- Rozella M. Lunkley (87), a former Church of the Brethren missionary, died Feb. 23 at Bradner Village Health Care Center in Marion, Ind. She was born on Jan. 1, 1920, in Ottumwa, Iowa, to the late James H. and Jenny (Terrell) Welsh. She married Charles W. Lunkley on May 1, 1939. She was a missionary and a pastor's wife, serving churches and mission fields from Africa to Iowa and Indiana. She also was an accomplished pianist, artist, and seamstress. She is survived by her husband, daughter Carolyn (Hardey) McDaniel, son James (Judith) Lunkley, godson Daniel (Esther) Dibal, and by three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The memorial service was held Feb. 28 at Marion (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, where she was a member. Memorial gifts were designated to Bethany Theological Seminary or McPherson (Kan.) College. Online condolences may be made at www.nswcares.com.
- Walter Trail has accepted a promotion to managing chef for the General Board at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center. Trail has been with the food service department at the Conference Center since December. His previous experience includes management and food service positions with CI Food Service, Eurest Dining Services, and Sbarro, Inc.
- Susan Brandenbusch, who has served as administrative assistant to the president of Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) since Nov. 1999, will be terminating her employment on June 15. She will no longer have regular office hours effective March 15. In addition to being assistant to the president, Brandenbusch was in charge of payroll operations, and organized board meetings and the BBT Fitness Challenge at Annual Conference.
- Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village, a continuing care retirement community in Boonsboro, Md., related to the Church of the Brethren, has announced that interim chaplain Judith Clister has been called as permanent chaplain. She works part-time serving the needs of residents, prepares a weekly Vespers and Sunday morning worship service, and leads a monthly Bible study. Clister was licensed to the ministry in 2004 and is currently taking classes to continue her education. Her background includes over 30 years as a teacher and as a school counselor. For more information, visit www.fkmh.org.
- Palms Estates, a 55 and over independent living retirement community in central Florida, is seeking executive leadership. The organization includes 71 homes and 40 RV sites, founded by the Church of the Brethren. This is an excellent employment opportunity for an experienced husband and wife team, said the announcement. Responsibilities include leadership and management of the total operation of the Palms Estates. Candidates should possess strong organizational, administrative, accounting, verbal and written communication, and interpersonal skills acquired through training and experience. Knowledge of budgets, financial statements, and computer technology related to all office functions also is required. Qualified applicants need the ability to manage multiple tasks involving residents’ needs and concerns, maintain harmonious relations with related organizations, insure compliance with governmental regulations, and manage a small citrus grove and maintenance staff. Onsite residence and office provided in addition to salary and other benefits. Send a resume and three references by June 15 to The Palms Estates at P.O. Box 364, Lorida FL, 33857.
- The Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., is marking the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War with prayer. The chapel is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today for staff to meditate and pray for peace in Iraq. The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board, which is meeting this weekend, has invited other agency staff to a brief service at 1 p.m. with music, readings, and prayers for peace.
- On Earth Peace is seeking reflections in the forms of prayers, poems, litanies, and brief meditations from individuals thinking about the following theme: We have been at war for four years with Iraq (longer if Afghanistan is included)--what do you have to say about the war, including theological/scriptural reflections? Submissions may be used in the On Earth Peace newsletter or on its website. Send submissions to bsayler_oepa@brethren.org by April 1.
- The theme for the March 16-17 Youth Roundtable at Bridgewater (Va.) College is "Humbled by His Presence." Roundtable is one of the annual regional youth conferences in the Church of the Brethren. Jim Hardenbrook, former Annual Conference moderator and pastor of Nampa (Idaho) Church of the Brethren, is the guest speaker, with music by "Into Hymn." For more information contact Virlina District at 540-362-1816 or MQT1965@aol.com.
- Cliff Kindy of Eel River Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind., and a longterm member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, has been honored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne and South Bend with the first "Father Tom O'Connor Light of Christ Award." The award was reported in an Associated Press article in the "Indianapolis Star" newspaper. Kindy has traveled to Iraq and Israel to promote peace, working with Christian Peacemaker Teams. O'Connor, who died in 2004, was a Fort Wayne priest known for his devotion to social justice. Read more at www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070315/LOCAL/703150537.
- "Basically, I said that I didn't take this discovery seriously," said University of La Verne professor Jonathan Reed about "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," a Discovery Channel documentary that aired March 4. Reed was a panelist for a televised forum about the documentary, moderated by Ted Koppel. The forum titled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus: A Critical Look," aired immediately following the documentary and included a panel chosen for their knowledge in such fields as archeology, theology, and biblical research. "I discussed this very tomb in the revised edition of ‘Excavating Jesus,’" Reed reported. "I think this program will provide an interesting opportunity for critical assessment of the entire subject." Reed is professor of religion at the Brethren-related university in La Verne, Calif., and co-author of "Excavating Jesus" and "In Search of Paul." He is a leading authority on first-century Palestine archeology and lead archaeologist at Sepphoris, the ancient capital city of Galilee. He served as senior historical consultant for the National Geographic Channel 2005 series "Science of the Bible." For more go to www.ulv.edu.
- For a second year, MAX Mutual Aid eXchange is sponsoring the denominational Wellness Ministry, a collaboration between the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Brethren Benefit Trust, and the Church of the Brethren General Board. MAX sponsored the ministry in 2006 and has increased its level of support in 2007, reported ABC. The group believes its sponsorship of the Wellness Ministry follows its vision, "as creating and sustaining wholeness through preserving and restoring property, lives, and community," stated a release from the company. "Funding provided through MAX will assist us in providing resources, workshops, and programs about wellness to Church of the Brethren congregations," said Mary Lou Garrison, director of the Wellness Ministry. MAX, based in Overland Park, Kan., provides casualty and property insurance for individuals, congregations, and corporations, and has been a sponsor and exhibitor at ABC conferences such as the Caring Ministries Assembly and National Older Adult Conference.
- "Brethren Voices" a new 30-minute community television program from Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren, produced by member Ed Groff, "has become a reality for seven Brethren congregations/and or districts," Groff said. The church has begun offering the series to other Brethren congregations that are served by community access television stations. The first program for March featured the video from On Earth Peace, "Food and Clothing, Cattle and Love--Brethren Service Following World War II," produced by David Sollenberger. The second and third programs of the series for April and May will feature the work of Brethren Disaster Response in Mississippi and Louisiana. Other programs being planned include a discussion of war and peace with video provided by On Earth Peace, and a program featuring 2007 Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell, Groff said. Each program is hosted by Portland Peace Church's Rachael Waas Shull. For more information about cost to receive the monthly program, and other information, contact Ed Groff at Groffprod1@msn.com or Portland Peace Church of the Brethren at peacecob@3dwave.com.
- Peggy Gish, a Church of the Brethren member and longterm member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq, reported March 9 that the Iraq team has returned home "for healing, examination, and discernment" following a brief abduction of team members. The team was working in the Kurdish north of Iraq. "In late January, Will Van Wagenen, two Iraqi associates, and I were abducted briefly...and then released unharmed," Gish reported. "The abduction has shaken the team and the organization. Because of the embarrassment this incident has caused them, Kurdish authorities have refused to complete CPT's NGO application." Gish asked for prayer as the team questions "whether or how we could responsibly work now in Iraq." Originally a violence-reduction initiative of the historic peace churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of Christian denominations (for more go to www.cpt.org).
Friday, March 16, 2007
Brethren bits: Remembrance, personnel, job opening, and more.
Donna March begins as director of office operations for Brethren Benefit Trust.
Donna March, manager of Insurance Operations for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), has been appointed to the new BBT management position of director of Office Operations, effective March 15.
In her new position, March will direct general office services, human resource services, and the data base development of denominational membership, and will manage BBT offices and telephone and coordinate the office of president.
March has been an employee of BBT since July of 1989, serving much of that time as staff of the insurance department. She will continue to provide part-time leadership for the Brethren Insurance Plan as she transitions to her new job. The Brethren Insurance Plan continues under the direction of interim director Randy Yoder.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Donna March, manager of Insurance Operations for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), has been appointed to the new BBT management position of director of Office Operations, effective March 15.
In her new position, March will direct general office services, human resource services, and the data base development of denominational membership, and will manage BBT offices and telephone and coordinate the office of president.
March has been an employee of BBT since July of 1989, serving much of that time as staff of the insurance department. She will continue to provide part-time leadership for the Brethren Insurance Plan as she transitions to her new job. The Brethren Insurance Plan continues under the direction of interim director Randy Yoder.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Annual Conference registration and housing are now open.
Housing reservations for Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 20-July 4, along with nondelegate registrations, can now be made at www.brethren.org/ac. Also online is the 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet, that also was distributed to all congregations in early March as a CD enclosed in the Source packet.
The Conference office encourages Brethren to use the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the information packet. Obtaining hotel rooms through Conference housing holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. To obtain housing online go to www.brethren.org/ac then click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Participants are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference.
Advance registration for nondelegates will realize a saving of more than 33 percent. Conference-goers can register themselves and family members, sign up for age group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Deadline for advance registrations is May 20. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Find the information packet at www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Housing reservations for Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 20-July 4, along with nondelegate registrations, can now be made at www.brethren.org/ac. Also online is the 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet, that also was distributed to all congregations in early March as a CD enclosed in the Source packet.
The Conference office encourages Brethren to use the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the information packet. Obtaining hotel rooms through Conference housing holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. To obtain housing online go to www.brethren.org/ac then click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Participants are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference.
Advance registration for nondelegates will realize a saving of more than 33 percent. Conference-goers can register themselves and family members, sign up for age group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Deadline for advance registrations is May 20. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Find the information packet at www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Art contest is sponsored by Intercultural Study Committee.
A "Revelation 7:9 Art Contest" is sponsored by the Intercultural Study Committee at Annual Conference. Entries are welcome from Brethren artists of all ages, and congregations are urged to encourage participation from their membership.
Entries should represent the artist’s understanding of Revelation 7:9. Other guidelines are: one entry per artist; all entries must be flat on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper; any media may be used (crayons, markers, oils, graphics images, photography, etc.); on the back of each entry clearly print or firmly attach a sticker that includes artist’s name and address, home congregation name and address, and age group ("young child" age 8 and under, "older child" ages 9 to 12, "teenager/youth" ages 13 to 18 in high school, "adult" college-age and older).
Judges will award a prize to the winner of each age group. All of the artwork, including the winning entries, will be displayed in the Intercultural Study Committee’s booth at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 1-5. Entries must be received by Friday, May 11. Send entries to Asha Solanky, Attn: Art Contest, 8209 Franconia Rd., Richmond, VA 23227.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
A "Revelation 7:9 Art Contest" is sponsored by the Intercultural Study Committee at Annual Conference. Entries are welcome from Brethren artists of all ages, and congregations are urged to encourage participation from their membership.
Entries should represent the artist’s understanding of Revelation 7:9. Other guidelines are: one entry per artist; all entries must be flat on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper; any media may be used (crayons, markers, oils, graphics images, photography, etc.); on the back of each entry clearly print or firmly attach a sticker that includes artist’s name and address, home congregation name and address, and age group ("young child" age 8 and under, "older child" ages 9 to 12, "teenager/youth" ages 13 to 18 in high school, "adult" college-age and older).
Judges will award a prize to the winner of each age group. All of the artwork, including the winning entries, will be displayed in the Intercultural Study Committee’s booth at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 1-5. Entries must be received by Friday, May 11. Send entries to Asha Solanky, Attn: Art Contest, 8209 Franconia Rd., Richmond, VA 23227.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Association of Brethren Caregivers joins ‘Cover the Uninsured’ for fourth year.
For the fourth year in a row, the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) has signed on to the "Cover the Uninsured" Campaign on behalf of the Church of the Brethren. ABC encourages congregations to participate in "Cover the Uninsured" Week on April 23-29.
This program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation raises awareness about the plight of nearly 46 million uninsured Americans. This year’s campaign will focus on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Signed into law in 1997 and scheduled for reauthorization by Congress this year, SCHIP provides each state with federal funds to design a health insurance program for vulnerable children. SCHIP has become increasingly important for lower income families to provide preventative health care for their children. Last fiscal year, more than six million children were enrolled in SCHIP.
A new study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that, since 1997, employer offers of health insurance to parents with lower incomes have fallen three times as fast as offers to parents who earn more money. Nationally, fewer than half (47 percent) of parents in families earning less than $40,000 a year are offered health insurance through their employer--a nine percent drop since 1997. Meanwhile, offers of health insurance to parents in families earning $80,000 or more have held steady at about 78 percent.
"In reauthorizing SCHIP, Congress must provide the funds needed to maintain coverage for all currently enrolled kids and the millions more who are eligible but remain unenrolled," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
To find out more visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
For the fourth year in a row, the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) has signed on to the "Cover the Uninsured" Campaign on behalf of the Church of the Brethren. ABC encourages congregations to participate in "Cover the Uninsured" Week on April 23-29.
This program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation raises awareness about the plight of nearly 46 million uninsured Americans. This year’s campaign will focus on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Signed into law in 1997 and scheduled for reauthorization by Congress this year, SCHIP provides each state with federal funds to design a health insurance program for vulnerable children. SCHIP has become increasingly important for lower income families to provide preventative health care for their children. Last fiscal year, more than six million children were enrolled in SCHIP.
A new study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that, since 1997, employer offers of health insurance to parents with lower incomes have fallen three times as fast as offers to parents who earn more money. Nationally, fewer than half (47 percent) of parents in families earning less than $40,000 a year are offered health insurance through their employer--a nine percent drop since 1997. Meanwhile, offers of health insurance to parents in families earning $80,000 or more have held steady at about 78 percent.
"In reauthorizing SCHIP, Congress must provide the funds needed to maintain coverage for all currently enrolled kids and the millions more who are eligible but remain unenrolled," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
To find out more visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Fellowship of Brethren Homes to hold annual forum.
Many CEOs, administrators, board members, and chaplains of Brethren-affiliated retirement centers will meet April 19-21 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif., for the Fellowship of Brethren Homes’ annual forum. Hillcrest is one of 22 Brethren facilities that are members of the fellowship, which is a ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). Theme for this year's forum is "Dealing with External Forces."
The conference will begin with a tour of the Hillcrest facility. Presentations will be given by Larry Minnix, CEO of the American Association of Health Services for the Aging, on "Scenario Planning--The Long and Winding Road"; by Marlin Heckman, a Brethren scholar at Hillcrest, on "The Church of the Brethren--Who We Are and How We got Here"; by Larry Boles, development director at Hillcrest, and Lowell Flory, director of Institutional Advancement for Bethany Seminary, on development and fundraising in the local and wider Church of the Brethren community; and by Hillcrest chaplain Myrna Wheeler on older adult ministry and chaplaincy. The conference will conclude at noon Saturday.
