Brethren bits

Photo courtesy of Roxane Hill

Freshly painted classrooms and new chairs at a school in Nigeria, thanks to the Ralph Royer Memorial Fund. Roxane and Carl Hill report via Facebook that the semester at EYN’s Kulp Bible College is underway. The Hills are serving with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), with support from the Global Mission and Service office of the Church of the Brethren.

• Corrections: The denomination’s Inter-Agency Forum includes the chair and vice-chair of the Council of District Executives, who should have been listed in last week’s Newsline along with the heads and board chairs of the Conference-related agencies: Church of the Brethren, Brethren Benefit Trust, Bethany Theological Seminary, and On Earth Peace. Also, the Brethren Disaster Ministries version of “Winter Wonderland” included lyrics by Jane Yount as well as Felix Bernard.

• The Church of the Brethren is seeking a director for Brethren Disaster Ministries. The full-time salaried position is part of the Global Mission and Service team and reports directly to the associate executive director of Global Mission and Service. Major responsibilities include informing and engaging Church of the Brethren constituents in Brethren Disaster Ministries activities, maintaining ecumenical and interagency relationships to facilitate response to human need in the United States, coordinating with staff to employ strategy and operations to facilitate the church’s mission, providing sound financial budget management, and initiating grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund for domestic response activities. Required skills and knowledge include strong interpersonal skills; ability to articulate, support, and operate out of the vision, mission, and core values of the Church of the Brethren; ability to uphold and support the basic beliefs and practices of the Church of the Brethren as determined by Annual Conference; knowledge of International Building Code and ability to act within a multicultural and multigenerational team environment. Training or experience with making effective presentations and providing adult education, especially in conducting skill training workshops; managing staff and volunteers; and in-house construction and repair is required. A bachelor’s degree is required with a preference for an advanced degree. An associate degree or experience in relevant fields will be considered. This position is based at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. Applications are received immediately and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Request the application packet by contacting the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039 ext. 367; humanresources@brethren.org . The Church of the Brethren is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• “A decade of war has brought us no true security. Let’s try building peace,” said an invitation to the 2014 Ecumenical Advocacy Days. The event takes place March 21-24 on the theme "Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace." The Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness is inviting church members to take part by coming to Washington, D.C., for this ecumenical educational and advocacy gathering. More information is at http://advocacydays.org/2014-resisting-violence-building-peace .

• Also from the Office of Public Witness, a note about participating in the March 13-16 National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend. Participating “is as easy as incorporating a prayer, hymn, or homily into your regular service,” said the note posted on Facebook. “Join more than 1,000 participating congregations by pledging your place of worship’s participation.” For more information and to make the participation pledge, go to http://marchsabbath.org .

• Another church of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has suffered an attack by the extremist Islamist sect Boko Haram, according to a report from the organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide. On Jan. 31, gunmen attacked a service at the EYN church at Sabon Garin Yamdula village in Adamawa State, the report said. “After storming the church, they fired sporadically, killing 11 people, including the senior pastor, who died later in hospital. The gunmen also attempted to burn down the church, but were repelled by youths and local vigilantes firing hunting guns.... Two church members are reported to still be missing.” Christian Solidarity Worldwide also reported the Feb. 1 murder of a prominent Muslim cleric from the city of Zaria and members of his family. Sheikh Mohammed Awwal Adam “had spoken out increasingly strongly against Boko Haram,” the report said.

• Two continuing education events are sponsored by Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) during the month of March. “What Every Christian Should Know about Islam” will be held at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on March 15, and “Leadership for the Emerging Church” will be held at the Village at Morrison’s Cove, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in Martinsburg, Pa., on March 22. These one-day seminars begin at 9 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m. Cost is $50, lunch included. Continuing education credit is available for $10. Registration is due by March 1. SVMC is a ministry partnership of several Church of the Brethren districts--Atlantic Northeast, Southern Pennsylvania, Middle Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, and Mid-Atlantic--along with the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and Bethany Theological Seminary. Register at www.etown.edu/programs/svmc/continuing-education.aspx.

• The men of Hollins Road Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., are sponsoring a "Men Can Cook" tasting in the church social hall on Feb. 15, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. There is no charge, however a "love offering" will be accepted. For more information, contact the church office at hollinsroad@yahoo.com.

• A benefit concert for the Haiti Medical Project will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m., at the McPherson (Kan.) Opera House. McPherson community musical groups will present the benefit concert, part of a year-long effort by McPherson Church of the Brethren to raise funds for the project that brings mobile medical clinics to Haitian communities that previously lacked sufficient medical resources. In 2013, the church raised over $80,000 through various fund raisers, from garage sales and bake sales to matching gifts and garden parties, said an announcement. This year the church's goal is to raise $100,000 by Easter. The concert will include instrumental performances by the McPherson Community Brass Choir, Resonance Trio, and the Church of the Brethren Angelus Ringers. Vocal performances will include Delores and the Pickin-Fretter of Wichita; McPherson High School choral director Nick Griggs and his wife, Miriam Griggs; and an a capella women's double trio. The concert will conclude with several choral numbers, including a Haitian Creole piece. The concert is open to the public and a free will offering will be collected. For more information about the concert, contact McPherson Church of the Brethren at 620-241-1109. For more information or to contribute to the Haiti Medical Project, visit www.brethren.org/haiti-medical-project.

• Western Pennsylvania District has announced the theme for its 2014 district conference, “Be Led by the SPIRIT” (Romans 8:14). The 148th Western Pennsylvania District Conference will be on Oct. 18 at Camp Harmony, led by moderator Homer A. Foster.

• Camp Harmony in Hooversville, Pa., holds its 90th Anniversary Celebration on May 30-June 1. The celebration includes a May 30 Open House Celebration for area businesses; a May 31 Open House for community residents; and on June 1 a chicken barbecue, worship celebration, and recreation. More about the camp is at www.campharmony.org .

• Also at Camp Harmony, a Sweetheart Dinner will be held on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. The 1950’s era dinner will include “music, fun, and dancing,” said an announcement. Cost is $15 per person, or $25 per couple. E-mail harmony@campharmony.org or call 814-798-5885.

• The Brethren Home Community in Windber, Pa., is welcoming greetings of love and friendship for its residents on this Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Anyone wishing to share a Valentine greeting with a resident at the community should address a card to the resident directly, or send cards to “Be My Valentine” at the Brethren Home, 277 Hoffman Ave., Windber, PA 15963.

• The board of directors of Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village near Boonsboro, Md., has added three new members: Mary Rosborough, a Church of the Brethren member with the congregation in Hagerstown, Md., and an independent-living resident at Fahrney-Keedy, is the Village representative on the board; Kay Hoffman, development director for Brook Lane Health Services and vice president of the Brook Lane Foundation, and co-president of Soroptimist International; and Heather Lorenzo, chief medical officer at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, Md., her latest of several positions at the hospital. The board of directors has 15 members and is chaired by former director of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Lerry Fogle.

• COBYS Family Services is branching out into television news at a fundraising banquet on March 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Middle Creek Church of the Brethren in Lititz, Pa. A release announces that in addition to a family style meal, “The COBYS Nightly News Banquet” will feature aspiring anchormen Mark Cunningham and Don Fitzkee (who haven’t quit their day jobs as COBYS executive director and director of development). “WCOBys Nightly News will feature some real news about COBYS ministries to children and families, along with some more whimsical fare,” said the release. “Expect up-to-the-minute traffic from COBYS Permanency Unit Supervisor Nicole Lauzus; a therapeutic weather report from therapist Laura Miller that not only predicts the weather, but also how it will make you feel; and a word from our sponsor, Gene Wenger’s Meats & Fine Foods.” The program also will feature a performance by The King’s Strings, adoptive parents John and Cindy King and some of their eight children. There is no charge to attend the banquet, but reservations are required and the event will include an opportunity to support COBYS ministries. Guests may reserve a table of eight by enclosing a donation of $250 or more with their registration. Those who reserve tables will receive preferred seating. Only those reserving a table are required to donate in advance. More information and a printable invitation with directions to the church is available at www.cobys.org/news.htm . Register by contacting Don Fitzkee at 717-656-6580 or don@cobys.org no later than Feb. 28.

