Hurricane affects Disaster Response project in Florida.
"Hurricane Dennis forced us to batten down the hatches and close down the project the week of July 10," reported Jane Yount, coordinator of the General Board's Disaster Response program. The program has a rebuilding project ongoing in Florida following the series of hurricanes that hit the state in 2004. "Thankfully, Dennis didn't wreak as much havoc as Ivan, but more people are now in need of assistance," Yount said. The current Disaster Response project is located in Pensacola and in Escambia County, which Yount said is the poorest county in Florida and the 17th poorest in the nation.
"The hurricane season is coming up on its eighth named storm," Yount added. "This kind of hurricane activity so early in the season is unprecedented and serves as a reminder that the world is an unpredictable place. But we can take heart, for we have victory over the world in Christ!" For updated hurricane predictions for the year, the Disaster Response staff recommend www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=2744.
Yount highlighted volunteer needs in Florida, where volunteers are scheduled only through Oct. 1. "The entire month of October is open for anyone who feels called to go for a week or two," she said. She called on district disaster coordinators to recruit volunteer groups for two-week commitments if possible. Work at the Florida project consists mainly of repairs to water-damaged sections of homes, including drywall, floors, insulation, and siding. "As is often the case in many low-income coastal areas where older homes have been battered by previous storms, some of the repairs may have been needed prior to the latest storm," Yount said. "Some pre-existing damage may need to be repaired in order to make the current storm repairs more durable and meet local building codes."
A Disaster Response rebuilding project in Hallam, Neb., following tornado damage, closed on July 29. Brethren Volunteer Service workers Larry and Sandee Kitzel have stayed on longer to shut down the project. Larry Kitzel "reports that we ended in good standing with all the homeowners we have assisted, and all are very appreciative of our work," Yount said.
A new project in Belmont County, Ohio, repairing and rebuilding homes following flooding, continues this summer. "Southeastern Ohio was hit with three severe floods," Yount said, "first by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan in Sept. 2004, a second time in December, and the third in January, caused by rain and rapid snow melt. In Belmont County, dozens of homes along the Ohio River and its tributaries were destroyed and over 150 more were heavily damaged." The Brethren project began in June. Work to be done includes demolition; interior repairs such as drywall, insulation, and floors; vinyl siding, decks, and steps; and rebuilding from the ground up.
For more information about volunteer opportunities in Florida and Ohio, please contact a district disaster coordinator or call the Disaster Response office at 800-451-4407.
Yount also repeated a request for a volunteer tool coordinator team to come to the program's New Windsor, Md., office to work at standardizing the tools in tool trailers and to test and replace tools as necessary. Contact Roy Winter at rwinter_gb@brethren.org for more information.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Brethren bits: Job openings, stewardship resources, and more.
top
- Brethren Benefit Trust seeks a director for the Pension Plan and Employee Financial Services, an administrative position with management responsibility for the Church of the Brethren Pension Plan, Supplemental Income Fund for Equitable Annuitants, Church Workers Assistance Plan (CWAP), and programs of financial education and planning. The person in this position will provide leadership and oversight of the denominational pension plan with 4,000 members and $260 million in assets, management of the three benevolent ministries of CWAP, and design and lead programs of financial and retirement planning. This administrator will supervise 1-2 employees for operations and member services. Minimum qualifications are a bachelor's degree and three years of experience in one or more of the following areas: employee benefits administration, human resources management, employee assistance programs, business and risk management, financial planning and investment counseling. Qualifications preferred but not initially required include Certified Employee Benefits Specialist, Certified Financial Planner, Series 7 securities license, and experience with trust and recordkeeping systems. Preferred qualifications can be attained on the job. Compensation and benefits are comparable to similar positions of other church agencies of similar size. The position is available Jan. 1, 2006, with an earlier commencement date negotiable. Letters of interest with resumes should be sent to Susan Brandenbusch, 1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; e-mail sbrandenbusch_bbt@brethren.org. For telephone inquiries call 800-746-1505.
- The National Council of Churches (NCC) seeks an assistant director for the Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign (ICEC), a collaborative effort with the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL). The ICEC proclaims and enacts God's biblical mandate of stewardship by working in the faith community to curb global climate change, with special attention to the needs of the poor. This is a grant-funded staff position. Qualifications include 4-5 years of experience as a campaign organizer, recruiting skills, capacity to inspire trust and excellence, capacity to convey religious messages on policy issues to a broad range of audiences and to train others to do likewise, ability to work with people of different faiths, experience assuring accomplishment of objectives, computer and communication skills, ability to take initiative and facilitate multiple projects while working in a team, and experience preparing funding reports and proposals and overseeing budgets. Distant organizing or e-advocacy skills, experience training staff and volunteers, knowledge of html, and staff management experience are a plus. Knowledge of climate and energy issues preferred. The assistant director is responsible to work with the Development Department and the Eco-Justice Program director to assure that the position and programs are funded. If funds are not available the position is terminated. Location in Washington, D.C. Starting salary $59,052. Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample to: Attn: Joan Gardner, ICEC Search, National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Dr., 8th Floor, New York, NY 10115. No calls please. The NCC is an equal opportunity employer. For more information go to www.ncccusa.org and www.protectingcreation.org.
- Congregations are informed that the order form for the stewardship resources available from the General Board this year was not included in the stewardship packet sent to the Church of the Brethren congregations. The resources include bulletin covers, commitment cards, book marks, posters, letterhead and business envelopes, as well as a list of recommended books and curriculum. For your convenience there are three ways to order the resources: by fax at 800-667-8188, by phone at 800-441-3712, or on-line at http://www.brethren.org/genbd/funding/resources/bp.htm, where item numbers, descriptions, and prices are given. Brethren Press apologizes for this error and is working diligently to assure that the order form is included in every packet going forward, reported customer service representative Shanita Hamlin. "We value your business and patience," she added. Call Brethren Press customer service at 800-441-3712.
- Paw Paw, Mich., was the setting of a 27-hour Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshop on July 22-23. Participants learned how to recognize and understand fears and other emotions young children experience during and following a traumatic event. "The training was a huge success with 13 persons attending, representing the states of Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Missouri," reported Helen Stonesifer of the General Board's Disaster Child Care staff. Leadership was provided by Donald Weaver from Tonawanda, N.Y., and Sheryl Faus from Manheim, Pa. Sharon Flaten, a Ministry Summer Service volunteer, also participated in the training. She is currently serving with the General Board's Emergency Response program.
- Twenty-six volunteers from Monte Vista Church of the Brethren in Callaway, Va., helped host a rest stop for the Bike Virginia Tour on June 25, at a picnic area named Monte Vista Acres. The volunteers welcomed riders, served lunch, and distributed drinks, reported the Virlina District e-newsletter. Shirley Jamison, moderator-elect for the district, shared information about the area and how Monte Vista Acres evolved. An estimated 1,300 people ate lunch and nearly 2,000 people participated in the event in all, the newsletter said.
- Northern Plains District will hold its district conference on Aug. 5-7 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Tim Peter will serve as moderator. Michigan District holds its conference on Aug. 11-14 at the Winding Creek Wesleyan Conference Center in Hastings, Mich. Gary Copenhaver will serve as moderator as the district addresses the theme, "Be Yourself, Be Bold, Be Together."
- Twenty-three Brethren from nine districts were part of a Learning Tour to Honduras sponsored by the New Community Project (NCP). The delegation returned on July 20 from the 10-day experience. The group worked with a Chorti Mayan community near the Copan Ruins to build walls for the village's new two-room school, reported NCP director David Radcliff. The group also learned of challenges facing the community including lack of sanitary facilities, respiratory disease from breathing smoke from indoor cooking fires, absence of educational opportunities beyond sixth grade, and widespread poverty. The group ranged in age from 14 to 62, with leadership provided by Radcliff and construction foreman Jim Dodd. The delegation was hosted by the Christian Commission for Development, a Honduran organization with a history of serving the poor. NCP is a Brethren-related nonprofit organization. For more information see www.newcommunityproject.org or call 888-800-2985.