For more information about the forum, contact ABC at 800-323-8039 or go to www.brethren-caregivers.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Many CEOs, administrators, board members, and chaplains of Brethren-affiliated retirement centers will meet April 19-21 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif., for the Fellowship of Brethren Homes’ annual forum. Hillcrest is one of 22 Brethren facilities that are members of the fellowship, which is a ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). Theme for this year's forum is "Dealing with External Forces."
The conference will begin with a tour of the Hillcrest facility. Presentations will be given by Larry Minnix, CEO of the American Association of Health Services for the Aging, on "Scenario Planning--The Long and Winding Road"; by Marlin Heckman, a Brethren scholar at Hillcrest, on "The Church of the Brethren--Who We Are and How We got Here"; by Larry Boles, development director at Hillcrest, and Lowell Flory, director of Institutional Advancement for Bethany Seminary, on development and fundraising in the local and wider Church of the Brethren community; and by Hillcrest chaplain Myrna Wheeler on older adult ministry and chaplaincy. The conference will conclude at noon Saturday.
For more information about the forum, contact ABC at 800-323-8039 or go to www.brethren-caregivers.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Summer fun is in the cards.
Brethren Forerunners and Dutch Blitz move over! The Gather ’Round curriculum project has released a deck of 78 colorful "Parable Cards" to play at home in conjunction with the summer material on the parables of Jesus.
The cards offer a question, suggestion, or prayer corresponding to a particular parable. For example, a card for the parable of the rich fool who builds new barns to hold all his produce asks, "What does it mean to be rich toward God?" Another card asks that you tell about a time you decided you needed more storage space for something you were saving.
Twenty-six "Any day cards" suggest activities that apply to any parable, such as "Take the characters from your favorite television show and make up an episode that tells the same story as this parable."
Parable Cards are the Gather ’Round "Talkabout" for the summer quarter. Talkabouts are take-home items that offer families a way to bring up the weekly Gather ’Round scripture texts in conversation and simple activities at home. Each quarter offers a different item. The Talkabout for spring 2007 is a refrigerator magnet puzzle. Talkabouts for previous quarters have been a 14-sided pop-up and a daily tear-off calendar.
Congregations order the Talkabouts for each household in the congregation. Families can also order them on their own for $5.95. Order from Brethren Press at 800-441-3712 or go to www.gatherround.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Brethren Forerunners and Dutch Blitz move over! The Gather ’Round curriculum project has released a deck of 78 colorful "Parable Cards" to play at home in conjunction with the summer material on the parables of Jesus.
The cards offer a question, suggestion, or prayer corresponding to a particular parable. For example, a card for the parable of the rich fool who builds new barns to hold all his produce asks, "What does it mean to be rich toward God?" Another card asks that you tell about a time you decided you needed more storage space for something you were saving.
Twenty-six "Any day cards" suggest activities that apply to any parable, such as "Take the characters from your favorite television show and make up an episode that tells the same story as this parable."
Parable Cards are the Gather ’Round "Talkabout" for the summer quarter. Talkabouts are take-home items that offer families a way to bring up the weekly Gather ’Round scripture texts in conversation and simple activities at home. Each quarter offers a different item. The Talkabout for spring 2007 is a refrigerator magnet puzzle. Talkabouts for previous quarters have been a 14-sided pop-up and a daily tear-off calendar.
Congregations order the Talkabouts for each household in the congregation. Families can also order them on their own for $5.95. Order from Brethren Press at 800-441-3712 or go to www.gatherround.org.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Brethren Foundation offers new Brethren web directory.
The Brethren Foundation has added a directory of Church of the Brethren executives and development professionals to its website (www.bbtfoundation.org) which provides contact information for Church of the Brethren organizations.
The directory lists denominational agencies, districts, camps, institutions of higher learning, Brethren retirement communities, and other agencies affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. The directory contains the names of key personnel, their e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. Brethren will want to bookmark the page for regular reference. It is also available in a printer-friendly format.
"We trust the directory will be a resource that is helpful to members of the Church of the Brethren as they consider the beneficiaries of their charitable planning," said Steve Mason, Brethren Foundation director. "The foundation will update the site as we receive input and will do a formal review two times a year."
The foundation website also offers detailed information on the services provided to clients including gifting opportunities. It describes the foundation’s investment strategy, its investment managers, and its funds with their performance totals. In addition, the site explains the foundation’s commitment to socially responsible investing and contains an extensive list of financial Internet links. Go to www.bbtfoundation.org.
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
The Brethren Foundation has added a directory of Church of the Brethren executives and development professionals to its website (www.bbtfoundation.org) which provides contact information for Church of the Brethren organizations.
The directory lists denominational agencies, districts, camps, institutions of higher learning, Brethren retirement communities, and other agencies affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. The directory contains the names of key personnel, their e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. Brethren will want to bookmark the page for regular reference. It is also available in a printer-friendly format.
"We trust the directory will be a resource that is helpful to members of the Church of the Brethren as they consider the beneficiaries of their charitable planning," said Steve Mason, Brethren Foundation director. "The foundation will update the site as we receive input and will do a formal review two times a year."
The foundation website also offers detailed information on the services provided to clients including gifting opportunities. It describes the foundation’s investment strategy, its investment managers, and its funds with their performance totals. In addition, the site explains the foundation’s commitment to socially responsible investing and contains an extensive list of financial Internet links. Go to www.bbtfoundation.org.
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Hannah Kliewer, Jon Kobel, Karin Krog, Wil Nolen, Barb Sayler, Anna Speicher, and Jay Wittmeyer contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle, Hannah Kliewer, Jon Kobel, Karin Krog, Wil Nolen, Barb Sayler, Anna Speicher, and Jay Wittmeyer contributed to this report.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
General Board considers mission, love, and unity.
The Church of the Brethren General Board met March 9-12 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Chair Jeff Neuman-Lee led the meeting on the theme, “Continuing the Mission,” from Matthew 5.
The agenda focused on mission with reports from Church of the Brethren missions in Brazil and Haiti, and also included an interim report from the committee studying ministry options at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., among other business items and reports.
Special events included a report of a new sociological study of Brethren, a report from Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell about her just-completed trip to Nigeria, and a presentation by the author of “Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” (see stories below).
Mission in Brazil:
Marcos and Suely Inhauser, mission coordinators in Brazil and leaders of Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil), reported the new church’s experience over its first six years. They thanked the board for the opportunity to share both progress and disappointments. “It is a hard task for me to be here today,” Marcos Inhauser said as he spoke of his deep discouragement over setbacks in the last year or more.
The board authorized the start of the mission in March 2001. Weeks later, the church had already held its inaugural worship service, and in a few more weeks some 150 people were worshiping. Over the next couple of years the Inhausers helped the church call pastoral leadership, place a dozen people in theological training, and plant five congregations.
“Excitement does not equal commitment,” Inhauser said as he listed some “tough lessons learned.” The Brethren church leaders are faced with cultural pressures and opposition because they are “doing a different style of church than Brazilians are used to,” he said, which has led to internal tensions among leaders. Other setbacks are the closing of two congregations and declines in attendance in others, and financial difficulties. In a disturbing incident that is becoming common in Brazil, the church treasurer was kidnaped and forced to withdraw church funds from the bank.
The Inhausers also celebrate active ministries such as the teaching of handcrafts to low-income people to help them support their families, a clinical therapy ministry that Suely Inhauser offers, and the church’s website that is regularly used as a resource by pastors in other denominations. The Brazilian Brethren have been encouraged by the arrival of two new community outreach workers, placed through Brethren Volunteer Service.
“Even when we have problems, God supports us,” Marcos Inhauser told the board, adding that he can see signs of hope. Board members and others responded by gathering around the Inhausers, surrounding them with laying on of hands and prayer.
Mission in Haiti:
Ludovic St. Fleur, coordinator of the mission in Haiti and pastor of Eglise des Freres Haitiens in Miami and the Orlando (Fla.) Haitian Fellowship, reported as well. “In Haiti there is both bad and good news,” he said.
In 2003 St. Fleur was called to return to Haiti to begin the Church of the Brethren mission. Over four years, a congregation and two preaching points have been started. The church has baptized more than 35 people.
However, kidnapings are also terrorizing Haiti, where church attendance has declined and a children’s ministry has been affected because people fear leaving their homes. The children’s ministry has fallen to an attendance of some 75, from a high of around 125, St. Fleur said.
But the church is continuing in faith and continuing to meet. St. Fleur gave examples of the committed people who are a part of the church, including Sister Mary, who had been a part of the church in Miami and after returning to Haiti hosted the first gathering of Brethren in her house. She has since passed away.
Challenges in Haiti include the need to move the church building because it is in an area designated for development by the government.
“We need your prayers for how God can open doors for the Church of the Brethren in Haiti,” St. Fleur said. He added a request for prayer for his congregation in Miami, which has been a chief financial supporter of the mission. Following the original planning of the Mission and Ministries Planning Council (MMPC) and the General Board, so far the mission has received minimal financial support from the board. St. Fleur’s report also concluded with laying on of hands and prayer.
Problems of locating and recruiting funding for mission work was the subject of discussion during financial reports and following the reports from Brazil and Haiti. In part to address this, the board passed a resolution requesting the Annual Conference officers to “give annual opportunity at Annual Conference for the marketing of General Board ministries especially for the current emphasis.”
Brethren Service Center:
“We believe the Brethren Service Center should be continued, strengthened, and undergirded with new vision,” said the Brethren Service Center Ministry Options Exploration Committee, in an interim report presented by chair Dale Minnich.
The committee has identified two main missions of the center: synergy of agencies meeting human needs, and influence on individuals who pass through. “The Brethren Service Center revolves around efforts to meet human need, which continues to be urgently relevant,” Minnich said. He characterized it as a “reservoir of passion” for those who have worked or volunteered there. Two General Board ministries located at the center--the New Windsor Conference Center and Service Ministries--face some management challenges, he said, but added that “we believe all ministries at the Brethren Service Center can be financially viable for the foreseeable future.”
The committee will bring a working draft of a final report to the General Board on June 30 at its pre-Annual Conference meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. Following that, the committee plans a “season of welcomed comments and questions” including hearings in New Windsor and elsewhere. The report will come to the board for action in October.
In other business:
The board heard about work in progress to update the “Ethics in Ministry Relations” document of 1996 and received reports from the Executive Committee’s trip to the Gulf Coast (go to www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu for a webcast from the trip, go to www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm/ExCommTourGulfStates2007.ppt for a powerpoint presentation), the Global Food Crisis Fund, a Faith Expedition to Vietnam, and financial reports, among others.
The Executive Committee confirmed Stephen L. Longenecker to a four-year term on the Brethren Historical Committee. Longenecker is chair of History and Political Science at Bridgewater (Va.) College.
The board also approved the annual report, spent time in a small-group discussion of the challenges of new information and communication technologies, and heard commendations for retiring employees. An offering received more than $1,500 for the Ministry Assistance Fund, which assists ministers in crisis.
St. Fleur and the Inhausers led opening and closing worship services respectively. Jesus taught two things very clearly, St. Fleur said: unity and love. “Today I urge...the General Board to make every effort to keep unity.” Suely Inhauser preached a sermon calling church leaders to seek their own personal transformation through Jesus Christ. “It’s not enough to be a leader. It’s necessary to have a transformation,” she said. “I want this for my church, I want this for you, I want this for the world.”
Neuman-Lee led Sunday morning worship, speaking on Jesus’ Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem. “When you go with trust in God, and love for others, there will be a resurrection,” he said.
On the final morning the board called on its members and employees to join in a prayer covenant. The covenant urges daily prayer for the programs and ministries of Annual Conference and the Church of the Brethren agencies--the General Board, Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace. Participants also covenant to pray weekly with a prayer partner.
“We...have felt the challenge of our Master’s call to love and unity,” the covenant said, “for God’s love and unity to embody all our work and relationships.”
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
The Church of the Brethren General Board met March 9-12 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Chair Jeff Neuman-Lee led the meeting on the theme, “Continuing the Mission,” from Matthew 5.
The agenda focused on mission with reports from Church of the Brethren missions in Brazil and Haiti, and also included an interim report from the committee studying ministry options at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., among other business items and reports.
Special events included a report of a new sociological study of Brethren, a report from Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell about her just-completed trip to Nigeria, and a presentation by the author of “Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” (see stories below).
Mission in Brazil:
Marcos and Suely Inhauser, mission coordinators in Brazil and leaders of Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil), reported the new church’s experience over its first six years. They thanked the board for the opportunity to share both progress and disappointments. “It is a hard task for me to be here today,” Marcos Inhauser said as he spoke of his deep discouragement over setbacks in the last year or more.
The board authorized the start of the mission in March 2001. Weeks later, the church had already held its inaugural worship service, and in a few more weeks some 150 people were worshiping. Over the next couple of years the Inhausers helped the church call pastoral leadership, place a dozen people in theological training, and plant five congregations.
“Excitement does not equal commitment,” Inhauser said as he listed some “tough lessons learned.” The Brethren church leaders are faced with cultural pressures and opposition because they are “doing a different style of church than Brazilians are used to,” he said, which has led to internal tensions among leaders. Other setbacks are the closing of two congregations and declines in attendance in others, and financial difficulties. In a disturbing incident that is becoming common in Brazil, the church treasurer was kidnaped and forced to withdraw church funds from the bank.
The Inhausers also celebrate active ministries such as the teaching of handcrafts to low-income people to help them support their families, a clinical therapy ministry that Suely Inhauser offers, and the church’s website that is regularly used as a resource by pastors in other denominations. The Brazilian Brethren have been encouraged by the arrival of two new community outreach workers, placed through Brethren Volunteer Service.
“Even when we have problems, God supports us,” Marcos Inhauser told the board, adding that he can see signs of hope. Board members and others responded by gathering around the Inhausers, surrounding them with laying on of hands and prayer.
Mission in Haiti:
Ludovic St. Fleur, coordinator of the mission in Haiti and pastor of Eglise des Freres Haitiens in Miami and the Orlando (Fla.) Haitian Fellowship, reported as well. “In Haiti there is both bad and good news,” he said.
In 2003 St. Fleur was called to return to Haiti to begin the Church of the Brethren mission. Over four years, a congregation and two preaching points have been started. The church has baptized more than 35 people.
However, kidnapings are also terrorizing Haiti, where church attendance has declined and a children’s ministry has been affected because people fear leaving their homes. The children’s ministry has fallen to an attendance of some 75, from a high of around 125, St. Fleur said.
