NEWS

• Brethren Disaster Ministries responds to tornado damage.
  
• A Report on Bethany Seminary's Board of Trustees meeting.
  
• Church of the Brethren in Nigeria holds 64th Annual meeting.
  
• Forum of the FBH meets in Ohio.

FEATURES

• Vietnamese and American friends come together in Ho Chi Minh City.
  
• A prayer is offered for all tornado survivors.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Congregational Life Ministry Fair to be held at Annual Conference.
  
• Early registration for Annual Conference Children's Activities ends on June 6.
  
• Children's Disaster Services to hold workshop in Hawaii.

RESOURCES

• Study Papers for Christian Understanding
  
• Church of the Brethren provides resources to help end childhood obesity.

BRETHREN BITS

• Corrections, job openings, upcoming events and more.

Brethren Disaster Ministries responds to tornado damage.

Twin tornadoes tore through Pulaski County, Virginia, on April 8, 2011 destroying approximately 69 residences, causing major damage to 183 homes and minor damage to another 171, primarily in the county seat town of Pulaski.

A crew of 10 Brethren volunteers from Virlina District worked with chainsaws on Tuesday, April 12, cutting up fallen trees and clearing debris. The crew was organized by Jim Kropff, disaster coordinator for the district.

Kropff has been in contact with the Southwest Virginia VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and offered the services of Brethren Disaster Ministries. Any future need for volunteers for cleanup or rebuilding will be made known as the response and recovery progresses. No members of the Pulaski First Church of the Brethren were harmed.

A deadly tornado outbreak on Saturday, April 16, wreaked havoc in seven states and claimed more than 40 lives. North Carolina was the most heavily impacted, with 62 tornadoes destroying 500 homes and damaging more than 1,000 across 15 counties. The American Red Cross reports that some of the hardest hit areas of the Tar Heel state are still inaccessible, and officials say that many more than 1,000 families will be homeless.

Brethren Disaster Ministries continues to monitor reports and potential needs, maintaining close contact with impacted Church of the Brethren districts. The Virlina District, encompassing parts of Virginia and North Carolina, has borne the majority of the serious damage from storms two weekends in a row. Damaging tornadoes this weekend also struck Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, and Maryland.

-Jane Yount, coordinator for BDM and Glenn Kinsel, administrative volunteer

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

A Report on Bethany Seminary's Board of Trustees meeting.

Bethany Seminary's Board of Trustees held their semi-annual meeting March 25-27, 2011, at the Richmond, Ind., campus. Reports from all areas of the Seminary were received, and several action items were heard and passed, including

• Personal reflections from board members Rhonda Pittman Gingrich and Lynn Myers on Bethany's role as an academic institution and its relationship to the Church of the Brethren
  
  
• Granted tenure to Steven Schweitzer, Academic Dean, and promoted Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm to the rank of professor
  
  
• Approved new and continuing leadership for the board: Carol Scheppard, chair; Lynn Myers, vice chair; Marty Farahat, secretary; Lisa Hazen, chair, Academic Affairs Committee; Elaine Gibbel, chair, Institutional Advancement Committee; and Rex Miller, chair, Student and Business Affairs Committee
  
  
• Received and accepted the resignation of trustee Raymond Donadio and appointed Katherine J. Melhorn to complete his term
  
  
• Recognized Michele Firebaugh, chair, Investment Committee, with ten years as a board trustee, and Jim Dodson, chair, Student and Business Affairs Committee, with thirteen years as a board trustee, as they conclude their terms
  
  
• Recognized Marcia Shetler, as she leaves fifteen years of service as director of communications and public relations
  
  
• Received a report from the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership on the launch of Seminario Biblico Anabautista Hispano (SeBAH-CoB) in partnership with the Mennonite Education Agency
  
  
• Approved the proposed budget for 2011-2012, several board policies, Presidential Forum funding, authorization regarding financial accounts, and consultation for the Advancement Department
  
  
• Approved, pending completion of requirements, the 2011 graduating class of twenty, the largest class since Bethany's relocation to Richmond in 1994

More detailed information is available from willije@bethanyseminary.edu

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Church of the Brethren in Nigeria holds 64th annual meeting

The 64th annual General Church Council (GCC) meeting of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN) was held April 12-15, 2011, with the theme of "UNITY." Elections, reports, presentations, and deliberations were on the agenda.

