Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Chris Douglas, Merv Keeney, Ralph McFadden, David Radcliff, Mary Sue Rosenberger, Fred Swartz, Will Thomas, Glenn and Linda Timmons, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
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Source: Newsline 7/30/2004
Top
Friday, July 30, 2004
Friday, July 16, 2004
NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Annual Conference meets in Charleston, W.Va., shows commitment to difficult issues.
- Conference worship services focus on loving God and neighbor.
- A host of activities keep Conference-goers busy.
- General Board sets budget parameters, passes resolution on Iraq.
- Funds aid Sudanese, Hondurans, Church World Service, and provide flood relief.
- Brethren bits: Disaster relief, BVS, and much more.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual Conference meets in Charleston, W.Va., shows commitment to difficult issues.
Annual Conference showed persistence and a commitment to deal with difficult and divisive issues in its deliberations in Charleston, W.Va., July 3-7. Through days of meetings, moderator Chris Bowman, a pastor at Martinsburg (Pa.) Memorial Church of the Brethren, guided an engaged and lively delegate body through a maze of issues, motions, and amendments with intelligence and clarity. Ronald Beachley, executive minister for Western Pennsylvania District, was chosen as moderator-elect, to lead the 2006 Conference in Des Moines.
Total attendance of 4,038--including 920 congregational and district delegates--easily topped last year's gathering of 2,844 in Boise and came close to the Baltimore registration figure of 5,029 in 2001. It was announced that San Diego, Calif., will be the Conference site in 2009. Next year's Conference will take place in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6.
Extensive discussion and an extremely close vote on a substitute motion revealed deep division in the delegate body over the report on "Congregational Disagreements with Annual Conference Decisions." Similar discussion with regard to other business items--particularly the denominational name, doing church business, and multi-ethnic church and cross cultural ministries--gave a sense that the delegate body also was deeply divided over how open to diversity and differing opinions the church ought to be.
There were indications that Annual Conference leadership may be moving to invite more open conversations, in pre-Conference meetings of the Standing Committee of district delegates. The committee talked about hurts and brokenness in the denomination and sought ways to hear concerns that do not come through established channels.
The report from the committee on "Congregational Disagreements with Annual Conference Decisions" was adopted with an amendment deleting the committee's suggestion that in extreme cases of disagreement, district conferences not seat congregations. The Conference also adopted reports on "The Functions and Qualifications of the Local Church Moderator," and on "Denominational Name." That committee reported overwhelming support for the name Church of the Brethren but called for attention to processes for dealing with controversial issues in the denomination.
A study committee was elected to answer the queries on "Becoming a Multi-Ethnic Church" and "The Need for Cross Cultural Ministries," which had been joined together as one business item. The Conference turned down Standing Committee recommendations that the issues be referred to the districts and Congregational Life Teams, on the urging of representatives of a multi-ethnic group that gathered in ad hoc fashion the evening before the business item came to the floor. The action did include some of the other Standing Committee recommendations, that cross-cultural ministries become an increased priority in the denomination and that a progress report be made each year for five years with reassessment in 2010 by Annual Conference.
The Conference first elected six members of a seven-member, ethnically diverse study committee, which also will include an ex-officio representative of the American Baptist Churches, to answer the concerns of the two queries. When it was announced in the final business session on July 7 that no African-Americans were elected to the committee, delegates reopened the business agenda and overwhelmingly passed a motion that the study committee choose an eighth member from the African-American nominees on the original ballot. Conference officers also heard counsel that the representative of the American Baptist Churches be African-American. The elected study committee members are Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff, Ruben Deoleo, Nadine L. Monn, Neemita Pandya, Gilbert Romero, and Asha Solanky.
Another five-member study committee was elected to answer a query on "Doing Church Business," to report in 2005. Committee members are Joe Detrick, Matt Guynn, Verdena Lee, Dale Posthumus, and David Shetler.
The General Board's resolution on Iraq was adopted with hardly any discussion. The resolution called on members and congregations to be "a constant witness to Christ as a living peace church of today against all war and the violence of its nature." The resolution also called on the US administration and Congress to take responsibility for their involvement in the war.
In other business, a 3.1 percent cash salary increase for pastors was approved, the delegates received a "Ministries and Mission" report from the five Conference agencies, and two new fellowships were welcomed: Koinonia Fellowship in Charlottesville, Va., and Sunrise Church in Harrisonburg, Va.
In elections for denominational offices, Joan Lawrence Daggett was elected to the Annual Conference Council; Joanna Wave Willoughby to the Program and Arrangements Committee; James O. Eikenberry to the Committee on Interchurch Relations; Herman Kauffman to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee; Diane Harden to the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board; David B. Eller as trustee for Bethany Theological Seminary; John A. Braun to the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) board; Michael Benner as at-large member of the General Board; and Robbie Miller to the On Earth Peace board.
The Conference also affirmed appointments to the boards of Conference agencies: for ABC, Eddie H. Edmonds, John Katonah, and John Wenger; for Bethany, Jerry A. Davis, John D. Miller Jr., and Charles Boyer, who was elected by the alumni; for the General Board, district appointees Ken Wenger, Mid-Atlantic, Dale Minnich, Western Plains, and Susan Kinsel Fitze, Southern Ohio; and for On Earth Peace, David Jehnsen and Bev Weaver.
For more detailed information about Annual Conference 2004 in Charleston, W.Va., see the Annual Conference pages at www.brethren.org.
Annual Conference showed persistence and a commitment to deal with difficult and divisive issues in its deliberations in Charleston, W.Va., July 3-7. Through days of meetings, moderator Chris Bowman, a pastor at Martinsburg (Pa.) Memorial Church of the Brethren, guided an engaged and lively delegate body through a maze of issues, motions, and amendments with intelligence and clarity. Ronald Beachley, executive minister for Western Pennsylvania District, was chosen as moderator-elect, to lead the 2006 Conference in Des Moines.
Total attendance of 4,038--including 920 congregational and district delegates--easily topped last year's gathering of 2,844 in Boise and came close to the Baltimore registration figure of 5,029 in 2001. It was announced that San Diego, Calif., will be the Conference site in 2009. Next year's Conference will take place in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6.
Extensive discussion and an extremely close vote on a substitute motion revealed deep division in the delegate body over the report on "Congregational Disagreements with Annual Conference Decisions." Similar discussion with regard to other business items--particularly the denominational name, doing church business, and multi-ethnic church and cross cultural ministries--gave a sense that the delegate body also was deeply divided over how open to diversity and differing opinions the church ought to be.
There were indications that Annual Conference leadership may be moving to invite more open conversations, in pre-Conference meetings of the Standing Committee of district delegates. The committee talked about hurts and brokenness in the denomination and sought ways to hear concerns that do not come through established channels.
The report from the committee on "Congregational Disagreements with Annual Conference Decisions" was adopted with an amendment deleting the committee's suggestion that in extreme cases of disagreement, district conferences not seat congregations. The Conference also adopted reports on "The Functions and Qualifications of the Local Church Moderator," and on "Denominational Name." That committee reported overwhelming support for the name Church of the Brethren but called for attention to processes for dealing with controversial issues in the denomination.
A study committee was elected to answer the queries on "Becoming a Multi-Ethnic Church" and "The Need for Cross Cultural Ministries," which had been joined together as one business item. The Conference turned down Standing Committee recommendations that the issues be referred to the districts and Congregational Life Teams, on the urging of representatives of a multi-ethnic group that gathered in ad hoc fashion the evening before the business item came to the floor. The action did include some of the other Standing Committee recommendations, that cross-cultural ministries become an increased priority in the denomination and that a progress report be made each year for five years with reassessment in 2010 by Annual Conference.
The Conference first elected six members of a seven-member, ethnically diverse study committee, which also will include an ex-officio representative of the American Baptist Churches, to answer the concerns of the two queries. When it was announced in the final business session on July 7 that no African-Americans were elected to the committee, delegates reopened the business agenda and overwhelmingly passed a motion that the study committee choose an eighth member from the African-American nominees on the original ballot. Conference officers also heard counsel that the representative of the American Baptist Churches be African-American. The elected study committee members are Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff, Ruben Deoleo, Nadine L. Monn, Neemita Pandya, Gilbert Romero, and Asha Solanky.
Another five-member study committee was elected to answer a query on "Doing Church Business," to report in 2005. Committee members are Joe Detrick, Matt Guynn, Verdena Lee, Dale Posthumus, and David Shetler.
The General Board's resolution on Iraq was adopted with hardly any discussion. The resolution called on members and congregations to be "a constant witness to Christ as a living peace church of today against all war and the violence of its nature." The resolution also called on the US administration and Congress to take responsibility for their involvement in the war.
In other business, a 3.1 percent cash salary increase for pastors was approved, the delegates received a "Ministries and Mission" report from the five Conference agencies, and two new fellowships were welcomed: Koinonia Fellowship in Charlottesville, Va., and Sunrise Church in Harrisonburg, Va.
In elections for denominational offices, Joan Lawrence Daggett was elected to the Annual Conference Council; Joanna Wave Willoughby to the Program and Arrangements Committee; James O. Eikenberry to the Committee on Interchurch Relations; Herman Kauffman to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee; Diane Harden to the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board; David B. Eller as trustee for Bethany Theological Seminary; John A. Braun to the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) board; Michael Benner as at-large member of the General Board; and Robbie Miller to the On Earth Peace board.
The Conference also affirmed appointments to the boards of Conference agencies: for ABC, Eddie H. Edmonds, John Katonah, and John Wenger; for Bethany, Jerry A. Davis, John D. Miller Jr., and Charles Boyer, who was elected by the alumni; for the General Board, district appointees Ken Wenger, Mid-Atlantic, Dale Minnich, Western Plains, and Susan Kinsel Fitze, Southern Ohio; and for On Earth Peace, David Jehnsen and Bev Weaver.
For more detailed information about Annual Conference 2004 in Charleston, W.Va., see the Annual Conference pages at www.brethren.org.
Conference worship services focus on loving God and neighbor.
Daily worship services focused on the Annual Conference theme of "Loving God and Neighbor" and provided a strong foundation on which to build numerous days of worshipful work.
Moderator Chris Bowman's sermon on Saturday evening set the tone for the week. He encouraged Brethren to "turn our efforts and our energies back to the basics--loving God and loving neighbor, living lives for the glory of God and our neighbor's good. That is something worth our passion, something worth our protection, something worth our lives in the body of Christ."
On Sunday morning, Dena Pence Frantz, professor of Theological Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, asked a question from scripture, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5b) She said, "The living God is known among us as we live our everyday lives in fullness and delight in God's presence and in active love for others."
Worship on Monday evening was well-seasoned with laughter, soulful music, drama, and heartfelt reflection on the question, "Who is my neighbor?" James Washington, pastor of Faith Center Fellowship, Whitehouse, Texas, spoke on "Living Lovingly Together." He underscored the importance of loving all of our neighbors, equal to all humanity, as opposed to only loving those with whom relationship is easy.
Worship pulled Brethren together on Tuesday evening around the love feast. Tim Button-Harrison, pastor of Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center, Iowa, posed the question of how Brethren are doing with loving one another beyond the local congregation, symbolized by sharing love feast together. He challenged his listeners, saying, "Like never before, today we are called to go extraordinary distances, to overcome great divides, to practice Jesus' command that we love one another."
In a fitting conclusion to Conference, the closing worship Wednesday morning sent participants out to continue the work of Jesus. Preacher Andrew Murray, Juniata College professor and Brethren musical legend, reminded listeners that "the Kingdom is not destination, it is a journey." Murray said, "There is no way to the Kingdom; the Kingdom is the way." He then asked listeners, as the denominational tag-line says, to "Continue the work of Jesus...peacefully, simply, together."
For many Conference-goers, the music in worship was a spiritual experience. From the "souped up" Bluegrass version of "Brethren We Have Met to Worship," to the heartfelt solos of Larry Brumfield, to the a capella group The Guys, music bathed the gathered body in a sense of God's presence.
Daily worship services focused on the Annual Conference theme of "Loving God and Neighbor" and provided a strong foundation on which to build numerous days of worshipful work.
Moderator Chris Bowman's sermon on Saturday evening set the tone for the week. He encouraged Brethren to "turn our efforts and our energies back to the basics--loving God and loving neighbor, living lives for the glory of God and our neighbor's good. That is something worth our passion, something worth our protection, something worth our lives in the body of Christ."
On Sunday morning, Dena Pence Frantz, professor of Theological Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, asked a question from scripture, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5b) She said, "The living God is known among us as we live our everyday lives in fullness and delight in God's presence and in active love for others."
Worship on Monday evening was well-seasoned with laughter, soulful music, drama, and heartfelt reflection on the question, "Who is my neighbor?" James Washington, pastor of Faith Center Fellowship, Whitehouse, Texas, spoke on "Living Lovingly Together." He underscored the importance of loving all of our neighbors, equal to all humanity, as opposed to only loving those with whom relationship is easy.
Worship pulled Brethren together on Tuesday evening around the love feast. Tim Button-Harrison, pastor of Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center, Iowa, posed the question of how Brethren are doing with loving one another beyond the local congregation, symbolized by sharing love feast together. He challenged his listeners, saying, "Like never before, today we are called to go extraordinary distances, to overcome great divides, to practice Jesus' command that we love one another."
In a fitting conclusion to Conference, the closing worship Wednesday morning sent participants out to continue the work of Jesus. Preacher Andrew Murray, Juniata College professor and Brethren musical legend, reminded listeners that "the Kingdom is not destination, it is a journey." Murray said, "There is no way to the Kingdom; the Kingdom is the way." He then asked listeners, as the denominational tag-line says, to "Continue the work of Jesus...peacefully, simply, together."
