Northern Plains District considers 'Tradition and Change.'

"Tradition and Change" was the theme as Northern Plains District met Aug. 6-8 for its conference at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Registered for the weekend were 211 people. Moderator Beth Cage led the conference in "worshipful work" business sessions that included time for congregations to share a tradition or change from the past year.

Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $116,799, received a report from the District Conference Site Committee, approved dates and location for 2005 and 2006, and approved a change in the constitution and by laws. Delegates also called new leaders: moderator-elect Diane Mason; Nominating Committee members Lyle Neher and Darius Elder; Board of Administration members Janice Ackart, Merlin Grady, Sheila Selix, Alice Draper, Betty Kingery, and Ida Van Westen; board youth representative Sam Button-Harrison; and Program Planning Committee member Carol Leland. Guests who gave reports included Jim Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator, and Lowell Flory, director of Institutional Advancement at Bethany Theological Seminary. General Board members Roy Unruh and Jeff Neuman-Lee gave a video presentation.

Worship on Friday evening was experienced with multiple preachers, women and men sitting separately, and traditional hymns. Greg Jones, Cara McCallister, and John Elder shared the preaching. Saturday evening brought a dramatic tour through the Bible by Mennonite duo Ted and Lee. On Sunday morning there was a blending of traditional and new hymns, preaching by moderator Beth Cage, and installation of new district leadership. Tim Peter, pastor of Prairie City (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, received the gavel as the incoming moderator. Offerings totaled $2,736.57.

Conference goers also heard about projects and ideas in the "Free Money...Strings Attached" fundraising approach initiated in 2003. Milestones in Ministry were presented to ordained ministers Richard Burger, Vernon Merkey, Lucinda Douglas, Marjorie Smalley, Marlene Neher, and Clara Glover.

Other highlights of the weekend were a Witness Commission blood drive with the American Red Cross, in which donors gave 46 units of blood. An auction organized by the Nurture Commission contributed $3,029.75 to Heifer International. The youth contributed money from an evening Ice Cream Social for a total of $3,168.65 to help stop hunger around the world.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Michigan District renews vision.

"Renewing Our Vision: Of God and His Word, of His Church, of Our Mission" was the theme for the Michigan District conference Aug. 12-15 in Hastings, Mich. Bill Raymor served as moderator and Gary Copenhaver as moderator-elect.

Each of three worship services was based on an aspect of the theme, with James Myer, of the Brethren Revival Fellowship, as preacher. A Love Feast opened the conference, led by Anita Smith Buckwalter. Youth were worship leaders for the Saturday evening service.

The conference adopted a District Board gross budget for 2005 of $91,608 (net $77,548), representing an increase from last year's budget with new line items for ministry training and development. The Camp Budget approved for 2005 was $78,580. After much discussion the query, "The Process of Licensing or Ordaining," was returned to Beaverton (Mich.) Church of the Brethren. Delegates voted to shift from the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee to the Shalom Team, with appointees to be affirmed by the district conference. District commissions and committees gave reports and the conference also heard from denominational agencies.

Those elected to leadership were Mary Gault, moderator-elect; Roya Stern, conference writing clerk; Lori Waas, Central Committee; Christina Campbell, Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee; Cindy Tarte, Nominating Committee; Jan Thomas, Nurture Commission; Winnie Toledo, Ministry Commission; Bob Phillips, Stewards Commission; Bob Schnepp, Witness Commission; Frances Townsend, District Board secretary; Nancy Hammond-Chaffin, affirmed as Camp Board representative. Raymor and General Board member Dan McRoberts were recognized for their service on the District Board.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Northern Indiana focuses on 'Loving God and Neighbor.'

Northern Indiana District Conference was held Sept. 17-18 at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind., with Dan Snider serving as moderator. The theme, "Loving God and Neighbor with all your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength," utilized the 2004 Annual Conference banner designed and made by Rosanna McFadden, a member of the district.

A total of 250 people were present for the Friday evening worship service led by Dan Petry, moderator-elect. Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook was the speaker. An offering of $1,215 was received for the Ministry Scholarship Fund.

Delegates approved a 2005 budget totaling $175,000; approved a constitution and by law change to include a new Assessment and Coaching Team; and approved a revised policy related to church moderators. Dan Petry was installed as moderator for 2004-2005 and will serve the next district conference to be held at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., Sept. 16-17. Other leaders elected were Mike Kauffman, moderator-elect; Jim Davis, Standing Committee delegate; Delia Waits, Program and Arrangements Committee; Phyllis Davis and Dan Snider, District Board; Joe Long and Charles Morris, Personnel Committee.

The District Board presented the "Volunteer of the Year" award to John and Beth Sternberg for their service as Disaster Response coordinators for over 20 years. Executive minister Herman Kauffman was recognized for ten years of district service.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Brethren bits: Correction, remembrances, and more.

• In a correction to the Sept. 17 story on the National Older Adult Conference, the potter for the opening worship service was Joyce Parker, not Joyce Person as reported.
  
  
• Lyle C. Albright, 84, died July 16 in McPherson, Kan. He was executive of Northern Plains District for 10 years and pastored churches in Missouri, Texas, Iowa, and Kansas. He was an ecumenical leader in Kansas, helping found Churches United for Peacemaking, serving on the Holocaust Committee for the Kansas Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and helping plan the "North American Assisi: A Multi-Religious Meeting" in Wichita in 1988. He was a graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary and McPherson (Kan.) College, and was a missionary in Nigeria for a year in the mid-1940s.
  
  
• Caleb Hoffer Frantz, 89, who served in several capacities in Puerto Rico, died Sept. 1. He was a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and attended Bethany Biblical Seminary before working at Castaner Hospital in Puerto Rico through Civilian Public Service. He went on to teach public school in Puerto Rico, then became project director and hospital administrator at Castaner from 1960-64. He was a member of Little Swatara Church of the Brethren, Bethel, Pa.
  
  
• Former India missionary, teacher, and registered nurse Betty Rogers Blickenstaff, 90, died Sept. 13 at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif. She and her late husband Leonard Blickenstaff were mission workers in India 1940-70. She served at the Brethren hospital in Bulsar, the Dahanu Mission Hospital, the Woodstock School, and the Rural Service Center at Anklesvar. According to her staff citation from the General Board, Blickenstaff "played a significant role in working with village women in the fields of nutrition and child and mother care." Blickenstaff also worked as a nurse and medical records librarian at Hillcrest. She was a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., and a member of La Verne Church of the Brethren.
  
  
• Peter Rudolf, a former missionary in Nigeria with Mission 21, passed away Sept. 9 after a short but severe sickness. Mission 21, formerly Basel Mission, is a partner with Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships. Mission 21 reported that Rudolf fell sick after returning from a five-week assignment at the Mobile Bible School in Kakuma, Kenya, a camp of 70,000 Sudanese refugees. He had recently retired. Rudolf is survived by his wife Regula and children Matthias, David, and Susanne. "We ask you to pray for the family," wrote Albrecht Hieber, head of international relations for the mission. "Mission 21 and all the friends are very sad and shocked about this sudden death, which means a big loss to all of us."
  
  
• The Brethren Home Community, New Oxford, Pa., seeks a director of Pastoral Care/chaplain to provide leadership for the spiritual development and well being of the total organization, provide spiritual support for residents, supervise pastoral care staff, and promote holistic care. Requirements are college and seminary training with a Master of Divinity graduate degree, ordination in the Church of the Brethren. Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education is preferred. Contact the Brethren Home Community, Attn: Christine Daoularis, Human Resources, 2990 Carlisle Pike, P.O. Box 128, New Oxford, PA 17350.
  
  
• The Mission and Ministries Planning Council met Sept. 12-13 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., to continue its work of receiving and reviewing ideas for new ministries and missions for the denomination. The council heard a proposal for a "New Life Initiative" brought by David Young, updates on General Board mission work, and plans for the Mission Alive 2005 conference. The group also worked on an action item to go to the General Board's October meeting related to church planting and mission in Haiti. The council is a committee of the General Board including wider church representation. General secretary Stan Noffsinger and executive director of Global Mission Partnerships Merv Keeney represent board staff; chair Donna Shumate and Doug Diamond represent the board; moderator Jim Hardenbrook and moderator-elect Ron Beachley represent Annual Conference; Don Booz of Mid-Atlantic and Steven Abe of West Marva represent districts.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service (CPS) workers, and anyone who has a special connection to either program. The meal at Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren will also be a gathering with the volunteers in orientation Unit 262.
  