- A Greater Gift/SERRV International is calling for prayer for those affected by the monsoon rains and flooding in India, including craftspeople who provide goods sold by the nonprofit alternative trade and development organization that was begun by the Church of the Brethren. President Bob Chase was on his way to address the Indian National Fair Trade Conference in Bombay and to visit a partner organization in India when the monsoon rains hit. His plane was unable to land and the conference was canceled. "The flooding in Bombay was terrible, costing more than several hundred lives...and as always seems to be the case, having its worst impact on the poor in the low-lying slum areas," he reported in an e-mail to supporters of the work. "I thought you would want to know that this flood has had a terrible impact on Pushpika's organization and the people she works with," he added. Pushpika Freitas recently joined the SERRV board. She lives in Evanston, Ill., and manages a program called MarketPlace: Handwork of India. "Please keep the people of Bombay in your thoughts and prayers," Chase asked. For information about A Greater Gift/SERRV International see www.agreatergift.org.
- The New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) has expressed "profound shock and deep sorrow" at the death of Sudan's first vice president John Garang de Mabior. Garang led the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and was a leader in the making of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the southern rebels and the government of Sudan. The Church of the Brethren is a partner with the NSCC in its work in southern Sudan. Garang died in a helicopter crash on July 30, during a trip from Uganda. Several fellow Sudanese and Ugandans also lost their lives in the weather-related accident that came only three weeks after Garang's appointment to the vice president position. His death sparked rioting in Sudan's capital Khartoum. The NSCC called on the Sudanese people, the SPLM, and the Sudan government to remain committed to the peace agreement, "ensuring that the present dark clouds do not eclipse our aspirations." Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, also gave condolences in a letter to the churches of Sudan. He expressed "concern that the peace process in the country will continue.... We shall stand by the NSCC, the Sudan Council of Churches, and the Sudanese churches in their pastoral and ethical role in the implementation of the peace process and in their ministry of reconciliation and healing of their land."
top
Brethren to gather in Virginia for Caring Ministries Assembly.
Brethren from across the country will come together at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren Aug. 11-13 for the fifth Caring Ministries Assembly, to explore the theme "Peace Beyond Our Fears." The conference sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) will offer worship and training opportunities for deacons, pastors, chaplains, and congregational caregivers.
Brethren keynote speakers will be Louise Baldwin Rieman, co-pastor of Northview Church of the Brethren in Indianapolis, and Andrew Murray, founder and director of Juniata College's Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Other featured speakers will be Robert Wicks, professor of pastoral care at Loyola College in Maryland, who specializes in secondary stresses that caregivers experience, and Carolyn Yoder, a nationally certified licensed counselor and director of the STAR Center at Eastern Mennonite University. Daily Bible study will be provided by Stephen Reid, academic dean and professor of Old Testament at Bethany Theological Seminary.
More than 20 workshops will cover a range of caring ministry topics with leadership by several denominational agencies. A special track of workshops has been developed for deacons and explores issues of spirituality, peace, health communication, aging, mental health, and grief. Chaplains can participate in their own track of workshops and luncheons. Other elements of the conference will include intentional times of silence for prayer, reflection, and times of rest. Pastors will be eligible to receive some continuing education credits and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is offering a seminar for TRIM students.
Registration continues to be open and will be available on site. Registration is $125 for the full conference, or $65 per day. For more information visit www.brethren-caregiver.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Brethren from across the country will come together at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren Aug. 11-13 for the fifth Caring Ministries Assembly, to explore the theme "Peace Beyond Our Fears." The conference sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) will offer worship and training opportunities for deacons, pastors, chaplains, and congregational caregivers.
Brethren keynote speakers will be Louise Baldwin Rieman, co-pastor of Northview Church of the Brethren in Indianapolis, and Andrew Murray, founder and director of Juniata College's Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Other featured speakers will be Robert Wicks, professor of pastoral care at Loyola College in Maryland, who specializes in secondary stresses that caregivers experience, and Carolyn Yoder, a nationally certified licensed counselor and director of the STAR Center at Eastern Mennonite University. Daily Bible study will be provided by Stephen Reid, academic dean and professor of Old Testament at Bethany Theological Seminary.
More than 20 workshops will cover a range of caring ministry topics with leadership by several denominational agencies. A special track of workshops has been developed for deacons and explores issues of spirituality, peace, health communication, aging, mental health, and grief. Chaplains can participate in their own track of workshops and luncheons. Other elements of the conference will include intentional times of silence for prayer, reflection, and times of rest. Pastors will be eligible to receive some continuing education credits and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is offering a seminar for TRIM students.
Registration continues to be open and will be available on site. Registration is $125 for the full conference, or $65 per day. For more information visit www.brethren-caregiver.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Youth conference will offer opportunity to 'Come and See.'
"Things are starting to take shape in the National Youth Conference office!" reports Emily Tyler, one of the three coordinators of the 2006 National Youth Conference (NYC) along with Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes. Promotional materials including a brochure are ready, speakers are being confirmed, and the website--www.nyc2006.org--is being updated regularly, she said.
The dates for NYC are July 22-27, 2006 in Fort Collins, Colo., on the campus of Colorado State University. "This is where the past four NYCs have been held and the NYC staff is very excited to be working with this facility for another conference," Tyler said. All youth who have completed ninth grade through one year of college at the time of the 2006 NYC are eligible to attend. All youth must be accompanied by an adult advisor.
The theme for the conference is "Come and See" based on John 1:35-39. "In this passage, when the disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, instead of just telling them, he invited them to 'come and see,'" the brochure for the event says. "This is in keeping with Church of the Brethren heritage; letting actions speak louder than words. By inviting the disciples to come and see, Jesus was calling them to a disciple's life. NYC is the youth of the denomination's invitation to come and see who God is calling them to become as individuals, as disciples of Christ, as the Church of the Brethren, and as people of God living in a broken world."
Registrations for NYC will be accepted from Jan. 1-April 3, 2006. Cost per youth is $400, including all programs, lodging, and food while at NYC. A deposit of $200 must be paid when registering, with the balance due by April 3, 2006. All youth advisors and youth workers, and all others attending NYC also must register before April 3, 2006. Those registering before Feb. 15, 2006, will receive a free t-shirt for registering early.
Other important information that the coordinators are highlighting:
Two contests in preparation for NYC: a Youth Speech Contest and a Theme Song Contest. For the Speech Contest, youth are invited to write a 550-700 word (about 10 minutes spoken) speech focusing on the NYC theme. The two top entrants will give their speeches during a worship service at NYC. Entries should include both written and audio copies of the speech and should be sent to the NYC Office by Jan. 1, 2006. The second contest for the theme song is for anyone interested in writing music and lyrics. The song should be based on the NYC theme. The entry that is chosen will serve as the theme song for NYC 2006. Submissions of songs are due to the NYC Office by Nov. 1 in the form of both an audio recording and a printed copy of the words. Send submissions to NYC Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
The youth worker application form is ready and waiting to be sent to those interested in volunteering at the conference. "Youth workers are an essential part of the NYC staff, helping to carry out the programs and plans of the National Youth Cabinet as well as making sure that no details are missed," Tyler said. If you are interested in volunteering for the week of NYC as a youth worker or know of someone who would be interested, contact the NYC Office at nyc_gb@brethren.org, or call 800-323-8039.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
"Things are starting to take shape in the National Youth Conference office!" reports Emily Tyler, one of the three coordinators of the 2006 National Youth Conference (NYC) along with Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes. Promotional materials including a brochure are ready, speakers are being confirmed, and the website--www.nyc2006.org--is being updated regularly, she said.
The dates for NYC are July 22-27, 2006 in Fort Collins, Colo., on the campus of Colorado State University. "This is where the past four NYCs have been held and the NYC staff is very excited to be working with this facility for another conference," Tyler said. All youth who have completed ninth grade through one year of college at the time of the 2006 NYC are eligible to attend. All youth must be accompanied by an adult advisor.
The theme for the conference is "Come and See" based on John 1:35-39. "In this passage, when the disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, instead of just telling them, he invited them to 'come and see,'" the brochure for the event says. "This is in keeping with Church of the Brethren heritage; letting actions speak louder than words. By inviting the disciples to come and see, Jesus was calling them to a disciple's life. NYC is the youth of the denomination's invitation to come and see who God is calling them to become as individuals, as disciples of Christ, as the Church of the Brethren, and as people of God living in a broken world."
Registrations for NYC will be accepted from Jan. 1-April 3, 2006. Cost per youth is $400, including all programs, lodging, and food while at NYC. A deposit of $200 must be paid when registering, with the balance due by April 3, 2006. All youth advisors and youth workers, and all others attending NYC also must register before April 3, 2006. Those registering before Feb. 15, 2006, will receive a free t-shirt for registering early.