For many Conference-goers, the music in worship was a spiritual experience. From the "souped up" Bluegrass version of "Brethren We Have Met to Worship," to the heartfelt solos of Larry Brumfield, to the a capella group The Guys, music bathed the gathered body in a sense of God's presence.
A host of activities keep Conference-goers busy.
A fourth of July rally following the visit of President Bush to Charleston, an exhibit of boots related to the Iraq war, as well as the usual host of insight sessions, meal events, Bible and theological studies, support groups, and age-group activities, all kept Conference-goers busy in Charleston this year.
Marching behind a banner proclaiming, "Church of the Brethren: A Living Peace Church," hundreds of Conference attendees participated in a rally to protest the policies of President Bush, who spoke in Charleston earlier in the day on July 4.
The action also involved the West Virginia Patriots for Peace and the Sierra Club. The group assembled at the US Courthouse in Charleston, where a "wall" was stretched across the steps bearing the names of more than 800 US military personnel who have been killed in Iraq since the invasion.
Among the many protesters were 18-month-old Michael Bidgood Enders--with his dad, Greg--and Dale Brown, who has led and participated in many peace demonstrations over the decades. The action was coordinated by the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office.
An exhibit of combat boots bearing the names and home states of the US military killed in Iraq was set up outside the Charleston Civic Center on July 6-7, including an overnight candlelight vigil. The 10,000 plus Iraqi civilian casualties were also symbolically represented.
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, was visibly moved as he addressed a press conference at the display. Noting the action just taken by Annual Conference to adopt a General Board resolution on Iraq calling the church to accountability, he called upon the church to be ready to embrace all who will be victims of this war: Iraqis, returned military personnel, families of the lost and wounded.
The American Friends Service Committee traveling display received sponsorship by the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, On Earth Peace, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and West Virginia Patriots for Peace.
Enthusiasm for prayer and praise, study and discussion, also abounded in Charleston. An urban prayer walk blessed the streets of the city; the Brethren Revival Fellowship held its prayer and fasting session; Bible studies and theological studies were offered; and the many insight sessions gave opportunities to learn about current issues for the church and its members. Young adults were even escorted from the Civic Center at midnight one evening, having been discovered in the prayer room still praising God when the building was supposed to have been closed for the night.
Conference attendees also took advantage of service opportunities at the meeting. Some 2,500 Gift of the Heart kits and Clinic Boxes were brought to the Conference and collected by the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries program. Brethren also donated 164 pints of blood in the annual blood drive. Three quilts and three wall hangings raised $20,400 in the 30th annual quilt auction sponsored by Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren.
The annual Brethren Benefit Trust Fitness Challenge 5K saw a record turnout with around 160 participants, as opposed to the usual 90. For the first time, the largest group registered were women walkers age 40-59. First place runners were Courtland Howard and Deb Morris Crouse. First place walkers were Bev Anspaugh and Don Shankster.
A fourth of July rally following the visit of President Bush to Charleston, an exhibit of boots related to the Iraq war, as well as the usual host of insight sessions, meal events, Bible and theological studies, support groups, and age-group activities, all kept Conference-goers busy in Charleston this year.
Marching behind a banner proclaiming, "Church of the Brethren: A Living Peace Church," hundreds of Conference attendees participated in a rally to protest the policies of President Bush, who spoke in Charleston earlier in the day on July 4.
The action also involved the West Virginia Patriots for Peace and the Sierra Club. The group assembled at the US Courthouse in Charleston, where a "wall" was stretched across the steps bearing the names of more than 800 US military personnel who have been killed in Iraq since the invasion.
Among the many protesters were 18-month-old Michael Bidgood Enders--with his dad, Greg--and Dale Brown, who has led and participated in many peace demonstrations over the decades. The action was coordinated by the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office.
An exhibit of combat boots bearing the names and home states of the US military killed in Iraq was set up outside the Charleston Civic Center on July 6-7, including an overnight candlelight vigil. The 10,000 plus Iraqi civilian casualties were also symbolically represented.
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, was visibly moved as he addressed a press conference at the display. Noting the action just taken by Annual Conference to adopt a General Board resolution on Iraq calling the church to accountability, he called upon the church to be ready to embrace all who will be victims of this war: Iraqis, returned military personnel, families of the lost and wounded.
The American Friends Service Committee traveling display received sponsorship by the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, On Earth Peace, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and West Virginia Patriots for Peace.
Enthusiasm for prayer and praise, study and discussion, also abounded in Charleston. An urban prayer walk blessed the streets of the city; the Brethren Revival Fellowship held its prayer and fasting session; Bible studies and theological studies were offered; and the many insight sessions gave opportunities to learn about current issues for the church and its members. Young adults were even escorted from the Civic Center at midnight one evening, having been discovered in the prayer room still praising God when the building was supposed to have been closed for the night.
Conference attendees also took advantage of service opportunities at the meeting. Some 2,500 Gift of the Heart kits and Clinic Boxes were brought to the Conference and collected by the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries program. Brethren also donated 164 pints of blood in the annual blood drive. Three quilts and three wall hangings raised $20,400 in the 30th annual quilt auction sponsored by Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren.
The annual Brethren Benefit Trust Fitness Challenge 5K saw a record turnout with around 160 participants, as opposed to the usual 90. For the first time, the largest group registered were women walkers age 40-59. First place runners were Courtland Howard and Deb Morris Crouse. First place walkers were Bev Anspaugh and Don Shankster.
General Board sets budget parameters, passes resolution on Iraq.
At its pre-Annual Conference meeting the General Board set budget parameters for 2005 that necessitate a budget reduction, and asked for a proposed resolution on Iraq to be rewritten and brought back later in the Conference week. The Iraq resolution was then passed by the board in a later meeting, and passed by the delegate body on Tuesday July 6. The board also affirmed a document describing a new Property Stewardship Committee and dedicated its Conference exhibit with prayer.
The board set a 2005 budget parameter of $5,426,000, which represents a $199,000 budget reduction for next year. "The Planning Team recommended a budget that included a much greater financial challenge," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, "but the board chose a more moderate plan to spread out the deficit over a number of years." The board also reviewed its policies on endowment, quasi-endowment, and investment income. "The board endorsed a philosophy that will help those resources provide support to the ongoing ministries of the General Board well into the future," Noffsinger said.
A resolution on Iraq brought by Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones was sent back for revision with help from a small group of board members. The board set a special meeting on July 5 to consider the rewritten resolution, when it adopted the paper as a General Board resolution and passed it on to the Annual Conference delegates for their consideration.
A document describing a Stewardship of Property Committee was accepted by the board. The committee will offer recommendations regarding use of board properties in Elgin, Ill., and New Windsor, Md. The document calls for nominations of committee members to be submitted to the Office of the General Secretary by August 30. Membership of the committee will be announced at the board's October meeting. The committee is expected to report preliminary findings in Oct. 2005 and bring a recommendation in March 2006.
In addition, the board heard reports on an information systems audit, a cross cultural consultation in Puerto Rico, the new Gather 'Round curriculum, a polity manual update, and citations to staff and retiring board members.
At a reorganization meeting during the Conference, members of the General Board selected Donna Shumate as chair, Glenn Mitchell as vice chair, and David Sollenberger, Doug Price, J.D. Glick, and Jeff Neuman-Lee as executive committee members.
At its pre-Annual Conference meeting the General Board set budget parameters for 2005 that necessitate a budget reduction, and asked for a proposed resolution on Iraq to be rewritten and brought back later in the Conference week. The Iraq resolution was then passed by the board in a later meeting, and passed by the delegate body on Tuesday July 6. The board also affirmed a document describing a new Property Stewardship Committee and dedicated its Conference exhibit with prayer.
The board set a 2005 budget parameter of $5,426,000, which represents a $199,000 budget reduction for next year. "The Planning Team recommended a budget that included a much greater financial challenge," said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, "but the board chose a more moderate plan to spread out the deficit over a number of years." The board also reviewed its policies on endowment, quasi-endowment, and investment income. "The board endorsed a philosophy that will help those resources provide support to the ongoing ministries of the General Board well into the future," Noffsinger said.
A resolution on Iraq brought by Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones was sent back for revision with help from a small group of board members. The board set a special meeting on July 5 to consider the rewritten resolution, when it adopted the paper as a General Board resolution and passed it on to the Annual Conference delegates for their consideration.
A document describing a Stewardship of Property Committee was accepted by the board. The committee will offer recommendations regarding use of board properties in Elgin, Ill., and New Windsor, Md. The document calls for nominations of committee members to be submitted to the Office of the General Secretary by August 30. Membership of the committee will be announced at the board's October meeting. The committee is expected to report preliminary findings in Oct. 2005 and bring a recommendation in March 2006.
In addition, the board heard reports on an information systems audit, a cross cultural consultation in Puerto Rico, the new Gather 'Round curriculum, a polity manual update, and citations to staff and retiring board members.
At a reorganization meeting during the Conference, members of the General Board selected Donna Shumate as chair, Glenn Mitchell as vice chair, and David Sollenberger, Doug Price, J.D. Glick, and Jeff Neuman-Lee as executive committee members.
Funds aid Sudanese, Hondurans, Church World Service, and provide flood relief.
Grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) have been given to aid victims of civil war in Sudan, economic development in Honduras, and the Church World Service Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison Program, and to provide disaster relief following flooding in Washington State and the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
An EDF allocation of $60,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for the violence-ravaged Darfur region of Western Sudan. The funds will assist in providing food, medicine, water and sanitation, agriculture materials, and counseling to approximately 500,000 persons over the next 18 months.
The sum of $22,000 from the EDF undergirds the work of the Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison Program of CWS, as it continues to facilitate faith-based responses to disasters.
The Washington state Faith-Based Disaster Recovery Network received an EDF grant of $7,500 for its work in the wake of extensive damage caused by flooding and storms in 15 counties. Church of the Brethren Oregon/Washington District Disaster Response and other volunteers have been helping with the rebuilding of homes. The funds will provide financial support for the recovery to continue.
In the Dominican Republic and Haiti, an EDF allocation of $4,000 supports a CWS appeal for flood relief. The funds will be used to ship medical supplies, Gift of the Heart Kits, and blankets from the Brethren Service Center to the island nations. Additional appeals for long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts are expected. Another EDF grant of $7,000 will go to the Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic, where church construction over an unforeseen sink hole has caused considerable damage and rendered a section of the building unsafe for use. The funds will assist in repair and reconstruction before additional damage occurs.
An allocation of $15,000 has been made from the GFCF to support economic development work of the Christian Commission for Development (CCD) in Honduras. The funds will support an effort to establish an agency for the promotion of micro-loan development countrywide, with the goal of raising the economic well-being of families primarily in subsistence areas.
Grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) have been given to aid victims of civil war in Sudan, economic development in Honduras, and the Church World Service Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison Program, and to provide disaster relief following flooding in Washington State and the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
An EDF allocation of $60,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for the violence-ravaged Darfur region of Western Sudan. The funds will assist in providing food, medicine, water and sanitation, agriculture materials, and counseling to approximately 500,000 persons over the next 18 months.
The sum of $22,000 from the EDF undergirds the work of the Disaster Response and Recovery Liaison Program of CWS, as it continues to facilitate faith-based responses to disasters.
The Washington state Faith-Based Disaster Recovery Network received an EDF grant of $7,500 for its work in the wake of extensive damage caused by flooding and storms in 15 counties. Church of the Brethren Oregon/Washington District Disaster Response and other volunteers have been helping with the rebuilding of homes. The funds will provide financial support for the recovery to continue.
In the Dominican Republic and Haiti, an EDF allocation of $4,000 supports a CWS appeal for flood relief. The funds will be used to ship medical supplies, Gift of the Heart Kits, and blankets from the Brethren Service Center to the island nations. Additional appeals for long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts are expected. Another EDF grant of $7,000 will go to the Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic, where church construction over an unforeseen sink hole has caused considerable damage and rendered a section of the building unsafe for use. The funds will assist in repair and reconstruction before additional damage occurs.
An allocation of $15,000 has been made from the GFCF to support economic development work of the Christian Commission for Development (CCD) in Honduras. The funds will support an effort to establish an agency for the promotion of micro-loan development countrywide, with the goal of raising the economic well-being of families primarily in subsistence areas.
Brethren bits: Disaster relief, BVS, and much more.
- Church of the Brethren disaster coordinators visited sites in central Pennsylvania after an F3 tornado tore apart homes and brought down trees and power lines the afternoon of July 14, according to Emergency Response staff Helen Stonesifer. Campbelltown, in Lebanon County, received the worst storm damage with 24 injuries reported and up to 50 houses damaged. A number of homes in South Londonderry Township, in the Country Squire Estates, were leveled and others were ripped open. Jean Myers, Disaster Child Care Region III coordinator, and Tom Cope, Atlantic Northeast District disaster coordinator, visited sites July 15 to offer child care and clean up assistance. The Emergency Response office reported that 60 Brethren volunteers from the surrounding area were out doing clean up today July 16, and are planning on returning daily for the next several days.
- The summer Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) orientation unit 260 will run from July 25 through Aug. 13, with 25 volunteers planning to attend. The orientation will be held at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The BVS office reminds anyone who might be interested that the unit will host a potluck at Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren on Saturday, July 31, beginning at 6 p.m., for any past BVS volunteers, Civilian Public Service workers, sea-going cowboys, and anyone who feels connected to BVS.
- At its Annual Conference luncheon, the Committee on Interchurch Relations gave an Ecumenical Citation to Kira Marriner, a member of Live Oak (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, for her work in peacemaking.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers gave its first "Open Roof" award at Annual Conference. The award was presented to Lansing (Mich.) Church of the Brethren for its progress in accessibility to those with disabilities.