This is the highest decision-making body of the church, and the meeting was expected to have over 1000 participants, comprising all active and retired ministers, one delegate from each of the existing 49 District Church Councils, church group leaders, all Directors, Heads of Programs and Institution, and observers.

The guest preacher of the GCC meeting was Mrs. Suzan Mark, Principal of John Guli Bible School, Michika and Director of EYN National Women Fellowship. Jay Wittmeyer, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships, was a special guest at the event.

-Zakariya Musa, EYN Headquarters, Kwarhi.

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Forum of the FBH meets in Ohio

The 2011 Forum of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes (FBH) enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Good Shepherd Home, Fostoria, Ohio, for its annual meeting April 5-7. Representatives from FBH retirement communities, the Church of the Brethren, and the Church of the Brethren Benefit (BBT) Trust gathered to hear presentations by several experts in the field of long-term care and to share updates and best practices from their respective organizations.

Robert E. Alley, the first Annual Conference moderator to attend a FBH Forum, spoke to participants about the long relationship enjoyed by the Church of the Brethren and Brethren retirement communities. Alley highlighted the importance of this ministry through the years to older adults, and shared personal recollections about the beginning of the Bridgewater Retirement Community and his connections with its residents during his ministry career. A tour of the Good Shepherd Home (GSH) campus included their health care, dementia, assisted living, and independent levels of care. Good Shepherd's "Departing with Dignity" service, celebrating the lives of residents at the time of their death, was described by executive director Chris Widman and local funeral director Terrence Hoening. Upon a resident's death, family members, staff, and residents accompany the body, covered by a specially embroidered cloth, to the main entrance of the home where a short service honoring the deceased is held. Two family members whose loved ones were remembered in this manner shared how meaningful the service was for them, and expressed appreciation that their relatives left Good Shepherd through the front entrance, the same one they entered when they moved into the home. Contact Jim Sampson, chaplain, at JSampson@goodshepherdhome.com for more information about this service.

Forum participants also toured HUD Section 202 apartments on the GSH campus and heard a presentation by consultant David Brainin, who described the application process to build and run HUD supportive housing for the elderly. Other presentations related to long-term care included Steve Wermuth, COO, Ohio Department of Health, who addressed national health care reform and older adults; Steve Stanisa, CPA, President, Howard Wershbale and Company, who presented strategies to respond to health care reform; and Karla Dreisbach, Senior Director of Compliance, Friends Services for the Aging, who reviewed the latest compliance regulations. Brethren Benefit Trust sponsored a presentation by Lou Burgess from Front Line Advantage about the importance of quality customer service.

Participants in the 2011 Forum included Chris Widman, Good Shepherd Home, Fostoria, Ohio; John Warner, Brethren Retirement Community, Greenville, Ohio; Carma Wall, The Cedars, McPherson, Kans.; and Vernon King, Cross Keys Village - The Brethren Home Community, New Oxford, Pa. Also, Mike Leiter, Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village, Boonsboro, Md.; Jeff Shireman, Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, Palmyra, Pa.; Ferol Labash, Pinecrest Community, Mt. Morris, Ill.; David Lawrenz, Timbercrest Senior Living Community, North Manchester, Ind.; and Shari McCabe, executive director, Fellowship of Brethren Homes. Additional participants were Nevin Dulabaum and Loyce Borgmann representing Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust; Robert Alley, Jonathan Shively, and Kim Ebersole representing the Church of the Brethren; and Wally Landes, chair of the former Association of Brethren Caregivers board, who led devotions for the group. Good Shepherd staff also contributed to the meeting, from the dining services staff to inspirational music provided by Kevin Gordon and Liz Darnell.

The date and location for the 2012 Forum will be announced at a future date. The Fellowship of Brethren Homes is comprised of 22 retirement communities related to the Church of the Brethren. Members of FBH are committed to providing high quality, loving care for older adults and work together on common challenges such as long-term care needs, uncompensated care, and nurturing relationships with congregations and districts.

-Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries and Loyce Borgmann, Client Relations Manager, BBT

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Vietnamese and American friends come together in Ho Chi Minh City.

The following refection by David Morrissey was provided by Grace Mishler, program volunteer working on behalf of Global Mission Partnerships in Vietnam.

