assistance to ensure next season's crops and to build future food security.
"As with our recovery work following the 2004 tsunami, our model of 'disaster relief' is really about building disaster risk reduction components into any of our emergency recovery and rehabilitation programs," said Donna Derr, director of the CWS Emergency Response Program. "We're turning our attention in Myanmar to that kind of holistic recovery now."
Farmers in the area have until the end of July to recover their fields and paddies and get rice seed in the ground for next season's crops. Concentrating on some 11 townships in the delta already being assisted, CWS and its local partner plan to provide farmers with rice seed stock, field preparation tools, and equipment to compensate for the significant numbers of work animals-- buffalo and oxen normally used for tilling--that were lost in the cyclone. Additionally, CWS intends to provide capitol for hiring laborers from among those families who don't own farmland and need income.
Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/BDM/EDFindex.html and www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/gfcf.htm for more information about the Emergency Disaster Fund and the Global Food Crisis Fund, and how to contribute.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Church World Service (CWS) has reported that as of June 23, it has provided temporary shelter and fresh water supplies sufficient for nearly one million Myanmar (Burma) cyclone survivors. The Church of the Brethren has given a total of $100,000 to the CWS relief work in Myanmar through grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund and the Global Food Crisis Fund.
Cyclone Nargis cut a huge swath of destruction about 100 miles wide across 200 miles of the populous Irrawaddy Delta, killing an estimated more than 100,000 people and thousands of livestock, and destroying homes, crops, and property. Estimates say over two million people were affected.
As of June 19, the CWS team based in Bangkok, Thailand, reported that its local partner in Myanmar had reached a total of 572 villages in the disaster-affected region, had provided supplies sufficient to serve more than 980,000 beneficiaries, and had delivered 3,944 "water baskets." The CWS philosophy is to work through local organizations, which helps people at grassroots levels build greater self-sufficiency and resiliency.
The water baskets, which capture rainwater, alone deliver the potential for 986,000 people to have clean drinking water. Each of the portable, lightweight plastic water container holds the equivalent of a day's clean drinking water for 250 people.
CWS said its local partner has also provided temporary shelter plastic tarpaulins for 41,374 households--more than 25 percent of the total number of households (160,000) the United Nations has estimated to have received emergency tarpaulins so far.
CWS said its fellow INGO members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) alliance have also provided food and other non-food supplies to survivors in the target communities served by the local partner as well.
Church World Service is now shifting to farm recovery and rehabilitation in the devastated Irrawaddy delta area, with a focus on immediate agricultural assistance to ensure next season's crops and to build future food security.
"As with our recovery work following the 2004 tsunami, our model of 'disaster relief' is really about building disaster risk reduction components into any of our emergency recovery and rehabilitation programs," said Donna Derr, director of the CWS Emergency Response Program. "We're turning our attention in Myanmar to that kind of holistic recovery now."
Farmers in the area have until the end of July to recover their fields and paddies and get rice seed in the ground for next season's crops. Concentrating on some 11 townships in the delta already being assisted, CWS and its local partner plan to provide farmers with rice seed stock, field preparation tools, and equipment to compensate for the significant numbers of work animals-- buffalo and oxen normally used for tilling--that were lost in the cyclone. Additionally, CWS intends to provide capitol for hiring laborers from among those families who don't own farmland and need income.
Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/BDM/EDFindex.html and www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/gfcf.htm for more information about the Emergency Disaster Fund and the Global Food Crisis Fund, and how to contribute.
6/25/2008 Newsline Extra
Disaster response bits: Correction, Indiana flood response, grants, more.
- Correction: The correct numbers for the Volunteer Reception Center in Franklin, Ind., are 317-738-8801, 317-738-8807, or 317-738-8006. Brethren Disaster Ministries is encouraging those interested in volunteering with the clean up work in Indiana following storms and flooding to contact the center in Franklin.
- Pastor Charles Berdel of Christ our Shepherd Church of the Brethren in Indianapolis, will represent Brethren Disaster Ministries at a meeting being convened by the United Way in Franklin, Ind., tomorrow morning. The meeting is to establish a Long-Term Recovery Committee to coordinate resources and organize longterm recovery efforts for the flood survivors of Johnson County, Ind. Brethren Disaster Ministries anticipates establishing a rebuilding project in Indiana in the future, once needs have been identified and communities are ready for assistance.
- The Church of the Brethren's Material Resources program has begun shipping relief supplies to Iowa following the flooding. Material Resources staff work out of warehouses at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Director Loretta Wolf shared this note in a staff newsletter today: "Often Material Resource staff doesn’t see or hear from those who receive the items we work with. This week we received a letter from Iowa, where we shipped supplies: ‘The layettes, health kits, and school supplies will be used and appreciated by so many of our people. We really do not know how to adequately thank you. All we ask is that you accept our sincere gratitude. Your sensitivity, concern, and support will always be appreciated.’ It is good to hear how much we as part of the Church of the Brethren impact others’ lives."
- "Courage to Care," a Children's Disaster Services Level 1 Volunteer Workshop, will be held Aug. 22-23 at First Church of the Brethren in Roaring Spring, Pa. Children’s Disaster Services is a Church of the Brethren ministry. The 27-hour workshop trains volunteers to care for children following disasters, to set up special child care centers in disaster locations, and to provide crisis intervention for young children while parents apply for assistance and put their lives back together. The training prepares volunteers to participate in Children’s Disaster Services teams such as those currently at work in areas of Iowa affected by flooding. The registration fee covers the curriculum, meals, and lodging. Registration costs $45, or $55 if received less than three weeks before the workshop. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, in good physical and mental health, and must work well under stress and adverse conditions. Go to www.childrensdisasterservices.org for program and registration information. Contact Faye Eichelberger, onsite coordinator for the workshop, at 814-239-2867. Contact the Children's Disaster Services Office at CDS_gb@brethren.org or 800-451-4407 #5.
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. Judy Bezon, Jon Kobel, Roy Winter, Loretta Wolf, 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, cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Judy Bezon, Jon Kobel, Roy Winter, Loretta Wolf, Jane Yount contributed to this report.
Friday, June 20, 2008
DISASTER RESPONSE NEWS
- Children’s Disaster Services ramps up response in flooded midwest.
- Brethren Disaster Ministries calls for clean-up volunteers in Indiana.
- CWS repeats call for Emergency Clean-up Buckets, issues correction to drop-off site in Indiana.
- Plains states Brethren still dealing with destruction caused by tornadoes.
- International Christian leaders call for a season of prayer for Zimbabwe.
Children's Disaster Services ramps up response in flooded midwest.
Children’s Disaster Services is fielding teams of child care volunteers in Indiana and Iowa to support families affected by flooding. Children's Disaster Services is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Each child care team includes four or five trained and certified volunteers, and the response in each state is overseen by a trained project manager.
One Children’s Disaster Services team has been working in Martinsville, Ind., in a Red Cross Assistance Center that has seen 25-30 children each day. The Red Cross will no longer be working out of that center, which will now be carried on by FEMA and others, and the child care team will continue to provide services to children there. The team also will be expanded from four to five people. Ken Kline has been the project manager in Indiana, but has completed his two weeks commitment and Barbara Lungelow will be the new project manager.
Another Children's Disaster Services team relieved exhausted volunteers for CJ's Bus, which has stopped services in Indiana as of Wednesday, June 18. The team that had worked with CJ's Bus has moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is now serving children and families there. In Cedar Rapids, Children's Disaster Services may soon also be providing training for other responders from the Iowa state response as well.
A child care team in Cedar Falls, Iowa, has been working to care for children at a Lutheran school while families cleaned up homes from mud that carried oil and fertilizer. That child care team has now moved location and currently is working at a Red Cross Service Center. A second team of child care givers will begin working in Cedar Falls starting Monday, June 23.
Another team will begin providing child care in Iowa City on Monday. Lorna Grow is the project manager for the teams working in Iowa.
Children's Disaster Services is putting two more teams of child care workers on alert, to go into additional areas affected by flooding on Sunday or Monday. By the end of next week, the program will be sending new teams of volunteers to replace those who by that time will have been working for two weeks.
Brethren Disaster Ministries is requesting a grant of $5,000 to support the work of Children's Disaster Services in Indiana and Iowa, from the Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund.
Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/BDM/CDSindex.html for more information about Children's Disaster Services and for information about how to become a trained disaster child care volunteer.
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Children’s Disaster Services is fielding teams of child care volunteers in Indiana and Iowa to support families affected by flooding. Children's Disaster Services is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Each child care team includes four or five trained and certified volunteers, and the response in each state is overseen by a trained project manager.
One Children’s Disaster Services team has been working in Martinsville, Ind., in a Red Cross Assistance Center that has seen 25-30 children each day. The Red Cross will no longer be working out of that center, which will now be carried on by FEMA and others, and the child care team will continue to provide services to children there. The team also will be expanded from four to five people. Ken Kline has been the project manager in Indiana, but has completed his two weeks commitment and Barbara Lungelow will be the new project manager.
Another Children's Disaster Services team relieved exhausted volunteers for CJ's Bus, which has stopped services in Indiana as of Wednesday, June 18. The team that had worked with CJ's Bus has moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is now serving children and families there. In Cedar Rapids, Children's Disaster Services may soon also be providing training for other responders from the Iowa state response as well.
A child care team in Cedar Falls, Iowa, has been working to care for children at a Lutheran school while families cleaned up homes from mud that carried oil and fertilizer. That child care team has now moved location and currently is working at a Red Cross Service Center. A second team of child care givers will begin working in Cedar Falls starting Monday, June 23.
Another team will begin providing child care in Iowa City on Monday. Lorna Grow is the project manager for the teams working in Iowa.
Children's Disaster Services is putting two more teams of child care workers on alert, to go into additional areas affected by flooding on Sunday or Monday. By the end of next week, the program will be sending new teams of volunteers to replace those who by that time will have been working for two weeks.
Brethren Disaster Ministries is requesting a grant of $5,000 to support the work of Children's Disaster Services in Indiana and Iowa, from the Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund.
Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/BDM/CDSindex.html for more information about Children's Disaster Services and for information about how to become a trained disaster child care volunteer.
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Brethren Disaster Ministries calls for clean-up volunteers in Indiana.
Indiana is ready for volunteers to assist with cleaning up and mucking out following the severe flooding that has affected some 6,500 homes across the state, in an announcement from Brethren Disaster Ministries.
"Brethren in Indiana and surrounding districts are urged to help!" said the announcement from Brethren Disaster Ministries coordinator Jane Yount.
The call for volunteers has come from the Volunteer Reception Center in Franklin, Ind., which is south of Indianapolis in Johnson County. Each group of volunteers that responds is asked to include group leaders who can help manage the job to which the group is assigned. Interested volunteer groups should make arrangements directly with the reception center (see contact information below).
Brethren Disaster Ministries is requesting Brethren groups to contact their district disaster coordinators with information about their plans to volunteer, and for how long. Brethren Disaster Ministries will collect this information to report to the broader church about the response.
Contact the Volunteer Reception Center at 317-736-8801. This phone number will be staffed during regular business hours. Volunteer housing will be available at the Dietz Building, at Franklin College, 251 S. Forsythe St., Franklin, Indiana.
Brethren Disaster Ministries requests those who volunteer to be aware that flood clean-up is dirty and strenuous work. "All volunteers should be up to date with their tetanus vaccination and in good general health," Yount said. "Please prayerfully consider participating in this relief effort."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Indiana is ready for volunteers to assist with cleaning up and mucking out following the severe flooding that has affected some 6,500 homes across the state, in an announcement from Brethren Disaster Ministries.
"Brethren in Indiana and surrounding districts are urged to help!" said the announcement from Brethren Disaster Ministries coordinator Jane Yount.
The call for volunteers has come from the Volunteer Reception Center in Franklin, Ind., which is south of Indianapolis in Johnson County. Each group of volunteers that responds is asked to include group leaders who can help manage the job to which the group is assigned. Interested volunteer groups should make arrangements directly with the reception center (see contact information below).
Brethren Disaster Ministries is requesting Brethren groups to contact their district disaster coordinators with information about their plans to volunteer, and for how long. Brethren Disaster Ministries will collect this information to report to the broader church about the response.
Contact the Volunteer Reception Center at 317-736-8801. This phone number will be staffed during regular business hours. Volunteer housing will be available at the Dietz Building, at Franklin College, 251 S. Forsythe St., Franklin, Indiana.
Brethren Disaster Ministries requests those who volunteer to be aware that flood clean-up is dirty and strenuous work. "All volunteers should be up to date with their tetanus vaccination and in good general health," Yount said. "Please prayerfully consider participating in this relief effort."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
CWS repeats call for Emergency Clean-up Buckets, issues correction to drop-off site in Indiana.
Church World Service (CWS) has issued another call for Emergency Clean-up Buckets to respond to storms and flooding in the midwest. The buckets are kits that may be assembled by congregations, other groups, and individuals, and donated to the disaster clean-up effort. Go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html for information about contents and how to assemble the Emergency Clean-up Bucket kits.