Other important information that the coordinators are highlighting:
Two contests in preparation for NYC: a Youth Speech Contest and a Theme Song Contest. For the Speech Contest, youth are invited to write a 550-700 word (about 10 minutes spoken) speech focusing on the NYC theme. The two top entrants will give their speeches during a worship service at NYC. Entries should include both written and audio copies of the speech and should be sent to the NYC Office by Jan. 1, 2006. The second contest for the theme song is for anyone interested in writing music and lyrics. The song should be based on the NYC theme. The entry that is chosen will serve as the theme song for NYC 2006. Submissions of songs are due to the NYC Office by Nov. 1 in the form of both an audio recording and a printed copy of the words. Send submissions to NYC Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
The youth worker application form is ready and waiting to be sent to those interested in volunteering at the conference. "Youth workers are an essential part of the NYC staff, helping to carry out the programs and plans of the National Youth Cabinet as well as making sure that no details are missed," Tyler said. If you are interested in volunteering for the week of NYC as a youth worker or know of someone who would be interested, contact the NYC Office at nyc_gb@brethren.org, or call 800-323-8039.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Bethany Seminary hosts a weekend for 'Open Hearts/Open Minds.'
Bethany Theological Seminary will host a weekend event for adults of all ages to focus on biblical and spiritual ways of decision making. "Open Hearts/Open Minds" will take place Oct. 21-23 at Bethany's Richmond (Ind.) campus. The registration fee is $25, which includes housing, meals, and resources.
"Open Hearts/Open Minds is more than an educational experience," said Amy Gall Ritchie, director of Student Development. "It is an encounter to open the heart and mind to the leading of God in your life." The event will include formal times of learning ways to discern one's calling or life decisions and how to put these methods to use, time for personal reflection, and interaction with other participants. Seminary faculty and students will provide leadership. For more information or to register contact Ritchie at 800-287-8822 ext. 1806 or e-mail ritcham@bethanyseminary.edu. The registration deadline is Oct. 8.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Bethany Theological Seminary will host a weekend event for adults of all ages to focus on biblical and spiritual ways of decision making. "Open Hearts/Open Minds" will take place Oct. 21-23 at Bethany's Richmond (Ind.) campus. The registration fee is $25, which includes housing, meals, and resources.
"Open Hearts/Open Minds is more than an educational experience," said Amy Gall Ritchie, director of Student Development. "It is an encounter to open the heart and mind to the leading of God in your life." The event will include formal times of learning ways to discern one's calling or life decisions and how to put these methods to use, time for personal reflection, and interaction with other participants. Seminary faculty and students will provide leadership. For more information or to register contact Ritchie at 800-287-8822 ext. 1806 or e-mail ritcham@bethanyseminary.edu. The registration deadline is Oct. 8.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Retreat focuses on Brethren in mission in the 21st century.
A retreat on "Another Way of Sending: Brethren in Mission in the 21st Century" will be held Nov. 2-3 at the Rising Phoenix Retreat Center in Flintstone, Md., sponsored by the General Board's Congregational Life Team for Area One. Wally Landes, pastor of Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, will be the leader, working from his material published in the new Church of the Brethren resource, "Growing Faithful Disciples."
The retreat will focus on the questions, How do we understand the concept of mission? In what ways is your congregation in mission? In America's pluralistic setting, how do we engage in mission? And how is Brethren mission similar to that of other denominations, and how is it different? "The conference will move toward claiming a missiology which is true to our Brethren heritage and which reflects our denominational identity," said the brochure for the event. "Another Way of Sending," a review and study guide for Darrell L. Guder's "Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America," is required reading for attendees.
Cost for one night and four meals is $147.00, cost for two nights and five meals is $185. One full continuing education unit is available at an extra cost of $10. Registration deadline is Oct. 19. For more information or registration forms contact Jan Glass King at 888 411-4275 or jking_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
A retreat on "Another Way of Sending: Brethren in Mission in the 21st Century" will be held Nov. 2-3 at the Rising Phoenix Retreat Center in Flintstone, Md., sponsored by the General Board's Congregational Life Team for Area One. Wally Landes, pastor of Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, will be the leader, working from his material published in the new Church of the Brethren resource, "Growing Faithful Disciples."
The retreat will focus on the questions, How do we understand the concept of mission? In what ways is your congregation in mission? In America's pluralistic setting, how do we engage in mission? And how is Brethren mission similar to that of other denominations, and how is it different? "The conference will move toward claiming a missiology which is true to our Brethren heritage and which reflects our denominational identity," said the brochure for the event. "Another Way of Sending," a review and study guide for Darrell L. Guder's "Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America," is required reading for attendees.
Cost for one night and four meals is $147.00, cost for two nights and five meals is $185. One full continuing education unit is available at an extra cost of $10. Registration deadline is Oct. 19. For more information or registration forms contact Jan Glass King at 888 411-4275 or jking_gb@brethren.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
ABC encourages churches to promote Covering Kids and Families.
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) encourages congregations to disseminate information about the "Covering Kids and Families" initiative, a national effort to help families receive low-cost or free health care coverage for children. The campaign is held during August and September as a back-to-school effort with the goals of enrolling eligible, uninsured children in Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) and informing parents about these available health care programs. Such programs cover doctor visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions, and more.
Covering Kids and Families is a national program funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. The organization reports that more than 8.4 million children are uninsured in the US. At the same time, seven out of every ten uninsured children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage through Medicaid or SCHIP, but are not enrolled, according to an Aug. 2 release from the program. "Many people still do not know about the availability of these programs, and parents in working families might assume their children would not qualify. That is why we are all committed to publicizing 1(877) KIDS-NOW to let parents know that help is available," said Sarah Shuptrine, national program director of Covering Kids and Families.
This is the second year that ABC has become a national partner of Covering Kids and Families, and has encouraged congregations to talk about the program in their church and communities. Materials are available at www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) encourages congregations to disseminate information about the "Covering Kids and Families" initiative, a national effort to help families receive low-cost or free health care coverage for children. The campaign is held during August and September as a back-to-school effort with the goals of enrolling eligible, uninsured children in Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) and informing parents about these available health care programs. Such programs cover doctor visits, hospitalizations, prescriptions, and more.
Covering Kids and Families is a national program funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. The organization reports that more than 8.4 million children are uninsured in the US. At the same time, seven out of every ten uninsured children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage through Medicaid or SCHIP, but are not enrolled, according to an Aug. 2 release from the program. "Many people still do not know about the availability of these programs, and parents in working families might assume their children would not qualify. That is why we are all committed to publicizing 1(877) KIDS-NOW to let parents know that help is available," said Sarah Shuptrine, national program director of Covering Kids and Families.
This is the second year that ABC has become a national partner of Covering Kids and Families, and has encouraged congregations to talk about the program in their church and communities. Materials are available at www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org.
Source: 8/3/2005 Newsline
top
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. John Ballinger, Mary Dulabaum, Julie Hostetter, David Radcliff, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, Emily Tyler, Carol Yeazell, 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, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. John Ballinger, Mary Dulabaum, Julie Hostetter, David Radcliff, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, Emily Tyler, Carol Yeazell, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
NEWS
- Welcome Home project helps returning military personnel in the church.
- Brethren funds team up to respond to Sudanese refugees, West Timor drought.
- Brethren bits: Correction, personnel, job opening, and more.
- 'Wellness in Times of Crises' is available from Association of Brethren Caregivers.
- Lighten Up, Brethren! is introduced at Annual Conference.
Welcome Home project helps returning military personnel in the church.
Congregations are invited to take part in the Welcome Home Project: A Living Peace Church Response for Returning Military Personnel and Others. The project is a joint effort between the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) and On Earth Peace.
The project's mission is to help congregations become places of healing and reconciliation for military personnel and others as they deal with the physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual wounds from war zones, and to strengthen the circles of care surrounding them. The project's mission statement provides a context for the work: "Congregations around the country are experiencing the return of soldiers who have been in active military conflict. While some return with physical injuries, there are others who are affected emotionally or spiritually. Many individuals and congregations desire to address with wisdom and compassion the needs of returning military personnel and the communities to which they return."
Committee members for the Welcome Home Project see the group's purpose as ideal for a living peace church that seeks to accompany those who have experienced the violence and trauma of war. Organizers state, "We believe that the peace church's message of love, justice, service, and humility includes responding to soldiers, who may be hurting, afraid, silent, and marginalized."