  
• Districts holding conferences Oct. 8-9 include Atlantic Southeast, Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern Ohio. Because of storm damage to utilities around the Lorida area, the Atlantic Southeast conference will be held instead at Sebring (Fla.) Church of the Brethren, with Berwyn Oltman as moderator. Atlantic Northeast delegates will meet at Leffler Chapel on the campus of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, with Herb High as moderator. Mid-Atlantic will meet in Easton, Md., with Charlotte Bear as moderator. Southern Ohio will meet at Salem Church of the Brethren in Englewood, Ohio, with Sheila Shumaker as moderator.
  
  
• Camp Bethel, Fincastle, Va., is still planning its 20th Annual Heritage Festival for Oct. 2 despite flooding because of heavy rains earlier this week. "No buildings were washed away, but the water's toll on our ground is great. Our foot bridges, roads, ponds, streams, fences, and landscaping suffered severe damage," wrote manager Barry LeNoir in an email asking for assistance to clean up for the festival. The festival is a fundraising event for the camp and features crafts, baked goods, food, and displays from many of congregations in Virlina District. The theme for this year is "Brethren Heritage" and "old ways." For more information call 540-992-2940 or see www.campbethelvirginia.org.
  
  
• The 6th Annual Camp Mack Festival is scheduled for Oct. 2 at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind. A craft sale, food booths, auctions of "baskets full of goodies" prepared by congregations, and a harvest market will raise funds for camper scholarships and rope course activities. For more information contact Mike Kauffman at 574-658-4831.
  
  
• Bridgewater (Va.) College holds its Homecoming Oct. 2-3. Events include a Jennifer Harris Organ Donation Walk, Homecoming Festival and Parade, class reunions, football and soccer games, an alumni softball game, a chorale and jazz band concert, and celebrations for the classes of 1969, 1974, and 1979. Preceding Homecoming is an Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Oct. 1 in which Robert E. Baker, Melody Derrow Hinkle, Martin T. Smith Jr., M. Terry Westhafer, N. Paige Will, and Deborah West Windett will be inducted. Call 800-759-8328 or see www.bridgewater.edu.
  
  
• Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., holds its 80th annual Homecoming Oct. 8-9. An estimated 500 alumni and visitors are expected. Highlights will be the dedication of Wine Recital Hall; progress on the new Science Center; a fall play; golf, baseball, football, and soccer games; class photos; breakfast with the president; a college and alumni choir; and an Alumni 5K Run and Walk. Education students will provide activities for children ages 4-12. Contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 260-982-5223 or 888-257-ALUM or e-mail alumnioffice@manchester.edu.
  
  
• An inaugural Harvest Day Celebration is sponsored by Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center on Oct. 16. Sorghum molasses, as it was made in the Brethren-Mennonite community, will be a signature product of the day, with Kenton Brubaker, retired biology professor at Eastern Mennonite University, overseeing the production of half an acre of sorghum at the center site. There will also be stories and activities for children, hayrides and a barnyard petting area, an exhibit of old farm machinery; crosscut log sawing, the making of apple cider, and a variety of music. Soup, corn bread, country ham sandwiches, sorghum molasses cookies, and cold and hot drinks will be served. "We hope this first-ever event will be the start of a long-lasting tradition," said director Steve Shenk. Cost will be $5 per car. Call 540-438-1275 or see www.vbmhc.org.
  
  
• Jeff Carter, pastor of Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren, is representing the denomination at the US Conference of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Oct. 5-6 in Atlanta, Ga. "The Power and Promise of Peace" is the theme for the meeting, focused on the Decade to Overcome Violence. Speakers include WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia, former US ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, and WCC North America president Bernice Powell Jackson. The aim of the event is to "expose and inspire" the US churches' peace witness. The meeting will close with a "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" award to individuals and organizations "responsible for creative and courageous peace and justice efforts in their communities," a WCC release said. For more information see www.wcc-usa.org.
  
  
• Needed: a few peacemakers. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), an initiative of the World Council of Churches, accompanies Palestinians and Israelis in nonviolent actions and advocacy efforts to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories and to bring about a just and durable solution to the conflict, with two viable and secure nations living side by side in peace. Minimum commitment is three months. For more information see www.eappi.org. Persons wishing to explore this area of service are invited to contact the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships Office at mission_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Two Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members were attacked and beaten by Israeli settlers Sept. 29, according to a release from CPT. Kim Lamberty, of Washington D.C., and Christopher Brown, of San Francisco, Calif., were accompanying Palestinian children walking to school in the Southern Hebron District of the West Bank. The children escaped uninjured. Lamberty and Brown were taken by ambulance to hospital. Lamberty has been released. Brown sustained broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung, and has undergone surgery. CPT, an initiative of Mennonite and Brethren congregations and Friends meetings, is present in the area of the attack at the request of Palestinian villagers who are suffering repeated harassment from Israeli settlers while Israeli authorities have failed to intervene, the release said. For more visit www.cpt.org.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Christian education events planned for the fall and spring.

Four training events for those doing Christian education in the Church of the Brethren have been planned for the fall and spring. The events are sponsored by districts and the General Board's Congregational Life Ministries.

"From Good to Great Teaching!" will be offered Oct. 9, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., for teachers of adults. The day will be hosted by Middlebury (Ind.) Church of the Brethren and sponsored by Northern Indiana District. A plenary session will be led by former district executive Ron Finney and five workshops will be offered. For more information call 574-773-3149.

"Called to Teach!" will be for teachers of all age groups on Nov. 13, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., sponsored by West Marva District and the Congregational Life Team (CLT) for Area 3. Hosted by Sunnyside Church of the Brethren, New Creek, W.Va., the event will offer a plenary session with CLT coordinator Julie Hostetter and 11 workshops led by Christian educators from Shenandoah, Middle Pennsylvania, and West Marva Districts. Call 800-244-5896.

"Christian Education for Today" will be held March 5, 2005, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., for teachers of children and youth. Sponsored by South/Central Indiana district and CLT Area 2, the event will be hosted by Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind., and will include a celebration of Christian education ministry and 11 workshops. Call 800-505-1596.

"Five Loaves and Two Fish--Jesus Multiplies Our Gifts for Christian Education," an event focused on the "Hospitable Teaching and Learning" approach, will be hosted by Carlisle (Pa.) Church of the Brethren May 21, 2005, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. It is sponsored by the districts and CLT of Area 1. Leadership will be provided by Cheryl Magrini who serves a United Methodist congregation in Illinois and teaches at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary. Call 888-411-4275.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Young Adult Conference 2005 taking shape.

The Young Adult Steering Committee met Sept. 24-26 in Elgin, Ill., to plan for next year's Young Adult Conference. Camp Woodland Alters, in Peebles, Ohio, will be the site for the conference on Memorial Day weekend May 27-29. The theme, based on Hebrews 10:24, is "Provoking love and good deeds."

"Inspired by the energy and spirit of worship at National Young Adult Conference, worship will be a larger part of YAC this year," reported steering committee member Robert Etzweiler. "It will be the thrust of the weekend as sessions have been in the past. We're in the process of lining up worship leaders and speakers and will be able to let you know who they are soon. We hope to see you there!" More information will be posted at www.brethren.org on the Youth/Young Adults web page under "Young Adult Conference."

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Garden plots provide food, place for community, life lessons.

Garden plots on land owned by the General Board, located behind the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., produce food for the community, Brethren staff, and volunteers. They also provide an opportunity for gardeners to work together with friends and family. "It's fun," said Mary Beliveau, a Brethren Volunteer Service worker and assistant archivist for the board. "It's a lot of hard work but it's good to be together."

On a sunny afternoon in early fall, the area was a neighborhood gathering place as small groups of people chatted or waved to each other on their way to and from garden plots, and children rode four-wheelers and bicycles around the property. The land is a resource for the community, with individuals and groups renting the 122 plots for the low cost of $20 a season in a program that has been in place for at least 25 years. Most of the gardeners are repeat customers, said Maryse Manelli, the board's receptionist who is responsible for renting the plots. "A lot are renewed year after year," she said. "When people come in wanting plots, I have to put them on a waiting list."

Beliveau and three friends who work for the board--Beth Rhodes, co-coordinator of youth and young adult workcamps; Becky Ullom, director of Identity and Relations; and LeAnn Wine, director of Financial Operations--gardened a 40-by-40-foot plot together. This summer their crop included corn, sunflowers, green beans, peas, squash, tomatoes, and herbs. The harvest of beans was so plentiful the friends gave away bags of the fresh vegetable.