In March, I had the honor to be invited to visit Vietnam with a diverse group of Americans brought together by Common Cause, the Ford Foundation, and the Aspen Institute. This small delegation spent five days looking at the legacy of the Vietnam War: Agent Orange and its effect on the environment and people. For me, this was an important opportunity to lend a disability rights perspective to these explorations. This was also an exciting opportunity for me to return to Vietnam. In 2006, while in graduate school, I spent the summer living in Ho Chi Minh City working with grassroots disability advocates and conducting a survey of the experiences and outlook among the Vietnamese disabled.

This was my first chance to return to Vietnam since publishing a paper of my research findings, "Voices of Persons with Disabilities in Vietnam," and I hoped that this short visit would be a chance to see my old contacts and supporters and share with them the product of our work together. With the help of friends Grace Mishler and Tran Ba Thien, a lunch was arranged for my first day in the country. I was honored that many old friends and colleagues there came together on a Sunday afternoon.

It was like a reunion, but not only for me to see these friends after five years, but for many of these activists to see each other too. Living in one of the world's largest cities, its motorbike fast pace, where my friends are working hard to advance the status of people with disabilities in Vietnamese society, it can be difficult to connect. In a garden beside the river Saigon, we took the time and did just that, embracing and catching up on our families and work. We went around and everyone shared their current efforts in organizing disability empowerment projects, and later I read them small portions from my paper, the "voices" of their brothers and sisters. The discussion then turned to planning, for these local activists to discuss future meetings, collaborations, and how to build solidarity among Vietnamese with disabilities. I am thrilled that this lunch became the opportunity for new energy and collaboration in the movement.

- David Morrissey is the executive director of the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) in Washington, D.C.

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

A Prayer is offered for all tornado survivors.

This prayer was written by Glenn Kinsel, a long time volunteer for Brethren Disaster Ministries, in response to the devastation created by the recent tornados.

"Dear God and Father of all, help us to fully understand that the struggles of one person become the pain of all, especially for those of us who follow Jesus Christ. Please, God, work in us and through us so that we indeed sense the pain and suffering of all those caught in storms and struggles of this time in our nation and on this planet. In it all, help us to feel pain even as it exists in those whom we know only as storm survivors. May the peace and care of Jesus Christ be felt and shared in the minds and hearts of our great human family everywhere. In the name of the living Christ whom we worship this Easter Season, Amen."

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Congregational Life Ministry Fair to be held at Annual Conference.

Some of the events at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, Mich. July 2-6 are changing and questions have been raised. "What happened to the Congregational Life dinner?" "Is there no Deacon Luncheon this year?" The new Congregational Life Ministry Fair will debut on Monday, July 4. It's designed to expand both of these events. As a 'fair,' this new event will provide the opportunity for participants to move from table to table to talk with others involved or interested in the same ministry areas you are, whether that be deacons, evangelism, children's ministry, older adults, board chair, or many others - a total of fifteen in all. Since most people wear multiple hats in their congregations, we thought it important to allow time for conversation with people in more than one ministry area. Register for the Fair under 'Meal Tickets' as a part of the Annual Conference registration.

-Donna Kline, Director, Deacon Ministries

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Early registration for Annual Conference Children's Activities ends on June 6.

Annual Conference experiences always have been fulfilling and exciting for youth and children, and this year is no exception. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, activities include the Public Museum, a West Michigan Food Bank service project, a Ken Medema concert, the Michigan Adventure amusement/waterpark, presenters, crafts, music, and recreation.

All children and youth must be registered for Annual Conference, and early registration (before June 6) for Age Group Activities helps the coordinators plan for the number of participants and is less expensive than registering onsite in Grand Rapids. The advance registration fee is $30 for ages 12-21 (not included in the Annual Conference Registration Fee). Children under 12 are free but do need to be registered to receive a nametag.

Completed Medical Record and Permission Form, appropriate for the age group, are required, to be mailed to Annual Conference, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL, 60120.

Online registration and forms are at www.brethren.org/ac

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Children's Disaster Services to hold workshops in Hawaii

Children's Disaster Services is partnering with Hawaii State Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (HS VOAD) to provide free workshops to train volunteers to meet the unique needs of children following a disaster. The 30-hour workshops are being held on all major islands. Participants arrive at 5:00 p.m. on day one, sleep overnight in the facility, and leave the second day at about 7:00 p.m. All meals and supplies are provided. Workshops will be held at the following locations:

Oahu, April 25-26, Camp Homelani, Waialua
Kauai, April 28-29, Breath of Life Church, Lihue
Hilo, May 1-2, Location to be announced
Kona, May 4-5, Location to be announced
Maui, May 6-7, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Kahului

For more information or to register for these workshops contact: Diane L. Reece at (808) 681-1410, Fax: (808) 440-4710, Email: dreece@cfs-hawaii.org

Children's Disaster Services is a Church of the Brethren ministry working cooperatively with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide care for children and families following disasters. The program has been meeting the needs of children since 1980. A national network of trained and screened volunteers is maintained, ready to respond whenever a disaster strikes.