• Bridgewater (Va.) Retirement Community will host a dinner meeting on March 12 with the authors of “Necessary Conversations,” Gerald and Marlene Kaufman. The presentation will address challenges that adult children and their aging parents face in dealing with issues of finances, housing, health, and end-of-life decisions. The 6 p.m. dinner will be held in the Houff Community Center of Maple Terrace at the retirement community. Reservations are due by March 4, contact 540-828-2550 or 800-419-9129 or reserve2day@brc-online.org. Shenandoah District is helping to provide the event free of charge.

• Byron Miller will mark his 100th birthday on Feb. 16 by preaching for Sunday morning chapel at Timbercrest, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in North Manchester, Ind., reports Manchester Church of the Brethren. Miller’s family is holding a reception in honor of his 100th birthday on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2-4 p.m. in the Assembly Room at Timbercrest.

Source: 2/8/2014 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 Newsline include Jeff Boshart, Deborah Brehm, Josh Brockway, Stan Dueck, Don Fitzkee, Julie Hostetter, Michael Leiter, Fran Massie, Bryan Hanger, Tim Heishman, Lucas Kauffman, Phil King, Donna Kline, Nancy Miner, Becky Ullom Naugle, Glen Sargent, Jonathan Shively, Craig Smith, Roy Winter, Jane Yount, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.

Newsline: February 1, 2014

NEWS

• Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren
• Annual Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee
• Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic
• Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging
• EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria

PERSONNEL

• Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event

RESOURCES

• Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series

BRETHREN BITS

• Remembering Walt Bowman, young adults invited to apply to be WCC stewards, song about BDM volunteers and the polar vortex, ceasefire in S. Sudan, Souper Bowl of Caring, Mundey headlines Cultivating for a Great Harvest, Pacific Southwest District celebrates ‘Spirit of God Moving,’ and more.

Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren

The Church of the Brethren congregations in Puerto Rico acted Saturday, Jan. 25, to begin the process of becoming the denomination’s 24th district. Up to now, the Puerto Rico churches have been part of Atlantic Southeast District, grouped together with the congregations in Florida.

“It was a very good meeting. An historic day as they described it!” said Mary Jo Flory-Steury, associate general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, in an announcement of the decision by the Puerto Rican Church of the Brethren Assembly.

As part of the process of becoming a new district, the Puerto Rico churches will be selecting a district executive and working on the process and other structures to form the new district. Said Atlantic Southeast District executive ministry John Mueller in his e-mail about the decision, “I look forward to this new chapter in our relationship and extend my best wishes and support to this endeavor.”

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Annual Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee

Photo provided by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee

Annual Conference secretary James Beckwith was one of those speaking at a meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee. He was one of 14 speakers representing faith groups and organizations invited to send representatives to talk with senators about legislative priorities.

The Church of the Brethren was represented at a meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee by Annual Conference secretary James Beckwith. The Church of the Brethren was one of several faith groups invited to send representatives to the meeting on Jan. 29 at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to speak with senators about legislative priorities.

An excerpt from Beckwith’s summary of the meeting

Fourteen representatives of faith groups were invited to speak with this Senate Committee about legislative priorities. Ten senators were present at some time during the meeting; there may have been more. The meeting was chaired by Senator Mark Begich. Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid was present and spoke at the outset.

I spoke briefly with Senator Cory Booker after the meeting, and I spoke with Senator Tim Kaine to let him know I appreciated his comments during the session. On my way out of the building I greeted the assistant to Senator Reid for faith concerns. Other senators I observed listening in for a length of time were Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Chris Coons, Senator Mark Pryor, Assistant Majority Leader Senator Richard Durbin, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Vice Chair of the Committee Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Some of them spoke interspersed with our presentations.

I spoke toward the end. By that time most of the points had been addressed, so I chose to reinforce them with anecdotal comments (see below).

Points raised by the faith representatives

The religious groups and faith-based organizations included Bread for the World, Interfaith Worker Justice, Sojourners, Sisters of Mercy, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Episcopal Church, Church World Service, Presbyterian Church USA, Franciscan Action Network, National Council of Churches.

Points raised included:

• the need to get increased minimum wage legislation passed, with the minimum wage increase characterized as a winning issue for politicians;

• the importance of putting people into a position to take advantage of their opportunities, specifically mental health and family empowerment, with churches as safe places;

• a new moment for working on poverty issues, with both political parties talking about it and with fresh energy from Pope Francis I on the topic;

• disparity between the rich and the poor, and the need to deal with inequality issues;

• the militarization of the budget, and great concern about the military increases in the federal budget;

• immigration reform, the need to provide for immigrants, and how money influences the issue;

• the need to work at housing affordability;

• the need to fund schools and the direct link between education and overcoming poverty;

• the need for food stamps and the SNAP program, with comments that middle class students and returned military personnel are now coming to food pantries and soup kitchens for help;

• mosques and churches being the local first responders to poverty concerns, concern about how suspicion and threats to mosques stymie their role in providing for the people, and the connection between prejudice and safety for all religious groups and the work to overcome poverty;

• a focus on economic security rather than on income equity, noting that we will be judged on how we treat the most vulnerable;

• the need for economic security among gay people, who can lose their jobs simply upon being known as gay and have no recourse in many states;

• reducing the time that people must spend in refugee camps;

• violence as a critical part of poverty concerns, particularly gun violence, and the need for legislation to curb gun violence;

• mass incarceration, which is being called the new Jim Crow problem; the need for support for the smarter sentencing act and the need to reintegrate prisoners into community life.

The Church of the Brethren witness

I introduced myself as a local church pastor as well as corporate secretary for the denomination, and said the Church of the Brethren is concerned about many of the topics that had been discussed. I commented about how we are in budget crunches as well and need to make moral decisions about how we will live within our means. We are concerned that during a budget crunch the government has increased spending for a militarized presence around the world at the expense of programs desperately needed for dealing with poverty in our communities.

I mentioned our “Going to the Garden” program and how we have worked at that in my neighborhood, doing our part but seeing very clearly that government efforts to end hunger are crucially needed. I shared specific concern about how the latest omnibus spending bill reversed some Pentagon spending cuts that the sequester had put in place, and how despite the winding down of overseas wars, spending in the Overseas Contingency Operations budget received a $5 billion increase.

“Increasing the amount of money spent to destroy life is dangerously reducing the amount of money available to improve lives around the world,” I said. “That needs to change.”

I noted that people fall into poverty when the breadwinners in their households are gunned down on the streets, identifying the work of local congregations with “Heeding God’s Call” action against gun violence, confronting gun shops that allow straw sales. I noted we need legislative action on this.

And I spoke about the people from Cambodia and Thailand in my congregation, some of whom still do not have proper documentation decades after being resettled in this country. The scriptural admonitions are so very clear, I said, that we are commanded to help the aliens who live among us to be able to provide for themselves and their families. We are concerned about immigration reform to deal with the problems of children being separated from their parents, the need for health care and education, and we hope that when Congress deals with immigration reform, it will work at overcoming modern-day slavery and human trafficking. A couple of senators wrote down a note in response to that comment.

 I closed with an additional admonition from the scriptures: “May God grant you wisdom and courage to overcome evil with good.” Heads nodded around the table.

-- James Beckwith is secretary of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, and pastor of Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

By Carolyn Fitzkee

A highlight from a recent mission trip to Haiti and the Dominican Republic was a time of prayer on the border between the two countries. Two groups of volunteers traveled to the DR in December and January to help build a church in La Descubierta, with funding from Global Mission and Service, Brethren World Mission, and both volunteer groups. Located near the border with Haiti, La Descubierta is a community primarily of Haitian immigrants.

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Fitzkee

A group prays for peace at the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic during a recent mission trip to the two countries. The group had helped with a work project and Vacation Bible School at a Church of the Brethren in the DR and staffed a medical clinic at a Church of the Brethren in Haiti, two neighboring countries that have been at odds.

