Christian ecumenical organizations call attention to Egypt.

The World Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together in the USA, and the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have issued statements in the last few days calling attention to the crisis of political unrest and violence in Egypt.

A WCC release highlights statements by general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit, who said in part, “Protection of all human life and sacred sites is a common responsibility of both Christians and Muslims.” CCT’s pastoral letter, signed by the presidents of its five faith “families” including Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden as president of the historic Protestant family, said in part, “As followers of the Prince of Peace, we mourn from afar the loss of lives and pray that peace be restored.” The statement by church leaders in Jerusalem said in part, “We strongly condemn these acts of vandalism carried out by some extremists, and call upon all parties to stop violence and killing and to work towards national unity, without which Egypt will risk a civil war.” The three documents follow in full:

Christian Churches Together in the USA:

“A Pastoral Letter to All Christians and People of Good Will”

Grace and peace be to you, in the name of our Lord and Savior!

We write to you as leaders of Christian Churches Together in the USA. During the last three weeks of political unrest in Egypt, we have witnessed with great concern the escalation of violence. Hundreds of lives have been lost because of this violence. As followers of the Prince of Peace, we mourn from afar the lost of lives and pray that peace be restored.

In a more particular way, we are concerned for the ways in which this violence has affected the very lives of Christians in Egypt. Different news sources have reported how Christians have been the object of targeted violence because of their faith. These same sources have also reported how in many instances people of other faiths (particularly Islam) have risked their own lives to protect their Christian neighbors. We give thanks to God for those who have risked their lives to offer protection. We lament the violence against our brothers and sisters in Egypt.

We raise to our God the following prayer from the Coptic tradition:

"Make us all worthy, O our Master, to partake, of your holies unto the purification of our souls, our bodies and our spirits. That we may become one body and one spirit, and may have a share and an inheritance with all the saints who have pleased you since the beginning. Remember, O Lord, the peace of your one, only, holy, catholic and apostolic church."

We make an appeal to the U.S. government and other world political powers to actively seek, together with the people of Egypt, a prompt solution to this political crisis. But even more, we appeal to all Christians and people of good will to unite in prayer for the safety of followers of Christ and for peace in Egypt.

Kyrie Eleison, Lord have mercy!

Respectfully yours,
Rev. Stephen Thurston, Moderator, President of the Historic Black Family, National Baptist Convention, USA
Bishop Denis Madden, President of the Catholic Family, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, President of the Orthodox Family, Armenian Orthodox Church America
Rev. Gary Walter, President of the Evangelical/Pentecostal Family, Evangelical Covenant Church
Ms. Wendy McFadden, President of the Historic Protestant Family, Church of the Brethren
Rev. Carlos L. Malavé, Executive Director of CCT

A release from the World Council of Churches: 

“Supporting interfaith calls for peace in Egypt”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed support for the interfaith calls to action for peace and security in Egypt. He encouraged religious leaders to work together to call for protection and to promote the sanctity of human lives and religious places.

Tveit appreciated a recent statement issued by Bayt al-‘a’ila al-misriyya (the Egyptian Family Home) which appealed for the “security measures to protect the churches, the mosques, the national and the religious institutions, as well as the sacred places.”

The Egyptian Family Home, an initiative of the Christian and Muslim leaders in Egypt, created in 2011, collaborates with WCC member churches in Egypt, including the Coptic Orthodox Church.

“Terrorism does not take into account the sanctity of religion,” notes the statement, issued on Aug. 15.

The Egyptian Family Home also encouraged “efforts exerted by the civilians either Muslims or Christians who are defending the churches in this crucial period, setting a sincere example of the Egyptian patriotism against the sectarian divisions and terrorism.”

Echoing the concerns raised in the statement, Tveit emphasized that “the future of Egypt with justice and peace is only possible through the commitment of all Egyptians.”

“Protection of all human life and sacred sites is a common responsibility of both Christians and Muslims. The WCC supports and stands in solidarity with the call for joint action and efforts for reconciliation and security by the religious leaders in Egypt,” he added.

In recent events following the Aug. 14 demonstrations, hundreds of people have been in killed, while several churches and mosques were burnt down in Cairo and around.

Statement from the Egyptian Family Home: www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/other-ecumenical-bodies/the-egyptian-family-home-statement/

WCC invokes prayers for peace in Egypt (WCC news release of Aug. 15): www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-invokes-prayers-for-peace-in-egypt

Statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem:

“Blessed be Egypt my people…” (Isaiah 19:25)

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, follow with great concern the dreadful situation in Egypt, which suffers from internal divisions, deliberate violence and terroristic acts against innocent people, both Muslims and Christians. Government institutions were attacked, a great number of Egyptian soldiers and policemen have been killed, public property was destroyed, and Christian churches were desecrated. The desecration and burning of churches is an unprecedented scandal and goes against the values of tolerance, lived in Egypt for centuries. We appreciate the fact that many Muslim compatriots have stood by the side of Christians in defending churches and institutions.

We strongly condemn these acts of vandalism carried out by some extremists, and call upon all parties to stop violence and killing and to work towards national unity, without which Egypt will risk a civil war.

We stand with the Egyptian people in their strife against terrorism and militant groups, both locally and internationally. We offer our condolences and sympathy to all victims and casualties and pray for healing of the wounded and afflicted.

We call upon the International Community to stand against violence and terrorism, to help the people of Egypt to overcome this cycle of violence and bloodshed, and to help to get the country back on track.

We pray the One Lord to enlighten the Egyptian leaders to save the values of democracy, dignity and religious freedom.

Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarchate
Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Patriarchate
Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land
Archbishop Anba Abraham, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem
Archbishop Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate
Archbishop Abouna Daniel, Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate
Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek-Melkite-Catholic Patriarchate
Archbishop Mosa El-Hage, Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate
Bishop Suheil Dawani, Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Bishop Munib Younan, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Bishop Pierre Malki, Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
Msgr. Yoseph Antoine Kelekian, Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

Southern Ohio District launches Vital Ministry Journey.

Photo by Stan Dueck

Vital Ministry Journey launches in Southern Ohio District

Seventy-five people representing 23 congregations attended Southern Ohio District's launch event of Vital Ministry Journey (VMJ) on Saturday, Aug. 10. The event was held at Happy Corner Church of the Brethren.

Another district launches its Vital Ministry Journey in late September: Mid Atlantic District’s launch event is scheduled for Sept. 28 at Union Bridge Church of the Brethren in Maryland.

In Southern Ohio District, the Missional Renewal Commission is sponsoring Vital Ministry Journey, a congregational vitality process being offered through the denomination’s Congregational Life Ministries. The commission and district staff have been promoting the Vital Ministry Journey process, including planning and hosting the launch event. Every congregation in the district was invited to send leaders to hear a presentation about Vital Ministry Journey.

The half-day event began with worship followed by a presentation by Stan Dueck, director of Transforming Practices for the Church of the Brethren. Then participants gathered in small groups to experience the Bible study process that is foundational to the VMJ process. The event concluded with a question and answer session so that participants could discuss the process with Dueck and district representatives. The church representatives were encouraged to return to their congregations and share their discoveries about VMJ. The Missional Renewal Commission will follow up with churches to check on their readiness to participate in this congregational vitality process.

Prior to the launch event, on Friday, Aug. 9, Dueck held a training session with resource people who have been called to serve as the district's VMJ coaches. The coaches will work with congregations that participate in the Vital Ministry process. Dueck will continue ongoing training with the coaches by way of scheduled web events.

Find out more about Vital Ministry Journey at www.brethren.org/congregationallife/vmj .

-- Stan Dueck is director of Transforming Practices, Congregational Life Ministries.

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

The 301st unit of Brethren Volunteer Service begins work.

Photo by BVS

BVS Unit 301: (first row from left) Sarah Ullom-Minnich, Esther Kilian, Julia Schmidt, Lina Herrmann, Nora Boston, Amanda Strott, Deborah Schlenger, Mark Pickens; (second row, from left) Tim Heishman, Shino Furukawa, Luke Baldwin, Charlotte Rutkowski, Whitnee Hidalgo, Sarah Neher, Stephanie Barras, Dylan Ford; (third row, from left) Andrew Kurtz, Mandy Witherspoon, Jess Rinehart, Chris Luzynski, Johann Toelle, Tobias Domke, Jan Fahrenholz, Turner Ritchie.

The volunteers in Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 301 completed their orientation on July 16-Aug. 3 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The members of the unit, home congregations or home towns, and project placements follow:

Luke Baldwin of First Church of the Brethren in York, Pa., is working at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.

Stephanie Barras of Indianapolis, Ind., is going to OKC Abrasevic in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Nora Boston of Bonn, Germany, is serving at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C.

Tobias Domke of Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, and Jan Fahrenholz of Westerkappeln, Germany, are going to Project PLASE in Baltimore, Md.

Dylan Ford of Tipton, Ind., and Sarah Ullom-Minnich of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren, are serving at Su Casa Catholic Worker in Chicago, Ill.