- The Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren (AACB) is beginning a project to record the history of AACB quilts and quilting, as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren in 2008. The group, which this year celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Annual Conference quilt auction, will collect photographs and interesting articles about Conference quilts made between 1973 and 2006. The group seeks facts about the quilts such as the purchaser(s), families or churches who have owned the quilts, places where the quilts have been displayed, and interesting anecdotes connected to the quilts. The group also would like to hear from quilters at Annual Conference who can give information about the number of years they have worked on quilts there, and from those who first learned to quilt at Annual Conference who may be willing to share their stories. "What has this experience of quilting at Annual Conference meant to you?" asked AACB coordinator Joyce Parker in a release about the project. "The AACB is grateful for the heritage of quilting at Annual Conference--creating and finishing pieced quilts." Send stories and information to AACB Coordinator Joyce Parker, 1293 Laurel Dr., W. Salem, OH 44387, 419-945-2327, e-mail djparker@bright.net. People who want to be involved in the history project are invited to contact Parker as well.
- John Waggoner, the mutual fund columnist for "USA Today" and a member of Dranesville Church of the Brethren, Herndon, Va., joined a panel discussion at an Annual Conference insight session on personal investing. The session was presented by Brethren Benefit Trust and attended by about 50 Conference-goers. Other panelists were Gail Habecker, investment professional with PMG Advisors; Don Fecher, director of the Brethren Pension Plan; and convener Will Thomas, BBT's director of Socially Responsible Investing. The discussion focused on "Now what should I do? Investment challenges with your personal finances." A videotape of the session, complete with an overview on equities by Waggoner, an overview on bond markets by Habecker, and a discussion of how investment assets should be allocated along with questions and answers, will be available on DVD or VHS in mid-September. Contact Lauryn Estes at BBT, 847-622-3374, to reserve a copy.
- Jonathan P. Emmons, who served as organist for Annual Conference this year, has received a partial scholarship to attend the Organ Academy International Summer School at Mount Royal College Conservatory in Calgary, Canada. The Bridgewater (Va.) College senior music major is one of 18 young organists from around the world to be accepted into the program, which will run from July 26 to Aug. 3. Under the direction of Simon Preston, former organist and choirmaster at Christ Church in Oxford, England, and London's Westminster Abbey, the program offers intensive, short-term organ instruction in both small group and individual sessions taught by a distinguished faculty. Emmons is the son of Timothy and Alice Emmons of Rocky Mount, Va.
- Blood donors at Annual Conference in Charleston learned about a new "Church of the Brethren Walk-In Campaign" to enlarge the ranks of those registered with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Wendy Jeansonne, of San Carlos, Calif., shared information about the program with Conference-goers. According to Jeansonne, bone marrow donations may help treat 70 different types of blood diseases and disorders, and those who register with the NMDP could be called for a donation as far into the future as 40 years. Some 30,000 people a year seek unrelated donors for a life-saving match, she said. Those interested in having tissue typing done may make an appointment at the nearest NMDP donor center and mention the Brethren campaign, which will cover fees. Donors must be healthy and between the ages of 18 and 60. The campaign ends on Aug. 31. For more information about the campaign, contact Joanne Malone, Virginia Blood Services, 800-989-4438 ext. 4162. For more information about the NMDP call 800-MARROW-2 or see www.marrow.org.
- The Ecumenical Stewardship Center has announced a 2004 Leadership Seminar in St. Pete Beach, Fla., on the theme "Faith and Money: Breaking the Silence," Nov. 30-Dec. 3. This annual event draws clergy, denominational staff, educators, organizational leaders, and entrepreneurs with a passion for faithful stewardship ministry. Presenters will be Nelson Kraybill, president of the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary; Rosemary Williams, director of Women's Perspective; Steven Tomlinson, dramatist; and Greg Rickel, event chaplain. Cost is $395. An early bird savings of $40 off the registration cost is available through Oct. 4. A special group discount of $80 savings is offered for 20 or more registrants. For more information, see www.stewardshipresources.org, email stewardshipcenter@ameritech.net, or call 800-835-5671.
- Eleven youth from Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind., formed the nucleus of a June 18-28 learning tour to Honduras coordinated by the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization. The group, along with pastor Melissa Bennett, youth advisor Shawn Sollenberger, construction guide Jim Dodd of Midland, Va., and New Community Project director David Radcliff, refurbished a badly deteriorated health clinic in the community of San Juan Bosco. The group also visited with teachers, nurses, and a women's group; attended a soccer match in a neighboring village; and ended the trip with a visit to the Copan Ruins.
- A call for true inspirational stories of peacemaking has been issued by Linda Williams, a member of First Church of the Brethren, San Diego, Calif., and co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Peace Lover's Soul." Chicken Soup for the Soul Ent. Inc. is considering publishing a two-book set in order to "get twice the number of dynamite stories of peace, harmony, compassion, and forgiveness out to the general public," Williams said. Among those who already have submitted stories are Nobel Peace Prize laureates Desmond Tutu and Oscar Arias. Those interested in the project may submit stories, poems, songs, quotes, or cartoons; help select stories; and give input on cover art and title. Guidelines for submissions and sample stories are at http://chickensoup.peacestories.info/. Authors of stories chosen for inclusion in the book will receive $200 and have a 50 word bio published in the book. E-mail story submissions to Submissions@PeaceLoversSoul.com. To help select stories, contact Williams at Submissions@PeaceLoversSoul.com. To help select cover art and title, go to www.chickensoup.com, click on "Join Our Test Center" under "Share with Us," and submit name and e-mail address.
- Brethren interested in organizing a Brethren in Business association are invited to attend a meeting to be held in conjunction with the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) "Business as a Calling" 2004 convention in Pittsburgh, Pa., Nov. 4-7. The theme of the meeting will be "Risky Business." Cost to Brethren will be $295. Movement to launch the fledgling association has been stimulated by the former organization of Brethren in business, the Brethren Business Network, and is being given leadership by John Braun, a pastor and an associate with Good News Associates in Seattle, Wash. An informal meeting with those interested in the new association was held at Annual Conference. To contact Braun call 206-368-2654 or 206-920-5671. For more information about MEDA visit www.businessasacalling.org or call 800-665-7026, or to register online visit www.meda.org.
Anti-racism team will lead youth peace retreat.
The weekend of Sept. 24-26, On Earth Peace will host a Senior High Youth Peace Retreat at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. "Red and Yellow, Black and White: Learning about Racism," will help youth develop skills to identify and dismantle the sin of racism in their lives. The weekend will include time for worship, discussions, and recreation. All high-school aged youth are invited to attend.
The Church of the Brethren Anti Racism Team members will provide leadership for the weekend. The team has been trained and called by the denomination for this ministry, and has previously led training events for the General Board and district conferences. "While it's critical for everyone to be a part of this kind of training, it is especially important for youth," said Torin Eikler, a member of the team. "They seem to see the struggles and pain that institutional racism causes within the church, in their schools, and in the world more easily, as they look at things with a fresh set of eyes." The team also will lead the On Earth Peace board, meeting in New Windsor at the same time, in an all-day training.
"This retreat is a great way for youth and their advisors to engage in the same questions that were raised this summer about our church fulfilling the scriptures, like in Galatians 3:28," said Kim Stuckey, coordinator of Peacemaker Formation. The retreat will begin 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and end at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 26. Cost is $50 including housing and meals. To register or for information about scholarships contact Kim Stuckey at On Earth Peace, 410-635-8706 or e-mail kstuckey_oepa@brethren.org. More information and a complete schedule are available on the "Upcoming Events" page of the On Earth Peace website www.brethren.org/oepa/events.html.
The weekend of Sept. 24-26, On Earth Peace will host a Senior High Youth Peace Retreat at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. "Red and Yellow, Black and White: Learning about Racism," will help youth develop skills to identify and dismantle the sin of racism in their lives. The weekend will include time for worship, discussions, and recreation. All high-school aged youth are invited to attend.
The Church of the Brethren Anti Racism Team members will provide leadership for the weekend. The team has been trained and called by the denomination for this ministry, and has previously led training events for the General Board and district conferences. "While it's critical for everyone to be a part of this kind of training, it is especially important for youth," said Torin Eikler, a member of the team. "They seem to see the struggles and pain that institutional racism causes within the church, in their schools, and in the world more easily, as they look at things with a fresh set of eyes." The team also will lead the On Earth Peace board, meeting in New Windsor at the same time, in an all-day training.
"This retreat is a great way for youth and their advisors to engage in the same questions that were raised this summer about our church fulfilling the scriptures, like in Galatians 3:28," said Kim Stuckey, coordinator of Peacemaker Formation. The retreat will begin 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and end at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 26. Cost is $50 including housing and meals. To register or for information about scholarships contact Kim Stuckey at On Earth Peace, 410-635-8706 or e-mail kstuckey_oepa@brethren.org. More information and a complete schedule are available on the "Upcoming Events" page of the On Earth Peace website www.brethren.org/oepa/events.html.
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Members of the 2004 Annual Conference news team, a ministry of the General Board, contributed to this report: Kathleen Campanella, Jill Kline, Frank Ramirez, Frances Townsend, Sarah Leatherman Young, and Becky Ullom. Mary Kay Heatwole and Kim Stuckey also contributed.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Members of the 2004 Annual Conference news team, a ministry of the General Board, contributed to this report: Kathleen Campanella, Jill Kline, Frank Ramirez, Frances Townsend, Sarah Leatherman Young, and Becky Ullom. Mary Kay Heatwole and Kim Stuckey also contributed.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Friday, July 02, 2004
NEWS
- National Young Adult Conference meets in Colorado.
- Church of the Brethren joins the Foods Resource Bank.
- Alerts call attention to President Bush's visit to Charleston, Sudan, legislation.
- Bethany Seminary chosen for 2004 Lexington Seminar.
- Dixon congregation promotes Brethren water.
- Anti-war sign vandalized at Skyridge Church of the Brethren.
- Brethren bits: correction, Annual Conference, and much more.
NOTE: Daily coverage of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will begin tomorrow, Saturday, July 3, at www.brethren.org. Reports from business sessions and other events in Charleston, W.Va., will be posted July 3-7. A summary of Conference activities will be included in the July 16 issue of Newsline.
TAKE THE NEWSLINE ON-LINE SURVEY! Newsline readers and subscribers are invited to help improve the Newsline service by filling out a short, 12-question survey. The survey can be found at www.brethren.org, click on "News," or go to www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/surveyWindow.html. If you cannot access the survey on-line, please request a survey form by mail from Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford at cobnews@aol.com.
National Young Adult Conference meets in Colorado.
More than 250 Brethren in the 18 to 35 age range converged on Winter Park, Colo., June 14 to 18 for a powerful and energetic week in the Rocky Mountains.
Worship formed the heart of this National Young Adult Conference (NYAC), with daily morning and evening services. Tony Campolo, the General Board's general secretary Stan Noffsinger, Belita Mitchell, Angie Lahman Yoder, and Susan Boyer all spoke. Other services used only video, drama, music, and other creative outlets to share the message.
NYAC also included daily discussion-oriented workshop options (called "padares," after an African term for a "marketplace of ideas"), sharing in small community groups, late-night open mic coffeehouse sessions, and abundant free time for recreation and fellowship.
"NYAC was a great experience for meeting new people, reacquainting with old friends, for spiritual growth and renewal, and wonderful worship services," participant Sonja LeCount of Elgin, Ill., said.
Young adults generously participated in an offering of shoes, in donations at the coffeehouse ($604), and in cash offerings for On Earth Peace ($847) and the General Board ($3,468). Some also took part in a service project to clear beetle-infested wood, helping to protect healthy trees.
The General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry Office has long sponsored an annual Young Adult Conference, but previous events are smaller and held only over a weekend, typically at a Brethren camp.
This was the first time for a young adult conference of this length and scope. Another smaller event is planned for May 27-29, 2005, at Woodland Altars in Ohio.
More than 250 Brethren in the 18 to 35 age range converged on Winter Park, Colo., June 14 to 18 for a powerful and energetic week in the Rocky Mountains.
Worship formed the heart of this National Young Adult Conference (NYAC), with daily morning and evening services. Tony Campolo, the General Board's general secretary Stan Noffsinger, Belita Mitchell, Angie Lahman Yoder, and Susan Boyer all spoke. Other services used only video, drama, music, and other creative outlets to share the message.
NYAC also included daily discussion-oriented workshop options (called "padares," after an African term for a "marketplace of ideas"), sharing in small community groups, late-night open mic coffeehouse sessions, and abundant free time for recreation and fellowship.
"NYAC was a great experience for meeting new people, reacquainting with old friends, for spiritual growth and renewal, and wonderful worship services," participant Sonja LeCount of Elgin, Ill., said.
Young adults generously participated in an offering of shoes, in donations at the coffeehouse ($604), and in cash offerings for On Earth Peace ($847) and the General Board ($3,468). Some also took part in a service project to clear beetle-infested wood, helping to protect healthy trees.
The General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry Office has long sponsored an annual Young Adult Conference, but previous events are smaller and held only over a weekend, typically at a Brethren camp.
This was the first time for a young adult conference of this length and scope. Another smaller event is planned for May 27-29, 2005, at Woodland Altars in Ohio.
Church of the Brethren joins the Foods Resource Bank.
In June the Church of the Brethren, through the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF), joined the Foods Resource Bank (FRB), a faith-based partnership that engages congregations, land owners, farmers, and agribusiness in community Growing Projects. The Church of the Brethren is the organization's 16th member agency, joining others such as Church World Service, Lutheran World Relief, and Mennonite Central Committee.
