NEWS

• Brethren receive record-breaking dividend from Brotherhood Mutual.
  
• Church planting is 'doable,' conference participants learn.
  
• Ecumenical committee plans for Annual Conference.
  
• Brethren Academy welcomes 14 new ministry students.
  
• Nigerian Brethren revamp church employees' pension plan.
  
• Brethren bits: Correction, job openings, personnel, and more.

PERSONNEL

• Ebersole to join Association of Brethren Caregivers staff.
  
• Garrison to direct Wellness Ministry for three church agencies.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Disaster Child Care offers Level 1 Training Workshops.
  
• Global Mission speakers bring international perspective to conference.

RESOURCES

• Committee develops commemorative calendar for 300th anniversary.

Brethren receive record-breaking dividend from Brotherhood Mutual.

A dividend check of $126,290 for the year 2005 has been received by the Church of the Brethren denomination from Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, through its Partnership Group Program. Mutual Aid Association (MAA) is the sponsoring Brethren agency for the program, which has rewarded the Church of the Brethren’s more than 400 churches, camps, and districts comprising the group (www.maabrethren.com).

The dividend check was symbolically delivered to executives of the Annual Conference-related agencies on May 16 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., by Dan Book of Brotherhood Mutual.

The dividend was the largest ever paid in the history of Brotherhood Mutual, a “record-breaking” amount figured upon the Brethren group’s favorable loss experience last year, said MAA president Jean Hendricks. The Church of the Brethren dividend for 2004 of $109,835 also broke a record for Brotherhood Mutual, Hendricks added. “In essence, we broke our own record a second time,” she said.

Decisions about the use of the dividend were made by the agency executives. A part of the dividend will support special denominational ministries, with $43,000 given for the work of the 300th Anniversary Committee of Annual Conference; $15,000 to the Germantown Trust to help prepare the property in Philadelphia--the “mother church” of the denomination as the first congregation established in America--for 300th anniversary activities beginning in 2007 through 2008; and $10,000 to Elizabethtown (Pa.) College for the Church Member Profile Study through the Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups.

The sum of $50,400 has gone to the Mutual Aid Association Share Fund Inc., which provides matching funds to congregations for meeting human needs following a natural disaster, health crisis, or other emergency (congregations insured through MAA may apply for such grants to aid the congregation, congregation members, or the local community). In support of MAA and Brotherhood Mutual, the executives designated $6,500 to support their promotion in the denomination. For expenses incurred in the handling of the money the General Board received $1,000, less than one percent of the total, leaving a small balance remaining.

This is the third year in a row that the Church of the Brethren has received a dividend from Brotherhood Mutual. In 2003, MAA used the dividend to bolster its operations including the Share Fund. In 2004, $50,000 of the dividend was returned directly to Brethren congregations and agencies insured through MAA, with the rest allocated by the agency executives to help fund the 300th Anniversary Committee and Together: Conversations on Being the Church; some 400 congregations received amounts ranging from $25 to $3,000 depending on their insurance premiums.

Brotherhood Mutual returns excess premiums not needed to pay losses, up to a certain level, said a purpose statement for the Partnership Group Program. The company grants the dividend if the denominational group “collectively enjoys a better-than-average claims experience,” the document explained. “We will share our profit with you in the form of a dividend.... We are not a stock insurance company operating in the best interest of our stockholders. We are a mutual insurance company, operating in the best interest of our policyholders.”

The Partnership Group Program paid out a record $1.8 million in dividends to policyholders in 2005, the company reported. Since the mid-1980s, Brotherhood Mutual has paid more than $11.5 million in dividends.

Hendricks warned the denomination not to expect such windfalls every year. The dividend “is never guaranteed,” she said. “We don’t know that we’ll get it next year.”

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Church planting is 'doable,' conference participants learn.

This week brought the conclusion of the Church of the Brethren’s Church Planting Conference May 20-23, the third to be held at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. The theme was “Scissors, Paper, Rock: Tools, Textures, and Testimonies in Church Planting.” Attendees included novice and experienced church planters as well as those just exploring what it means to plant a church, according to a report provided by Tasha Hornbacker, summer intern at the Brethren Academy.

The event was sponsored by the General Board’s Congregational Life Ministries and developed with the New Church Development Advisory Committee and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. Funding was provided through the Emerging Global Mission Fund of the General Board. Jen Sanders was the conference coordinator.

Keynote speaker was Michael Cox, former staff for church planting for the American Baptist Churches USA and pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J. Preachers for the event included Marcos Inhauser, national director for Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil) who brought the message Sunday evening, and Chris Bunch, founding pastor of the Jar Community Church, who spoke Monday evening.

As well as the keynote addresses, the conference also included a variety of workshops led by pastors who are currently planting churches and others in the Church of the Brethren faith community. Among the workshop leaders were David Shumate, who led a series of church planting workshops; Kathy Royer, who gave leadership in spiritual direction; Congregational Life Team staff Duane Grady and Carol Yeazell; and others.

Attendees also enjoyed energetic worship and daily small group meetings that allowed time and space to process the events of the conference. Worship services were developed by Amy Gall Ritchie and led by Seth Hendricks and Jonathan Shively.