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Study Papers for Christian Understanding

Five study papers on Christian understanding were written for and presented at the 2010 National Council of Churches (NCC) and Church World Service General Assembly. These papers served as the focus for discussions throughout the Assembly. Church of the Brethren General Secretary Stan Noffsinger describes the papers as "thought-inspiring and provocative resources, which should be made available for each member communion's leadership and congregations."

According to the National Council of Churches, the papers "draw on the common heritage which Christians and their churches share, the richness of which is found in scripture and tradition."

Study guides are being developed to accompany each of these papers. The first of these papers and its accompanying study guide, Christian Understanding of Unity in an Age of Radical Diversity, has been posted on the General Secretary's web page. Brethren pastor and former District Executive Minister Mark Flory-Steury wrote the study guide, and will also write three of the others. Leadership for a second study guide, on War in an Age of Terror[ism], was given by Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer and Ecumenical Peace Coordinator for the Church of the Brethren and the National Council of Churches.

Other titles to be made available in the coming months are:

• "Christian Understanding of Mission in an Age of Interfaith Relations"
  
• "Christian Understanding of Creation in an Age of Environmental Crisis"
  
• "Christian Understanding of the Economy in an Age of Growing Inequality"

The study guides are designed to give church leadership, pastors, and laity exposure to the broader Christian community's thinking on these topics. They also will be linked from the NCC website, as well as those of other denominations wishing to use them.

Go to www.brethren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NCC_StudyPapers to download copies of these documents.

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Church of the Brethren provides resources to help end childhood obesity.

The Church of the Brethren is gearing up to end childhood obesity - in a very Brethren way, of course! As we participate in the national Let's Move! Initiative, our efforts will be organized around how we can face this challenge peacefully, simply, together. Each of the next three months you will find new ideas and resources posted at www.brethren.org/letsmove -- check out April's peacefully pages today, and share this information with everyone who cares about the health and future of our children. And be sure to use the link on the page to share your stories with us so we can celebrate our successes together!

-Donna Kline,Director, Deacon Ministries

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Brethren bits corrections, job openings, upcoming events and more.

• Correction - An incomplete telephone number was included in last Newsline for Church World Service staff member Lesley Crosson. The correct number is 212-870-2676
  
  
• Jan Fischer Bachman, website producer for the Church of the Brethren, reports that a technical issue has been resolved that affected some individuals who tried to sign up for e-mail publications. "Our apologies if you wanted to receive messages and have not gotten them until now!" Please contact cobweb@brethren.org with questions or for more information.
  
  
• The Youth and Young Adult Office is delighted to announce the assistant coordinators for the 2012 workcamp ministry, Catherine Gong and Rachel Witkovsky. Assistant coordinators serve through BVS in the Elgin office from September-May, planning for summer workcamps. During the summer, they are on the road, leading workcamps for junior highs through young adults. Catherine is graduating from Pennsylvania State University this spring. Rachel is a graduate of Elizabethtown College. Both bring a passion for service and a desire to share this with the youth of our denomination.
  
  
• Lina Dagnew, editorial assistant for the Gather 'Round curriculum, has resigned her position effective May 20. She will return to her home in Ethiopia for the summer and come back to the United States in the fall to attend Harvard Law School. We will miss Lina very much but are proud of her accomplishments and wish her the very best in her future endeavors.
  
  
• The Gather 'Round is seeking an individual to fill a 40-hour-per-week position at their offices in Elgin, IL. Position is available May 16, 2011.
  
  The editorial assistant supports the editorial and marketing arms of the curriculum project, working closely with the managing editor and project director. He or she proofreads; coordinates contracts and payments for illustrators, designers, writers, and photographers; researches and requests permissions for use of copyrighted material; serves as a liaison to denominational customer service staff and the public; produces spreadsheets and other reports; assembles a monthly e-newsletter; coordinates logistics for writers conferences and other meetings; and performs general office duties. The editorial assistant also maintains and updates the Gather Round website and troubleshoots web download orders.
  
