Remembrance: Philip W. Rieman and Louise Baldwin Rieman.

Philip Wayne Rieman (64) and Louise Ann Baldwin Rieman (63), co-pastors of Northview Church of the Brethren in Indianapolis, Ind., were killed in a car accident on the morning of Dec. 26. The accident occurred on a highway north of Indianapolis when the couple were on their way to a family gathering.

Louise Rieman was a current member of the Church of the Brethren's Mission Advisory Committee. The couple both participated in the Sudan Assessment Team that spent three weeks in southern Sudan in July-Aug. 2007 (http://sudan.brethren.org/blog/enten-eller). They also were part of an informal group that helped support the original proposal for the Church of the Brethren's Sudan mission initiative.

The Riemans were Brethren mission workers in Sudan from 1992-96, when they worked as community development facilitators for the New Sudan Council of Churches and with the council's Peace Department. Their work for the council also took them to Uganda and Kenya.

In other service to the church, the Riemans pastored congregations in Iowa and Indiana. They coordinated the church's first Nigeria workcamp in 1985, which has since become an annual event. They were peace witnesses and war tax resisters for decades, and were featured by the "New York Times" in an article about the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund on Aug. 3, 2002. The article reported that they gave about 60 percent of their taxes to civil rights and peace programs, despite Internal Revenue Service threats of liens against bank accounts, wage garnishments, and seizure of the family van. "We will look back on war someday like we did on slavery," Phil Rieman told the paper.

Phil Rieman was born in Chicago on Aug. 27, 1944, the son of T. Wayne and Gwen Rieman. Louise Baldwin Rieman was born in Garkida, Nigeria, on June 23, 1946, the daughter of Elmer and Ferne Baldwin who were longterm Brethren mission workers in Nigeria. Both graduated from Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., and from Bethany Theological Seminary. They were married in 1967. They are survived by their children, son Ken and his wife Kate, and daughters Tina and Cheri.

Condolences to the family may be sent care of Northview Church of the Brethren, 5555 E. 46th St., Indianapolis, IN 46226. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 31 at the Northview church. A live webcast of the service will be offered at www.bethanyseminary.edu/riemanmemorial which also includes directions for logging in from any computer with an Internet connection (for questions or technical assistance contact Enten Eller at Enten@BethanySeminary.edu or 765-983-1831). A memorial time of silence, prayer, sharing, and fellowship is planned for 10 a.m. on Dec. 31 at Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center, Iowa, where the Riemans were pastors from 1985-92.

Source: 12/29/2008 Newsline Extra