The conference kicked off with a lively worship service and message brought by Cox, who gave the participants a list of 10 key elements to church planting including prayer, abundant gospel sowing, and intentional church planting. Church planting, Cox said, has to be done out of a sense of call, not out of a survival mode. It has to be done intentionally because “churches don’t just happen,” he said.

Cox also spoke from James 2 in another address about faith and works, advising the conference that church planting is not an “either/or,” but rather a “this and that.” Unaware of the Church of the Brethren’s history with the book of James, he referred to the passage as an obscure text, to the amusement of the audience. He went on to talk about measuring success, giving three main reasons for the failure of a church plant: the wrong person is doing the planting, it is being done in the wrong location, or the wrong strategies are being used.

“Michael Cox reminded us that reaching out begins with each of us as individuals,” said Jonathan Shively, director of the Brethren Academy. “The change that we need first is not institutional, structural or congregational; it's personal.”

When asked why a conference about church planting is important, one participant commented, “If we’re going to do it, we better learn how to do it right!” Another said simply, “This is doable.”

The conference ended with worship. After reflecting on what had been learned over the weekend, participants were sent forth with prayer and song to do God’s work, find the lost, and bring them home.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Ecumenical committee plans for Annual Conference.

Special events at this year’s Annual Conference, and work on ecumenical relationships with other denominations, topped the agenda at the spring meeting of the Committee on Interchurch Relations. The group, which is a joint committee of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference and the General Board, met by conference call on April 4.

Ecumenical activities at Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, in July will include the annual Ecumenical Luncheon and awarding of an Ecumenical Citation, as well as two insight sessions. Deborah DeWinter, program executive of the US Conference of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will speak at the luncheon on the topic, “Where Have All the Christians Gone: The Changing Face of the World’s Churches,” addressing the shift of church population from the northern to the southern hemisphere. DeWinter also will lead an insight session about the WCC with Jeff Carter, Church of the Brethren delegate to the WCC. The luncheon will include a multimedia show of images from the WCC’s 9th assembly that took place in February in Brazil.

The second ecumenical insight session will focus on the National Council of Churches in the US (NCC), with leadership from the Church of the Brethren representatives to the NCC.

In its work on relationships with other denominations, the committee accepted an invitation to send a representative to the Triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which is meeting June 13-21 in Columbus, Ohio. The invitation came through the office of the general secretary of the General Board, who was invited to participate in the primary Convention Eucharist celebration on Sunday, June 18, and to be presented to the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies as an ecumenical visitor on Monday, June 19. “Your presence will give witness to our oneness in Christ and to our mutual commitment to ecumenical relations,” said the invitation letter from Episcopal presiding bishop Frank T. Griswold. Michael Hostetter, a member of the committee, was chosen to represent the Church of the Brethren.

A special relationship with the American Baptist Churches USA is continuing, with a committee member invited to attend the next meeting of the ecumenical committee of the American Baptists, and a member of the General Board staff also planning to attend another upcoming American Baptist. An American Baptist representative, Rothang Chhangte, takes part in the meetings of the Committee on Interchurch Relations as an ex-officio member.

The committee plans to send Church of the Brethren “fraternal visitors” to the annual meetings of several other Brethren denominations this year, including the Brethren Church, Conservative Grace Brethren, Dunkard Brethren, Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, and Old German Baptist Brethren.

Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board, gave a report to the committee as “the point person for a lot of our ecumenical contacts,” said committee member James Eikenberry, who provided this report of the meeting. Noffsinger shared information from the WCC 9th Assembly and thanked delegate Jeff Carter “for his outstanding leadership on behalf of the Church of the Brethren,” Eikenberry said. Noffsinger also shared plans for the third in a series of Historic Peace Church consultations related to the Decade to Overcome Violence. The consultation takes place in Asia in 2007 on the theme, “Living Together in Interfaith Conflict as Historic Peace Churches.” The General Board is giving a support grant to help make the consultation possible.

Members of the Committee on Interchurch Relations are chair Steve Brady, Ilexene Alphonse, James Eikenberry, Brandy Fix, Michael Hostetter, and Robert Johansen. Chhangte and Noffsinger serve ex-officio. The committee will meet next at Annual Conference in July, and then on Sept. 22-24 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Brethren Academy welcomes 14 new ministry students.

Fourteen new students took part in an orientation week for the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership in early March. The academy is a ministry training partnership of the Church of the Brethren General Board and Bethany Theological Seminary.

The students will participate in either the Training in Ministry (TRIM) or Education for a Shared Ministry (EFSM) programs for non-graduate ministry training. The group attended from the districts of Northern Plains, Northern Indiana, Southern Ohio, Southern Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, Michigan, and Middle Pennsylvania.

For more about the Brethren Academy and its programs and course offerings, go to www.bethanyseminary.edu.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Nigerian Brethren revamp church employees' pension plan.

The Majalisa, or annual conference, of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), has voted to implement a new pension plan for its church workers. The plan, following guidelines established in part by a recently-passed Nigerian pension law, was developed with the help of Tom and Janet Crago, short-term mission workers with the Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

The new plan, which provides benefits for all current and future EYN employees, plus existing pensioners, was passed after "considerable debate about the costs involved," according to reports from Nigeria. It replaces a pension plan in which most employees and congregational employers did not have to contribute directly to the cost of their future pension benefits. Such "pay-as-you-go" pension plans have been quite common in Nigeria in the past.