The group from the Chiques Church and Rockford Community also helped provide a one-day medical clinic at the largest Church of the Brethren congregation in Haiti on Jan. 9.

Coordinated by Earl Ziegler, a group of 12 volunteers from the Lititz, Lampeter, Curryville, and Conewago congregations in Pennsylvania completed latrines and a concrete roof during the week of Dec. 7-14, 2013. The second group of 18 from the Chiques congregation in Manheim, Pa., and seven from Rockford (Ill.) Community Church of the Brethren led by Carolyn Fitzkee and Jeff Boshart, traveled from Jan. 4-11 and helped complete the concrete floor, paint the interior walls and ceiling, and begin work on a cistern.

Both groups also spent time with the children of the community. The first provided crayons and coloring books based on Psalm 23. The second group, in partnership with Dominican pastors Anastacia Bueno (San Luis) and Cristina Lamu Bueno (Sabana Torsa), provided an abbreviated three-day Vacation Bible School. The pastors coordinated the songs and spiritual content, while the US group led games and crafts. The first day 50 children attended under the pavilion next to the church. The second day at the local school 300 children attended. On the final day 60 children--including some not affiliated with the congregation--came to the church for activities and worship that featured a Spanish language puppet show on the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

Gran Bwa medical clinic

The group from the Chiques Church and Rockford Community also helped provide a one-day medical clinic for 339 patients at the largest Church of the Brethren congregation in Haiti on Jan. 9.

The Gran Bwa congregation is in a remote mountainous area of Haiti near the border with the DR. A winding and rocky path provides the only access. The group rode on the back of Daihatsu pick-up truck up a very rocky, steep road for two-and-one-half hours, and then hiked for another hour-and-three-quarters to get to the church.  A group coming from the Haiti side spent nearly a day getting to Gran Bwa.

Part of the Haiti Medical Project, the clinic was coordinated by Jean Altenor of the National Committee of the Haitian Church of the Brethren, pastor Duverlus Altenor, and Ilexene and Michaela Alphonse. The US group provided a doctor, Paul Brubaker of Chiques, and four nurses/ The Dominican church provided an optometrist, pastor Onelys Rivas of Betel Church. The Haiti Medical Project provided two Haitian doctors and a nurse, plus translators and supplies.

Altenor said it was hard to put into words how much it meant for this community to be ministered to in this way, knowing the sacrifice of those who volunteered. He said the church was “hungry” for this clinic, which was very evident from the turnout.

For those from the United States, being able to serve alongside and minister to brothers and sisters in Christ was truly a mountaintop experience.

A prayer for peace

The prayer was for peace between the two countries, Haiti and the DR, which have historically been at odds. A recent court ruling threatens to strip Dominicans of Haitian descent of their citizenship. It was also a prayer for Christians to model Christ’s love for all people, no matter their differences.

The moment of prayer on the border grew out of the experiences of the Chiques and Rockford volunteers growing closer with members of Iglesia de los Hermanos in the Dominican Republic as they worked together on a church construction project and an abbreviated Vacation Bible School for the children of a Haitian immigrant community in the DR.

They grew even closer when 38 were physically squeezed together in the back of a pick-up truck with a 12-foot bed for a long, bumpy ride up the side of a mountain, and then continued on foot on winding rocky and sometimes muddy paths to reach Gran Bwa, the largest Church of the Brethren in Haiti to provide a one-day medical clinic for 339 people.

As the group worshiped together throughout the week, singing and praying in English, Spanish, and Kreyol, God had been teaching us that we were “one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). As we prepared to cross back into the Dominican Republic at the end of a long day, it felt right to kneel together in prayer at the border of the two countries to pray for peace and unity.

-- Carolyn Fitzkee recently was appointed an officer of Brethren World Mission, where she serves as financial secretary.

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging

Photo courtesy of Ruoxia Li

The Chinese guests at Good Samaritan Hospice with Sue Ranson, a member of Roanoke (Va.) First Church of the Brethren.

By Ruoxia Li

Eric Miller and Ruoxia Li hosted a small group of Chinese healthcare professionals and business people who visited the United States from Jan 7-20. The mission of their trip was to learn about elder care and hospice in America.

The group visited Bridgewater (Va.) Retirement Community, which is a Church of the Brethren related facility, as well as Good Samaritan Hospice, Adult Day Services at Virginia Tech, and the Yale Program on Aging. In Roanoke, Va., they joined the Wednesday night fellowship at Central Church of Brethren. Becky and Harry Rhodes from Central Church hosted the guests in their home, where the Chinese guests experienced hymn singing, home-cooked meals, and American hospitality.

They also visited Washington, D.C., and New York City during their trip.

Previously, a group of physicians from Pingding, Shanxi, where Brethren missionaries founded a church and hospital, participated in a similar tour of the US, and church members and medical professionals from Virginia have visited China.

Media in Roanoke, Va., covered the trip in articles in the Roanoke Star newspaper and on WDBJ Channel 7: http://theroanokestar.com/2014/01/21/chinese-team-visits-good-sam-to-learn-about-hospice-care ; www.wdbj7.com/news/local/taking-comfortable-endoflife-care-to-far-places/-/20128466/23852280/-/nx9wba/-/index.html?fb_action_ids=10202179481903024&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582.

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria

“It is always very difficult to report about a Boko Haram attack,” writes one of the staff of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), reporting yet more violence in northeastern Nigeria. The EYN staff member wrote in an e-mail to the Global Mission and Service office this week that the attack on Sunday in his village at Wagga Chakawa “came as a surprise to many people.”

Boko Haram is an extremist Islamist sect that has been attacking villages in remote areas, government facilities such as police stations and army posts, banks, mosques and moderate Muslims, and churches and Christians.

The EYN staff reported: “Boko Haram...are divided into different groups and their strategy of operation differs. The operation in Wagga Chakawa started with a road block. Wagga Chakawa is a place where different tribes from Borno and Adamawa settled for farming, and it is close to a forest where most people go for fire wood. On Jan. 26 the sects mounted a big road block particularly screening the passengers that were going for fire wood.

“A report from a Muslim eye witness said he was freed at the first and second road blocks because they only asked him his religion. He said he postponed his business of the day because he witnessed many Christians being slaughtered in his presence. It was after the road check that they went to the Catholic church for killing and burning. About four houses were burnt, the church was also burnt, and about 22 people died as a result of the attack.”

The EYN staff member closed his message with the prayer, “God have mercy.”

Find a “Christian Post” article about the attack at http://crossmap.christianpost.com/news/boko-haram-suspected-in-bomb-attack-on-catholic-church-service-in-nigeria-at-least-22-worshippers-killed-8722.

Refugee numbers are growing

In related news, the numbers of refugees fleeing northern Nigeria because of the terrorist violence is growing. Reports posted at AllAfrica.com including a lengthy article from the UN Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), say that up to 37,000 people have fled the violence in northeastern Nigeria since early 2012, but the government has not updated that number since September last year. Many refugees are going to neighboring countries including Niger and Cameroon.

“The aid response thus far has been patchy,” said the IRIN report. “Government efforts to register the displaced have been slow, and the refugees among them have yet to be given refugee status.... A recently completed joint food security assessment by the World Food Program and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) revealed that nutrition centers in the main sites sheltering displaced populations have higher rates of severe acute and moderate malnutrition than in May 2012, when the displaced started to arrive.... The situation is very volatile, with people crossing the border weekly, and new waves still arriving.”

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary

Malinda Berry, assistant professor of theological studies and director of the MA program at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., has announced that she is taking the position of assistant professor of theology and ethics at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., effective July 1.

As an active presence in Mennonite Church USA and a graduate of AMBS, Berry has an opportunity to contribute to her home denomination in this new position.

Berry began her tenure at Bethany in the fall of 2009, teaching a range of courses in theology and guiding MA students in research and the writing of theses. Bethany Seminary president Jeff Carter acknowledged her accomplishments during her time at the seminary, including establishing a distance learning Connections track for the MA program and giving leadership to the strengthening of the MA curriculum during the seminary’s recent curriculum review.