  For a full position description candidates are invited to request the application packet from:
  Office of Human Resources
  Church of the Brethren
  1451 Dundee Avenue
  Elgin, IL 60120-1694
  Phone: 1-800-323-8039, ext 258
  E-mail: kkrog@brethren.org
  
  
• The Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center (www.vbmhc.org) invites applications for the position of full-time Executive Director. The successful candidate should have expertise in fundraising, marketing, administration, public relations, volunteer coordination, and interpreting the vision of the Center to the church and community. The Director should be committed to the heritage which Brethren and Mennonites share, especially in the Shenandoah Valley. Salary and benefits as determined by the Board of Directors. Send letter of application, resume, and three recommendations to Beryl H. Brubaker, Chair, Search Committee, 965 Broadview Drive, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802 (brubakeb@emu.edu). Position open until filled.
  
  
• Church World Service (CWS) is seeking applications for the position of Associate Director Pre-Arrival. This position, located in New York, NY, manages the pre-arrival component of refugee placement and resettlement for CWS. Required qualifications include a college degree in a related field and extensive experience in refugee processing and staff supervision.
  
  Submit resumes by May 13, 2011, to Church World Service, Attn: Karen de Lopez, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515; or e-mail to cwshr@churchworldservice.org; or fax to (574) 266-0087.
  
  For details on this and other employment opportunities with Church World Service, log on to www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=employment_main#134.
  
  
• A statement by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) called "Protecting Everybody From Torture: Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) " has been endorsed by Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. The Statement includes a list of the 51 senior religious leaders who have endorsed the statement. OPCAT is a U.N. Treaty that would help prevent torture around the world. Information on the work of NRCAT is available at www.tortureisamoralissue.org.
  
  
• Two grants were approved from the Emergency Disaster Fund. An additional allocation of $30,000 for continued work at the Ashland City, Tennessee, work project, established following devastating floods of May 2010. This EDF grant will support BDM's continuing work in Cheatham County and surrounding areas by providing the opportunity to assist in the repair and rebuilding of homes for qualified individuals and families. Funds will be used to underwrite operational expenses related to volunteer support, including housing, food, travel expenses incurred on site, as well as volunteer training, tools and equipment needed for rebuilding and repair. Previous allocations to this project total $25,000.
  
  Additional funds were provided in the amount of $65,000 for the BDM program at Hurricane Katrina rebuilding site #4 in Chalmette, Louisiana. Since doubling volunteer capacity in the summer of 2008, BDM's monthly expenses have nearly doubled as well. This allocation will help carry the project from January 2011 through its projected closing in June 2011. The funds will continue to assist in the repair and rebuilding of homes, as well as provide volunteer support including travel expenses, leadership training, tools and equipment, and food and housing. Previous allocations to this project total $400,000.
  
  
• Several Church of the Brethren District Disaster Auctions will be held in May to benefit Brethren Disaster Ministries. 31st Annual Mid-Atlantic District Disaster Response Auction will be held on May 7, 2011 at the Carroll County Agricultural Center, Shipley Arena in Westminster, Maryland. 19th Annual Disaster Ministries Auction is scheduled for May 20 & 21 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
  
  
• Fahrney-Keedy Home & Village, a five-star-rated Continuing Care Retirement Community on a 90-acre campus near Boonsboro, Md., will host a Spring Open House on Saturday, May 14, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Guests will receive tours of the village, meet the staff and have the opportunity to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the community. Gourmet refreshments will be provided.
  
  "We are very excited for our guests to see firsthand the lifestyle at Fahrney-Keedy," said Keith R. Bryan, President/CEO. "They will be very impressed at the full range of retirement opportunities, including single-family homes and apartments, assisted living studios and our highly acclaimed skilled nursing center."
  
  To RSVP or to obtain additional information, call 301-671-5015 or 301-671-5016 or visit www.fkhv.org.
  
  Located on Maryland Route 66, Fahrney-Keedy has nearly 180 full- and part-time employees. It serves a resident population of almost 200 women and men in independent living, assisted living and long- and short-term nursing care. Fahrney-Keedy is committed to enhancing the lives of seniors through caring quality service.
  