Following is the corrected information for the collection point for CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets in Indiana. Buckets may be dropped off on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Church World Service, 28606 Phillips St., Elkhart, IN 46515. For more information contact Cindy Watson or Donna Kruis at 800-297-1516. This temporary collection effort in Indiana will end on July 31.
An e-mail from CWS staff on June 18 noted "the heavy need for CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets. As we watch flooding in the midwest, assembly of CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets will help us respond all the more quickly to needs."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Church World Service (CWS) has issued another call for Emergency Clean-up Buckets to respond to storms and flooding in the midwest. The buckets are kits that may be assembled by congregations, other groups, and individuals, and donated to the disaster clean-up effort. Go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html for information about contents and how to assemble the Emergency Clean-up Bucket kits.
Following is the corrected information for the collection point for CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets in Indiana. Buckets may be dropped off on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Church World Service, 28606 Phillips St., Elkhart, IN 46515. For more information contact Cindy Watson or Donna Kruis at 800-297-1516. This temporary collection effort in Indiana will end on July 31.
An e-mail from CWS staff on June 18 noted "the heavy need for CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets. As we watch flooding in the midwest, assembly of CWS Emergency Clean-up Buckets will help us respond all the more quickly to needs."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Plains states Brethren still dealing with destruction caused by tornadoes.
Families from Quinter (Kan.) Church of the Brethren were affected by tornadoes that hit near the town in May. While the town of Quinter was spared, 15 families living in the surrounding area suffered moderate to total loss, reported pastor Keith Funk.
"Moderate losses would include loss of barns and other buildings, farm equipment, fence, and damage to the home--loss of roof, windows, siding damage, etc. Total loss would include all of the above including the home residence," he said.
One couple in the congregation, Charles and Judy Easton, suffered total loss. However, the Eastons are working at putting their lives back together and moving forward, Funk reported. "Currently, they are staying with a member of our congregation, Margaret Lee Inloes, who has opened her home to them," he said. "They feel immensely blessed by the help and support they have received from the congregation and the surrounding community. They have blessed our congregation by their continued faithfulness and positive spirit in light of their very difficult circumstances."
Quinter church members Ross and Sharon Boone also suffered extensive damage to their farm and home, though their home was ultimately spared. Their losses include barns and buildings either totally lost or severely damaged, along with some of their equipment. "In all of this, Ross has been undergoing treatment for cancer. Yet both Ross and Sharon have witnessed to God's faithfulness in the midst of the storm," Funk said.
"The community and congregational help and giving has been an inspiration in all of this," the pastor added. "Though this has been a traumatic time in the life of our community, we have also witnessed the evidence of God's goodness and grace in the lives of those affected by the storms and in those responding to their neighbors in need."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
Families from Quinter (Kan.) Church of the Brethren were affected by tornadoes that hit near the town in May. While the town of Quinter was spared, 15 families living in the surrounding area suffered moderate to total loss, reported pastor Keith Funk.
"Moderate losses would include loss of barns and other buildings, farm equipment, fence, and damage to the home--loss of roof, windows, siding damage, etc. Total loss would include all of the above including the home residence," he said.
One couple in the congregation, Charles and Judy Easton, suffered total loss. However, the Eastons are working at putting their lives back together and moving forward, Funk reported. "Currently, they are staying with a member of our congregation, Margaret Lee Inloes, who has opened her home to them," he said. "They feel immensely blessed by the help and support they have received from the congregation and the surrounding community. They have blessed our congregation by their continued faithfulness and positive spirit in light of their very difficult circumstances."
Quinter church members Ross and Sharon Boone also suffered extensive damage to their farm and home, though their home was ultimately spared. Their losses include barns and buildings either totally lost or severely damaged, along with some of their equipment. "In all of this, Ross has been undergoing treatment for cancer. Yet both Ross and Sharon have witnessed to God's faithfulness in the midst of the storm," Funk said.
"The community and congregational help and giving has been an inspiration in all of this," the pastor added. "Though this has been a traumatic time in the life of our community, we have also witnessed the evidence of God's goodness and grace in the lives of those affected by the storms and in those responding to their neighbors in need."
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
International Christian leaders call for a season of prayer for Zimbabwe.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) in a release dated June 18, has called on the United Nations to end the violence in the African country of Zimbabwe, and for free and fair elections there. The WCC has invited its member churches to pray for Zimbabwe on Sunday, June 22, as the beginning of a season of prayer for the people and government of the country.
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, is encouraging Brethren to join in this season of prayer for Zimbabwe.
In a letter to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, the WCC expressed continued concern about the situation in Zimbabwe and asked the world body to utilize its resources to assure an end to pre-election violence and a free and fair election on June 27.
The letter from WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia states the dismay of the council and its member churches "at the news of the brutality meted out by police and other government forces in Zimbabwe," and refers to President Robert Mugabe's statement last week that he would "go to war" rather than acknowledge an election victory by the opposition.
Churches in the region have reported on atrocities. An extensive dossier has been compiled by the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa about the situation in Zimbabwe, prepared under the leadership of Allan Boesak of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. The WCC said that the dossier presents graphic details of violence.
The WCC is appealing to the government of Zimbabwe to assure free and fair elections, allowing for election monitors, and the distribution of food and other humanitarian aid, and is calling on the churches in southern Africa to initiate a healing and reconciliation process immediately following the elections.
Go to www.oikoumene.org/?id=6044 for the text of the WCC letter to the United Nations. Go to www.oikoumene.org/?id=4654 for more about WCC member churches in Zimbabwe.
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
The World Council of Churches (WCC) in a release dated June 18, has called on the United Nations to end the violence in the African country of Zimbabwe, and for free and fair elections there. The WCC has invited its member churches to pray for Zimbabwe on Sunday, June 22, as the beginning of a season of prayer for the people and government of the country.
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, is encouraging Brethren to join in this season of prayer for Zimbabwe.
In a letter to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, the WCC expressed continued concern about the situation in Zimbabwe and asked the world body to utilize its resources to assure an end to pre-election violence and a free and fair election on June 27.
The letter from WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia states the dismay of the council and its member churches "at the news of the brutality meted out by police and other government forces in Zimbabwe," and refers to President Robert Mugabe's statement last week that he would "go to war" rather than acknowledge an election victory by the opposition.
Churches in the region have reported on atrocities. An extensive dossier has been compiled by the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa about the situation in Zimbabwe, prepared under the leadership of Allan Boesak of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. The WCC said that the dossier presents graphic details of violence.
The WCC is appealing to the government of Zimbabwe to assure free and fair elections, allowing for election monitors, and the distribution of food and other humanitarian aid, and is calling on the churches in southern Africa to initiate a healing and reconciliation process immediately following the elections.
Go to www.oikoumene.org/?id=6044 for the text of the WCC letter to the United Nations. Go to www.oikoumene.org/?id=4654 for more about WCC member churches in Zimbabwe.
Source: 6/20/2008 Newsline Extra
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. Judy Bezon 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. Judy Bezon contributed to this report.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
NEWSUPCOMING EVENTS300th ANNIVERSARY UPDATE
Children's Disaster Services helps staff CJ's Bus.
A certified team of care givers from Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) on June 16 relieved the exhausted volunteers who have staffed CJ’s Bus since the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding began in Indiana. CJ’s Bus volunteers had been working to care for children of families affected by the disasters since June 6 in Indianapolis, and then in Martinsville after flooding there.
Kathryn Martin, founder of CJ’s Bus, knew of Children’s Disaster Services’ expertise and volunteer base because CDS provides training for CJ’s Bus volunteers. The board members of CJ’s Bus also are required to become CDS certified.
When Martin realized that CJ’s Bus would have to close down due to the lack of volunteers, she called CDS offices in Maryland. Could a team from CDS staff the bus so it could stay open for children whose parents were using harsh chemicals to clean up after the flooding?
"It is not a safe environment for the children," Martin emphasized.
Judy Bezon, associate director for Children’s Disaster Services, agreed. "Since we already had a team in the area working with the Red Cross and additional volunteers ‘on alert’ for the entire midwest, it is no problem to deploy a team," she said.
The team of Children’s Disaster Services volunteers was working at CJ’s Bus within 24 hours of the request. The team will stay for up to two weeks, then be replaced with a fresh team of new volunteers. With a volunteer base of 500 certified volunteers, CDS can assure that child care be provided to children of disaster victims for as long as it is needed.
Children’s Disaster Services is a Church of the Brethren ministry and the oldest and largest nationwide organization specializing in children’s disaster related needs. Since 1980 CDS has maintained a nationwide volunteer base. To be certified with CDS, volunteers require 27 hours of training and a rigorous certification process.
Go to www.childrensdisasterservices.org to learn more about Children’s Disaster Services or for more about becoming trained as a volunteer.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
A certified team of care givers from Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) on June 16 relieved the exhausted volunteers who have staffed CJ’s Bus since the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding began in Indiana. CJ’s Bus volunteers had been working to care for children of families affected by the disasters since June 6 in Indianapolis, and then in Martinsville after flooding there.
Kathryn Martin, founder of CJ’s Bus, knew of Children’s Disaster Services’ expertise and volunteer base because CDS provides training for CJ’s Bus volunteers. The board members of CJ’s Bus also are required to become CDS certified.
When Martin realized that CJ’s Bus would have to close down due to the lack of volunteers, she called CDS offices in Maryland. Could a team from CDS staff the bus so it could stay open for children whose parents were using harsh chemicals to clean up after the flooding?
"It is not a safe environment for the children," Martin emphasized.
Judy Bezon, associate director for Children’s Disaster Services, agreed. "Since we already had a team in the area working with the Red Cross and additional volunteers ‘on alert’ for the entire midwest, it is no problem to deploy a team," she said.
The team of Children’s Disaster Services volunteers was working at CJ’s Bus within 24 hours of the request. The team will stay for up to two weeks, then be replaced with a fresh team of new volunteers. With a volunteer base of 500 certified volunteers, CDS can assure that child care be provided to children of disaster victims for as long as it is needed.
Children’s Disaster Services is a Church of the Brethren ministry and the oldest and largest nationwide organization specializing in children’s disaster related needs. Since 1980 CDS has maintained a nationwide volunteer base. To be certified with CDS, volunteers require 27 hours of training and a rigorous certification process.
Go to www.childrensdisasterservices.org to learn more about Children’s Disaster Services or for more about becoming trained as a volunteer.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
New Windsor Conference Center experiences new life.
The New Windsor Conference Center is experiencing new life since the decision of the General Board to develop and implement new programming in support of the Brethren Service Center mission. The conference center is located on the campus of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
The New Windsor Conference Center offers a variety of services to groups and individuals, including lodging, dining services, meeting rooms, event planning, and communication services. In recent months, it has been full enough on a regular basis to issue a new requirement that reservations be made at least two weeks in advance. This represents a significant influx of new business and increased advance bookings, with some advance bookings already made through the year 2013.
A recent staff report said that the conference center is "consistently rated ‘Excellent’ by lodgers and visitors. Prayers have been answered as the New Windsor Conference Center is called to offer the gift of hospitality to greatly increased numbers in 2008 and beyond."
"When new groups visit the campus, many will schedule another meeting before departure," said Cori Hahn, conference coordinator. "On the weekend of April 18, we had seven separate groups on campus, with every lodging room booked--and this is not unusual."
The conference center also is negotiating with the Arc of Carroll County, Md., to work together on internships to train developmentally disabled adults in work at the center. The trainees may engage in tasks such as housekeeping and food preparation, in a program that may begin this fall.
The staff report noted that the conference center is readying itself for even more significant growth in the coming year, through improvements in facilities and resources and outreach through partners and others in the region.
To find more information about the New Windsor Conference Center go to www.brethren.org/genbd/nwcc or contact chahn_gb@brethren.org or 410-635-8700.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
The New Windsor Conference Center is experiencing new life since the decision of the General Board to develop and implement new programming in support of the Brethren Service Center mission. The conference center is located on the campus of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
The New Windsor Conference Center offers a variety of services to groups and individuals, including lodging, dining services, meeting rooms, event planning, and communication services. In recent months, it has been full enough on a regular basis to issue a new requirement that reservations be made at least two weeks in advance. This represents a significant influx of new business and increased advance bookings, with some advance bookings already made through the year 2013.
A recent staff report said that the conference center is "consistently rated ‘Excellent’ by lodgers and visitors. Prayers have been answered as the New Windsor Conference Center is called to offer the gift of hospitality to greatly increased numbers in 2008 and beyond."
"When new groups visit the campus, many will schedule another meeting before departure," said Cori Hahn, conference coordinator. "On the weekend of April 18, we had seven separate groups on campus, with every lodging room booked--and this is not unusual."
The conference center also is negotiating with the Arc of Carroll County, Md., to work together on internships to train developmentally disabled adults in work at the center. The trainees may engage in tasks such as housekeeping and food preparation, in a program that may begin this fall.
The staff report noted that the conference center is readying itself for even more significant growth in the coming year, through improvements in facilities and resources and outreach through partners and others in the region.
