Brethren bits: Correction, remembrance, CDS to Minot, and more.

• Correction: The Quilt Auction sponsored by the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren offered two mini-quilts and five wall hangings, along with six paintings created by artist/pastor Dave Weiss to highlight the daily themes. The paintings brought $364.
  
  
• If you have not yet registered for the 2011 National Older Adult Conference in Lake Junaluska, N.C., on Sept. 5-9, now is the time to sign up and save $30. Register by mail or online at www.brethren.org/NOAC on or before July 22 for the reduced rate of $150 per person. All registrations postmarked or submitted after July 22 will be $180. Bus trips to NOAC also have been announced. The NOAC office has contact information for bus hosts for the following: Atlantic Northeast District (from Hershey, Pa.)--Bill Puffenberger; Atlantic Northeast (from Brethren Village)--Earl Ziegler; Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio--Ron McAdams; Southern Pennsylvania District--Glenn Kinsel; Western Plains District--David Fruth or Ed and June Switzer. Contact the NOAC office at 800-323-8039 ext. 302 or NOAC2011@brethren.org or go to www.brethren.org/NOAC for information about the conference.
  
  
• Remembrance: Kaysa Joanne (Anderson) (McAdams) Meeks, a former treasurer and business manager at Bethany Theological Seminary, died July 1 after a struggle with cancer. She was residing at the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio. Born April 10, 1938, she grew up in Hartford City, Ind., and attended Ball State University. She was married to Larry McAdams from 1963-80 and lived in Tipp City, Ohio, until 1988. She worked for DAP Inc. and received her MBA from the University of Dayton. After graduation, she was promoted to production manager for DAP and relocated to Chicago, Ill. She then worked for Bethany Seminary and relocated with the school to Richmond, Ind., until retirement. On Jan. 12, 2002, she married Dan Meeks. She was a long time member of the Middle District Church of the Brethren (Good Shepherd) and Oakland Church of the Brethren in Bradford, Ohio. She is survived by her husband; daughter Pam McAdams-Belgar of Brookville, Ohio; son Tim McAdams of San Francisco, Calif.; stepdaughters Jenni (Rick) Phillips and Jane (Paul) Combs of Brookville; and grandchildren. A memorial celebration was held July 9 at Oakland Church of the Brethren. Memorial donations are received to Emmaus Community of Darke County, Oakland Church of the Brethren, and State of the Heart Hospice. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.zecharbailey.com.
  
  
• Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) has been asked to deploy a team to Minot, N.D., to work in shelters there. The request came from the American Red Cross. Many families in Minot have lost their homes to severe flooding of the Souris River. "They are predicting that it will be a long term response through the end of October," reported Judy Bezon, associate director of Children’s Disaster Services. "We are gathering a team that will arrive on Monday."
  
  
• The war in Afghanistan is the focus of this week’s Action Alert from the Church of the Brethren’s Peace Witness Ministries and advocacy officer Jordan Blevins. The alert responds to the adoption of a resolution against the war by Annual Conference. "As the resolution states, there are so many ways we can take action, beginning by being in prayer for all those impacted by the conflict. We can also extent our witness from prayer to action of our hands and feet.... Part of that is using our voices to advocate for policy changes, and changes that bring a responsible end to the war." The alert calls attention to an amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act: "Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act" (HR 1735) that "calls on the Obama Administration to execute an immediate and responsible end to the war in Afghanistan," the alert said. Go to https://secure2.convio.net/chob/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=159 for a form to contact members of Congress to support and co-sponsor HR 1735.
  
  
• Wayne Pence, pastor of Mountain View Fellowship Church of the Brethren in Shenandoah District, and his daughter Natalie represented the Church of the Brethren at a national gathering of Bread for the World in Washington, D.C., in June.
  
  
• Red Oak Grove Church in Floyd County, Va., dedicates a new fellowship hall on July 17.
  
  
• Brethren across the country are invited to the Fifth Annual Family Peace Camp at Camp Ithiel near Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 2-4 (Friday evening to Sunday noon) just before Labor Day. The resource leader is Peggy Gish, a Church of the Brethren member and member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) who has just returned from three months in the Middle East. Her session topics, following the theme "Dare to Act for Peace," are: Truthtelling: Unmasking the Lies; Interrupting Violence through Accompaniment and Intervention; Rising above the Culture of Violence; Moving Beyond Our Fear...to Action; and Visions and Dreams: Daring to Do the Impossible. The camp also includes morning devotions and worship, campfire, talent night, discussions, swimming, table games, music, and more. For information about the minimal costs for food and lodging, directions, and questions contact Phil Lersch at PhilLersch@verizon.net or 727-544-2911. Lersch is chair of the Atlantic Southeast District Action for Peace Team.
  
  
• The Southeastern District of the Church of the Brethren holds its District Conference at Mars Hill (N.C.) College on July 22-24. Two districts hold meetings the following weekend, July 29-31: Northern Plains District at Camp Pine Lake in Eldora, Iowa, and Northern Ohio District at Ashland (Ohio) University.
  
  
• Elizabethtown (Pa.) College Music Camp the week of July 10-16 has been collecting music instruments--new and used--to benefit students at Joplin (Mo.) High School whose community was ravaged by an EF5 tornado. Cash donations also were accepted at each performance.
  
  
• Young Christians age 18-30 are invited to apply for a program addressing the links between environmental and socio-economic justice, jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). "Youth for Eco-Justice" starts with a two-week training and immersion in the context of the international climate change negotiations (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa. The seminar will take place at the Glenmore Pastoral Centre in Durban from Nov. 26-Dec. 10. In the months following, participants will initiate and implement projects in their home countries. Postmark deadline for applications is Aug. 15. Download a brochure at www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2011pdfs/WCC-LWF-YouthForEcojustice.pdf. The online application form is at www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=f54fe07268cc5a390faf.

Source: 7/14/2011 Newsline