Although US casualties from the war in Iraq are less than the number of casualties from previous wars, the war in Iraq has produced significant numbers of injured and disabled military personnel, said a release about the project from ABC. According to CNN.com's news statistics report, an estimated 12,000 soldiers have been wounded, the release said. In February, the "Christian Science Monitor" reported concern from veterans organizations about the number of returning soldiers showing up in the nation's homeless shelters due to the loss of jobs or difficulties in reintegrating into civilian life. "Although the military branches are providing more services to deal with post-traumatic stress and reintegration for returning military personnel and their families, churches can assist these individuals and families by providing a community of support and care," ABC said. "This role becomes more important for rural congregations as services for returning military personnel may be more limited in rural areas."
At Annual Conference, the Welcome Home Project held an insight session "Helping Soldiers Heal from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" with panelists Doris Abdullah of On Earth Peace; Joel Bonnette, a counselor and veteran; and Peter Leddy, a veteran and retired district minister. More than 75 people attended.
Another workshop will be held at ABC's Caring Ministries Assembly in Bridgewater, Va., on Friday, Aug. 12. "Faith's Imprint During Times of Stress and Violence" will explore how people living in conflict zones experience common situations, whether they are there in the role of Christian peacemaker or armed military. A panel of speakers will describe their experiences and reflect on how their faith impacted the experiences.
The Welcome Home Project organizers hope to create a network of congregations working toward creating safe places for returning military personnel and others. Networking may take the form of conference calls on related topics, regular e-mails, and consultations with committee members.
To join the network, e-mail Mary Dulabaum, ABC staff member, at mdulabaum_abc@brethren.org, or Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace staff member, at mattguynn@earthlink.net. Resources for congregations wanting to participate in the project are available at www.brethren.org/oepa/WelcomeHomeProject.html. Links to other sites offering resources also are available.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Congregations are invited to take part in the Welcome Home Project: A Living Peace Church Response for Returning Military Personnel and Others. The project is a joint effort between the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) and On Earth Peace.
The project's mission is to help congregations become places of healing and reconciliation for military personnel and others as they deal with the physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual wounds from war zones, and to strengthen the circles of care surrounding them. The project's mission statement provides a context for the work: "Congregations around the country are experiencing the return of soldiers who have been in active military conflict. While some return with physical injuries, there are others who are affected emotionally or spiritually. Many individuals and congregations desire to address with wisdom and compassion the needs of returning military personnel and the communities to which they return."
Committee members for the Welcome Home Project see the group's purpose as ideal for a living peace church that seeks to accompany those who have experienced the violence and trauma of war. Organizers state, "We believe that the peace church's message of love, justice, service, and humility includes responding to soldiers, who may be hurting, afraid, silent, and marginalized."
Although US casualties from the war in Iraq are less than the number of casualties from previous wars, the war in Iraq has produced significant numbers of injured and disabled military personnel, said a release about the project from ABC. According to CNN.com's news statistics report, an estimated 12,000 soldiers have been wounded, the release said. In February, the "Christian Science Monitor" reported concern from veterans organizations about the number of returning soldiers showing up in the nation's homeless shelters due to the loss of jobs or difficulties in reintegrating into civilian life. "Although the military branches are providing more services to deal with post-traumatic stress and reintegration for returning military personnel and their families, churches can assist these individuals and families by providing a community of support and care," ABC said. "This role becomes more important for rural congregations as services for returning military personnel may be more limited in rural areas."
At Annual Conference, the Welcome Home Project held an insight session "Helping Soldiers Heal from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" with panelists Doris Abdullah of On Earth Peace; Joel Bonnette, a counselor and veteran; and Peter Leddy, a veteran and retired district minister. More than 75 people attended.
Another workshop will be held at ABC's Caring Ministries Assembly in Bridgewater, Va., on Friday, Aug. 12. "Faith's Imprint During Times of Stress and Violence" will explore how people living in conflict zones experience common situations, whether they are there in the role of Christian peacemaker or armed military. A panel of speakers will describe their experiences and reflect on how their faith impacted the experiences.
The Welcome Home Project organizers hope to create a network of congregations working toward creating safe places for returning military personnel and others. Networking may take the form of conference calls on related topics, regular e-mails, and consultations with committee members.
To join the network, e-mail Mary Dulabaum, ABC staff member, at mdulabaum_abc@brethren.org, or Matt Guynn, On Earth Peace staff member, at mattguynn@earthlink.net. Resources for congregations wanting to participate in the project are available at www.brethren.org/oepa/WelcomeHomeProject.html. Links to other sites offering resources also are available.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Brethren funds team up to respond to Sudanese refugees, West Timor drought.
Two General Board funds--the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and the Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF)--are both contributing aid to Sudanese refugees returning to their homes after years of displacement due to war, and to West Timor, Indonesia, following a severe drought. The EDF gave $50,000 and the GFCF $20,000 to the needs of the Sudanese refugees. Responding to West Timor, the EDF gave $20,000 and the GFCF $10,000. Two other recent grants from the EDF support relief work in India and China.
The Sudan emergency appeal comes from the Church World Service (CWS) Emergency Response Program and the ACT Alliance. The EDF grant will help provide basic needs for refugees including fresh water, sanitation, household supplies, tools, and seeds. The GFCF grant will help provide seeds and tools, develop vegetable plots for training subsistence farmers, introduce new crops, train farmers and extension workers in appropriate technology, and create income-generating activities to spur employment, the grant request said. "A strong component of the effort is to reduce the dependency of hosts and returnees on food aid, building longterm food security," said Howard Royer, GFCF manager.
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Sudan and the rebels in southern Sudan has created the opportunity for refugees to return home, reported Roy Winter, director of the board's Emergency Response, in the grant request. "Many have been displaced for years because of the civil war that started in 1955. They are currently living in Internally Displaced People camps in northern Sudan and as refugees in surrounding countries," the grant request stated. "While organized resettlement of these people has not occurred, as many as 1,500 Sudanese are spontaneously returning to their home areas each day."
CWS also is the recipient of the Brethren grants for relief work in West Timor. The assistance from the EDF will be implemented through feeding centers and used to help prevent famine among the poor and most vulnerable. The GFCF grant will contribute to sustainable livelihood development programs and community-based health organization training. Royer said that as many as one third of the area's children under five suffer from malnutrition and nearly seven percent from severe malnutrition. "One of the priorities of CWS is to ensure basic levels of nutrition for pregnant women and for children under five," he said.
In other grants, the EDF gave $15,000 for a CWS appeal in the wake of severe flooding in the Gujarat and Madhay Pradesh States of India, where funds will help provide food, drinking water, relief kits, dry rations, and materials for shelters. Gujarat State is home to many of the Brethren in India, and long-time partner the Church of North India is also active there.
EDF also gave $5,000 to a CWS appeal for severe flooding in southern China that has affected 17 million people. Funds will help provide medicine, food, quilts, mosquito netting, and construction materials for homes and irrigation canals.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Two General Board funds--the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and the Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF)--are both contributing aid to Sudanese refugees returning to their homes after years of displacement due to war, and to West Timor, Indonesia, following a severe drought. The EDF gave $50,000 and the GFCF $20,000 to the needs of the Sudanese refugees. Responding to West Timor, the EDF gave $20,000 and the GFCF $10,000. Two other recent grants from the EDF support relief work in India and China.
The Sudan emergency appeal comes from the Church World Service (CWS) Emergency Response Program and the ACT Alliance. The EDF grant will help provide basic needs for refugees including fresh water, sanitation, household supplies, tools, and seeds. The GFCF grant will help provide seeds and tools, develop vegetable plots for training subsistence farmers, introduce new crops, train farmers and extension workers in appropriate technology, and create income-generating activities to spur employment, the grant request said. "A strong component of the effort is to reduce the dependency of hosts and returnees on food aid, building longterm food security," said Howard Royer, GFCF manager.
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Sudan and the rebels in southern Sudan has created the opportunity for refugees to return home, reported Roy Winter, director of the board's Emergency Response, in the grant request. "Many have been displaced for years because of the civil war that started in 1955. They are currently living in Internally Displaced People camps in northern Sudan and as refugees in surrounding countries," the grant request stated. "While organized resettlement of these people has not occurred, as many as 1,500 Sudanese are spontaneously returning to their home areas each day."