Shino Furukawa of Mutterstadt, Germany, is serving at Innisfree Village in Crozet, Va.

Tim Heishman of West Charleston Church of the Brethren in Tipp City, Ohio, and Sarah Neher of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren, are working with the Church of the Brethren Youth and Young Adult Ministry serving as two of the three coordinators for the 2014 National Youth Conference, along with Katie Cummings.

Lina Herrmann of Luedenscheid, Germany, is serving at Human Solutions in Portland, Ore.

Whitnee Hidalgo of St. Clair, Mich., will work with Sisters of the Road in Portland, Ore.

Esther Kilian of Koblenz, Germany, is serving at Interfaith Hospitality Network in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Andrew Kurtz of Plymouth (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, will be volunteering with Quaker Cottage in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Chris Luzynski of Roanoke, Va., is going to the Brethren Disaster Ministries office in New Windsor, Md.

Mark Pickens of Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is serving at CrossKeys Village in New Oxford, Pa.

Jess Rinehart of Granger, Ind., will serve in Central America.

Turner Ritchie of Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren, will serve in an interim assignment at the Brethren Service Center in Maryland, and then will go to the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi-ken, Japan.

Charlotte Rutkowski of Hanover (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, is going to the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas.

Deborah Schlenger of Paderborn-Wewe, Germany, is serving at Washington City (D.C.) Church of the Brethren.

Julia Schmidt of Pandora, Ohio, is serving temporarily at the BVS office in Elgin, Ill., with plans to go to RAND in Zagreb, Croatia.

Johann Toelle of Muenster, Germany, is volunteering with Lancaster (Pa.) Area Habitat for Humanity.

Mandy Witherspoon of Columbus, N.C., will work at Gould Farm in Monterey, Mass.

For more about Brethren Volunteer Service go to www.brethren.org/bvs .

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

Camp Emmaus auction raises $1,000-plus for camp scholarships.

Bidding on artwork, T-shirts, jewelry, bracelets, and other items, the youth and staff at this year’s senior high camp at Camp Emmaus in Mount Morris, Ill., raised more than $1,000 for camper scholarships.

An auction has become an annual tradition at the camp, starting about seven years ago. Proceeds each year go to aid a different charitable cause. Past beneficiaries have included a Honduras workcamp led by Camp Emmaus manager Bill Hare, a camper undergoing cancer treatments, and the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Crisis Fund. Campers and counselors donate the sale items.

Items ranged from the traditional, such as Camp Emmaus T-shirts, to the imaginative, such as a soda can holder featuring an image of Hare riding a dinosaur. Campers and counselors created many of the items, including framed photographs, paintings, hand-knit scarves, and a duct-tape wallet. Bidding was spurred on by incentives for reaching various levels: the director being thrown in the pool, a counselor wearing a bright pink shirt for the day, and another counselor’s mustache being colorfully dyed.

Hare said he was impressed by the campers’ generosity, which will provide scholarships to attend camp for children and youth who could otherwise not afford to do so.

About three dozen youth attended this year’s senior high camp during the last full week of July, one of six age-group camps offered by Emmaus this past summer. The camp also holds family camps over Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, a women’s camp, and other events. It is one of 29 Church of the Brethren-affiliated camps located across the US. For more information go to www.campemmaus.org.

-- Walt Wiltschek is campus minister at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind.

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

43rd annual Dunker Church Service planned at Antietam battlefield.

Photo by Joel Brumbaugh-Cayford

The 43rd annual worship service in the restored Dunker Church at the Antietam National Battlefield, a Civil War battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. The service will be similar to an 1862 Dunker worship service, with Gene Hagenberger preaching on "Words Around Antietam." Scripture texts will be James 1:19 and 26, and 3:1-12.

The service is sponsored by the Churches of the Brethren in Maryland and West Virginia, and is open to the public. Leadership includes Tom Fralin of Brownsville, Md.; Eddie Edmonds of Moler Avenue (W.Va.) Church of the Brethren; Ed Poling of Hagerstown (Md.) Church of the Brethren; the Back Row Singers, also from Hagerstown Church of the Brethren; and Gene Hagenberger, district executive minister for Mid-Atlantic District.

For more information about the Dunker Church Service contact Eddie Edmonds at 304-267-4135, Tom Fralin at 301-432-2653, or Ed Poling at 301-733-3565.

Excerpts from the historical notes that will be provided in the bulletin for the service:

Today’s preacher Gene Hagenberger, executive minister, Mid-Atlantic District Church of the Brethren...wants to say a special thank you to Antietam Park Ranger Alan Schmidt for sharing time and information with him as he prepared for this service.

The Dunker Church, which stood in the midst of one of the bloodiest battles of our national history, was the place of worship for a group of people who believed that love and service, in place of war, was Christ’s message. After the battle they helped minister to both armies, using the church as an improvised hospital.

The Dunker movement began in the early 18th century in Germany with people seeking religious freedom. The treaty that closed the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) established three state churches. Those who did not accept the beliefs and practices of these churches were persecuted. One such group of people gathered in the village of Schwarzenau.

After much study and prayer, they came to the conclusion that repentance and baptism of believers was necessary. Eight of them were baptized in the Eder River by trine immersion. This method of baptism gave rise to the name Dunker--one who dips or dunks. Sometimes known as New Baptists, more commonly known as German Baptist Brethren, the official name became Church of the Brethren in 1908.

About 1740 the Brethren began to settle along the Conococheague and Antietam Creek of Maryland. At first holding worship services in homes, the members were organized into a congregation known as the Conococheague or Antietam in 1751. The Mumma Church--the battlefield church--was built in 1853 on a lot donated by Brother Samuel Mumma. Baptismal services were held in nearby Antietam Creek and the building was made available to other Christian denominations for funeral services.

Elder David Long and Daniel Wolfe conducted the Sunday, Sept. 14, 1862 church service, just before the Sept. 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam. The church building was extensively damaged by artillery shells, yet stood through one of the most severe battles of the Civil War. Funds raised under the direction of Elder D. P. Sayler were used to make repairs. Services were resumed in the building in the summer of 1864 and continued until a wind and hail storm demolished it in May 1921.

Today’s service is the 43rd commemorative service held since the church was rebuilt in 1961-62 through combined efforts of the Washington County Historical Society, the State of Maryland, and the National Park Service. The Churches of the Brethren of West Virginia and Maryland extend special thanks to participating area ministers and members of cooperating Churches of the Brethren present today. We extend our gratitude to the National Park Service for their cooperation, for the use of this meeting house, and the loan of the Mumma Bible.

“It is the hope of the Brethren that the little white church on the Antietam battlefield may be to our troubled world a symbol of tolerance, love, brotherhood, and service--a witness to the spirit of Him [the Christ] whom we seek to serve” (quote generally attributed to E. Russell Hicks, deceased, a member of Hagerstown Church of the Brethren.)

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

Churches plan creative events for Peace Day 2013.

Sept. 21 is international Peace Day, and On Earth Peace and the Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness are teaming up to invite congregations to plan Peace Day events on this year’s theme “Who Will You Make Peace With?”

“Jesus calls us and gives us what we need to make peace with friends, enemies, family members, within our congregations, and in the world around us,” said an invitation. “Who will you make peace with this September?”

Here are some creative examples of what congregations around the globe are planning:

• Pastor Ray Hileman of Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren says, “We are planning a witness walk from our meeting place to a nearby park and back to raise funds for On Earth Peace’s 3,000 Miles for Peace campaign on Saturday the 21st.

• Linda K Williams of First Church of the Brethren, San Diego, Calif., reported that the church will have a Peace Fair with multicultural entertainment, tabling by local groups, and children’s activities, followed by an interfaith vigil where religious leaders and participants from a number of faith groups will participate.

• South Central Indiana District holds its district conference on Sept. 21 at Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind. The theme “Take Your Mat and Walk” (Mark 2:9), fits right in with plans for participants to walk a few steps for peace over the lunch hour, as part of the 3,000 Miles for Peace campaign. “We will have the course ready and you can walk the number of feet you choose so that collectively we will have a District Conference total of at least 5280 feet (1 mile),” said the district newsletter announcement. “Come, add your prayers, your steps, your passion for a world at peace!”

• First Mennonite Church in Urbana, Ill., is planning to have a Salsa Party in cooperation with the mosque down the street--the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center. “People from our church and the mosque share tending a common garden and will use produce from the garden to make salsa together,” the church reports.

• West Richmond (Va.) Church of the Brethren is planning to go to a nearby river and have a feetwashing ceremony.

• Lifelines Compassionate Global Initiatives, affiliated with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and led by an EYN church leader, is planning an opportunity for Christians and Muslims to fast, sing, and pray together or individually at home beginning on Sept. 19. Plans are yet to be finalized, but the hope is for three days of fasting and prayer to precede an interfaith gathering and visits by Peace Advocates to local churches and mosques to talk about peace. The Peace Advocates have benefited from interfaith peace skill training in preparation for the event, says the organizer.

• Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren is participating in a Unity in the Community International Day of Prayer for Peace on Sunday, Sept. 22. The interfaith gathering is 5-8 p.m. hosted by the Dar Alnoor Islamic Community Center, and will include a community potluck meal. Unity in the Community was established in 1995 through the efforts of Church of the Brethren members Illana Naylor Barrett and Fred Swartz, along with members of various faith congregations within the Manassas area, said the announcement. The purpose of the group is to combat racism, anti-semitism, and other forms of discrimination in the community.

• Centralia (Wash.) First United Methodist Church is planning a 3,000 Miles for Peace Fun-Run as well as a commemoration for the Decade for Nonviolence to Children at nearby Centralia College.

• Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren holds itt 23rd annual 5K Run/Walk for Peace on Sept. 21, starting at 10 a.m., with a Kids' Fun Run starting at 11:15. A family mini-fest will include food, face painting, a bounce house, and other children’s activities. Proceeds will benefit 3,000 Miles for Peace. Find out more at etowncob.org/runforpeace .

Other congregations are invited to do something similar to these plans, or come up with something unique to express peace in the community. “Whatever your congregation decides to do, be sure to sign up at http://peacedaypray.tumblr.com/join ,” say the Peace Day organizers. Find a full list and interactive map of participating congregations at http://peacedaypray.tumblr.com/2013events .

-- Bryan Hanger, a Brethren Volunteer Service worker in the denomination’s Office of Public Witness, and Matt Guynn of the On Earth Peace staff, contributed to this report.

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

World Council of Churches calls members to observe day of prayer for peace.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling its member churches to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace on Sept. 21.

This year parishes and individuals are invited to pray using the theme of the WCC Assembly, “God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.” The assembly takes place in Busan, Republic of Korea, Oct. 30-Nov. 8.

The International Day of Prayer for Peace is commemorated by the WCC in conjunction with the United Nations-sponsored International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.

“There’s fresh news each day of injustice, violence, and suffering, and the WCC assembly theme itself is a prayer for peace,” said Jonathan Frerichs, WCC program executive for peace-building and disarmament.

“It’s an active prayer--a witness to faith, a cry of hope, and a pledge to be disciples for peace together. May God hear us from International Peace Day to the assembly and far beyond.”

Churches are invited to pray for peace and to also share their prayers via Facebook or Twitter (#peaceday).

The peace prayer day began during the ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence. The idea was born in a meeting between the WCC general secretary and the UN secretary general in 2004.

Find the website of the WCC 10th Assembly at http://wcc2013.info/en . More information on the International Day of Prayer for Peace (IDPP) is at www.overcomingviolence.org/en/decade-to-overcome-violence/about-dov/international-day-of-prayer-for-peace.html . (This release was provided by the World Council of Churches.)
 
Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

The Time Is Now: An Annual Conference statement from the summer of 1963.

Photo by Gospel Messenger

An ad in the "Gospel Messenger" from late summer 1963 asks for special donations to help fund the mandates of an Annual Conference statement titled "THE TIME IS NOW...to heal our racial brokenness." The ad lists developments in implementing the statement including communications to churches from the moderator and an Emergency Committee on Race Relations, the employment of a director of Race Relations, work by Brethren staff in Mississippi for a biracial commission and in Washington to promote Civil Rights legislation, and plans for Brethren to participate in the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.

The following statement was adopted by the 1963 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, which met in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., that June. The statement is reprinted here as published in the "Gospel Messenger" magazine of July 20, 1963, pp. 11 and 13:

The time is now...to heal our racial brokenness

The deepening crises in race relations all across the land confront the Christian church with its sharpest challenges to integrity and discipleship in this century. A revolution in relations between the races is upon us. We can neither stop it nor delay it. We can only hope to help guide it by active participation in it as concerned and courageous Christians.

The time is now to understand that racial reconciliation is built only on the foundation of racial justice, that justice delayed is justice denied.

The time is now to heal every broken race relationship and every segregated institution in our society--every church, every public accommodation, every place of employment, every neighborhood, and every school. Our goal must be nothing less than an integrated church in an integrated community.

The time is now to practice as well as to preach Christian nonviolence. In this revolution let us not only support and uphold the courageous Negro and white leaders of nonviolence, but let us take our share of initiative, leadership, and risk in helping guide the revolution over the precipitous trail of nonviolence.

The time is now to recognize Negro disappointment and even outright rejection of white Christians, their churches, and their faith. Few white Christians have suffered with their oppressed Negro brothers in efforts to obtain racial justice.

The time is now for us to confess to God our sins of delay, omission, and obstruction for racial justice within and outside the church. Our witness has been weak, despite the courageous witness of a few of our number. Our witness has not matched our basic belief that every child of God is a brother to every other.

The time is now for action, "even costly action that may jeopardize the organizational goals and institutional structures of the church, and may disrupt any fellowship that is less than fully obedient to the Lord of the church. In such a time the church of Jesus Christ is called upon to put aside every lesser engagement."

The call of Christ is for commitment and courage in such a time as this. This call comes to every one of us, every congregation among us, and every community in which we live. We can dodge neither the revolution nor the call of Christ. Let us respond in works as eloquent as our words, in practices as profound as our prayers, in action as heroic as our gospel.

Trusting in the Lord of the church for his continuing truth and power which strengthen us for every good work, we propose the following first steps to implement this declaration of concern:

1. That this Annual Conference engage in an act of confession, repentance, and dedication regarding racial brotherhood and nonviolence;
   
2. That the officers of this Conference establish a continuous prayer vigil seeking God's guidance in our concerns for racial brotherhood and nonviolence during the remaining hours of the Conference;
   
3. That the moderator of Annual Conference send a pastoral letter to each congregation emphasizing the moral issue in the racial situation and lifting up the concerns of this paper;
   
4. That the General Brotherhood Board take whatever urgent steps and risks it deems necessary and wise in order to move the church forward and to involve it more deliberately in the movement for immediate racial justice, brotherhood, and freedom, including such activities as participation in appropriate Christian forms of reconciliation, negotiation, demonstration, and nonviolent direct action; and that the board appropriate the necessary funds to implement this program;
   
5. That each of the agencies and institutions related to the Church of the Brethren--Annual Conference Central Committee, the General Brotherhood Board, regions, districts, congregations, Bethany Seminary, colleges, hospital, and homes for the aged--immediately and thoroughly examine its policies and practices and take any necessary steps at once, both to eliminate any forms of racial discrimination and to adopt aggressive policies for racial justice and integration;
   
6. That we emphasize with the strongest possible urgency the use of the method of nonviolence rather than violence in achieving racial justice in our country and that we call upon the major organizations leading the movement for racial justice to launch a nationwide educational effort as quickly as possible to counsel all Americans regarding the importance, philosophy, and method of nonviolence.
   
7. That each local church is called upon to affirm by specific council action the already established Annual Conference policy that membership within the Church of the Brethren will be accorded without regard to racial background or national origin.

The time is now for every member of the church to be used of God to heal the brokenness in all peoples and races whom God hath made of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth.
Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

Brethren bits.

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

The Program and Arrangements Committee has spent several days this week beginning the planning for the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in 2014. A highlight of the meeting was the option to Skype with a member who could not be at the church's General Offices in person this week.

• Correction: There is new information to add to Newsline’s coverage of the Fifth Brethren World Assembly held in July at the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, Ohio. The center is issuing an invitation to help out with the task of preserving and sharing the rich Brethren heritage by donating significant items, or by becoming a "Heritage Friend." For details go to www.brethrenheritagecenter.org or contact the Brethren Heritage Center at 937-833-5222.

• On Sunday, Aug. 18, First Church of the Brethren in Chicago held an "I Have a Dream" Anniversary Commemoration Service. The church for a time housed the westside Chicago office of Martin Luther King Jr., who preached from the First Church pulpit. “As our nation prepares to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, join us one and all as we look at ‘I Have A Dream’ for us today. What is the Dream now?” asked the invitation to the service. Pastor LaDonna Sanders Nkosi led the service and a community choir sang "Revelation 19." More information is at the Facebook event page www.facebook.com/events/679161505447098 .

• Antioch Church of the Brethren in Woodstock, Va., has begun worshiping in a new sanctuary, as the congregation anticipates its 145th anniversary on Oct. 13, reports Shenandoah District.

• Olean Church of the Brethren in Giles County, Va., celebrates its 100th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 8, according to the Virlina District newsletter. Olean was a mission point of the Oakvale congregation, the newsletter reported, and was originally planted by Brethren evangelists Levi Garst and C.D. Hylton beginning in 1913.

• Church World Service celebrates the good work of disaster relief kits and blankets shared with a Kentucky County struggling with multiple disasters, see www.cwsglobal.org/newsroom/news-features/cws-kits-and-blankets-aid-disaster-battered-kentucky-county.html . These supplies were warehoused and shipped from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., through the work of the church’s Material Resources program.