The plot worked by the Kingery family--Heather and Dennis, who directs the Church of the Brethren Credit Union, and sons Ethan and Jonas--also raised more than they could eat. The boys age four and two picked tomatoes and squash while their parents worried about weeds and cultivated the broccoli.

As all gardeners must, those who work the plots experience loss and disappointment along with the possibility of bumper crops. Produce regularly disappeared overnight. Pumpkins were especially hard to bring to harvest because they are popular with those who raid the plots, said gardeners.

James Miller, who worked nine plots with fellow gardener Dave Covington, said he planted extra for just that reason. He knows he shares his harvest with many people, those he invited to share it, and those he didn't. On the day he was interviewed at his plot he had brought along a friend, Everett Woods, who was hungry for some collard greens. Woods, who attends Living Gospel Church of God in Christ that meets at the General Offices, left with greens, jalapenos, cucumbers, and green peppers covering the floorboards of his car.

Among those using plots this year was the Elgin YWCA's Teen REACH and Southeast Asian Youth programs, which are attempting to create a community garden for youth and children on two plots provided free of charge by the board. The idea was for children at Elgin's Garfield Elementary School, a partner in the project, to work the garden, donate the produce and help serve the food at an Elgin soup kitchen, said Ann de Cruz, YWCA community service director. It seemed a perfect opportunity for children who are "usually on the receiving end" to give and see the fruit of their labors, she said.

The garden was a lesson in the "real world," however. When the weather turned hot, the children just didn't show up. "We lost the garden," de Cruz said. She is still convinced the basic idea for the program is a good one. "I want to do it one more time. The other thing that we must have is beyond-grade-school human beings who can follow through, or people who can volunteer." For more information about the YWCA project call 847-742-7930 or e-mail anndecruz153@hotmail.com.

Source: Newsline 10/01/2004
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Connie Burkholder, Robert Etzweiler, Julie Hostetter, Herman Kauffman, and Marie Willoughby contributed to this report.

NEWS

• Annual Conference Council reviews, implements 2004 actions.
  
• National Older Adult Conference inspires new journeys with God.
  
• Disaster programs care for children, give grant.
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service summer unit completes orientation.
  
• Brethren bits: Remembrance, job openings, and more.

PERSONNEL

• Jo Young Switzer called to Manchester College presidency.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Organizers announce plans for Mission Alive 2005.

RESOURCES

• Lectionary readings posted on website, 'Guide' topics announced.

Annual Conference Council reviews, implements 2004 actions.

The Annual Conference Council, meeting Aug. 28 in Elgin, Ill., welcomed two new members, took next steps with regard to actions of the 2004 Conference, and reviewed minutes of a conversation held at the Conference on the 2003 "Query of Clarification of Confusion," according to report by Conference secretary Fred Swartz.

New members are Ronald D. Beachley, moderator elect and executive minister for Western Pennsylvania District; and Joan Daggett, associate executive minister for Shenandoah District. Continuing members are chair Earl K. Ziegler, a past moderator; Jim Hardenbrook, 2005 moderator; Christopher Bowman, immediate past moderator; Swartz; and Lerry Fogle, executive director.

The council discussed next steps with regard to two study committees named by the 2004 Conference: the Doing Church Business Study Committee and the Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Study Committee. The Committee on Interchurch Relations was to be asked to assist in naming the member of the Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Study Committee who will be ex-officio from the American Baptist Churches USA. The council also decided to seek the assistance of the General Board's Congregational Life Team staff who serve as liaisons to the Cross-Cultural Ministries Team, to develop a form for use by agencies, districts, and congregations in assessing their ethnic ministries and relationships.

In a follow-up report, Fogle announced that the Doing Church Business Study Committee--comprising Joe Detrick, Matt Guynn, Verdena Lee, Dale Posthumus, and Dave Shetler--will meet Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The Multi-Ethnic/Cross-Cultural Study Committee--comprising Darla Kay Bowman Deardorff, Nadine Monn, Ruben DeOleo, Neemita Pandya, Gilbert Romero, and Asha Solanky--will meet Oct. 17-18. Fogle also announced that this committee elected Thomas Dowdy, pastor of Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren, Los Angeles, Calif., as the African-American member of the group at the direction of Annual Conference. "The Annual Conference Office extends much gratitude to others who were on the ballot to fill that additional position," Fogle said.

A new committee to update the 1988 Conference statement, "A Structural Framework for Dealing with Strongly Controversial Issues," will be named by the council following recommendations from the denominational name study committee that reported in 2004. The three-member committee will consist of a member of the council, a member of the study committee, and a person with skills in conflict resolution.

The papers "Functions and Qualifications of the Local Church Moderator" and "Resolution on Iraq" will be posted on the Conference website at www.brethren.org. The paper on moderators will be sent to districts with the request that it be reproduced for congregations. The council also will remind districts of the paper on "Congregational Disagreement with Annual Conference Decisions" as a resource.

Swartz reported that the council "carefully read the recorded minutes of the 'conversation' sponsored by the council, held during Annual Conference on July 4, 2004." The conversation was held on the "Query of Clarification of Confusion," which referred to the response of the 2002 Conference to the query "Licensing/Ordination of Homosexual Persons to the Ministry in the Church of the Brethren." The conversation also covered theological and ministry-related issues.

The council recorded the following minute with regard to the July 4 conversation:

"The council's good intention in holding this meeting was to hear the ideas, suggestions, and concerns of persons across the denomination in an effort to gather as much information and assistance as possible toward answering the questions about ministry raised in the 2003 query, 'Clarification of Confusion.' From comments made by persons in attendance at the meeting, and from communications received by the council since Conference, it is evident to the council that the word 'conversation' in the session title conveyed a meaning other than that intended by the council. Questions were asked of the council, both in the query and in the Charleston meeting, that its members feel inadequate to answer without having dialogue with the denomination. The council sees as its task the responsibility to see that these questions are answered, but does not feel that its members alone have the definitive answers. So the Council is endeavoring to take steps to see that the questions are addressed.

"Questions identified as needing answers include the following: What are the denominational requirements or qualifications for calling and maintaining persons in ministry? Is the church consistent in its 'list' and perceptions of the gifts and qualifications of ministers? What is the nature and parameters of the authority given districts in the calling, licensing, ordaining, and disciplining of ministers? What is the Brethren understanding of the relationship of baptism to the set-apart ministry? What mechanisms, processes, assumptions can be established to provide for creative dialogue on issues on which Brethren strongly disagree?

"The council noted that the General Board Office on Ministry has agreed to review the denominational policies on ministry. The council also continues to seek a dialogue with the Council of District Executives concerning the questions raised by the query 'Clarification of Confusion.' The council continues to give attention to this item in its meetings, noting progress and information gathered. Finally, the council has reported its work to Standing Committee and it continues to keep the District of Michigan apprised of its progress toward responding to the questions of the query."

A complete summary of the council's meeting can be obtained from the Annual Conference office, 800-323-8039 or e-mail annualconference@brethren.org. For the "Query of Clarification of Confusion" and the council's response go to the Annual Conference pages at www.brethren.org, click on Conference Statements.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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National Older Adult Conference inspires new journeys with God.

More than 1,150 attendees were welcomed to the seventh National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) by Scott Douglas, conference planner and Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) director of Older Adult Ministry, on Sept. 6. The event continued through Sept. 10 at Lake Junaluska, N.C. Speakers and preachers inspired attendees to continue their journeys with a new life brought by God, reported ABC communication director Mary Dulabaum.

At opening worship, Kurt Borgmann, senior pastor of Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind., described how after surviving a night of wrestling with God, Jacob received God's blessing and his life changed. He called on those who may think their life's work is complete to continue on a new journey with God's blessing. During the service, Joyce Person created clay pots as a metaphor for being crafted by God's hands.

Tom Mullen, retired from Earlham School of Religion, encouraged participants to give gratitude to God even during difficult times. In the closing service Deanna Brown, pastor of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., used the New Testament story of the wedding feast to illustrate how all are called to put on garments of a new day. Attendees put on strips of cloth from the first conference of the Historic Peace Churches in Africa representing new clothes for their lives' work following NOAC.

Keynote speaker Deforia Lane, music therapist at Ireland Cancer Center and University Hospitals of Cleveland, brought home the healing power of music. Pam Brubaker, professor of religion at California Lutheran University, used the gathering of manna and Jesus' feeding of 5,000 as examples of how God has provided for everyone if people take only what they need. Other presenters included Bible study leader Stephen Reid, academic dean at Bethany Theological Seminary; ventriloquist Steve Engle; and Tex Sample, who talked about generational differences. More than 25 people attended an Older Adult Ministry Training Seminar led by Sample, held concurrently with NOAC.