But the church is continuing in faith and continuing to meet. St. Fleur gave examples of the committed people who are a part of the church, including Sister Mary, who had been a part of the church in Miami and after returning to Haiti hosted the first gathering of Brethren in her house. She has since passed away.
Challenges in Haiti include the need to move the church building because it is in an area designated for development by the government.
“We need your prayers for how God can open doors for the Church of the Brethren in Haiti,” St. Fleur said. He added a request for prayer for his congregation in Miami, which has been a chief financial supporter of the mission. Following the original planning of the Mission and Ministries Planning Council (MMPC) and the General Board, so far the mission has received minimal financial support from the board. St. Fleur’s report also concluded with laying on of hands and prayer.
Problems of locating and recruiting funding for mission work was the subject of discussion during financial reports and following the reports from Brazil and Haiti. In part to address this, the board passed a resolution requesting the Annual Conference officers to “give annual opportunity at Annual Conference for the marketing of General Board ministries especially for the current emphasis.”
Brethren Service Center:
“We believe the Brethren Service Center should be continued, strengthened, and undergirded with new vision,” said the Brethren Service Center Ministry Options Exploration Committee, in an interim report presented by chair Dale Minnich.
The committee has identified two main missions of the center: synergy of agencies meeting human needs, and influence on individuals who pass through. “The Brethren Service Center revolves around efforts to meet human need, which continues to be urgently relevant,” Minnich said. He characterized it as a “reservoir of passion” for those who have worked or volunteered there. Two General Board ministries located at the center--the New Windsor Conference Center and Service Ministries--face some management challenges, he said, but added that “we believe all ministries at the Brethren Service Center can be financially viable for the foreseeable future.”
The committee will bring a working draft of a final report to the General Board on June 30 at its pre-Annual Conference meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. Following that, the committee plans a “season of welcomed comments and questions” including hearings in New Windsor and elsewhere. The report will come to the board for action in October.
In other business:
The board heard about work in progress to update the “Ethics in Ministry Relations” document of 1996 and received reports from the Executive Committee’s trip to the Gulf Coast (go to www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu for a webcast from the trip, go to www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm/ExCommTourGulfStates2007.ppt for a powerpoint presentation), the Global Food Crisis Fund, a Faith Expedition to Vietnam, and financial reports, among others.
The Executive Committee confirmed Stephen L. Longenecker to a four-year term on the Brethren Historical Committee. Longenecker is chair of History and Political Science at Bridgewater (Va.) College.
The board also approved the annual report, spent time in a small-group discussion of the challenges of new information and communication technologies, and heard commendations for retiring employees. An offering received more than $1,500 for the Ministry Assistance Fund, which assists ministers in crisis.
St. Fleur and the Inhausers led opening and closing worship services respectively. Jesus taught two things very clearly, St. Fleur said: unity and love. “Today I urge...the General Board to make every effort to keep unity.” Suely Inhauser preached a sermon calling church leaders to seek their own personal transformation through Jesus Christ. “It’s not enough to be a leader. It’s necessary to have a transformation,” she said. “I want this for my church, I want this for you, I want this for the world.”
Neuman-Lee led Sunday morning worship, speaking on Jesus’ Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem. “When you go with trust in God, and love for others, there will be a resurrection,” he said.
On the final morning the board called on its members and employees to join in a prayer covenant. The covenant urges daily prayer for the programs and ministries of Annual Conference and the Church of the Brethren agencies--the General Board, Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace. Participants also covenant to pray weekly with a prayer partner.
“We...have felt the challenge of our Master’s call to love and unity,” the covenant said, “for God’s love and unity to embody all our work and relationships.”
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
Board sees first results from sociological study of Brethren.
The General Board was the first group to see results from the comprehensive "Brethren Member Profile 2006," presented by Carl Desportes Bowman, project director, and professor of Sociology at Bridgewater (Va.) College. The study, based at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College’s Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups, has been supported by the Annual Conference agencies, with generous funding also from the other denominations included in the broader "Church Member Profile" project: the Mennonite Church USA and the Brethren in Christ.
Bowman emphasized that the survey is "a study of who we are, not who we would like to be," as he presented a wide range of information about how it was carried out, the variety of questions asked and topics addressed, and what may be discovered using the data.
"This is all very much in process," Bowman said, explaining that he is still working on processing the data. A full report of the study will come in the form of a book he is writing for Brethren Press, and an article or series to be published in "Messenger" magazine. More than 20 years ago, Bowman also carried out a comprehensive survey of the denomination, which was published as a Brethren Press booklet and in a series of "Messenger" articles in 1986.
The current study is based on questionnaires returned by a scientific sample of 1,826 Brethren members across the mainland US. All 23 districts are represented, and 127 congregations are represented. The survey was carried out between February and May, 2006. With a return rate of just over two-thirds, "I'm elated, and very confident in the data," Bowman said.
Commenting that, "I'm a sociologist, and I like to think about where Brethren stand as opposed to the rest of society," Bowman responded to General Board members who wondered about the source and reasoning behind some of the questions. Some questions were repeated from the 1986 survey to compare trends over time, he explained, while others were asked to provide comparative data with other denominations.
Some general findings: Brethren are "overwhelmingly white, and residing in non-urban settings" with only three out of 100 congregations classified as ethnic or urban. The leading states in terms of numbers of Brethren are Pennsylvania first, Virginia second, and Ohio third, with nearly two-third of all Brethren (63 percent) residing in just four states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Sixty percent of the church is female; two-thirds are 50 or older; 70 percent live in a small town or open country. Half have been members for more than 30 years, while 20 percent have been members for 10 years or less.
Survey questions also focused on issues of Brethren identity, attitudes about Annual Conference and the effect of Conference attendance on members’ satisfaction with Brethren agencies, the respondents' theology such as views of Jesus and salvation, the peace witness, importance of moral and ethical issues, and faith commitments. Other questions addressed political views as well as views on controversial issues including abortion and homosexuality.
The length of the survey--20 pages--allows cross referencing of answers on a variety of questions, and allows researchers to "contextualize" answers, Bowman explained. For example, survey results may be used to study how those who are inactive members (20 percent) vary from those who are active in the church, in their responses to particular questions.
Like all survey data, the Brethren Member Profile results will be subject to a variety of interpretations, Bowman noted. For example, when responses by frequent attenders at Annual Conference are compared to the answers of non-attenders with reference to the peace witness, 78 percent of frequent attenders agree with the declaration that "All war is sin," while only 46 percent of non-attenders agree. The comment prompted one person in the meeting to offer his interpretation, that Annual Conference may not be representative of the denomination. Another person quickly offered a different interpretation: that Annual Conference and Conference attendance may be very important in creating Brethren identity.
Bowman noted that the full survey results will be published during the upcoming celebration of the church's 300th anniversary. "We need to celebrate and be realistic at the same time," he said as he concluded his report.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
The General Board was the first group to see results from the comprehensive "Brethren Member Profile 2006," presented by Carl Desportes Bowman, project director, and professor of Sociology at Bridgewater (Va.) College. The study, based at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College’s Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups, has been supported by the Annual Conference agencies, with generous funding also from the other denominations included in the broader "Church Member Profile" project: the Mennonite Church USA and the Brethren in Christ.
Bowman emphasized that the survey is "a study of who we are, not who we would like to be," as he presented a wide range of information about how it was carried out, the variety of questions asked and topics addressed, and what may be discovered using the data.
"This is all very much in process," Bowman said, explaining that he is still working on processing the data. A full report of the study will come in the form of a book he is writing for Brethren Press, and an article or series to be published in "Messenger" magazine. More than 20 years ago, Bowman also carried out a comprehensive survey of the denomination, which was published as a Brethren Press booklet and in a series of "Messenger" articles in 1986.
The current study is based on questionnaires returned by a scientific sample of 1,826 Brethren members across the mainland US. All 23 districts are represented, and 127 congregations are represented. The survey was carried out between February and May, 2006. With a return rate of just over two-thirds, "I'm elated, and very confident in the data," Bowman said.
Commenting that, "I'm a sociologist, and I like to think about where Brethren stand as opposed to the rest of society," Bowman responded to General Board members who wondered about the source and reasoning behind some of the questions. Some questions were repeated from the 1986 survey to compare trends over time, he explained, while others were asked to provide comparative data with other denominations.
Some general findings: Brethren are "overwhelmingly white, and residing in non-urban settings" with only three out of 100 congregations classified as ethnic or urban. The leading states in terms of numbers of Brethren are Pennsylvania first, Virginia second, and Ohio third, with nearly two-third of all Brethren (63 percent) residing in just four states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. Sixty percent of the church is female; two-thirds are 50 or older; 70 percent live in a small town or open country. Half have been members for more than 30 years, while 20 percent have been members for 10 years or less.
Survey questions also focused on issues of Brethren identity, attitudes about Annual Conference and the effect of Conference attendance on members’ satisfaction with Brethren agencies, the respondents' theology such as views of Jesus and salvation, the peace witness, importance of moral and ethical issues, and faith commitments. Other questions addressed political views as well as views on controversial issues including abortion and homosexuality.
The length of the survey--20 pages--allows cross referencing of answers on a variety of questions, and allows researchers to "contextualize" answers, Bowman explained. For example, survey results may be used to study how those who are inactive members (20 percent) vary from those who are active in the church, in their responses to particular questions.
Like all survey data, the Brethren Member Profile results will be subject to a variety of interpretations, Bowman noted. For example, when responses by frequent attenders at Annual Conference are compared to the answers of non-attenders with reference to the peace witness, 78 percent of frequent attenders agree with the declaration that "All war is sin," while only 46 percent of non-attenders agree. The comment prompted one person in the meeting to offer his interpretation, that Annual Conference may not be representative of the denomination. Another person quickly offered a different interpretation: that Annual Conference and Conference attendance may be very important in creating Brethren identity.
Bowman noted that the full survey results will be published during the upcoming celebration of the church's 300th anniversary. "We need to celebrate and be realistic at the same time," he said as he concluded his report.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
Moderator returns from tour with praise for Nigerian church.
Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell, pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa., has just returned from a trip to Nigeria that took place Feb 26-March 9, and gave a compelling report to the General Board.
With her husband, Don Mitchell, and Merv Keeney, executive director of the board’s Global Mission Partnerships, she visited numerous sites of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). EYN leaders Filibus Gwama, president, and Y.Y. Balami, general secretary, accompanied the group, as did David Whitten, the board’s Nigeria mission coordinator.
“We were warmly welcomed as sisters and brothers in Christ and as members of their mother church,” Mitchell said. She described as “humbling” EYN’s veneration of the Church of the Brethren in the US, and the early Brethren missionaries to Nigeria, as well as the Nigerian church’s deep appreciation for continuing relationship with US Brethren.
She noted many ways the US church can learn from the Nigerian church in the areas of church growth and ministry planning. She found “stunning” the number of ministries that have continued to grow and evolve from the beginnings established by the Brethren missionaries. “EYN appears to be doing a good job of identifying needs in their faith community and the community at large, and then tailoring their ministries to meet those needs with relevance and effectiveness,” she said.
She had praise as well for the ZME (EYN women’s fellowship). “It is a well-organized, highly motivated association of women who are excited about the Lord and busy in the work of sharing the Gospel. They have a number of missionary and evangelistic ministries that are designed to make disciples, win souls, and empower women to live healthier, more stable lives,” she said.
Mitchell did not lose sight of her groundbreaking role as the first African-American woman to serve as moderator of Annual Conference. At the EYN headquarters in Mubi and at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN) in Bukuru, she challenged the Nigerian church to consider ordaining women as pastors. Gwama and Balami responded with openness to her message, she said.
Other key Brethren-related ministries that the delegation visited were Hillcrest School in Jos; the Rural Health Department, Mason Technical School, and the historic tamarind tree where the first Brethren worship was held, in Garkida; and the Comprehensive Secondary School, Kulp Bible College, and the Theological Education by Extension program in Mubi.
A main agenda of the trip was to convey solidarity with the EYN congregations that had suffered violence in interreligious rioting. The people of Maiduguri speak of the date of the rioting, Feb. 18, 2006, as Americans speak of Sept. 11, Mitchell said. “I was honored to be invited to speak at...the Dala EYN church,” one of five EYN churches damaged or destroyed in the riots, she noted. Love feast and communion were a part of the worship service.
The US church has given more than $43,000 for rebuilding and to support peace and reconciliation work following the riots, in a Love Offering initiated by the General Board. Keeney reported, "We also heard words of deep appreciation for the Love Offering.”
It was Mitchell’s first visit to Nigeria, and to Africa. “Every person of color I know who has traveled to Africa has said that the experience has been life-changing,” she said. “I echo that sentiment. I would expect the impact of the connections made with African brothers and sisters to strengthen and grow.”
"It is valuable to connect the Annual Conference moderator with the global church,” Keeney observed to the board, “both for broadened perspective of the moderator and also for mutual support and encouragement with churches in other lands. Sister Belita’s encouragement and challenge to Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ will echo and bear fruit for years to come.”
--Janis Pyle is coordinator for mission connections, for the Global Mission Partnerships office of the General Board.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell, pastor of First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa., has just returned from a trip to Nigeria that took place Feb 26-March 9, and gave a compelling report to the General Board.
With her husband, Don Mitchell, and Merv Keeney, executive director of the board’s Global Mission Partnerships, she visited numerous sites of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). EYN leaders Filibus Gwama, president, and Y.Y. Balami, general secretary, accompanied the group, as did David Whitten, the board’s Nigeria mission coordinator.
“We were warmly welcomed as sisters and brothers in Christ and as members of their mother church,” Mitchell said. She described as “humbling” EYN’s veneration of the Church of the Brethren in the US, and the early Brethren missionaries to Nigeria, as well as the Nigerian church’s deep appreciation for continuing relationship with US Brethren.
She noted many ways the US church can learn from the Nigerian church in the areas of church growth and ministry planning. She found “stunning” the number of ministries that have continued to grow and evolve from the beginnings established by the Brethren missionaries. “EYN appears to be doing a good job of identifying needs in their faith community and the community at large, and then tailoring their ministries to meet those needs with relevance and effectiveness,” she said.
She had praise as well for the ZME (EYN women’s fellowship). “It is a well-organized, highly motivated association of women who are excited about the Lord and busy in the work of sharing the Gospel. They have a number of missionary and evangelistic ministries that are designed to make disciples, win souls, and empower women to live healthier, more stable lives,” she said.
Mitchell did not lose sight of her groundbreaking role as the first African-American woman to serve as moderator of Annual Conference. At the EYN headquarters in Mubi and at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN) in Bukuru, she challenged the Nigerian church to consider ordaining women as pastors. Gwama and Balami responded with openness to her message, she said.