• New in the “Hidden Gems” series from the Brethren Historical Library and Archives, a review of “The Challenge of Military Camp Life for the Church of the Brethren During World War I” by intern Andrew Pankratz. The article reveals the suffering of conscientious objectors during the war when “camp life for the several hundred Brethren who refused combatant and noncombatant service proved to be a challenging ordeal,” Pankratz writes. “Often the ordeal began when the young Brethren would refuse to wear a military uniform or do any military work. For many of these Brethren wearing the uniform or doing any work on base meant supporting the war effort and the killing of a fellow man. By refusing to wear uniforms or perform military camp duties, the Brethren underwent harsh treatment.” Go to www.brethren.org/bhla/hiddengems.html .

• Training in Ministry (TRIM) graduates were honored at the 2013 Bethany Theological Seminary Annual Conference Luncheon: Rhonda Dorn (Northern Indiana District), Mary Etta Reinhart (Atlantic Northeast), Diane Mason (Northern Plains), Marilyn Koehler (Northern Plains), and Traci Rabenstein (Southern Pennsylvania). TRIM is a program of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. For more go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/academy .

• The final group of pastors in the Sustaining Pastoral Exellence-Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership program of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership completed their two-year training on June 21: Mike Martin, David Hendricks, Martin Hutchison, Roland Johnson, Mary Fleming, Robin Wentworth Meyer, and Marty Doss. “This completes the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.,” reports the academy newsletter. The Sustaining Ministerial Excellence Advanced Seminar will begin in early 2014, funded by Wieand grants from the Church of the Brethren and Bethany Seminary.

• The “Daily Gazette” of Schenectady, N.Y., has featured the work of Brethren Disaster Ministries in Schoharie in a feature article titled “Flood Recovery Groups Welcome Family Back into Their Schoharie Home.” The article posted on Aug. 16 at www.dailygazette.com celebrates the new home built for the Coons family by SALT and Brethren volunteers.

• Green Tree Church of the Brethren in Oaks, Pa., is offering an interactive workshop on “Brethren Peacemaking: Yesterday and Today” on Sept. 14 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Session One on  “Our Roots: History of Church of the Brethren Peacemaking” will be followed by a potluck dinner. Session Two on “Bringing Peacemaking into Our Communities” is from 7-8:30 p.m. The event is free. Leadership is provided by Rick Polhamus of Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren in Ohio and one of On Earth Peace’s retreat and leadership training leaders. Contact GreenTreeWitness@gmail.com to RSVP. More information is at http://greentreecob.org/interactive-workshop-brethren-peacemaking-yesterday-and-today .

• July 14 was a day of celebration for Locust Grove Church of the Brethren, according to West Marva District newsletter. “A baptismal service was held at the Dominion Power Plant Recreation Center. Twenty people pledged to serve and love our Lord through the sacrament of baptism and commitment. Locust Grove then received 21 new members.” A picnic and afternoon of fellowship followed.

• Also in West Marva District, Living Stone Church of the Brethren will host an event featuring Erik Estrada of “CHiPs” fame, on Sept. 9. The church will show the movie “Finding Faith” featuring Estrada, who has gone on to become a child advocate, portraying a sheriff who works with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The film tells the story of Holly Austin Smith, who was abducted by a child predator, to help educate parents and children about Internet safety. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the movie beginning at 6 p.m. The district newsletter reports that following the film there will be an opportunity to meet and talk to Estrada.

• The Northern Plains District Conference recognized milestones for several ordained ministers: Lois Grove--5 years, Laura Leighton-Harris--5 years, Jeannine Leonard--5 years, Rhonda Pittman Gingrich--15 years, Diana Lovett--15 years, Mary Jane Button-Harrison--20 years, Nelda Rhoades Clarke--35 years.

• Final accounting is complete for the 2013 Shenandoah District Disaster Ministries Auction: $211,699.46. The district newsletter reported that “our 21-year total is now $3,692,379.60. Thanks to everyone who made this year's event such a success. Disaster response is one of our district's strongest ministries, and the proceeds from the auction support that outreach.”

• Shenandoah District's Disaster Ministries Auction Coordinating Committee “Family Fun Day” is Aug. 24, at 502 Sandy Ridge Rd., Waynesboro, Va. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. “Come for games, food, and a pie-baking contest. Music groups will be performing from 12:30-4:30 p.m.,” said an invitation. There is a $10 fee for the two-mile run/walk and corn hole tournament. See http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1110837621104-145/2013FunDay.pdf .

• Brethren Woods' 18th Annual Golf Blast and Elzie Morris Memorial Tournament and Fundraiser is Saturday, Sept. 7, at Lakeview Golf Course east of Harrisonburg, Va. A putting contest starts at 7:30 a.m., and the shotgun start is at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $70 per person which includes green fees, cart, prizes, and lunch. Go to www.brethrenwoods.org .

• The Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center is “calling all (apple) bakers” to compete in its inaugural Great Apple Bake-Off on Sept. 7, during CrossRoads' Harvest Day Festival. “Ribbons will be awarded to the top three entries in each category--pies, cakes, bread/pastry. Bakers will submit two items for each entry--one will be judged, the other sold at the baked goods booth. The winning baked goods will be auctioned at noon,” said an announcement in the Shenandoah District newsletter. The center is located in Harrisonburg, Va.

• The website of the John Kline Homestead in Broadway, Va.--historic home of Civil War-era Brethren elder and peace martyr John Kline--has posted a Civil War Sesquicentennial essay “150 Years Ago: The Shenandoah Valley and the Civil War” by Steve Longenecker of Bridgewater (Va.) College. Go to http://johnklinehomestead.com/Sesquicentennial.htm .

• The Global Women’s Project will hold its next semi-annual meeting in September in North Manchester, Ind. The group will worship with Manchester Church of the Brethren and Eel River Community Church of the Brethren and will meet with Growing Grounds, a partner project in Wabash, Ind., that supports women in the criminal justice system.

• “Brethren Voices” producer Ed Groff reports that the October edition will be the 100th for this Brethren community television show, a project of Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren. In September "Brethren Voices" features Jan and Doug Eller speaking about “A Brethren Visit to Cuba” with host Brent Carlson. The Ellers, who attend Portland Peace Church, recently visited Cuba with the organization Road Scholar, which provides educational tours in all 50 states and to 150 countries. Groff notes that “under US law, educational and cultural tours are permitted  during the embargo of Cuba, which has been ongoing for many years. The people of Cuba refer to it as a blockade, which restricts the shipment of goods from the United States.... Doug Eller states that a nine-day-visit does not make a person an authority, however their visit provides a good look at what is happening in Cuba, today.” October’s 100th edition of “Brethren Voices” features John Jones and Camp Myrtlewood, a Church of the Brethren outdoor ministry center in southern Oregon. Jones shares information about a Sept. 2002 stream restoration project conducted to restore fish habitat for migrating salmon and steelhead trout on Myrtle Creek, and shares his thoughts about the changes that have occurred to restore fish habitat over the years. For a copy of “Brethren Voices” contact groffprod1@msn.com .

• New Community Project is turning 10. Described by founder David Radcliff as “a Christian nonprofit organization with Brethren affinities,” the project was founded in August 2003, and over the past decade has sponsored dozens of Learning Tours involving some 500 Church of the Brethren members to places as diverse as South Sudan, the Arctic, the Ecuadorian Amazon, Burma, and Nepal, Radcliff reports. The project also has sent over $600,000 to its partners in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America to support girls' education, women's development, and forest preservation, and has established a Sustainable Living Homestead in Harrisonburg, Va. More than 1,000 New Community Project presentations have been given in schools, colleges, congregations, and community groups. The New Community Project now includes a network of some 10,000 people across the US and internationally. To celebrate the occasion, the project’s booth at Annual Conference gave away over 250 t-shirts along with other items. Plans for year 11 include, according to Radcliff, another round of Learning Tours, a new “If We Build It...” campaign to construct a school in South Sudan, and an apprenticeship program at the Harrisonburg site led by coordinator Tom Benevento. Contact ncp@newcommunityproject.org .

• McPherson (Kan.) College on Aug. 20 hosted a Food for Orphans Anti-Hunger Run. A release about the event noted that “even small donations will make a huge difference for some of the 60 million orphans in developing countries suffering from famine, poverty, and conflict.” Shay Maclin, dean of students and assistant professor of education, said the fundraiser was a great way for incoming McPherson students to get an early taste of what the college’s mission--“Scholarship. Participation. Service”--actually means.

Source: 8/23/2013 Newsline

Credits

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Eddie Edmonds, Tom Fralin, Ed Groff, Larry Heisey, Kendra Johnson, Wendy McFadden, David Radcliff, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.

Newsline: August 8, 2013

NEWS

• WCC leader to preach at Illinois congregation, visit Church of the Brethren General Offices.
• Harold Giggler: CDS volunteers care for children following Asiana crash.
• Brethren Disaster Ministries directs $75,000 grant to Sandy relief in Haiti.