The Cragos explained the previous system a bit more. "Each church pays 15 percent of its offerings annually to EYN headquarters to cover the operating costs of the Headquarters Office, but these revenues were not keeping up with the growth in yearly pension expenses. All pension costs were being paid out of the headquarter's annual revenues," the Cragos said. "And, it clearly wasn't going to be enough to get the job done in the years to come," they added. By the end of this year, EYN could have nearly 100 retirees, compared with only about 850 active employees.

Under the new plan, congregations will pay 27.5 percent and employees will pay 10 percent of each employee's salary, including housing and transportation allowances. Ten percent of the employer's contribution, matched by the employee's 10 percent, will go into a savings account for the employee. The remaining employer's 17.5 percent will go to fund the cost of current pensioners, and to build reserves to cover the accrued pension liabilities of EYN for current employees. Each employee's individual pension savings account will be held by a licensed pension custodian for each worker's future benefit.

"This is huge step for EYN!" said the Cragos. "They are committed now to fully funding both past and future retirement benefits for their employees. The real impact of this change--in a country where parents often say that they have children in order to ensure a decent retirement in old age--remains to be seen. It has the potential to change traditional social norms about retirement planning."

EYN has stepped up to this new pension challenge sooner than most employers in Nigeria, the Cragos said. Even many government agencies have reportedly not yet implemented their plans.

In continuing work on the EYN plan, Tom Crago will help calculate the “net present value” of each employee's accrued pension benefits as of June 25, 2004, when the new legislation took effect. He also will work with the new EYN Pension Board to develop daily operating procedures for the Pension Office. Janet Crago will develop an employee pension database for the Pension Office, and will handle some of the computer training for EYN staff who will maintain the data.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Brethren bits: Correction, job openings, personnel, and more.

• Correction: A course listed in the May 10 Newsline as an offering from the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership has been canceled: “Interpreting the Brethren,” June 10-14.
  
  
• The Gather ’Round curriculum, a project of the Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Church USA, and Mennonite Church Canada, is accepting applications for three staff positions: editor (full-time or shared), to edit content of junior youth, youth, parent/caregiver, and preschool units; marketing and communications coordinator (half-time), to design and implement marketing strategies and to develop communications resources; project assistant (full-time), to provide administrative support and marketing assistance, and to update website and e-commerce site. Project may consider breaking out or combining pieces of job descriptions in different ways. Elgin, Ill., location required for project assistant. Brethren or Mennonite members preferred; denominational balance on project staff will be considered. Deadline for applications is July 15 or until positions are filled. Learn more about the curriculum at www.gatherround.org. Mail cover letter and resume to Anna Speicher, Director and Editor, Gather ’Round Curriculum, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
  
  
• Looking for a unique service opportunity at Annual Conference on July 1-5 in Des Moines, Iowa? Consider volunteering as a Spanish translator during the business sessions or worship services. If your talents lend themselves to this ministry of assistance, please contact Nadine L. Monn at nadine_monn@yahoo.com, or stop by the translation table during the Conference.
  
  
• Barbara York has accepted the position of Accounts Payable and Payroll Specialist for the Church of the Brethren General Board, working at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. A resident of Elgin, she has filled this position previously on a temporary basis and is currently assisting in the Annual Conference Office. She brings a strong accounting background from positions held in the Elgin area. Additionally, she has operated her own business and worked as a teacher’s aide, providing special needs assistance. York will be joining the General Board by May 30.
  
  
• Diane Settie has accepted the position of office coordinator in Service Ministries for the General Board, working at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. She resides in Eldersburg, Md., and has worked as a receptionist, secretary, administrative and office manager. More recently, she worked at Rocky Knoll Adventist School as an office administrator. Settie began in the position May 15.
  
  
• Bethany Theological Seminary has decided not to hold an Exploring Your Call (EYC) event this summer. An event previously scheduled for June 23-27 at Shepherd’s Spring Outdoor Ministry Center in Sharpsburg, Md., has been called off in light of the intense involvement of youth in preparing for National Youth Conference (NYC) July 22-27.
  
  
• A new poster set for display in congregations highlights development work in Guatemala. The posters highlight the work with cisterns, stoves, and reforestation carried out in Guatemala by the Global Food Crisis Fund, Global Mission Partnerships, and Brethren Volunteer Service. Each of the three posters is mounted at the size 17 by 24 inches. A set is available for a month's loan with the only charge being return shipment. To request a set, contact the Global Food Crisis Fund, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039 ext. 264; hroyer_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Registration is being extended to June 15 for “The Other Stream: Alternative Forms of Radical Pietism,” a continuing education seminar for clergy, ministry students, and others July 5-6 in Amana, Iowa. To register or for more information contact youngctr@etown.edu.
  