GFCF manager Howard Royer explained how Growing Projects work: "Land is donated or rented for a year; farmers contribute time and equipment to plant, tend, and harvest the crop; and the yield is sold with the proceeds benefitting specific hunger programs abroad." The FRB coalition multiplies the donations of the projects, doubling the return through grants from sources such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and US AID. This year FRB members have 5,500 acres in 164 growing projects. In 2003, proceeds for hunger totaled $976,000.
Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa, may be the first Church of the Brethren congregation to participate in the Foods Resource Bank, according to Royer. Ivester is partnering with the local Presbyterian church in a Growing Project that this year, with the Brethren co-sponsorship, is cultivating 154 acres. The crop is corn, some of which already has been pre-sold at $3 a bushel.
Royer is seeking other Church of the Brethren congregations and individuals who may be interested in exploring a Growing Project for their community. "My hope is for the Church of the Brethren to gear up with a half dozen growing projects in 2005," he wrote in a letter introducing the concept to district executives. A flier about the Foods Resource Bank will be supplied to congregations and districts this summer and a short video describing FRB is available from the GFCF office.
"The unique feature of FRB's Growing Project model is that it allows all participants to give a gift, many times a non-cash gift, and often one that only they can give, to allow people they may never meet to know the dignity and pride of feeding themselves and their families with extra to share, barter, or sell," according to FRB executive director Norm Braksik.
For more information contact Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 ext. 264 or see the FRB website www.foodsresourcebank.org.
In June the Church of the Brethren, through the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF), joined the Foods Resource Bank (FRB), a faith-based partnership that engages congregations, land owners, farmers, and agribusiness in community Growing Projects. The Church of the Brethren is the organization's 16th member agency, joining others such as Church World Service, Lutheran World Relief, and Mennonite Central Committee.
GFCF manager Howard Royer explained how Growing Projects work: "Land is donated or rented for a year; farmers contribute time and equipment to plant, tend, and harvest the crop; and the yield is sold with the proceeds benefitting specific hunger programs abroad." The FRB coalition multiplies the donations of the projects, doubling the return through grants from sources such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and US AID. This year FRB members have 5,500 acres in 164 growing projects. In 2003, proceeds for hunger totaled $976,000.
Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa, may be the first Church of the Brethren congregation to participate in the Foods Resource Bank, according to Royer. Ivester is partnering with the local Presbyterian church in a Growing Project that this year, with the Brethren co-sponsorship, is cultivating 154 acres. The crop is corn, some of which already has been pre-sold at $3 a bushel.
Royer is seeking other Church of the Brethren congregations and individuals who may be interested in exploring a Growing Project for their community. "My hope is for the Church of the Brethren to gear up with a half dozen growing projects in 2005," he wrote in a letter introducing the concept to district executives. A flier about the Foods Resource Bank will be supplied to congregations and districts this summer and a short video describing FRB is available from the GFCF office.
"The unique feature of FRB's Growing Project model is that it allows all participants to give a gift, many times a non-cash gift, and often one that only they can give, to allow people they may never meet to know the dignity and pride of feeding themselves and their families with extra to share, barter, or sell," according to FRB executive director Norm Braksik.
For more information contact Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 ext. 264 or see the FRB website www.foodsresourcebank.org.
Alerts call attention to President Bush's visit to Charleston, Sudan, legislation.
In its most recent action alert, the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is inviting Brethren attending Annual Conference to join in a march against the war on terror as President Bush plans to visit the city on July 4. In other alerts, the office has called attention to Sudan, new nuclear weapons, and selective service legislation in Pennsylvania.
President George W. Bush will speak at 4th of July celebrations in downtown Charleston, W.Va., at the same time Brethren gather in the city for Conference. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is coordinating efforts with local peace groups to make possible an opportunity for Brethren to express opposition to the "war on terror," a release from the office said. Conference-goers may stop by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office booth for details.
What may be a final round of peace talks between Sudan's government and southern rebels began June 27, the office reported, with the goal of a permanent ceasefire. An action alert encouraged Brethren to "remain watchful and prayerful for a true presence of peace for our friends of this central African nation.... Only the details of a comprehensive cease fire and how to implement the agreements for the south remain to be sorted out," the report said. Final negotiations were to begin June 22. The civil war between the mainly Arab and Muslim government in the north and the mainly black African and Christian rebel groups in the south has claimed at least 1.5 million lives. Violence continues in western Sudan, in the Darfur region, where militias linked to the government are carrying out what may be an attempt at genocide of the black African population. New Sudan Council of Churches leader Haruun Ruun will be at Annual Conference this week to speak on continuing challenges to peace in Sudan.
The office also issued an alert calling for support of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would cut funds for new nuclear weapons, popularly called "mini nukes" or "bunker busters." The Kennedy-Feinstein Amendment would have eliminated funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), the first of a new generation of nuclear weapons made possible by a new administration policy to reinforce the importance of nuclear weapons and lower the threshold for their use, the office reported. The defense authorization bill has passed the House and Senate, providing full funding for the RNEP, the office reported. "The energy and water appropriations bill passed the House on Friday and provides no money for the RNEP. The last step is the Senate energy and water appropriations bill, which will be marked up sometime in July. We hope to again cut the RNEP funds in the Senate subcommittee," said director Phil Jones.
Pending legislation in Pennsylvania would link automatic selective service, or draft, registration to driver's license applications. In an Action Alert, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office reported on an important development in the House version of the bill, a check box on driver's license forms allowing applicants to signify that they do not consent to register for selective service. The Washington Office urges Pennsylvania Brethren to contact House and committee leaders to keep the check box in the bill. "We have definitely had an impact on this bill," Jones said.
To receive Action Alerts or the office newsletter, send contact information including name and address or e-mail address to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 337 N. Carolina Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003; 202-546-3202 or 800-785-3246; or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
In its most recent action alert, the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is inviting Brethren attending Annual Conference to join in a march against the war on terror as President Bush plans to visit the city on July 4. In other alerts, the office has called attention to Sudan, new nuclear weapons, and selective service legislation in Pennsylvania.
President George W. Bush will speak at 4th of July celebrations in downtown Charleston, W.Va., at the same time Brethren gather in the city for Conference. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is coordinating efforts with local peace groups to make possible an opportunity for Brethren to express opposition to the "war on terror," a release from the office said. Conference-goers may stop by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office booth for details.
What may be a final round of peace talks between Sudan's government and southern rebels began June 27, the office reported, with the goal of a permanent ceasefire. An action alert encouraged Brethren to "remain watchful and prayerful for a true presence of peace for our friends of this central African nation.... Only the details of a comprehensive cease fire and how to implement the agreements for the south remain to be sorted out," the report said. Final negotiations were to begin June 22. The civil war between the mainly Arab and Muslim government in the north and the mainly black African and Christian rebel groups in the south has claimed at least 1.5 million lives. Violence continues in western Sudan, in the Darfur region, where militias linked to the government are carrying out what may be an attempt at genocide of the black African population. New Sudan Council of Churches leader Haruun Ruun will be at Annual Conference this week to speak on continuing challenges to peace in Sudan.
The office also issued an alert calling for support of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would cut funds for new nuclear weapons, popularly called "mini nukes" or "bunker busters." The Kennedy-Feinstein Amendment would have eliminated funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), the first of a new generation of nuclear weapons made possible by a new administration policy to reinforce the importance of nuclear weapons and lower the threshold for their use, the office reported. The defense authorization bill has passed the House and Senate, providing full funding for the RNEP, the office reported. "The energy and water appropriations bill passed the House on Friday and provides no money for the RNEP. The last step is the Senate energy and water appropriations bill, which will be marked up sometime in July. We hope to again cut the RNEP funds in the Senate subcommittee," said director Phil Jones.
Pending legislation in Pennsylvania would link automatic selective service, or draft, registration to driver's license applications. In an Action Alert, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office reported on an important development in the House version of the bill, a check box on driver's license forms allowing applicants to signify that they do not consent to register for selective service. The Washington Office urges Pennsylvania Brethren to contact House and committee leaders to keep the check box in the bill. "We have definitely had an impact on this bill," Jones said.
To receive Action Alerts or the office newsletter, send contact information including name and address or e-mail address to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 337 N. Carolina Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003; 202-546-3202 or 800-785-3246; or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
Bethany Seminary chosen for 2004 Lexington Seminar.
Bethany Theological Seminary, the Church of the Brethren graduate school for theological education in Richmond, Ind., has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2004 Lexington Seminar, a project that supports the faculty, president, and dean of the seminary working together on an issue critical for the institution. Participating seminaries also collaborate with the other four schools chosen in that year.
The seminar is sponsored by Lexington Theological Seminary and supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc. Criteria for selection include demonstrated academic integrity and excellence, faculty and administration committed to working together to improve teaching and learning for the ministries of the church, and stability needed to implement a project that will affect the way the institution carries out its mission, according to a release from the seminary.
"This comes at a particularly apt time for Bethany," noted president Eugene F. Roop. "Together with the board, Bethany's faculty and administration are at work identifying several specific strategic initiatives that have priority in the next few years, and preparing a self study for accreditation review in 2006. The Lexington Seminar will provide an important venue in our efforts to more effectively bring together the teachings of professors, the learning of students, and the mission of the seminary."
Bethany Theological Seminary, the Church of the Brethren graduate school for theological education in Richmond, Ind., has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2004 Lexington Seminar, a project that supports the faculty, president, and dean of the seminary working together on an issue critical for the institution. Participating seminaries also collaborate with the other four schools chosen in that year.
The seminar is sponsored by Lexington Theological Seminary and supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc. Criteria for selection include demonstrated academic integrity and excellence, faculty and administration committed to working together to improve teaching and learning for the ministries of the church, and stability needed to implement a project that will affect the way the institution carries out its mission, according to a release from the seminary.
"This comes at a particularly apt time for Bethany," noted president Eugene F. Roop. "Together with the board, Bethany's faculty and administration are at work identifying several specific strategic initiatives that have priority in the next few years, and preparing a self study for accreditation review in 2006. The Lexington Seminar will provide an important venue in our efforts to more effectively bring together the teachings of professors, the learning of students, and the mission of the seminary."
Dixon congregation promotes Brethren water.
"Our thoughts were, we need to get out into the public and tell people who we are," said Guy Ball, one of the people behind a project to use "Brethren water" as a promotional tool for Church of the Brethren congregations. The project was begun by the Witness Commission of the Dixon (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, which has invested seed funds to have bottled water produced with a Church of the Brethren label.
The labels on the 16.9-fluid-ounce bottles of water that the Dixon church has produced read, "Church of the Brethren, Continuing the work of Jesus, Peacefully, Simply, Together," and feature the denominational logo and the scripture text John 4:13-14.
Ball, a handyman and Dixon's deacon chair and custodian, got the idea when he saw bottled water with a lumber company's name on the label. He found out that his church could have bottles produced for 50 cents each, from a supplier who would personalize the label. It seemed like a wonderful fund raiser and a unique opportunity to promote the church, as well as the denomination.
Since then the Dixon congregation, which is hosting the Illinois/Wisconsin District Conference this year, has presented the idea to the conference planning committee and has approached other congregations that may be interested in using the water for their own fundraising and promotional projects, Ball said. Congregations can have bottles personalized with their names and other information. Ball also has thought of using the water for disaster relief. "Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have had cases to give away following tornados" that recently struck a town in Illinois, he commented.
To make sure the water would be of good quality, Ball personally visited the bottling plant and met with quality control staff. "The water speaks for itself," he said of the purified deep-well water that fills the Brethren bottles. "It's very good water." For more information e-mail Guy Ball at ball602@myfam.com.
Source: Newsline 7/02/2004
"Our thoughts were, we need to get out into the public and tell people who we are," said Guy Ball, one of the people behind a project to use "Brethren water" as a promotional tool for Church of the Brethren congregations. The project was begun by the Witness Commission of the Dixon (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, which has invested seed funds to have bottled water produced with a Church of the Brethren label.
The labels on the 16.9-fluid-ounce bottles of water that the Dixon church has produced read, "Church of the Brethren, Continuing the work of Jesus, Peacefully, Simply, Together," and feature the denominational logo and the scripture text John 4:13-14.
Ball, a handyman and Dixon's deacon chair and custodian, got the idea when he saw bottled water with a lumber company's name on the label. He found out that his church could have bottles produced for 50 cents each, from a supplier who would personalize the label. It seemed like a wonderful fund raiser and a unique opportunity to promote the church, as well as the denomination.
Since then the Dixon congregation, which is hosting the Illinois/Wisconsin District Conference this year, has presented the idea to the conference planning committee and has approached other congregations that may be interested in using the water for their own fundraising and promotional projects, Ball said. Congregations can have bottles personalized with their names and other information. Ball also has thought of using the water for disaster relief. "Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have had cases to give away following tornados" that recently struck a town in Illinois, he commented.
To make sure the water would be of good quality, Ball personally visited the bottling plant and met with quality control staff. "The water speaks for itself," he said of the purified deep-well water that fills the Brethren bottles. "It's very good water." For more information e-mail Guy Ball at ball602@myfam.com.
Source: Newsline 7/02/2004
Anti-war sign vandalized at Skyridge Church of the Brethren.
An anti-war sign hosted by Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamazoo, Mich., during Holy Week was pulled down and damaged in repeated acts of vandalism. The large 31- by 15-foot sign was posted on the church lawn, along a busy four-lane road, at the request of a local peace group. The sign read in huge letters, "Iraq how many deaths?" and was framed with silhouettes representing men, women, and children--military and civilian—who have died in the Iraq war.
