Brethren bits: Job openings, tax-free giving, and more.

• The Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign seeks an assistant director. This grant-funded staff position of the National Council of Churches works with the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, and national and state campaigns to coordinate state field organizers and implement initiatives. The campaign's mandate is to proclaim and enact God's biblical mandate of stewardship by working within the faith community to curb global warming, with special attention to the needs of the poor. Starting in the fall of 2006, the organization will engage in an intensive grassroots campaign that utilizes an education-to-advocacy framework. Location is in Washington, D.C. Salary is commensurate with experience. For the full job posting go to www.ncccusa.org/jobs/jobshome.html (scroll down to find the posting). Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample to ICEC Search, Attn: Joan Gardner, jgardner@ncccusa.org or National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Dr., Rm. 812, New York, NY 10115 (electronic applications preferred). The NCC is an equal opportunity employer. Deadline for applications is Nov. 27.
  
  
• Retirees have a new option for tax-free giving to the church or church agencies through the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Those age 70-and-a-half or older may give up to $100,000 in 2006-07 directly from an individual retirement account (IRA) without reporting the gift as income. Previously such gifts would be taxable. Gifts must be made on or before Dec. 31, 2007, and transferred directly from the IRA by its administrator or trustee. Some funds are ineligible to receive such gifts including charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and donor-advised funds. For more information contact one of the funding staff of the Church of the Brethren General Board or the Brethren Benefit Trust, or a personal financial advisor.
  
  
• The US federal budget for 2007 calls for cuts in domestic human needs programs so that more money can be allocated for defense, said an Action Alert from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. The alert supports a call for action by the faith community from Domestic Human Needs, an ecumenical faith-based working group. The budget will be finalized in the upcoming "lame duck" session of Congress. The alert listed how budget cuts will affect domestic human needs programs including cuts in job-training programs for the fifth year in a row; cuts in the budget of Head Start of $140 million less than the program would need to provide a 2006 level of service; a cut of $43 million for child care, primarily provided through the Child Care and Development Block Grant, likely to cause 11,000 children to lose assistance; funding for Pell Grants for low- and middle-income students of $725 million below the 2006 level plus inflation; funding for the National Institutes of Health that is $351 million below the 2006 level plus inflation. The office is providing a sample letter expressing these concerns to send to a local newspaper or to members of Congress. Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• A workshop titled, "A Faithful Response: Supporting and Welcoming Those Who Choose Military Service or Conscientious Objection," will be held Nov. 11 at Messiah Church of the Brethren in Kansas City, Mo. On Earth Peace staff Susanna Farahat and Laura Partridge of the American Friends Service Committee, along with Kansas City pastors Barbra Davis and Sonja Griffith, will provide leadership for the day-long peace retreat sponsored by the Kansas City Metro Parish. Sessions include "Christian Nonviolence," "Military Recruitment/Conscientious Objection," "Sharing Stories in Community," and "Welcoming Veterans Home." Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The event begins with worship at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. To register at no cost, e-mail messiah15@isp.com or call 816-678-7664. Church of the Brethren ministers receive .5 continuing education units for participating in this event.
  
  
• A fire broke out at Middle River Church of the Brethren in Fort Defiance, Va., early on the morning of Nov. 7. An inspector was due to assess the damage later the same day. Shenandoah District has requested prayers for the congregation.
  
  
• The Moms and Tots program meeting at Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The free program attracts at least 30 moms and even more children, according to a report in the "Patriot-News" newspaper. Moms and Tots offers a program for mothers and activities for children, taught by Lebanon Valley College students and other parents.
  
  
• Virlina District holds its district conference Nov. 10-11, in Rocky Mount, Va. Shirley Jamison will serve as moderator.
  
  
• Bridgewater (Va.) College is working with two community colleges to make a bachelor's degree more accessible to local students. Bridgewater has signed Guaranteed Admission Agreements with Germanna Community Collge in Locust Grove, and Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Daleville, to allow students meeting certain requirements to transfer directly from the community colleges to Bridgewater's bachelor's degree program. For more information go to www.bridgewater.edu.
  