PERSONNEL

• Donald Booz retires from leadership of Pacific Southwest District.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• NOAC to feature a great line up of speakers, events for older adults.
• Annual Conference moderator announces theme for 2014.
• John Kline Homestead to dedicate replica of 19th century kitchen garden.

RESOURCES

• BBT launches news and information site on health care reform.
• Theme for WCC Assembly invites churches to study justice and peace.

FEATURE

• Lessons and legacies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversary.

BRETHREN BITS

• Plea for CWS kits, dates for Clergy Women’s Retreat and church planting conference, ambitious goals for COBYS Bike and Hike, CPT petition, and much much more.

WCC leader to preach at Illinois congregation, visit Church of the Brethren General Offices.

World Council of Churches general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit will bring the Sunday morning message at Neighborhood Church of the Brethren in Montgomery, Ill., this Sunday, Aug. 11, at 10:30 a.m. Tveit will be on a trip to visit various Christian groups in the United States, traveling from the World Council of Churches headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Two general secretaries pose for the camera during the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation held in Jamaica in 2011: at right Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches; at left Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren.

On Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 12-13, he will be in Elgin, Ill., visiting the Church of the Brethren General Offices.

The WCC is an ecumenical fellowship of 345 member denominations representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, and other traditions in over 110 countries. General secretary Olav Fykse Tveit is from the (Lutheran) Church of Norway. The Church of the Brethren denomination is one of the founding members of the WCC and has been part of the ecumenical organization since its start in 1948.

Sunday’s service is open to the public, and will be followed by a time for coffee and fellowship. Neighborhood Church of the Brethren is located at 155 Boulder Hill Pass in Montgomery.

When Tveit visits the denomination’s General Offices he will be hosted by Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley Noffsinger. Conversations will focus on the “Ecumenical Call to Just Peace” document and its role at the WCC 10th Assembly this fall in Busan, South Korea. The Assembly will be held October 30-November 8 on the theme, “God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.” Noffsinger has been named by the WCC Executive Committee as a special representative from the Historic Peace Churches to the delegate body of the Assembly.

Over the two days, Tveit also will tour the facility, hold meetings with staff, and be honored with a lunch reception to which pastors in Illinois and Wisconsin District of the Church of the Brethren will be invited.

For questions about the Sunday service at Neighborhood Church of the Brethren contact pastor Mark Flory Steury, 630-897-3347 or mflorysteu@aol.com.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Harold Giggler: CDS volunteers care for children following Asiana crash.

Photo by CDS/John Elms

A young client of Children's Disaster Services in San Francisco following the crash landing of an Asiana Airline plane in early July. CDS volunteers are specially trained to help children use creative play to work out the feelings of fear and loss that follow a disaster.

Following the July 6 crash landing of an Asiana Airline plane at the San Francisco airport, five volunteers from the Critical Response Childcare Team of Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) worked with children for three full days from July 10-12.

The Critical Response Childcare Team is specially trained to provide care for children and families following mass casualties events like airplane crashes. The group worked in San Francisco at the request of the American Red Cross.

The following story from this CDS response was shared by team member Mary Kay Ogden. For more information about Children’s Disaster Services go to www.brethren.org/cds.

Harold Giggler

Four year old Harold Giggler arrived at the Crowne Plaza Children’s Disaster Services center in Burlingame near the San Francisco Airport on Wednesday, July 10. Harold Giggler is not his real name. We couldn't pronounce his given name. The CDS Critical Response Childcare providers named him after we got to know him. He and his parents had survived the Asiana airplane crash on July 6, and Harold rode in on a deluxe wheelchair with a casted broken left leg, which was to be kept immobile.

Harold was accompanied by either his mom, his dad, a cousin or all three. There was always someone to interpret, but the main language of communication was play. It wasn't until the third time that the parents left him in our care while they went to the hotel restaurant for some food. It can take a long time to earn trust, especially in a foreign country where your child's language is not spoken.

The group of five CDS childcare providers named him Harold because the only crayon he had any interest in was purple. This reminded us of the children’s book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson. Two of us had listened carefully to his name and repeated it several times. However, Harold did not respond in the slightest degree of recognition when we used it, so we likely mispronounced it and used the wrong intonation.

We had a low table that Harold could sit parallel to and reach most items. Harold started off with the wooden puzzle, which had nine shapes. The first time, and every visit afterwards, he took out and put aside the oval, half circle, and circle. He especially liked the black trapezoid. After completing the puzzle with colors up, he put it together again with the color sides facing down. Harold worked with focus and determination.

The more time we spent with Harold, the more he jabbered in Mandarin. We smiled and nodded a lot. While we could not pronounce his name, he repeated in English some of the shape words his father taught him, including trapezoid.

When we brought the purple play doh over to him, he began pressing the puzzle shapes into the play doh. That is when some major giggling started. It continued when we flattened out some dough, thinking this would make the shape pressing more successful. He decided it was a pancake and that it should be eaten. So we pretended to do so. Once it disappeared he decided teeth brushing was in order. The giggles just got louder and more frequent.

He painstakingly built a tower out of Legos, using only the blue and the red ones. After completion and applause, he knocked the whole thing over in a fashion very typical of any preschooler.

It was the giggles and the eye contact that informed our actions. When something dropped, he would look at us and then down, effectively saying, "Pick it up!" Like many preschoolers, when he tired of coloring with his purple crayon, he pushed his clipboard and crayon off his lap and onto the floor. After picking them up several times, we pretended to go to sleep by closing our eyes and putting our heads on our hands near our shoulders. Soon three adult women were doing this, and Harold laughed with enthusiasm. Then he joined us and would wake us all up with noise and fist pumping. We all mimicked his actions, and by then Harold had earned his second name: Giggler.

It was 9:30 p.m. when Harold Giggler left to see the doctor next door to get some medication for pain. We were all tired, but refreshed with the resiliency of a four year old who never complained, worked around his casted leg, and was very easily entertained. The name Harold Giggler and the memory of his lilting voice and laughter will always bring a smile to our faces.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Brethren Disaster Ministries directs $75,000 grant to Sandy relief in Haiti.

Photo by Ilexene Alphonse

One of the homes in Marin, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Sandy and the flooding that the storm caused when it hit the Caribbean island nation last year. Shown here, Haitian Brethren leaders assess the damage after the storm.

Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed a grant of $75,000 from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to assist L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

The damaged homes are in Marin, Haiti. The work to rebuild them follows severe flooding brought to the region in October 2012 by Hurricane Sandy, which went on to affect the northeast coast of the US where it was known as Superstorm Sandy.

“Haiti was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake when Hurricane Sandy brought four days of rain in late October 2012,” said the grant request. “The resulting severe flooding left an estimated 200,000 Haitians homeless, caused 104 deaths, blocked infrastructure/roads, caused loss of livestock, and severe damage to agricultural fields. This led to even more food insecurity and a reignited cholera epidemic in a country with widespread poverty and hunger.”

The Haitian Brethren formally requested assistance for the community of Marin, where approximately 10 percent of families lost their homes in the flooding. Rather than starting a new Brethren Disaster Ministries project in Haiti, staff have requested this grant for a Haitian-led response to the disaster.

The funds management and construction leadership will come from the Haitian Church of the Brethren, with oversight and monitoring from Brethren Disaster Ministries. To help support this response, give to the Emergency Disaster Fund at www.brethren.org/edf.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Donald Booz retires from leadership of Pacific Southwest District.

Photo by Church of the Brethren

Donald R. Booz has announced his retirement as district executive minister of the Church of the Brethren’s Pacific Southwest District effective Nov. 30. He has served in the position since Dec. 1, 2008.

Booz has served two other districts as district executive minister: Atlantic Southeast District from June 1984-Jan. 1989, and Mid-Atlantic District from June 2000-Nov. 2008. Earlier in his career he pastored congregations in Atlantic Southeast District and Western Plains District. He also has been a marriage and family therapist, chaired several local and regional council of churches, and served on a variety of denominational committees over the years. He holds the College of Executive Coaching Certificate and certifications in Myers Briggs Type Indicator as well as a number of emotional intelligence indicators among other certifications.

Booz was licensed in Feb. 1974 and ordained Sept. 6, 1981, at Shippensburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. He is a graduate of Shippensburg Area High and Shippensburg State College, and holds a masters degree from Bethany Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. His future plans include moving to Kansas in order to live closer to family.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

NOAC to feature a great line up of speakers, events for older adults.

There is still time to register for National Older Adult Conference (NOAC). If you are age 50 or older, plan on joining others from across the Church of the Brethren denomination at beautiful Lake Junaluska, N.C., on Sept. 2-6.

Organized by Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren, NOAC offers inspiration, renewal, and community for adults age 50 and older. Visit www.brethren.org/NOAC to register online or contact Kim Ebersole, NOAC coordinator, at 800-323-8039 ext. 305, to have a brochure mailed to you.