Outreach Committee co-chairperson Ineke Way, a member of the group Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents to War (KNOW), was instrumental in bringing the sign to the church. After worship on Palm Sunday, pastor Debbie Eisenbise led the congregation and KNOW participants in prayer dedicating the sign.
The posting of the sign was an eye opener for the community and congregation, Eisenbise said. Many people stopped by to see it up close and to place flowers on it in memory of those who have died. One woman asked for a picture to send to her father, a Vietnam veteran. Others wrote letters and made phone calls of appreciation to the church. Some made crank calls the church received one from a man self-identified as "Osama Bin Laden." Other people requested a discussion of the church's peace position, which Eisenbise explained as the Brethren understanding of Jesus Christ's message that "all war is sin."
One night, vandals pulled the leg off of one of the plywood figures on the sign. "This only helped the sign to be more representative of the many amputees who are victims of war," Eisenbise said. Another evening, someone drove a truck onto the lawn and used ropes to pull down the whole sign, which resulted in increased media attention. A radio station had a two-hour call-in program on "What do you think of the sign at Skyridge Church of the Brethren?"
The sign was taken down from the church lawn before Easter sunrise. Recently KNOW and Pax Christi posted it at a retreat center run by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Kalamazoo.
"The whole experience for the Skyridge Church was a powerful reminder of what it means to witness to our faith, and how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings redemption and reconciliation for all," Eisenbise said. A letter of appreciation to the church from KNOW echoed the sentiment, "We believe that we have scattered seeds in places and in ways we can't even imagine."
Source: Newsline 7/02/2004
An anti-war sign hosted by Skyridge Church of the Brethren in Kalamazoo, Mich., during Holy Week was pulled down and damaged in repeated acts of vandalism. The large 31- by 15-foot sign was posted on the church lawn, along a busy four-lane road, at the request of a local peace group. The sign read in huge letters, "Iraq how many deaths?" and was framed with silhouettes representing men, women, and children--military and civilian—who have died in the Iraq war.
Outreach Committee co-chairperson Ineke Way, a member of the group Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents to War (KNOW), was instrumental in bringing the sign to the church. After worship on Palm Sunday, pastor Debbie Eisenbise led the congregation and KNOW participants in prayer dedicating the sign.
The posting of the sign was an eye opener for the community and congregation, Eisenbise said. Many people stopped by to see it up close and to place flowers on it in memory of those who have died. One woman asked for a picture to send to her father, a Vietnam veteran. Others wrote letters and made phone calls of appreciation to the church. Some made crank calls the church received one from a man self-identified as "Osama Bin Laden." Other people requested a discussion of the church's peace position, which Eisenbise explained as the Brethren understanding of Jesus Christ's message that "all war is sin."
One night, vandals pulled the leg off of one of the plywood figures on the sign. "This only helped the sign to be more representative of the many amputees who are victims of war," Eisenbise said. Another evening, someone drove a truck onto the lawn and used ropes to pull down the whole sign, which resulted in increased media attention. A radio station had a two-hour call-in program on "What do you think of the sign at Skyridge Church of the Brethren?"
The sign was taken down from the church lawn before Easter sunrise. Recently KNOW and Pax Christi posted it at a retreat center run by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Kalamazoo.
"The whole experience for the Skyridge Church was a powerful reminder of what it means to witness to our faith, and how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings redemption and reconciliation for all," Eisenbise said. A letter of appreciation to the church from KNOW echoed the sentiment, "We believe that we have scattered seeds in places and in ways we can't even imagine."
Source: Newsline 7/02/2004
Brethren bits: correction, Annual Conference, and much more.
- In a correction to Newsline June 18, Tex Sample is the featured speaker at the Association of Brethren Caregivers' "A Seminar on Effective Ministry for, by, and with Older Adults."
- The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference begins tomorrow evening July 3 in Charleston, W.Va., with dinner programs and opening worship. Gatherings preceding Annual Conference this year include meetings of those planning and leading the Conference--Annual Conference officers, Program and Arrangements Committee, and Annual Conference coordinators--as well as Standing Committee meetings of district delegates June 30-July 3, the Ministers' Association Conference July 2-3, the Council of District Executives July 1-3, General Board meetings July 2-3, and the Fellowship of Brethren Genealogists the afternoon of July 3.
- Middle Pennsylvania District seeks a district minister to fill a full-time position beginning Jan. 1, 2005. The district is looking for a visionary leader who has experience and training in the area of congregational ministry. The preferred candidate will be an innovative person who is knowledgeable and supportive of denominational polity and skillful at adapting procedures to meet the unique needs of the district. The candidate will have an ability to work with diverse biblical and theological perspectives, and a passion for evangelism and leadership development. Qualifications include an M.Div. or related masters degree, ordination, and a minimum of seven years of pastoral or related experience. Apply by sending a letter of interest and resume via email to DistrictMinistries_gb@Brethren.org. Applicants are requested to contact three or four people to provide letters of reference. Upon receipt of resume, the candidate will be sent a Candidate Profile that must be completed and returned before the application is considered complete. The application deadline is Aug. 31.
- Join seasoned Sudan workers Phil and Louise Baldwin Rieman in a Sudan Workcamp Jan. 9-22, 2005. The workcamp is a tangible effort to rebuild in one community of this war-torn nation, and bring hope to its people. The General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office is sponsoring the event with longtime partner, the New Sudan Council of Churches. Estimated cost is $2,200. For more information contact the Riemans at plbrieman@mw.net, or call 317-546-9675.
- Disaster Child Care projects in Cortland, Neb., and Chapmansville, Lenore, and Delbarton, W.Va., have closed. In Nebraska, six child care volunteers made contact with 34 children after an F-4 tornado with 207-260 mile-per-hour winds touched down in Hallam, in Lancaster County near Lincoln, on May 22. The storms destroyed 158 homes and caused significant damage to more than 150 others in several counties. In West Virginia, nine child care volunteers served 42 children after four inches of rain in the southern section of the state. Four counties--Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming, and Logan--repeatedly have had major flood damage and mud slides due to heavy rains. Emergency management officials estimate some 300 homes sustained major damage.
- The FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) website has featured an article about the General Board's Disaster Child Care program, complete with photos from the recent child care project in West Virginia. "Well-deserved recognition for our unsung heroes!" commented Liz Monahan-Gibson of FEMA. "The Disaster Child Care program is very fortunate to have such dedicated and supportive child care volunteers and partner agencies in our network." The article, written by FEMA public information officer Rose Marie Armstrong, explained how the program offers activities that provide emotional comfort to children affected by disasters, and makes it possible for parents to complete the application process for federal aid. The photos feature child care workers Pearl Cormany, Esther Bittinger, and Patricia A. Black. Find the article and photos at www.FEMA.gov.
- The General Board's Emergency Response program welcomed district executives Joe Detrick of Southern Pennsylvania, Stephen Abe of West Marva, and Marie Willoughby of Michigan as disaster response volunteers the week of May 31 at the Poquoson, Va., project. District executives combined skills with local Virginia volunteers, a group from Bedford, Pa., and Roy Winter, executive director of Emergency Response/Service Ministries. Maurice Curry and Ken Imhoff provided leadership as work continued on two homes that had been raised five to six feet to avoid future floods. "Thank you district executives and all volunteers for making time to help," said Winter.
- Pacific Southwest District is sponsoring a disaster response project near Julian, Calif., east of San Diego, Aug. 1-14. The wildfire clean-up project is in cooperation with Mennonite Disaster Service. The work includes clearing burned trees and cutting, stacking, and chipping wood. Volunteers must be able-bodied. Hard hats, masks to filter dust, earplugs, goggles, and chain saws are provided. District disaster coordinator Milton H. Ewert is seeking congregations and individuals who would be interested in volunteering for the project. Contact him at 209-523-9490 or e-mail mjemod@juno.com.
- "God, Democracy, and US Power: Believers Church Perspectives" is the title of a Sept. 23-25 conference hosted by Bridgewater (Va.) College and Eastern Mennonite University, with assistance from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the General Board, Mennonite Central Committee, and Baptist Joint Committee. This is the 15th in a series of Believers Church Conferences. Presenters representing Church of the Brethren perspectives include 2005 Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook on "Second Order of Business: Prayer by the Chaplain"; Bridgewater professor of Religion Carol Scheppard on "Yahweh's People: Covenant and Exile"; Brethren historian Donald Durnbaugh on "The Church of the Brethren Office in Washington, D.C.: Advocacy or Listening Post?"; New Community Project director David Radcliff on "There Goes the Neighborhood: Christian Engagement with a Suddenly Near World"; and Bethany Theological Seminary professor Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, who will preach. National Council of Churches general secretary Robert W. Edgar will speak at the conference banquet. For more information and to register go to www.emu.edu/churchandpolitics.
- Bentley Peters has resigned as senior vice president of MII Management Group and Mutual Aid eXchange (MAX) effective Dec. 31. His work for the insurance and management organizations, which are related to the Church of the Brethren, included envisioning, development, and implementation of MAX since 1993. He plans to return to consulting in the Chicago area.
- Church of the Brethren environmental and peace advocate David Radcliff was a featured speaker at "H2oly Water," a training event for clergy and lay leaders in the Baltimore-Washington area, sponsored by the National Council of Churches. The June 25-28 event was one in a series based on a theological framework for understanding the importance of preserving water resources. Radcliff also spoke for the March event in the series, held in Arizona. He is director of the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization.
Edward Leiter to direct Information Services for the General Board.
Edward Leiter began June 28 in the position of director of Information Services for the General Board. Current director Perry Hudkins will conclude her service on July 16.
Leiter has worked at the board's New Windsor (Md.) Service Center from 1984-87 as a programmer, and since 1988 as lead programmer/analyst. He is a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Computer Science. Following college he served in Brethren Volunteer Service. He is a member of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.
Edward Leiter began June 28 in the position of director of Information Services for the General Board. Current director Perry Hudkins will conclude her service on July 16.
Leiter has worked at the board's New Windsor (Md.) Service Center from 1984-87 as a programmer, and since 1988 as lead programmer/analyst. He is a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Computer Science. Following college he served in Brethren Volunteer Service. He is a member of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.
Allen Kahler to lead South/Central Indiana District.
Allen Kahler has been called as district minister of South/Central Indiana District beginning Sept. 1. He and his family will move to North Manchester, Ind., in early August.
Kahler has served as pastor of Marion (Ind.) Church of the Brethren since 1995. Previously he pastored Muncie (Ind.) Church of the Brethren 1993-95, and South Whitley (Ind.) Church of the Brethren 1990-93. He also has served in volunteer positions in the district including on the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee and as district moderator in 2003. He holds degrees from Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind.
Allen Kahler has been called as district minister of South/Central Indiana District beginning Sept. 1. He and his family will move to North Manchester, Ind., in early August.
Kahler has served as pastor of Marion (Ind.) Church of the Brethren since 1995. Previously he pastored Muncie (Ind.) Church of the Brethren 1993-95, and South Whitley (Ind.) Church of the Brethren 1990-93. He also has served in volunteer positions in the district including on the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee and as district moderator in 2003. He holds degrees from Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind.
ABC resource highlights issue of uncompensated care.
"The Burden of Uncompensated Care in Brethren Retirement Centers and the Church" is the title of a new report in booklet form, from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). The Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a network of 23 Brethren-related retirement centers, is a ministry of ABC.
Currently Brethren homes accrue a total of $14 million in uncompensated care expenses annually, and the financial burden will only increase as future care needs for older adults increase, according to the report by ABC's Uncompensated Care Committee of Brian Black, Connie Burk Davis, Don Fecher, Tim Hissong, and Wally Landes. The report defines uncompensated care as "non-reimbursed care provided to residents...whose daily living costs are not covered by normal revenue" including residents' own assets, family ability or willingness to pay, private-pay insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.
Uncompensated care "appears to be an insurmountable challenge" for the Brethren homes, the report says, in part because "the Church of the Brethren homes see it as their mission to care for persons even if they do not have the funds," the report said. A 2003 survey of the Brethren homes found that uncompensated care cost one facility nearly $4 million annually, or about 13 percent of its operating budget, and that several homes make annual appeals and set up "Good Samaritan" style funds to help pay for the expense. Even so, the 18 homes that responded to the survey raised only $740,342 against an expense of $14,393,615 in 2002. "That means that church support for uncompensated care amounts to 5.1 percent of the actual loss," the report said.
The report challenges individuals to take responsibility for planning for their own long-term care needs, giving several suggestions in areas such as long-term care insurance and stewardship of personal assets. The report also challenges the denomination to educate church members about the problem and to work with Brethren homes to provide care, giving suggestions for action by congregations, districts, and the homes.
The booklet will be distributed widely in the denomination—with copies to go to delegates at Annual Conference, to congregations in the Source mailing, and to district ministers and may be used by retirement centers as information for boards, prospective residents, and major donors. ABC suggests that congregations use the booklet as an educational and study piece.
For a copy of the booklet, contact Ralph McFadden at the ABC office, 800-323-8039 ext. 305 or e-mail rmcfadden_abc@brethren.org.
"The Burden of Uncompensated Care in Brethren Retirement Centers and the Church" is the title of a new report in booklet form, from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). The Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a network of 23 Brethren-related retirement centers, is a ministry of ABC.
Currently Brethren homes accrue a total of $14 million in uncompensated care expenses annually, and the financial burden will only increase as future care needs for older adults increase, according to the report by ABC's Uncompensated Care Committee of Brian Black, Connie Burk Davis, Don Fecher, Tim Hissong, and Wally Landes. The report defines uncompensated care as "non-reimbursed care provided to residents...whose daily living costs are not covered by normal revenue" including residents' own assets, family ability or willingness to pay, private-pay insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.