Brethren favorites such as "Blessed Assurance" and "He Lives" were sung in four-part harmony during a hymn festival led by Wil Nolen, president of Brethren Benefit Trust. The event featured the 100-member NOAC choir.

Conference planners had much to be grateful for during a week of rain brought by Hurricane Frances, which wreaked havoc in surrounding low-lying areas. Despite the weather, attendees participated in early morning exercises and devotions, afternoon interest groups and handcrafts, and late afternoon entertainment from local artisans. More than 60 turned out for a walk/run around the lake sponsored by the Fellowship of Brethren Homes.

"Perhaps what helped attendees most were the daily doses of humor provided by the infamous 'video guys' during morning and evening announcements," Dulabaum said. "Many people gave of their time and talents by coordinating events and volunteering throughout the week," she added. Participants donated seven boxes of eyeglasses and collected 574 Gift of the Heart kits onsite--another 139 are being completed by Harry and Gerry Graybill, coordinators of the service projects. Attendees gave generously to caring ministries of the church through offerings totaling $23,540 for ABC. The next NOAC will be Sept. 4-8, 2006.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Disaster programs care for children, give grant.

"Hurricane Charley, Frances, and now Ivan. Things are happening so fast it's hard for me to give you an accurate and complete report on the current situation," wrote Helen Stonesifer in a Sept. 14 update. She coordinates Disaster Child Care for the General Board.

As Hurricane Ivan was expected to hit western Florida, two teams of child care volunteers were evacuated for a second time. Hurricane Frances caused the evacuation of three of four childcare teams at work in Florida following Hurricane Charley. Volunteers had returned to work in Kissimmee, Orlando, Englewood, and Wauchula by Sept. 8. Since the project opened Aug. 22, 31 volunteers have made contact with over 750 children. FEMA has requested additional child care volunteers to staff more centers scheduled to open as a result of Frances and Ivan.

The Emergency Disaster Fund allocated $15,000 to support the child care, fund clean up, and help establish a rebuilding project. The Disaster Response office is sending Larry Williams, a disaster project director from Frederick, Md., to Florida to evaluate areas of need for a rebuilding project. He will work with Atlantic Southeast District disaster response coordinator John Mueller to determine project sites and volunteer housing options, and to meet with other disaster programs, reported Emergency Response director Roy Winter.

Winter already is assessing the next storm to come through the Caribbean. "As Hurricane Ivan unleashes rain and destruction on gulf coast states, now hurricane Jeanne strengthened while over Puerto Rico," he said. "I have reports of a foot of rain in Puerto Rico with more coming. At this point I have not been able to reach anyone in Puerto Rico, but expect there will be a lot of flooding."

The Emergency Response office issued guidelines for those wanting to donate relief materials. "It is vitally important that people wishing to donate material goods go through the proper channels and donate only those items that are specifically requested by authorized relief agencies," disaster response coordinator Jane Yount said. She asked those wanting to donate to Florida to see www.volunteerflorida.org or call 800-FL HELP-1. Donations will go to a partnership of disaster relief organizations and the Tampa Fair authority, to be distributed to local relief agencies for those in need. Another option for material donations is Gift of the Heart kits, particularly Emergency Clean-up Buckets and Health Kits, Yount said. For more information visit www.churchworldservice.org/kits.

In other news, Disaster Child Care has been requested to provide child care at the Lummi Indian Totem Poles Ceremony Sept. 19. A team of four will staff the child care center. The Lummi Nation from Washington State, with other tribes and intertribal organizations, is delivering a final pair of totem poles to help the country heal from the events of Sept. 11, 2001. A 2002 Healing Pole and a 2003 Honoring Pole commemorated the tragic events in New York and Shanksville, Pa. Now Liberty and Freedom Totem Poles will be placed at the Pentagon. For more information visit www.lummihealingpole.org.

The program also is providing child care at the Disaster Relief Auction at the Lebanon (Pa.) Area Fairgrounds Sept. 25. Trained volunteers who are available to help are asked to call 717-665-6416 or email gsfaus@juno.com.

A Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshop will be offered Sept. 18-19 at Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren. Currently 32 people are registered. For more information visit www.disasterchildcare.org or call 800-451-4407.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Brethren Volunteer Service summer unit completes orientation.

Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 260, which completed orientation July 25-Aug. 13 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., has entered into service at projects across the US and in Europe.

Unit members, their congregations or hometowns, and their projects are: Matthew Bahn, Codorus Church of the Brethren, Loganville, Pa., to the Greenhill YMCA in Northern Ireland. Kat Beirne, Davis, Calif., to the San Antonio (Texas) Catholic Worker House. Rachel Bell, Columbia City, Ind. Martin Bleisteiner, Frankfurt, Germany, to the Oakland (Calif.) Catholic Worker House. Allison Bryan, Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., to the Peace and Reconciliation Group, Northern Ireland. Matt Clemens, Harrisonburg, Va., to Brot und Rosen, Hamburg, Germany. Catherine Detweiler, Salem, Va., to the Brethren Nutrition Program, Washington, D.C. Lauren Eby, York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill., and Robyn Holl, University Park Church of the Brethren, Hyattsville, Md., to Mladi Most, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ryan Henry, York (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren, to Hopewell Inn, Mesopotamia, Ohio. Natalie Hershberger, Roaring Spring (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren, to Camp Stevens, Julian, Calif. Sarah Huffman, Mill Creek Church of the Brethren, Port Republic, Va., to the Center for Environmental Public Advocacy, Slovakia. Adrian Lubkowitz, Egelsbach, Germany, to the Tri-City Homeless Coalition, Fremont, Calif. Gayle McMenamy, Chicago, Ill., to the Brother David Darst Center, Chicago. Sarah Mertz, Omaha, Neb., to School Of Americas Watch, Washington, D.C. Jenn Morris, North Manchester, Ind., and Neemita Pandya, Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, to the Tri-City Homeless Coalition, Fremont, Calif. Stephan Pickl, Munich, Germany, to CentrePeace, Bellefonte, Pa. Pascale Reinke, Ahnatal, Germany, to Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos, Houston, Texas. Amy Robandt, Salt Lake City, Utah, to Gould Farm, Monterey, Mass. George Stiff, Dallas, Texas, to the Center for Ecology and Energy, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tim Verni-Lau, Rockford, Ill., to Samaritan House, Atlanta, Ga. Matt Whitten, Moscow Church of the Brethren, Mount Solon, Va., to the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. Katie Yoder, Goshen, Ind., to the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Germany.



Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Brethren bits: Remembrance, job openings, and more.

• Mary Beth Bieber, a missionary in Nigeria along with her husband, Charles, from 1950-63, died July 20 at her home in Lancaster, Pa. Originally from the Pottstown, Pa., area, she grew up in Royersford Church of the Brethren. The couple had marked their 60th wedding anniversary in June. The two met while both attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. Bieber graduated from Juniata in 1943. As a missionary, she was a teacher and school principal and helped develop a district-wide organization for women. Two of the couple's five children were born in Nigeria. Her legacy lives on in that country: 10 different phone calls of sympathy came from Nigeria in the two days after her death.
  
  
• The Brethren Home Community, New Oxford, Pa., is seeking to fill two job openings. The retirement community seeks a Public Relations/Communications Director who will be responsible for a program designed to build and strengthen its reputation and role as a leader in the healthcare industry. The community also seeks a Marketing Manager who will be responsible to establish objectives, organize, and manage the marketing functions of the organization. Both positions require a bachelor's degree in a related field and 3-5 years of related work experience. Send resumes by Sept. 30 to The Brethren Home Community, Attn: Christine Daoularis, Human Resources, 2990 Carlisle Pike, P.O. Box 128, New Oxford, PA 17350.
  
  
• A wrap-up video of National Young Adult Conference 2004 is available. The video runs about 20 minutes and gives viewers a taste of the NYAC spirit, according to Becky Ullom, who served as coordinator. To order your copy, contact David Sollenberger at lsvideo@comcast.net. A DVD or a VHS tape costs $15.
  