Conference-goers will enjoy a great line up of presenters for the week:

• Keynote speakers Phyllis Tickle, Richard Mouw, John Paul Lederach

• Preachers Dava Hensley, Edward Wheeler, Kurt Borgmann

• Bible study leader Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm

• Evening entertainment Ted & Company’s “Laughter Is Sacred Space” and the piano performance, “From Chopin to Sacred Songs to Show Tunes: A Musical Journey” by Josh and Elizabeth Tindall

• Afternoon entertainment "Healing Through Music: The Magic of the Native American Flute,” “Birds of Prey: Masters of the Sky,” and “Hillbilly Is Not Politically Correct! Appalachian Tales and Music”

• The humor of the NOAC News Team

NOAC attendees will have the opportunity to participate in several service projects including assembling school and hygiene kits for Church World Service and “Trekkin’ for Peace,” a walk around Lake Junaluska to raise money for the denomination’s Youth Peace Travel Team.

In addition, participants can select from a variety of interest groups, creative arts classes, and recreational activities including bus trips to the Biltmore mansion, Oconaluftee Indian Village, and Balsam Mountain Trust Preserve. “Tee Time!” a golf outing, is hosted by Bethany Theological Seminary.

Evening ice cream socials are sponsored by the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, Bethany Theological Seminary, and the Church of the Brethren-related colleges and universities.

This year’s financial sponsors are Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) sponsoring the Morning Bible Studies and NOAC News, The Palms of Sebring sponsoring the Tindall’s performance, Peter Becker Community sponsoring “Healing Through Music: The Magic of the Native American Flute,” Pinecrest Community sponsoring “Birds of Prey: Masters of the Sky,” and Hillcrest sponsoring “Hillbilly Is Not Politically Correct! Appalachian Tales and Music.”

View the entire NOAC program at www.brethren.org/NOAC where the conference booklet is available to download. During the conference, news and photos of each day’s activities will be posted at www.brethren.org/news/2013/noac-2013.

-- Kim Ebersole is director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries for the Church of the Brethren and the NOAC coordinator.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Annual Conference moderator announces theme for 2014.

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Nancy Heishman, who will serve as moderator of the 2014 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio

"Live as Courageous Disciples" is the theme that moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman has announced for the 2014 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, on July 2-6 in Columbus, Ohio. The New Testament letter of Philippians is the theme scripture.

The Conference Office notes that the 2014 annual meeting is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, a change from recent years when the Conferences commonly have been held Saturday through Wednesday.

“The times in which we live call for boldness, for courage, for fearless living that is faithful to the word and life of Jesus Christ,” said the moderator’s theme statement, in part. “The world around us is hungry and thirsty for living examples of lives radically committed to following Jesus. More than ever, the church needs to be a community in which Jesus’ disciples spur one another on to live courageously in this world.

“My dream for this coming year is that we will take steps toward living out the beginning of our denominational vision statement, which is: ‘Through scripture Jesus calls us to live as courageous disciples in word and action,’” Heishman added.

The moderator is encouraging church members “to set aside this year to all study a particular New Testament letter together, the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians. In this small letter, as well as the background found in the book of Acts, we see what a life of truly courageous discipleship looks like. Even from a prison cell, Paul passionately proclaimed the gospel of Christ and encouraged others to find the courage to live it out in their daily lives.”

Heishman noted that Philippians has just 104 verses and 2,243 words, and added a challenge to memorize the whole book. “It would only require memorizing two verses a week until next July!”

She invites church members to share their experiences of studying and memorizing Philippians, and stories of courageous discipleship with her as she travels among the wider church this year.

Find the full theme statement at www.brethren.org/ac. A list of daily themes for Annual Conference 2014 is at http://www.brethren.org/ac/theme.html.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

John Kline Homestead to dedicate replica of 19th century kitchen garden.

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Paul Roth shares 19th century style candy at the John Kline Homestead booth at the 2013 Annual Conference. A new 19th century kitchen garden at the historic home of Civil War-era Brethren elder John Kline will be dedicated with a Garden Party on Sept. 15 in Broadway, Va.

The John Kline Homestead in Broadway, Va., will host a “Garden Party” to dedicate its new kitchen garden on Sunday, Sept. 15. The site is the historic home of Elder John Kline, a Brethren leader and martyr for peace during the Civil War.

The Garden Party will include a brief service, shape-note singing, tours of the house, and refreshments. Harvey’s of Bridgewater will serve ice cream flavored with ingredients grown on the homestead property. Events start at 4 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Kitchen gardens were critical to 19th-century households. They were a specialized form of cultivation that grew a variety of foods for the family table. The fencing and lay-out of the gardens were particularly distinct. The Kline Homestead has created a replica of these plots.

The John Kline Homestead endeavors to preserve Kline’s memory as a 19th-century Brethren minister who led the Linville Creek congregation in Broadway. Kline established a reputation for service to the church and community, commitment to peace, and anti-slavery views.

For more information contact Paul Roth at proth@bridgewater.edu or 540-896-5001.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

BBT launches news and information site on health care reform.

Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) has launched a news and information website titled “ReformWatch,” offering information about health care reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

An April 2013 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that 4 in 10 Americans do not know whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is still the law and being implemented, and 49 percent of those surveyed do not know how PPACA will affect them or their family.

Do you fall into one of these two categories? Do you need more information about PPACA? Let Brethren Insurance Services assist you with ReformWatch, offering up-to-date news and information on this sweeping legislation.

Some features of this site include:

• A timeline that shows when each provision of PPACA is scheduled to be enacted and who is responsible for responding to each change.

• A regularly updated news site that connects readers with reputable sources in the health care industry and the federal government.

• A glossary of key terms that helps readers make sense of health care reform terminology.

• A page for forms.

• A frequently asked questions (FAQ) section with comprehensive responses from www.healthcare.gov.

• ReformWatch E-Alerts, an e-mail service that updates registrants on the latest health care reform news.

To review the health care overhaul timeline, check FAQs, look up terminology, read news briefs from reputable sources, and sign up to receive ReformWatch E-Alerts go to www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/reformwatch.

-- Brian J. Solem is manager of Publications for Brethren Benefit Trust.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Theme for WCC Assembly invites churches to study justice and peace.

“God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace” is the theme for the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly on Oct. 30-Nov. 8 in Busan, South Korea. Congregations may walk alongside the church delegates preparing to travel to South Korea this fall through use of special study and worship resources titled “Pilgrimage to Busan: An Ecumenical Journey into World Christianity.”

The WCC is an ecumenical fellowship of 345 member denominations representing more than 500 million Christians in over 110 countries. Its general assemblies are considered the largest gathering of Christians worldwide, and occur only once every seven years. WCC assemblies have been key turning points for the worldwide church, times when the Holy Spirit has moved in unexpected ways to guide the Christian movement into new directions of discipleship and witness.

This year’s assembly theme invites congregations to join in study of how the living God leads Christians to seek justice and peace, building on the Decade to Overcome Violence. “Pilgrimage to Busan” is designed for use by study groups, adult forums, or for retreats.

Each unit or "station stop" draws participants into a specific situation--for example that of Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, or Dalit Christians in India--and focuses on a key theme: Station One: Christian Unity, Station Two: Called to Witness, Station Three: Living with People of Other Faiths, Station Four: Working for God's Justice, Station Five: Praying for Peace, Station Six: Transformative Spirituality for Discipleship.

A leader's guide offers coordinators background on the sites, themes, and issues of each unit, along with links to further resource material. A participant's guide structures the reflection and discussion and suggests possibilities for practical engagement. Download both guides in pdf format from wcc2013.info/en/resources/pilgrimage-to-busan.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Lessons and legacies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversary.

Events in northeast Asia this year “dramatize how much the region and the world still live in the shadow of mass destruction,” the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary said in a comment on the 68th anniversary this week of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. “The God of life calls all of us to take up [the survivors’] tireless cry and make certain that a Hiroshima or Nagasaki bombing can never happen again.”

Churches from around the world are coming to South Korea soon for the 10th Assembly of the WCC. Participants will learn the Hiroshima legacy from churches there, said WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit. These include Cold War rivals North Korea and the United States “still brandishing nuclear weapons,” increasing US military deployments in the region, and government officials in Tokyo speculating about Japan developing nuclear weapons.

Sixty years after the Korean War ceasefire, “none of the antagonists have a peace treaty,” Tveit noted, “but every country in northeast Asia has its own nuclear arms or accepts protection from US nuclear weapons.” He cited Buddhist, Christian, and civil society advocacy that the Korean Peninsula “must be freed of nuclear weapons as a cornerstone for any durable peace.”

The finest tribute to the two destroyed cities, Tveit said, will be to achieve the elderly survivors’ undying hope. This means ensuring that no one suffers the fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ever again. It means protecting “God’s gift of life...for the good of all.”