  
• The University of La Verne (Calif.) boasts five graduation ceremonies on four days, and a host of commencement speakers. Among them is Myrna Long Wheeler, chaplain at Brethren Hillcrest Homes, speaking for the College of Arts and Sciences commencement May 26. National Public Radio host Larry Mantle will speak for the College of Education and Organizational Leadership May 27. Award-winning author, peace activist, and international investment banker Azim N. Khamisa will be keynote speaker May 27 for the College of Business and Public Management. Leonard Pellicer, dean of the university’s College of Education and Organizational Leadership, will address the 2006 Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership ceremony. William K. Suter, clerk of the US Supreme Court, will speak at the College of Law Commencement Ceremony on May 21. Tickets are required for all commencement ceremonies held in Ortmayer Stadium. For more information go to www.ulv.edu/commencement-spring.
  
  
• The National Council of Churches (NCC) seeks young adults ages 18-30 to serve in its Stewards Program for the Nov. 7-9, 2006, General Assembly of the NCC and Church World Service in Orlando, Fla. The program provides young adults with a unique experience of ecumenical formation, as they serve to help make the assembly happen through volunteer assignments in hospitality, registration, platform assistance, technology, the assembly office, and the newsroom. Stewards arrive in Orlando for orientation on Nov. 5 and depart Nov. 10. Expenses except personal expenses will be covered by the assembly, through special donations from supporters. Deadline for applications is Aug. 1. Go to http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/2006stewardsapplication.pdf.
  
  
• A Conscientious Objectors Autobiographies Project is seeking to publish a book of stories of diverse men who were conscientious objectors at the time of World War II, under the working title, “Men of Peace.” The book will present the histories of how the men made their decisions, and will show how their consequent experiences played important roles in social progress, said Mary Hopkins, one of those working on the project. “Our goal is to help readers to understand and respect the man of peace whom conscience compels to take a position opposed by majority social norms,” she said. “We see this publication as a step toward placing on library shelves autobiographies of an indispensable significance now denied by the overwhelming number of books about those who make war.” Other volunteers are needed to interview and transcribe the life stories for inclusion. Guidelines and support will be provided. All material submitted will go into the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. For more information contact cobook@verizonmail.com or Mary Hopkins at 610-388-0770.
  
  
• Sam Hornish Jr., a Church of the Brethren member from Ohio, has earned the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 on May 28. He averaged 228.985 mph in four-lap qualifications for the race, and will start first on the inside of the front row, according to a “Sports Illustrated” website. Hornish is a two-time IRL IndyCar Series champion and drives with Marlboro Team Penske. The 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track begins at 1 p.m. (eastern) on Sunday.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Ebersole to join Association of Brethren Caregivers staff.

Kim Ebersole of North Manchester, Ind., will serve as director of Family and Older Adult Ministries of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), effective Aug. 1.

Ebersole will continue the Older Adult Ministry program, creating resources and leading workshops for congregations wanting to provide an intentional ministry by, for, and with older adults. She also will be forging a new emphasis on Family Life Ministry. In recent years, Family Life Ministry was a component of each of ABC’s ministry imperatives. Now the agency intends to make a more intentional effort at providing program for Family Life Ministry.

Ebersole has served as director of Social Services for Peabody Retirement Community of North Manchester since 1997, and also worked for several years for a hospice as a social worker and bereavement coordinator. Her professional career has included creating and directing an AIDS service organization in Gettysburg, Pa. She also served on the denomination’s HIV/AIDS Task Force in the 1990s.

She holds degrees from Manchester College and Temple University and is a Licensed Social Worker. Ebersole is a member of the Manchester Church of the Brethren.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Garrison to direct Wellness Ministry for three church agencies.

Mary Lou Garrison will assume responsibilities as part-time director of Wellness Ministries of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), effective Aug. 1. The position is staffed through ABC, and is a collaborative position also supported by Brethren Benefit Trust and the Church of the Brethren General Board. Garrison will work from the ABC office in Elgin, Ill.

Garrison’s work will involve promoting wellness and the goals of the church’s Wellness Ministry in congregations, districts, and agencies throughout the denomination, with special attention to those enrolled in the Brethren Medical Plan. She will also develop, coordinate, and manage a resource bureau of people from across the church who have expertise in areas of health education.

Garrison is resigning July 28 as director of Human Resources for the General Board. Previously she served as Human Resources Director and as a Geriatric Social Worker for Pinecrest Community in Mount Morris, Ill., and has worked as a manager of Upjohn Home Health Care Services of Battle Creek, Mich. She holds degrees from Manchester College and Western Michigan University. She is a member of Mount Morris Church of the Brethren.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Disaster Child Care offers Level 1 Training Workshops.

Disaster Child Care, an ecumenical program that is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board, trains volunteers to set up child care centers in disaster locations. The centers provide crisis intervention for children who have been affected by disaster, and helps care for children while their parents or family members seek assistance following a disaster. Anyone with a genuine love for children (18 years of age and older) is welcome to attend one of this summer’s training events and apply for certification.

Training workshops will be held June 16-17 at Grace United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Ga.; June 23-24, at Fruitland (Idaho) Church of the Brethren; June 23-24 at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County in Tampa, Fla.; and Aug. 11-12 at Roanoke (La.) United Methodist Church.

