Brethren bits: Remembrances, job openings, and more.

• J. Stanley Earhart died at Brethren Village in Lancaster, Pa., on Aug. 1. He was executive secretary of Southern Pennsylvania District from 1970-83. He also served as part-time director of District Ministries for the General Board 1983-86. He pastored several Pennsylvania and Maryland congregations from 1942-70. In his work for the General Board he supported district staff and assisted districts in calling church members to district staff positions. Earhart served on several denominational committees, including Standing Committee and the Annual Conference Central Committee, and chaired the Council of District Executives. In retirement, he also directed the Keystone Bible Institutes, a cooperative Bible study program of the Church of the Brethren, Brethren in Christ, and Mennonite Churches of eastern Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College--which conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree--and of Bethany Bible Training School. He is survived by his wife, Anna Lois (Laurie), and three children. A memorial service was held Aug. 13 at Lampeter (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
  
  
• John Wilburn Lewallen died Aug. 8 at Timbercrest Church of the Brethren Home in North Manchester, Ind., surrounded by family. He was 86. He had served as executive minister of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Districts beginning in 1955, and of Northern Indiana District from 1962-77. He also served as pastor of Church of the Brethren congregations in Kansas and Ohio, where he retired from the ministry in 1982. He was a graduate of McPherson (Kan.) College and of Bethany Biblical Seminary in Chicago, Ill. Lewallen had a lifelong interest in photography and also was skilled at woodworking, refinishing antiques, creating stained glass lamps, and cutting and polishing rocks. He had lived at Timbercrest Health Care since 2001. His family includes his wife, Joy, two children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. Services were held this afternoon, Aug. 17, at the Timbercrest Chapel in North Manchester.
  
  
• The General Board seeks a public health professional or physician to serve as a consultant for Community Health/Church Development in the Dominican Republic. This is a fulltime staff position. The consultant will guide development of a community-based health program similar to the model of the Lafiya Rural Health program in Nigeria, working closely with mission coordinators in the DR. A candidate with appropriate health background will be considered, but a person or team with both health and pastoral experience is preferred. Qualifications include background and licenses in medicine, public health, or a related field; grounding in Church of the Brethren heritage, theology, and polity; communication skills and ability to facilitate change and motive others; ability to function collaboratively with colleagues in a team; Spanish and/or Creole language skills or ability to learn functional language. Theological education and pastoral experience is an asset. Starting date is January 2006. Applications will be received and the search will continue until the position is filled. Initial deadline to indicate interest is Sept. 15. Qualified candidates are invited to submit a resume and letter of application, and to request three references to send letters of recommendation to Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039 ext. 258.
  
  
• The General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM) is publicizing staffing vacancies in Darfur, Sudan, with ACT (Action by Churches Together) and Caritas Internationalis, the federations of Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic aid agencies worldwide. The Church of the Brethren is providing relief to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, working through Church World Service, ACT, and Caritas Internationalis. "These are demanding positions in a very high stress situation," ER/SM staff reported. "The ACT management makes all placement decisions, but we can work to help any interested Brethren with a placement." Positions with job descriptions are: architect/construction engineer for the health program (6-12 month contract), environmental health program manager (12-month unaccompanied contract is offered), health advisor (up to the end of December), health promotion officer (up to the end of December), officer manager Khartoum (up to the end of December), protection officer (up to the end of December). Positions currently without a job description are: partner support advisor, personnel and administrative manager, nutrition program manager, security manager. Terms and conditions include contract with a six-week probationary period, start date immediate with later starting dates considered, salary competitive with international NGO salary and benefits package. Contact Roy Winter, Emergency Response/Service Ministries, 601 Main St., P.O. Box 188, New Windsor, MD 21776; 800-451-4407 ext. 7; rwinter_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) is seeking a chief information officer (CIO) to fill its highest-ranking technology position. The CIO is responsible for all information technology strategy, systems, projects, and staff related to traditional and Web technology infrastructure. Qualified applicants will have a bachelor's degree in a technical or business discipline, at least five years of related management or leadership experience, and understanding of network and data architectures. Experience in the finance or health industries is a plus. MMA provides insurance and financial services and is affiliated with Anabaptist denominations. MMA is an equal opportunity employer offering a competitive salary and excellent benefits. Send resume and cover letter to MMA, Human Resources, 1110 N. Main St., P.O. Box 483, Goshen, IN 46527; hr@mma-online.org; fax 574-537-6635.
  
  
• The Annual Conference Anniversary Committee invites you to submit music, drama, or worship resources, representing the 2008 tricentennial theme, "Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit." Music submissions, due Aug. 31, can include hymns, folk songs, praise songs, anthems, and children's songs. Dramatic writings, due Dec. 31, can be full-length dramas, skits, monologues, and vignettes for adults, children, and/or youth. Worship resources, due Dec. 31, can include calls to worship, prayers, litanies, responsive readings, offertory statements, children's stories, benedictions, worship centers (description and/or drawing), Powerpoint presentations, and interpretive movements. All submissions become the property of the Anniversary Committee for use in tricentennial activities. The name, address, and phone number of the writer or composer should not appear on submissions but should be included on a separate page. Music, drama, and worship resources should be sent to the Annual Conference Office, 1451 Dundee Ave, Elgin, IL 60120.
  