Other key Brethren-related ministries that the delegation visited were Hillcrest School in Jos; the Rural Health Department, Mason Technical School, and the historic tamarind tree where the first Brethren worship was held, in Garkida; and the Comprehensive Secondary School, Kulp Bible College, and the Theological Education by Extension program in Mubi.
A main agenda of the trip was to convey solidarity with the EYN congregations that had suffered violence in interreligious rioting. The people of Maiduguri speak of the date of the rioting, Feb. 18, 2006, as Americans speak of Sept. 11, Mitchell said. “I was honored to be invited to speak at...the Dala EYN church,” one of five EYN churches damaged or destroyed in the riots, she noted. Love feast and communion were a part of the worship service.
The US church has given more than $43,000 for rebuilding and to support peace and reconciliation work following the riots, in a Love Offering initiated by the General Board. Keeney reported, "We also heard words of deep appreciation for the Love Offering.”
It was Mitchell’s first visit to Nigeria, and to Africa. “Every person of color I know who has traveled to Africa has said that the experience has been life-changing,” she said. “I echo that sentiment. I would expect the impact of the connections made with African brothers and sisters to strengthen and grow.”
"It is valuable to connect the Annual Conference moderator with the global church,” Keeney observed to the board, “both for broadened perspective of the moderator and also for mutual support and encouragement with churches in other lands. Sister Belita’s encouragement and challenge to Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ will echo and bear fruit for years to come.”
--Janis Pyle is coordinator for mission connections, for the Global Mission Partnerships office of the General Board.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
‘Unbinding the Gospel’ offers groundbreaking study of evangelism.
“The more we engage in prayer, the more God has a chance to work with us,” Martha Grace Reese told the General Board as she presented the results of a four-year study of evangelism in mainline Protestant churches. A minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Reese is author of “Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” (Chalice Press, 2006; findings of the study were released Jan. 1 this year).
In addition to giving an evening presentation to the board, she also met informally with staff of the Congregational Life Teams.
Reese directed the study of evangelism, funded by the Lilly Endowment. The “Mainline Evangelism Research Project” was based on studies of 150 congregations and interviews with more than 1,000 people.
The book presents findings of the project and serves as a study guide for congregations interested in working on evangelism. It offers encouragement and advice to pastors, and gives practical how-tos for getting started. It also draws on a Disciples of Christ pilot project in congregational revitalization.
The evangelism study deliberately targeted a segment of the Christian church doing “the worst” at evangelism: mainly white congregations in the north and west of the country. Reese explained in the book the “dim” prospects for mainline Protestant Christianity: over the past 40 years the mainline denominations have lost 20 percent of their membership, during a time when the US population grew by 100 million. “Looked at as a percentage of the population, mainline church membership decreased almost 50 percent in 40 years.”
By design, the study took out of the pool congregations in the south and racial/ethnic congregations, which have been doing relatively well in bringing in new believers. “You could say that our Southern and racial/ethnic churches are ‘covering’ for the primarily Caucasian churches,” Reese explained in the book. “...Primarily white churches are hiding behind better statistics that don’t belong to them! Therefore we decided that it would be most helpful to take an undiluted look.”
Seven mainline Protestant denominations were included: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Reformed Church of America, and American Baptist Church USA. In these denominations that practice infant baptism, the researchers selected the congregations that had baptized five or more adult believers in a year--which came to only 150 congregations out of some 30,000 across the US, Reese said.
What characterizes successful evangelism? There are three factors for success, Reese said: the successful congregations love Jesus, their members and pastors know how to express their faith and talk about what it means in their lives, and the pastoral leadership is open to new things.
“It’s so rare to find a mainline church with the motivation to do evangelism,” she said, “and pastors are worse than the laypeople. They don’t know how to talk about their faith, and pastors have had no (seminary) training” in how to talk about their faith personally, she said.
From her extensive interviews and interactions with mainline pastors, she reported candidly, “We have an agnostic clergy, or exhausted clergy.”
Reese herself came to know Christ through the faith sharing of a college friend. Reese grew up completely unchurched, and her college friend was “the first smart Christian who talked about it. She talked about Jesus like he was real,” Reese remembered.
But her key recommendation for congregations and pastors interested in evangelism is to begin with prayer. An example came from her first connection with the Church of the Brethren, when she was pastoring a struggling congregation, and the group began using “People of the Covenant,” the small group study series published by Brethren Press. “You turned around the congregation!” she told the Brethren. The experience of People of the Covenant “changed the entire spirit of the congregation,” she said. “They studied, they prayed.”
When asked how to do evangelism while maintaining Brethren identity, Reese responded that “trying to reason people into our interpretation of the Gospel doesn’t work.” She urges a way of faith sharing that is not defensive, and is appreciative of another’s perspective. Relational evangelism works, she said, “and being honest about our faith. That’s the whole ballgame. That’s the only thing that works in our culture.”
In addition, she advised the General Board to “move heaven and earth to identify young leadership,” even to go so far as diverting money and resources from other ministries that seem important. “Do everything you can do to get a generation of pastors and church planters,” she said to the Congregational Life Teams. Even the simple asking of a question of congregations, “Who do you have that you could call to leadership?” may change the culture of the church, she said. She also urged the planting of new congregations.
“Does a denomination like ours have a future?” a Congregational Life Team staff member asked Reese. “I have no idea,” she replied, “but I know we can do something, if everybody starts praying and asking what to do.”
“Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” may be ordered from Brethren Press for $19.99 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712. For more information about the evangelism study go to www.GraceNet.info.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
“The more we engage in prayer, the more God has a chance to work with us,” Martha Grace Reese told the General Board as she presented the results of a four-year study of evangelism in mainline Protestant churches. A minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Reese is author of “Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” (Chalice Press, 2006; findings of the study were released Jan. 1 this year).
In addition to giving an evening presentation to the board, she also met informally with staff of the Congregational Life Teams.
Reese directed the study of evangelism, funded by the Lilly Endowment. The “Mainline Evangelism Research Project” was based on studies of 150 congregations and interviews with more than 1,000 people.
The book presents findings of the project and serves as a study guide for congregations interested in working on evangelism. It offers encouragement and advice to pastors, and gives practical how-tos for getting started. It also draws on a Disciples of Christ pilot project in congregational revitalization.
The evangelism study deliberately targeted a segment of the Christian church doing “the worst” at evangelism: mainly white congregations in the north and west of the country. Reese explained in the book the “dim” prospects for mainline Protestant Christianity: over the past 40 years the mainline denominations have lost 20 percent of their membership, during a time when the US population grew by 100 million. “Looked at as a percentage of the population, mainline church membership decreased almost 50 percent in 40 years.”
By design, the study took out of the pool congregations in the south and racial/ethnic congregations, which have been doing relatively well in bringing in new believers. “You could say that our Southern and racial/ethnic churches are ‘covering’ for the primarily Caucasian churches,” Reese explained in the book. “...Primarily white churches are hiding behind better statistics that don’t belong to them! Therefore we decided that it would be most helpful to take an undiluted look.”
Seven mainline Protestant denominations were included: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Reformed Church of America, and American Baptist Church USA. In these denominations that practice infant baptism, the researchers selected the congregations that had baptized five or more adult believers in a year--which came to only 150 congregations out of some 30,000 across the US, Reese said.
What characterizes successful evangelism? There are three factors for success, Reese said: the successful congregations love Jesus, their members and pastors know how to express their faith and talk about what it means in their lives, and the pastoral leadership is open to new things.
“It’s so rare to find a mainline church with the motivation to do evangelism,” she said, “and pastors are worse than the laypeople. They don’t know how to talk about their faith, and pastors have had no (seminary) training” in how to talk about their faith personally, she said.
From her extensive interviews and interactions with mainline pastors, she reported candidly, “We have an agnostic clergy, or exhausted clergy.”
Reese herself came to know Christ through the faith sharing of a college friend. Reese grew up completely unchurched, and her college friend was “the first smart Christian who talked about it. She talked about Jesus like he was real,” Reese remembered.
But her key recommendation for congregations and pastors interested in evangelism is to begin with prayer. An example came from her first connection with the Church of the Brethren, when she was pastoring a struggling congregation, and the group began using “People of the Covenant,” the small group study series published by Brethren Press. “You turned around the congregation!” she told the Brethren. The experience of People of the Covenant “changed the entire spirit of the congregation,” she said. “They studied, they prayed.”
When asked how to do evangelism while maintaining Brethren identity, Reese responded that “trying to reason people into our interpretation of the Gospel doesn’t work.” She urges a way of faith sharing that is not defensive, and is appreciative of another’s perspective. Relational evangelism works, she said, “and being honest about our faith. That’s the whole ballgame. That’s the only thing that works in our culture.”
In addition, she advised the General Board to “move heaven and earth to identify young leadership,” even to go so far as diverting money and resources from other ministries that seem important. “Do everything you can do to get a generation of pastors and church planters,” she said to the Congregational Life Teams. Even the simple asking of a question of congregations, “Who do you have that you could call to leadership?” may change the culture of the church, she said. She also urged the planting of new congregations.
“Does a denomination like ours have a future?” a Congregational Life Team staff member asked Reese. “I have no idea,” she replied, “but I know we can do something, if everybody starts praying and asking what to do.”
“Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism” may be ordered from Brethren Press for $19.99 plus shipping and handling, call 800-441-3712. For more information about the evangelism study go to www.GraceNet.info.
Source: 3/14/2007 Newsline
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Voices from the Gulf Coast featured in General Board’s first webcast.
The new Church of the Brethren webcast series has posted a disaster response report from the Gulf Coast, as its second bi-weekly offering. This marks the inaugural webcast of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Brethren members and others are invited to listen in as the Executive Committee of the board visits Brethren Disaster Response and Disaster Child Care projects in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida in a three-day whirlwind tour. "Find out what stirrings God created in the souls of these Brethren as they traveled," invites Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who produced and narrated the documentary webcast.
The experience began in New Orleans and the surround area, where the committee gained a deeper understanding of the trials and triumphs related to Hurricane Katrina recovery. With a stop at a house dedication in Mississippi, the group ended the trip in Pensacola, Fla., where recovery efforts related to Hurricanes Ivan and Andrew are nearly complete.
Throughout these experiences, several questions remained for the group. How is God calling the Church of the Brethren to be involved in helping our brothers and sisters recover from disasters? How is God calling us to respond, especially in the New Orleans area?
Members of the General Board’s Executive Committee include chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder. Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response, Zach Wolgemuth, assistant director of Emergency Response, and Ullom accompanied the group.
The webcast series is available to hear or download at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu. For more information contact Enten Eller at Bethany Seminary, 800-287-8822 ext. 1831 or Enten@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
The new Church of the Brethren webcast series has posted a disaster response report from the Gulf Coast, as its second bi-weekly offering. This marks the inaugural webcast of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
Brethren members and others are invited to listen in as the Executive Committee of the board visits Brethren Disaster Response and Disaster Child Care projects in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida in a three-day whirlwind tour. "Find out what stirrings God created in the souls of these Brethren as they traveled," invites Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who produced and narrated the documentary webcast.
The experience began in New Orleans and the surround area, where the committee gained a deeper understanding of the trials and triumphs related to Hurricane Katrina recovery. With a stop at a house dedication in Mississippi, the group ended the trip in Pensacola, Fla., where recovery efforts related to Hurricanes Ivan and Andrew are nearly complete.
Throughout these experiences, several questions remained for the group. How is God calling the Church of the Brethren to be involved in helping our brothers and sisters recover from disasters? How is God calling us to respond, especially in the New Orleans area?
Members of the General Board’s Executive Committee include chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder. Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response, Zach Wolgemuth, assistant director of Emergency Response, and Ullom accompanied the group.
The webcast series is available to hear or download at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu. For more information contact Enten Eller at Bethany Seminary, 800-287-8822 ext. 1831 or Enten@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
General Board to meet this weekend.
The Church of the Brethren General Board holds its spring meeting this weekend, beginning today with Executive Committee meetings and closing on Monday, March 12. The meetings take place at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
The board’s agenda includes an interim report from the committee studying ministry options at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., as well as an update of the 1996 document "Ethics in Ministry Relations."
A special report to the board will be given by Brethren scholar Carl Bowman about the Brethren Member Profile study, "The Brethren at 300." A companion evening event features Martha Grace Reese, author of a new book about evangelism in mainline Protestant churches titled "Unbinding the Gospel" (available from Brethren Press, call 800-441-3712).
Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell will give a briefing about her just-completed trip to Nigeria, where she visited with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
Also on the agenda are an emergency response report from the Gulf region, a report on the Global Food Crisis Fund, a report from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office’s Faith Expedition to Vietnam, an update on the work of the 300th Anniversary Committee, and financial reports, among other reports.
International guests at the meetings representing Brethren bodies in Brazil and Haiti will lead worship for the board: Marcos and Suely Inhauser of the Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren) in Brazil, and Ludovic St. Fleur, a leader of the Church of the Brethren mission in Haiti pastor of in Eglise des Freres Haitiens in Miami and the Orlando (Fla.) Haitian Fellowship.
For more information about the Church of the Brethren General Board visit www.brethren.org/genbd.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
The Church of the Brethren General Board holds its spring meeting this weekend, beginning today with Executive Committee meetings and closing on Monday, March 12. The meetings take place at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
The board’s agenda includes an interim report from the committee studying ministry options at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., as well as an update of the 1996 document "Ethics in Ministry Relations."
A special report to the board will be given by Brethren scholar Carl Bowman about the Brethren Member Profile study, "The Brethren at 300." A companion evening event features Martha Grace Reese, author of a new book about evangelism in mainline Protestant churches titled "Unbinding the Gospel" (available from Brethren Press, call 800-441-3712).
Annual Conference moderator Belita Mitchell will give a briefing about her just-completed trip to Nigeria, where she visited with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
Also on the agenda are an emergency response report from the Gulf region, a report on the Global Food Crisis Fund, a report from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office’s Faith Expedition to Vietnam, an update on the work of the 300th Anniversary Committee, and financial reports, among other reports.
International guests at the meetings representing Brethren bodies in Brazil and Haiti will lead worship for the board: Marcos and Suely Inhauser of the Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren) in Brazil, and Ludovic St. Fleur, a leader of the Church of the Brethren mission in Haiti pastor of in Eglise des Freres Haitiens in Miami and the Orlando (Fla.) Haitian Fellowship.
For more information about the Church of the Brethren General Board visit www.brethren.org/genbd.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
Wrestling with Lent: A reflection on the Christian Peace Witness marking the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War.