To find more information about the New Windsor Conference Center go to www.brethren.org/genbd/nwcc or contact chahn_gb@brethren.org or 410-635-8700.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
Brethren bits: Personnel, job opening, Annual Conference, more.
- Mary Miller has begun work as office assistant in the Material Resources program at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Material Resources is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board. Miller's most recent position was as a supervisor at Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville. She and her family live in Union Bridge, Md.
- Western Pennsylvania District of the Church of the Brethren has announced the calling of Abby R. Mader of Windber, Pa., to the newly created position of district children/youth ministries coordinator. She will guide, counsel, and encourage district and local church workers in matters of children and youth ministry; will work at creating programs for the children and youth of the district; and also will work closely with staff at Camp Harmony in Hooversville, Pa. Mader is a 2005 graduate of Grove City College with a bachelor’s degree in history education. She also is a licensed minister in the district.
- The National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF) is seeking an executive director. The NCPTF, located in Washington, D.C., lobbies for passage of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, to establish in law the right of conscientious objection to military taxation. NCPTF is seeking an executive director to begin on Oct. 1, 2008, to lead lobbying, administration, and fundraising activities of the NCPTF, and the Peace Tax Foundation (a 501c3 educational organization). Contact searchcommittee@peacetaxfund.org for detailed requirements and salary information, and to submit a resume. The deadline for applications is Aug. 15. Additional information is at www.peacetaxfund.org or call 888-PEACETAX.
- June 20 is the deadline for making housing reservations for Annual Conference, according to an announcement from the Annual Conference Office. Hotel rooms are still available to anyone who has not yet obtained housing for the 2008 Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., on July 12-16. Housing reservations in the Church of the Brethren hotel block can be made up until June 20. Go to https://hr.idssasp.com/home.aspx?XSHvr1xsjof5M1Ieqj3FQuwFotvLtyWMr2nmo
MLO37P2hfArZ80ia2aU0gIph8ZmTsTz4M53Hv*OBkWcdpywaw to obtain housing reservations online. After June 20, call 804-783-7490 to contact the housing bureau in Richmond for assistance with finding housing. - A video report about a youth workcamp to clean up the historic John Kline home in Broadway, Va., has been posted by WHSV Channel 3 in Harrisonburg, Va. The report interviews Paul Roth, who has been instrumental in the effort to preserve the homestead, and youth who volunteered to clean it up in preparation for those who are expected to visit on their way to and from the 2008 Annual Conference. A total of 27 high school students from across the country came together for the workcamp. Go to http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/20098664.html and click on the picture box at the right of the story to find the video report.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers has announced a "Walk for the Well-Being of School Children in Nigeria," to take place at the National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) in September. The non-competitive "Well Walk" will raise money to help supply water for the Comprehensive Secondary School at the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), with a fundraising goal of $5,000. The $10 per person registration for the walk will go to the water project. NOAC is being held on the theme, "Come to the Water," from Sept. 1-5 in Lake Junaluska, N.C. The Well Walk is planned for Sept. 4. Go to www.brethren-caregivers.org for more information.
- A new deacon resource will be available at the 2008 Annual Conference. For more than 25 years, Fred Swartz, Annual Conference Secretary and retired pastor, has been writing about the caring work of deacons. Recently he put together some of his best writing on deacons and added discussion questions. This new free resource titled "Essential Servants: Reflections on the Caring Ministries of Deacons," will be available online at www.brethren-caregivers.org after July 1, and at Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., this summer. The Association of Brethren Caregivers will have 100 copies available at the Conference. There also will be a display at the ABC exhibit explaining how to download the resource to make your own free copy.
- "Treasure in Earthen Vessels: A Women's Celebration of Body, Mind, and Spirit" is being offered by the Association of Brethren Caregivers as a retreat for women who are seeking to develop balance, a sense of wellbeing, and fullness of spirit. The weekend will be led by Deanna Brown and Anita Smith Buckwalter, and will be held at the Leaven Retreat Center in Lyons, Mich. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 26 and continues through 11 a.m. Sept. 28. The registration deadline is July 25, but space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Contact Mary Lou Garrison at the ABC office at mgarrison_abc@brethren.org or 800-323-8039.
- On Earth Peace has announced the date for the next observation of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, scheduled for Sept. 21, 2008. Last year, more than 100 groups and congregations associated with the Church of the Brethren planned events as part of the International Day of Prayer for Peace. "How about 300 in 2008?" asked an invitation from On Earth Peace. For more information visit www.onearthpeace.org/prayforpeace or contact IDOPP.2008@gmail.com or 410-635-8704.
- Northern Indiana District is seeking volunteers to help replace a ceiling that is collapsing in the fellowship hall at La Porte (Ind.) Church of the Brethren. The work will include removing old ceiling panels and replacing them with a new dropped ceiling, according to board chair Ruth Blake. She expressed appreciation for the help of district disaster coordinator John Sternberg in coordinating the effort. "It's a big issue for us because we don’t have much funds," she said.
- Virlina District has begun a new evangelistic and service-oriented outreach project called "Mision Agua Vida--Water of Life Mission," according to a recent district newsletter. The project is for congregations, Vacation Bible Schools, Sunday school classes, youth and young adult groups, and men’s or women’s fellowship groups searching for a project to sponsor. Two fellowships in the district have developed the concept of passing out bottled water to soccer players, primarily Hispanic in origin, as an act of hospitality and an evangelistic means of establishing relationship. Sponsoring groups provide funds to purchase the water. The District Resource Center houses and sees to the distribution of funds or bulk water. The two fellowships are Siguiendo Los Pasos de Jesus in Roanoke, Va., and Living Faith in Concord, N.C.
- Twenty-four members of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) who are attending Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., also will be visiting in Virlina District on July 16-19. The group is made up of Christian business people who are part of BEST (Brethren Evangelism Support Trust). The district is searching for hosts willing to offer a place to stay for members of the group, contact Carol Mason at 800-244-5896.
- The Church of the Brethren's Oregon and Washington District is a contracting denominational partner of the Institute for Ecumenical Theological Studies (IETS) at the School of Theology and Ministry of Seattle University. According to a report from John Braun, a district appointee to the IETS Board, the School of Theology and Ministry has drawn international respect for its success in building ecumenical participation with sensitivity to each denomination’s unique gifts and requirements. His report appeared in the Oregon and Washington District newsletter in May. "The school is so young that it must clearly be seen as still evolving," Braun wrote. "But the quality of graduate education, the hundreds of students enrolled, and the growing community of alumni serving in area churches make me proud and excited to be a small part of this venture." The school is working toward an even deeper commitment to its interfaith vision, he said, including unifying its two advisory boards--the school also has an Institute for Catholic Theological Studies--and continuing an emphasis on disciplined interreligious conversation. In addition, the school is building new dual degree programs between theology and other professional disciplines. Braun reported, "Our first such venture with a dual degree will occur with the law school and a new program on conflict mediation and peacemaking."
- The Northwest Brethren Arts Gathering will be held Aug. 15-17 at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum, Wash. The weekend will feature arts, music, and Brethren fellowship. More information in available from Oregon-Washington District, call 509-662-3211.
- Four employees have successfully completed the Certified Nursing Assistant class started recently at Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village, a Church of the Brethren continuing care retirement community in Boonsboro, Md. Those completing the class are Tiffany Waters of Waynesboro, Pa.; Misty Shifflett of Williamsport, Md.; Trina Hammond of Martinsburg, W.Va.; and Samantha Shry of Boonsboro. Stephanie Alexander, assistant administrator at Fahrney-Keedy, created the course curriculum, which includes 164 hours of instruction over 12 weeks. Each day’s session lasts for up to six hours. While taking the course, each student spends a day working in each of several departments: laundry, maintenance, housekeeping, and dietary. Passing a final exam means the student is a Certified Nursing Assistant. Then, successful completion of an optional state exam is necessary for a person to become a Geriatric Nursing Assistant. All four recent graduates plan to take the GNA exam. Alexander thanked the Fahrney-Keedy Auxiliary for helping with funding and in making the class a reality.
- COBYS Family Services, an agency affiliated with Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren, has signed up to be a beneficiary of GoodSearch.com. For every Internet search done by COBYS supporters using GoodSearch, COBYS earns about a penny. The agency also earns money for online purchases made through the site. Go to www.goodsearch.com for instructions to designate COBYS as a recipient. For more information contact Don Fitzkee, development and interpretation coordinator for COBYS, at don@cobys.org or 717-656-6580.
- Two more graduates of Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., have received Fulbright scholarships. This brings the total from the college to 25--the most per capita of any university or college in Indiana, according to the release from the college. Andrew F. Haff, a history major is from Westminster, Md., and is a member of Westminster Church of the Brethren; and Timothy R. Polakowski is a social work and Spanish major from Rockton, Ill. Polakowski will teach English in South Korea; Haff will teach English in Vietnam. Go to www.manchester.edu for more.
- Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., presented five alumni-related awards on June 7 during Alumni Weekend 2008. Stamford, Conn., resident Carol McFate, chief investment officer for Xerox Corp., was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award. West Grove, Pa., resident Charlie Goodale, a retired sales manager with DuPont Corp., received the Harold B. Brumbaugh Alumni Service Award. Reading, Pa., resident Nicholas Bower, president of Physicians for Humanity and currently a family practice resident at St. Joseph Medical Center, received the Young Alumni Achievement Award. David Orth-Moore, a country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was awarded the William E. Swigart Jr. Alumni Humanitarian Award. Hummelstown, Pa., resident Thomas Terndrup, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, received the Health Professions Alumni Achievement Award.
- The "Brethren Voices" program for July interviews Annual Conference moderator James Beckwith, pastor of Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Brethren Voices is a community-access cable television project for Church of the Brethren congregations and groups, sponsored by Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren. Beckwith will preside over the Conference during the historic 300th Anniversary of the Church of the Brethren. Brent Carlson of Peace Church of the Brethren hosts the program. The August edition of "Brethren Voices" celebrates three years of community television programing with a trip to the Amazonian Rain Forest of Ecuador with the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit. New Community Project has just announced the purchase of a 137-acre parcel of Ecuadorian rain forest adjacent to the Cuyabeno Ecological Reserve. Copies of these programs are available from Peace Church of the Brethren for a donation of $8. For more information contact producer Ed Groff at Groffprod1@msn.com or 360-256-8550.
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has announced the release of the new book "118 Days: Christian Peacemaker Teams Held Hostage in Iraq." The book tells the story of the hostage crisis endured by the organization and its team members in Iraq, beginning in Nov. 2005. Editor Tricia Gates Brown has compiled chapters written by members of CPT and CPT sympathizers actively involved with securing the release of Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney, Tom Fox, and Norman Kember, as well as by family, friends, and others affected by the crisis. The book contains first-hand accounts of what led the four men to Baghdad, where their paths crossed with armed militants who did not understand their mission; provides insight into the daily lives of CPT delegations and teams; and describes the daily sacrifices of the four hostages. In particular, readers will learn about the life of Tom Fox, the hostage who was killed. Go to www.cpt.org/118days for more. An initiative of the historic peace churches--the Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers--Christian Peacemaker Teams seeks to enlist the whole church in organized, nonviolent alternatives to war and places teams of trained peacemakers in regions of lethal conflict.
- A new documentary is being recommended to congregations interested in starting a conversation about history and race. The recommendation is passed along by Valentina Satvedi, an ordained Church of the Brethren minister serving with Mennonite Central Committee’s anti-racism program. "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North" will air on PBS in the P.O.V. series on June 24. Filmmaker Katrina Browne tells the story of a troubling discovery--that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in US history. She retraces the "Triangle Trade," from the family’s old hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana and sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. "Traces of the Trade" is being released in 2008 on the occasion of the Bicentennial of the US Abolition of the Slave Trade, which took place Jan. 1, 1808. To find out more, visit www.tracesofthetrade.org and check local PBS station listings for exact dates and times of broadcast.
- Janice Holsinger, founder and owner of U-Gro Learning Centres and a member of Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, in May was honored as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business for 2008. A report in the "Lebanon Daily News" quoted Holsinger as saying, "The areas I stress as owner and founder are treating each child as a special person and developing a strong self-image and self-confidence in each child." Holsinger also is a musician, a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, and a member of the board of directors of the college.
Nigeria workcamp is announced for 2009.
A special call has been issued for skilled carpenters and plumbers for the 2009 annual Nigeria workcamp, jointly sponsored by the Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board, Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), and Mission 21 (formerly Basel Mission).
Those willing to do general manual labor are also welcome for event scheduled for Feb. 8-March 8, 2009. Workcamp leader will be Dave Whitten, Nigeria mission coordinator for the Church of the Brethren.
At EYN Headquarters, the group will help construct a teacher’s house for the Comprehensive Secondary School and complete the HIV/AIDS office building started in 2008. On the work project, American and European participants will work together with Nigerian Christians. Workcampers also will have opportunities to worship in EYN churches and be hosted in the homes of church members.
Former workcamper Kathleen D. Brinkmeier, pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Rockford, Ill., encourages participation from personal experience: "Before going on my first journey I had believed that workcamp missions were for the young and energetic believers, but I found that age and energy are not directly related. Our workcamp was diversified in age and in country of origin, and every participant was encouraged to use their individual gifts--and we did that and worked as a huge team. I urge anyone that has ever felt God tug at the strings of your heart and whisper, ‘Go into all the world, making disciples,’ to take this opportunity and walk in faith."