  
• "Who's Who Among American Teachers" is recognizing eight Manchester College faculty members for educational excellence: James R.C. Adams, chair of the Department of Art; Mark Angelos, who teaches European history and medieval and gender studies; Dagny Boebel, chair of the Department of English; Gregory W. Clark, chair of the Department of Physics; Mary P. Lahman, professor of communication studies; Heather A. Schilling of the Department of Education faculty; Scott K. Strode, chair of the Department of Communication Studies and director of theater; and Janina P. Traxler, chair of the Department of Modern Languages. For more visit www.manchester.edu.
  
  
• The Church of the Brethren's Womaen's Caucus has given its 2006 "Friend of Caucus" award to Jan Fairchild. She has served on the Womaen's Caucus Steering Committee for four years, including a time when the group had no administrator. Fairchild is retired from a ministry position in Oregon and Washington District, and currently living in Bloomington, Ind., where she is a regular volunteer at Middle Way House Domestic Violence Shelter.
  
  
• The Annual Pinecrest Bazaar has added a home tour this year. The event, now in its 15th year, is sponsored by Pinecrest Community, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in Mount Morris, Ill. The bazaar on Nov. 10, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. features holiday gifts, homemade baked goods, barbecue lunch, and hand-crafted items including jewelry, dolls, clothing--and this year the possibility of shopping for a retirement home at Pinecrest Grove, a 20-acre active adult development. For more information about the bazaar call Janell Miller at 815-734-4103 ext. 218. For more information about the tour, call Chrystal Bostian at 815-734-4103 ext. 242.
  
  
• The New Community Project is holding a Fall Retreat at Camp Brethren Woods in the mountains of Virginia, on Nov. 24-25. Leaders includes David and Daniel Radcliff of New Community Project, Carol Lena Miller of the Virginia ilderness Committee, Chris Keeney of the National Youth Conference band, and Susan Chapman, program director at Camp Bethel. Activities include singing, sharing, hiking, a photo tour of Nepal and Burma, and a special visit by "St. Francis of Assisi." Cost is $40 for an individual, $25 for each additional family member, $100 family maximum. Register by Nov. 20 at http://newcommunityproject.org/fall_retreat.shtml or contact ncp@newcommunityproject.org or 888-800-2985. The New Community Project is a Brethren-related nonprofit, "following Christ toward a new community of justice, peace, and respect for God's earth."
  
  
• John Braun, who has directed Brethren in Business, has announced that the network has come to an end. "More than 400 Brethren business persons have given time and encouragement for conversations about Brethren in Business. My personal thanks is enormous," he wrote in the announcement. He added that the network accomplished connections with a wider community of Brethren who run businesses, and helped stimulate entrepreneurism with Brethren ethical values.
  
  
• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has announced delegations for 2007: To the Arizona Borderlands March 1-8 and May 24-June 4, to monitor human rights and meet with representatives of human rights groups, government officials, and individuals on both sides of the border; participants arrange their own transportation to Tucson, Ariz., and raise $400 for on-ground expenses. To Colombia Jan. 17-30, May 23-June 5, July 18-31, and Sept. 26-Oct. 9, to meet with human rights workers and church leaders to gain perspective on the longest ongoing armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere, and to provide accompaniment to villagers threatened by armed groups; delegates raise $1,800 to cover costs. To Israel/Palestine on Jan. 10-22, March 19-31, May 29-June 10, July 30-Aug. 11, Oct. 16-28, and Nov. 19-Dec. 1, to meet with representatives of Israeli and Palestinian peace and human rights groups, tour the "security wall," and visit Palestinian families threatened by Israeli settlements; delegates raise $2,000 to cover costs. For more information see www.cpt.org, click on "Delegations." Originally a violence-reduction initiative of the historic peace churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of Christian denominations.
  
  
• The National Council of Churches has released a report giving churches "bright ideas for reducing utility bills and caring for creation." Lighting, heating, and housing activities comes at a cost to a church's bottom line and negatively impact the environment and human health, the NCC said in a release about the report. "Bottom Line Ministries that Matter: Congregational Stewardship with Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Technologies" outlines how congregations can save money as they reduce carbon emissions that lead to global warming. The report promotes moral and financial stewardship and gives examples of how churches successfully saved $8,000-$16,000 a year using energy efficient technologies. Download from www.nccecojustice.org/network (user must sign up for the network to download resources)

Source: 11/08/2006 Newsline