  
• The Church of the Brethren's next Cross Cultural Consultation and Celebration will be held April 21-24, 2005, in Richmond, Ind. A preliminary schedule for the meeting begins with worship at Richmond Church of the Brethren the evening of April 21, said organizer Duane Grady, Congregational Life Team staff of the General Board. April 22 will be spent at Bethany Theological Seminary interacting with students and faculty and in conversation with the Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Study Committee. Participants will worship with the community at Bethany and adjacent Earlham School of Religion. Stephen Reid, Bethany's academic dean, will preach. On April 23 Fumitaka Matsuoka, former academic dean at Bethany, will address the meeting and there will be sharing with the Cross Cultural Steering Committee. Congregations in Indiana and Ohio will be invited to the evening worship service, which will feature the choir of Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren. The consultation will end with a 9:30 a.m. service at the Richmond church on Sunday April 24. For more information call 800-505-1596 or e-mail dgrady_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Haruun Ruun and Emmanuel LoWilla of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), and Phil Jones of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, completed a first week of lobbying and visits on Capitol Hill. In a meeting with David Smock of the US Institute of Peace they learned of the Institute's support of NSCC work in interfaith dialogue. A significant grant was offered by the Institute. In State Department meetings Charles Snyder, special director for Sudan Affairs, confirmed recent developments in regard to the signing of the Southern Sudan Peace Accords and reassured the NSCC leaders that all efforts were being made to move the final signing forward. Meetings with Senator Brownback (R Kan.) and other congressional staff afforded opportunities to express thanks for resolutions naming the violence in Darfur, Sudan, as genocide. Ruun encouraged members of Congress to continue to keep pressure on Sudan to bring the genocide to an end through targeted sanctions on the Khartoum leadership. The three will spend next week in New York at the United Nations and ecumenical agencies. Ruun and LoWilla will conclude their US visit at the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md., Sept. 23 when Brethren are invited to a program beginning at 7 p.m.
  
  
• On Earth Peace and Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) invite Church of the Brethren peacemakers to join a Delegation to the Middle East Nov. 22-Dec. 4. On Earth Peace co-director Bob Gross will lead the group. The delegation will meet with Israeli and Palestinian peace and human rights workers; join the CPT Hebron team in daily street patrols, accompaniment, and documentation; and join in a public witness. CPT, a project of Brethren and Mennonite congregations and Friends meetings, has maintained a team in Hebron since 1995. Cost is $1,800. On Earth Peace will assist Brethren in raising funds. For more information call 260-982-7751 or e-mail bgross@igc.org or see www.cpt.org.
  
  
• The fall orientation unit for Brethren Volunteer Service will take place Sept. 26-Oct. 15 at the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md. A total of 27 volunteers will take part from the US and Germany. Ten are members of the Church of the Brethren. During orientation they will explore peace, justice, nonviolence, cultural differences, and other political and social issues facing society. The volunteers also will spend time in Baltimore doing service projects. Following orientation, volunteers will begin one- or two-year terms of service in the US, Europe, and Central America.
  
  
• East Nimishillen Church of the Brethren, North Canton, Ohio, will hold an all-day celebration of its 200th anniversary on Sept. 25. The event will begin with a pancake breakfast and include a historic video, Communion bread-making demonstration, sharing with former pastors, a scavenger hunt, music, and a catered buffet supper among other activities. Northern Ohio District executive John Ballinger will speak in the evening. Events will continue on Sept. 26 with Sunday services and a carry-in dinner.
  
  
• Jackson Park Church of the Brethren, Jonesborough, Tenn., celebrates an 80th anniversary on Sept. 18-19. The weekend will begin with a 7 p.m. service Sept. 18, and will conclude with an old-fashioned ice cream social on the front lawn of the church. The congregation is encouraged to dress in the style of 1924.
  
  
• A Cross Cultural Music Tour in Kansas and Iowa Sept. 29-Oct. 3 will give the flavor of worship in the African-American, Mexican, and Haitian traditions. Tour members are Gilbert Romero, pastor of Bella Vista Church of the Brethren, East Los Angeles, Calif.; James Washington, Sr., pastor of Faith Center Fellowship, Whitehouse, Texas; James Washington, Jr., of Faith Center; Jennie Nichols, of First Central Church of the Brethren, Kansas City, Kan.; Michaela Camps, of First Miami (Fla.) Church of the Brethren; and Duane Grady, General Board Congregational Life Team staff and organizer of the tour. The group will be at First Central in Kansas City on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.; Panther Creek Church of the Brethren near Adel, Iowa, on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.; Eldora State Training School in Iowa, a juvenile detention facility for young men, on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.; South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.; and Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa, on Oct. 3 at 10:30 a.m. for worship and love feast. For more information call 800-505-1596 or e-mail dgrady_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• Three Church of the Brethren districts meet for conferences this weekend, Sept. 17-18: Northern Indiana at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, Ind., with Dan Snider as moderator; Southern Pennsylvania at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with Terry Smith as moderator; West Marva at Moorefield (W.Va.) Church of the Brethren with Dorman Williams as moderator.
  
  
• The 28th Annual Brethren Disaster Auction will be held Sept. 24-26 at the Lebanon (Pa.) Area Fairgrounds, sponsored by Atlantic Northeast and Southern Pennsylvania Districts. The event raises money for disaster relief with heifer and livestock auctions, a pole barn auction, a quilt auction, and auctions of numerous other goods, as well as the sale of food and arts and crafts. A special feature this year is the blitz-build of a modular house to be donated to a disaster survivor in need. The build starts at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. A Treasury of Great Hymns Festival presented by a several-hundred voice choir and orchestra will conclude the event on Sunday Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. For more information visit www.BrethrenAuction.org.
  
  
• Elizabethtown (Pa.) College has secured a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, to create an endowment for the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. Professor Donald B. Kraybill has been named as the first scholar to hold an endowed faculty chair in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies to be created with the endowment. The endowment will enhance the center's visiting fellows program, expand the collection of books and archival material, and help develop a website. David B. Eller is director of the center. The grant requires a four-to-one match and the college will need to raise an additional $2 million for a total endowment of $2.5 million.
  
  
• Alaska was the destination for two Learning Tours in August sponsored by the New Community Project (NCP), a Brethren-related nonprofit. A delegation of 13 people from five districts spent six days in Denali National Park and four days along the southeastern coast of Alaska to explore God's creation and Christian responsibility as stewards of the earth. A second group spent eight days in Arctic Village, a native American community 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where they were hosted by the Gwich'in people and learned about the Gwich'in way of life, including their dependence on the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The 130,000-strong herd's calving grounds are along the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area under constant threat of oil drilling. A list of 2005 tours is at www.newcommunityproject.org.
  
  
• Church of the Brethren historian Donald F. Durnbaugh will speak at an event sponsored by the Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at Harrisonburg (Va.) Mennonite Church. The title of Durnbaugh's presentation is "Like Precious Faith: Brethren and Mennonites Through Light and Shadow." A reception will follow. The event launches a membership plan the center is offering for individuals and congregations. For more information call 540-438-1275 or see www.vbmhc.org.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Jo Young Switzer called to Manchester College presidency.

The Manchester College Board of Trustees on Aug. 28 appointed vice president and dean Jo Young Switzer as president of the college, effective July 1, 2005. Switzer, a 1969 graduate of the college in North Manchester, Ind., will be Manchester's 14th president and its first woman president. She will succeed Parker G. Marden, who will complete his 11th year as president when he retires on June 30, 2005.

Switzer has led academic affairs at Manchester since 1993. She also has chaired Manchester's Department of Communication and taught at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. Her doctorate and master's degree are from the University of Kansas, in communication studies. She has completed post-doctoral study at Indiana University.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Organizers announce plans for Mission Alive 2005.

Mission Alive 2005, a national missions conference of the Church of the Brethren, is planned as a missions challenge to the entire denomination according to a recent letter from the steering committee. The event will be held April 1-3, 2005, in Goshen, Ind.

The letter, sent to pastors and witness chairs across the denomination, expressed the hope that at least one representative will attend from each congregation. Congregations were encouraged to plan for travel, housing, and registration costs in their 2005 budgets.

Speakers and topics for keynote sessions are Nathan Showalter, Mennonite leader and missiologist in Shanghai, China, on "The Biblical face of mission: Guidance from scripture"; Grace Holland, a Brethren in Christ mission specialist, on "Changing faces of mission: Learnings from mission experience"; Art McPhee, professor of missions at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, on "New faces of mission: Emerging models of mission"; and Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook on "Set your face...toward mission: Accepting the challenge, and going forth to serve!" Other conference features will be a panel discussion with Church of the Brethren leaders, worship services, workshops, and missionary reunions. Registration opens Dec. 1 at www.brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Lectionary readings posted on website, 'Guide' topics announced.

"Revised Common Lectionary" readings for 2005 have been posted on www.brethren.org in a joint effort of the General Board's Congregational Life Ministries Office and Brethren Press. The text that is featured on each Living Word bulletin in 2005 is italicized for worship planning.