-- Jenny Willliams is director of Communications and Alumni/ae Relations at Bethany Seminary.

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event

Shine, the new curriculum from Brethren Press and MennoMedia, has joined Faith Forward as a presenting partner for their 2014 gathering. Faith Forward is an organization dedicated to bringing together children’s and youth ministry leaders for collaboration, resourcing, and inspiration toward innovative theology and practice.

The 2014 Faith Forward gathering will be May 19-22 at Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tenn. Participants at this gathering will hear inspiring presentations, experience innovative workshops, and be empowered by conversations with others on a common quest to forge new approaches and re-imagine ministry with children and youth.

Speakers include Phyllis Tickle, Mark Yaconelli, Sandy Sasso, Brian McLaren, Melvin Bray, Anne Streaty Wimberly, Ivy Beckwith, Andrew Root, and Bonnie Miller-McLemore.

For more information, and to register for the 2014 Faith Forward gathering, visit http://faith-forward.net. For more about Shine: Living in God’s Light go to www.ShineCurriculum.com.

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series

By Donna Kline

To celebrate its fifth year of publication “Basin and Towel” is beginning a new series on congregational vitality with the January 2014 issue. “Basin and Towel” is a magazine published by the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Ministries.

The four-issue series will follow the rhythms that often make up both the decades-long life of a congregation as well as an individual worship service: the rhythms of gathering, calling, forming, and sending disciples.

The first issue in the series will include reflections and practices from pastors and other church leaders as they share their thoughts on the theme “The Gathering Community.” Readers will learn about congregations that excel as inviting and welcoming communities, growing as they reflect the diversity of surrounding cities and towns; and how congregations reflect their unique “Brethren-ness” through service, simplicity, community, and an emphasis on peacemaking. Changing, evolving, maturing worship practices will be shared, and readers will be encouraged to provide spaces in their own gathering places for people to share important questions of life and faith.

Go to www.brethren.org/basinandtowel for bonus materials including a video interview, and to subscribe. An individual 1-year (3 issues) subscription costs $12. Order for multiple leaders in a faith community and the price is just $8 per person for 3-19 copies, and $7 per person for 20 or more copies (all copies are sent to one location; a minimum of three copies must be ordered). Subscribe online or contact Diane Stroyeck at dstroyeck@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 327.

-- Donna Kline is director of the Deacon Ministry and editor of “Basin and Towel.”

Source: 2/1/2014 Newsline

Brethren bits

• Remembered: Walter (Walt) Dean Bowman (90), who died on Jan. 19 following a brief illness. He served the Church of the Brethren in a position overseeing camping and outdoor ministries in the 1970s and ’80s. He was born Feb. 9, 1923, in Norwalk, Ohio, to Dean and Evelyn (Krieger) Bowman. He graduated from Manchester University (formerly Manchester College), where he met and married Frances Gibson, with whom he shared 45 years. After a summer pastorate, he entered Bethany Seminary in 1944 in Chicago then volunteered for relief work in postwar Italy. In 1948 he returned to Bethany, where he completed a master of divinity degree. For 20 years he served pastorates in Illinois, Ohio, and Kansas. In 1968, Southern Ohio District called him to lead its camping and Christian education ministries. He assumed responsibility for developing year-round programming for Camp Woodland Altars in Peebles, Ohio. Under his leadership, the camp grew to include summer camping, retreats, and outdoor education for public school groups. He represented the denomination in ecumenical ministries, including the Ohio Board of Ministry in Higher Education, which he chaired for three years, overseeing ecumenical ministry to students on all state university campuses. Beginning in 1975, he divided his time between the district and a position overseeing Church of the Brethren outdoor ministries. He developed a nationwide association of camp directors and program leaders to strengthen and unify programs in the denomination's 33 camps. He served as the Brethren liaison to ecumenical groups working to develop programs and curriculum for outdoor ministries. He worked closely with the Council of District Executives, serving terms as chair and chairing the professional growth committee. In 1988, he took a sabbatical to study Spanish with Fran in Costa Rica, preparing to volunteer in El Salvador. This goal was never realized because of illness resulting in Fran's death in 1989. In 1991, he married Barbara Fessenden. He is survived by his wife Barbara (Marino Fessenden) Bowman; children Wayne (Annie) of Brandon, MB; Phil (Cathy Koolis) of Sarasota, Fla.; Theresa (Jeff) Plotnick of Calgary, AB; Christine (Robert) Guth of Goshen, Ind.; Steven (Diane) of Cincinnati, Ohio; Christopher Fessenden of Toluca Lake, Calif.; David (Vanessa) Fessenden of Las Vegas, Nev.; Brian (Christine) Fessenden of Canoga Park, Calif.; and grandchildren. A memorial service was held Jan. 22 at Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and St. Charles in Granada Hills, Calif. Memorial gifts are received to Heifer International and Habitat for Humanity.

• The World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting young adults to apply now for the Stewards Program 2014. Young adult stewards will serve at the WCC Central Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 26-July 10. “I encourage Brethren young adults to apply to be a steward at the WCC,” said Becky Ullom Naugle, director of the Church of the Brethren Youth and Young Adult Ministry. “This program offers exposure to ecumenism on international scale and allows for intercultural understanding and relationship building. The World Council of Churches and the stewards program is a visible affirmation that in Christ there are many gifts, but one Spirit.” Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30. Before the meeting begins, stewards will follow an on-site ecumenical learning program, exposing them to the key issues of the worldwide ecumenical movement. During the meeting, stewards will assist in the areas of worship, floor management, documentation, communications, and other administrative and support tasks. Following the meeting, stewards will design ecumenical projects that they will implement in their churches and communities on their return home. Completed application forms are due to the WCC youth program no later than Feb. 21. More information and the downloadable application form are at www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/apply-now-stewards-programme-2014 .

• Church of the Brethren denominational leaders met together

The Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., hosted a food collection drive for the City of Elgin on Martin Luther King Day. The denominational offices have provided warehouse space for the annual collection for several years. Shown below: a group of the youth who volunteered to sort and help distribute the food to local pantries and soup kitchens; and the group of leaders on hand to help out, including Church of the Brethren staff member Don Knieriem (second from right) who helped organize the event. Photos are by Cat Gong

• “Here's a tribute to our fearless BDM volunteers braving the ‘polar vortex’ in New Jersey,” writes Brethren Disaster Ministries in a Facebook post. Lyrics by Felix Bernard are sung to the tune of “Winter Wonderland”:
  
  Hammers ring--are you listenin’?
  As volunteers are a-whistlin’.
  They face unafraid
  The snow God has made,
  Workin’ in a winter wonderland.
  
  Volunteering makes you tired.
  Your muscles ache and you perspire.
  But up North, you bet
  It’s too cold to sweat.
  Workin’ in a winter wonderland.
  
  Refrain:
  Volunteer in frosty Toms River
  And pretend that you’re in New Orleans,
  Soakin’ up the rays and you won’t shiver--
  You’ll stay warm as long as you can dream.
  
  Gone away is the sadness
  As you spread joy and gladness,
  Singin’ songs of God’s love
  From Heaven above,
  Workin’ in a Winter Wonderland!

• A ceasefire agreement for South Sudan signed Jan. 23 has been applauded in a release from the ACT Alliance, an international partner organization for Brethren Disaster Ministries. South Sudan has faced a grave humanitarian crisis since a coup attempt sparked violence in December. More than half a million people were forced from their homes, with 86,000 fleeing to neighboring countries, the release said. South Sudan will continue to need international assistance for a long time to come, but ACT Alliance general secretary John Nduna said the ceasefire was an important first step. “Leaders of both sides must now insist their forces lay down their weapons immediately and allow humanitarian organizations the chance to care for the wounded and those forced from their homes. We hold out hope that South Sudan can return to peace.” The release anticipated ongoing efforts by ACT members, which includes the Church of the Brethren, as well as the All Africa Conference of Churches, the World Council of Churches, and South Sudan Council of Churches to support church-led peace and reconciliation efforts.