By Phil Jones
A Christian Peace Witness for Iraq (www.christianpeacewitness.org) is planned for Washington, D.C., on March 16-17, marking the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War. Two Church of the Brethren ministries--the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the General Board and On Earth Peace--are among organizations partnering to sponsor the event. In the following reflection, the director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office reflects on how this witness is helping him "wrestle with Lent":
"On Ash Wednesday I did not go to church to receive the mark of the cross on my forehead. For one thing, it is not a particularly Brethren thing to do, although some of our congregations do join in this ritual. I tried it a couple of times when pastoring in North Carolina. While some of our former Catholic members appreciated it, few others turned out for the worship service.
"Brethren Press has published an excellent Lenten devotional booklet written by Rhonda Pittman Gingrich. Thursday’s reading on the issue of "saying I am sorry and really meaning it" is one that really resonates with me during this time of Lent--even though I am not sure I am ready to fully engage the season.
"That is the second reason I did not receive ashes on Wednesday: I am wrestling with Lent.
"Some describe Lent as an intentionally prayerful and reflective effort to renew the Spirit within us. Others say Lent is a season for soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. This is all great. Prayer and reflection rank high on my list as faithful duty. More than that, prayer keeps me going and gets me motivated.
"But this 40-day thing modeled after Jesus and his time in the wilderness presents a huge challenge for me. Reflection and prayer just do not seem like enough.
"As I wrestled with Lent, I did what I do whenever I tackle an issue here at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office: I researched what the Church of the Brethren has said in the past about this issue. A quick look, although not exhaustive, did not uncover any real directive from Brethren policy.
"But I did find something very interesting from the minutes of the 1851 Annual Meeting: ‘Considered, inasmuch as the gospel teaches us to fast and pray, to always pray, and never faint; and the Great Teacher says, a certain species of evil spirits cannot be cast out but by fasting and prayer, we hope that every Christian shepherd will teach (their) flock to pray and fast oftener than once a year as we do not know the time when the one that goeth about as a roaring lion may tempt or deceive us.’
"I knew I could count on the historical record. This gets me going. Pray and fast and watch for the roaring lion.
"I wrestle with Lent because I am afraid we have done too much reflecting already and not enough lion-hunting. We have had 300 years of reflection about who we are as a peace church; our continued prayers and reflection about how we live this out are imperative. Spend your Lenten season doing that, but wrestle with Lent as well. Do not just pray and reflect, but act.
"On the 17th day of Lent this year, you will have an excellent opportunity. Pray and fast and reflect and discern--and come and join us. It is time to name the lion and demand that the violence of this war in Iraq come to an end.
"Thousands of Christians from across the country will worship together on March 16 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War. This Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, organized by a broad cross-section of denominational peace groups and organizations, is expected to be the largest peace gathering of Christians expressing opposition to the war since it began four years ago.
"Prominent religious leaders and peace activists including Jim Wallis, Celeste Zappala, and Bernice Powell Jackson will speak at a worship service at 7 p.m. at the National Cathedral. Then thousands of Christians will make a two-mile, candlelit procession to the White House, where a solemn, prayerful vigil will dramatize the Christian call for peace in Iraq. Following the vigil, hundreds of participants including many clergy will encircle the White House with a band of candlelight to express their conviction that the teachings of Jesus call unequivocally for an end to the war. Many will choose to participate in an act of nonviolence, risking arrest as a witness to their passion for bringing an end to the war.
"‘We will...send a message to our leaders and the world that peace and reconciliation stand at the very heart of the Christian message and our respective traditions,’ said Rick Ufford-Chase, convener of the national steering committee for the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq.
"Join in this season of Lent. Wrestle with the challenges of our faith. Pray and reflect and seek God’s direction. Come and give witness in the nation’s capital or in your own community. Say you are sorry for the culture of violence in our nation, and really mean it. Live out the teachings of Jesus, who came out of his 40 days with a roar of his own."
--Contact Phil Jones at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
By Phil Jones
A Christian Peace Witness for Iraq (www.christianpeacewitness.org) is planned for Washington, D.C., on March 16-17, marking the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War. Two Church of the Brethren ministries--the Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the General Board and On Earth Peace--are among organizations partnering to sponsor the event. In the following reflection, the director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office reflects on how this witness is helping him "wrestle with Lent":
"On Ash Wednesday I did not go to church to receive the mark of the cross on my forehead. For one thing, it is not a particularly Brethren thing to do, although some of our congregations do join in this ritual. I tried it a couple of times when pastoring in North Carolina. While some of our former Catholic members appreciated it, few others turned out for the worship service.
"Brethren Press has published an excellent Lenten devotional booklet written by Rhonda Pittman Gingrich. Thursday’s reading on the issue of "saying I am sorry and really meaning it" is one that really resonates with me during this time of Lent--even though I am not sure I am ready to fully engage the season.
"That is the second reason I did not receive ashes on Wednesday: I am wrestling with Lent.
"Some describe Lent as an intentionally prayerful and reflective effort to renew the Spirit within us. Others say Lent is a season for soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. This is all great. Prayer and reflection rank high on my list as faithful duty. More than that, prayer keeps me going and gets me motivated.
"But this 40-day thing modeled after Jesus and his time in the wilderness presents a huge challenge for me. Reflection and prayer just do not seem like enough.
"As I wrestled with Lent, I did what I do whenever I tackle an issue here at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office: I researched what the Church of the Brethren has said in the past about this issue. A quick look, although not exhaustive, did not uncover any real directive from Brethren policy.
"But I did find something very interesting from the minutes of the 1851 Annual Meeting: ‘Considered, inasmuch as the gospel teaches us to fast and pray, to always pray, and never faint; and the Great Teacher says, a certain species of evil spirits cannot be cast out but by fasting and prayer, we hope that every Christian shepherd will teach (their) flock to pray and fast oftener than once a year as we do not know the time when the one that goeth about as a roaring lion may tempt or deceive us.’
"I knew I could count on the historical record. This gets me going. Pray and fast and watch for the roaring lion.
"I wrestle with Lent because I am afraid we have done too much reflecting already and not enough lion-hunting. We have had 300 years of reflection about who we are as a peace church; our continued prayers and reflection about how we live this out are imperative. Spend your Lenten season doing that, but wrestle with Lent as well. Do not just pray and reflect, but act.
"On the 17th day of Lent this year, you will have an excellent opportunity. Pray and fast and reflect and discern--and come and join us. It is time to name the lion and demand that the violence of this war in Iraq come to an end.
"Thousands of Christians from across the country will worship together on March 16 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War. This Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, organized by a broad cross-section of denominational peace groups and organizations, is expected to be the largest peace gathering of Christians expressing opposition to the war since it began four years ago.
"Prominent religious leaders and peace activists including Jim Wallis, Celeste Zappala, and Bernice Powell Jackson will speak at a worship service at 7 p.m. at the National Cathedral. Then thousands of Christians will make a two-mile, candlelit procession to the White House, where a solemn, prayerful vigil will dramatize the Christian call for peace in Iraq. Following the vigil, hundreds of participants including many clergy will encircle the White House with a band of candlelight to express their conviction that the teachings of Jesus call unequivocally for an end to the war. Many will choose to participate in an act of nonviolence, risking arrest as a witness to their passion for bringing an end to the war.
"‘We will...send a message to our leaders and the world that peace and reconciliation stand at the very heart of the Christian message and our respective traditions,’ said Rick Ufford-Chase, convener of the national steering committee for the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq.
"Join in this season of Lent. Wrestle with the challenges of our faith. Pray and reflect and seek God’s direction. Come and give witness in the nation’s capital or in your own community. Say you are sorry for the culture of violence in our nation, and really mean it. Live out the teachings of Jesus, who came out of his 40 days with a roar of his own."
--Contact Phil Jones at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 3/9/2007 Newsline Extra
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Becky Ullom contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Becky Ullom contributed to this report.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
NEWS
- Neuman-Lee and Shumate head 2007 Annual Conference ballot.
- General Board Executive Committee visits disaster relief in the Gulf.
- Gather 'Round staff set plans for future
- Brethren member participates in Darfur work of UN subcommittee.
- Fund gives grants to Darfur, child care in New Orleans, Florida storms.
- Brethren bits: Personnel, ‘Mission Alive,’ ABC survey, and more.
Neuman-Lee and Shumate head 2007 Annual Conference ballot.
The ballot has been announced for the 2007 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, to be held June 30-July 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee--a committee of the representatives of Church of the Brethren districts--developed a slate of candidates, and Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented. Nominees are listed by position:
The ballot has been announced for the 2007 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, to be held June 30-July 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nominating Committee of Standing Committee--a committee of the representatives of Church of the Brethren districts--developed a slate of candidates, and Standing Committee then voted to create the ballot that will be presented. Nominees are listed by position:
Annual Conference Moderator-Elect: Jeff Neuman-Lee of Denver, Colo.; David K. Shumate of Roanoke, Va.Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Annual Conference Secretary: Fred W. Swartz of Bridgewater, Va.; Diane (Newcomer) Mason of Moulton, Iowa.
Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee: R. Jan Thompson of Mesa, Ariz.; Sarah B. Steele of Martinsburg, Pa.
Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee: Peter C. Kaltenbaugh Jr. of Frieden, Pa.; Lucinda Barnum-Steggerda of Crown Point, Ind.
Committee on Interchurch Relations: James O. Eikenberry of Stockton, Calif.; Melissa Bennett of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Association of Brethren Caregivers Board: J. Colleen Michael of Wenatchee, Wash.; John Katonah of Evanston, Ill.
Bethany Theological Seminary Trustee, representing colleges: Carol A. Scheppard of Mount Crawford, Va.; Celia Cook-Huffman of Huntingdon, Pa. Representing clergy: Lisa L. Hazen of Wichita, Kan.; William A. Waugh of Greensburg, Pa.
Brethren Benefit Trust Board: Deborah E. Romary of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Willie Hisey Pierson of Plainfield, Ill.
General Board, at large: Laura Guthrie of Chandler, Ariz.; Terrell Lewis of Washington, D.C.
On Earth Peace Board: Susan Chapman of Fincastle, Va.; Linda K. Williams of San Diego, Calif.
General Board Executive Committee visits disaster relief in the Gulf.
The General Board’s Executive Committee and three staff members visited projects related to Emergency Response ministries in the Gulf Coast region on Feb. 15-17.
Members of the Executive Committee included General Board chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder; staff members included Emergency Response director Roy Winter and associate director Zach Wolgemuth, as well as Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who provided this report.
In New Orleans, the group visited an active Disaster Child Care (DCC) project located at FEMA’s Welcome Home Center. The center provides citizens with access to many types of storm-related aid in one location. While parents complete paperwork, apply for loans, or receive counseling, their children can safely play under the care of DCC volunteers.
The group also travelled through the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, where the flood following Hurricane Katrina left few buildings standing. Of those left, many had floated off their foundations and settled askew. Several brick churches remained, but doors and windows were chained shut. One pastor had spray painted his cell phone number on the building so that his congregants could reach him. There were few signs of recovery.
The tour continued in Pearl River, La., where a modular home will soon be placed on its foundation by Brethren Disaster Response. In earlier planning, following the widespread destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, staff had hoped to be able to expand the Brethren Disaster Response program by building modular homes in other parts of the country and then transporting them to the Gulf. But strict building codes and other legalities have rendered that concept unworkable at this time, the Executive Committee learned.
That evening, the group fellowshiped with Brethren Disaster Response volunteers before spending the night in FEMA trailers. "For one night, it was adequate, but for a longterm location for a family, it just wouldn’t cut it," reflected Lahman Yoder. "The rebuilding projects have to go faster so that people can get back into their homes and start to live again," she said.
In Chalmette, La., the church leaders gained a glimpse into another Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding project. Currently, a team of volunteers is rebuilding the home of Ron Richardson. His home is located in St. Bernard Parish, and is one of 27,000 homes destroyed in the area.
Before the storm, St. Bernard Parish had a population of 66,000; only 6,000-12,000 people have returned since the disaster. "It’s shocking because these are people who had ‘done it right,’" said Liz McCartney, co-founder of the St. Bernard Project, a partner organization. "They worked hard, they owned their homes, and many had insurance. Fifty percent of the population was retired. The median household income was $30,000 before the storm, and the crime rate was low."
Later in the same day, the Executive Committee celebrated hope and recovery at a house dedication in Lucedale, Miss. Brethren volunteers, in cooperation with numerous ecumenical volunteers, completed a house for Mrs. Gloria Bradley, who had survived not only the loss of a house but also two heart attacks and as many strokes.
On the final day of the trip, participants traveled to Florida to visit with staff from Rebuild Northwest Florida, the longterm recovery committee in the Pensacola area.
"The destruction is just so widespread," said Dale Minnich, who volunteered with the response project in Chalmette for a few days prior to the Executive Committee’s visit. "It makes me think about how this compares to something like the devastation after World War II in Europe, where so much response was required. It seems like to reclaim this area, a huge response is required."
Harvey, who pastors Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., reflected on the situation in the Gulf coast at the congregation’s Ash Wednesday service. "We must be disciples who use their talents to help rebuild homes, lives, communities, not just in New Orleans, but everywhere," he commented. "We must make disciples who will do the same. The central issue, we must use our voice and position and circumstances to advocate for those who cannot."
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
The General Board’s Executive Committee and three staff members visited projects related to Emergency Response ministries in the Gulf Coast region on Feb. 15-17.
Members of the Executive Committee included General Board chair Jeff Neuman-Lee, vice-chair Tim Harvey, Dale Minnich, Vickie Whitacre Samland, Ken Wenger, and Angela Lahman Yoder; staff members included Emergency Response director Roy Winter and associate director Zach Wolgemuth, as well as Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations, who provided this report.
In New Orleans, the group visited an active Disaster Child Care (DCC) project located at FEMA’s Welcome Home Center. The center provides citizens with access to many types of storm-related aid in one location. While parents complete paperwork, apply for loans, or receive counseling, their children can safely play under the care of DCC volunteers.
The group also travelled through the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, where the flood following Hurricane Katrina left few buildings standing. Of those left, many had floated off their foundations and settled askew. Several brick churches remained, but doors and windows were chained shut. One pastor had spray painted his cell phone number on the building so that his congregants could reach him. There were few signs of recovery.
The tour continued in Pearl River, La., where a modular home will soon be placed on its foundation by Brethren Disaster Response. In earlier planning, following the widespread destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, staff had hoped to be able to expand the Brethren Disaster Response program by building modular homes in other parts of the country and then transporting them to the Gulf. But strict building codes and other legalities have rendered that concept unworkable at this time, the Executive Committee learned.