Topics for 2004-2005 "A Guide for Biblical Studies" also have been announced by Brethren Press. This adult Sunday school curriculum is based on the International Sunday School Lessons and features Brethren writers writing for Brethren. Each lesson includes the popular "out of context..." by Frank Ramirez.

In September, October, and November the Guide will study "The God of Continuing Creation" by John David Bowman and Liz Bidgood Enders. In December and January and February of 2005, the curriculum will focus on "Called to Be God's People" with writers Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford and Melanie Jones. In March, April, and May 2005 Richard Shreckhise and Paula Bowser will write on "God's Project: Effective Christians (Romans and Galatians)." June, July, and August 2005 will feature "Jesus' Life, Teaching, and Ministry (Matthew, Mark, Luke)" by Frank Ramirez and Steve Bollinger.

The Guide is $2.75 per book; $5 for large print. Print copies of the list of lectionary readings are also available. Call customer service at 800-441-3712 or e-mail brethrenpress_gb@brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Mary Dolheimer, Mary Dulabaum, Mary Kay Heatwole, Phil Jones, Nancy Klemm, David Radcliff, Fred Swartz, Walt Wiltschek, and Genelle Wine contributed to this report.

Source: Newsline 09/17/2004
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NEWS

• African peace church delegates meet for first-ever conference.
  
• Disaster relief work put on hold as Florida waits for hurricane.
  
• Fund directs grants to Africa, Brethren 'growing projects.'
  
• Missouri and Arkansas District invited to 'Enter Into the Joy.'
  
• Southeastern District makes disciples, welcomes fellowship.
  
• Southern Plains restructures board, names district minister.
  
• Regional conference gathers youth from western states.
  
• Brethren bits: Personnel, NOAC, and more.

RESOURCES

• World Mission Offering centers on 'Living Letters of Love.'

African peace church delegates meet for first-ever conference.

Delegates of Historic Peace Churches in Africa gathered for a first-ever conference in Kenya, Aug. 8-13, under the title "Watu Kwa Amani--People of Peace." Among the 100 participants were Quakers from Kenya, Rwanda, Congo, and Burundi; Mennonites and Brethren in Christ from Congo, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe; and 22 members of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The EYN contingent included men and women, lay and ordained, young adults and church leaders. US Brethren attended from the General Board, Bethany Theological Seminary, and Manchester College. Ecumenical guests came from the National Council of Churches in Kenya, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, and the World Council of Churches.

"The identity 'peace church' has in the past not been central to many African churches, so taking on and reinterpreting the theological language of this historical tradition provokes much discussion," according to a release from conference organizers including Donald Miller, former general secretary of the Church of the Brethren; Scott Holland, associate professor at Bethany; and Dean Johnson, director of Plowshares at Goshen (Ind.) College. The struggle to respond with Christian nonviolence came up in report after report, indicating that a peace church identity is being forged anew in the midst of Africa's current testing and struggle, organizers said.

Brethren shared experiences of being a minority in northern Nigeria, where in some regions Muslims seek to impose Sharia law. "One of our pastors, who encouraged his congregation to find peace and not fight, had his church surrounded by Muslims on a Sunday morning," reported Bitrus Debki. "They set the church building on fire and shot all the people when they tried to escape, including the pastor. This is how it is for Christians in Kaduna State." Matthew Abdullahi Gali spoke from experiences in Kano State, in which his church was repeatedly burned. Adamu Buba described his background as a Muslim police officer who became a Christian. When churches are repeatedly burned, and Christians are attacked, some members of EYN call for revenge, the Nigerian Brethren said. "I am not a pacifist. I will not just be passive. I prefer to fight--but nonviolently!" said EYN leader Toma Ragnjiya.

Brethren in Christ delegates spoke of political violence in Zimbabwe. "Please pray for us as we work with this situation," exclaimed Patson Netha, from the Association of Evangelicals in Africa. "Churches represent one of the few remaining non-governmental entities the Zimbabwe government can talk to."

Cathy Mputu, a Mennonite, and Ramadhani Kokosi, a Quaker, talked about violence in Congo, where churches rely on prayer but also work at strengthening grassroots peace activities. Mennonite Pascal Kulungu shared accounts of conflict within the church. Siaka Traore, a Mennonite from Burkina Faso, and Quakers Phillippe Nakuwundi from Burundi and Cecile Nyiramana from Rwanda, reported on their churches' efforts to rebuild relationships after conflict and war.

"My peace depends on others' peace," said David Niyonzima, a Quaker from Burundi. "In Africa, people are basically communal. Restoration requires a whole village, and we who are members of the Historic Peace Churches must constitute a renewed village."

"Nigerian participants were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the gathering," said Merv Keeney, the General Board's executive director of Global Mission Partnerships. "The rich exchange with other Christians and churches who are also seeking to be faithful to Christ's calls to be instruments of peace and reconciliation, even when confronted with horrific violence, was in the words of EYN President Filibus Gwama, 'powerful and affirming.' Based on the comments that I heard, I believe that the gathering helped the Nigerian church to find its voice as a peace church."

The meeting ended with denominational discussions on what new work or focus may proceed from the conference. A letter was drafted to share with other Christian churches to enlarge the process of peacemaking in Africa.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Disaster relief work put on hold as Florida waits for hurricane.

The General Board's Emergency Response program has put work in Florida on hold until after Hurricane Frances, which is expected to make landfall in Florida this weekend. Three teams of Disaster Child Care volunteers have been evacuated. Frances has been downgraded from a category 4 to a category 3 storm, but is twice as large as the hurricane that hit central Florida just three weeks ago and "remains a powerful and dangerous storm," reported disaster response coordinator Jane Yount.

Disaster Child Care was just one aspect of the work that Brethren had been doing in Florida following Hurricane Charley. The Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., had sent shipments of relief materials and Emergency Response had begun work on establishing a rebuilding project. The program also issued pleas for contributions of Gift of the Heart Health Kits and Emergency Cleanup Buckets, and began searching for a vehicle to help with the rebuilding project.

"We have been asked by the Florida Interfaith Networking in Disaster to set up a rebuilding project in Charlotte county, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda," reported Emergency Response director Roy Winter. "Church World Service staff have also suggested we try to address some of the needs in the Orlando area, like Kissimmee, where pockets of damaged homes are not getting much attention."

Three teams of Disaster Child Care volunteers working in Orlando, Wauchula, and Kissimmee have been evacuated to the St. Petersburg area. A team working in Englewood, close to St. Petersburg, will stay in place. Child care centers will be reopened when it is safe to do so. The evacuated volunteers are being hosted in the homes of Phil Lersch and Emergency Response volunteers Glenn and Helen Kinsel. "The ER staff will be tracking the path of the storm and will move the volunteers again, if necessary," reported Helen Stonesifer of Disaster Child Care. "Hurricane Charley has had a tremendous emotional effect on everyone in Florida, especially the children,"she said. "At this time, it looks as though this will be a longterm project. Your continued support and prayers for all the victims and volunteers in Florida are greatly appreciated."

Distributions of relief materials from the Brethren Service Center to the Orlando area included shipments of health kits, cleanup kits, baby kits, school kits, and bales of blankets. On Sept. 1 Church World Service issued an "urgent request" for more health kits and clean up buckets because of continuing needs related to Hurricane Charley, and possible needs related to Frances. For more information about how to fill, pack, and ship kits and buckets, see www.churchworldservice.org.

Emergency Response added its own request for a truck or 12-passenger van to use for the rebuilding project in Florida. "A gift or longterm loan of a vehicle would be greatly appreciated," said Winter. "We need a very reliable, later model truck or van with less than 75,000 miles. We would also consider purchasing the right vehicle." Contact Winter at 800-451-4407 ext. 7 or e-mail rwinter_gb@brethren.org.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Fund directs grants to Africa, Brethren 'growing projects.'

In two grants totaling $50,000, the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) is supporting a Church World Service campaign to address the root causes of hunger and poverty in Africa, and is making money available to assist Church of the Brethren congregations in launching "growing projects" with the Foods Resource Bank.

An allocation of $40,000 has been given to a four-year campaign of Church World Service to address root causes of hunger and poverty affecting children, people living with HIV/AIDS, and displaced people in several regions of Africa. The Brethren funds will contribute to components of the campaign dealing with hunger and poverty alleviation, water for life, and help for people living with HIV/AIDS. The campaign is focusing on areas of Angola, Sudan, Tanzania, and the Mano River region.