• A YouTube video about the Shine curriculum jointly produced by Brethren Press and MennoMedia is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-s30ns5Ad0&feature=youtu.be . The short video clip illustrating the statement from scripture, “Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world, let your light Shine,’” promotes the new Christian education curriculum that will be available starting this fall, following the last summer of its precursor curriculum Gather ’Round. The “Shine On” storybook Bible for children will be available in March. For more information go to www.brethrenpress.com.
  
  

• The Souper Bowl of Caring has been one way youth groups help fight poverty and hunger in their communities on Super Bowl Sunday. The Youth and Young Adult Ministry office is encouraging participation by Brethren youth. Ideas for activities including taking up a collection in a soup pot on that day at church, asking for congregations to give money or food items for people in need. The youth groups give 100 percent of donations directly to the local hunger-relief charity of their choice. “In 2012, more than 10,000 groups collected more than $9.8 million in dollars and food for local hunger-relief charities. That's a total of more than $90 million collected since the movement began in 1990!” says the Souper Bowl website. Find more ideas, register a youth group to participate, and report results at www.souperbowl.org .

• Paul Mundey, senior pastor at Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren, will lead the annual church development event in Shenandoah District. Cultivating for a Great Harvest will be March 1 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Mountain View Fellowship Church of the Brethren in McGaheysville, Va., on the theme, “Behold, I Am About to Do a New Thing” (Isaiah 43:19), with additional scripture text from 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” Mundey has been senior pastor at 1,100-member Frederick Church of the Brethren for 17 years, and previously was director of Evangelism and Congregational Growth for the Church of the Brethren for 13 years. Find the registration brochure at http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1110837621104-228/Cultivating2014.pdf .

• A group from Goshen City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren is planning a 10-day trip in June to Bexbach, German, to help celebrate the 35th anniversary of Goshen’s sister city relationship. The trip will include a boat ride down the Rhine River, and a three-day stay with a host family, at a cost of from $1,400-1,600. Contact allanjkauffman@gmail.com.

• Camp Mack’s Annual Dinner is March 7, starting with hors d’oeuvres at 6:15 p.m. Rex Miller, Camp Mack’s executive director, will speak about the future of the new Becker Retreat Center at the site of the former Becker Lodge, which was destroyed in a fire, and the future vision for the camp. Cost is $25 for undesignated seating; or $300 and more for reserved tables for six through eight people. The camp’s Growing from the Ashes Capital Campaign is raising funds to build Becker Retreat Center, and is $442,000 away from the amount needed to start the building process, said the announcement. For more information go to www.campmack.org.

• “Plant seeds of FAITH in the lives of children, youth and young adults!” said an invitation to the Sow the Seed Scholarship Banquet at Camp Bethel on March 6, starting at 6:30 p.m. The $50 cost and all donations from the evening fund "camperships" and summer camp ministries. RSVP by Feb. 27 to 540-992-2940 or campbetheloffice@gmail.com .

• Pacific Southwest District has announced the theme and shared the logo for its 2014 District Conference led by moderator Erin Matteson on Nov. 7-9 at Hillcrest retirement community in La Verne, Calif. The theme, “Spirit of God Moving,” is inspired by Isaiah 43:18-19. Matteson is blogging and posting resources related to the theme at www.pswdcob.org/spirit including a bookmark and the following reflection:
  
  “God enfolds all creation in the Spirit,
       cradles and carries us,
       invites and challenges us to be part of a healing movement...
  Yearning for more justice, love, peace, and joy for God’s world,
  She whispers and sings, swirls and swoons as she goes...
  Dance and play, serve and sing, with me, and one another and strangers, too.
  Take up your shovel and pick, basin and towel, signs of protest, cups of cold water...
  Till all creation be fresh and green again.
  Wholeness at hand, for all...
  True salvation, come at last.”

• Bridgewater (Va.) College hosts three events Feb. 3-9 focusing on global hunger, Haiti, and food insecurity in the United States, according to an announcement. On Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Tony P. Hall, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, will speak on his global efforts to alleviate hunger and improve human rights conditions. Nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, Hall has served as US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture and as executive director of UNICEF. Jonathan Myerson Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti when the Jan. 2010 earthquake struck, will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 4. His book, “The Big Truck that Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster,” details the terror and devastation of the earthquake and the relief efforts that followed. On Feb. 9 at 3 p.m., the documentary "A Place at the Table" will be shown. The film examines hunger in America through the stories of three people struggling with food insecurity. All three events, sponsored by the Kline-Bowman Endowment for Creative Peacebuilding, will take place in Cole Hall and are open to the public at no charge.

Source: 2/1/2014 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 Newsline include James Beckwith, Jeff Boshart, Carolyn Fitzkee, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Mandy Garcia, Kendra Johnson, Donna Kline, Ruoxia Li, John Mueller, Jenny Williams, Jay Wittmeyer, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.

Newsline: January 25, 2014

NEWS

• Many state laws link Selective Service registration to driver’s licenses
• Global Food Crisis Fund gives $50,000 for agricultural projects in Haiti
• Disaster grants go to South Sudan, Honduras
• NPR finds Peace Studies class in story about detained immigrants

PERSONNEL

• Carrie Eikler to serve as TRIM and EFSM coordinator

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Annual Clergy Tax Seminar is offered online and at Bethany Seminary
• ‘Jesus Weeps--Resisting Violence, Building Peace’ is theme for advocacy days

FEATURE

• Action Alert: End the violence in Syria

BRETHREN BITS

• New employees at Brethren Service Center, executive opening in N. Indiana, planning worship in Lent, National Farm Worker Ministry, chicken canning project, Shenandoah peace fest, BHA project in Harrisburg, Fahrney-Keedy master plan, and more.

Many state laws link Selective Service registration to driver’s licenses

By Lucas Kauffman

When young American men turn 18, they are required to register with the Selective Service System (SSS) because of federal law (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq). That law requires almost every male citizen, as well as immigrant men living in the United States, to register in the event of a military draft. Women are not required to register, nor are men 26 and older.

For officials, a high compliance rate is important, since that would mean that any military draft that might come up would be fair. To make sure there is 100 percent compliance, a lot of states have created legislation that links SSS registration with the process of applying for a driver’s license or state identification card.

Delaware was the first state that reached a nearly 100 percent compliance rate, since beginning the legislation in 2000. Seven other states also increased compliance rates after similar driver’s license legislation in 2002, the Selective Service reports on its website.

Reasons for these state laws include assuring eligibility for some programs and benefits to their citizens, because men who fail to register with Selective Service are not eligible for programs and benefits that Congress, 41 states and territories, and the District of Columbia have linked to registration for the draft. That would include student loans and grants for college, most government jobs, and job training. Also, immigrants who fail to register when they are at least 18 but not yet 26, may be denied citizenship.

Typical state legislation instructs the Department of Public Safety or Motor Vehicles to include a consent statement on all applications or renewals for driver’s permits, licenses, and identification cards, the SSS website says. The statement tells the applicant that by signing the application, he consents to his registration with the SSS. The applicant’s data is transferred to the SSS electronically through an arrangement the state has with the data sharing system of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

A problem for nonregistrant conscientious objectors?

For those who do not want to register for the draft or who decide to be nonregistrant conscientious objectors, this legislation could be a problem. According to Bill Galvin, the counseling coordinator at the Center on Conscience and War, there is at least one option. “One option that people have is just not apply for a driver’s license until they turn 26 years old,” he said.

However, young men who do not register for the draft may be denied financial aid for college through the federal government. Galvin said that the Center on Conscience and War may be able to help provide funding, if that happens.

The Center on Conscience and War, based in Washington, D.C., was founded in the 1940s by the Historic Peace Churches--Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers. According to Galvin, the center exists to help protect the rights of conscientious objectors.

“We are active in the G.I. Rights Hotline, which is a hotline that people can call if they want to not be a part of the military anymore,” said Galvin. The center also monitors state laws such as the automatic registration into the draft, advocates for the rights of conscientious objectors, and helps immigrants and people of different religious backgrounds apply for conscientious objector status.