Approximate cost of $2,200 includes round-trip travel from the closest airport in the continental US, and living expenses while in Nigeria. Participants must be of age 18 or older. Those age 14-17 may participate if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is participating in the workcamp.
For information and an application go to www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/workcamp/index.html or contact Justin Barrett at the Global Mission Partnerships Office, jbarrett_gb@brethren.org 800-323-8039 ext. 230. The deadline for applications is Oct. 10.
--Janis Pyle is coordinator of mission connections for the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission Partnerships.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
A special call has been issued for skilled carpenters and plumbers for the 2009 annual Nigeria workcamp, jointly sponsored by the Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board, Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), and Mission 21 (formerly Basel Mission).
Those willing to do general manual labor are also welcome for event scheduled for Feb. 8-March 8, 2009. Workcamp leader will be Dave Whitten, Nigeria mission coordinator for the Church of the Brethren.
At EYN Headquarters, the group will help construct a teacher’s house for the Comprehensive Secondary School and complete the HIV/AIDS office building started in 2008. On the work project, American and European participants will work together with Nigerian Christians. Workcampers also will have opportunities to worship in EYN churches and be hosted in the homes of church members.
Former workcamper Kathleen D. Brinkmeier, pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Rockford, Ill., encourages participation from personal experience: "Before going on my first journey I had believed that workcamp missions were for the young and energetic believers, but I found that age and energy are not directly related. Our workcamp was diversified in age and in country of origin, and every participant was encouraged to use their individual gifts--and we did that and worked as a huge team. I urge anyone that has ever felt God tug at the strings of your heart and whisper, ‘Go into all the world, making disciples,’ to take this opportunity and walk in faith."
Approximate cost of $2,200 includes round-trip travel from the closest airport in the continental US, and living expenses while in Nigeria. Participants must be of age 18 or older. Those age 14-17 may participate if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is participating in the workcamp.
For information and an application go to www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/workcamp/index.html or contact Justin Barrett at the Global Mission Partnerships Office, jbarrett_gb@brethren.org 800-323-8039 ext. 230. The deadline for applications is Oct. 10.
--Janis Pyle is coordinator of mission connections for the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission Partnerships.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
Brethren denominations have a history of cooperation.
The cooperative planning for Annual Conference this year between the Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church represents the largest such effort since the major division of the Brethren movement in the 1880s.
By the 1880s, three groups had emerged among the Brethren. There were the old orders, who took the name Old German Baptist Brethren. There were the progressives, adopting the name Brethren Church. And there were the conservatives, who are now known as the Church of the Brethren. The conservatives had characteristics of both groups, still plain on the one hand and at the same time adopting progressive methods--just at a slower pace than advocated by the progressives.
Time has changed all of us in some ways, but even as we maintain our separate identities, Brethren at times enjoy fellowship and work together on common projects intended as cooperative efforts rather than steps toward unification.
This year’s Annual Conference has by no means been the only gesture of cooperation. Ministers and members have moved between the Brethren Church and the Church of the Brethren from time to time. There have been numerous times over the years when officers or other representatives from both bodies have brought greetings at each other’s conferences. Queries have been presented at both denominations’ conferences for formally reuniting (in 1925, 1934, 1947, and once in the 1990s to name some of these efforts), but an informal fellowship and occasional mutual project has been the path that we have taken.
Beginning in 1944, a number of Brethren Church missionaries worked in Nigeria in conjunction with the Church of the Brethren mission program. The Brethren Church and Church of the Brethren continued to work together in the Nigerian mission through the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1940s, the two denominations worked together in peace witness and war-time agencies, along with mission and relief programs.
On June 12-13, 1973, a meeting was held at "Tunker House " in Virginia. M.R. Zigler succeeded in gathering 125 members representing the five major Brethren bodies for a gathering to "shake hands." Lectures on Peter Nead and John Kline were presented, and those present also participated in worship. As a follow-up, Joseph R. Shultz of Ashland, Ohio, hosted a study conference in April 1974.
Another study conference among Brethren groups took place at Bethany Seminary in Oak Brook, Ill., in 1976. This was the beginning of many more conferences of Brethren groups, of which this summer’s gathering at Schwarzenau is a continuation. At the Oak Brook meeting, M.R. Zigler made a suggestion that sparked discussion about the development of the Brethren Encyclopedia. Donald F. Durnbaugh then developed a formal proposal for this reference work and presented it to the group before they left Oak Brook. As a result, the Brethren Encyclopedia Board was formed. The encyclopedia board has produced numerous publications and continues to function as an informal cooperative fellowship among Brethren today.
The two denominations had a joint ministry in the form of the Columbus Cooperative Brethren congregation starting on July 1, 1930. This continued until 1980 when the congregation dropped its affiliation with the Church of the Brethren. In southern Ohio, a Brethren Heritage Center has existed since 2001 that involves most of the Brethren groups in the area. It has a board of directors including Brethren from several groups.
In Dec. 2000, Brethren Church executive director Buzz Sandberg extended words of friendship to the Church of the Brethren through the "Agenda" newsletter. In this article, Sandberg expressed regret for the break in the Brethren family and his desire for healing. The Church of the Brethren responded to the gesture with a statement of friendship at Annual Conference the following year.
At about the same time, the Church of the Brethren's 300th Anniversary Committee extended an invitation to the Brethren Church to have conferences at the same time and place in 2008, in order to commemorate the 300th Anniversary and fellowship together. The result is our upcoming gathering in Richmond, Va., which will be attended by some members of other Brethren denominations as well.
--Dean Garrett is a member of the 300th Anniversary Committee. This article was first published in the committee’s newsletter, which he edits. References include Brethren Encyclopedia articles by Dale R. Stoffer, Donald F. Durnbaugh, and other authors, and Annual Conference Minutes.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
The cooperative planning for Annual Conference this year between the Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church represents the largest such effort since the major division of the Brethren movement in the 1880s.
By the 1880s, three groups had emerged among the Brethren. There were the old orders, who took the name Old German Baptist Brethren. There were the progressives, adopting the name Brethren Church. And there were the conservatives, who are now known as the Church of the Brethren. The conservatives had characteristics of both groups, still plain on the one hand and at the same time adopting progressive methods--just at a slower pace than advocated by the progressives.
Time has changed all of us in some ways, but even as we maintain our separate identities, Brethren at times enjoy fellowship and work together on common projects intended as cooperative efforts rather than steps toward unification.
This year’s Annual Conference has by no means been the only gesture of cooperation. Ministers and members have moved between the Brethren Church and the Church of the Brethren from time to time. There have been numerous times over the years when officers or other representatives from both bodies have brought greetings at each other’s conferences. Queries have been presented at both denominations’ conferences for formally reuniting (in 1925, 1934, 1947, and once in the 1990s to name some of these efforts), but an informal fellowship and occasional mutual project has been the path that we have taken.
Beginning in 1944, a number of Brethren Church missionaries worked in Nigeria in conjunction with the Church of the Brethren mission program. The Brethren Church and Church of the Brethren continued to work together in the Nigerian mission through the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1940s, the two denominations worked together in peace witness and war-time agencies, along with mission and relief programs.
On June 12-13, 1973, a meeting was held at "Tunker House " in Virginia. M.R. Zigler succeeded in gathering 125 members representing the five major Brethren bodies for a gathering to "shake hands." Lectures on Peter Nead and John Kline were presented, and those present also participated in worship. As a follow-up, Joseph R. Shultz of Ashland, Ohio, hosted a study conference in April 1974.
Another study conference among Brethren groups took place at Bethany Seminary in Oak Brook, Ill., in 1976. This was the beginning of many more conferences of Brethren groups, of which this summer’s gathering at Schwarzenau is a continuation. At the Oak Brook meeting, M.R. Zigler made a suggestion that sparked discussion about the development of the Brethren Encyclopedia. Donald F. Durnbaugh then developed a formal proposal for this reference work and presented it to the group before they left Oak Brook. As a result, the Brethren Encyclopedia Board was formed. The encyclopedia board has produced numerous publications and continues to function as an informal cooperative fellowship among Brethren today.
The two denominations had a joint ministry in the form of the Columbus Cooperative Brethren congregation starting on July 1, 1930. This continued until 1980 when the congregation dropped its affiliation with the Church of the Brethren. In southern Ohio, a Brethren Heritage Center has existed since 2001 that involves most of the Brethren groups in the area. It has a board of directors including Brethren from several groups.
In Dec. 2000, Brethren Church executive director Buzz Sandberg extended words of friendship to the Church of the Brethren through the "Agenda" newsletter. In this article, Sandberg expressed regret for the break in the Brethren family and his desire for healing. The Church of the Brethren responded to the gesture with a statement of friendship at Annual Conference the following year.
At about the same time, the Church of the Brethren's 300th Anniversary Committee extended an invitation to the Brethren Church to have conferences at the same time and place in 2008, in order to commemorate the 300th Anniversary and fellowship together. The result is our upcoming gathering in Richmond, Va., which will be attended by some members of other Brethren denominations as well.
--Dean Garrett is a member of the 300th Anniversary Committee. This article was first published in the committee’s newsletter, which he edits. References include Brethren Encyclopedia articles by Dale R. Stoffer, Donald F. Durnbaugh, and other authors, and Annual Conference Minutes.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
Brethren Pension Plan members invited to group photo in Schwarzenau.
Members of the Brethren Pension Plan, a ministry of Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), who will be in Schwarzenau, Germany, for 300th Anniversary events at the beginning of August are invited to be part of a historic photo opportunity.
A group photo of all Brethren Pension Plan members and spouses who are in Schwarzenau for the celebration will be taken by BBT communications staff Nevin Dulabaum. The photo session will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the supper area on the grounds of the manor house in Schwarzenau, on the banks of the Eder River.
The group picture will be kept for BBT records and will be used in future publications. Dulabaum also is offering to take individual or couple shots of plan members and spouses. Copies of photos will be available to participants via e-mail following the celebration. For more information, contact Nevin Dulabaum at ndulabaum_bbt@brethren.org or 847-622-3388.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
Members of the Brethren Pension Plan, a ministry of Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), who will be in Schwarzenau, Germany, for 300th Anniversary events at the beginning of August are invited to be part of a historic photo opportunity.
A group photo of all Brethren Pension Plan members and spouses who are in Schwarzenau for the celebration will be taken by BBT communications staff Nevin Dulabaum. The photo session will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the supper area on the grounds of the manor house in Schwarzenau, on the banks of the Eder River.
The group picture will be kept for BBT records and will be used in future publications. Dulabaum also is offering to take individual or couple shots of plan members and spouses. Copies of photos will be available to participants via e-mail following the celebration. For more information, contact Nevin Dulabaum at ndulabaum_bbt@brethren.org or 847-622-3388.
Source: 6/18/2008 Newsline
300th Anniversary bits: More anniversaries in 2008.
- Hammond Avenue Brethren Church in Waterloo, Iowa, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2008. On January 1, 1993, Waterloo City Church of the Brethren and First Brethren Church of Waterloo merged to form a new congregation. Both congregations share historical roots dating to the arrival of the first Brethren in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 1856. The church continues its dual affiliation with the Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church (headquartered in Ashland, Ohio), parent denominations of the two former congregations. Hammond Avenue Brethren Church and White Dale Brethren Church in Terra Alta, W.Va,, are the only two congregations dually affiliated with both Brethren groups who will jointly celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement in Richmond, Va, this summer, reports pastor Ronald W. Waters.
- Arlington (Va.) Church of the Brethren is celebrating its 55th anniversary and the 300th Anniversary of the denomination. Arlington Church of the Brethren was founded in 1953 on the remnants of a dairy farm, but now serves a wide variety of cultures and geography, supporting people from Peru, Ecuador, and Mali, among other locations, with its facilities are used by both Cambodian and Hispanic congregations, reports the "Sun Gazette" Go to www.sungazette.net/articles/2008/06/07/arlington/news/nws58a.txt for the full article.
- Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren in Glen Arm, Md., is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The celebration will culminate with a homecoming weekend Oct. 25-26. Frank Ramirez of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren will be the guest speaker.
- West Milton (Ohio) Church of the Brethren is holding its 100 Year Celebration on July 5-6. The variety of activities planned include children’s games, a petting zoo, an ice cream social, and Nashville-based singer/songwriter Shay Watson. Contact the church at 937-698-4395.
- The Brethren Home Community in New Oxford, Pa., also celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. It commemorated the occasion with a butterfly release and birthday cake on May 3.
- A photo gallery from the 140th anniversary celebration at Ankeny (Iowa) Church of the Brethren has been posted online by the "Des Moines Register." The event was held June 8, with a Celebration Service followed by a potluck lunch. Among those in attendance was Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, whose father Ross served as minister of the Ankeny area country church. A photo of a group of past ministers pictures Vernon Merkey, Clifford Ruff, Ethmer Erisman, Mary Jane and Tim Button-Harrison, and Lois Grove. Go to
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=D2&Dato=20080609&Kategori=COMM&Lopenr=806090809&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1&community=Ankeny to view.