  
• Jeff Carter, pastor of the Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren gave the opening invocation for the US Senate on Thursday, April 7, 2011. He was nominated by Senator Webb of Virginia and accepted as a guest chaplain by Rev. Dr. Black, Chaplain of the US Senate.
  
  
• McPherson College has announced a $1.2 million anonymous gift for their visionary new Transformative Entrepreneurship Minor, available for the first time this fall as an essential part of every field of study.
  
  A top priority of the process will be to fund a new Director of Entrepreneurship, who will provide direction and guidance for liberal arts and entrepreneurship programming, creating new programs as well as leading those already in existence. Current programs include the Horizon Fund, providing micro-grants of up to $500 to any McPherson College student with an entrepreneurial idea, and the Global Enterprise Challenge, in which students develop sustainable ventures to help in Haiti. The grant also will support faculty training and curriculum development in entrepreneurship.
  
  The purpose of this program is to allow all students the opportunity to study entrepreneurship within any major. Faculty of all academic areas has ownership in this cross-disciplinary minor. Students' required hours will be divided between core courses on entrepreneurship essentials and selected liberal arts courses.
  
  McPherson College is a four-year private liberal arts college in central Kansas, associated with the Church of the Brethren, committed to the ideals of scholarship, participation, and service. -- Adam Pracht, Coordinator of development Communications, McPherson College prachta@mcpherson.edu, www.mcpherson.edu
  
  
  
• 2011 Pennsylvania Science Olympiad Finals to be held on the campus of Juniata College, Friday, April 29, 2011, "The 20th anniversary of bringing Science Olympiad to Juniata has meant that we have been able to get the cream of the crop of talented science students from across Pennsylvania," says Ron Pauline, professor emeritus of education and Science Olympiad state tournament site director. "The visiting students can see our campus and consider going here to use our excellent science facilities. Juniata is honored to have hosted the state finals for such a long time and also serve as the site for the national finals in 2004." The students from 70 high schools and middle schools across Pennsylvania will compete across campus at sites such as the von Liebig Center for Science, Knox Stadium, the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center, and the lawn behind Ellis Hall. The 2011 Science Olympiad begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues throughout the day, ending with an awards ceremony at approximately 4:15 p.m. in the sports center's main gym. More than 1,000 students will compete.
  
  Science Olympiad is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and recognizing outstanding achievements in science education. Contact: John Wall office: (814) 641-3132 e-mail: wallj@juniata.edu
  
  
• Elizabethtown College Theatre presents staged readings of fresh, new, short plays at 8 p.m., Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30, in the College's Tempest Theatre. Tickets for the productions, which are open to the public, can be purchased for $4 through the Theatre Box Office by calling 717-361-1170 or sending a request via e-mail to boxoffice@etown.edu. The two nights include a total of 13 readings of plays written or directed by students in the College's Playwriting class. The plays also are directed by students from the College. Contact: Michael Swanson, coordinator of Theatre and Dance, at swansonm@etown.edu.
  
  
• An Easter Season Spiritual Disciplines folder which coordinates with Sunday worship scriptures of the Brethren bulletin series is being posted on the Springs of Living Water web site at www.churchrenewalservant.org under the Springs button. Entitled "Born Anew to a Living Hope" from I Peter 1:3, the folder has topics for Sunday morning worship and daily scripture readings that build to the next Sunday.
  
  The insert is an invitation to go deeper in spiritual disciplines according to God's leading. Vince Cable, pastor of the Uniontown Church of the Brethren south of Pittsburgh, has written Bible study questions for individuals or small groups Bible study and they are also on the Springs website.
  
  The Springs of Living Water Initiative in Church Renewal is in the midst of a study entitled "The Intentional Renewal Pastor." This is an endeavor to explore the challenges, needs and joys of pastors intentionally working on renewal in their congregations. In this study done as a project in the Greenleaf Academy of Servant Leadership, twenty-five pastors working in renewal are being interviewed using a questionnaire on these topics. For more information email David Young at davidyoung@churchrenewalservant.org.

Source: 4/20/2011 Newsline

Credits

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Contributors to this issue of the Church of the Brethren Newsline include Stan Noffsinger, Sue Snyder, Jane Yount, Glenn Kinsel, Jan Fisher Bachman, Nancy Miner, Jeanne Davies, John Wall, Elizabeth Harvey, Adam Pracht, Michael Leiter, and David Young. Kathleen Campanella, director of partner and public relations at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., is serving as guest editor.