Registration costs $45 if postmarked three weeks prior to the workshop, $55 if postmarked later. Registration covers all materials, meals, and overnight accommodations during the training. To register or for more information contact coordinator Helen Stonesifer at 800-451-4407 (option 5). A registration form can also be obtained from www.disasterchildcare.org.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Global Mission speakers bring international perspective to conference.

This year’s Global Ministries Dinner at Annual Conference will offer “a rare opportunity to hear a speaker of global stature and perspective,” said Merv Keeney, executive director of the General Board’s Global Mission Partnerships. Erlinda Senturias, president of Southern Christian College in Cotabato, Philippines, will speak at the Global Ministries Dinner on July 4.

In another Global Mission meal event, the International Welcome Dinner on July 1 will hear from Jim Hardenbrook, interim director for the General Board’s Sudan Initiative.

Senturias’ topic is “Transforming Communities: Stories of Hope from Rural Philippines” (for a flier go to http://www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/2006IntlWelcomeDinner.pdf). The communities of Mindanao Island in southern Philippines face multiple concerns: health, economic hardship, Christian-Muslim tensions, and environmental degradation. Senturias will speak to the ways these communities, their churches, and peoples are beginning to foster healing and wholeness. A medical doctor by profession, Senturias has carried leadership roles with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the World Council of Churches.

Hardenbrook is past moderator of Annual Conference and a pastor at Nampa (Idaho) Church of the Brethren. The title for his presentation is “Don’t Let This Harvest Pass” (for a flier go to http://www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/2006GlobalMinistriesDinner.pdf). The statement was made to Hardenbrook last year when he was in Sudan with a delegation of interfaith leaders. Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, minister of humanitarian affairs for the government of Sudan, urged the Church of the Brethren not to let the opportunity pass to take advantage of open doors made possible by a peace agreement between the northern government and southern rebels.

Other Global Mission Partnerships events at the Conference include insight sessions on variety of topics, a Brethren Volunteer Service Luncheon on July 3, and the Brethren Witness/Washington Office’s “Un-Luncheon” on July 4.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Committee develops commemorative calendar for 300th anniversary.

A commemorative calendar featuring 17 contemporary photos of historical Brethren sites is being developed by the 300th Anniversary Committee of Annual Conference, in partnership with the Brethren Church Tercentennial Committee. The calendar will be a part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the beginning of the Brethren movement in 1708.

The calendar will be dated Sept. 2007 through Dec. 2008 and will include more than 20 inset photos, sidebars listing significant historical dates for the Brethren, and dates of 300th anniversary celebration events. Six pages of information will include the history of other Brethren bodies, Brethren ordinances, interesting Annual Meeting decisions prior to 1884, and Brethren contributions to education and printing.

The calendar will be ready for delivery early in 2007. Order forms will be available at Annual Conference this summer in Des Moines. More information about how to order for those unable to attend Annual Conference will be available after the conference. Order forms also will be available at National Older Adult Conference this fall. The “early bird special” price is $4 pre-paid plus shipping; early bird bulk rate including shipping is $150 for 50 calendars.

Source: 5/24/2006 Newsline
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Tom and Janet Crago, Ellen Hall, Tasha Hornbacker, Janis Pyle, Marcia Shetler, Helen Stonesifer, and Lorele Yager contributed to this report.

Special Report

NEWS

• Cross Cultural Celebration reflects on the household of God.
  
• Celebracion Intercultural refleja la casa de Dios.
  
• Brethren in Puerto Rico ask for prayer for island's financial crisis.
  
• Brazilian Brethren in Sao Paulo state affected by gang uprising.
  
• Brethren Witness/Washington Office calls for action on immigration, agricultural employment.

Cross Cultural Celebration reflects on the household of God.

Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren hosted the denomination's annual Cross Cultural Consultation and Celebration May 4-7. The surrounding countryside, with its plain people and rich farmland, offered vivid reminders of the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage as more than 140 Brethren met to offer a new, intercultural model of church.

"Built Together: The Household of God," from Ephesians 2:17-22, provided the theme for the event. "This is the way church should happen," commented James Washington Sr., pastor of Faith Center Fellowship Church of the Brethren, who attended from Whitehouse, Texas. "I pray that we learn...that the world is beautiful because it has color."

Brethren from African-American, Hispanic, Dominican, Mexican, Indian, Haitian, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Anglo, and other heritages attended from across the US and Puerto Rico. Worship featured scripture reading, prayer, and singing in many languages including English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, and Gujarati--a language of India. Praise music got the congregation to its feet, and contemplative hymns called on the Spirit's presence, led by bands, musicians, and choirs from many different congregations. A new music group of African-American and Anglo Brethren made its debut at the consultation, led by Washington.

A message about the importance of taking personal responsibility for racism was given by keynote speaker Ken Quick, chair of the Pastoral Theology Department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, Md., and John Gordon, a medical professional and seminary student. Quick and Gordon spoke at a worship service focused on confession. Telling his family's history of slave ownership, Quick said, "I have to first of all apologize for the horrors that my family perpetrated. I owe debt." Gordon followed with a confession of his own from the African-American perspective, the story of how he awoke to his own racism when his daughter began to date a white man. Gordon's reading of a pledge to live an anti-racist life was followed by an invitation for the congregation to receive communion.

