Brethren bits: Correction, remembrance, and much more.

• Correction: In the Newsline of Nov. 8, a “Brethren Bit” giving information about a new option for tax-free giving for retirees omitted the names of all the agencies of the Church of the Brethren that may receive donations. Those agencies are the Association of Brethren Caregivers, the General Board, Bethany Theological Seminary, and On Earth Peace.
  
  
• Atlantic Southeast District is requesting prayer for the family of Bryan Pata, a University of Miami football star who was shot outside his apartment on Nov. 8. Pata was a member of Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Haitian Church of the Brethren) in Miami, Fla. His death has been ruled a homicide. Pastor Ludovic St. Fleur conducted the memorial service.
  
  
• Marin O’Brien has begun work in Guatemala as a Brethren Volunteer Service and Global Mission worker for the Church of the Brethren General Board. She will work with Red Ecumenica of Totonicapan. O’Brien is from Newton, Mass.
  
  
• The Brethren Witness/Washington Office seeks Brethren members interested in serving as representative to the board of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). Cliff Kindy of Liberty, Ind., and Orlando Redekopp of Chicago, Ill., are concluding their terms of service as Church of the Brethren representatives on the CPT board of directors. Phil Miller continues to serve as a board member appointed by On Earth Peace. “A sincere thank you to Cliff and Orlando for their service to the church through their work with Christian Peacemaker Teams,” said the office in an Action Alert. Contact Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, at pjones_gb@brethren.org or 800-785-3246.
  
  
• “Life to the World: Devotions for Advent Through the Baptism of Our Lord,” by Christopher D. Bowman, is available from Brethren Press. The small booklet of daily devotions, scripture, and prayer for the 2006 Advent and Christmas season may be ordered for $2 plus shipping and handling from 800-441-3712.
  
  
• Materials for an annual Christmas Offering for the work of the Church of the Brethren General Board are available for the suggested date of Dec. 3. Free materials on the theme “Come Walk with Us in the Ways of Peace,” include a bulletin insert, offering envelope, sheet of stewardship practices, sermon thoughts, music suggestions, and worship resources. Some are available in Spanish and English. Order from Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.
  
  
• The website of the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is offering a new link for congregations wanting emergency disaster preparedness information for members with disabilities. The link sends congregations to a resource from the National Organization on Disabilities titled "Prepare Yourself: Disaster Readiness Tips for People with Disabilities." This and other resources can be accessed by going to the link at www.brethren.org/abc or by going directly to www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=1549&.
  
  
• The Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren has announced the disbursement of funds from the quilt auction at the 2006 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. The group has disbursed a total of $11,500 as follows: $5,700 to the Global Food Crisis Fund, a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board, to help fund a bakery in Sudan and micro-loans in Latin America; $4,000 to the Washington (D.C.) City Food Pantry; $1,000 to the Pump House Ministry; and $800 to the New Community Project to help fund development for women in Nepal.
  
  
• Barry and Carol Haller of East Cocalico Church of the Brethren in Reamstown, Pa., are again organizing annual Thanksgiving dinners for their community, this year expecting close to 1,000 guests at two locations. The dinners are served with the help of many other community volunteers. An article in the “Intelligencer Journal” of Lancaster, Pa., tells the story. Find the piece titled “Feeding bodies and spirits,” at http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/27985.
  
  
• A new resource from the National Council of Churches (NCC) Eco-Justice Program titled, "At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving," gives churches tools to talk about how faith may influence food choices, to engage in progressive food buying practices, and to advocate for a better farm bill in 2007. The NCC hopes people of faith this holiday season will remember the chain of God's creatures and creation that brings food to their family's table, said a release. “From farmers, farmworkers, rural communities, land, water, air, and soil that was necessary to produce their meal, all deserve to be lifted up as families say their prayers of thanks this holiday season,” the NCC said. The resource addresses justice, economic, and environmental issues related to food production and distribution. It can be downloaded for free from the Eco-Justice Program's Network at www.nccecojustice.org/network (sign in to access the resource downloads).
  
