Brethren bits: Correction, job openings, and more.

• In a correction to "Two Brethren Volunteer Service units complete orientation" in the Nov. 19 Newsline, Rob Raker is serving at the Brethren Mission House in the Dominican Republic.
  
  
• Publishers of the forthcoming "Gather 'Round" Sunday school curriculum seek a fulltime managing editor, and a half-time associate editor to fill a contract position. The managing editor will manage the receipt, scheduling, and production of curriculum materials; edit and proofread copy; and assist the project director with overall development and administration. Applicants should have excellent editorial and communication skills, high ability to manage detail, and be well grounded in Mennonite or Church of the Brethren beliefs and practices. Location: Elgin, Ill., preferred. Start date is end of Feb. 2005 or sooner. The associate editor will oversee writing and design of student resources. Applicants should have excellent writing and editorial skills, communicate well, and be well-grounded in Mennonite or Church of the Brethren beliefs and practices. Location: open. Start date is end of Feb. 2005 or sooner. Denominational balance on project staff will be a significant factor in selection. Contact Anna Speicher, project director, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039 ext. 209; or e-mail gatherround@brethren.org. Deadline for inquiries is Jan. 15, 2005.
  
  
• The General Board seeks an intern for the Brethren Historical Library and Archives (BHLA) in Elgin, Ill., to serve a one-year term with preferred start date of July 2005. The Archival Internship Program develops interest in vocations related to archives, libraries, and Brethren history. The intern will process archival materials, write descriptive inventories, prepare books for cataloging, respond to reference requests, and assist researchers. Compensation includes housing, stipend, and health and life insurance. A graduate student is preferred, or an undergraduate with at least two years of college. Willingness to work with detail, accurate word processing, and ability to lift 30-pound boxes are required. Send applications with resume, college transcript, and three letters of reference by Feb. 28, 2005, to Director of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. For more information call 800-323-8039 ext. 294 or e-mail kshaffer_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Year-end donations to the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany Theological Seminary, the General Board, and On Earth Peace must be dated and postmarked by Dec. 31 in order to be counted as a 2004 charitable gift for tax purposes.
  
  
• Three Brethren Volunteer Service workers are serving as assistant disaster project directors with the General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries. Larry and Sandee Kitzel of Monitor Church of the Brethren, Conway, Kan., have been assigned to the Poquoson, Va., hurricane recovery project. Kevin Dibert of Chambersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, is serving at the Hallam, Neb., tornado recovery project. The assistants help disaster project directors with volunteer management, daily devotions, construction work flow, meal preparation, as well as other tasks.
  
  
• Registration for the 2005 youth and young adult workcamps sponsored by the General Board took off in the first half-hour after it opened online, at midnight on Nov. 30, reported coordinators Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes. In the first 30 minutes of registration 118 people signed up, and by the next morning at 8 a.m. a total of 203 people had registered. "We were quite overwhelmed," Laprade said. Already four of the workcamps are completely full. For more information on the workcamps see www.brethren.org, click on "General Board," go to keyword "Youth/young adults."
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck supper Saturday Jan. 29, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service (CPS) workers, and anyone who has a special connection to BVS or CPS. The potluck will be at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. "We see this potluck as a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers in training from Unit 263 to be able to connect with people that have done similar service. We hope to see you there," said Sam Bowman of the BVS office. Bring a covered dish to share, or any other type of food.
  
  
• "Manna in the Wilderness: Coming to God in Daily Life" will be held at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., Feb. 24-27, 2005. The retreat for pastors, lay leaders, TRIM students, and others seeking to enrich their spiritual lives and discern God's will, is sponsored by New Covenant Church of the Brethren, the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, and the camp. Glenn Mitchell and Jonathan Shively are the leaders. The registration fee of $88 includes all sessions and meals. Lodging at the camp costs $12 a night and motel accommodations are also available. Registration and a $25 deposit are due by Jan. 24. TRIM students who attend will receive credit. For a brochure call 407-892-6678 or e-mail crousejm@mpinet.net.
  