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. Dennis W. Garrison, Jeri S. Kornegay, Nancy Miner, David Radcliff, and Asha Solanky 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. Dennis W. Garrison, Jeri S. Kornegay, Nancy Miner, David Radcliff, and Asha Solanky contributed to this report.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Brethren Disaster Ministries responds to storms, flooding in Midwest and Plains.
A rash of severe storms and subsequent flooding has disrupted normal life for thousands of families in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains. For weeks, hardly a day has passed without hearing news of yet another tornado or flood. States on either side of the Mississippi have been hit repeatedly. Already 110 people have been killed by tornadoes, almost twice the 10-year average.
Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services staff are monitoring situations in parts of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. This includes participating in conference calls with other response organizations to share information and to offer our services.
As is typical during the initial response phase of a major disaster, Children’s Disaster Services staff have been in touch with American Red Cross personnel in the hardest hit areas, offering to set up child care projects in shelters or assistance centers. Teams of trained child care volunteers will watch children at the centers or shelters while parents clean up and gather the resources necessary to take care of their basic needs and start recovering from the disaster.
Currently Children’s Disaster Services has two project managers in the field, a team of four child care volunteers at work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and 18 more volunteers who are ready to respond.
In Iowa, Children’s Disaster Services is responding in the Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids areas. Lorna Grow of Dallas Center, Iowa, is coordinating that response. Children’s Disaster Services also has been invited to set up child care in a combined shelter/service center in Cedar Rapids. Grow has reported that the evacuation of Des Moines may mean there is a need for child care volunteers to work in a shelter there as well.
In Indiana, Ken Kline from Lima, Ohio, will serve as project manager and is assessing the child care needs in the five American Red Cross service centers that are currently open.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have made contact with the denomination’s district offices to find out whether any Brethren have been affected by the storms and flooding, and to offer support and advice. District disaster coordinators have been continuously gathering data, sharing needs, and making our services known to the disaster-impacted communities.
In Iowa this morning, Northern Plains District’s interim executive minister Tim Button-Harrison took part in a conference call with ecumenical leaders and disaster responders including staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries. He also has been checking in with Church of the Brethren congregations along the flooding Cedar River: First Baptist/Brethren Church in Cedar Rapids, Greene Church of the Brethren which is a yoked parish with a Methodist church, Hammond Avenue Brethren Church in Waterloo, and South Waterloo Church of the Brethren.
Button-Harrison reported that some members of First Baptist/Brethren Church have probably lost homes and businesses, and there are a number of families at South Waterloo Church of the Brethren whose homes have been flooded. One of the South Waterloo families has been unable to get to their house because of flooding and is living in a motel, while other families have flooded basements. The South Waterloo Church is giving funds to church families who do not have a place to stay, to help them through this difficult time, he said.
All of the Church of the Brethren buildings are okay, Button-Harrison said. The South Waterloo Church has some flooding in its basement, he added, and the Methodist church affiliated with Greene Church of the Brethren also has a flooded basement. A flooded basement "is a pretty common thing right now!" he said. "The question is how much. If you’ve got four-to-five feet (of water) you may have lost everything."
Button-Harrison also called attention to the similarities with floods in 1993. "In 1993 they talked about it being a once in a 500 year flood," he said. "It’s like we’re getting a 500-year flood every 15 years."
Meanwhile, two grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund totaling $11,000 have been issued in response to an appeal from Church World Service (CWS). These grants are supporting the work of CWS to supply material aid, deploy staff for trainings, and financially support Long-Term Recovery Groups working in the affected areas.
An appeal for Emergency Clean-Up Buckets for distribution in the Indiana flood area has been issued by CWS. Donors should not ship the buckets to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., for this response. Instead, CWS has established a local collection point in Indiana: Penn Products Warehouse, 6075 Lakeside Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46278; 317-388-8580 ext. 298. Drop-off is between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For more information contact the office of CWS at Elkhart, Ind., at 574-264-3102. Go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html for information about what to include in the kits.
--Jane Yount, who serves as coordinator for Brethren Disaster Ministries; Judy Bezon, director of Children’s Disaster Services; and Zachary Wolgemuth, associate director of Brethren Disaster Ministries, contributed to this report.
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
A rash of severe storms and subsequent flooding has disrupted normal life for thousands of families in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains. For weeks, hardly a day has passed without hearing news of yet another tornado or flood. States on either side of the Mississippi have been hit repeatedly. Already 110 people have been killed by tornadoes, almost twice the 10-year average.
Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services staff are monitoring situations in parts of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. This includes participating in conference calls with other response organizations to share information and to offer our services.
As is typical during the initial response phase of a major disaster, Children’s Disaster Services staff have been in touch with American Red Cross personnel in the hardest hit areas, offering to set up child care projects in shelters or assistance centers. Teams of trained child care volunteers will watch children at the centers or shelters while parents clean up and gather the resources necessary to take care of their basic needs and start recovering from the disaster.
Currently Children’s Disaster Services has two project managers in the field, a team of four child care volunteers at work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and 18 more volunteers who are ready to respond.
In Iowa, Children’s Disaster Services is responding in the Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids areas. Lorna Grow of Dallas Center, Iowa, is coordinating that response. Children’s Disaster Services also has been invited to set up child care in a combined shelter/service center in Cedar Rapids. Grow has reported that the evacuation of Des Moines may mean there is a need for child care volunteers to work in a shelter there as well.
In Indiana, Ken Kline from Lima, Ohio, will serve as project manager and is assessing the child care needs in the five American Red Cross service centers that are currently open.
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have made contact with the denomination’s district offices to find out whether any Brethren have been affected by the storms and flooding, and to offer support and advice. District disaster coordinators have been continuously gathering data, sharing needs, and making our services known to the disaster-impacted communities.
In Iowa this morning, Northern Plains District’s interim executive minister Tim Button-Harrison took part in a conference call with ecumenical leaders and disaster responders including staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries. He also has been checking in with Church of the Brethren congregations along the flooding Cedar River: First Baptist/Brethren Church in Cedar Rapids, Greene Church of the Brethren which is a yoked parish with a Methodist church, Hammond Avenue Brethren Church in Waterloo, and South Waterloo Church of the Brethren.
Button-Harrison reported that some members of First Baptist/Brethren Church have probably lost homes and businesses, and there are a number of families at South Waterloo Church of the Brethren whose homes have been flooded. One of the South Waterloo families has been unable to get to their house because of flooding and is living in a motel, while other families have flooded basements. The South Waterloo Church is giving funds to church families who do not have a place to stay, to help them through this difficult time, he said.
All of the Church of the Brethren buildings are okay, Button-Harrison said. The South Waterloo Church has some flooding in its basement, he added, and the Methodist church affiliated with Greene Church of the Brethren also has a flooded basement. A flooded basement "is a pretty common thing right now!" he said. "The question is how much. If you’ve got four-to-five feet (of water) you may have lost everything."
Button-Harrison also called attention to the similarities with floods in 1993. "In 1993 they talked about it being a once in a 500 year flood," he said. "It’s like we’re getting a 500-year flood every 15 years."
Meanwhile, two grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund totaling $11,000 have been issued in response to an appeal from Church World Service (CWS). These grants are supporting the work of CWS to supply material aid, deploy staff for trainings, and financially support Long-Term Recovery Groups working in the affected areas.
An appeal for Emergency Clean-Up Buckets for distribution in the Indiana flood area has been issued by CWS. Donors should not ship the buckets to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., for this response. Instead, CWS has established a local collection point in Indiana: Penn Products Warehouse, 6075 Lakeside Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46278; 317-388-8580 ext. 298. Drop-off is between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For more information contact the office of CWS at Elkhart, Ind., at 574-264-3102. Go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/cleanup-kits.html for information about what to include in the kits.
--Jane Yount, who serves as coordinator for Brethren Disaster Ministries; Judy Bezon, director of Children’s Disaster Services; and Zachary Wolgemuth, associate director of Brethren Disaster Ministries, contributed to this report.
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
Disaster grant goes to Myanmar cyclone response.
A grant from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund will send $30,000 to support Church World Service (CWS) relief work in Myanmar, following the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis.
The grant is an an additional allocation for CWS-sponsored work in Myanmar. Brethren Disaster Ministries staff report that although much response to the cyclone continues to be delayed, the longstanding work of CWS in Asia and its partnership with several local organizations has allowed for a more immediate response that few other organizations have achieved.
The funds from the Church of the Brethren will help provide food rations, safe water supplies, and temporary shelters. A more detailed and comprehensive longterm response is expected in the future.
In a June 6 report from CWS, the organization emphasized that volunteers from local faith partners in Myanmar are visiting villages affected by the cyclone, distributing much-needed relief items to survivors. They are providing clean water through purification tablets and well cleaning, food, shelter, health care including medical teams of doctors and nurses, clothing, blankets, and psychosocial support.
"In all the places where the churches are providing assistance, the food is fresh--they are cooking and providing fresh food every day," explained a pastor in Myanmar, quoted in a CWS release. The pastor coordinates the relief effort among churches throughout the cyclone-affected areas. Speaking from 28 years of affiliation with CWS, the pastor says, "Churches (in Myanmar) provide support in a non-discriminatory way--this is the witness of the church."
Churches are doing this in various ways, one being transforming church buildings into temporary family shelters--21 in total, CWS reports. Church communities are also addressing the emotional pain caused by the cyclone by organizing teams of 20-30 students to provide psychosocial support for people living in displacement camps. "The first response of the people is just to survive," the pastor noted. "They are fearful."
The volunteers connected with CWS are reporting that all the school buildings in the area are destroyed, making it nearly impossible for children to return to school as planned this month. "While relief work is still going on, we have to already think of rehabilitation," one worker said, adding that there were around 50 days left before the monsoon planting season ends. Rice has to be planted before then, otherwise there will be a serious food shortage within six months.
Go to www.churchworldservice.org/news/myanmar/index.html for more information about the Church World Service response in Myanmar.
CWS also is encouraging people of faith to help get the word out to the media that its relief assistance is reaching people in Myanmar, through local partners. Church World Service has been working through partnerships in Myanmar since 1959. CWS has provided the following the sample letter to the editor:
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
A grant from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund will send $30,000 to support Church World Service (CWS) relief work in Myanmar, following the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis.
The grant is an an additional allocation for CWS-sponsored work in Myanmar. Brethren Disaster Ministries staff report that although much response to the cyclone continues to be delayed, the longstanding work of CWS in Asia and its partnership with several local organizations has allowed for a more immediate response that few other organizations have achieved.
The funds from the Church of the Brethren will help provide food rations, safe water supplies, and temporary shelters. A more detailed and comprehensive longterm response is expected in the future.
In a June 6 report from CWS, the organization emphasized that volunteers from local faith partners in Myanmar are visiting villages affected by the cyclone, distributing much-needed relief items to survivors. They are providing clean water through purification tablets and well cleaning, food, shelter, health care including medical teams of doctors and nurses, clothing, blankets, and psychosocial support.
"In all the places where the churches are providing assistance, the food is fresh--they are cooking and providing fresh food every day," explained a pastor in Myanmar, quoted in a CWS release. The pastor coordinates the relief effort among churches throughout the cyclone-affected areas. Speaking from 28 years of affiliation with CWS, the pastor says, "Churches (in Myanmar) provide support in a non-discriminatory way--this is the witness of the church."
Churches are doing this in various ways, one being transforming church buildings into temporary family shelters--21 in total, CWS reports. Church communities are also addressing the emotional pain caused by the cyclone by organizing teams of 20-30 students to provide psychosocial support for people living in displacement camps. "The first response of the people is just to survive," the pastor noted. "They are fearful."
The volunteers connected with CWS are reporting that all the school buildings in the area are destroyed, making it nearly impossible for children to return to school as planned this month. "While relief work is still going on, we have to already think of rehabilitation," one worker said, adding that there were around 50 days left before the monsoon planting season ends. Rice has to be planted before then, otherwise there will be a serious food shortage within six months.
Go to www.churchworldservice.org/news/myanmar/index.html for more information about the Church World Service response in Myanmar.
CWS also is encouraging people of faith to help get the word out to the media that its relief assistance is reaching people in Myanmar, through local partners. Church World Service has been working through partnerships in Myanmar since 1959. CWS has provided the following the sample letter to the editor:
(DATE)--Jane Yount serves as coordinator of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
(YOUR ADDRESS)
Dear editor,
As the death tolls continue to climb from the cyclone that hit Myanmar (Burma) on May 3 aid agencies need additional support for emergency and recovery assistance to survivors. Working in Myanmar (Burma) has been difficult for many aid agencies but those tied to churches have an edge. Through Church World Service my church, the Church of the Brethren, has been able to get assistance to people on the ground in Myanmar (Burma) despite heavy restrictions on international agencies. That’s because most faith-based aid agencies operate by supporting local partners, citizens of the nation in need. The local partners supported by the Church of the Brethren and CWS pre-positioned supplies in advance of Cyclone Nargis and were able to deliver shelter, food, and water soon after the storm. A widespread, international effort will be needed if the people of Myanmar (Burma) are to recover from this disaster. While it is taking time for all agencies to respond, groups based in Myanmar (Burma) are trying to attend to massive needs. It’s important that we, as a community, continue to support relief work in Myanmar (Burma) through our local churches.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)
(YOUR AREA OF RESIDENCE)
(PHONE # for news editor's verification only)
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
Church of the Brethren congregation takes part in Indiana relief effort.