CWS also is the recipient of the Brethren grants for relief work in West Timor. The assistance from the EDF will be implemented through feeding centers and used to help prevent famine among the poor and most vulnerable. The GFCF grant will contribute to sustainable livelihood development programs and community-based health organization training. Royer said that as many as one third of the area's children under five suffer from malnutrition and nearly seven percent from severe malnutrition. "One of the priorities of CWS is to ensure basic levels of nutrition for pregnant women and for children under five," he said.
In other grants, the EDF gave $15,000 for a CWS appeal in the wake of severe flooding in the Gujarat and Madhay Pradesh States of India, where funds will help provide food, drinking water, relief kits, dry rations, and materials for shelters. Gujarat State is home to many of the Brethren in India, and long-time partner the Church of North India is also active there.
EDF also gave $5,000 to a CWS appeal for severe flooding in southern China that has affected 17 million people. Funds will help provide medicine, food, quilts, mosquito netting, and construction materials for homes and irrigation canals.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Brethren bits: Correction, personnel, job opening, and more.
top
- Correction: The total of four grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund reported in the Newsline of June 22 is $165,000.
- Nigeria mission workers Matt Haren and Nancy Steedle are concluding their terms of service this summer. In Nigeria they have worked through Brethren Volunteer Service and the Global Mission Partnerships of the General Board. Haren has taught at Hillcrest School in Jos. Steedle has worked with the Women's School of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), located at EYN headquarters near Mubi. Haren plans to continue his teaching career in the United States. Steedle plans to enter graduate studies.
- Amy Adkins began July 18 as part-time program assistant in the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office in Washington, D.C. She has been serving in the office as a legislative assistant through Brethren Volunteer Service. Adkins is from Middlebury, Ind., and is a graduate of Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.
- The General Board seeks a customer service inventory specialist to fill a fulltime position with Brethren Press in Elgin, Ill. The position is available immediately. Brethren Press is a denominational publishing house that provides resource information including Christian education materials, supplies, and brochures to congregations and individuals. Responsibilities include inventory control, ordering, payables, reconciliation; handling telephone, mail, and Internet orders; and processing end-of-the-month activity, statements, reports, and journals. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability in customer service, word processing, intermediate accounting, and general office skills. Experience in a church or service organization and some college credits are preferred, experience in Christian education is a plus. To apply, mail a cover letter, resume, and references to: Church of the Brethren General Board, Office of Human Resources, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. The application deadline is Aug. 8.
- The Annual Conference Study Committee on Doing Church Business is asking for prayer to support its work at an upcoming meeting, Aug. 1-3 in New Paris, Ohio. Members will share results from interviews across the denomination and consider responses to surveys filled out at Annual Conference. The committee also will prepare a first draft of its response to how the Annual Conference delegate body may more adequately discern the mind of Christ. The final draft will be presented to the 2006 Annual Conference. Committee members are Joe Detrick, Matt Guynn, Verdena Lee, Dale Posthumus, and Dave Shetler. Please address comments and questions to doingchurchbusiness@brethren.org.
- The 2005 Ecumenical Citations were given by the Committee on Interchurch Relations at Annual Conference. Colleen Hamilton of Hope Church of the Brethren in Freeport, Mich., and Marisa de Oliveira of Campo Limpo Preaching Point in Campo Limpo, Brazil, received the citations. The two were among four youth and young adults recognized for peacemaking efforts, including Matt Boyer of La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, and Anna Christine Simons of Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in South Bend, Ind. Hamilton received the citation for her efforts for the environment and global concerns including helping to begin a recycling program at her high school, bringing focus to the use and waste of styrofoam in the school cafeteria, working and worshiping ecumenically with another congregation in the area, and participating in a high school arts troupe "HEARTS: Helping Educate Abstinence, Responsible Teens." De Oliveira received the citation for her deep sense of justice and her call to share God's love with others through her work for hunger and women's and children's issues. She volunteers at a soup kitchen, has begun a children's church and after-school tutoring program, and has developed and runs children's and women's programs in a poor and dangerous neighborhood of her city.
- People of faith are organizing around the country from July 8-21 to pray, bear political witness, and speak truth to power to end the violence in Darfur, Sudan, reported the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office. Thursday July 21 is the one-year anniversary of the date the US Congress unanimously declared the violence in Darfur a genocide. The office announced that public vigils across the country are being assembled to call leaders to put meaning to the words "never again." An action alert reported that nearly 400,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced in Darfur, and that the violence continues with little attention from the media and politicians. The office sponsored a prayer vigil for Sudan at the Church of the Brethren Song and Story Fest family camp on July 10. For more information about other vigils for Sudan, see www.sojo.net. Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
- Brethren Volunteer Service is announcing the start of its summer orientation, July 24-Aug. 12 in New Windsor, Md., at the Brethren Service Center. This will be the 265th BVS unit, with 16 volunteers from the US and Germany. Brethren members will make up most of the group. The remaining volunteers come from varied faith backgrounds. The group will have a chance to work at the center, at A Greater Gift/SERRV, and at the clothing warehouse. A weekend immersion experience will take place at an inner city Baltimore homeless shelter, and while there the group also will work at soup kitchens and Habitat for Humanity. Another day of service will be spent meeting the needs of members of the local community. In addition, unit members will join in a BVS potluck that is open to all those who are interested, on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Union Bridge Church of the Brethren. "Please feel free to come and welcome the new BVS volunteers and share your own experiences about Brethren Volunteer Service," an invitation read. "As always your prayer support is welcome and needed. Please pray for the unit and the people they will touch during their year of service."
- A celebration of the early days of Heifer Project International will be held in Carroll County, Md., Aug. 12-14. The commemorative conference called "Passing on the Gift" is sponsored by the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., along with the Heifer International Mid-Atlantic Regional Office and the Historical Society of Carroll County. On Earth Peace is sponsoring a screening of the documentary, "Seeds of Peace," at the Carroll Arts Center in Westminster, Md., on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. The Brethren Service Center will be the site of day-long activities featuring a gathering of Seagoing Cowboys on Aug. 13. Brochures are available from Kathleen Campanella at 410-635-8710 ext. 747 or e-mail kcampanella_gb@brethren.org.
- Brethren in the Roanoke (Va.) area are helping the Lighthouse Church build a new facility on US Rte. 220. The construction work is almost finished, reported Virlina District in an e-mail newsletter, but due to the expiration of the construction loan on July 31, the church needs to finish all of the building interior by that time. "This is a prime opportunity to engage in mission work for all of us, whether skilled or unskilled," the district said. For more information call the church at 540-798-6562.
- Codorus Church of the Brethren in Loganville, Pa., holds its Christian music festival, Dunkard Valley Live, Aug. 6-7. The festival will be at the Codorus church softball field two miles east of Loganville on Rte. 214. Rain dates are Aug. 13-14. The event will feature local groups and solists performing a wide variety of music, as well as speakers. Among the speakers is Walt Wiltschek, editor of the Church of the Brethren "Messenger" magazine. Admission is free, bring blankets or chairs for seating. Food will be available for sale. For more information e-mail DnkVallpromotion@aol.com.
- Missouri and Arkansas District will hold its district conference July 22-24 at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., with Gene Sappington as moderator. Three districts are meeting the next weekend: Northern Ohio District July 29-31 at Ashland (Ohio) University with Terry Baldwin as moderator; Southeastern District July 29-31 at Mars Hill (N.C.) College with Harold Rose as moderator; and Southern Plains District July 29-30 at Big Creek Church of the Brethren in Cushing, Okla., with Dean Stump as moderator.
- Good Shepherd Home in Fostoria, Ohio, hosted a stop for the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure on June 19. As many as 3,000 bicyclers stopped at the home, by invitation, for lunch and a break. For more information call Good Shepherd at 419-435-1801.
- Manchester College, in North Manchester, Ind., is up to the latest fundraising challenge of Lilly Endowment Inc., says president Jo Young Switzer in a release from the college. The endowment is offering $1.50 for every $1 the college receives from its donors, up to $4.5 million. "We have just built a $17 million Science Center and renovated our recital hall--both without debt," said Switzer. "Matching challenges from the Lilly Endowment made both of those campaigns a success." Manchester is among 34 Indiana colleges and universities to receive grant offers in a second phase of the endowment's Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy for Indiana Higher Education. Only 14 schools will share in the $4.5 million challenge. Manchester has 19 months through Dec. 31, 2006, to raise $3 million to receive the $4.5 million. It may use the funds "for any proper college purpose," said the endowment. The college has two other current challenges from college trustees and donors, a $1 million dollar-for-dollar match to renovate the College Union, and a $70,000 dollar-for-dollar match to bolster the Manchester Fund. For more about Manchester College, visit www.manchester.edu.