Ten grants of $1,000 each will be available for Brethren congregations or groups wanting to start growing projects with the Foods Resource Bank. Growing projects engage a congregation or group in a hands-on approach to hunger, as group members grow and sell produce and donate proceeds to the development of food security abroad. The Foods Resource Bank doubles the value of the gift through foundation and government sources. For more information contact GFCF manager Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 ext. 264 or e-mail hroyer_gb@brethren.org, or visit www.brethren.org/genbd/global-mission/gfcf.htm.

A newly constituted GFCF Grants Review Panel approved the two grants. The panel members are retired General Board staff member Shantilal Bhagat, former Dominican Republic mission coordinator Becky Baile Crouse, and retired Nigeria missionary Ralph Royer.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Missouri and Arkansas District invited to 'Enter Into the Joy.'

Delegates from Missouri and Arkansas District met July 23-25 at Southwest Baptist University at Bolivar, Mo. A total of 117 were registered for the conference, representing all but one congregation in the district. Guests from ten agencies of the Church of the Brethren and ecumenical partners also attended. Moderator Cindy Sanders led the conference.

A fountain and a banner portraying the theme words, "Enter Into the Joy," provided the backdrop as people from each congregation brought vessels of water forward to add to a fountain. Included in the mix was water from San Juan, P.R., collected by Steve Crouse during a recent denominational senior high workcamp.

Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook preached for the conference, and he and his wife Pam sang in the choir, reported district minister Sandy Bosserman. "It is good when you can enjoy the preaching from the likes of Hardenbrook, Youth and Young Adult Ministries director Chris Douglas, and general secretary Stan Noffsinger, to say nothing of the crooning of 'The Guys' quartet, in any given weekend," Bosserman said. The male quartet of high schoolers from Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill., performed at Annual Conference this year.

In addition to hearing from congregations and the district board, delegates called to leadership moderator-elect Don Brooks and board members Don Lucore, Jane Davis, Ida Mae Campbell, and Tim Rohrer. Delegates also appointed a task force to determine the longterm future of the district's Historical Archives, and discussed continuing education credits for ministers. The budget for 2005 was balanced with a pair of offerings and the silent auction of a quilt that brought $9,556. Bosserman called the district to "celebrate the much that we have learned to do with little in our congregations and our district life."

In another offering received during the conference, an "Ark" for Heifer International--which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year--was filled by a couple celebrating 60 years of ordained ministry. "Heifer International representative Cleo Kottwitz reported during his presentation to the district conference that he had hopes that Brethren in Missouri-Arkansas would someday fill an Ark," said Bosserman. "The Ark Project is the largest single gift that Heifer sponsors, at $5,000. Thanks to Ethmer and Kathryn Erisman, brother Kottwitz had his hopes realized on the spot." Ethmer Erisman said that the couple "filled the ark" in recognition of their membership in the district, in New Beginnings Church of the Brethren, Warrensburg, Mo., and in memory of Mineral Creek church, Leeton, Mo., where they served for 24 years.

The conference closed as the gavel was passed to moderator Gene Sappington, who announced a theme for 2005 built around preparing in this life for life eternal with God. "Gene, who works for the Social Security Administration, suggested we strive this year to be the 'Soul Security Administration,'" Bosserman said.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Southeastern District makes disciples, welcomes fellowship.

July 30-Aug. 1 Southeastern District Conference met at Mars Hill (N.C.) College on the theme, "Go and Make Disciples of All Nations." Tim Coulthard served as moderator for the meeting at which 34 churches were represented by 107 delegates and over 200 registered participants.

The conference unanimously approved a new fellowship called HIS Way, or Jesucristo, El Camino, along with the purchase of a house that will serve as a parsonage and a location for the church. A budget of $141,401 was approved for the coming year. Jim Hoffman, Peak Creak Church of the Brethren, Sparta, N.C., was chosen as moderator elect and Harold Rose, Cumberland Church of the Brethren, Clintwood, Va., will serve as moderator for the 2004-05 year. A quilt auction raised about $4,000 for disaster relief and the churches of the district also collected 200 Gift of the Heart school kits.

"The overall mood of the conference was good," reported Stan Noffsinger and Carol Yeazell, who were there to represent the General Board. "A sense of unity is present and there is much excitement over the planting of the new congregation in Hendersonville."

General secretary Noffsinger attended along with General Board chair Donna Shumate. In a question-and-answer session he spoke of the need for disciples and Christians to look at the simple ways in which they can contribute to the work of congregations, districts, and denomination. He challenged every person present to give two cents a day--the equivalent, he said, of one Starbuck's speciality drink--and contribute that money to the church. These gifts would go a long way to meet the current needs of the church as it seeks to share the good news, and would overcome many budget needs, he told the conference.

John Thomas, representing the board's funding program, and Yeazell, Congregational Life Team member, also shared brief reports. Yeazell led two insight sessions on a paper on Leadership Team Structure, a model that some of those attending have begun to use.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Southern Plains restructures board, names district minister.

Southern Plains District Conference was held July 29-31 at Molsbee Chapel in Nocona, Texas. "We were excited to have Jim Hardenbrook come as our guest speaker," reported new district executive Joan Lowry. "Our theme was HEY JUDE! key verse 21, 'Keep yourselves in the love of God. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.'" Hardenbrook is the 2005 Annual Conference moderator.

Business sessions were filled with new things happening in the district, reported Lowry, who was named as district minister by the conference. The conference restructured the district board, returning to a two-meeting format of a district conference meeting and a winter meeting, and combined the nurture and witness commissions into one commission. The conference decided that each commission will have four members and that the district board will serve on all business except when a special meeting is called, when the executive board will serve.

In other business, a new line item was added to the budget for New Church Development with funds from the sale of property from Thomas (Okla.) Church of the Brethren. It was reported that a new church start in Enid, Okla., is doing well. The pastors of the Enid church plant, Carol and Nina Coulter, requested that it be recognized as a fellowship. Waka (Texas) Church of the Brethren requested that the church be closed.

The district's camp, Spring Lake Retreat and Camp Center in Rocky, Okla., reported new developments as well, this year adding coolers to all the cabins. The Burger family reunion and the Waka congregation built a handicapped accessible restroom near the dining hall.

The conference also received reports from several agencies of the extended church. The next Southern Plains District Conference will be held Aug. 11-13, 2005, at Big Creek Church of the Brethren in Cushing, Okla.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Regional conference gathers youth from western states.

The hills of foggy San Francisco provided the setting for the 2004 Western Regional Youth Conference (WRYC), held Aug. 4-8 for youth in Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

About 110 people met on the University of San Francisco campus for the event, held only once every four years. Dena Gilbert, coordinator of youth and young adult ministries for Pacific Southwest District and chair of the WRYC planning committee, said she was pleased with the turnout. The region includes about 50 congregations spread over a large geographical area, making region-wide events a challenge.

The theme for this WRYC was "Living in God's Hands Together," focusing on John 8:12. Moderator-elect Jim Hardenbrook of Idaho was among guest speakers for the twice-daily worship times, done "in the round" in a beautifully decorated chapel. Each youth group was asked to bring a symbol of light to help form the worship center.

General Board Youth/Young Adult Ministries director Chris Douglas, David Radcliff of New Community Project, and pastors Thomas Dowdy, Debbie Eisenbise, Deanna Brown, and Susan Boyer also spoke during the week. Members of the WRYC youth planning committee led the opening service. Additional creative elements entered worship via the Jubilee Troupe, who used drama and interpretive movement to illustrate themes, and Joseph Helfrich of Ohio, who led music.

Numerous workshop options, service projects around San Francisco, sightseeing, sports tournaments and other recreation, community-group discussions, and evening activities such as swing dancing, a photo scavenger hunt, and an open mic night filled out the schedule.

"It's been incredible," said Zac Morgan of Claremont, Calif., a member of the youth planning committee. "It's almost hard to put in words all I've learned this week, spiritually and about myself. It came out to be even more than I had expected."

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Brethren bits: Personnel, NOAC, and more.

• Ben Kreider began Aug. 23 as a Brethren Volunteer Service worker with the 2005 Workcamp Team in the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry Office. He joins Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade in planning for next summer's workcamps. Kreider is a member of Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a 2004 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
  
  
  
  
• The National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers will take place next week at Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina. More than 1,100 Brethren are expected to attend the five-day event, from Sept. 6-10. See www.brethren.org for daily reports, complete with photos. Special NOAC events this year include a hymn festival led by Brethren Benefit Trust president Wil Nolan; the return of ventriloquist Steve Engle and his friend Hildy; a closing ceremony using fabric brought from the Watu Wa Amani conference of the African Historic Peace Churches; and the Brethren premier of "Listen to the Sunrise," a hymn adapted from a poem by the late Ken Morse. A hike on the Appalachian Trail will be a new offering this year, along with a bus trip and shopping in a town on the Cherokee reservation. Newsline will feature a full report from NOAC in the next issue.
  