Since the Center on Conscience and War is opposed to a military draft and conscription, it does not want the law that protects the rights of conscientious objectors to go away, Galvin commented when asked about the necessity of a Selective Service System in light of automatic draft registration in so many states. If Selective Service were done away with, the Center on Conscience and War could still exist he said. “Churches do support us, especially if they have conscientious objectors in their congregations,” said Galvin.

“I believe that as long as there is war, there will be conscientious objection. The need for our work will go on.”

Find an article on “Selective Service Registration: Coercion of Conscience?” from the Center on Conscience and War at www.centeronconscience.org/co/5-draft/320-selective-service-registration-coercion-of-conscience.html.

Conscientious objector checklist, from the curriculum Call of Conscience published by the Church of the Brethren at www.brethren.org/co.

Role of Brethren Volunteer Service in event of a draft

Director of Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Dan McFadden offered his thoughts about the legislation that links Selective Service registration with driver’s licenses. “BVS would provide an opportunity for alternative service [in the event of a draft], and it has done so in previous drafts,” said McFadden. “There would most likely be more people that sign up for BVS to look for service opportunities, if there was a draft.”

Not many people know about the legislation that links registration with driver’s licenses, he said. “For most people, this is not a big deal. However for a conscientious objector, if you are not registered and you are in college, the government can block federal student loans.”

If that happens, McFadden said that some Church of the Brethren related schools, such as Manchester University, “will help with student loans, if you are not able to get loans because of not registering for the draft.”

McFadden has heard about and kept up to date on the legislation through regular conference calls with the Selective Service and other Anabaptist and church volunteer organizations. He thinks that the driver’s license legislation is a way the government is improving compliance rates, just like Selective Service wants. “It is a way to streamline the people who register,” he said. “This is a way to have names of people on hand, if there ever is a draft.

“This legislation does not really matter if you are planning on registering with the Selective Service,” said McFadden.“You have to selectively say that you do not want to, by sending in materials.

“Personally, I do not really think that the Selective Service System is necessary,” he added. However, he clarified that “the Selective Service draft system is one place where the federal government recognizes conscientious objectors.” If the current Selective Service System was dismantled, “there is no guarantee that a new selective service put back into place in the future would recognize the right to conscientious objection,” McFadden said. “If they do away with the system, conscientious objectors would not receive any recognition.”

How to register as a conscientious objector

While there is no official way to register as a conscientious objector, men may inform the government that that they are conscientious objectors by filling out a paper form and writing a personal statement.

According to McFadden, conscientious objectors should send in paperwork to the Selective Service using the “mail-back”registration forms that are available at any US Post Office. On that form, young men may write, “I am a conscientious objector,” and make several photocopies before mailing the form to Selective Service. McFadden has been informed by Selective Service staff that the department keeps a copy of all of the paper registration forms they receive.

Conscientious objectors should make several copies of the form and their personal statement, to keep for themselves, and to mail a copy to be kept on file by the denomination. Mail to the Church of the Brethren General Offices, Attn: Global Mission and Service Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Some Brethren congregations may provide this service to their members by keeping a file for conscientious objectors.

Information about conscientious objection including a check list to prepare evidence to support a CO claim, and other helpful resources, are available at www.brethren.org/CO.

States with laws linking registration to driver’s licenses

Following is a list of the 40 states, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia that have such legislation in effect, as of Oct. 25, 2013, according to the SSS website: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, District of Columbia.

States and territories that have enacted but not yet implemented the legislation are Maine, Maryland, Puerto Rico.

Find out if you have automatically been registered for the draft by typing in name and social security number at the Selective Service website www.sss.gov.

-- Lucas Kauffman is a senior at Manchester University in N. Manchester, Ind., and a January term intern with the Church of the Brethren News Services.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Global Food Crisis Fund gives $50,000 for agricultural projects in Haiti

The Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF), a fund of the Church of the Brethren dedicated to developing food security, is making an allocation of $50,000 for the continuation of agriculture development projects in Haiti. A previous grant of $50,000 was given to this project in September 2012.

This grant will provide funds for mini-grants being used to start tree nurseries, to buy animals, to purchase improved varieties of seeds and fertilizer, and to start family gardens.

Jeff Boshart, fund manager, and the GFCF Grant Review Panel recommended the additional allocation in support of a program that operates in 18 communities where L’Eglise des Freres in Haiti (Church of the Brethren in Haiti) has an established presence. The agriculture program provides training in appropriate agriculture practices and gives small grants to families to initiate small enterprises suitable to their circumstances.

The GFCF is the primary way that the Church of the Brethren assists hungry people in developing food security. Since 1983, the fund has provided grants upwards of $400,000 annually to community development programs in 32 countries. Find out more at www.brethren.org/gfcf.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Disaster grants go to South Sudan, Honduras

Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the church’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to the needs of people displaced by armed conflict in South Sudan, and to people threatened by food insecurity after Honduras declared a state of national emergency due to a disease affecting the coffee harvest.

An allocation of $15,000 responds to an appeal from ACT Alliance following heavy armed fighting that began in Dec. 2013 in South Sudan, resulting in the displacement of up to 194,000 people. Many of the displaced are seen in the Torit area of the Eastern Equatorial State, where the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission and Service is active with two mission workers and several partnerships. Additional grants are anticipated in the future to support the response efforts organized by Global Mission staff and volunteers. The grant will help to provide emergency food, water, sanitation, and household supplies to families displaced inside South Sudan.

An allocation of $10,000 responds to a Church World Service (CWS) appeal following the declaration of a national emergency in Honduras due to the worst Coffee Rust plague since 1976. The grant will support CWS partnering with the Mennonite Social Action Commission of Honduras to assist 200 families at very high risk of food insecurity. The families will be provided with vegetable seeds, plantain trees, aquaculture, chicken coops, and help with improving agro-livestock production, agricultural inputs, nutritional education, access to alternative livelihoods, and on-site technical assistance.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

NPR finds Peace Studies class in story about detained immigrants

Photo courtesy of Manchester University
Manchester Peace Studies class visits with men being held in Stewart Detention Center as part of an experience with the Alterna and El Refugio communities in Georgia.

By Jeri S. Kornegay

The National Public Radio (NPR) program Latino USA interviewed participants in Manchester University’s “Peace Issues” January session class for a story broadcast Jan. 17.

“We were visiting with men being held in Stewart Detention Center as part of an experience with the Alterna and El Refugio communities,” said Katy Gray Brown, director of Peace Studies for Manchester University. Stewart, in remote Lumpkin, Ga., is the largest immigrant detention center in the United States and the site of numerous abuses documented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights organizations.

The students visited detainees in the center and met families who had come to visit relatives who are being detained. They also volunteered in hospitality programs created by neighbors of the detention center--reaching out to families, who often had traveled hundreds of miles to see their loved ones.

The experience gave Manchester students an excellent opportunity to meet those affected by immigration detention policies, said Gray Brown.

The story by Latino USA reporter Martha Dalton--“A Refuge for Detention Center Visitors”--includes an interview with Manchester senior peace studies major Katy Herder of Claremont, Calif. Dalton spoke with many of the Manchester group, Gray Brown noted.

As they traveled the South, the students discovered that the greatest civil rights sites in the United States today are Ground Zero for some the most contentious battles in immigration and immigration rights. Their class ends Jan. 23.

Listen to the story on the Latino USA website at http://latinousa.org/2014/01/17/a-refuge-for-detention-center-visitors.

-- Jeri S. Kornegay works in University Media Relations for Manchester University.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Carrie Eikler to serve as TRIM and EFSM coordinator

Stevenson Photography
Carrie Eikler

Carrie Eikler has been named half-time coordinator of the Training in Ministry (TRIM) and Education for Shared Ministry (EFSM) programs at the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. She will begin her duties on Feb. 1. The academy is a ministry training partnership of the Church of the Brethren and Bethany Theological Seminary.