- The Mutual Aid Association (MAA) reports that more than 400 Church of the Brethren congregations, camps, and districts, plus the denomination as a whole, will benefit from participation in Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company's Partnership Group Program. In 2005, the group was awarded approximately $109,000 as its portion of the dividend-sharing plan, based on a calculation of three-year loss ratios. In 2005, about one-half of the money will be returned to the participating congregation or other ministry, on a percentage basis of the total premium, MAA said. The remainder will be used to support denominational ventures such as the 300th Anniversary Committee and Together: Conversations on Being the Church.
- COBYS Family Services, an agency affiliated with Atlantic Northeast District, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The ministry also has launched a $600,000 Building for the Future Campaign. The agency provides adoption and foster care services; leads family life education programs in cooperation with church, school, and community groups; operates a group home for teen mothers and their children; and offers counseling in three locations in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, Pa. The new funds will purchase and renovate a property for a Permanency Unit serving foster children, expand adoption and foster care ministries, improve a main office in Oregon Mill, retire debt, and expand an endowment fund. For more information see www.cobys.net.
- A 60th Annual Eastern Civilian Public Service (CPS) Reunion will be held Aug. 4 at Chambersburg (Pa.) Mennonite Church. The reunion is open to all who served in CPS during World War II. Programs and registration forms are sent to all who are presently on the mailing list. If you are not on the mailing list and want a program and registration form, contact H. Howard Witmer, 1001 E. Oregon Rd., Lititz, PA 17543; 717-581-3970; hmwitmer46@juno.com.
- Canned chicken donated by the Church of the Brethren is being donated by Church World Service (CWS) to vulnerable rural families in the Dominican Republic, according to the CWS hotline of June 27. The $54,600 worth of chicken will be distributed through a CWS partner, Social Service of the Dominican Churches.
- The World Council of Churches (WCC) has announced the theme for its next assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Feb. 14-23, 2006. The theme, "God in Your Grace, Transform the World," "invites us to return to, and reappropriate, the resources of prayer," the WCC said. The theme will point the meeting of up to 3,000 church leaders and ecumenical representatives from around the globe to several spiritual nuances, the WCC said: "The world matters to God and should matter to us" (Mt. 16:24; John 3:3 and 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17), "Blessed are the change-makers" (Mt. 19:16-22), "Human responsibility under the spotlight" (John 21:15-19), and "Transformation is God's agenda" (Mt. 4:17, 5:48; Luke 10:31-32). This is the first WCC assembly to be held in Latin America. It will be preceded by events for youth and women Feb. 11-13.
- Mennonite Central Committee is supporting an AIDS prevention project of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) with a $3,500 grant. The money will help train 40 women, youth, and pastors in EYN churches to educate their congregations and communities about AIDS, MCC reported in a June press release. (See the feature below for more about EYN's HIV/AIDS program.)
top
'Wellness in Times of Crises' is available from Association of Brethren Caregivers.
During the report by the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) to Annual Conference this year, the agency showed an excerpt from its new video, "God's Spirit Is Among Us: Wellness in Times of Crises." This 17-minute video tells how Brethren have found hope and wellness during life's difficult times and circumstances.
The video on DVD is available for congregations to use individually or with small groups as they seek to discuss wellness. It may be a helpful tool for congregations wishing to learn of ways they can assist individuals find wellness through all phases of their lives, ABC said. Included on the video are excerpts of other videos relating to the caring ministries of the Church of the Brethren. ABC is making the DVD available to congregations at cost, $7.50. To order a copy, contact ABC at 800-323-8039 or abc@brethren.org.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
During the report by the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) to Annual Conference this year, the agency showed an excerpt from its new video, "God's Spirit Is Among Us: Wellness in Times of Crises." This 17-minute video tells how Brethren have found hope and wellness during life's difficult times and circumstances.
The video on DVD is available for congregations to use individually or with small groups as they seek to discuss wellness. It may be a helpful tool for congregations wishing to learn of ways they can assist individuals find wellness through all phases of their lives, ABC said. Included on the video are excerpts of other videos relating to the caring ministries of the Church of the Brethren. ABC is making the DVD available to congregations at cost, $7.50. To order a copy, contact ABC at 800-323-8039 or abc@brethren.org.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Lighten Up, Brethren! is introduced at Annual Conference.
Lighten Up, Brethren! is a new challenge from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) for Church of the Brethren members to adopt healthy living and behaviors. The program promotes wellness in body, mind, and spirit, and offers weekly support and encouragement to those who sign on. Anyone interested in participating can receive a weekly e-mail containing a meditation, scripture passage, or recipe. Lighten Up, Brethren! is a program of the Wellness Ministry of ABC in collaboration with Brethren Benefit Trust and the General Board.
During Annual Conference, ABC introduced the program at its booth and through a short video during its report to delegates. As part of the presentation, Kathy Reid and Stan Noffsinger, executives of ABC and the General Board respectively, accepted the challenge to lose weight by the next Annual Conference. ABC staff and other program participants wore Lighten Up, Brethren! t-shirts.
To join the program, visit www.brethren-caregivers.org and click on the Wellness Ministry. A brochure about the new program also is available, describing the invitation for Brethren to commit to lifestyle changes of increasing physical activity and decreasing consumption as a way to be good stewards of their bodies. Lighten Up, Brethren! t-shirts are available for $10 each. To order brochures or a t-shirt with the program's logo on the back, call ABC at 800-323-8039.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Lighten Up, Brethren! is a new challenge from the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) for Church of the Brethren members to adopt healthy living and behaviors. The program promotes wellness in body, mind, and spirit, and offers weekly support and encouragement to those who sign on. Anyone interested in participating can receive a weekly e-mail containing a meditation, scripture passage, or recipe. Lighten Up, Brethren! is a program of the Wellness Ministry of ABC in collaboration with Brethren Benefit Trust and the General Board.
During Annual Conference, ABC introduced the program at its booth and through a short video during its report to delegates. As part of the presentation, Kathy Reid and Stan Noffsinger, executives of ABC and the General Board respectively, accepted the challenge to lose weight by the next Annual Conference. ABC staff and other program participants wore Lighten Up, Brethren! t-shirts.
To join the program, visit www.brethren-caregivers.org and click on the Wellness Ministry. A brochure about the new program also is available, describing the invitation for Brethren to commit to lifestyle changes of increasing physical activity and decreasing consumption as a way to be good stewards of their bodies. Lighten Up, Brethren! t-shirts are available for $10 each. To order brochures or a t-shirt with the program's logo on the back, call ABC at 800-323-8039.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
AIDS/HIV becomes a focus for Nigerian church, mission workers.
By Bob and Carol Krouse
If we had to name the one area of our work that we find most compelling, we'd have to say it is our work with the HIV/AIDS ministry of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). HIV/AIDS is endemic throughout Africa. Millions of African men, women, and children are infected with the virus, and, with few exceptions, that number continues to grow.
Fortunately, the problem of AIDS isn't as bad in Nigeria as it is in some African nations where 30 percent of the population is infected. Nevertheless, HIV/AIDS is still a huge problem in Nigeria. According to government statistics, 5 to 12 percent of Nigeria's population is infected with HIV/AIDS. That means that between 6 and 15 million Nigerians are infected. Far too many Nigerians are either infected, afflicted, or affected by the disease.
In December 2004, we were asked to work with EYN's HIV/AIDS committee in developing a strategic plan to launch an HIV/AIDS ministry. Ten of us, two Nigerians, two Swiss, and two Americans, met for three exhausting days at EYN headquarters in early December to hammer out a plan that will unfold over the next three years. The plan endeavors to:
--Bob Krouse is the Church of the Brethren mission coordinator in Nigeria, working for the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships. Carol Krouse provides nursing care at a women's clinic, counsels women who have reproductive and other health issues, and is a speaker for HIV/AIDS awareness events.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
By Bob and Carol Krouse
If we had to name the one area of our work that we find most compelling, we'd have to say it is our work with the HIV/AIDS ministry of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). HIV/AIDS is endemic throughout Africa. Millions of African men, women, and children are infected with the virus, and, with few exceptions, that number continues to grow.