Christ Our Shepherd Church of the Brethren in Greenwood, Ind., has been keeping attuned to all of the relief efforts in Johnson County and the state of Indiana, following storms and flooding. Because of their efforts with the Johnson County courthouse and military veterans, through the denomination's Welcome Home Project, the congregation was called upon to help with the relief efforts ministering to victims of the flood of June 7 and beyond.
The church has teamed up with Johnson County Emergency Management, United Way, and the American Red Cross to be an information center, and with FEMA as a processing point for people to sign in for damage assessment and for FEMA assistance to help with recovery.
Christ Our Shepherd Church also is going to team up with a designated Johnson County person to provide staffing to run a free department store for furniture, washers and dryers, and other appliances. The church’s food pantry will continue to be open 24/7 as they become aware of emergency needs. The church also may be open to housing and providing kitchen facilities for cooking or special needs of volunteers on the way to help flood victims.
Volunteers in Indiana are being urged to be patient and wait for the flood waters to recede and for safe conditions before responding in affected areas.
--Jane Yount serves as coordinator of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
Christ Our Shepherd Church of the Brethren in Greenwood, Ind., has been keeping attuned to all of the relief efforts in Johnson County and the state of Indiana, following storms and flooding. Because of their efforts with the Johnson County courthouse and military veterans, through the denomination's Welcome Home Project, the congregation was called upon to help with the relief efforts ministering to victims of the flood of June 7 and beyond.
The church has teamed up with Johnson County Emergency Management, United Way, and the American Red Cross to be an information center, and with FEMA as a processing point for people to sign in for damage assessment and for FEMA assistance to help with recovery.
Christ Our Shepherd Church also is going to team up with a designated Johnson County person to provide staffing to run a free department store for furniture, washers and dryers, and other appliances. The church’s food pantry will continue to be open 24/7 as they become aware of emergency needs. The church also may be open to housing and providing kitchen facilities for cooking or special needs of volunteers on the way to help flood victims.
Volunteers in Indiana are being urged to be patient and wait for the flood waters to recede and for safe conditions before responding in affected areas.
--Jane Yount serves as coordinator of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Source: 6/13/2008 Newsline Extra
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. Jon Kobel 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. Jon Kobel contributed to this report.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
NEWSLINE EXTRA: ERWIN CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN DESTROYED BY LIGHTNING-SPARKED FIRE
The church building of Erwin (Tenn.) Church of the Brethren has been destroyed in a fire after lightning hit the steeple yesterday evening, June 9.
The same severe storm also passed through Bristol, Tenn., where First Church of the Brethren was hit by lightning but the fire there was contained in the steeple area and did not spread throughout the building.
Southeastern District has called for prayer for both congregations. "We appreciate the prayers. Everyone is just so thankful that no one was hurt," said district co-executive minister Martha Roudebush. Southeastern District is starting a fund to aid the two churches, she said.
Roudebush received phone calls about the two fires at almost the same time. "You can’t comprehend it, the fact that it was the same storm, and two churches in the district," she said. "It was just an emotional time."
"The roof exploded with fire" at the Erwin Church, Roudebush said, describing it as an older building with a steep roof. "The fire traveled so fast through the building," she said. However, First Church in Bristol fared much better. There the congregation will have to fix the steeple and a hole in the roof, but the rest of the building received only smoke and water damage.
Both congregations will be able to worship in their fellowship halls while the sanctuary is repaired, in the case of the Bristol church, or rebuilt in the case of the Erwin church. Both congregations are small, with around 25 to 50 in regular attendance, Roudebush said. First Church of the Brethren in Bristol is pastored by Michael Carmody. Erwin Church of the Brethren currently is being served by Phil Graeber, a retired minister who is preaching there part-time.
According to a report by NewsChannel 11 (WJHL) of Johnson City, Tenn., church members were among those from the town of Erwin who gathered to watch firefighters try unsuccessfully to save their 50-year-old church. Firefighters did succeed in saving the fellowship hall building next to the church.
Dramatic video of the Erwin Church fire has been posted by NewsChannel 11, go to http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/lightning_sparks_fire_destroys_erwin_church/10537/ to view it online.
The church building of Erwin (Tenn.) Church of the Brethren has been destroyed in a fire after lightning hit the steeple yesterday evening, June 9.
The same severe storm also passed through Bristol, Tenn., where First Church of the Brethren was hit by lightning but the fire there was contained in the steeple area and did not spread throughout the building.
Southeastern District has called for prayer for both congregations. "We appreciate the prayers. Everyone is just so thankful that no one was hurt," said district co-executive minister Martha Roudebush. Southeastern District is starting a fund to aid the two churches, she said.
Roudebush received phone calls about the two fires at almost the same time. "You can’t comprehend it, the fact that it was the same storm, and two churches in the district," she said. "It was just an emotional time."
"The roof exploded with fire" at the Erwin Church, Roudebush said, describing it as an older building with a steep roof. "The fire traveled so fast through the building," she said. However, First Church in Bristol fared much better. There the congregation will have to fix the steeple and a hole in the roof, but the rest of the building received only smoke and water damage.
Both congregations will be able to worship in their fellowship halls while the sanctuary is repaired, in the case of the Bristol church, or rebuilt in the case of the Erwin church. Both congregations are small, with around 25 to 50 in regular attendance, Roudebush said. First Church of the Brethren in Bristol is pastored by Michael Carmody. Erwin Church of the Brethren currently is being served by Phil Graeber, a retired minister who is preaching there part-time.
According to a report by NewsChannel 11 (WJHL) of Johnson City, Tenn., church members were among those from the town of Erwin who gathered to watch firefighters try unsuccessfully to save their 50-year-old church. Firefighters did succeed in saving the fellowship hall building next to the church.
Dramatic video of the Erwin Church fire has been posted by NewsChannel 11, go to http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/lightning_sparks_fire_destroys_erwin_church/10537/ to view it online.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
NEWS
- Church of the Brethren continues annual drop in membership.
- Annual Conference moderator visits with Brethren in Nigeria.
- Virlina District joins friend-of-the-court brief on church property.
- United Church of Canada endorses Gather 'Round curriculum.
- Rates drop for charitable gift annuities.
- Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, disaster response, and more.
Church of the Brethren continues annual drop in membership.
First the good news: Membership in the Church of the Brethren dropped by a smaller amount in 2007 that in either of the previous two years, down a net 1,562 members to a total of 125,964 in the US and Puerto Rico. And the denomination’s smallest district, Missouri/Arkansas, had the largest percentage gain, adding a net of six new members to grow to 555 (up 1.09 percent).
Three other districts--Shenandoah (net gain of 46 members), Middle Pennsylvania (31), and West Marva (22)--reported smaller gains in the past year.
The overall decline of 1.22 percent, however, continues a trend dating to the early 1960s. Most "mainline" denominations in the United States have experienced similar trends.
Statistics are from data collected annually by the "Church of the Brethren Yearbook" published by Brethren Press. The figures do not include Church of the Brethren membership in other countries, including Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, and India.
Of the other 19 US districts, the largest losses came elsewhere in Pennsylvania and the west. Western Plains had the largest numerical decline, with a net loss of 307 members. Five other districts--Western Pennsylvania (down 182), Oregon/Washington (174), Illinois/Wisconsin (172), Atlantic Northeast (149), and Southern Pennsylvania (121)--had triple-digit net losses.
As a percentage, Oregon/Washington’s decline was the largest, at 13.4 percent, followed by three other western districts: Western Plains (a net loss of 8.53 percent), Idaho (6.92 percent), and Northern Plains (3.11 percent).
Atlantic Northeast, which covers eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City, and Maine, is the largest district in the denomination, with 14,711 members at the end of 2007, followed by Shenandoah District and Virlina District.
The numbers of congregations, fellowships, and projects were all lower at the end of 2007. Congregations decreased by four, to 1,006; fellowships dropped from 39 to 37; and projects from 15 to 12. Total reported average weekly worship attendance fell by nearly 2,500 from the year before, to 61,125, and the number of baptisms in 2007 dropped sharply, to 1,380.
But in another bit of good news, reported giving to most agencies and programs was up, with average per capita giving of $43. Of the major funds, only the General Board’s Core Ministries Fund saw a slight decrease in actual giving; donations to Bethany Theological Seminary, On Earth Peace, the Association of Brethren Caregivers, and special-purpose funds all increased.
Updated "Yearbook" figures are based on data provided by congregations that turn in statistical reports. In 2007, 64.5 percent of the congregations reported, slightly less than in most previous years; 68.7 percent reported in 2006.
The "Yearbook" also lists contact information and statistics for congregations, districts, and agencies of the denomination, as well as related Brethren organizations. The 2008 edition is available from Brethren Press; to order call 800-441-3712.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of the Church of the Brethren's "Messenger" magazine.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
First the good news: Membership in the Church of the Brethren dropped by a smaller amount in 2007 that in either of the previous two years, down a net 1,562 members to a total of 125,964 in the US and Puerto Rico. And the denomination’s smallest district, Missouri/Arkansas, had the largest percentage gain, adding a net of six new members to grow to 555 (up 1.09 percent).
Three other districts--Shenandoah (net gain of 46 members), Middle Pennsylvania (31), and West Marva (22)--reported smaller gains in the past year.
The overall decline of 1.22 percent, however, continues a trend dating to the early 1960s. Most "mainline" denominations in the United States have experienced similar trends.
Statistics are from data collected annually by the "Church of the Brethren Yearbook" published by Brethren Press. The figures do not include Church of the Brethren membership in other countries, including Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, and India.
Of the other 19 US districts, the largest losses came elsewhere in Pennsylvania and the west. Western Plains had the largest numerical decline, with a net loss of 307 members. Five other districts--Western Pennsylvania (down 182), Oregon/Washington (174), Illinois/Wisconsin (172), Atlantic Northeast (149), and Southern Pennsylvania (121)--had triple-digit net losses.
As a percentage, Oregon/Washington’s decline was the largest, at 13.4 percent, followed by three other western districts: Western Plains (a net loss of 8.53 percent), Idaho (6.92 percent), and Northern Plains (3.11 percent).
Atlantic Northeast, which covers eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City, and Maine, is the largest district in the denomination, with 14,711 members at the end of 2007, followed by Shenandoah District and Virlina District.
The numbers of congregations, fellowships, and projects were all lower at the end of 2007. Congregations decreased by four, to 1,006; fellowships dropped from 39 to 37; and projects from 15 to 12. Total reported average weekly worship attendance fell by nearly 2,500 from the year before, to 61,125, and the number of baptisms in 2007 dropped sharply, to 1,380.
But in another bit of good news, reported giving to most agencies and programs was up, with average per capita giving of $43. Of the major funds, only the General Board’s Core Ministries Fund saw a slight decrease in actual giving; donations to Bethany Theological Seminary, On Earth Peace, the Association of Brethren Caregivers, and special-purpose funds all increased.
Updated "Yearbook" figures are based on data provided by congregations that turn in statistical reports. In 2007, 64.5 percent of the congregations reported, slightly less than in most previous years; 68.7 percent reported in 2006.
The "Yearbook" also lists contact information and statistics for congregations, districts, and agencies of the denomination, as well as related Brethren organizations. The 2008 edition is available from Brethren Press; to order call 800-441-3712.
--Walt Wiltschek is editor of the Church of the Brethren's "Messenger" magazine.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
Annual Conference moderator visits with Brethren in Nigeria.
James Beckwith, moderator of the 2008 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, returned on May 12 from a 12-day trip to Nigeria to visit with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
In Nigeria, Beckwith traveled with David and Judith Whitten. David Whitten serves as Church of the Brethren mission coordinator in Nigeria. The group visited with a number of key leaders in EYN. Currently, Filibus Gwama serves as EYN’s president, Samuel Shinggu as vice president, and Jinatu Wamdeo as general secretary.
Beckwith went to a variety of locations important to the Brethren in Nigeria, including the national capital, Abuja, where EYN has a large congregation; the EYN headquarters and Kulp Bible College and Comprehensive Secondary School near the city of Mubi; the city of Jos, and the nearby Theological College of Northern Nigeria; and the village of Garkida, where decades ago the first Brethren worship service in Nigeria was held outdoors under a tamarind tree. Beckwith presented 300th Anniversary calendars, courtesy of Michigan District, everywhere he went in Nigeria, he said.
In Garkida, he had the opportunity to preach at the church where he had worshiped as a youth, when his parents served as Church of the Brethren missionaries. He spoke with a translator on John 12 and the 300th Anniversary theme. "That was special," he said, adding that he spent time with the children of the congregation in Sunday school classes. He also preached in Abuja. Each service lasted about three-and-a-half hours, and hundreds of people attended, with the congregation in Abuja numbering almost 1,000.