Larry Brumfield, a licensed minister and member of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren, spoke for the closing worship. He called the church to an "honest moment" to "acknowledge that some of our behaviors and some of our biases do not reflect the behavior that God would have...in the body of Christ." Issuing a challenge to pastors to preach against racism from the pulpit, Brumfield said, "We have to place the issues of importance in front of our people. The church is responsible for giving light, and we are responsible for taking action on what that light exposes." He added, "Do you know how successful we would be if we attacked this problem as a unified church of God? God will bless us for our courage and honor us for our obedience to the scripture."

The meeting also included an intercultural youth event--a first for the Church of the Brethren, organizers said. Some 20 youth from several different congregations held an overnight at the Lancaster church, and then led a morning worship service followed by times for discussion of issues. A youth panel presented two topics for open discussion during the worship: the pros and cons of tradition in the church, and alternative lifestyles including homosexuality. The panel elicited numerous responses from the adults present, who expressed a wide variety of points of view. The youth closed the discussion with their own statements about unity. "We need to accept everyone no matter what issues they come to the church with, we need to be loving," said Serenity, of Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren. "I think we can have unity and press on with Christ at our center," said Laina, of Cocalico Church of the Brethren in Denver, Pa.

The consultation also received a presentation on the disaster work of the denomination, a report from the Intercultural Study Committee of Annual Conference, and a report from a January event in Baltimore, Md., that gathered church leaders to talk about how to deal with racism. The Intercultural Study Committee reviewed the interim report that it will bring to Annual Conference this year (www.brethren.org/ac/desmoines/business_old.pdf, pp 215-234).

Discussion and testimony throughout the consultation reflected the ups and downs of cross cultural ministries. Participants spent much time reflecting on the barriers to inclusion and the continued existence of racism in the Church of the Brethren, pointing to several particular issues including lack of diversity on denominational and district staff, rigid structure of Annual Conference, lack of interest in intercultural issues from Anglo pastors, lack of Brethren resources in Spanish, difficulty of ministry training for ethnic minority pastors, and lack of relationship between Brethren congregations of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds.

"Anti-racism work needs to be a commitment of the Annual Conference agencies at the top level," said one participant who had been at the Baltimore meeting. "Without that commitment, there will not be funding, and there will not be follow through."

Inclusion of all people in the church "was important enough for Jesus to pray about it," said pastor Rodney D. Smalls of First Church of the Brethren, Baltimore. He said that after the January meeting, his congregation expressed disappointment because they had heard enough talk, and not seen enough action, he said.

Participants also expressed enthusiasm and love for the denomination. "This is the best year in our denomination of the Church of the Brethren. We are going to be used to ignite the earth!" said Joseph Craddock of Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia. "Don't be discouraged, the barriers are coming down," said Rene Quintanilla, a pastor from Fresno, Calif. "The Spirit is leading."

The Steering Committee for Cross Cultural Ministries planned the event including Barbara Date, Thomas Dowdy, Renel Exceus, Sonja Griffith, Robert Jackson, Alice Martin-Adkins, Marisel Olivencia, Gilbert Romero, Dennis Webb, with Duane Grady as staff support from the General Board's Congregational Life Teams. Area congregations hosted many participants in their homes, and also provided meals for the consultation.

The next Cross Cultural Consultation and Celebration is planned for April 19-22, 2007, at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. For more about cross cultural ministries go to www.brethren.org/genbd/clm/clt/CrossCultural.html. For photos from the event, go to www.brethren.org, click on "Photo Journal."

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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Celebracion Intercultural refleja la casa de Dios.

(Atencion: La editora pregunta pardon porque, a causa de dificultades technicas, el articulo siguiente no incluye los acentos o las letras de la lengua Español.)

Lancaster, Pennsylvania. La Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) fue anfitriona de la Consulta y Celebracion Intercultural anual que se llevo a cabo Mayo 4-7. El lugar de la reunion, rodeado de campos, gente sencilla y tierra de cultivo nos recordo de la herencia de los Holandeses de Pennsylvania durante esta reunion en donde mas de 140 Brethren se reunieron y desarrollaron un nuevo modelo de iglesia.

El tema del evento fue "Construidos Juntos: La Casa de Dios," de Efesios 2:17-22. Asi es como deberia ser la iglesia, dijo el pastor James Washington Sr. de la iglesia Faith Center Fellowship Church of the Brethren, de Whitehouse, Texas, quien atendio la reunion. "Oro para que aprendamos... que el mundo es bello porque tiene color."

Asistieron el evento personas Brethren de herencia Afro-Americana, Hispanos, Dominicanos, Mexicanos, Indios, Haitianos, de Jamaica, Anglos, y otros de todo Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico. Los servicios de adoracion incluyeron lectura del evangelio, oraciones, y canticos en muchas lenguas incluyendo Ingles, Espanol, Creole de Haiti, Frances, Aleman, Ruso, Portugues, y Gujarati - una lengua de la India. La musica de alabanza hizo que los congregantes se pararan, y los himnos de contemplacion llamaron la presencia del Espiritu, guiados por bandas de musica, musicos, y coros de diferentes congregaciones. Un grupo nuevo de musicos Africo-Americanos y Anglos Brethren hicieron su debut durante la consuta, la cual fue dirigida por Washington.