Fortunately, the problem of AIDS isn't as bad in Nigeria as it is in some African nations where 30 percent of the population is infected. Nevertheless, HIV/AIDS is still a huge problem in Nigeria. According to government statistics, 5 to 12 percent of Nigeria's population is infected with HIV/AIDS. That means that between 6 and 15 million Nigerians are infected. Far too many Nigerians are either infected, afflicted, or affected by the disease.
In December 2004, we were asked to work with EYN's HIV/AIDS committee in developing a strategic plan to launch an HIV/AIDS ministry. Ten of us, two Nigerians, two Swiss, and two Americans, met for three exhausting days at EYN headquarters in early December to hammer out a plan that will unfold over the next three years. The plan endeavors to:
- Develop an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign through education, communication, and information;
- Create an HIV/AIDS action team that will take a program of music and drama to EYN congregations hoping to lessen the stigma and raise the awareness of HIV/AIDS;
- Train 4,000 volunteers to provide HIV/AIDS education and a support network in each of EYN's more than 1,000 congregations;
- Offer HIV screening in all EYN dispensaries and pre- and post-test counseling;
- Provide access to affordable antiretroviral drugs;
- Encourage a biblical model of marriage and family; and
- Empower victimized women by promoting gender equality.
--Bob Krouse is the Church of the Brethren mission coordinator in Nigeria, working for the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships. Carol Krouse provides nursing care at a women's clinic, counsels women who have reproductive and other health issues, and is a speaker for HIV/AIDS awareness events.
Source: 7/20/2005 Newsline
top
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Sam Bowman, Kathleen Campanella, Mary Dulabaum, Matt Guynn, Jeri S. Kornegay, and H. Howard Witmer contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Sam Bowman, Kathleen Campanella, Mary Dulabaum, Matt Guynn, Jeri S. Kornegay, and H. Howard Witmer contributed to this report.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
NEWS
- Moderator encourages the church, Conference consecrates leaders for 2006 and 2007.
- Annual Conference starts study of Brethren Medical Plan.
- Conference delegates do denominational 'housekeeping.'
- New church leaders are chosen by election at Annual Conference.
- Standing Committee approves Annual Conference strategic plan.
- General Board sets 2006 budget parameter, issues resolutions on Sudan and World Friendship Center in Hiroshima
- Volunteers raise funds for Brethren hunger response.
- Young Adult Conference explores the art of provocation.
- Brethren bit: Job opening.
Moderator encourages the church, Conference consecrates leaders for 2006 and 2007.
Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook expressed hope, trust, and gratitude for the Church of the Brethren as he led delegates in business sessions and preached for opening worship. He also continued his call to the church to fix its eyes on Jesus.
The Conference was held in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6. Total registration came to 3,341 including 858 delegates.
Through his travels as moderator, Hardenbrook has found that "hope and trust are on the rise in our denomination." Church renewal and new church development are close to the top of most district agendas, he said, but added, "I remain concerned about the health of our congregations." The moderator opened each business session with a reading from the gospels, to continue the emphasis on gospel reading that he has encouraged.
The Annual Conference moderator and moderator-elect for 2006 were consecrated on July 6. The new moderator, Ronald D. Beachley, executive minister of Western Pennsylvania District, received the gavel in an official handing-over of the position from Hardenbrook. "It's beautiful," said Hardenbrook, gavel in hand. But the Annual Conference moderator's gavel is designed to be difficult to hold and not to fit in the hand comfortably, he added. That's the way church leaders should handle power, he said. "So hold this carefully," he told the new moderator.
In his first statement as moderator, Beachley called the denomination to prepare for next year's Conference with three disciplines: daily reading of a chapter in the New Testament aloud; fasting from food, television, the Internet, or another aspect of life the first day of each month; and praying daily for someone who does not know Christ. "We will come back next year and share our stories of how that has affected people's lives," he said.
Moderator-elect Belita D. Mitchell also was consecrated. Beachley will lead Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 1-5, 2006, and Mitchell will lead the Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 30-July 4, 2007.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook expressed hope, trust, and gratitude for the Church of the Brethren as he led delegates in business sessions and preached for opening worship. He also continued his call to the church to fix its eyes on Jesus.
The Conference was held in Peoria, Ill., July 2-6. Total registration came to 3,341 including 858 delegates.
Through his travels as moderator, Hardenbrook has found that "hope and trust are on the rise in our denomination." Church renewal and new church development are close to the top of most district agendas, he said, but added, "I remain concerned about the health of our congregations." The moderator opened each business session with a reading from the gospels, to continue the emphasis on gospel reading that he has encouraged.
The Annual Conference moderator and moderator-elect for 2006 were consecrated on July 6. The new moderator, Ronald D. Beachley, executive minister of Western Pennsylvania District, received the gavel in an official handing-over of the position from Hardenbrook. "It's beautiful," said Hardenbrook, gavel in hand. But the Annual Conference moderator's gavel is designed to be difficult to hold and not to fit in the hand comfortably, he added. That's the way church leaders should handle power, he said. "So hold this carefully," he told the new moderator.
In his first statement as moderator, Beachley called the denomination to prepare for next year's Conference with three disciplines: daily reading of a chapter in the New Testament aloud; fasting from food, television, the Internet, or another aspect of life the first day of each month; and praying daily for someone who does not know Christ. "We will come back next year and share our stories of how that has affected people's lives," he said.
Moderator-elect Belita D. Mitchell also was consecrated. Beachley will lead Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 1-5, 2006, and Mitchell will lead the Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 30-July 4, 2007.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
Annual Conference starts study of Brethren Medical Plan.
The delegate body of the 2005 Annual Conference adopted a resolution on the Brethren Medical Plan brought by Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT). The Brethren Medical Plan is a health insurance plan for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, employees of Annual Conference agencies and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their families.
"There are times in the journey when we come to a crossroads. The Brethren Medical Plan has come to a crossroads," said Standing Committee member Tim Button-Harrison introducing a recommendation that the resolution be adopted and a committee of four be elected to answer questions raised in the resolution. The Conference elected to the committee James C. Gibbel, an insurance agent and former member of the BBT board, of Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Brian Markle, a licensed minister, of Bermudian Church of the Brethren, East Berlin, Pa.; Willie Hisey Pierson, an insurance marketing manager, of Neighborhood (Boulder Hill) Church of the Brethren, Montgomery, Ill.; and Donna Shumate, a lawyer and retiring General Board chair, of Peak Creek Church of the Brethren in Laurel Spring, N.C.
BBT has announced that the plan is in a "death spiral" caused by decreased membership, the erosion of a good spread of risk, increased health care costs, and increased premiums. BBT brought the resolution for three reasons, reported chair C. Richard Pogue: "One, the Brethren Medical Plan is important to the church. Two, the Brethren Medical Plan's future is in peril. And three, the plan belongs to the church, it belongs to all of us."
The resolution gives biblical and historical background, lists the status of medical insurance in the denomination, and asks for a study committee to evaluate the plan and "assess the continuing need for and feasibility of a denominational medical insurance plan for employees of congregations, districts, and church-related agencies." The resolution also calls on every eligible congregation, district, and church-related agency to participate in the plan from 2006 through at least the conclusion of the study.
During a short discussion, delegates expressed concern for those who are uninsurable elsewhere, asked for consideration of working with other denominations on the issue, and added a question to a list that will be presented to the committee, asking for assessment of the possibility of a denominational plan for church members as well as employees.
For more information about the Brethren Insurance Plans, call BBT at 800-746-1505.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
The delegate body of the 2005 Annual Conference adopted a resolution on the Brethren Medical Plan brought by Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT). The Brethren Medical Plan is a health insurance plan for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, employees of Annual Conference agencies and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their families.
"There are times in the journey when we come to a crossroads. The Brethren Medical Plan has come to a crossroads," said Standing Committee member Tim Button-Harrison introducing a recommendation that the resolution be adopted and a committee of four be elected to answer questions raised in the resolution. The Conference elected to the committee James C. Gibbel, an insurance agent and former member of the BBT board, of Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Brian Markle, a licensed minister, of Bermudian Church of the Brethren, East Berlin, Pa.; Willie Hisey Pierson, an insurance marketing manager, of Neighborhood (Boulder Hill) Church of the Brethren, Montgomery, Ill.; and Donna Shumate, a lawyer and retiring General Board chair, of Peak Creek Church of the Brethren in Laurel Spring, N.C.