  
• If you lost a valuable item at Annual Conference this summer in Peoria, Ill., please call the Annual Conference office, 800-323-8039 ext. 296, or e-mail annualconference@brethren.org.
  
  
• Brethren from across the country gathered at Genesis Church of the Brethren in Putney, Vt., on Aug. 5-7 for the first A Place Apart spiritual retreat. A Place Apart is an initiative to create a Brethren retreat center where Brethren and others can step apart from the busy world to reconnect with God in a wilderness setting. Participants celebrated the Liturgy of the Hours during the weekend, gathering for worship at key times throughout the day. Leadership included Carol Scheppard and Paul Grout. A Place Apart is planning further retreats, in different regions, for April 2006. For more information contact apart@sover.net.
  
  
• Osceola (Ind.) Church of the Brethren will host a food-eating contest at the Osceola Bluegrass Festival Aug. 20-21, according to "The Truth" newspaper. Participants, who are encouraged to sign up early at the church's booth, will choose nicknames and bring their own cheering sections. On the menu: hot dogs, pies, peanut butter sandwiches, dill pickles, and/or sweet corn.
  
  
• Oregon and Washington District will hold its conference Aug. 26-28 at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum, Wash., with Carol Mason as moderator. "The focus will continue to be on expanding skills for discernment in decision-making, including release of the 'way we want the vote to go' and becoming aware of how the language we use reveals beliefs about faith and politics," reported Lani Wright, Standing Committee member for the district. "Small groups will practice 'minute-making,' a listening skill for discernment, adding this to the skills practiced last year. The district uses the manual 'Formal Consensus,' recommended by On Earth Peace, as a model for business sessions."
  
  
• The 11th Annual Camp Bethel Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Aug. 24 with a 12:45 p.m. start at Botetourt Country Club. The event benefits the camp in Fincastle, Va. Cost is $60 or $240 for a team of four including a banquet that evening at the camp; $10 per person for banquet only. Register by Aug. 19 at www.campbethelvirginia.org/golf.htm.
  
  
• The Brethren Revival Fellowship is bringing its summer Brethren Volunteer Service orientation unit to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., beginning Aug. 21. Fifteen volunteers and staff are expected. The orientation will conclude Aug. 31.
  
  
• Bridgewater (Va.) College will hold its opening convocation for the school year Aug. 30 at 9:30 a.m. at Nininger Hall, with president Phillip C. Stone speaking. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 800-476-4289 or see www.bridgewater.edu.
  
  
• COBYS Family Services is seeking to attract 500 people and raise $60,000 on Sept. 11 at its 9th Annual Bike and Hike and Dutch Country Motorcycle Ride. Events begin at 1 p.m. at Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. The event includes a three-mile walk, a 10-mile bicycle Fun Ride, a 25-mile bicycle Challenge Ride, and a 60-mile Dutch Country Motorcycle Ride. Participants obtain sponsors or pay a registration fee. Grand prizes for top fundraisers include a $100 gift card from Bob Neff Tours, a "Do as You Please" trip for two to New York City from Conestoga Tours, two free tickets to Knoebels Grove Amusement Resort, and a two-hour private plane ride for three. Youth group prizes include 20 free Hersheypark tickets and a gym and pizza night. COBYS is a Church of the Brethren-related agency providing adoption and foster care services, counseling, family life education, and a teen mother and child group home. For more go to www.cobys.net/new.htm.
  
  
• Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC), is urging President Bush to join a group of mothers of soldiers killed in Iraq in an interfaith prayer service outside the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, at noon Aug. 19. The service has been called by Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan "as an opportunity for Americans and others across the world to pray for our soldiers in Iraq, their families, and in particular the mothers of our fallen," according to an NCC release. Sheehan's son Casey was killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004. She, along with United Methodist laywoman Celeste Zappala and other mothers, has been waiting to meet with the President since his five-week vacation began. Edgar visited the mothers and conducted a worship service on Aug. 12 at the invitation of fellow Methodist Zappala, whose son Sherwood was killed in Iraq. "This war, like any war, has generated terrible losses, immense pain, and sharp divisions in our country," Edgar said. "Each day we see the pain in the faces of the Gold Star mothers and their families. It's evident that President Bush, who has faced agonizing decisions in this war, feels the pain as well.... Let's suspend the rhetoric for a few minutes on Friday and join together--commander-in-chief and families of the fallen--to seek strength from the God who sustains us all." In an open letter to religious leaders Aug. 15, Sheehan urged those who cannot attend to host a prayer vigil in their cities. For more information see www.ncccusa.org.
  
  
• Habitat for Humanity International's Board of Directors has named Jonathan T.M. Reckford as chief executive officer, in a release by Religion News Service. Reckford has served for two years as executive pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church of Edina, Minn. Previously he was president of stores for the Musicland division of Best Buy, senior vice president of corporate planning and communications for Circuit City, and director of strategic planning for Disney Design and Development. "I believe passionately in Habitat's mission and can't think of a movement I would rather join," said Reckford, who succeeds interim CEO Paul Leonard. For more information see www.habitat.org.

Source: 8/17/2005 Newsline
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