Uncompensated care "appears to be an insurmountable challenge" for the Brethren homes, the report says, in part because "the Church of the Brethren homes see it as their mission to care for persons even if they do not have the funds," the report said. A 2003 survey of the Brethren homes found that uncompensated care cost one facility nearly $4 million annually, or about 13 percent of its operating budget, and that several homes make annual appeals and set up "Good Samaritan" style funds to help pay for the expense. Even so, the 18 homes that responded to the survey raised only $740,342 against an expense of $14,393,615 in 2002. "That means that church support for uncompensated care amounts to 5.1 percent of the actual loss," the report said.
The report challenges individuals to take responsibility for planning for their own long-term care needs, giving several suggestions in areas such as long-term care insurance and stewardship of personal assets. The report also challenges the denomination to educate church members about the problem and to work with Brethren homes to provide care, giving suggestions for action by congregations, districts, and the homes.
The booklet will be distributed widely in the denomination—with copies to go to delegates at Annual Conference, to congregations in the Source mailing, and to district ministers and may be used by retirement centers as information for boards, prospective residents, and major donors. ABC suggests that congregations use the booklet as an educational and study piece.
For a copy of the booklet, contact Ralph McFadden at the ABC office, 800-323-8039 ext. 305 or e-mail rmcfadden_abc@brethren.org.
Mission coordinator learns from Dominican church leader's disappointment and faith.
(Author Irvin Heishman and his wife, Nancy, are Dominican Republic mission coordinators for the General Board.)
Sister Anastasia Buena is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who moved to the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar cane industry. Earning less than a dollar a day cutting sugar cane was a vast improvement over what her family ever could have hoped for in Haiti. Still, a daily struggle to survive, hunger, and shortages have been part and parcel of her life.
Somehow, within these profound limitations, she has flourished. As a dedicated Christian woman, she has a dignity reflecting her inner knowledge that she is a child of God. She has become a respected leader of Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic, where she and her husband co-pastor of one of the largest and fastest growing congregations. The theological education program of the Church of the Brethren has allowed her to sharpen her leadership skills. She leads with gentleness and grace, but when she stands up to sing or pray, a sudden joyful power breaks forth from her that leaves no doubt about the source of her strength. This past year she was elected moderator of Iglesia de Los Hermanos, becoming the first person of Haitian ancestry to hold this position.
Moderators of the Dominican church are given the dream of a lifetime, to travel to the United States to share with American Brethren at Annual Conference. Sister Anastasia was thrilled about this possibility. But she comes from a different world. The US consulate was closed on the day she had an appointment for her visa interview. This scheduling error meant that the next day, employees at the consulate rushed through interviews for hundreds of people who mistakenly had been scheduled the day before. As she entered the consulate, I prayed that God would part the waters for her, as he did for the ancient Hebrews, and that Annual Conference would have the blessing of hearing from this great leader in its Dominican mission.
Maybe it was her dark skin, clearly Haitian. Maybe it was that she was obviously poor, and thus was considered likely to stay in the US for economic reasons. Maybe it had something to do with the war in Iraq. Possibly she was considered a security risk. Filled with a host of suspicions and pressures, the consulate employee barely looked at her, dashed through her interview, and chose not to read any of her carefully prepared documents including a letter of invitation from the General Board and documentation of why she would return home following her visit. Without giving her a fair chance, he denied her visa. A great opportunity for good suddenly vanished.
In moments like this, Sister Anastasia has a great advantage over me. She doesn't expect life to be fair. She has learned to flourish in Christ within the strict limitations and blows of injustice. Not that the disappointment doesn't hurt, of course. On the other hand, I do expect life to be fair, so I could barely stomach the way she was treated by my government. I fought in my mind against the notion that life can be so unfair for some, while I have every liberty and opportunity I could ever want. I have not figured out the strange ways of God who does not part the waters for some and yet enables them to flourish, "Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9).
In the Dominican Republic, as I experience in this setting the harsh injustices of the world, I yearn to tap more profoundly into that fountain of sustaining faith that doesn't depend on justice or opportunity or fairness to thrive.
(Author Irvin Heishman and his wife, Nancy, are Dominican Republic mission coordinators for the General Board.)
Sister Anastasia Buena is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who moved to the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar cane industry. Earning less than a dollar a day cutting sugar cane was a vast improvement over what her family ever could have hoped for in Haiti. Still, a daily struggle to survive, hunger, and shortages have been part and parcel of her life.
Somehow, within these profound limitations, she has flourished. As a dedicated Christian woman, she has a dignity reflecting her inner knowledge that she is a child of God. She has become a respected leader of Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic, where she and her husband co-pastor of one of the largest and fastest growing congregations. The theological education program of the Church of the Brethren has allowed her to sharpen her leadership skills. She leads with gentleness and grace, but when she stands up to sing or pray, a sudden joyful power breaks forth from her that leaves no doubt about the source of her strength. This past year she was elected moderator of Iglesia de Los Hermanos, becoming the first person of Haitian ancestry to hold this position.
Moderators of the Dominican church are given the dream of a lifetime, to travel to the United States to share with American Brethren at Annual Conference. Sister Anastasia was thrilled about this possibility. But she comes from a different world. The US consulate was closed on the day she had an appointment for her visa interview. This scheduling error meant that the next day, employees at the consulate rushed through interviews for hundreds of people who mistakenly had been scheduled the day before. As she entered the consulate, I prayed that God would part the waters for her, as he did for the ancient Hebrews, and that Annual Conference would have the blessing of hearing from this great leader in its Dominican mission.
Maybe it was her dark skin, clearly Haitian. Maybe it was that she was obviously poor, and thus was considered likely to stay in the US for economic reasons. Maybe it had something to do with the war in Iraq. Possibly she was considered a security risk. Filled with a host of suspicions and pressures, the consulate employee barely looked at her, dashed through her interview, and chose not to read any of her carefully prepared documents including a letter of invitation from the General Board and documentation of why she would return home following her visit. Without giving her a fair chance, he denied her visa. A great opportunity for good suddenly vanished.
In moments like this, Sister Anastasia has a great advantage over me. She doesn't expect life to be fair. She has learned to flourish in Christ within the strict limitations and blows of injustice. Not that the disappointment doesn't hurt, of course. On the other hand, I do expect life to be fair, so I could barely stomach the way she was treated by my government. I fought in my mind against the notion that life can be so unfair for some, while I have every liberty and opportunity I could ever want. I have not figured out the strange ways of God who does not part the waters for some and yet enables them to flourish, "Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9).
In the Dominican Republic, as I experience in this setting the harsh injustices of the world, I yearn to tap more profoundly into that fountain of sustaining faith that doesn't depend on justice or opportunity or fairness to thrive.
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Debbie Eisenbise, Howard Royer, Helen Stonesifer, Walt Wiltschek, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Debbie Eisenbise, Howard Royer, Helen Stonesifer, Walt Wiltschek, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Friday, June 18, 2004
NEWS
PERSONNELUPCOMING EVENTSANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEWFEATURE
- Don Vermilyea completes 10,000th mile of his Walk Across America.
- Record number train for Ministry Summer Service.
- Disaster grants fund storm relief, aid Sudan and Sierra Leone.
- Puerto Rican churches hold 18th annual assembly.
- Brethren bits: Personnel, 'Pennies for Seeds,' and much more.
PERSONNELUPCOMING EVENTSANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEWFEATURE
Take the Newsline On-Line Survey!
Newsline readers and subscribers are invited to help improve the Newsline service by filling out a short, 12-question survey. The survey can be found at www.brethren.org, click on "News," or go to www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/surveyWindow.html. If you cannot access the survey on-line, please request a survey form by mail from Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford at cobnews@aol.com
Newsline readers and subscribers are invited to help improve the Newsline service by filling out a short, 12-question survey. The survey can be found at www.brethren.org, click on "News," or go to www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/surveyWindow.html. If you cannot access the survey on-line, please request a survey form by mail from Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford at cobnews@aol.com
Don Vermilyea completes 10,000th mile of his Walk Across America.
"We're calling it 10,000," said Don Vermilyea as he completed 9,999 3/4 miles of his Walk Across America. A Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) worker on a mission to connect Brethren gathering places by walking to each Church of the Brethren congregation in the United States, Vermilyea has been walking since Feb. 2, 2002. On June 15 his 10,000th mile took him through the door of a country church just like many of those he has visited in the wide-open west—the Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren, located on a gravel road three miles from York, N.D.
Vermilyea's walk is sponsored by BVS and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office. When he visits a congregation, Vermilyea offers to preach, teach, or simply join in worship. Host congregations provide housing and simple meals and congregation members are invited to walk along for a few yards or a few miles. Vermilyea takes donations to a walk fund that benefits the Global Food Crisis Fund and the Emergency Disaster Fund.
The walk challenges Vermilyea with times of discouragement, loneliness, and weakness, as well as times when God gives him new strength. "When I look at it one day at a time, one step at a time, it's easier to deal with," he said in a telephone interview. "Sometimes I say to myself, why am I doing this?"
That kind of honesty is why the walk works, he said. Vermilyea doesn't tailor his message—about the need for peace and justice in this world—to the different kinds of congregations he visits or the different types of people he meets on the way. His basic message is clear. "God is truly great," he said. "We just need to pay attention."
Vermilyea started walking in Tucson, Ariz.; headed west to California; north to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho where he spent the winter of 2002; crossed the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 2003; and visited congregations of the plains states, where he continues to walk this summer. "I predicted the walk would take five years and 5-10,000 miles," he said. "It's going to be a few more," he added, as he looked forward to the next steps on a journey that eventually will take him all the way to the east coast. From Pleasant Valley he plans to visit Prairie Peace Fellowship in Surrey, N.D., then will take two weeks to walk to the Big Sky American Baptist/Brethren Church in Froid, Mont., and then will walk 700 miles to Worthington (Minn.) Church of the Brethren. Then he will head south again, hoping to be in south Texas in Jan. 2005.
Vermilyea is ready to retire his sixth pair of shoes, which will be auctioned off at the Northern Plains District Conference on the same day that his fifth pair—retired in McPherson, Kan.—will be auctioned at the Western Plains District Conference. "The more they get worn out, the more money they'll bring," he said.
"I ask for your prayers," he said to all who will read this article. "This walk works by my relationship with the Lord and the prayers of others."
For more information call 800-323-8039 ext. 239 to hear Vermilyea's telephone updates or log on to www.brethren.org and click on the keyword box to find "Walk Across America."
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
Top
"We're calling it 10,000," said Don Vermilyea as he completed 9,999 3/4 miles of his Walk Across America. A Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) worker on a mission to connect Brethren gathering places by walking to each Church of the Brethren congregation in the United States, Vermilyea has been walking since Feb. 2, 2002. On June 15 his 10,000th mile took him through the door of a country church just like many of those he has visited in the wide-open west—the Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren, located on a gravel road three miles from York, N.D.
Vermilyea's walk is sponsored by BVS and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office. When he visits a congregation, Vermilyea offers to preach, teach, or simply join in worship. Host congregations provide housing and simple meals and congregation members are invited to walk along for a few yards or a few miles. Vermilyea takes donations to a walk fund that benefits the Global Food Crisis Fund and the Emergency Disaster Fund.
The walk challenges Vermilyea with times of discouragement, loneliness, and weakness, as well as times when God gives him new strength. "When I look at it one day at a time, one step at a time, it's easier to deal with," he said in a telephone interview. "Sometimes I say to myself, why am I doing this?"
That kind of honesty is why the walk works, he said. Vermilyea doesn't tailor his message—about the need for peace and justice in this world—to the different kinds of congregations he visits or the different types of people he meets on the way. His basic message is clear. "God is truly great," he said. "We just need to pay attention."
Vermilyea started walking in Tucson, Ariz.; headed west to California; north to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho where he spent the winter of 2002; crossed the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 2003; and visited congregations of the plains states, where he continues to walk this summer. "I predicted the walk would take five years and 5-10,000 miles," he said. "It's going to be a few more," he added, as he looked forward to the next steps on a journey that eventually will take him all the way to the east coast. From Pleasant Valley he plans to visit Prairie Peace Fellowship in Surrey, N.D., then will take two weeks to walk to the Big Sky American Baptist/Brethren Church in Froid, Mont., and then will walk 700 miles to Worthington (Minn.) Church of the Brethren. Then he will head south again, hoping to be in south Texas in Jan. 2005.
Vermilyea is ready to retire his sixth pair of shoes, which will be auctioned off at the Northern Plains District Conference on the same day that his fifth pair—retired in McPherson, Kan.—will be auctioned at the Western Plains District Conference. "The more they get worn out, the more money they'll bring," he said.
"I ask for your prayers," he said to all who will read this article. "This walk works by my relationship with the Lord and the prayers of others."
For more information call 800-323-8039 ext. 239 to hear Vermilyea's telephone updates or log on to www.brethren.org and click on the keyword box to find "Walk Across America."
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Record number train for Ministry Summer Service.
A record number of interns met in Richmond, Ind., June 5-11 for this year's Ministry Summer Service (MSS) orientation. Some late additions raised the total number of young adults participating to 17, the highest total in the program's nine years. The program sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministries office gives young adults ages 18-24 an opportunity to explore ministry options under the guidance of a mentor. Interns serve for nine weeks in congregational or other church-related settings.
Ministry Office director Mary Jo Flory-Steury and Youth/Young Adult Ministries director Chris Douglas led many of this year's sessions. Faculty from Bethany Theological Seminary, Southern Ohio District executive Mark Flory Steury, and other denominational staff provided additional leadership. Topics addressed included Brethren heritage, personality styles, ministerial ethics, and church polity. The group also worshiped at Richmond Church of the Brethren, visited the Bethany campus, and took turns leading devotions. Mentors arrived for the final three days of the orientation, getting to know their interns and building plans for the summer. The week concluded with a commissioning service.