  
• Virlina District reports that a “Brethren Christian Peacemaker Team” is sending four representatives to eastern Tennessee from Nov. 24-28, to the area of the Aerojet plant in Telford to hold meetings and discussions about the production of weapons using depleted uranium. The Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) group is working to educate about the effects of depleted uranium weaponry on the local community, the military, and people around the world. The schedule for the visit includes a potluck supper at Jackson Park Church of the Brethren in Jonesborough, Tenn., followed by a discussion about “Agent Orange and Depleted Uranium--How Do Good Citizens Respond to These Tragedies for Our Soldiers?” with representatives of the VFW’s local “Rolling Thunder” chapter, on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.; a discussion at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on Nov. 25 at 2 p.m.; worship at Jackson Park Church of the Brethren on Nov. 26, at 11 a.m.; a discussion with Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, at Aerojet in Telford, on Nov. 27 at 1 p.m., pizza and discussion with First Tennessee Progressives at Rivers Edge Restaurant in Erwin on Nov. 27 at 6 p.m.; and a meeting with Congressman-elect David Davis in Johnson City on Nov. 28 at 8:45 a.m.
  
  
• In other news from Christian Peacemaker Teams, a team returned to Iraq in early November after taking a short break out of the country. CPT requested prayer for the team, as it reported that the security situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.
  
  
• A Greater Gift/SERRV is holding a Holiday Overstock sale through Nov. 26 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., in the Blue Ridge Building 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. through Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. The sale will be closed on Thanksgiving. Discounts include 60 percent off all first-quality crafts, some with greater discounts. For more go to www.greatergift.org.
  
  
• The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has expressed “deep and abiding sorrow and regret for the persecution and suffering visited upon the Anabaptists during the religious disputes of the past.” The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council acted because past statements have become problematic for the ELCA's present-day relationships with the Mennonite Church USA and others who trace their heritage to 16th century Anabaptist reformers, which group includes the Church of the Brethren. The council declared that the ELCA "repudiates the use of governmental authorities to punish individuals or groups with whom it disagrees theologically"; rejected arguments of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon, two 16th century church reformers, "in which they hold that governmental authorities should punish Anabaptists for their teaching”; and repudiated similar statements in the Formula of Concord and Augsburg Confession.
  
  
• The Fund for Theological Education (FTE) seeks nominations for 2007 fellowships, including Undergraduate Fellowships for rising juniors and seniors, Ministry Fellowships for divinity students, matching grants for Congregational Fellowships for students entering the first year of a divinity program, and Doctoral and Dissertation Fellowships for African-American doctoral students. University and seminary faculty and administrators, campus pastors, and clergy are invited to nominate candidates. For details go to www.thefund.org/programs.
  
  
• In a follow up to the report about Brethren trees (see “Brethren bits” in the Aug. 30 Newsline), the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., has two “Big Tree Champions” on its grounds with awards from the State of Maryland, reports Linda Hollinger, a former Brethren Volunteer Service worker at the center. “The Big Tree champion of species is the biggest documented occurrence of that species in the state,” she said. “The purple beech near the entrance to the Zigler Building (dining hall) measures over 14 feet in circumference. It, and the hinoki cypress on the grounds listed as the biggest in the state can be found by searching the following website http://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/download/forests/bigtreelist.pdf.” (The Brethren Service Center trees are listed on pages 4 and 5.) Ed Palsgrove, director of Buildings and Grounds at the center provided more information. “We have been aware that the purple beach is a unique specimen for quite awhile and have made it a priority to keep it in good shape over the last 25-plus years,” he said. “We have had it trimmed, cabled, fertilized, and applied other longevity efforts. The hanoki cypress was nominated by a local arborist about five years ago and we have taken a few similar measures since then to maintain its health.”

Source: 11/22/2006 Newsline