El orador principal, Ken Quick, Jefe del Departamento de Teologia del Seminario Capital Bible en Lanham, Maryland, y John Gordon, un profesionista medico y seminarista, dieron un mensaje de la importancia de tomar responsabilidad personal por el racismo. Quick y Gordon fueron oradores durante el servicio de adoracion con enfoque en la confesion. Quick, al narrar la historia de que su familia tenia esclavos dijo, "primeramente quiero pedir disculpas por los horrores que mi familia cometio. Yo tomo responsabilidad por todo eso." En seguida, Gordon confeso como el se dio cuenta de su propio racismo desde su perspectiva de Afro-Americano cuando su hija empezo a salir con un hombre blanco. Gordon leyo una promesa para vivir una vida sin racismo y despues invito a la congregacion a recibir comunion.

Larry Brumfield, de la Church of the Brethren en Westminster, Maryland, fue el orador durante el servicio de clausura. El pidio a la iglesia a que "seamos honestos por un momento" y que "reconozcamos que algunas de nuestras actitudes y perjuicios no reflejan la actitud que Dios tendria... en el cuerpo de Cristo." Brumfield reto a los pastores a predicar desde el pulpito en contra del racismo y dijo "Tenemos que poner los asuntos importantes enfrente de nuestra gente. La iglesia es responsable por dar luz, y nosotros somos responsables de tomar accion en lo que esa luz revele." Luego agrego, "Saben cuanto exito tendriamos si atacaramos este problema como una iglesla de Dios unida? Dios nos bendiciria por nuestro valor y nos honraria por nuestra obediencia a las escrituras."

La reunion tambien incluyo un evento intercultural para jovenes--el cual de acuerdo a los organizadores fue el primero de la Church of the Brethren. Alrededor de 20 jovenes de diferentes congregaciones pasaron la noche en la Iglesia de Lancaster, y por la manana tuvieron un servicio de adoracion seguido por una discusion de varios asuntos. Durante el servicio, un panel de jovenes presento dos topicos para discusion: los pros y contras de la tradicion de la iglesia, y los estilos de vida alternativos incluyendo la homosexualidad. El panel recibio muchas respuestas de adultos presentes, quienes expresaron una gran variedad de puntos de vista. Los jovenes cerraron la discusion con su propia afirmacion acerca de la unidad. "Necesitamos aceptar a todos sin importar que problemas traen a la iglesia, necesitamos amarlos," dijo Serenity, de la Iglesia de First Church of the Brethren en Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "Yo creo que podemos tener unidad y poner presion con Cristo en el centro." dijo Laina, de Cocalico Church of the Brethren en Denver, Pennsylvania.

La consulta tambien recibio una presentacion del trabajo que la denominacion hace con desastres, un reporte del Estudio Intercultural de la Conferencia Anual, y un reporte de un evento en enero en Baltimore, Maryland, que atrajo a lideres de la iglesia para hablar de que hacer con al racismo. El Comite de Estudio Intercultural reviso el reporte interino que se presentara a la Conferencia Anual este ano (www.brethren.org/ac/desmoines/business_old.pdf,pp 215-234).

Las altas y bajas de los ministerios interculturales fueron reflejados en la discusion y testimonios durante la consulta. Los participantes pasaron mucho tiempo reflejando en las barreras para inclusion y la existencia continua de racismo en la Church of the Brethren, mencionando varios ejemplos en particular, como la falta de diversidad en el personal a nivel distrito, la estructura rigida de la Conferencia Anual, la falta de interes en asuntos interculturales de parte de pastores Anglos, la falta de recursos Brethren en Espanol, la difficultad de entrenamiento para el ministerio para pastores minoritarios, y la falta de relaciones entre congregaciones Brethren de diferentes culturas.

Un participante que estuvo en la junta de Baltimore dijo que "El trabajo para combatir el racismo necesita ser un compromiso de las agencias de Conferencia Anual al nivel mas alto." "Sin ese cometido no habra fondos y no se hara nada para dar seguimiento."

La inclusividad de todas las personas en la iglesia "fue suficiente importante para que Jesus orara" dijo el pastor Rodney D. Smalls de First Church of the Brethren en Baltimore. El dijo que despues de la junta de enero, su congregacion expreso desaliento porque hubieron muchas palabras pero no suficiente accion."

Los participantes tambien expresaron entusiasmo y amor por la denominacion. Joseph Craddock de la Church of the Brethren Germantown en Philadelphia dijo "Este es el mejor ano para nuestra denominacion, la Church of the Brethren. Seremos usados para encender la tierra!" Rene Quintanilla, pastor de Fresno, Calif. dijo "No se desanimen, las barreras estan cayendo. El Espiritu nos esta guiando."

El Comite de Ministerios MultiCulturales que planeo este evento incluyo a Barbara Date, Thomas Dowdy, Renel Exceus, Sonja Griffith, Robert Jackson, Alice Martin-Adkins, Marisel Olivencia, Gilbert Romero, Dennis Webb, y Duane Grady de la Junta General departamento de Vida Congregacional como empleado de apoyo.