That evening, the group fellowshiped with Brethren Disaster Response volunteers before spending the night in FEMA trailers. "For one night, it was adequate, but for a longterm location for a family, it just wouldn’t cut it," reflected Lahman Yoder. "The rebuilding projects have to go faster so that people can get back into their homes and start to live again," she said.
In Chalmette, La., the church leaders gained a glimpse into another Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding project. Currently, a team of volunteers is rebuilding the home of Ron Richardson. His home is located in St. Bernard Parish, and is one of 27,000 homes destroyed in the area.
Before the storm, St. Bernard Parish had a population of 66,000; only 6,000-12,000 people have returned since the disaster. "It’s shocking because these are people who had ‘done it right,’" said Liz McCartney, co-founder of the St. Bernard Project, a partner organization. "They worked hard, they owned their homes, and many had insurance. Fifty percent of the population was retired. The median household income was $30,000 before the storm, and the crime rate was low."
Later in the same day, the Executive Committee celebrated hope and recovery at a house dedication in Lucedale, Miss. Brethren volunteers, in cooperation with numerous ecumenical volunteers, completed a house for Mrs. Gloria Bradley, who had survived not only the loss of a house but also two heart attacks and as many strokes.
On the final day of the trip, participants traveled to Florida to visit with staff from Rebuild Northwest Florida, the longterm recovery committee in the Pensacola area.
"The destruction is just so widespread," said Dale Minnich, who volunteered with the response project in Chalmette for a few days prior to the Executive Committee’s visit. "It makes me think about how this compares to something like the devastation after World War II in Europe, where so much response was required. It seems like to reclaim this area, a huge response is required."
Harvey, who pastors Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., reflected on the situation in the Gulf coast at the congregation’s Ash Wednesday service. "We must be disciples who use their talents to help rebuild homes, lives, communities, not just in New Orleans, but everywhere," he commented. "We must make disciples who will do the same. The central issue, we must use our voice and position and circumstances to advocate for those who cannot."
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Gather 'Round staff set plans for future
Celebration, evaluation, and planning were the focus at a Feb. 6-8 staff "summit" for the Gather 'Round curriculum project. Several members of the team, which gathered from across the US and Canada, also led the weekly chapel service for the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., where the meeting was held.
Gather 'Round is a new Christian education curriculum jointly produced by Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN). The team celebrated successful production and sales of the first three quarters. Many Brethren and Mennonite congregations are reporting good experiences with the curriculum, and a number of other denominations have chosen to promote the curriculum to their members.
In evaluating and planning for the future, the staff paid special attention to feedback from users. "We were very grateful for those people who submitted an evaluation form after the first quarter or who contacted staff members by phone and e-mail," reported Anna Speicher, project director and editor. "These comments are helping us refine and improve the Gather 'Round products. Ongoing refinements are possible because Gather 'Round is produced new every year." Some enhancements will be made as early as the second year of the curriculum, which is currently in production.
Speicher noted that people have responded especially positively to the emphasis on connecting church and home. "We have received much affirmation for using the same Bible story for all age groups, for the Parent/Caregiver guide, and for the at-home Talkabout. These pieces help families connect on the Bible themes throughout the week."
The staff received requests for more active options for the younger children and more alternatives for readers and non-readers in the Primary unit, Speicher said. "To that end, we’ll be revising the Primary student book, the ‘Good News Reader,’ for the fall of 2007. We’ll be adding more options in the teacher’s guides as well."
The staff meeting brought together the steering committee, project staff, and several employees of the partner publishing houses who have a portion of time allocated to the curriculum project. Project staff are Anna Speicher, Amy Gingerich, Terry Mast, Rose Stutzman, Nancy Ryan, and Cyndi Fecher. The steering committee is made up Ron Rempel and Eleanor Snyder from Mennonite Publishing Network, Wendy McFadden from Brethren Press, and Speicher. Other publishing house employees involved in the project are Merrill Miller, Cynthia Linscheid, and Terry Graber from MPN, and Karen Stocking and Jeff Lennard from Brethren Press.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Celebration, evaluation, and planning were the focus at a Feb. 6-8 staff "summit" for the Gather 'Round curriculum project. Several members of the team, which gathered from across the US and Canada, also led the weekly chapel service for the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., where the meeting was held.
Gather 'Round is a new Christian education curriculum jointly produced by Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN). The team celebrated successful production and sales of the first three quarters. Many Brethren and Mennonite congregations are reporting good experiences with the curriculum, and a number of other denominations have chosen to promote the curriculum to their members.
In evaluating and planning for the future, the staff paid special attention to feedback from users. "We were very grateful for those people who submitted an evaluation form after the first quarter or who contacted staff members by phone and e-mail," reported Anna Speicher, project director and editor. "These comments are helping us refine and improve the Gather 'Round products. Ongoing refinements are possible because Gather 'Round is produced new every year." Some enhancements will be made as early as the second year of the curriculum, which is currently in production.
Speicher noted that people have responded especially positively to the emphasis on connecting church and home. "We have received much affirmation for using the same Bible story for all age groups, for the Parent/Caregiver guide, and for the at-home Talkabout. These pieces help families connect on the Bible themes throughout the week."
The staff received requests for more active options for the younger children and more alternatives for readers and non-readers in the Primary unit, Speicher said. "To that end, we’ll be revising the Primary student book, the ‘Good News Reader,’ for the fall of 2007. We’ll be adding more options in the teacher’s guides as well."
The staff meeting brought together the steering committee, project staff, and several employees of the partner publishing houses who have a portion of time allocated to the curriculum project. Project staff are Anna Speicher, Amy Gingerich, Terry Mast, Rose Stutzman, Nancy Ryan, and Cyndi Fecher. The steering committee is made up Ron Rempel and Eleanor Snyder from Mennonite Publishing Network, Wendy McFadden from Brethren Press, and Speicher. Other publishing house employees involved in the project are Merrill Miller, Cynthia Linscheid, and Terry Graber from MPN, and Karen Stocking and Jeff Lennard from Brethren Press.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren member participates in Darfur work of UN subcommittee.
A position statement and suggested strategies for nongovernmental (NGO) action on Darfur, Sudan, was issued Feb. 8 by the United Nation’s "Sub-Committee for Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance of the NGO Committee on Human Rights." Church of the Brethren member Doris Abdullah serves on the subcommittee, representing On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren.
The subcommittee hosted a meeting on Darfur for more than 60 nongovernmental organizations at the UN Church Center in New York on Jan. 10. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing on the status of the crisis in Darfur and to develop strategies for assisting in bringing it to an end. The position statement and suggested strategies were issued as a "following narrative" to the discussion at the meeting, and have been offered to nongovernmental organizations for their consideration.
The position statement said in part, "The situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains dangerous, fluid, and volatile. News reports inform us that advocacy efforts to date are having a positive impact. This tells us that it is important to maintain the forward momentum of our efforts. At this time the dying continues, the rapes continue, the starvation and severe health risks continue, the displacement and sense of hopelessness continues, and these conditions are spreading across borders. We assert that this is a human rights tragedy that is caused by racism, discrimination, and targeted intolerance....
"We recognize that the UN NGO community has an obligation to seek, find, and use every opportunity to expand global awareness of the Darfur crisis, and to hold those who choose culpable silence and egregious indifference publicly accountable for the persistence of the crisis. The genocide in Dafur must be condemned without reservation," the statement continued. "We implore the general public to compassionately and conscientiously end the agony in Darfur."
Suggested strategies for action included sending letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the UN’s Human Rights Council, the UN Security Council, other international and national bodies, individual political leaders, and political organizations. The subcommittee also suggested forming a broadly representative interfaith delegation to Khartoum, Sudan, and putting pressure on companies and corporations investing in Sudan.
In other work, the subcommittee is preparing a presentation for the "200th Anniversary of the End of Trans-Atlantic Slavery Commemorations," a session of the UN General Assembly beginning March 26 with speaker Rex Nettleford, chair of the UNESCO Slave Routes Project.
"I am glad for the work of Doris and the UN subcommittee," said Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones, who also noted that the subcommittee’s statement at points conflicts with Church of the Brethren positions of nonviolence "This may be a good time to refer Brethren to a very helpful Annual Conference paper of 1996, ‘Nonviolence and Humanitarian Intervention,’" Jones said (go to www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/96Nonviolence.htm).
"Darfur continues to be one of the most difficult issues I face in my work," Jones said. "If we say genocide is occurring, which I am convinced it is, and yet armed intervention, in whatever form, is not the answer--then it remains an imperative challenge that we come up with an alternative nonviolent solution."
For the subcommittee’s position statement, contact Abdullah at angramyn45@aol.com.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
A position statement and suggested strategies for nongovernmental (NGO) action on Darfur, Sudan, was issued Feb. 8 by the United Nation’s "Sub-Committee for Elimination of Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance of the NGO Committee on Human Rights." Church of the Brethren member Doris Abdullah serves on the subcommittee, representing On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren.
The subcommittee hosted a meeting on Darfur for more than 60 nongovernmental organizations at the UN Church Center in New York on Jan. 10. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing on the status of the crisis in Darfur and to develop strategies for assisting in bringing it to an end. The position statement and suggested strategies were issued as a "following narrative" to the discussion at the meeting, and have been offered to nongovernmental organizations for their consideration.
The position statement said in part, "The situation in Darfur, Sudan, remains dangerous, fluid, and volatile. News reports inform us that advocacy efforts to date are having a positive impact. This tells us that it is important to maintain the forward momentum of our efforts. At this time the dying continues, the rapes continue, the starvation and severe health risks continue, the displacement and sense of hopelessness continues, and these conditions are spreading across borders. We assert that this is a human rights tragedy that is caused by racism, discrimination, and targeted intolerance....
"We recognize that the UN NGO community has an obligation to seek, find, and use every opportunity to expand global awareness of the Darfur crisis, and to hold those who choose culpable silence and egregious indifference publicly accountable for the persistence of the crisis. The genocide in Dafur must be condemned without reservation," the statement continued. "We implore the general public to compassionately and conscientiously end the agony in Darfur."
Suggested strategies for action included sending letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the UN’s Human Rights Council, the UN Security Council, other international and national bodies, individual political leaders, and political organizations. The subcommittee also suggested forming a broadly representative interfaith delegation to Khartoum, Sudan, and putting pressure on companies and corporations investing in Sudan.
In other work, the subcommittee is preparing a presentation for the "200th Anniversary of the End of Trans-Atlantic Slavery Commemorations," a session of the UN General Assembly beginning March 26 with speaker Rex Nettleford, chair of the UNESCO Slave Routes Project.
"I am glad for the work of Doris and the UN subcommittee," said Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones, who also noted that the subcommittee’s statement at points conflicts with Church of the Brethren positions of nonviolence "This may be a good time to refer Brethren to a very helpful Annual Conference paper of 1996, ‘Nonviolence and Humanitarian Intervention,’" Jones said (go to www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/96Nonviolence.htm).
"Darfur continues to be one of the most difficult issues I face in my work," Jones said. "If we say genocide is occurring, which I am convinced it is, and yet armed intervention, in whatever form, is not the answer--then it remains an imperative challenge that we come up with an alternative nonviolent solution."
For the subcommittee’s position statement, contact Abdullah at angramyn45@aol.com.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Fund gives grants to Darfur, child care in New Orleans, Florida storms.
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the Church of the Brethren General Board has given $45,000 for the crisis in Darfur, Sudan; $20,000 for a Disaster Child Care project in New Orleans; and $4,000 responding to tornados in Florida.
The grant for Sudan represents an additional allocation and continuing support for longterm relief work by Church World Service (CWS). The funds will help provide medical care, nutrition, shelters, schools, and water supply to more than 300,000 people. Three previous allocations to this project total $170,000.
The grant to Disaster Child Care also represents an additional allocation. The New Orleans site provides child care assistance to people returning home to the area following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, at the request of FEMA. The grant supports volunteer expenses.
The allocation for Florida supports CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons, local longterm recovery groups, and the shipping of material resources following tornados and storms in central Florida on Feb. 2.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the Church of the Brethren General Board has given $45,000 for the crisis in Darfur, Sudan; $20,000 for a Disaster Child Care project in New Orleans; and $4,000 responding to tornados in Florida.
The grant for Sudan represents an additional allocation and continuing support for longterm relief work by Church World Service (CWS). The funds will help provide medical care, nutrition, shelters, schools, and water supply to more than 300,000 people. Three previous allocations to this project total $170,000.
The grant to Disaster Child Care also represents an additional allocation. The New Orleans site provides child care assistance to people returning home to the area following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, at the request of FEMA. The grant supports volunteer expenses.
The allocation for Florida supports CWS Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons, local longterm recovery groups, and the shipping of material resources following tornados and storms in central Florida on Feb. 2.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren bits: Personnel, ‘Mission Alive,’ ABC survey, and more.
- Joan McGrath will begin March 6 as human resources coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. She brings a diverse background to the role, having been the owner of Footsteps to Health in Westminster, Md., the human resources administrator for ROI Technologies in Baltimore, and manager of Corporate Services for an organization in Bethesda. She is a University of Maryland graduate with a bachelor of science degree in Technology and Management.
- Paula Martin of New Windsor, Md., has been employed as registration coordinator for the 2007 Annual Conference. She will function in this position fulltime from Feb. 19-May 25 in the Annual Conference Office in New Windsor. Her primary responsibilities are registration activities for delegates and nondelegates attending the Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, this summer.
- Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., has appointed Stuart D. Jones as dean of enrollment, in a restructuring of leadership to enhance its enrollment strategy. Jones is a member of Manchester Church of the Brethren and has been director of the Career Center and executive director of a new campus Success Center. He joined the college in July 2002, and also has served on key campus operating, planning, and program committees, as well as directing Conference Services and working with a range of student programs. He holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University, a master's degree from Christian Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a doctorate in education from Northcentral University.
- A re-roofing project at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been completed. The work began Sept. 4, 2006, with an expected completion date of Nov. 3, 2006. However, unusually wet weather caused extended delays and frozen ground will also delay landscaping repairs until the spring, reports Dave Ingold, director of buildings and grounds. Olsson Roofing was awarded the contract to replace the roof, Burnidge and Cassell Associates provided architectural design and oversight, and STR Building Resources served as consultants. The re-roofing included a fully tapered roof system that directs water to drains, covered with a Firestone rubber membrane, all new aluminum flashing, new skylights, chimney tuck pointing, new lightning protection, and a new roof hatch. To reduce future energy consumption, the project included insulating values that went beyond Illinois state insulation requirements. Ingold reported that the cost was significantly reduced because of the exceptional quality of the original building design and materials. The General Board approved up to $1,400,000 for the project, which has been completed for $881,000.