Eikler will continue as co-pastor of Morgantown (W.Va.) Church of the Brethren/Mennonite Church USA (a dually affiliated congregation), where she has served since 2007. As part of her new position, she will spend a minimum of a half week per month in office on the Bethany campus in Richmond, Ind., or at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

Eikler is a graduate of Manchester University (formerly Manchester College) and holds a master of divinity degree from Bethany Seminary. While in seminary, she served as peace studies assistant, interim admissions assistant, New Testament teaching assistant, worship coordinator, and a Student Leadership Team member. She is affiliated with the Church of the Brethren Ministerial Association, Morgantown Women’s Clergy Network, and Allegheny Mennonite Conference Leadership Council, and has served on the West Marva District Peace Team. Her continuing education experiences include the academy’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Vital Pastor program.

--Jenny Williams contributed this release. Williams serves as director of Communications and Alumni/ae Relations for Bethany Theological Seminary.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Annual Clergy Tax Seminar is offered online and at Bethany Seminary

The annual tax seminar for clergy will be held March 3. Students, pastors, and other church leaders are invited to attend either in person at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., or online.

The sessions will cover tax law for clergy, changes for 2013 (the most current tax year to file), and detailed assistance to correctly file the various forms and schedules that pertain to clergy including housing allowances, self-employment, W-2s clergy reductions, and so forth.

Greatly appreciated by Bethany Seminary students, this seminar is now open to clergy and others across the denomination. It is recommended for all pastors and other church leaders who wish to understand clergy taxes, including treasurers, steward commission chairs, and church board chairs.

Participants will learn how to file clergy taxes correctly and legally, will learn how to comply with regulations while maximizing tax deductions, and will earn 0.3 continuing education units.

Leadership is provided by Deb Oskin, EA, NTPI Fellow, who is also an ordained minister. She has been doing clergy tax returns since 1989, when her husband became pastor of a small Church of the Brethren congregation. She has learned the problems and pitfalls associated with the IRS identification of clergy as "hybrid employees," from the personal and professional perspective. During her 12 years with H&R Block (2000-2011), she achieved the highest level of expertise certification as a master tax adviser and certified advanced instructor, and has earned the status of enrolled agent with the IRS, qualified to represent clients to the IRS. She was called by Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio, to be the congregation’s peace minister to the wider community in 2004, and served as Southern Ohio District's board chair from 2007-2011. She also works closely with several interfaith peace organizations in central Ohio and currently operates her own independent tax service specializing in clergy taxes.

Seminar schedule, Monday, March 3

• Morning session: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (eastern time),  0.3 continuing education units available for live attendance, either in person or online
• Lunch is on your own
• Afternoon session: 2-4 p.m. (eastern)

This event is sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, the Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry, and Bethany Seminary's Office of Electronic Communication. Registration is $20 per person. Registration fees for current Bethany, TRIM/EFSM/SeBAH, or Earlham School of Religion students are fully subsidized (free). Registration is required to reserve a seat at the seminary or proper access to the online event, and make sufficient materials available. For those attending online, instructions and handouts will be sent a few days prior to the event. Registrations are not complete until payment is received. For space and quality reasons, registrations may be capped at 25 participants locally and 85 online. Prompt registration is advised. Go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/webcasts/clergytax2014#reg.

-- Julie Hostetter is executive director of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a joint endeavor of the Church of the Brethren and Bethany Theological Seminary.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

‘Jesus Weeps--Resisting Violence, Building Peace’ is theme for advocacy days

The Office of Public Witness invites Brethren to the 12th Annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) that will take place in Washington, D.C., from on March 21-24. This year’s theme is “Jesus Weeps--Resisting Violence, Building Peace.”

EAD is an ecumenical conference grounded in biblical witness and shared traditions of justice and peace. EAD’s goal, through worship, theological reflection, and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on US policy issues.

This year’s theme particularly speaks to the Church of the Brethren’s rich tradition of peacemaking in the world, so the Office of Public Witness staff hope that Church of the Brethren members will join the staff in Washington, D.C., for this exciting conference. For more information and to register go to EAD’s website at www.advocacydays.org.

-- Bryan Hanger is advocacy assistant at the Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Action Alert: End the violence in Syria

From the Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness 

This week delegations from many of the factions involved in the Syrian conflict gathered in Switzerland for the Geneva II conference. Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger was in Geneva last week working with the World Council of Churches encouraging Christian leaders from across the world to come together as a united voice for peace in the lead up to the conference.

This conference provides the best chance for negotiating an immediate ceasefire and a possible plan for future negotiations to fully end the conflict in Syria. While in Geneva, Noffsinger wrote a personal letter to President Obama urging him and his administration to push for peace at Geneva II saying:

"The Church of the Brethren follows the One who promises to make all things new, and as people of faith we will work in solidarity with the people of Syria as they seek a new start and a way out of the cycle of violence that has crippled their country. Our hope is rooted in the belief that enemies can be reconciled to one another and that new beginnings can be salvaged from the ending of violence. We hope that you will work with us to make this hope a reality."

The conflict in Syria has persisted for more than 1,000 days, leaving over 100,000 Syrians dead, 6 million Syrians internally displaced, and over 2 million Syrians displaced as refugees in neighboring countries. This appalling violence continues and the humanitarian situation has reached historic proportions. The United States has been leading the way in providing humanitarian aid to Syrians affected by this conflict, but what we currently are doing is not enough, and the need will only grow as violence continues.

Late last summer, we had 495 Brethren at National Older Adult Conference write to the President regarding US involvement in Syria and a large response to our Action Alert to Congress and the President. We helped to successfully urge the Administration and Congress to refrain from engaging militarily in Syria, and once again we need to raise our voice up for peace.

American negotiators need to hear that we want peace above all else. We cannot allow this golden opportunity at Geneva II to be squandered away by cynicism or political agendas. Write the President and urge him and his administration to support an immediate ceasefire so that Syria can begin the process of rebuilding and reconciling.

Sample letter:

Mr. President,

As your administration prepares for the upcoming Geneva II conference, I want to urge you to prioritize peace above all other concerns. Only an immediate ceasefire that allows for serious political negotiations to begin can finally bring this violent conflict to an end.

This conference provides a golden opportunity to make progress towards a brighter future for Syria and its people, and I hope that your administration will make every effort to get as many different parties to the table so that a broad agreement can be reached. This conflict cannot be won on the battlefield, but rather must be ended by negotiators that prioritize peace and the safety of the Syrian people above everything else.

I pray that you will remember the many Syrians who are suffering under such awful violence as you and your administration deliberate on these tremendously important matters.

Thank you for hearing my concerns,

(Signature)

In God's peace,
Bryan Hanger
Advocacy Assistant
Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness

-- Church of the Brethren Action Alerts are a ministry of the denomination's Global Mission and Service and Office of Public Witness. To receive Action Alerts or other e-communications go to www.brethren.org/advocacy/actionalerts.html. For more information about the public witness ministries of the Church of the Brethren, contact Nathan Hosler, coordinator, Office of Public Witness, 337 North Carolina Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003; nhosler@brethren.org ; 717-333-1649.

Source: 1/25/2014 Newsline

Brethren bits

“Planning worship for Lent?” asks a Facebook note from Brethren Press. “View the updated lectionary, which highlights texts used in our bulletin series.” The Church of the Brethren offers an online page focused on the lectionary scripture readings for the year, with links to a listing of the scripture readings used in the Living Word Bulletins published by Brethren Press, and a guide for studying the lectionary scriptures with a discernment process and helpful questions. Go to www.brethren.org/discipleship/lectionary.html. Living Word Bulletins may be purchased from Brethren Press at www.brethrenpress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=6700 or by calling 800-441-3712.

• The Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., has announced the hiring of two new employees. Glenna Thompson has accepted the position of full-time office assistant for Material Resources starting Jan. 21. Most recently, she worked for IMA World Health as resource development associate and general administrator. Darlene Hylton has accepted the position of temporary part-time office assistant for the Brethren Disaster Ministries office, supporting the administrative and database work. Her most recent work has included assisting with the disaster ministry’s Church of the Brethren membership and IMA databases. 