  
• Pasadena (Calif.) Church of the Brethren hosted a "Dry Bones Consortium" Oct. 31. The meeting of pastors, academics, students, and others from California and Arizona was organized to further, deepen, and extend the Anabaptist legacy, reported pastor Tom Leard Longenecker, of Glendale (Calif.) Church of the Brethren. Attendees from faith backgrounds including Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Seventh Day Adventist explored "the directions modern Western philosophy has pushed how we think about Christian faith," and "the overwhelming influence technology and consumerism have on the life of the American church today," Longenecker said. Presenters were Gloria Newton, artist-in-residence with the Center for Anabaptist Leadership and a member of the Jubilee Troupe; Nancey Murphy, professor of Christian philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary; and Shane Hipps, author of "Media Mayhem and the Church: Helping Emerging Communities Navigate the Technological Storm," to be published by Zondervan in 2006.
  
  
• The annual Church of the Brethren Outdoor Ministries Association gathering of camp directors, managers, and others involved with camp ministry took place Nov. 14-18 at Camp Bethel near Fincastle, Va. More than 30 people representing 9 of the denomination's 31 camps and outdoor ministry centers attended. David Radcliff of New Community Project was keynote speaker for the event, on the theme "Intentional Practices, Intentional Ministries." Several other workshops and discussion sessions were also offered, along with recreational outings to sites in the area.
  
  
• Manchester College, a Church of the Brethren school in North Manchester, Ind., is among the "Best Midwestern Colleges," says the "Princeton Review." Rankings released by the review put the college in the company of 170 colleges and universities recognized as outstanding in the region, the college reported in a press release. The review ranks colleges and universities nationwide and offers school selection advice on its website, along with comments from students and college officials. Learn more about the rankings at www.princetonreview.com. For more information about the college visit www.manchester.edu.
  
  
• Jo Young Switzer, who was selected in August as the new president of Manchester College, has taken the position earlier than expected. She began in her new role Dec. 1, succeeding Parker G. Marden in the position. The Board of Trustees held a reception to welcome Switzer, who is a 1969 graduate of the college. Celebrations of Marden's leadership are planned for the remainder of the school year. Switzer's inauguration will take place next fall.
  
  
• A panel of Bridgewater (Va.) College graduates shared their experiences of segregation during a program commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the landmark case that desegregated America's public schools, on Nov. 30. The panelists were Donald Banks, director of Counseling and Assessment Services at the University of Massachusetts; Pasco Bowman II, a judge for the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the college's Board of Trustees; Karen Weaver Scott, a retired high school English and French teacher; and Carlyle Whitelow, assistant professor of physical education emeritus at Bridgewater and a professor at the college for 28 years. Banks, Scott, and Whitelow were among the first African American students who attended the college. See www.bridgewater.edu for more information about the college.
  
  
• A children's candlelight vigil and procession preceded a talk by Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) member Peggy Gish in London, England, on Nov. 18, according to a release from CPT. Gish, a member of the Church of the Brethren who has spent much of the last two years with CPT in Iraq, is on a speaking tour. A British group, Children Against the War, processed to Downing Street to remember the suffering of Iraqi children before Gish spoke at London's Friends House. "In Iraq this summer, it was obvious to our team that not only had the violence increased, but that the US had maintained its control over Iraqi society and Iraq's government," Gish said. "What has been happening in Fallujah is tragic: excessive violence, collective punishment, and killing of many innocent people, to try to flush out a few." Gish's book, "Iraq: A Journey of Hope and Peace," has recently been published by Herald Press. Her speaking tour is continuing in the US. This week she spoke at Stover Memorial Church of the Brethren in Des Moines, Iowa, and she is scheduled to speak at Bridgewater (Va.) College on Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Jubilee Troupe, an Anabaptist-based improvisational performance group sponsored by On Earth Peace, is offering a Jubilee Retreat Weekend Jan. 7-9, 2005, in New Windsor, Md. Participants will explore spiritual enrichment, community renewal, and peacemaking action through interactive drama, movement, and other creative arts. The retreat is part of a larger training of the troupe to lead performances, workshops, and worship services at churches, colleges, and church events across the country in 2005. Cost is $35-60 including simple accommodations and meals. For more information or to register, see www.jubileetroupe.org.

Source: 12/03/2004 Newsline