- A date for the next Mission Alive conference has been announced by the Church of the Brethren General Board: April 4-6, 2008. Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships, reports that a planning committee is being formed to plan and implement this gathering, following the pattern of the first such event in 2005 in Goshen, Ind. The region recommended by the previous committee for this event was the Shenandoah Valley area, although the actual site is yet to be determined.
- The deadline for pre-publication orders of "Fresh from the Word" is March 15, said a reminder from Brethren Press. "Fresh from the Word" is a daily devotional commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement. Publication is scheduled for July 1; the hardback book will offer 366 daily devotions from Jan.1 through Dec. 31, 2008, written by members of all the Brethren bodies. Groups or congregations save 40 percent on orders of 10 or more copies before March 15, with pre-publication price of $12 per copy plus shipping and handling (the regular price will be $20 plus shipping and handling). Individuals who order before March 15 receive a price of $15 per copy plus shipping and handling. Brethren Press reports that the Brethren Church also is promoting the book to all of its congregations. Call 800-441-3712 to place orders.
- The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) invites all Church of the Brethren members to complete a short online survey to help gauge how its ministries and services to the denomination are perceived by individuals and church leaders. The data is being collected until March 14 and will be provided to the ABC Board at its spring meeting on March 15-16 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The survey is available at www.brethren-caregivers.org. Printed copies of the survey may be requested by calling ABC at 800-323-8039.
- Online registration for the Association of Brethren Caregiver's Spring Deacon Training Events is now available through ABC's website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. The one-day training events will be held March 10 at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren; April 21 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif.; and June 9 at The Cedars in McPherson, Kan. For the first time, participants may use credit cards or request to be invoiced for the $15 registration fee.
- Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) Cristo El Senor in Vega Baja, P.R., has announced its first radio program, "30 Minutes with Our Master," with host and church evangelist Jose Calleja Otero. The program airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. eastern time. Brethren in the US can listen as the program airs via www.unored.com (look for the link "Mas Estaciones" at the bottom of the box "Radio en Television en Vivo" and click on "Nueva Victoria 1350" to connect with the radio station). Pastor Hector Perez Borges, who also serves as a member of the Church of the Brethren General Board, announced that the first transmission took place Dec. 5.
- Virlina District has called for prayer for Jones Chapel Church of the Brethren in Martinsville, Va., which was broken into and vandalized in the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 21. "Please pray for the church membership and pastor Barry and Judy during this traumatic time," the district requested. "The damage is widespread and on all three levels of the church." The sanctuary was damaged, stained glass windows and classroom windows were broken, items were stolen from the sanctuary, fire extinguishers were discharged, flourescent lights were broken, pastor Sink’s automobiles were damaged, and the parsonage was broken into and robbed, among other damage. There also was damage to two other homes in the neighborhood. A number of church members and volunteers from the district helped clean up the church the next day. Police have an 18-year-old man in custody believed to be the one responsible. "We prayed for him in hopes he would understand the wrong he has done. The Scriptures tell you to forgive...your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Sink told the "Martinsville Bulletin."
- Madison Ave. Church of the Brethren was one of 14 local congregations in York, Pa., and some 5,600 Christian churches across the country to join in singing "Amazing Grace" on Feb. 17 to recognize the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade and to advocate against modern forms of slavery. Bermudian Church of the Brethren and Faith Community of the Brethren Home Community were also among the congregations participating, according to a report by the "York Daily Record."
- David B. Eller pled guilty on Feb. 21 in a Dauphin County, Pa., court to charges of attempted unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer. Eller is former director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies and former chair of the Religious Studies Department of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. He was arrested on July 20, 2006 (see the Newsline report of July 22, 2006). According to a report by the campus newspaper, "The Etownian," his sentencing is scheduled for June 1.
- In memory of the civil rights leader's 1968 address to Manchester College a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated today, Feb. 28, very near the actual site of his speech on the college campus in North Manchester, Ind. Using the podium from which Dr. King delivered his speech, titled, "The Future of Integration," the college dedicated a 17-inch tall bust created by Fort Wayne sculptor Will Clark. King spoke at the college on Feb. 1, 1968, two months before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. It is believed to have been his final campus speech. The event originally took place in the former Gymnasium/Auditorium, which was razed in 2000. The brief dedication ceremony was on the second floor of the Physicians Atrium of the Science Center, almost on the site of the former auditorium. For more about the college, visit www.manchester.edu.
- The Steering Committee of Womaen's Caucus will meet in the La Verne, Calif., area on March 22-25. The group will host a gathering of interested members and friends on Saturday evening, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. at La Verne Church of the Brethren. Lasagna will be provided for dinner, with vegetarian options available; bring a salad or dessert. Those who plan to come to the meeting are requested to let the Steering Committee know by e-mailing agd@riseup.net. Steering Committee members are convener Carla Kilgore, Deb Peterson, Lucy Loomis, Audrey de Coursey, Peg Yoder, and administrator Jan Eller.
- Church World Service (CWS) has made an urgent appeal for Gift of the Heart School Kits and Baby Kits. The Emergency Response program of the Church of the Brethren General Board is supporting this appeal. At the moment, CWS has only about 200 school kits in inventory that are uncommitted for upcoming shipments. Requests for school kits, just since the first of the year, have exceeded requests during the whole of last year, said Donna Derr of the CWS staff. The inventory of baby kits is dwindling as well, and needs to be replenished over the next two to three months. For information about how to pack and send kits to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits/school-kits.html and www.churchworldservice.org/kits/baby-kits.html. Brethren also may deliver school kits and baby kits to the Emergency Response booth at Annual Conference in Cleveland, June 30-July 4.
- New resources from the National Council of Churches (NCC) include resources for Earth Day Sunday 2007 on April 22 and study guides on wilderness, and environmental racism. The Earth Day Sunday resource titled "Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden" addresses justice in farm and food systems, featuring background information, sermon starters, a bulletin insert, ideas for youth and adult study, suggestions for action, and a two-page insert introducing faith-based principles for a more just farm and food policy (go to www.ncccusa.org/news/070206earthdaysunday.html). The wilderness study guide, "Out of the Wilderness: Building Christian Faith and Keeping God's Creation," encourages Christians to seek out wilderness and quiet places to reconnect with God, renew and refresh themselves for ministry, and rediscover their role as caretakers of creation; it offers information and theological reflections, sermon starters, a bulletin insert, suggestions for adult and youth study, and ideas for action and service (go to www.nccecojustice.org/resources.html). "Environmental Racism: An Ecumenical Study Guide" is for use in Christian education; it can be downloaded by signing into the NCC Eco-Justice network at www.nccecojustice.org/network.
300th anniversary of the Brethren: Bits and pieces.
- Commemorative calendars for the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, dated Sept. 2007 through Dec. 2008 and featuring 36 large and inset contemporary photos of historical sites or items along with much historical information, are now available from the Church of the Brethren’s 300th Anniversary Committee. Several congregations plan to give a calendar to each church family as a unique teaching and learning resource, the committee reports. The 40-page calendar may be ordered through the Annual Conference Office or purchased during Annual Conference in Cleveland, go to the Anniversary Committee’s exhibit booth. Order forms for use prior to Annual Conference can be found at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org. Individual calendars sell for $5 plus, $3 shipping; or may be ordered in bulk of 50 for $200, or 25 for $100, shipping included in the price of bulk orders. Go to www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org.
- Church of the Brethren member Al Huston is taking a 1776 Sauer Bible to any church that would like to see it, as part of the anniversary celebration. "He is offering this as a way to help us appreciate the importance of the Bible in our faith, and as a pilgrimage of prayer for the church as a whole," said Jeff Bach, chair of the 300th Anniversary Committee. Bach added that Huston and his son have developed a video that tells about the Sauer press, the connection of the press to the Brethren, and the Bibles that the press printed. For more information about the "Bible Visit" project or to schedule a visit to a congregation, go to www.biblevisit.com.
- Ed-Ventures Inc. is offering three different itineraries to Europe in the summer of 2008 that each include the 300th anniversary celebration in Schwarzenau, Germany, in early August. Each group will be accompanied by a Church of the Brethren pastor. Choose from Zurich-Amsterdam, Berlin-Zurich, or Munich-Amsterdam. Call 800-658-7128 or visit www.ed-ventures.com.
- A Faith Heritage Tour on July 26-Aug. 9, 2008, including anniversary celebrations Aug. 2-3 in Schwarzenau, Germany, is offered by Mark and Mary Jo Flory-Steury. The tour includes visits to sites related to Martin Luther, the birthplace of Pietism, and Anabaptist sites in Germany and Switzerland. Contact Mark and Mary Jo Flory Steury, 4017 Wagner Rd., Kettering, OH 45440; mflorysteu@aol.com.
- Manchester College professor Ken Rogers will offer free walking tours of religious sites in Marburg an der Lahn (near Schwarzenau) to Brethren groups in the summer of 2007 and again in the summer of 2008. Each tour will last about three hours and visit sites such as the Elizabeth Church, the Old University, the medieval town, the city church, and the castle. The tours will be educational, with Rogers drawing upon years of study and teaching of church history and theology. Those taking the tours will need to pay nominal admission fees at some sites, and will be asked to consider a voluntary contribution to the "Project for German-American Understanding" sponsored by the theology department of Marburg University. Write to HKRogers@Manchester.edu.
Annual Conference registration and housing opens March 9.
Registration for hotel rooms for the 2007 Annual Conference will be available online beginning March 9. Advance registration of nondelegates also begins March 9. The Conference will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from June 30-July 4.
Conference attendees are encouraged to utilize the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the Annual Conference Information CD that will be distributed in early March to each congregation. The Conference office is requesting participants to consider obtaining hotel rooms through the housing facility that, in turn, holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. Participants also are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference. To obtain housing starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Advance registration of nondelegates begins March 9 online or through registration forms in the Information Packet. Participants can register themselves and family members, sign up for age-group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Advance registration saves more than 33 percent. The deadline is May 20. To register online starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
The 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet being distributed on CD also will be available online in early March. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies of the packet can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Registration for hotel rooms for the 2007 Annual Conference will be available online beginning March 9. Advance registration of nondelegates also begins March 9. The Conference will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from June 30-July 4.
Conference attendees are encouraged to utilize the online housing facility or to submit housing request forms available in the Annual Conference Information CD that will be distributed in early March to each congregation. The Conference office is requesting participants to consider obtaining hotel rooms through the housing facility that, in turn, holds down the cost of meeting space and other Conference facilities. Participants also are encouraged to obtain housing before registering for the Conference. To obtain housing starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Housing Reservation" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
Advance registration of nondelegates begins March 9 online or through registration forms in the Information Packet. Participants can register themselves and family members, sign up for age-group programs, and purchase tickets for ticketed meal events. Advance registration saves more than 33 percent. The deadline is May 20. To register online starting March 9, go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on "Registration" in the Cleveland section of the homepage.
The 2007 Annual Conference Information Packet being distributed on CD also will be available online in early March. Go to www.brethren.org/ac, click on the "Info Packet" tab in the Cleveland section of the homepage. Paper copies of the packet can be obtained by contacting the Annual Conference Office at 800-688-5186 or annualconference@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Health Promotion Sunday resources are available.
Resources will be available this week for Church of the Brethren congregations wishing to celebrate Health Promotion Sunday on May 20. The theme for this year’s emphasis is "Christ Exalted in the Body: Congregational and Personal Health." The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) sponsors Health Promotion Sunday for the denomination.
The annual emphasis each May looks at issues affecting the caring ministries of the church. This year’s theme describes how church leaders from across denominational boundaries are lifting up the need for healthier clergy and congregation members. "Jesus modeled a ministry that cared for the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of all people," said an announcement from ABC. "The church’s renewed emphasis on wholeness, or complete health in body, mind, and spirit, is vital for others to experience the healing touch of Christ."
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Resources will be available this week for Church of the Brethren congregations wishing to celebrate Health Promotion Sunday on May 20. The theme for this year’s emphasis is "Christ Exalted in the Body: Congregational and Personal Health." The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) sponsors Health Promotion Sunday for the denomination.
The annual emphasis each May looks at issues affecting the caring ministries of the church. This year’s theme describes how church leaders from across denominational boundaries are lifting up the need for healthier clergy and congregation members. "Jesus modeled a ministry that cared for the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of all people," said an announcement from ABC. "The church’s renewed emphasis on wholeness, or complete health in body, mind, and spirit, is vital for others to experience the healing touch of Christ."
Resources for congregational and personal health and worship will be available beginning March 1 at the ABC website, www.brethren-caregivers.org. Congregation leaders can request a printed version of the resources at no charge from ABC by calling 800-323-8039.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Church of the Brethren webcast series is launched.
Webcasts--sometimes called "podcasts"--are now being offered through a joint project of several Church of the Brethren agencies and Annual Conference. Sponsors include the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, the General Board, and On Earth Peace.
Initiative for the project came from Bethany Seminary, which is hosting the webcasts at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, with impetus from Enten Eller, the seminary’s director of Distributed Education and Electronic Communication, who is serving as executive producer for the webcast series.
Every two weeks, coinciding with each issue of Newsline, new audio webcasts will be offered featuring information from one of the agencies or from Annual Conference. Webcasts may be listened to online using most computers by visiting www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or they may be downloaded and played on an MP3 player or iPod. Free subscriptions (through an RSS feed) are also offered. Newsline will include announcements of the topics of webcasts as they become available. For more information, visit the cobwebcast website listed above.
Today's inaugural webcasts are about BBT’s socially responsible investment (SRI) ministry. Interviews with Eller and Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing, and Dawn Wolfe of the staff of Boston Common Asset Management, tell the story of how BBT-owned shares helped launch a landmark move by insurance company Aflac, the first US corporation to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation. Included is additional information about the extent and details of BBT’s SRI ministry and advocacy work, SRI events coming up at this year’s Annual Conference, and the encouragement given by last year’s Annual Conference for Brethren members to review their own investments.
For more information go to http://www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or contact Enten Eller at Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374; 800-287-8822 ext. 1831; Enten@BethanySeminary.edu or webcast@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Webcasts--sometimes called "podcasts"--are now being offered through a joint project of several Church of the Brethren agencies and Annual Conference. Sponsors include the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, the General Board, and On Earth Peace.
Initiative for the project came from Bethany Seminary, which is hosting the webcasts at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, with impetus from Enten Eller, the seminary’s director of Distributed Education and Electronic Communication, who is serving as executive producer for the webcast series.
Every two weeks, coinciding with each issue of Newsline, new audio webcasts will be offered featuring information from one of the agencies or from Annual Conference. Webcasts may be listened to online using most computers by visiting www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or they may be downloaded and played on an MP3 player or iPod. Free subscriptions (through an RSS feed) are also offered. Newsline will include announcements of the topics of webcasts as they become available. For more information, visit the cobwebcast website listed above.
