Brethren bits: Correction, remembrance, personnel, job, GFCF grant, more.

• Correction: The correct date for the group photo of Brethren Pension Plan members and spouses who are in Schwarzenau, Germany, for the 300th Anniversary celebration, is Saturday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m.
  
  
• Lillian Dako, funding system specialist for the Centralized Resources department of the Church of the Brethren General Board, passed away unexpectedly at her home during the early morning hours of June 30. The General Board has requested prayer for her daughter, Susan, and her brother, Bob. Dako had worked at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., for almost 14 years, having begun work for the General Board on Aug. 8, 1994. She filled a position with the finance and funding areas, and her work included processing donations and accounts receivable, as well as work with fundraising efforts. A high point of her work took place in early 2005, when she processed a record amount of giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund, representing the generous response of Brethren to the tsunami in southeast Asia--close to 10 times the amount given in the same period in the previous year. Interviewed for a Newsline article in Feb. 2005, Dako called the response "astounding," and noted with excitement that each day that January she received about the number of gifts that usually arrive in a month. Dako is survived by her brother, Bob, and her daughter, Susan. The community at the General Offices gathered for a time of prayer and scripture in her memory on the afternoon of her death. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 5, at 2-4 p.m. at Geils Funeral Home in Wood Dale, Ill.
  
  
• Katie O'Donnell of Royersford, Pa., has completed her term of service as a community outreach worker in Campo Limpo, Brazil, with the Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board. She was serving through Brethren Volunteer Service. O'Donnell plans to begin a master's degree program in English as a second language and linguistics at the University of Arizona in the fall.
  
  
• Ryan Richards of Coupeville, Wash., has completed his term of service at Miguel Angel Asturias Academy, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, where he was working through Brethren Volunteer Service. His work was funded by the Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board. He will begin a master's degree program in public administration at New York University in the fall.
  
  
• Camp Bethel is accepting resumes for the fulltime, year-round position of food services director. The position is available immediately. It is a salaried position for a dependable, caring worker with good interpersonal and leadership skills. Culinary experience or training is required, and staff management experience is preferred. The starting benefits package includes a salary of $28,050, family medical insurance, a pension plan, a travel allowance, and professional growth funds. An application form, a position description, and more information is available at www.campbethelvirginia.org/jobs.htm or send a letter of interest and an updated resume to Barry LeNoir at camp.bethel@juno.com. Camp Bethel is an outdoor ministries center of the Church of the Brethren’s Virlina District, located near Fincastle, Va.
  
  
• The Global Food Crisis Fund has given a grant of $13,760 to the Foods Resource Bank. The grant represents the fund’s 2008 allocation for operational support of Foods Resource Bank. The Global Food Crisis Fund is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
  
  
• On Earth Peace is inviting congregations to join the World Council of Churches' 2008 International Day of Prayer for Peace on Sunday, Sept. 21. "Will your church be praying for peace?" said the invitation. The announcement noted that hundreds of thousands of people from churches, synagogues, and mosques around the world are expected to join together in the annual International Day of Prayer for Peace. For those participating through On Earth Peace, there will be opportunities to connect with other congregations concerned about violence, access to On Earth Peace resources, and guidance on how to make praying and acting for God's peace an ongoing activity. Go to www.onearthpeace.org/prayforpeace for more information about the event and to register. On Earth Peace is an agency rooted in the Church of the Brethren, helping people faithfully discern "the things that make for peace" (Luke 19), see www.onearthpeace.org or call 410-635-8704.
  
  
• Work has begun to replace the air conditioning "chillers" at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The building’s two air conditioners are 50 years old, and were scheduled for replacement in 2009. However, last October one failed and is not worth repairing as it has outlived its useful life. In March, the General Board approved a new thermal ice storage system that chills water and make ice in large exterior storage tanks. The ice will be made in the tanks at night when energy costs and temperatures are lower. The building is then cooled by circulating water through the tanks that were frozen the previous night. The project also includes related asbestos abatement, and cross connection of chilled water pipes to allow the one functioning chiller to cool the entire building during the replacement process. The installation contract has been awarded to Mechanical, Inc. The entire project is expected to be completed by August 10.
  
  
• Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill., was one of more than 275 congregations across the country that displayed anti-torture banners during June. According to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, the congregations were of a wide variety of faiths. The anti-torture banners commemorated Torture Awareness Month, and read "Torture is a Moral Issue" or "Torture is Wrong." Go to www.tortureisamoralissue.org to learn more, or contact the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, 316 F St. NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC, 20002; 202-547-1920.
  
  
• La Porte (Ind.) Church of the Brethren has set a date for the workday to replace its fellowship hall ceiling. The workday will be held Sept. 8. Contact the church at 219-362-1733.
  
  
• Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is hosting a Mission Seminar sponsored by the Brethren World Missions group on July 23, from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The seminar will be led by members of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The morning session will be on the topic, "The Muslim-Christian Conflict and the EYN Response," and the afternoon session will be on "Strategies for the Growing Church in Nigeria." Cost is $6 for lunch. Continuing education credit is available for a $10 fee. Call 717-626-2131 for reservations for the seminar, the deadline is July 14. An evening rally will follow at Hempfield Church of the Brethren, where about 30 members of EYN are expected to attend. Several will tell stories of life in Nigeria and the health of the church. African-style worship and music will be shared.
  
  
• Members of South Waterloo Church of the Brethren in Waterloo, Iowa, have been helping clean up following the flooding. "This last week we had an outpouring of volunteers from South Waterloo who assisted two church families with after-flood clean-up," reported church board chair Sandy Marsau in the Northern Plains District e-mail newsletter. Approximately 75 people from the church assisted at three different clean-up times to remove items from the two homes. One family was still unable to return to their home as it had sustained much damage and required inspection.
  
  
• Northern Plains District also reported that Sheldon (Iowa) Church of the Brethren has donated $2,500 for disaster response. Sandi Cox, treasurer of the Sheldon church, contacted the district to share that the congregation voted to send the money for district disaster relief efforts. In addition, donations to the District Disaster Fund have been coming in from individual members, the district said.
  
  
• Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village in Boonsboro, Md., is hosting its Fourth Annual Summer Festival on Aug. 2, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The festival features free admission and family fun including a Landmark Search with a $250 cash prize, childrens’ crafts, games, a water park, a petting zoo, a Classic Car Cruise-In, arts and crafts vendors, "The Magic of Dean Burkett," and a bake sale. Go to www.fkmh.org or call 301-671-5000 or -5001 for more information.
  
  
• Church of the Brethren member Rachel W.N. Brown has authored a children’s Christmas book, "Small Camel Follows the Star." Illustrations are by Giuliano Ferri, an Italian artist. The hardback book is published by Albert Whitman and Company. The nativity story follows Wise Balthazar, Small Camel, and his mother as they follow the star across the desert to look for a baby king. Brown is a quilt artist who has for many years helped organize the Annual Conference quilt auction of the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren. The story of Small Camel was born as she researched details for a special Christmas quilt. Order the book from Brethren Press for $16.95 plus shipping and handling.

Source: 7/2/2008 Newsline