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
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