La proxima Consulta y Celebracion Intercultural fue planeada para Abril 19-22 de 2007, en el Centro Brethren en New Windsor, Maryland. Para mas informacion acerca de ministerios interculturales vaya a www.brethren.org/genbd/clm/clt/CrossCultural.html. Para ver fotos del evento, vaya a www.brethren.org y haga click en "Photo Journal."

(Translation: Maria-Elena Rangel)

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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Brethren in Puerto Rico ask for prayer for island's financial crisis.

Brethren from Puerto Rico who were at the Church of the Brethren's Cross Cultural Consultation and Celebration in Pennsylvania May 4-7, asked fellow participants to pray for the island during a serious financial crisis. On May 1 nearly 100,000 government employees including teachers and others were temporarily laid off as the Puerto Rican government ran out of money.

The "New York Times" reported Saturday, May 20, that government workers were back on the job May 15, after a special commission was appointed to create a plan to resolve the crisis, and evangelical and Roman Catholic religious leaders stepped in to influence the situation (see http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/opinion/20montero.html).

At least two Brethren members at the consultation in Pennsylvania were among those not receiving a paycheck, according to Jaime Diaz, who issued the call for prayer. He added that the financial crisis has been affecting his own family. Diaz is pastor of Castaner Church of the Brethren and a member of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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Brazilian Brethren in Sao Paulo state affected by gang uprising.

Igreja da Irmandade-Brasil (Church of the Brethren in Brazil) is requesting prayer following a wave of gang violence that has swept the state of Sao Paulo since last weekend. Sao Paulo is the country's largest state. The violence that has targeted the police and banks, and has burned public transportation buses began May 12, according to the BBC, and included uprisings at some 70 prisons.

Marcos Inhauser, national director for the Brethren mission in Brazil, requested prayers "for the people to be safe and have more emotional control in this situation, and for the authorities to have wisdom in seeking a cease-fire" with the criminal organization called "First Command of the Capital" that has orchestrated what Inhauser called terrorist-like violence.

"We have many people living in a very scary area" near a prison in the city of Hortolandia, Inhauser said, reporting on the situation as he stopped at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., on his way to speak at a church planting conference at Bethany Seminary. About 25 church members and their families live near the prison in Hortolandia, which is a center for the gang of guerrillas and criminals involved in drug traffic and other crimes, Inhauser said.

In the meantime, human rights activists have criticized the police for their violent response, which they say has killed at least 33 presumed gang members and put innocent civilians in danger, the "Christian Science Monitor" reported yesterday May 18. The Monitor said violent confrontations between the police and the criminal organization were continuing, and that more than 150 people have been killed including 40 police.

The criminal organization is the result of a government decision to put guerrillas in custody along with the criminal population, Inhauser said. A kind of criminal union resulted, with a very well structured administration that has orchestrated the attacks, he said. "Another thing that scares is the level of coordination that they have," Inhauser said. For example, the violence is so well organized that members of the police force were attacked while off duty or at their homes.

The Sao Paulo area was brought to a standstill by the burnings of buses used for public transportation, shootings of policemen and civilians, fears of attacks on banks, and ensuing panic and mass traffic jams, Inhauser reported.

He added, "It was not an easy time to leave home."

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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Brethren Witness/Washington Office calls for action on immigration, agricultural employment.

In an Action Alert issued May 19 by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren are encouraged to contact their senators regarding the continuing debate over an immigration bill, and a related agricultural job opportunities bill that is linked to the immigration bill in the Senate. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

The Senate has set a Memorial Day (May 29) deadline to pass immigration legislation, the alert said. "There is still time for senators to hear from you about passing a just and fair comprehensive immigration bill," according to the alert. "Call or write your senators and tell them you want a comprehensive immigration bill that is fair to all people and that includes a guest worker program, a path to earned legalization, and is sensitive to family reunification."

The alert included a call for support of an agriculture employment provision being debated as part of the immigration reform. The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act of 2006, known as "AgJobs," "is the carefully negotiated compromise between farm workers and agricultural employers," the alert reported. "It provides a path to earned legalization for thousands of farm workers and reforms the current H2A guest worker program." AgJobs is included in the major immigration bill currently in the Senate (Hagel-Martinez Bill S 2611). "Unfortunately, Senator Chambliss (R-Ga.) threatens to erode all the positive steps in AgJobs with negative amendments...including removing the earned legalization component and removing wage protections for H2A guest workers. When you call or write your senators, make sure to tell them that you support the AgJobs provisions and that you oppose Sen. Chambliss' amendments."

"This is the perfect opportunity to put our faith into action, to invoke the mandate of 'welcoming the stranger,'" the alert said, citing an Annual Conference statement of 1982 on "Undocumented Persons and Refugees." In it, the church stated that the US should "bring about a general amnesty for those people who once entered the United States as 'undocumented aliens' but have settled peacefully among their neighbors. These persons should be given legal status as quickly and simply as possible to assure that they will not be further exploited." (For the full Annual Conference resolution go to http://www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/82Refugees.htm.)

To find contact information for your senators, and for more information about the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, go to www.brethren.org/genbd/WitnessWashOffice.html. Or contact the office at 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board.