In Nigeria, Beckwith found a church faced by "tremendous struggle with financial strain," including a large disparity between members who are wealthy and those in poverty. The church also is facing up to the task of overcoming tribalism--EYN includes members from a wide variety of ethnic groups--and issues related to the education and nurture of church leaders.
At Kulp Bible College, he heard that the school may put a quota on the number of students, because EYN has more trained pastors than positions available. A theological career is "an exciting opportunity" in Nigeria, Beckwith said. At the same time, there have been periods of months when the church has been unable to pay faculty salaries. And the growth in the number of preaching points in EYN also is slowing down, Beckwith said. Pastors and Bible teachers in Nigeria must "be in it for the Lord’s work," he commented.
EYN is putting into place a plan for a centralized system to pay pastors salaries, rather than having local congregations pay their pastors directly, in order to work on the disparity between more affluent and poorer churches. The church hopes to make the plan work through a new requirement for 70 percent of offerings to congregations to be passed on to the denomination. Another hope for the plan is to be able to fund pensions for retired pastors. EYN also is carrying out an impressive pastoral development program, Beckwith said.
While Beckwith was in the country, EYN leaders were involved in a top-level meeting of religious leaders in northern Nigeria, held in Maiduguri where interfaith violence between Muslims and Christians has killed many people and destroyed churches. The president and vice president of EYN attended along with Muslim Emirs and leaders of other Christian bodies.
In visits with staff of Mission 21, a European mission agency that has worked with EYN and the Church of the Brethren for years, Beckwith heard a good report of work toward a solar-powered well digging and water piping system for EYN headquarters. Mission 21 also works with Theological Education by Extension and an HIV/AIDS project.
He also joined in a pastoral visit by mission workers to pray for health for a baby boy named Micah--the new child of a church member who had lost all five of his older children to illness.
"It’s important to maintain brotherly and sisterly ties with EYN," Beckwith said. "I am impressed by the vibrant life and faith they have in the midst of frequent death." The good regard is mutual, he added. EYN general secretary Jinatu Wamdeo "offered a prayer for me and for the Church of the Brethren, that we would experience peace, purity, progress, and power."
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
James Beckwith, moderator of the 2008 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, returned on May 12 from a 12-day trip to Nigeria to visit with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
In Nigeria, Beckwith traveled with David and Judith Whitten. David Whitten serves as Church of the Brethren mission coordinator in Nigeria. The group visited with a number of key leaders in EYN. Currently, Filibus Gwama serves as EYN’s president, Samuel Shinggu as vice president, and Jinatu Wamdeo as general secretary.
Beckwith went to a variety of locations important to the Brethren in Nigeria, including the national capital, Abuja, where EYN has a large congregation; the EYN headquarters and Kulp Bible College and Comprehensive Secondary School near the city of Mubi; the city of Jos, and the nearby Theological College of Northern Nigeria; and the village of Garkida, where decades ago the first Brethren worship service in Nigeria was held outdoors under a tamarind tree. Beckwith presented 300th Anniversary calendars, courtesy of Michigan District, everywhere he went in Nigeria, he said.
In Garkida, he had the opportunity to preach at the church where he had worshiped as a youth, when his parents served as Church of the Brethren missionaries. He spoke with a translator on John 12 and the 300th Anniversary theme. "That was special," he said, adding that he spent time with the children of the congregation in Sunday school classes. He also preached in Abuja. Each service lasted about three-and-a-half hours, and hundreds of people attended, with the congregation in Abuja numbering almost 1,000.
In Nigeria, Beckwith found a church faced by "tremendous struggle with financial strain," including a large disparity between members who are wealthy and those in poverty. The church also is facing up to the task of overcoming tribalism--EYN includes members from a wide variety of ethnic groups--and issues related to the education and nurture of church leaders.
At Kulp Bible College, he heard that the school may put a quota on the number of students, because EYN has more trained pastors than positions available. A theological career is "an exciting opportunity" in Nigeria, Beckwith said. At the same time, there have been periods of months when the church has been unable to pay faculty salaries. And the growth in the number of preaching points in EYN also is slowing down, Beckwith said. Pastors and Bible teachers in Nigeria must "be in it for the Lord’s work," he commented.
EYN is putting into place a plan for a centralized system to pay pastors salaries, rather than having local congregations pay their pastors directly, in order to work on the disparity between more affluent and poorer churches. The church hopes to make the plan work through a new requirement for 70 percent of offerings to congregations to be passed on to the denomination. Another hope for the plan is to be able to fund pensions for retired pastors. EYN also is carrying out an impressive pastoral development program, Beckwith said.
While Beckwith was in the country, EYN leaders were involved in a top-level meeting of religious leaders in northern Nigeria, held in Maiduguri where interfaith violence between Muslims and Christians has killed many people and destroyed churches. The president and vice president of EYN attended along with Muslim Emirs and leaders of other Christian bodies.
In visits with staff of Mission 21, a European mission agency that has worked with EYN and the Church of the Brethren for years, Beckwith heard a good report of work toward a solar-powered well digging and water piping system for EYN headquarters. Mission 21 also works with Theological Education by Extension and an HIV/AIDS project.
He also joined in a pastoral visit by mission workers to pray for health for a baby boy named Micah--the new child of a church member who had lost all five of his older children to illness.
"It’s important to maintain brotherly and sisterly ties with EYN," Beckwith said. "I am impressed by the vibrant life and faith they have in the midst of frequent death." The good regard is mutual, he added. EYN general secretary Jinatu Wamdeo "offered a prayer for me and for the Church of the Brethren, that we would experience peace, purity, progress, and power."
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
Virlina District joins friend-of-the-court brief on church property.
The Church of the Brethren’s Virlina District has joined a "friend of the court" brief with other denominations, concerning recent court decisions in Virginia related to church property holdings. The district board made the decision to join the friend-of-the-court brief at its meeting on May 10. The issue was referred to the district by the Virginia Council of Churches.
A Civil War-era law is being used to allow a group of conservative Episcopalians to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia with millions of dollars worth of property, according to a "Washington Times" report. The diocese, the Episcopal Church, and a number of other Christian denominations and districts are arguing that the law is unconstitutional. Splits among Episcopalians are over the election of an openly gay bishop, and biblical authority, and those leaving the Episcopal Church are joining a new Anglican body.
Oral arguments in the trial began May 28 at the Fairfax County courthouse. The case is not expected to conclude for some time.
If the Fairfax County court upholds the Civil War-era law, it will set a precedent for the whole state of Virginia, according to Virlina District executive minister David Shumate. Three other Church of the Brethren districts with congregations in Virginia--Shenandoah District, Southeastern District, and Mid-Atlantic District--will be affected along with Virlina.
The case could have implications for Church of the Brethren congregations in Virginia because under Church of the Brethren denominational polity, the property of congregations is held in trust for the use and benefit of the denomination.
The Annual Conference Polity Manual states, "That if the property ever ceases to be used in accordance with the provisions set forth [in the polity manual], or in cases where the congregation has been closed or the property abandoned, the district conference may, upon recommendation of the district board, assert title to the property and have the same vested in the district board, in trust, for the district."
If a congregation attempts to leave the denomination, Church of the Brethren polity states: "Any property that it may have shall be within the control of the district board and may be held for the designated purposes or sold or disposed of in such a manner as the district board, in its sole discretion, may direct."
However the Virginia law in question, passed in 1867 after the Civil War, during a time of dissension in churches over slavery and North-South issues, holds that "when a denomination or congregation divides, the majority can vote on who is the continuing congregation and who owns the property," said Cathy Huffman, chair of the Virlina District Board. "That’s obviously not how we’ve done it" in the Church of the Brethren, she said.
"The law that’s being referred to in the cases in Fairfax County says it doesn’t matter what the church’s polity is," Shumate explained.
The friend-of-the-court brief contends that the law is unconstitutional in that it inserts the state into church relations, Huffman said. If the law is upheld, "the state can potentially decide what is the church," she said. "The denominations that filed the brief are interestingly diverse, but they have the view that the church is larger than the congregation."
"It’s never fun when you have a fight in the family," Huffman commented. A recent conflict in a congregation in Virlina District has been "a vivid example" of problems faced by the Episcopal Church, she said. When the larger part of the congregation decided to leave, the group that continued in relationship with the Church of the Brethren was recognized by the district, even though it was smaller. The district board was "very cautious to make sure we were following Church of the Brethren polity," which made the Episcopal court case all the more disconcerting, Huffman said.
Huffman emphasized that in making the decision to join the friend-of-the-court brief, the district board was reminded by at least one member that their intent is not to signal that the courts are the way to go in church disputes.
In the 1970s when a Church of the Brethren congregation in Botetourt County, Va., tried to leave the denomination, the courts awarded the property to the district because the Church of the Brethren denominational polity was so very clear, Shumate said. He summarized the Church of the Brethren polity in a succinct sentence: "If you leave the church, you leave everything behind."
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
The Church of the Brethren’s Virlina District has joined a "friend of the court" brief with other denominations, concerning recent court decisions in Virginia related to church property holdings. The district board made the decision to join the friend-of-the-court brief at its meeting on May 10. The issue was referred to the district by the Virginia Council of Churches.
A Civil War-era law is being used to allow a group of conservative Episcopalians to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia with millions of dollars worth of property, according to a "Washington Times" report. The diocese, the Episcopal Church, and a number of other Christian denominations and districts are arguing that the law is unconstitutional. Splits among Episcopalians are over the election of an openly gay bishop, and biblical authority, and those leaving the Episcopal Church are joining a new Anglican body.
Oral arguments in the trial began May 28 at the Fairfax County courthouse. The case is not expected to conclude for some time.
If the Fairfax County court upholds the Civil War-era law, it will set a precedent for the whole state of Virginia, according to Virlina District executive minister David Shumate. Three other Church of the Brethren districts with congregations in Virginia--Shenandoah District, Southeastern District, and Mid-Atlantic District--will be affected along with Virlina.
The case could have implications for Church of the Brethren congregations in Virginia because under Church of the Brethren denominational polity, the property of congregations is held in trust for the use and benefit of the denomination.
The Annual Conference Polity Manual states, "That if the property ever ceases to be used in accordance with the provisions set forth [in the polity manual], or in cases where the congregation has been closed or the property abandoned, the district conference may, upon recommendation of the district board, assert title to the property and have the same vested in the district board, in trust, for the district."
If a congregation attempts to leave the denomination, Church of the Brethren polity states: "Any property that it may have shall be within the control of the district board and may be held for the designated purposes or sold or disposed of in such a manner as the district board, in its sole discretion, may direct."
However the Virginia law in question, passed in 1867 after the Civil War, during a time of dissension in churches over slavery and North-South issues, holds that "when a denomination or congregation divides, the majority can vote on who is the continuing congregation and who owns the property," said Cathy Huffman, chair of the Virlina District Board. "That’s obviously not how we’ve done it" in the Church of the Brethren, she said.
"The law that’s being referred to in the cases in Fairfax County says it doesn’t matter what the church’s polity is," Shumate explained.
The friend-of-the-court brief contends that the law is unconstitutional in that it inserts the state into church relations, Huffman said. If the law is upheld, "the state can potentially decide what is the church," she said. "The denominations that filed the brief are interestingly diverse, but they have the view that the church is larger than the congregation."
"It’s never fun when you have a fight in the family," Huffman commented. A recent conflict in a congregation in Virlina District has been "a vivid example" of problems faced by the Episcopal Church, she said. When the larger part of the congregation decided to leave, the group that continued in relationship with the Church of the Brethren was recognized by the district, even though it was smaller. The district board was "very cautious to make sure we were following Church of the Brethren polity," which made the Episcopal court case all the more disconcerting, Huffman said.
Huffman emphasized that in making the decision to join the friend-of-the-court brief, the district board was reminded by at least one member that their intent is not to signal that the courts are the way to go in church disputes.
In the 1970s when a Church of the Brethren congregation in Botetourt County, Va., tried to leave the denomination, the courts awarded the property to the district because the Church of the Brethren denominational polity was so very clear, Shumate said. He summarized the Church of the Brethren polity in a succinct sentence: "If you leave the church, you leave everything behind."
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
United Church of Canada endorses Gather 'Round curriculum.
The United Church of Canada has become the newest cooperative user of the Gather 'Round curriculum, citing its value for congregations that want to connect with families. Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God's Good News is a project of Brethren Press and the Mennonite Publishing Network. The curriculum serves children, youth, and parents and caregivers.
"Family, and parents in particular, play an important role in the spiritual development and faith formation of their children," noted Amy Crawford, program coordinator for children, young teens, and youth. "United Church parents and congregations will appreciate the Talkabout, an important component of Gather 'Round, which provides parents with practical ways to talk about faith with their children, and helps congregations and families stay connected."
Crawford also highlighted the way Gather 'Round helps children encounter the Bible stories. "The stories of the Bible speak powerfully about who God is and how God relates to people and all of creation. Gather 'Round provides children with opportunities to encounter biblical stories, interpret their meaning, and make connections so that they can live the story in the world."