-- This report is from a World Council of Churches release. The WCC promotes Christian unity in faith, witness, and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member communions representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. Find the full text of Tveit’s comments at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/statements/68th-anniversary-of-atomic-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki .

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Brethren bits.

When Church of the Brethren member Clair Mock took his annual birthday motorcycle ride on July 25, the “Bedford Gazette” featured the event with an article and photos--noting that at 108 Mock is the second oldest resident of Pennsylvania. Mock celebrated the day with a motorcycle ride on the back of his nephew Neal Weaver’s Harley, and a trip to the County Fair where he was greeted by Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture George Grieg. Present for the occasion were his daughter and former Annual Conference moderator Elaine Sollenberger, granddaughter Lori Knepp, and great granddaughter Morgan Knepp, among other family, friends, and well wishers. Newsline thanks Frank Ramirez for being present to take this photograph and being one of those at the motorcycle ride send off!

• Material Resources director Loretta Wolf has passed along a plea for more donations of Church World Service (CWS) kits. CWS kits are among the disaster relief materials that are processed, warehoused, and distributed by the Church of the Brethren Material Resources program at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Currently there is a good stock of Hygiene Kits but the stock of School Kits, Baby Care Kits, and Emergency Clean-Up Buckets is very low. “More materials are needed to respond to pending requests and be ready for future emergencies.” To find out how to put together kits, go to www.cwsglobal.org/get-involved/kits . Kit contents have been selected with care based on years of experience to make them as useful as possible, wherever and whenever they are sent following disasters in the US and around the world.

• Save these dates! Events announced for 2014 include the Church of the Brethren Clergy Women’s Retreat on Jan. 13-16 at the Sierra Retreat Center in Malibu, Calif., on the theme “Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart: On the Journey Together” (Philippians 1:3-11) with speaker Melissa Wiginton, vice president for Education Beyond the Walls at Austin (Texas) Seminary; and the church planting conference “Plant Generously, Reap Bountifully: Toward an Intercultural Future” (1 Corinthians 3:6) on May 15-17 at Bethany Seminary in Richmond, Ind., with speakers Efrem Smith of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, Alejandro Mandes director of Hispanic Ministries of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman.

• Bethany Theological Seminary is one of the schools taking part in a new event on Sept. 18. According to an invitation from the Church of the Brethren seminary in Richmond, Ind.: “You are invited to attend the first-ever Seminary and Theological Grad School Virtual Fair on Sept. 18. The Virtual Fair will allow you to have your admissions questions answered by representatives from multiple graduate institutions during this live event.” The online event will offer information about seminary and theological graduate school programs, the opportunity to meet school representatives in live chat sessions, upload resumes prior to the event, and more. Register at www.Seminary.CareerEco.net . For more information contact Gayle Oliver-Plath at 770-980-0088 or seminary@careereco.com .

• Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren is hosting a Bridgewater College Alumni Choir concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. The Alumni Choir was founded by Jesse E. Hopkins, the Edwin L. Turner Distinguished Professor of Music Emeritus at Bridgewater College. In addition to Hopkins, the 30-member choir will be directed by several other alumni including David L. Tate, Curtis Nolley, Ryan E. Keebaugh, and Melissa Dull. Mary Beth Flory will serve as accompanist. Hopkins retired in 2012 after 35 years on the college faculty. He served as music director at the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren for many years and is conductor of the Schola Cantorum of Waynesboro, Va.

• The Vital Ministry Journey is launching in Southern Ohio District with an introductory event on Aug. 10 for pastors and teams of lay leaders from each congregation. “Congregational health and vitality is a priority for the Southern Ohio District,” said an announcement in the district e-newsletter. “We want you to be alive in Christ and thriving in your local community.” The Vital Ministry Journey initiative will be a partnership of the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Ministries and the district’s Missional/Renewal Commission.

• In more news from Southern Ohio, the district e-newsletter has publicized results from a Special District Conference held July 27 to receive a report and recommendations from the District Board in regard to Outdoors Ministries and Woodland Altars: “After much discussion, the delegates voted 67-50 to reject the board’s recommendation on selling Woodland Altars. The board will be meeting sometime during the first full week of August to consider next steps as the lessee is vacating the lease as of the end of August. Your prayers are requested as the board deals with this important matter facing our district.”

• The World Hunger Auction in Virlina District is Saturday, Aug. 10, starting at 9:30 a.m. at Antioch Church of the Brethren in Franklin County, Va. The district newsletter reports the auction will include crafts, quilts, toys, produce, baked and canned goods, special services, and more. “Items of special interest to be sold include two tickets to the Virginia Tech-Virginia football game at Charlottesville. The seats are in the lower level, approximately 10 yard line, 7th row. A ticket package to the August 31st Nationals-Mets game in the first row of the Diamond Club which includes waiter service, pre-game gourmet buffet, and reserved parking are up for bid.” A number of congregations partner with Antioch in the auction including Bethany, Bethlehem, Boones Mill, Cedar Bluff, Germantown Brick, Monte Vista, Oak Grove (South), Roanoke-Ninth Street, and Smith Mountain Lake. For more information go to www.worldhungerauction.org .

• Virlina District is offering a Fall Foliage and West Virginia Bus Tour on Oct. 12, departing from the new Virlina District Resource Center at 3402 Plantation Road, N.E., in Roanoke, Va., at 7:30 a.m., returning around 9 p.m. Ticket cost is $29.99. Monnie R. Martin, Spruce Run Church historian, and David K. Shumate, district executive minister, will narrate the tour. Reports by congregational historians will be presented at some of the stops. Ministers may receive continuing education credits. Churches to be highlighted include Olean in Giles County, Va., Smith Chapel in Mercer County, W.Va., Crab Orchard in Raleigh County, W.Va., First Brethren in Oak Hill, W.Va., Pleasant View, W.Va., the former Bethany Church at Charmco, W.Va., and Greenbrier (Frantz Memorial) Church near Dawson, W.Va. A lunch stop with time for shopping will be at Tamarack in Beckley, W.Va. A stop will be made at the New River Gorge overlook providing a view of the highest steel arch bridge in the world. For reservations contact the Virlina Resource Center at 540-362-1816 or 800-847-5462.

• Michigan District Conference will be held Aug. 16-17 at Camp Brethren Heights, Rodney, Mich.

• Ambitious goals for the 17th annual COBYS Bike and Hike: $100,000 and 550 participants. The event is Sept. 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. COBYS Family Services is affiliated with the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren. Its mission is to educate, support, and empower children and adults to reach their full potential through adoption and foster care services; counseling for children, adults, and families; and family life education programs offered in partnership with church, school, and community groups. “We’ve been steadily climbing toward the $100,000 mark,” said event planner Don Fitzkee. “We think this is the year, and we’re asking people to give a little extra to help us reach a significant milestone.” The Bike and Hike is COBYS’ signature event, and includes a 3-mile walk through Lititz, 10- and 25-mile bicycle rides on rural roads around Lititz, and the 65-mile Dutch Country Motorcycle Ride. Each participant receives a free t-shirt (while supplies last), ice cream and refreshments, and an opportunity to win one of dozens of door prizes donated by area businesses. Those who raise certain levels of support can earn additional prizes. Junior and senior high youth groups who raise $1,500 or more win a free gym and pizza night. Grand prizes donated by area businesses will be awarded to the top three fundraisers. WJTL FM 90.3 will broadcast live from the event. Information about fees, a brochure, routes, and more is at www.cobys.org/news.htm . Contact Don Fitzkee, director of Development for COBYS Family Services, at 717-656-6580 or don@cobys.org .

• Shepherd's Spring, a Church of the Brethren camp and retreat center in Sharpsburg, Md., holds a “Celebrate Summer” event on Aug. 17 with activities for all ages. Events start at 10 a.m. and include tours and demonstrations at the Heifer Global Village and animal visits, “Lunch Under the Big Top,” an open swim time, live music, family games, a scavenger hunt, story tellers, tomato tasting, closing with worship at the pool at 3:30 p.m. Events are free, but donations are welcome. The camp requests notice from those who plan to attend, call 301-223-8193.

• Bridgewater (Va.) Retirement Community will hold a "Laying the Foundation" ceremony on Aug. 27 at 2:30 p.m., announces the Shenandoah District newsletter. The event will recognize the legacy of founders of the Bridgewater Home and celebrate the vision for new construction and renovations at the Huffman Health Center. The event is open to the public.

• Pinecrest Community, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in Mt. Morris, Ill., has announced that with the help of several regional foundations and donations, it will be replacing every bed in its Manor nursing home and Terrace Alzheimer’s care center. The announcement made in the Illinois and Wisconsin District newsletter noted that to date, old beds (from the 1960s) already have been replaced in several wings. In 2012-13, Pinecrest received a total of $20,000 from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and two other $1,000 grants dedicated to purchasing new beds. “Many other donations were given by people affiliated with Pinecrest who wanted to help when the need became apparent,” said the newsletter. “Sufficient funding was finally realized in 2013 to replace each old bed with a state of the art Elite Riser.” The program is called “Pinecrest Pathways,” an overall health-related visionary program to direct services to residents dedicated to improving health and well-being. Future Pathways projects under consideration include an Arts and Music program and a Trails program. For more information contact Diana Roemer, director of Advancement and Marketing, at 815-734-4103.