  
• Haruun Ruun, executive secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches, will give a presentation at the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md. on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. He will talk about the new challenges that will be brought by the final signing of a peace agreement in the south of Sudan and will share news of a New Sudan Council program that will lead in developing civic leadership for the region. The event is coordinated by the Brethren Service Center and the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office. No registration is required. Contact Kathleen Campanella at 410-635-8747 or e-mail kcampanella_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• In its Action Alert of Aug. 27, the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office called attention to legislative issues and the Sudan Day of Conscience Aug. 25, and called for prayer for the safety of public witnesses in New York during the Republican National Convention. The office "is not promoting or sponsoring the protests," the alert stated. The two legislative pieces highlighted were a campaign supporting debt cancellation for impoverished countries, and the "sunset provision" allowing the federal assault weapon ban to expire Sept. 13 unless Congress or the administration choose to act. Brethren were asked to contact their representatives to support the ban, part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.
  
  
• To mark the Aug. 25 Sudan: Day of Conscience, staff of the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office joined a group of 300 from the Washington, D.C., Save Darfur Coalition in front of the Sudan Embassy. General Board staff in Elgin, Ill., observed the day with a chapel service led by mission connections coordinator Janis Pyle. Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook, in Elgin for meetings that day, reported that his congregation in Nampa, Idaho, raised $5,500 for the children of Sudan through a Vacation Bible School project. Sudan: Day of Conscience was organized by the Save Darfur Coalition of the National Council of Churches and 70 other groups, to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
  
  
• Help "dig through the roof" (Mark 2:3-5) this October. The Association of Brethren Caregivers is encouraging congregations to celebrate the month as Disabilities Awareness Month. Resources from the Church and Persons with Disabilities Network are available at www.brethren.org/abc/, including worship resources, Sunday school lessons, materials for children, ideas for raising congregational awareness, an accessibility checklist, information about ABC's Open Roof Award, funding suggestions, and resources for adapting rituals for those with special needs. The network also has started a list serve for those interested in disability ministries to communicate with one another. Contact Jacki Hartley at 800-323-8039 or e-mail jhartley_abc@brethren.org.
  
  
• A cross cultural/peace studies trip offered by Bethany Theological Seminary in cooperation with the Global Mission Partnerships Office of the General Board, is being opened to other interested persons. The 17-day trip, to take place Jan. 5-22, will enable participants to engage Muslim-Christian dynamics in Nigeria that have both fed violence and facilitated reconciliation. The trip also will offer an introduction to Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) including visits to historic mission sites. Estimated cost is $2,200. Contact Scott Holland at 800-287-8822 or e-mail hollasc@bethanyseminary.edu, or contact Global Mission Partnerships at 800-323-8039 ext.230 or e-mail mission_gb@brethren.org, by Oct. 1.
  
  
• The Customer Service Department of Brethren Press is extending its hours of operation. Now customers can call the Customer Service line (800-441-3712) 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday. "We want to provide the best service we can, and this will allow those in the east to call after work if they need to," said Jewel McNary, director of Marketing and Sales. "The west coast churches have said they have to remember to call before lunch if they want to talk to someone, so this will be helpful." The Customer Service line, which at one time was closed from 12-12:30 p.m., now is available through the lunch hour as well. Orders also can be placed at www.brethrenpress.com and can be faxed to 800-667-8188.
  
  
• Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck Oct. 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m., for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service workers, or anyone who has a special connection to either experience. The potluck will be at Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren. "We see this potluck as a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers in training from Unit 262 to be able to connect with people who have done similar service," said orientation assistant Samuel Bowman. Bring a covered dish to share, or any other type of food. Contact Bowman at 800-323-8039 ext. 423 or e-mail sbowman_gb@brethren.org.
  
  
• "What a Sweet Idea!" an article remembering apple butter making in the 1950s-60s at Spring Creek Church of the Brethren near Sidney, Ind., appeared in the Sept./Oct. issue of "Reminisce" magazine. Author Glee Eberly reminisced about the annual project that was started by a Willing Workers Class in 1950 "in Tommy Poland's garage with a couple of copper kettles," and grew so big that it was moved to a farm that the congregation owned, where a 30- by 50-foot shelter was built with room for 15 kettles to make 1,100 gallons of apple butter a year. A dozen photos of the congregation at work accompanies the three-page article.
  
  
• South/Central Indiana District holds its district conference Sept. 10-11 at Mexico Church of the Brethren, Peru, Ind., with Dave Donaldson as moderator. The theme of the meeting is taken from John 13:34-35, "...Love One Another...."
  
  
• Lebanon Valley Brethren Home in Palmyra, Pa., announced the First Annual Cathy Snell Memorial Golf Tournament on Sept. 10, beginning at 1 p.m. at Lebanon Valley Golf Club in Myerstown, Pa. The tournament is a "best ball scramble format" intended to provide an opportunity for both seasoned golfers and occasional "duffers." A dinner will follow the tournament. The event is a fundraiser for the home's Good Samaritan Fund, to help cover the care of those who can no longer afford to fully pay for their own care. Cost is $65. Contact Robert Price at 717-838-5406 ext. 310 or e-mail rprice@lvbh.org.
  
  
• A Sept. 9 convocation at Bridgewater (Va.) College will feature Amaya Brecher and Veronica Portillo of MTV's "Hawaii and Road Rules: Semester at Sea" in an interactive presentation on eating disorders and self esteem. The program is one of the Harold Row Endowed Lecture series. Other September convocations will feature David C. Taylor, producer of "Reagan: A Legacy Remembered" and "JFK: A President Revealed," speaking on "Investigating Past Presidents" Sept. 16; and Mary Lightfine, of Doctors Without Borders, speaking on "Nurses Without Boundaries" Sept. 23, in an Anna Beahm Mow Lecture series. The college also invites the public to campus worship with chaplain Robbie Miller 9:30 a.m. Sept. 7 at the Carter Center, on the topic "In God We Trust?"; and to a Fall Spiritual Focus Sept. 28 with David Radcliff, director of the New Community Project, a nonprofit organization related to the Church of the Brethren.
  
  
• A study guide has been prepared to accompany an Oct. 24 TV documentary on hunger. The National Council of Churches is producing the four-page guide for viewers of "Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts," a program of the NCC for the ABC-TV "Vision and Values" series. The documentary will feature denominational experts, humanitarian leaders, government and civic officials, scholars, and "on-the-ground" participants including Senators George McGovern and Elizabeth Dole, UN hunger expert Joan Holmes, and Columbia University ethicist Jeffrey Sachs. The study guide will accompany VHS and DVD copies of the documentary. Call 800-999-3534.
  
  
• An International Day of Prayer for Peace on Tuesday Sept. 21 is sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) as part of the Decade to Overcome Violence. A WCC release said that churches representing over 550 million Christians worldwide have been invited to participate. The initiative links to the International Day of Peace declared by the United Nations, a worldwide effort for a day of global ceasefire and nonviolence. WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia encouraged congregations to hold 24-hour observances or vigils, and to include prayers for peace in worship on the Sundays before or after Sept. 21. Resources are available at www.overcomingviolence.org/peace2004.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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World Mission Offering centers on 'Living Letters of Love.'

"Now is the time to think creatively about how to use the 2004 World Mission Offering emphasis materials," said Carol Bowman, General Board stewardship development counselor and Congregational Life Team member. The suggested date for the annual offering is Oct. 10. A packet of offering-related materials on the theme, "Living Letters of Love," has been mailed to Church of the Brethren congregations.

The offering materials keep Brethren focused on the scriptural foundation of the mission offering emphasis, said Bowman. The theme comes from 2 Corinthians 3:3: "...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

The packet includes ideas for activities to prepare for the offering. Also enclosed are samples of five prayer cards featuring mission workers in Nigeria, Sudan, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, and Vietnam; a bulletin insert and brochure on Brethren mission workers abroad; offering envelopes; and interpretation resources in a four-page guide with ideas to help pastors develop mission-centered worship services and to aid church school teachers in incorporating mission into curricula. The interpretation resources are available in Spanish. A video, "Dear Friends: Living Letters from our Mission Workers," is also available in DVD or VHS format.

Source: Newsline 09/03/2004
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Credits

Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Sandy Bosserman, Samuel Bowman, Connie Burkholder, Kathleen Campanella, A. Joan Lowry, Janis Pyle, Walt Wiltschek, and organizers of Watu Wa Amani contributed to this report.