• The Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness coordinator Nate Hosler is in California for the National Farm Worker Ministry's board meeting. In a Facebook post, the office shares that Hosler joined interfaith leaders and other board members in a prayer for immigration reform outside House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy's Bakersfield District Office. More information on the event is at www.facebook.com/friends/requests/?fcode=AY-6ydjy-sUL2IoR&f=1666786010&r=100001160697396#!/notes/ufw/farm-worker-advocates-interfaith-leaders-to-hold-prayer-for-immigration-reform-o/10152130809599318.

• Read the latest “Brethren in the News” at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-in-the-news-for-jan-24.html. Topping online news reports from across the nation that feature Church of the Brethren members and congregations, is an article about the way Grossnickel Church of the Brethren continues its long-term support for the Foods Resource Bank. Also included are a number of other news pieces and obituaries.

• Northern Indiana District seeks a district executive to fill a three-quarter to full-time position available Sept. 1. The district includes 40 congregations with 1 in southern Michigan and 39 in the northern third of Indiana. Its congregations are a mix of rural, urban, and suburban with a healthy mix of theological diversity. The district board’s commitment is “Communicating, Coordinating, Connecting our family of churches” (Galatians 6:10). The preferred candidate is a personable/relational, curious, and competent administrator, who will serve as coach and team builder. The district envisions a creative model for team leadership where the district executive facilitates ministry priorities as noted by the district. The district office currently is located in Nappanee, Ind. Responsibilities include to serve as executive officer of the district board offering administrative leadership; equip, empower, inspire the board to leadership and good governance; build and strengthen relationships with congregations and pastors; use mediation skills to work with congregations in conflict; facilitate and encourage the calling of persons to set-apart ministry and lay leadership; facilitate the pastoral placement process with congregations and pastors. Qualifications include a clear commitment to Jesus Christ demonstrated by a vibrant spiritual life; grounding in Church of the Brethren faith and heritage, belief, and practice; valuing the infinite worth of each person and congregation; a collaborative leadership style that enables teamwork and shares tasks; curiosity; a vision and plan for the future; valuing all aspects of relationships with and within congregations; expertise in the dynamics of small church life and its vital mission and ministry; strong communication, mediation, and conflict resolution skills; strong administrative and management skills; respect for theological diversity; flexibility in working with staff, volunteer, pastoral, and lay leadership. Requirements include ordination in the Church of the Brethren, with a variety of ministry experiences preferred. Apply by sending a letter of interest and resume via e-mail to OfficeofMinistry@brethren.org. Applicants are requested to contact three or four people to provide a letter of reference. A candidate profile must be completed and returned before the application is considered complete. The application deadline is March 1.

• The annual Meat Canning Project of Southern Pennsylvania District and Mid-Atlantic District takes place April 21-24 at Christian Aid Ministries in Ephrata, Pa. A note from coordinator Terry Wueschinski publicized in church newsletter reports that the goal for this year is to can 45,000 pounds of chicken. The amount planned for has been reduced from previous years due primarily to the lack of financial backing, Wueschinski noted. Last year 67,000 pounds were processed and labeled by volunteers. The funds that support the project are used to purchase the chicken and pay for facility usage, labels, and shipping. The canned chicken is distributed to those in need in the two districts, with the possibility of a portion going to an overseas mission. 

• Virlina District’s Childrens Cabinet will hold a “Back In Time” event for children kindergarten thru fifth grade and their parents on Saturday,  April 26, 9 a.m.-12 noon in the Deer Field Center at Camp Bethel. Activities will include living history demonstrations, presentations, music, games, and snacks.

• The 2014 “Peace Feast” in Shenandoah District will be March 18, at 6:30 p.m., at Sangerville (Va.) Church of the Brethren. The event will celebrate the service of the Seagoing Cowboys of Heifer Project (now Heifer International).

• The Brethren Housing Association broke ground Jan. 23 on its Hummel Street Townhouses, a major housing renovation project in the distressed Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, Pa., said a release. In partnership with PinnacleHealth Systems and affiliated construction contractors, the association was able to purchase or procure five lots on Hummel St. across from Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren. “In place of crumbling buildings, BHA plans to erect five townhouse apartments for its transitional housing program serving mothers and their children recovering from homelessness” said the release. “More than 80 supporters and officials celebrated the project's groundbreaking, estimated at $950,000, of which approximately half has been pledged so far.” For more information contact Chris Fitz at 717-233-6016 or cfitz@bha-pa.org. See photos on Facebook, search for brethrenhousing. Find a “Patriot-News” article about this project at www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/01/hummel_street_townhouses_proje.html#incart_river_default.

• In more news from the Brethren Housing Association, the group has thanked the more than 250 volunteers who turned out for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Events took place at the Brethren Housing Association and Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren on Jan. 20 in conjunction with other neighborhood organizations including Brethren Community Ministries, the YWCA, Tri-County Community Action, Habitat for Humanity, and more, a release said. Volunteers renovated several apartments and a volunteer house, and did outside cleanup. Church groups who would like to be involved in an urban renewal project, especially involving carpentry, drywall, masonry, painting, and/or cleaning, are invited to contact Dennis Saylor at 717-233-6016 or dsaylor@bha-pa.org.

• A $2,500 grant to Bridgewater (Va.) College from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation will fund the purchase of an electric-powered utility vehicle for use in the college’s recycling program reports a release. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of the company that operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo Rent A Car brands. According to Teshome Molalenge, director of the college Center for Sustainability, the purchase of a used, extended-cab electric utility vehicle will double the recycling transportation options available to the student-run  recycling program. Eight students currently work in the program and share one small electric utility cart and a student-assembled Bike Cargo to transport recycling items throughout the 240-acre campus.

• The board of Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village, a Church of the Brethren retirement community near Boonsboro, Md., has approved a comprehensive Master Plan that “lays out three phases that will affect every aspect of Fahrney-Keedy while spanning a timeframe of up to 20 years,” said a release. Some key components of the plan include ensuring that revenue-generating projects are developed, combining a number of financing options to make the plan work, increasing short-term rehabilitation, expanding independent-living cottage and apartment homes as the market demands, expanding parking, completing a perimeter road, preserving campus green space, and constructing a water storage tank for present and future needs, said the release.   A major project will be the eventual replacement of the skilled nursing center. “The plan took months to research, write, and complete, involving many hours of board and staff time,” said president and CEO Keith Bryan. “Implementing the plan will involve everyone at Fahrney-Keedy.” Visit www.fkhv.org for additional details.

• Another congregation of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has suffered an attack as terrorist violence has continued in northern Nigeria this January, carried out by extremist Islamist group Boko Haram according to media reports. The EYN building in Bzuba village was destroyed in an attack on Jan. 8, reports “Christian Today” of Australia, in an article that asserts that “Islamic extremists have attacked villages in three states in Nigeria every Sunday this month, killing at least 15 Christians.” Another wave of violence also has wracked Nigeria as anti-gay violence broke out following a recent law that bans gay marriages and activities, according to African media. “Gay individuals have reportedly inundated some foreign embassies in Lagos to seek asylum,” said a CAJ News piece posted today at AllAfrica.com . “The law stipulates 14-year jail term for any person found to be nurturing gay relations or promoting gay activities.... Officials have already begun the implementation of the law with the arrest and arraignment of five suspected gays in the northern part of the country.” A source told the CAJ news agency that “embassy authorities would likely give genuine considerations to visa applicants who were gay and might be in obvious danger.”

• Jerry Dick of Penn Run Church of the Brethren has been named volunteer of the month by Community Action Inc. He has been a member of the Indiana County (Pa.) Senior Corps-RSVP since May last year, reports the “Indiana (Pa.) Gazette.” He volunteers for Aging Services Inc.’s Two Lick Valley Social Center and Indiana County Community Action Program’s White Township Food Pantry, and is a volunteer firefighter for the Cherryhill Township Fire Department.

Source: 1/25/2014 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 Newsline include Deborah Brehm, Jeff Boshart, Charles Culbertson, Chris Fitz, Bryan Hanger, Mary K. Heatwole, Julie Hostetter, Lucas Kauffman, Jeri S. Kornegay, Nancy Miner, Glen Sargent, Jenny Williams, Roy Winter, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.