Brethren bits: Mission and Ministry Board, Bethany visit day, more upcoming events.

• The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board will hold its fall meeting on Oct. 15-19 at the church’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The agenda includes a performance appraisal for the general secretary; work on new mission, vision, and core values statements following up on the coming together of the former General Board with the former Association of Brethren Caregivers; a budget for 2010; financial resourcing for denominational ministries; a resolution on torture; trustee appointments to India trusts; and a number of reports including an Intercultural Survey and the Brethren Witness Listening Process.
  
  
• Bethany Theological Seminary invites prospective students to a Campus Visit Day on Friday, Nov. 6. "Come savour the mystery and meaning at Bethany Theological Seminary!" said an invitation. "Engage with students and faculty, participate in theological discussions, come to the table to eat, pray, and learn." For more details and to register go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/visit or contact Elizabeth Keller at kelleel@bethanyseminary.edu or 800-287-8822 ext. 1832.
  
  
• A program titled "Money: Friend or Foe?" will be presented by Carol Bowman, coordinator for Stewardship Formation for the Church of the Brethren, on Oct. 24 at the Red Barn in North Franklin County, Va., hosted by Antioch Church of the Brethren and other area congregations. The program will help younger adults focus on stewardship as a way of life but all ages are encouraged to attend. Sessions start at 4:30 p.m. A corn maze and hay ride will be offered for children, along with a session for children kindergarten through fifth grade at 6:45 p.m. At 7:45 p.m. an intergenerational session "Every Day in Every Way" will be offered. A hot dog supper and campfire will close the evening.
  
  
• Selma (Va.) Church of the Brethren observes its 95th anniversary with a special Homecoming on Oct. 18.
  
  
• Bedford (Pa.) Church of the Brethren celebrates its 50th anniversary on Oct. 10.
  
  
• Brethren in Sioux City, Iowa, are sponsoring a workshop on Oct. 16-17 titled, "Peace Is Possible!" The workshop led by On Earth Peace is intended to teach ways of making peace between people, at school, at work, and in communities. The co-facilitators are John Pickens and Rick Polhamus. For more information contact Lucinda Douglas at nightowl21@juno.com or 712-204-8950.
  
  
• First Church of the Brethren in Chicago, Ill., is holding a benefit "Raising the Roof for Youth." The target is to raise $1,500 for an unexpected roof repair. "First Church of the Brethren in East Garfield Park is a small church with a big impact on the youth of Chicago, particularly ones who face a lack of resources and violence as a way of life," said an invitation to the fundraiser. "Ceasefire, an organization that has made a big difference for youth by reducing gun violence, has its headquarters in the church, as does the youth-oriented DOOR program. In addition the church has its own youth programs including an after-school tutoring program. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here in the ’60s, speaking about what is possible for the neighborhood and the nation." The Raising the Roof for Youth concert will be held on Oct. 10 from 7-10 p.m. at the Hidden Cove in Chicago featuring musicians John Greenfield, Seth Hitsky and Hashim Uqdah, and The Match Factory.
  
  
• Several district conferences will be held on Oct. 9-10, including the Atlantic Northeast District Conference at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College on the theme "Receive, Refresh, Released to Bless"; the Idaho District Conference at Nampa (Idaho) Church of the Brethren on the theme "Choose to Serve"; and the Atlantic Southeast District Conference at Arcadia (Fla.) Church of the Brethren on the theme "Be Holy Because God Is Holy." This will be the 40th district conference for Atlantic Northeast, and the 125th conference for Atlantic Southeast. On Oct. 16-17, Middle Pennsylvania District holds its conference at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., on the theme, "God Lives in Us."
  
  
• Pleasant Hill Village, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in Girard, Ill., is holding its 13th annual dinner and auction on the theme, "Western Hoedown," on Oct. 17. The event will be held in Virden, Ill., at the Knights of Columbus Hall beginning at 5 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. Ccontact Paulette Miller at 217-627-2181 or phvil@royell.org.
  
  
• A seminar on Long-Term Care Insurance will occur Oct. 27-28 at Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village in Boonsboro, Md. The session Oct. 27 will be at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium; on Oct. 28 information will be presented at 10 a.m. in the Board Room. Randy Yoder, Insurance Services director for Brethren Benefit Trust, will lead the seminars. Reservations are recommended, contact Mike Leiter at 301-671-5015.
  
  
• The newly organized Church Development and Evangelism Team of Shenandoah District is announcing a special event for all congregations in the district, as it works on a plan for renewal and revitalization for new church development and congregational life. The event will be held Oct. 17 from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at First Church of the Brethren in Harrisonburg, Va. Jonathan Shively, executive director of the Church of the Brethren’s Congregational Life Ministries will give one of the presentations. Participants also will work together in dynamic group exercises to develop strategies for the district’s vision for church growth.
  
  
• Founders Hall, the first building on the Juniata College campus in Huntingdon, Pa., built in 1879, has undergone a renovation and will be dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23. The Founders Hall renovation, completed for $8.5 million, will have a grand opening on Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 30-Nov.1. The refurbishment features environmentally conscious technology, yet many of the building's signature features remain, according to a release from the college. The restoration by Street Dixon Rick Architects of Nashville, Tenn., emphasized "green design" and was built as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. Juniata will seek a LEED Silver designation certification from the US Green Building Council.
  
  
• A Reorganization Meeting for Camp Mount Hermon in Western Plains District will be held on Oct. 10. Trustees (past and present), campers, parents, camp staff, and friends of the camp were invited to the meeting in an announcement in the district newsletter. The meeting will select the new members of the camp’s board of trustees. Over the past 18 months, the current trustees and district groups have worked together to create a new structure for the trustees group as well as an operations agreement, the newsletter reported.
  
  
• Elizabethtown (Pa.) President Theodore E. Long will speak at a seminar on "Brethren Higher Education and Church Renewal" on Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. at Bridgewater (Va.) College. "If the colleges have grown while the denomination has lost membership, can the church learn something from Brethren campuses, especially about interpretation of the Brethren heritage?" said a release about the event. The seminar will be held in the Boitnott Room of the Kline Campus Center. Contact Steve Longenecker at slongene@bridgewater.edu.
  
  
• The National Council of Churches is offering a free national conference call for people of faith to kick off a "Fighting Poverty with Faith" week of action. The call will be offered on Oct. 14 at 2-3 p.m. eastern time, and will give an opportunity to hear from several national faith-based leaders, elected officials, and others working to reduce poverty. Presenters will include Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA; Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; and Miquela Craytor, executive director of Sustainable South Bronx. For information about how to join the call go to www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com.

Source: 10/9/2009 Newsline Extra