Cooperative users are denominations that have officially endorsed the curriculum for their congregations, warehousing inventory and promoting the material as one of their recommended curricula. Other Gather 'Round cooperative users are the Mennonite Brethren, the Moravian Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. Gather 'Round has also been recommended to congregations of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Brethren in Christ, Friends United Meeting, and areas of the Episcopal Church.
For more go to www.gatherround.org or call Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
The United Church of Canada has become the newest cooperative user of the Gather 'Round curriculum, citing its value for congregations that want to connect with families. Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God's Good News is a project of Brethren Press and the Mennonite Publishing Network. The curriculum serves children, youth, and parents and caregivers.
"Family, and parents in particular, play an important role in the spiritual development and faith formation of their children," noted Amy Crawford, program coordinator for children, young teens, and youth. "United Church parents and congregations will appreciate the Talkabout, an important component of Gather 'Round, which provides parents with practical ways to talk about faith with their children, and helps congregations and families stay connected."
Crawford also highlighted the way Gather 'Round helps children encounter the Bible stories. "The stories of the Bible speak powerfully about who God is and how God relates to people and all of creation. Gather 'Round provides children with opportunities to encounter biblical stories, interpret their meaning, and make connections so that they can live the story in the world."
Cooperative users are denominations that have officially endorsed the curriculum for their congregations, warehousing inventory and promoting the material as one of their recommended curricula. Other Gather 'Round cooperative users are the Mennonite Brethren, the Moravian Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. Gather 'Round has also been recommended to congregations of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Brethren in Christ, Friends United Meeting, and areas of the Episcopal Church.
For more go to www.gatherround.org or call Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
Rates drop for charitable gift annuities.
The Board of the American Council on Gift Annuities has voted to reduce the recommended charitable gift annuity rates, effective July 1, according to Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT). Lowering the rates for deferred charitable gift annuities, effective July 1, also was recommended by ACGA at its annual review.
These rates are linked to the ages of annuitants and are expressed in percentages of the original gift amount, and they define the amount paid to the annuitants each year. BBT is advising those planning to make charitable gift annuities to act before the rate change goes into effect on July 1.
"The annuity rate of a charitable gift annuity is determined at the time it is issued, and that rate cannot be changed once it is established," said Steve Mason, director of the Brethren Foundation. "Because the payout may extend over many years, the benefit from acting before the rate change should be considered."
BBT offered a comparison of current rates to the new recommended rates, to illustrate how the change may affect annuitants. At the current rate, an annuitant of a "One-Life Charitable Gift Annuity" at age 60 receives 5.7 percent, but for annuities issued after the rate change the person would receive only 5.5 percent. At age 75, under current rates, the annuitant receives 7.1 percent, but for annuities issued after July 1 the new rate would be 6.7 percent. Annuitants of a "Two-Life Charitable Gift Annuity" at age 60 at the current rate receive 5.4 percent, but for an annuity issued at the new rate they would receive only 5.2 percent.
"To put this into perspective, a $10,000 charitable gift annuity issued before July 1 for a 60-year-old would generate an annual annuity payment of $570. But, if the very same charitable gift annuity had been issued after June 30, the payment would be only $550," Mason said.
Those considering a charitable gift annuity should consult with the charitable organization where the annuity would be issued. For more information contact Steve Mason, Director of the Brethren Foundation, at smason_bbt@brethren.org or 888-311-6530.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
The Board of the American Council on Gift Annuities has voted to reduce the recommended charitable gift annuity rates, effective July 1, according to Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT). Lowering the rates for deferred charitable gift annuities, effective July 1, also was recommended by ACGA at its annual review.
These rates are linked to the ages of annuitants and are expressed in percentages of the original gift amount, and they define the amount paid to the annuitants each year. BBT is advising those planning to make charitable gift annuities to act before the rate change goes into effect on July 1.
"The annuity rate of a charitable gift annuity is determined at the time it is issued, and that rate cannot be changed once it is established," said Steve Mason, director of the Brethren Foundation. "Because the payout may extend over many years, the benefit from acting before the rate change should be considered."
BBT offered a comparison of current rates to the new recommended rates, to illustrate how the change may affect annuitants. At the current rate, an annuitant of a "One-Life Charitable Gift Annuity" at age 60 receives 5.7 percent, but for annuities issued after the rate change the person would receive only 5.5 percent. At age 75, under current rates, the annuitant receives 7.1 percent, but for annuities issued after July 1 the new rate would be 6.7 percent. Annuitants of a "Two-Life Charitable Gift Annuity" at age 60 at the current rate receive 5.4 percent, but for an annuity issued at the new rate they would receive only 5.2 percent.
"To put this into perspective, a $10,000 charitable gift annuity issued before July 1 for a 60-year-old would generate an annual annuity payment of $570. But, if the very same charitable gift annuity had been issued after June 30, the payment would be only $550," Mason said.
Those considering a charitable gift annuity should consult with the charitable organization where the annuity would be issued. For more information contact Steve Mason, Director of the Brethren Foundation, at smason_bbt@brethren.org or 888-311-6530.
Source: 6/4/2008 Newsline
Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, disaster response, and more.
- John Rodney Davis, 80, passed away on May 25. He was a former director of volunteer services for the Church of the Brethren General Board 1960-64, when he administered Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) and Alternative Service programs, and assisted in placing Brethren Service personnel. He previously was director of training for BVS in 1951. He was a volunteer member of the first BVS unit in 1948 and served as a "peace caravaner" in the Southeastern and Eastern regions of the denomination. His work for the University of La Verne (ULV) in California spanned three decades, and included positions in the public relations department and as professor of psychology. During his tenure at ULV he also developed and directed LV CAPA, an accelerated degree program for working adults. He had a private psychology practice and worked at Tri City Mental Health in Pomona, Calif., as a psychologist. He also taught at the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif., in the advanced degree program in psychology. He was born in Wenatchee, Wash., in 1927, and earned degrees from La Verne College and Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Davis was a passionate pacifist, and during the Korean War served in alternative service at Bethany Hospital in Chicago. He marched in the 1963 Civil Rights march, and witnessed Martin Luther King Jr. deliver "I Have A Dream." He was a lifetime member of La Verne Church of the Brethren. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dorothy (Brandt) Davis--who also was in the first BVS unit; and by their four children and 13 grandchildren. A memorial service was held May 28 at La Verne Church of the Brethren. Memorial contributions may be made to On Earth Peace or to the La Verne Church.
- Susan Chapman has resigned as fulltime program director for Camp Bethel, after completion of this summer’s camping program. Camp Bethel is a program of Virlina District, located near Fincastle, Va. Chapman has served in the position for seven years. During her tenure, attendance at summer camps grew 48 percent. She begins a bachelor of nursing program this fall.
- Kendra Flory has begun a summer internship with the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). She is a student at Bethany Theological Seminary. In previous volunteer service at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., she served in Ministry Summer Service with Brethren Press in 2000, and as a program volunteer in 2001, first with "Messenger" magazine and then with ABC. Most recently she has been interim editor for ABC’s "Caregiving" quarterly, while also serving an internship at First Church of the Brethren in Wichita, Kan.
- The Church of the Brethren's new Mission Advisory Group is scheduled to meet with the Brethren World Mission on June 16 at the Young Center at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. Following that meeting, the group plans to stay on for more meetings with Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board, and R. Jan Thompson, interim executive director of Global Mission Partnerships. The group will look at current staffing for mission, will assist in the formation of a position description for the executive director of Global Mission Partnerships, and will receive reports from Brethren mission work around the world. Members of the group are Bob Kettering, Dale Minnich, James F. Myer, Louise Baldwin Rieman, Roger Schrock, Carol Spicher Waggy, and Earl K. Ziegler.
- Somerset (Pa.) Church of the Brethren has received an exceptionally generous donation from a church member, according to a report in the "Daily American" newspaper. Warren Enfield gave $500,000 to help pay off the mortgage for a new church building. "I did something that I will remember for the rest of my life, and it’s completely gratifying," he told the newspaper. Go to www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/05/18/news/news/news936.txt for the full article.
- Pacific Southwest District is requesting prayer for Principe de Paz Church of the Brethren in Santa Ana, Calif., which was burglarized on the night of May 29. Most of the church’s sound system and musical instruments were stolen. The district requests notes of prayer and support to be sent through pastor Mercedes Zapata, community outreach pastor Richard Zapata, or family life minister Becky Zapata, at Principe de Paz Church of the Brethren, 502 S. Ross St., Santa Ana, CA 92701-5598.
- The 35th Annual Brethren Bible Institute will be held July 21-25 on the campus of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. For more information, contact the Virlina District Resource Center at virlinasecretary@gmail.com for a complete brochure listing course descriptions, instructors, cost, and scholarship information. The application process must be completed by June 25.
- York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill.; Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and the Emerging Welcomers of Turkey Creek Church of the Brethren in Nappanee, Ind., have recently joined the Supportive Communities Network of the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests (BMC). The network includes communities that are publicly affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. A release from BMC added that all three congregations have a long history of community involvement and commitment to peace and justice ministries.
- During commencement ceremonies, Manchester College awarded two honorary doctorates, to Donald Miller, professor emeritus of Bethany Theological Seminary who also has served the Church of the Brethren as general secretary; and to Loren Finnell, a 1964 graduate and founder of a New York City-based nonprofit that seeks funds for social service projects in Latin America--he was a recent recipient of the Sergeant Shriver Award from the Peace Corps.
- The World Hunger Committee of Virlina District has announced a full schedule of events for this year. The group raises funds and awareness of hunger problems in the world. Events include a bike ride on June 7, starting at Antioch Church of the Brethren; an organ concert on June 8 at the Antioch Church; a Family Fun Day on July 19 at Monte Vista Acres; and the Hunger Auction, the group’s "flagship event," on Aug. 9 at the Antioch Church. This will be the 19th Annual World Hunger Bike Ride. Contact Ron Jamison at 540-721-2361 for more about the ride. Go to www.worldhungerauction.org for more about the World Hunger Committee’s ministry.
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has announced its first delegation to the Kurdish region of Iraq, on July 31-Aug. 14. CPT has had a presence in Iraq since Oct. 2002, first in Baghdad, and since Nov. 2006 in the Kurdish north of the country. For more information or to apply, contact CPT at delegations@cpt.org or see www.cpt.org. Applications must be received by June 9.
- The New Community Project, a Church of the Brethren related nonprofit, has announced another $12,000 in grants to southern Sudan, primarily for women's development and reforestation focused on the communities of Maridi and Nimule. "This brings to over $30,000 our support in 2008 thus far," said director David Radcliff. The project also has placed six young adults in Sudan this summer, to serve as "solidarity workers" in schools and in the reforestation project. The volunteers are Marie Bowman of Bally, Pa.; Jana Burtner and Emily Young of Harrisonburg, Va., who are members of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisonburg; Sarah Durnbaugh of Indianapolis, Ind., and a member of Northview Church of the Brethren; Julie Sears of East Sandwich, Mass.; and Larisa Zehr of Pittsburgh, Pa. Go to www.newcommunityproject.org for more.
- The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Burger King Corp. have announced plans to work together to improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers who harvest tomatoes in Florida. Among other agreements, Burger King Corp. will pay an additional net penny per pound for Florida tomatoes, to increase wages for the farmworkers. To encourage grower participation in this increased wage program, Burger King Corp. will fund incremental payroll taxes and administrative costs incurred by growers, or a total of 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes. "If the Florida tomato industry is to be sustainable longterm, it must become more socially responsible. We, along with other industry leaders, recognize that the Florida tomato harvesters are in need of better wages, working conditions, and respect for the hard work they do," said a Burger King Corp. spokesperson. Yum! Brands and McDonald’s already have made similar agreements. The CIW campaign has been supported by the National Council of Churches and several Christian denominations. "This coalition of farm workers has worked tirelessly in this effort and we celebrate with them in this great victory," said Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office and a board member of the National Farm Worker Ministry. At the 2008 Annual Conference, the Church of the Brethren will address additional issues for farmworkers through a resolution against modern-day slavery, and Baldemar Valesquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, will speak at the Global Mission Partnerships Dinner.
- Madalyn Metzger of Elkhart Valley Church of the Brethren and a communication manager for Mennonite Mutual Aid, was recognized with a "Forty Under 40" award by the Michiana regional chambers of commerce, the "Elkhart Truth," "South Bend Tribune," and Bethel College. The award recognizes 40 young professionals under the age of 40 for professional contribution in the workplace, dedication to community service, and volunteerism. Metzger also is a member of the On Earth Peace board of directors and a 1999 graduate of Manchester College.
- "Springs of Living Water: Christ-Centered Church Renewal," a book by Church of the Brethren member David S. Young, has been published by Herald Press. Young is a pastor and church renewal leader who has used the model explained in the book in guiding congregations and districts to take on church renewal. The book serves as a manual to help a church cultivate its spiritual life, train leaders, and focus efforts in ministries which express its identity and call, through a renewal team that is trained to get the entire congregation involved.
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