Ten female and seven male interns are participating this year. Ten are serving in congregations, others are working with camps, on the Youth Peace Travel Team, with youth workcamps, in the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and with Companeros en Ministerio of Tijuana, Mexico.
More than 100 young adults have been part of MSS since it began in 1996. The challenge now is to secure support so the program can continue. Underwritten by an individual donor for its first eight years, the program now requires other funding. General Board staff are seeking donors and funding resources.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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A record number of interns met in Richmond, Ind., June 5-11 for this year's Ministry Summer Service (MSS) orientation. Some late additions raised the total number of young adults participating to 17, the highest total in the program's nine years. The program sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministries office gives young adults ages 18-24 an opportunity to explore ministry options under the guidance of a mentor. Interns serve for nine weeks in congregational or other church-related settings.
Ministry Office director Mary Jo Flory-Steury and Youth/Young Adult Ministries director Chris Douglas led many of this year's sessions. Faculty from Bethany Theological Seminary, Southern Ohio District executive Mark Flory Steury, and other denominational staff provided additional leadership. Topics addressed included Brethren heritage, personality styles, ministerial ethics, and church polity. The group also worshiped at Richmond Church of the Brethren, visited the Bethany campus, and took turns leading devotions. Mentors arrived for the final three days of the orientation, getting to know their interns and building plans for the summer. The week concluded with a commissioning service.
Ten female and seven male interns are participating this year. Ten are serving in congregations, others are working with camps, on the Youth Peace Travel Team, with youth workcamps, in the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and with Companeros en Ministerio of Tijuana, Mexico.
More than 100 young adults have been part of MSS since it began in 1996. The challenge now is to secure support so the program can continue. Underwritten by an individual donor for its first eight years, the program now requires other funding. General Board staff are seeking donors and funding resources.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Disaster grants fund storm relief, aid Sudan and Sierra Leone.
A total of $55,000 in grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund have been given to storm relief efforts and to aid Sudan and Sierra Leone.
A grant of $20,000 will continue funding a long-term Emergency Response project in Poquoson, Va. The repair and rebuilding project was begun following Hurricane Isabel, which caused extensive coastal damage in Sept. 2003. The project is expected to continue into 2005.
In the aftermath of a multitude of spring storms and extreme weather across the US, an allocation of $10,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for aid. Since April, 520 tornadoes have caused deaths and injuries in 14 states and Puerto Rico, and widespread damage including the destruction of homes, power outages, flooding, and thousands of tons of debris. The spring storms relief effort also includes shipments of supplies from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., and a grant of $5,000 to fund Disaster Child Care in affected areas. The child care program has deployed volunteers in Nebraska, following a tornado in Hallam, and in West Virginia where four counties—Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming, and Logan—have had repeated flood damage.
Another $5,000 has been given to open a flood recovery project in Greenbrief County, W.Va. Last November, storms again flooded numerous communities that already had suffered multiple floods in less than two years. About 19 families currently await assistance from the Brethren volunteers who are doing repair work, Emergency Response staff reported.
The Church of the Brethren has responded to an appeal for Sudan with $15,000 to help displaced people in the Darfur region with food, medicine, water, and agricultural training. Sudan is holding peace talks to end its civil war but continues to experience violence. "One of the worst humanitarian crises in Africa has been unfolding in Darfur," according to the appeal from CWS, which said that the area has suffered systematic killings, the burning of villages, and human rights violations by militias tied to the government.
The Brethren fund also is supporting civil war recovery in Sierra Leone, sending $10,000 to a community empowerment and sensitization project for children, youth, and young workers. Following a decade-long civil war, the grant will support a program combining education, food production, and skills and management training as an alternative to armed conflict.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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A total of $55,000 in grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund have been given to storm relief efforts and to aid Sudan and Sierra Leone.
A grant of $20,000 will continue funding a long-term Emergency Response project in Poquoson, Va. The repair and rebuilding project was begun following Hurricane Isabel, which caused extensive coastal damage in Sept. 2003. The project is expected to continue into 2005.
In the aftermath of a multitude of spring storms and extreme weather across the US, an allocation of $10,000 supports a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for aid. Since April, 520 tornadoes have caused deaths and injuries in 14 states and Puerto Rico, and widespread damage including the destruction of homes, power outages, flooding, and thousands of tons of debris. The spring storms relief effort also includes shipments of supplies from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., and a grant of $5,000 to fund Disaster Child Care in affected areas. The child care program has deployed volunteers in Nebraska, following a tornado in Hallam, and in West Virginia where four counties—Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming, and Logan—have had repeated flood damage.
Another $5,000 has been given to open a flood recovery project in Greenbrief County, W.Va. Last November, storms again flooded numerous communities that already had suffered multiple floods in less than two years. About 19 families currently await assistance from the Brethren volunteers who are doing repair work, Emergency Response staff reported.
The Church of the Brethren has responded to an appeal for Sudan with $15,000 to help displaced people in the Darfur region with food, medicine, water, and agricultural training. Sudan is holding peace talks to end its civil war but continues to experience violence. "One of the worst humanitarian crises in Africa has been unfolding in Darfur," according to the appeal from CWS, which said that the area has suffered systematic killings, the burning of villages, and human rights violations by militias tied to the government.
The Brethren fund also is supporting civil war recovery in Sierra Leone, sending $10,000 to a community empowerment and sensitization project for children, youth, and young workers. Following a decade-long civil war, the grant will support a program combining education, food production, and skills and management training as an alternative to armed conflict.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Puerto Rican churches hold 18th annual assembly.
The 18th annual island-wide assembly of Church of the Brethren congregations in Puerto Rico was held at Cristo Nuestra Paz Fellowship in Yahuecas on June 4-5.
Opening the weekend event was a workshop on leadership led by Carol L. Yeazell, General Board Congregational Life Team staff from Area 3-Southeast. Evening worship began with Miguel Alicea, pastor of Rio Prieto, Iglesia de los Hermanos, preaching on the conference theme "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season..." from Psa. 1:3a.
Under the leadership of Maria Otero, moderator and member of the Vega Baja congregation, 23 delegates heard reports, voted to recognize La Casa del Amigo, Santana Arecibo, as a fellowship, and approve a budget. Lydia Fernandini was chosen as moderator elect. A group from La Casa del Amigo shared about exciting work being done in Arecibo where 25-30 young people now gather on a weekly basis for worship, teaching, and fun in a drug-free environment. Already the testimonies of changed lives is resulting in church growth for this new church plant.
Wilson Novia, fraternal delegate from the Dominican Republic, gave a report on the crises involving Haiti and the DR. No Church of the Brethren congregation was affected directly by recent flooding on the border of the two countries, but extended family and friends of church members suffered losses. The Dominican Brethren are making plans to assist with construction of 20 homes and are at work to provide needed medical and material aid to those who have been left bereft.
Next year's annual assembly will take place in Vega Baja on June 3-4, 2005.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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The 18th annual island-wide assembly of Church of the Brethren congregations in Puerto Rico was held at Cristo Nuestra Paz Fellowship in Yahuecas on June 4-5.
Opening the weekend event was a workshop on leadership led by Carol L. Yeazell, General Board Congregational Life Team staff from Area 3-Southeast. Evening worship began with Miguel Alicea, pastor of Rio Prieto, Iglesia de los Hermanos, preaching on the conference theme "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season..." from Psa. 1:3a.
Under the leadership of Maria Otero, moderator and member of the Vega Baja congregation, 23 delegates heard reports, voted to recognize La Casa del Amigo, Santana Arecibo, as a fellowship, and approve a budget. Lydia Fernandini was chosen as moderator elect. A group from La Casa del Amigo shared about exciting work being done in Arecibo where 25-30 young people now gather on a weekly basis for worship, teaching, and fun in a drug-free environment. Already the testimonies of changed lives is resulting in church growth for this new church plant.
Wilson Novia, fraternal delegate from the Dominican Republic, gave a report on the crises involving Haiti and the DR. No Church of the Brethren congregation was affected directly by recent flooding on the border of the two countries, but extended family and friends of church members suffered losses. The Dominican Brethren are making plans to assist with construction of 20 homes and are at work to provide needed medical and material aid to those who have been left bereft.
Next year's annual assembly will take place in Vega Baja on June 3-4, 2005.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Personnel, 'Pennies for Seeds,' and much more.
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- Leland W. Flora, director of admissions for Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., has announced his resignation effective June 30. He served Bethany just under one year. Prior to his work at Bethany, Flora was a teacher, assistant principal, and for 27 years a personnel supervisor for the Prince William County, Va., public schools. He plans to enjoy more time in retirement and volunteer activities.
- Bethany Theological Seminary announces the appointment of two associates in the Institutional Advancement office. Theresa Eshbach, who earlier this year announced her retirement as executive director of Institutional Advancement, will continue in this new capacity half time, working from her home in York County, Pa. Fred Bernhard, pastor of Oakland Church of the Brethren in Greenville, Ohio, will join Bethany's staff, working from his home in Arcanum, Ohio. Bernhard and Eshbach will serve for two years as Bethany completes its "Inspired by the Spirit, Educating for Ministry" financial campaign.
- McPherson (Kan.) College has named Michael Schneider vice president of advancement, a role in which he will provide leadership for career services, communications, and development. Schneider has served the college as director of career services since Aug. 2002. He is a 1996 graduate of McPherson and completed an MBA at the University of Denver.
- Bethany Theological Seminary announces an opening for director of admissions, available immediately. The school seeks a creative professional to help identify and encourage leaders to develop their gifts through graduate theological education. The director of admissions will be responsible for student development and recruitment, will represent the seminary at off-campus events, and travel to visit students and attend camps and conferences. Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree with seminary experience preferred. Understanding of the Church of the Brethren is required. Two to five years of professional experience in a field working with people is valuable. Applicants should demonstrate skills in communication, listening, organization, and the ability to help individuals discern vocational direction. Experience in communication technology and multicultural recruitment is a plus. Bethany is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from those who can enhance the breadth and diversity of the educational community. Submit a letter of application and resume to the Executive Director of Student and Business Services, Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374.
- McPherson (Kan.) College is accepting applications for director of development and director of career services. In a recent release the college announced that it has restructured its advancement department to replace the position of director of alumni and community relations with a second director of development. Each development position will provide constituent relations from a team approach. Members of the development team will lead alumni events and coordinate community programming. For more information contact Michael Schneider, vice president of advancement, at 620-241-0742 ext. 1227 or e-mail schneidm@mcpherson.edu.
- After the children of Calvary Church of the Brethren in Winchester, Va., collected "Pennies for Seeds" for the Global Food Crisis Fund, someone left an anonymous donation at the church office: a five-gallon bucket full of pennies. Karol Hottle, the Sunday school superintendent who already had counted and wrapped most of the $225 worth of pennies collected by the children, knew she needed help when the bucket showed up. She took the bucket to a bank that wrapped 207 more rolls of pennies—10,396 in all. "Our check for Pennies for Seeds came to $332.24," she said. "We also got two washers, one button, two foreign coins, and three paper clips! This morning, there was a small bank envelope with more pennies in my church box. This project not only helped the hungry, but it got a bunch of pennies back in circulation!" Hottle wrote in a follow-up note to General Board staff, "Next year I think we'll do 'Dollars 4 Seeds'!"
- A "19th Annual Run for Peace" and "4th Annual Walk for Peace" will begin at 8:15 a.m. June 28 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Runners and walkers will follow a course through town and the Elizabethtown College campus. A 5K run, 10K run, and 5K walk will be held. Registration costs $15 before June 21, then $20 until race day. This year's beneficiaries are the Brethren Housing Association and the Emergency Disaster Fund, according to the church's newsletter. For more information visit www.etown.edu/cob/peace-run-walk.htm.
- A program on Civilian Public Service will be presented by Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, 2 p.m. June 19 at Garbers Church of the Brethren, Harrisonburg, Va. The video "A Life of Peace in a Time of War" will be shown followed by a discussion. Exhibits will highlight the CPS story. Al Keim, first director of the center and author of "The Politics of Conscience" and "The CPS Story" is the program coordinator. For more information call 540-438-1275.
- Volunteers to help with the blood drive and a display booth at this year's Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va., are sought by the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries. The blood drive will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 5 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. July 6, and five volunteers are needed each day to help with registration, escort donors, and serve in the canteen. Volunteers also are sought to staff the ER/SM booth, to greet guests and answer questions related to the Disaster Response and Disaster Child Care programs. Contact Diane Gosnell at 800-451-4407.
- Helen Stonesifer and Glenn and Helen Kinsel, of the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries, attended a Region III Disaster Child Care Reunion at the home of Jean and Carl Myers in Sinking Spring, Pa., on June 5. Approximately 28 child care givers attended the event from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. "Everyone had a great time of fellowship, fun, sharing disaster response pictures and stories," reported Stonesifer.
- Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 260 is holding a potluck 6 p.m. July 31 for former BVS workers and Civilian Public Service (CPS) workers and anyone connected to BVS or CPS in the area of Union Bridge, Md. The potluck will be held at Union Bridge Church of the Brethren. "We see this potluck as a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers in training from Unit 260 to be able to connect with people who have done similar service," said Sam Bowman, assistant to orientation. "Please bring a covered dish to share, or any other type of food for the potluck. There will be a short informal time of introduction and sharing. We hope to see you there."