BBT has announced that the plan is in a "death spiral" caused by decreased membership, the erosion of a good spread of risk, increased health care costs, and increased premiums. BBT brought the resolution for three reasons, reported chair C. Richard Pogue: "One, the Brethren Medical Plan is important to the church. Two, the Brethren Medical Plan's future is in peril. And three, the plan belongs to the church, it belongs to all of us."
The resolution gives biblical and historical background, lists the status of medical insurance in the denomination, and asks for a study committee to evaluate the plan and "assess the continuing need for and feasibility of a denominational medical insurance plan for employees of congregations, districts, and church-related agencies." The resolution also calls on every eligible congregation, district, and church-related agency to participate in the plan from 2006 through at least the conclusion of the study.
During a short discussion, delegates expressed concern for those who are uninsurable elsewhere, asked for consideration of working with other denominations on the issue, and added a question to a list that will be presented to the committee, asking for assessment of the possibility of a denominational plan for church members as well as employees.
For more information about the Brethren Insurance Plans, call BBT at 800-746-1505.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
Conference delegates do denominational 'housekeeping.'
The Annual Conference made changes in the polity of the Conference and the General Board, among other business transacted in Peoria.
The relatively minor polity changes bring the documents into conformity with current practice. The delegates added an item to a list of purposes and functions of the General Board, to "provide leadership in prophetic social policy development for the denomination."
A "New Mandate for the Review and Evaluation Committee" expands this regularly scheduled review of the denomination's ministries, which occurs every ten years. The mandate was revised to include total denominational structure and program in light of the multiple agency structure put in place since the last such review. A five-member committee was elected (see below).
The Doing Church Business Study Committee and the Intercultural Study Committee brought interim reports. Each committee received an extension of one year for further study.
The Cross Cultural Ministries Team gave a brief report called for by the Caring for the Poor decision of the 2000 Annual Conference, which asked for an update in 2005. The delegate body agreed to a suggestion for a more complete report to come in 2006.
Bethany Theological Seminary gave a report on its centennial celebration. A slide show and readings reviewed the history of the seminary, structured around the tenures of its presidents, followed by stories of the ministries of its alumni. Some of the "nameless servants" who have had an impact on the school were recognized. "Bethany has lived on the trusted work of servants whose names are little known or not remembered," said president Eugene Roop. Academic dean Stephen Reid reported that more than 2,000 people have studied at Bethany since 1905. In other Conference events celebrating the centennial, an alumni choir sang a new hymn commissioned for the event: "A Pilgrimage of Faith," by Steve Engle and Frank Ramirez. Two new books were introduced as well: "The Bethany Seminary Centennial History," and "Bethany Daze" giving anecdotes of life at the seminary by Fred Swartz (order from Brethren Press, 800-441-3712).
A multimedia report, "Alive '05--Making Glad the City of God," opened the Conference business sessions with what the moderator called "a thumbnail sketch of what God is doing through the work of this denomination." The presentation featured testimonies of a variety of ministries of Brethren individuals, congregations, and the denomination, interspersed with music. Psalm 46 punctuated the presentation: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God." Stories of personal and communal transformation included that of Felix Lohitai, peace studies student at Manchester College who was formerly a soldier in the Sudan People's Liberation Army; Richard Propes' wheelchair tours on behalf of abused children; Nick Kauffman's experience as a young conscientious objector; and the responses of the Brethren to the tsunami, among many others.
The delegate body received a report of a recent trip to Sudan by moderator Jim Hardenbrook and Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones. The two were part of a small delegation of interfaith leaders from the US that visited the capital city of Khartoum, and a camp of refugees fleeing violence in Darfur. The visit included a meeting with the president of Sudan. "There is a deep hope for peace throughout Sudan," Hardenbrook said. "I don't think this was true six month ago, a year ago. There is a window of opportunity there."
Other reports were give by the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Brethren Benefit Trust, the General Board, On Earth Peace, those working on TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church, the 300th Anniversary Committee, the Committee on Interchurch Relations, the National and World Councils of Churches, the Standing Committee, and a report on a new inter-agency Outreach Planning Packet available free to congregations titled, "As One Church." In the Program and Arrangement Committee's report it was announced that the 2010 Annual Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa., July 3-7. In the report from the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee, the delegates approved a 2.8 percent pastoral scale increase. Delegates also took time for stories of how the Brethren are a living peace church.
The body welcomed new congregations and fellowships: La Casa Del Amigo, Arecibo, P.R.; Lirio de Los Valles, Lebanon, Pa., New Beginnings, Manheim, Pa.; Maranatha Multicultural, Lancaster, Pa.; Trinity, Shippensburg, Pa.; Jesu Cristo El Camino, Hendersonville, N.C.; New Creation, Morrisville, Pa.; Mountain View, McGaheysville, Va.; Living Faith, Concord, N.C.; Knight's Chapel, Barboursville, Va.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
The Annual Conference made changes in the polity of the Conference and the General Board, among other business transacted in Peoria.
The relatively minor polity changes bring the documents into conformity with current practice. The delegates added an item to a list of purposes and functions of the General Board, to "provide leadership in prophetic social policy development for the denomination."
A "New Mandate for the Review and Evaluation Committee" expands this regularly scheduled review of the denomination's ministries, which occurs every ten years. The mandate was revised to include total denominational structure and program in light of the multiple agency structure put in place since the last such review. A five-member committee was elected (see below).
The Doing Church Business Study Committee and the Intercultural Study Committee brought interim reports. Each committee received an extension of one year for further study.
The Cross Cultural Ministries Team gave a brief report called for by the Caring for the Poor decision of the 2000 Annual Conference, which asked for an update in 2005. The delegate body agreed to a suggestion for a more complete report to come in 2006.
Bethany Theological Seminary gave a report on its centennial celebration. A slide show and readings reviewed the history of the seminary, structured around the tenures of its presidents, followed by stories of the ministries of its alumni. Some of the "nameless servants" who have had an impact on the school were recognized. "Bethany has lived on the trusted work of servants whose names are little known or not remembered," said president Eugene Roop. Academic dean Stephen Reid reported that more than 2,000 people have studied at Bethany since 1905. In other Conference events celebrating the centennial, an alumni choir sang a new hymn commissioned for the event: "A Pilgrimage of Faith," by Steve Engle and Frank Ramirez. Two new books were introduced as well: "The Bethany Seminary Centennial History," and "Bethany Daze" giving anecdotes of life at the seminary by Fred Swartz (order from Brethren Press, 800-441-3712).
A multimedia report, "Alive '05--Making Glad the City of God," opened the Conference business sessions with what the moderator called "a thumbnail sketch of what God is doing through the work of this denomination." The presentation featured testimonies of a variety of ministries of Brethren individuals, congregations, and the denomination, interspersed with music. Psalm 46 punctuated the presentation: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God." Stories of personal and communal transformation included that of Felix Lohitai, peace studies student at Manchester College who was formerly a soldier in the Sudan People's Liberation Army; Richard Propes' wheelchair tours on behalf of abused children; Nick Kauffman's experience as a young conscientious objector; and the responses of the Brethren to the tsunami, among many others.
The delegate body received a report of a recent trip to Sudan by moderator Jim Hardenbrook and Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones. The two were part of a small delegation of interfaith leaders from the US that visited the capital city of Khartoum, and a camp of refugees fleeing violence in Darfur. The visit included a meeting with the president of Sudan. "There is a deep hope for peace throughout Sudan," Hardenbrook said. "I don't think this was true six month ago, a year ago. There is a window of opportunity there."
Other reports were give by the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Brethren Benefit Trust, the General Board, On Earth Peace, those working on TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church, the 300th Anniversary Committee, the Committee on Interchurch Relations, the National and World Councils of Churches, the Standing Committee, and a report on a new inter-agency Outreach Planning Packet available free to congregations titled, "As One Church." In the Program and Arrangement Committee's report it was announced that the 2010 Annual Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa., July 3-7. In the report from the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee, the delegates approved a 2.8 percent pastoral scale increase. Delegates also took time for stories of how the Brethren are a living peace church.
The body welcomed new congregations and fellowships: La Casa Del Amigo, Arecibo, P.R.; Lirio de Los Valles, Lebanon, Pa., New Beginnings, Manheim, Pa.; Maranatha Multicultural, Lancaster, Pa.; Trinity, Shippensburg, Pa.; Jesu Cristo El Camino, Hendersonville, N.C.; New Creation, Morrisville, Pa.; Mountain View, McGaheysville, Va.; Living Faith, Concord, N.C.; Knight's Chapel, Barboursville, Va.
Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
top
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)