Today's inaugural webcasts are about BBT’s socially responsible investment (SRI) ministry. Interviews with Eller and Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing, and Dawn Wolfe of the staff of Boston Common Asset Management, tell the story of how BBT-owned shares helped launch a landmark move by insurance company Aflac, the first US corporation to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation. Included is additional information about the extent and details of BBT’s SRI ministry and advocacy work, SRI events coming up at this year’s Annual Conference, and the encouragement given by last year’s Annual Conference for Brethren members to review their own investments.
For more information go to http://www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu, or contact Enten Eller at Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Rd. W., Richmond, IN 47374; 800-287-8822 ext. 1831; Enten@BethanySeminary.edu or webcast@bethanyseminary.edu.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common celebrate Aflac’s decision to give shareholders a say on pay.
It was a quack heard ’round the business world.
On Feb. 14, Aflac Incorporated, the insurance giant famous for using a duck in its television commercials, announced that its board had approved a resolution making it the first major US company that will give shareholders an advisory vote on the compensation it pays its executives.
It was Brethren Benefit Trust’s shares as an Aflac investor and advocacy work by Boston Common Asset Management that helped prompt Aflac into agreeing to give its shareholders such a vote.
"This is a landmark decision pertaining to an issue of justice," said Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing. "It is common to think of unfair wages being paid in developing countries, but one does not have to look beyond the US border to find salary and benefits inequities that rise to the obscene."
In 1962, chief executive officers earned, on average, 24 times that of the average hourly worker, according to an Economic Policy Institute study. In 2005, the ratio of CEOs’ pay within the US to that of the average worker had skyrocketed to 262 to 1.
One of the recent jaw-dropping examples of compensation disparity was Home Depot’s Robert L. Nardelli, who resigned as chairman and chief executive at the beginning of this year, taking with him a "golden parachute" retirement package worth in excess of $200 million. During Nardelli’s six-year tenure, he received an additional $200 million in compensation and perks. Although revenues grew 12 percent each year and profits doubled during that timespan, the company’s total return to shareholders was down 13 percent.
The issue with Aflac actually began last October when Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common Asset Management co-signed a letter with the 275-member Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that was sent to about 150 large firms. The letter asked for shareholders to be given a "say on pay," that is, the opportunity to cast advisory votes on their respective company’s executive compensation report.
"We believe that there are real and significant concerns about excessive executive compensation practices that call for investors to become actively involved," the letter stated. "In some cases, escalating executive compensation appears to bear little relationship to company financial performance. Additionally, consultant-driven compensation recommendations that advocate for top-tier pay packages create a spiraling-up effect. These concerns are amplified against a backdrop of stagnant wage growth for the average employee."
ICCR staff subsequently identified firms that did not respond to the letter and asked its member organizations to engage in dialogue with one or more of the companies. Boston Common picked Aflac, which long had been held in the BBT portfolio. Boston Common is one of BBT’s eight investment managers and works closely with BBT on a number of socially responsible investing initiatives.
Dawn Wolfe, a social researcher and shareholder advocate for Boston Common, twice attempted to contact Aflac. Receiving no response, Boston Common used BBT’s Aflac holdings to file a shareholder resolution to pressure the firm into giving shareholders a nonbinding say on pay.
"They were very surprised to receive the resolution from us," Wolfe said. "One of the reasons was that they believe they have exemplary practices when it comes to pay-for-performance, and so they believed our filing of the proposal was essentially unwarranted."
Over the span of about a dozen phone conversations and many e-mails, Boston Common learned of the metrics the insurance giant uses in establishing its executive compensation. Top Aflac officials, in turn, learned that the firm had not been targeted because they had a severe divergence between pay and performance, but because Boston Common believes shareholders have the right to express their views on executive pay.
The Aflac board ultimately decided to allow the shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation, but not until 2009 when new executive compensation disclosure rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission will be fully implemented. Being the first Fortune 500 company to make this decision, the announcement made major headlines. The story received page one coverage from "USA Today," and was picked up by National Public Radio’s "Marketplace," the "Chicago Tribune," the "Washington Post," and a number of other national, regional, and local media outlets.
"Aflac is the first major US company to agree to allow its shareholders to voice their opinions with regard to the firm’s executive compensation," Dulabaum said. "Shareholder advocates nationwide hope that Aflac’s move will prompt other companies to agree to such nonbinding votes as well."
All companies make decisions as corporate citizens as to how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and the environment. "I think it is important for shareholders to ask their firms to do more because these businesses impact our lives in so many ways," Wolfe said. "We need to hold them to high standards."
The task can be daunting. Those who engage in socially responsible investing initiatives can find the work to be long and tedious with often little to show from the endeavor. That is why Boston Common and BBT celebrate Aflac’s decision.
"I think it’s a great story, what BBT’s ownership in Aflac enabled Boston Common to do," said Wolfe. "Without BBT’s consent to use its shares, we would not have been able to file the resolution that led to Aflac agreeing to allow shareholders to vote on a nonbinding executive compensation resolution."
BBT manages $415 million for more than 5,000 Church of the Brethren Pension Plan and Insurance members and Brethren Foundation clients. All of these funds are invested in a socially responsible manner, with investment screens and activist initiatives guided by Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statements and guidelines.
For more information contact Jay Wittmeyer, Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust, 1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800 746-1505; jwittmeyer_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
It was a quack heard ’round the business world.
On Feb. 14, Aflac Incorporated, the insurance giant famous for using a duck in its television commercials, announced that its board had approved a resolution making it the first major US company that will give shareholders an advisory vote on the compensation it pays its executives.
It was Brethren Benefit Trust’s shares as an Aflac investor and advocacy work by Boston Common Asset Management that helped prompt Aflac into agreeing to give its shareholders such a vote.
"This is a landmark decision pertaining to an issue of justice," said Nevin Dulabaum, BBT’s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing. "It is common to think of unfair wages being paid in developing countries, but one does not have to look beyond the US border to find salary and benefits inequities that rise to the obscene."
In 1962, chief executive officers earned, on average, 24 times that of the average hourly worker, according to an Economic Policy Institute study. In 2005, the ratio of CEOs’ pay within the US to that of the average worker had skyrocketed to 262 to 1.
One of the recent jaw-dropping examples of compensation disparity was Home Depot’s Robert L. Nardelli, who resigned as chairman and chief executive at the beginning of this year, taking with him a "golden parachute" retirement package worth in excess of $200 million. During Nardelli’s six-year tenure, he received an additional $200 million in compensation and perks. Although revenues grew 12 percent each year and profits doubled during that timespan, the company’s total return to shareholders was down 13 percent.
The issue with Aflac actually began last October when Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common Asset Management co-signed a letter with the 275-member Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that was sent to about 150 large firms. The letter asked for shareholders to be given a "say on pay," that is, the opportunity to cast advisory votes on their respective company’s executive compensation report.
"We believe that there are real and significant concerns about excessive executive compensation practices that call for investors to become actively involved," the letter stated. "In some cases, escalating executive compensation appears to bear little relationship to company financial performance. Additionally, consultant-driven compensation recommendations that advocate for top-tier pay packages create a spiraling-up effect. These concerns are amplified against a backdrop of stagnant wage growth for the average employee."
ICCR staff subsequently identified firms that did not respond to the letter and asked its member organizations to engage in dialogue with one or more of the companies. Boston Common picked Aflac, which long had been held in the BBT portfolio. Boston Common is one of BBT’s eight investment managers and works closely with BBT on a number of socially responsible investing initiatives.
Dawn Wolfe, a social researcher and shareholder advocate for Boston Common, twice attempted to contact Aflac. Receiving no response, Boston Common used BBT’s Aflac holdings to file a shareholder resolution to pressure the firm into giving shareholders a nonbinding say on pay.
"They were very surprised to receive the resolution from us," Wolfe said. "One of the reasons was that they believe they have exemplary practices when it comes to pay-for-performance, and so they believed our filing of the proposal was essentially unwarranted."
Over the span of about a dozen phone conversations and many e-mails, Boston Common learned of the metrics the insurance giant uses in establishing its executive compensation. Top Aflac officials, in turn, learned that the firm had not been targeted because they had a severe divergence between pay and performance, but because Boston Common believes shareholders have the right to express their views on executive pay.
The Aflac board ultimately decided to allow the shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation, but not until 2009 when new executive compensation disclosure rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission will be fully implemented. Being the first Fortune 500 company to make this decision, the announcement made major headlines. The story received page one coverage from "USA Today," and was picked up by National Public Radio’s "Marketplace," the "Chicago Tribune," the "Washington Post," and a number of other national, regional, and local media outlets.
"Aflac is the first major US company to agree to allow its shareholders to voice their opinions with regard to the firm’s executive compensation," Dulabaum said. "Shareholder advocates nationwide hope that Aflac’s move will prompt other companies to agree to such nonbinding votes as well."
All companies make decisions as corporate citizens as to how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and the environment. "I think it is important for shareholders to ask their firms to do more because these businesses impact our lives in so many ways," Wolfe said. "We need to hold them to high standards."
The task can be daunting. Those who engage in socially responsible investing initiatives can find the work to be long and tedious with often little to show from the endeavor. That is why Boston Common and BBT celebrate Aflac’s decision.
"I think it’s a great story, what BBT’s ownership in Aflac enabled Boston Common to do," said Wolfe. "Without BBT’s consent to use its shares, we would not have been able to file the resolution that led to Aflac agreeing to allow shareholders to vote on a nonbinding executive compensation resolution."
BBT manages $415 million for more than 5,000 Church of the Brethren Pension Plan and Insurance members and Brethren Foundation clients. All of these funds are invested in a socially responsible manner, with investment screens and activist initiatives guided by Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statements and guidelines.
For more information contact Jay Wittmeyer, Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust, 1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800 746-1505; jwittmeyer_bbt@brethren.org.
Source: 2/28/2007 Newsline
Call For Prayer For Bluffton Univeristy, Communities Affected By Tornados
Church of the Brethren members are called to prayer today for Bluffton University, a Mennonite school in Ohio, after members of its baseball team were killed in a tragic bus accident this morning; and for Americus, Ga., and other communities across the south hit by tornados last night. The call to prayer included Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., where several students died when a tornado hit the school yesterday.
A charter bus carrying the Bluffton baseball team fell from an overpass onto Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Ga., early this morning. The team was traveling to a tournament in Florida, and was to play Eastern Mennonite University in Sarasota on Saturday. Six people were killed including the bus driver and his wife and four students, and several other students were critically injured. The coach, James Grandey, is in serious condition but expected to improve, according to an MSNBC report.
"This is a profound and tragic day in the life of Bluffton University," said school president James Harder to reporters, according to MSNBC. "This is deeply impacting all of our students, faculty, and staff."
Among communities across the south affected by tornados last night was Americus, Ga., where the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity are located. Church of the Brethren congregations and members frequently partner with Habitat chapters to build homes for low-income families.
Nine people were killed by tornados across southern Georgia, with two people killed in Americus, according to CNN. In Americus, a tornado destroyed the offices of the American Red Cross, hit Sumter Regional Hospital, and destroyed up to 200 homes as well as downtown businesses, CNN said. Storms also destroyed a neighborhood and mobile home community near Newton, Ga., among other destruction.
"Uplift the Bluffton College community and the family members of those who were on the bus," requested Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "Remember in your prayer also the students, staff, and families of Enterprise High School. Pray for the town of Americus, the staff and families of Habitat and the Red Cross, and keep in prayer all those affected by these deadly storms."
Staff of the General Board's Emergency Response and Disaster Child Care ministries reported that they have been in touch with partner organizations in disaster response, including Mennonite Disaster Service, which is involved in the aftermath of the bus accident, and the national Red Cross.
Disaster Child Care coordinator Helen Stonesifer said that her program is concerned to find out where needs may be following the swath of tornados yesterday and last night. "We have been in touch with partners to find out how we can help, and our services have been offered to the Mennonites," added Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. The Brethren Disaster Response program also is exploring the need for rapid response following the tornados.
Source: 3/2/2007 Newsline Extra
Church of the Brethren members are called to prayer today for Bluffton University, a Mennonite school in Ohio, after members of its baseball team were killed in a tragic bus accident this morning; and for Americus, Ga., and other communities across the south hit by tornados last night. The call to prayer included Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., where several students died when a tornado hit the school yesterday.
A charter bus carrying the Bluffton baseball team fell from an overpass onto Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Ga., early this morning. The team was traveling to a tournament in Florida, and was to play Eastern Mennonite University in Sarasota on Saturday. Six people were killed including the bus driver and his wife and four students, and several other students were critically injured. The coach, James Grandey, is in serious condition but expected to improve, according to an MSNBC report.
"This is a profound and tragic day in the life of Bluffton University," said school president James Harder to reporters, according to MSNBC. "This is deeply impacting all of our students, faculty, and staff."
Among communities across the south affected by tornados last night was Americus, Ga., where the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity are located. Church of the Brethren congregations and members frequently partner with Habitat chapters to build homes for low-income families.
Nine people were killed by tornados across southern Georgia, with two people killed in Americus, according to CNN. In Americus, a tornado destroyed the offices of the American Red Cross, hit Sumter Regional Hospital, and destroyed up to 200 homes as well as downtown businesses, CNN said. Storms also destroyed a neighborhood and mobile home community near Newton, Ga., among other destruction.
"Uplift the Bluffton College community and the family members of those who were on the bus," requested Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren General Board. "Remember in your prayer also the students, staff, and families of Enterprise High School. Pray for the town of Americus, the staff and families of Habitat and the Red Cross, and keep in prayer all those affected by these deadly storms."
Staff of the General Board's Emergency Response and Disaster Child Care ministries reported that they have been in touch with partner organizations in disaster response, including Mennonite Disaster Service, which is involved in the aftermath of the bus accident, and the national Red Cross.
Disaster Child Care coordinator Helen Stonesifer said that her program is concerned to find out where needs may be following the swath of tornados yesterday and last night. "We have been in touch with partners to find out how we can help, and our services have been offered to the Mennonites," added Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. The Brethren Disaster Response program also is exploring the need for rapid response following the tornados.
Source: 3/2/2007 Newsline Extra
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Jan Eller, Lerry Fogle, Dave Ingold, Merv Keeney, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Karin Krog, Wendy McFadden, Anna Speicher, Becky Ullom, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Jan Eller, Lerry Fogle, Dave Ingold, Merv Keeney, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Karin Krog, Wendy McFadden, Anna Speicher, Becky Ullom, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
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