- Brethren Village, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Lancaster, Pa., was given attention in a Workforce Management publication reported Ralph McFadden, staff for the Association of Brethren Caregivers' Fellowship of Brethren Homes. Under the title, "They Don't Retire Them, They Hire Them," Brethren Village was commended for its policy of hiring older adults. The article noted the leadership of David Fleming, who heads human resources. "Because Lancaster is an older area, so is Brethren's workforce: 34 percent of its workers are over age 50," the article read in part. "Fleming goes to senior job fairs when he stresses the many job attributes at Brethren that surveys show are particularly important to older workers....If workers want to spend the winter in Florida, Brethren will be happy to employ them during the warmer months. Knowing that health insurance can be a hot-button topic for older workers, Brethren gives health-care coverage year-round to part-time workers."
- The Cedars, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in McPherson, Kan., was honored April 29 with two awards from the Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The Cedars received a Clinical Care Award for its risk management program, which demonstrated significant improvement for residents in the areas of weight, skin integrity, fall prevention, restraints, infections, and pain. The Cedars also received a Recognition Award that is presented to association members receiving three or fewer nursing care deficiencies on their annual surveys. The Cedars received only two.
- The Good Shepherd Home, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Fostoria, Ohio, went to extremes to make the news in May, according to Ralph McFadden, staff of the Association of Brethren Caregivers' Fellowship of Brethren Homes. The town newspaper ran an article titled, "Stag wreaks havoc, injury at Good Shepherd" after a deer jumped through a window in the home's assisted living facility at about 3:30 a.m. on May 20, injuring two residents and three staff members. The police and fire departments captured the deer. The home's executive director Chris Widman noted that the response of the home's staff to the emergency was tremendous.
- Heifer International's 60th anniversary will be celebrated June 25-27 at HI's Midwest Regional Center in Goshen, Ind. The event will recognize the beginnings of HI in Elkhart County, where Church of the Brethren leader Dan West first found support for a shipment of heifers to Spain in 1944. The weekend will include educational forums, dedication of the center, a Ken Medema concert, animal displays at the Elkhart County fairgrounds, speakers from HI projects around the world, a celebration banquet at Greencroft Senior Center, and church services Sunday morning. A Dan West monologue co-authored by his daughter, Jan Schrock, will be performed at the banquet by Brian Kruschwitz, a former Brethren Volunteer Service worker. Registration is required for the concert and banquet. For more information call 574-642-3096.
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Mission staff complete terms of service in Nigeria.
John and Patty Crumley, mission staff of the General Board in Nigeria, have completed their term of service and have returned to the United States. Program volunteers Gerald and Eleanor Roller also have returned to the US.
The Crumleys began their work in Nigeria in 1999. Patty taught music at Hillcrest School in the town of Jos, and John filled a variety of mission support positions including the tutoring of students and working on buildings and grounds projects at Hillcrest. For the past year John also has taught at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria.
Also completing a term of service in Nigeria are Gerald and Eleanor Roller, who have served for six months as program volunteers in the areas of leadership training, marriage enrichment, and the Rural Health Program.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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John and Patty Crumley, mission staff of the General Board in Nigeria, have completed their term of service and have returned to the United States. Program volunteers Gerald and Eleanor Roller also have returned to the US.
The Crumleys began their work in Nigeria in 1999. Patty taught music at Hillcrest School in the town of Jos, and John filled a variety of mission support positions including the tutoring of students and working on buildings and grounds projects at Hillcrest. For the past year John also has taught at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria.
Also completing a term of service in Nigeria are Gerald and Eleanor Roller, who have served for six months as program volunteers in the areas of leadership training, marriage enrichment, and the Rural Health Program.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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ABC offers seminar on older adult ministry, disabilities listserve.
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is offering "A Seminar on Effective Ministry for, by, and with Older Adults" in conjunction with its National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) in Lake Junaluska, N.C., Sept. 6-8. The association also has a new listserve for those interested in disabilities issues.
Keynote leader for the seminar will be Ted Sample, coordinator of the Network for the Study of US Lifestyles which has focused attention on generational research. Church of the Brethren presenters also will provide leadership for the event, which is designed for clergy, chaplains, retirement center personnel, social workers, and lay leaders involved in older adult ministry.
Clergy will receive one continuing education unit and EFSM/TRIM students who attend may receive one ministry skills unit through the Brethren Academy. Registration for the seminar includes participation in NOAC. Cost is $175, $285 for EFSM/TRIM students. For more information contact ABC staff member Scott Douglas at 800-323-8039 ext. 303.
ABC has launched a new e-mail listserve for individuals and congregations interested in discussing disability issues and concerns. The listserve is a ministry of the Church and Persons with Disabilities Network. To subscribe to the list, go to http://listserver.emountain.net/mailman/listinfo/cpdn and follow the instructions.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is offering "A Seminar on Effective Ministry for, by, and with Older Adults" in conjunction with its National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) in Lake Junaluska, N.C., Sept. 6-8. The association also has a new listserve for those interested in disabilities issues.
Keynote leader for the seminar will be Ted Sample, coordinator of the Network for the Study of US Lifestyles which has focused attention on generational research. Church of the Brethren presenters also will provide leadership for the event, which is designed for clergy, chaplains, retirement center personnel, social workers, and lay leaders involved in older adult ministry.
Clergy will receive one continuing education unit and EFSM/TRIM students who attend may receive one ministry skills unit through the Brethren Academy. Registration for the seminar includes participation in NOAC. Cost is $175, $285 for EFSM/TRIM students. For more information contact ABC staff member Scott Douglas at 800-323-8039 ext. 303.
ABC has launched a new e-mail listserve for individuals and congregations interested in discussing disability issues and concerns. The listserve is a ministry of the Church and Persons with Disabilities Network. To subscribe to the list, go to http://listserver.emountain.net/mailman/listinfo/cpdn and follow the instructions.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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International visitors are refused visas for Annual Conference.
Several international guests who were invited to attend Annual Conference this year were not able to get visas to enter the United States. Those denied visas include Anastasia Buena, moderator of Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic; her husband, pastor Isaias Pena of San Luis Iglesia de Los Hermanos; Filibus Gwama, president of Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN—the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria); and Yohanna Y. Balami, EYN's general secretary.
Although a July 6 insight session that was to feature the Nigerian leadership will be canceled, an International Welcome Dinner on July 3 will still take place with speakers Jeff and Peggy Boshart, mission staff for economic development in the Dominican Republic. Another July 5 evening insight session that was to be led by Buena may still take place as well.
Haruun Ruun, executive secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches, will attend the Conference to speak about efforts for peace in Sudan. He will be accompanied by Merlyn Kettering, NSCC strategic advisor. Ruun will be at the International Welcome Dinner and will be the featured speaker for the Global Ministries Dinner and an insight session on July 6.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Several international guests who were invited to attend Annual Conference this year were not able to get visas to enter the United States. Those denied visas include Anastasia Buena, moderator of Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic; her husband, pastor Isaias Pena of San Luis Iglesia de Los Hermanos; Filibus Gwama, president of Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN—the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria); and Yohanna Y. Balami, EYN's general secretary.
Although a July 6 insight session that was to feature the Nigerian leadership will be canceled, an International Welcome Dinner on July 3 will still take place with speakers Jeff and Peggy Boshart, mission staff for economic development in the Dominican Republic. Another July 5 evening insight session that was to be led by Buena may still take place as well.
Haruun Ruun, executive secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches, will attend the Conference to speak about efforts for peace in Sudan. He will be accompanied by Merlyn Kettering, NSCC strategic advisor. Ruun will be at the International Welcome Dinner and will be the featured speaker for the Global Ministries Dinner and an insight session on July 6.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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'Out of context' milestone prompts writer's reflection.
Nearly ten years, two churches, and four computers later, the 500th meditation in my weekly feature "Out of Context" will appear in the June 27 lesson of the Brethren Press curriculum "A Guide for Biblical Studies," in the issue for June, July, and August 2004.
The feature has appeared without a break as I moved from Indiana to Pennsylvania, traded in my Atari 800XL word processor for the first in a series of PCs and laptops, and said goodbye to my children and hello to the empty nest I share with my spouse, Jennie.
Each week, "Out of Context" hones in on a Bible verse to provide a second focus to complement the lesson. The result is a meditation built around a personal experience, a figure from Brethren history, an observation about the natural universe, or a reminiscence about a friend or place. In some I have written about my travels (always on the cheap). In others I've given a glimpse of my personal life (usually at my expense). Often I uncover some facet of the lesson I was pretty sure was too odd for the writer assigned to the quarter. Some are poignant, some funny, and most, I hope, are thought provoking. All, I pray, give glory to God.
The idea for "Out of Context" was loosely based on the work of a friend and fellow writer, Bob Baker, of Elkhart, Ind. Bob wrote a short weekly feature called "If I Taught the Lesson" for the Mennonite publication "The Builder." The more I thought about Bob's feature, the more I realized I'd like to try something like it. Julie Garber, then editor of Brethren Press, sounded intrigued. She asked me what I wanted to call the feature. I hadn't given it a lot of thought, but I blurted the words, "Out of Context." The name stuck.
I do a lot of writing, but nothing is as much fun as "Out of Context." Originally the meaning of the title was my belief that out of context comes meaning. In other words, look at the context of a Bible verse and you'll have a better idea what the writer—and God—was trying to say. In the end I liked the title for itself. I was taking verses out of context and seeing where they led me.
In an interesting coincidence, both the first and the 500th "Out of Context" accompanied lessons written by Nancy Heishman. The first "Out of Context" was based on Matthew 3:4 and the odd appearance of John the Baptist. I tied the verse to the theft of part of an outdoor nativity set at the Elkhart City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, and how pastor David Bibbee made lemonade out of lemons by putting a sign out front promoting an upcoming service with the saying "The Manger Is Empty! Find Out Why!"
The 500th meditation includes a memory of a meal shared with a poor family in Guatemala, and the reference to Melchizedek in Hebrews 5:6. The hosts of the meal were survivors of a brutal civil war and both had lost spouses who had been murdered during the conflict. Over a meal of black beans, rice, and corn tortillas in a cramped, smoke-stained kitchen, I pointed out that just as Melchizedek's lone encounter with Abraham echoed over the centuries, so our brief encounter made a lasting impression and sharpened our desire for ministry and service in the name of Jesus. That simple meal prefigured the common meal we all will share at the heavenly banquet table.
—Frank Ramirez is pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and frequently writes for Brethren publications.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Nearly ten years, two churches, and four computers later, the 500th meditation in my weekly feature "Out of Context" will appear in the June 27 lesson of the Brethren Press curriculum "A Guide for Biblical Studies," in the issue for June, July, and August 2004.
The feature has appeared without a break as I moved from Indiana to Pennsylvania, traded in my Atari 800XL word processor for the first in a series of PCs and laptops, and said goodbye to my children and hello to the empty nest I share with my spouse, Jennie.
Each week, "Out of Context" hones in on a Bible verse to provide a second focus to complement the lesson. The result is a meditation built around a personal experience, a figure from Brethren history, an observation about the natural universe, or a reminiscence about a friend or place. In some I have written about my travels (always on the cheap). In others I've given a glimpse of my personal life (usually at my expense). Often I uncover some facet of the lesson I was pretty sure was too odd for the writer assigned to the quarter. Some are poignant, some funny, and most, I hope, are thought provoking. All, I pray, give glory to God.
The idea for "Out of Context" was loosely based on the work of a friend and fellow writer, Bob Baker, of Elkhart, Ind. Bob wrote a short weekly feature called "If I Taught the Lesson" for the Mennonite publication "The Builder." The more I thought about Bob's feature, the more I realized I'd like to try something like it. Julie Garber, then editor of Brethren Press, sounded intrigued. She asked me what I wanted to call the feature. I hadn't given it a lot of thought, but I blurted the words, "Out of Context." The name stuck.
I do a lot of writing, but nothing is as much fun as "Out of Context." Originally the meaning of the title was my belief that out of context comes meaning. In other words, look at the context of a Bible verse and you'll have a better idea what the writer—and God—was trying to say. In the end I liked the title for itself. I was taking verses out of context and seeing where they led me.
In an interesting coincidence, both the first and the 500th "Out of Context" accompanied lessons written by Nancy Heishman. The first "Out of Context" was based on Matthew 3:4 and the odd appearance of John the Baptist. I tied the verse to the theft of part of an outdoor nativity set at the Elkhart City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, and how pastor David Bibbee made lemonade out of lemons by putting a sign out front promoting an upcoming service with the saying "The Manger Is Empty! Find Out Why!"
The 500th meditation includes a memory of a meal shared with a poor family in Guatemala, and the reference to Melchizedek in Hebrews 5:6. The hosts of the meal were survivors of a brutal civil war and both had lost spouses who had been murdered during the conflict. Over a meal of black beans, rice, and corn tortillas in a cramped, smoke-stained kitchen, I pointed out that just as Melchizedek's lone encounter with Abraham echoed over the centuries, so our brief encounter made a lasting impression and sharpened our desire for ministry and service in the name of Jesus. That simple meal prefigured the common meal we all will share at the heavenly banquet table.
—Frank Ramirez is pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and frequently writes for Brethren publications.
Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline
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Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Sam Bowman, Ralph McFadden, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, Walt Wiltschek, and Carol Yeazell contributed to this report.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Sam Bowman, Ralph McFadden, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, Walt Wiltschek, and Carol Yeazell contributed to this report.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events. For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren magazine "Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.
Friday, June 04, 2004
NEWS
- Planners refine process, goals for ecclesiology consultation.
- On Earth Peace builds on 30 years of peacemaking.
- BBT reviews accomplishments in Socially Responsible Investing.
- General Board renews emphasis on stewardship.
- Church planting event develops 'deep roots, strong wings.'
- Spiritual Directors' Network holds retreat.
- Brethren bits: remembrance, personnel, and more.
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