• The Springs of Living Water initiative for church renewal has announced next classes for pastors. “After an exciting class for pastors this spring, two classes will be offered this fall in the Springs academy, done over the phone,” said the announcement. Five conference calls are spread over a 12-week period September through December. The introductory class, Foundations for Church Renewal, begins Sept. 11. A Level Two class, Servant Leadership for Church Renewal, begins Sept. 14. Three weeks between classes allows for reading and “shepherding” calls to each participant. The release explained: “In the introductory class, participants learn the spiritually centered, servant-led approach to church renewal which provides a path for renewal for congregations. Pastors learn how to nurture spiritual vitality for their church using spiritual disciplines folders for the entire congregation. They learn five key roles of a renewal pastor. Rather than find out what is wrong and fix it, they help their church discern their strengths and build on them.... Level Two goes deeper into application of a vision of leadership and spiritual formation of individuals and congregations.” Primary texts for Level 1 are “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster and “Springs of Living Water, Christ-Centered Church Renewal” by David Young. For Level Two, the class will use “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and “Servant Leadership for Church Renewal, Shepherds by the Living Springs” by David Young. Continuing education units are available. More information including course descriptions, learning objectives, and testimonials from past participants are at www.churchrenewalservant.org . Contact David and Joan Young at davidyoung@churchrenewalservant.org or 717-615-4515.

• McPherson (Kan.) College president Michael Schneider has been selected for the prestigious Higher Education Doctorate Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, according to a release. Starting in August, Schneider will enter the 22-month program that leads to a Doctorate in Higher Education Management. Founded in 2001, the program takes an innovative approach by matching those enrolled in the program with cohorts in similar positions but with diverse backgrounds. The program involves independent study and two days per month on the Pennsylvania campus, which will allow Schneider to earn the doctorate without sacrificing his work for McPherson.  “The board fully supports Michael as he pursues his doctorate,” said Rick Doll, chair of the McPherson Board of Trustees, in the release. “I’m sure we’ll get as much out of it as he does.”

• Bridgewater (Va.) College is one of the best colleges and universities in the Southeast,  according to the Princeton Review. “The New York City-based education services company selected Bridgewater as one of 138 institutions it recommends in its “Best in the Southeast” section on its website feature, ‘2014 Best Colleges: Region by Region,’” reported a press release from the college. “In the profile on Bridgewater at PrincetonReview.com, the college is described as one concerned with ‘personally developing students in every aspect of life and making each individual physically, academically, socially, and mentally fit for the real world.’” Robert Franek, vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review, commended Bridgewater and all the schools named as ‘regional best’ colleges. “We chose Bridgewater mainly for its excellent academic programs, but we also took into account what students reported to us about their campus experiences on our 80-question student survey.” Students were surveyed on a range of issues from accessibility of professors to quality of campus food.

• In more news from Bridgewater, the college has announced its line up of arts and events for the community this fall. Events are free and open to the public. Presentations will be at 7:30 p.m. in Cole Hall unless otherwise noted.
  
  Among speakers coming to campus:

• Tony Mendez, former CIA officer and subject of “Argo,” winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture for 2012, will speak on Sept. 10.

• Collins Tuohy, a member of the family on which the movie “The Blind Side” is based, will speak on Oct. 17.

• Nontombi Naomi Tutu, peace activist and daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will speak on Oct. 21.

• Shane Claiborne will speak on Nov. 5, in the Carter Center for Worship and Music, as part of Fall Spiritual Focus. Claiborne was one of the speakers at the Church of the Brethren’s National Youth Conference in 2010 and is a leader of the Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia.

• John H. “Jack” Gordon, President John F. Kennedy assassination scholar, will speak on Nov. 18. November 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination.

For a listing of all events, go to www.bridgewater.edu/convolist.

• Manchester University is giving away 1,000 children’s books in downtown North Manchester, Ind., on Aug. 9 at Fun Fest by the River. The books are provided through a partnership with Better World Books. “From ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ to ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘The Hungry Caterpillar,’ the mountain of books is a library of favorites and adventures in reading,” according to a release. Said Carole Miller-Patrick, director of the university’s Center for Service Opportunities: “Our goal is very simple: to increase literacy. To develop readers at a young age.” Manchester’s partnership with Better World Books includes the providing of 100 books each month to distribute in the community. Beneficiaries will include the scores of elementary students that Manchester students tutor in area schools as well as books donated to local doctors’ offices for children to take home. Part of the project is the collection of used books in bins on campus, which Better World Books collects and ships to communities around the world, and also sells at extremely reduced prices in a Mishawaka, Ind., outlet store. Read the full release at www.manchester.edu/News/1000books.htm .

• Grace Zhao has been Artist in Residence at the University of La Verne, Calif. A pianist who has played in concert at the national Center for the Arts in Beijing, China, the Nixon Library in southern California, the recital hall of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, she has been a top prize winner at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition and the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists among others, according to a feature article in the university’s “Voice” magazine. At ULV she has been director of Piano Studies, and also was recently appointed visiting professor at Sichuan Music Conservatory in China.

• Womaen’s Caucus has announced two new steering committee members: Sara Davis of La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren who is serving as treasurer, and Jonathan Bay, also of the La Verne Church and currently a master’s degree student at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, who will be reworking the group’s online presence. Find the website at www.womaenscaucus.org .

• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has started a petition to ask US Secretary of State John Kerry “to heed Israeli jurists' and writers' petitions against forced evacuation of people in Firing Zone 918 [so that] the 1,000 Palestinians, including 452 children may remain on land in the South Hebron Hills where their families have lived for many generations.” A release explained that “the Israeli military wants to force the villagers off their land so they can use the land for live fire training, which is in absolute contravention of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49, and the Hague Regulations, Articles 46 and 52.” CPT has had a relationship with villagers in this area since the late 1990s, including a seven-year period when it had a team in the village of At-Tuwani. It is asking support for petitions sponsored by prominent Israeli writers and legal advocates, available on CPT’s Palestine team website. Find out more at http://org.salsalabs.com/o/641/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13918 . Read the full release at www.cpt.org/cptnet/2013/08/03/south-hebron-hills-urgent-action-ask-us-secretary-state-kerry-heed-israeli-jurists .

• Also from Christian Peacemaker Teams this week, CPT has published an update from its Depleted Uranium (DU) delegation to Jonesborough, Tenn. Titled “Activism, War, and the Military-Industrial Complex” it is published with the author’s name withheld because “two of CPT's DU delegation partners had their tires slashed or punctured while the delegation was in the Jonesborough area,” said the release. The reflection explains the rationale for the work in Jonesborough, and some of the experiences and conversations the delegation has had interacting with people affected by DU pollution. Read the report at www.cpt.org/cptnet/2013/07/30/jonesboroughtn-reflection-activism-war-and-military-industrial-complex .

• The August edition of "Brethren Voices," the community television program produced by Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren, features Jerry O'Donnell, press secretary for Rep. Grace Napolitano of California’s 38th Congressional District of the House of Representatives. O’Donnell has been involved in the Church of the Brethren throughout his life, growing up in the Church of the Brethren near Philadelphia, earning a degree from Juniata College, serving in Brethren Volunteer Service, and being involved in Church of the Brethren workcamps. In April, he was one of the leaders in Washington, D.C., who met with 55 youth of the Church of the Brethren at the Christian Citizenship Seminar where he shared his thoughts and recommendations for communicating with congressional representatives. In this edition of “Brethren Voices,” O’Donnell discusses some of the pending Congressional legislation and shares his feelings about the economy, which he states is “built” around the military. He also gives his recommendations on the sites to see in DC, including his office at 1610 Longworth HOB. To order a copy of Brethren Voices contact producer Ed Groff at groffprod1@msn.com .

• Two separate ecumenical councils of churches have now been established in Sudan and South Sudan, according to a release from the World Council of Churches. The decision comes after South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011, following a referendum mandated by the 2005 peace pact that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war. The decision to establish two separate ecumenical organizations was made at the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) 20th General Assembly on July 3-7. The SCC previously represented member churches of the World Council of Churches both in Sudan and South Sudan and existed as one ecumenical organization for 48 years. Now two new bodies take its place: the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), based in Juba, and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), based in Khartoum. Festus Abdel Aziz James is general secretary of the SSCC. Kori Romla Koru is general secretary of the SCC. The two ecumenical councils plan to celebrate their 50-year Golden Jubilee together in January 2015.

Source: 8/8/2013 Newsline

Credits

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Ed Groff, Mary Kay Heatwole, Jeri S. Kornegay, Frank Ramirez, Roy Winter, Loretta Wolf, David Young, Jane Yount, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.