UCC ecumenical partner involved in the struggle for religious freedom in Nigeria

 By Connie N. Larkman, managing editor and news director for the United Church of Christ

Bring back our girls. Many Americans are familiar with the international outcry surrounding the April 14 kidnapping of almost 300 Nigerian schoolgirls. An Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, stormed a school in Chibok in northeast Nigeria and spirited the girls away. The girls have not been rescued, even though on May 26, Nigerian officials said they know where they are.

"The tragedy of the kidnapped girls in Nigeria is not an isolated incident, but part of a global pattern of the abuse of women and girls," said Jim Moos, United Church of Christ (UCC) national officer and co-executive of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. "Sadly, religion is often used to justify the ideology of male superiority instead of proclaiming the liberating good news that women equally bear the image of God."

While much of the outrage over the conflict in Nigeria centers around the abduction and the abuse of women and girls, the terrorism inflicted by Boko Haram on the people in Nigeria is not gender specific. The underlying issue is religious freedom.

"Boko Haram proclaims a distorted and cruel version of the Muslim faith," Moos said. "it serves as a warning to people of all faiths that privileging any single belief system at the expense of all others inevitably results in oppression."

'Violence is rampant'

Stanley Noffsinger has seen the lethal results firsthand. As general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, a UCC ecumenical partner and birthing church of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria, Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, or EYN, he hears horrific stories of destruction and death from his brothers and sisters in EYN almost daily. Of churches bombed, and members abducted and killed. And the trouble is escalating. Boko Haram's attacks started out focused on the churches, the Christian community, because they wouldn't support shariah law. The terrorist group wants to convert Christians to Islam and the church is the problem. But now, Noffsinger says it's no longer that simple. The extremists no longer discriminate between Christian and Muslim. Boko Haram is targeting all who are not with them in their ideology. Their territory is the northeast region of Nigeria, where most of the EYN churches are concentrated.

"Borno state is where a lot of violence is taking place. As of this weekend, all civil authority has left the Borno state," said Noffsinger. "That's a Boko Haram mainstay, and it's critical for us--our church is strongly located in northeastern region and we're in the middle of the violence."

More than 350 EYN members have been killed and many more injured in this violence. A great deal of property has been burned, including 22 church buildings, 9 local churches, and more than 2,500 homes, affecting thousands of members. Many people no longer feel safe sleeping in their homes. They sleep in the bush instead. "Violence is escalating so quickly that there are new reports every day," said Noffsinger, indicating it's becoming very difficult to track the details of what is happening in Nigeria because of the hostility.

EYN President Samuel Dante Dali said EYN has no contact with Boko Haram. "They will not even agree to work with the church because the church is their primary target of destruction," he said. "We, as a church, can only present our petition to God to seek for his mercy and his own will to liberate the girls from Boko Haram."

The US Brethren are working to support their Nigerian brothers and sisters, with prayers, financial assistance ($100,000 has been sent to Nigeria to date through the EYN Compassion Fund, with more assistance being received daily) and their presence. Noffsinger has spent a lot of time with the people of EYN. He last visited Nigeria in April, and was flying home the evening of April 14 when the girls were kidnapped from a school founded by the Church of the Brethren.

"The history of the US church with Nigeria dates back to 1923, when Church of the Brethren was established as a mission outpost," Noffsinger said. "Our ties are long and deep with the church in Nigeria. It was viewed as a mission church until the early 1970s, when both churches decided that the Nigerian church needed to be recognized as its own entity. It was about the same time that the Chibok School was turned over to the government to become a government school, in an area where there are a lot of Brethren people. Education for Nigerian Brethren has been around for a long time, as a holistic part of the mission program. Health and wellness and education were part of it as well as spirituality and faith formation."

Noffsinger believes spirituality, strong faith, and an unwavering belief that God is walking with them is sustaining the Nigerian Brethren in this time of crisis.

"EYN leaders and members have been writing to me with resolve in their voices that nothing can shake them from their commitment to Christ and the Church," said Noffsinger. "The Nigerian Brethren believe deeply in the power of prayer. They are emphatic about that." He told the story of a young man he met in Nigeria who attends one of the Brethren schools. "His responses continue to amaze me, because his faith is absolute. He told me, 'Nothing can happen to me that can separate me from the love of God.'"

And despite the horrific uncertainly with which the Nigerian Brethren live, they continue to reach out to help their neighbors.

Rebecca Dali, the wife of EYN president Samuel Dali, created a nonprofit organization CCEPI (Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives) to assist women and children affected by the violence, orphans, and refugees who have been fleeing to neighboring countries and those displaced within Nigeria. She can often be found, at great personal peril, traversing the countryside taking supplies to those in need. She loads up her car and takes food to refugees. She documents the missing so they will be remembered, and has interviewed the girls' families, and all the returning girls who were able to escape their captors. The US Brethren sent her $10,000 to support her work.

"We need your prayers," she wrote to the US church. "Now there is virtually no security in Borno State. Many have fled to Cameroon. In refugee camps in Cameroon and [for] some who are displaced, there was no food, medical, or other kinds of help. The government, even when warned, does not stop the violence. People are suffering."

"Although Global Ministries does not have partner relationships in Nigeria, it is important that we care about the recent kidnapping of school girls because of our commitment to a shared life with justice," said Sandra Gourdet, Global Ministries Africa office executive for the UCC. "We are connected as human beings and our solidarity demands that we reach out to the girls and their families in their struggle to cope with such an atrocious act."

Noffsinger says the Nigerian Brethren are asking their brothers and sisters in the United States to do two things--to fast, and to pray for them. From candelight vigils to Mother's Day events, the call to prayer has been picked up by Brethren and other denominations' congregations across the country.

"We have tried to approach this from a point of engagement of spiritual disciplines," Noffsinger said. "Because we want to honor and respect the request of the Nigerian church saying, 'Here's what you as a North American church can do as a sister church: prayer and fasting.'"

The people of EYN believe that with God, all things are possible. That spiritual partnership, sharing their stories, documenting their history and their struggles will help them get through this crisis.

"The Church of the Brethren is an historic peace church," said Geoffrey Black, UCC general minister and president. "As they and their partner churches and institutions in Nigeria face the challenges resulting from religiously motivated violence in that country, we stand with them in prayerful solidarity. Our affinity with them comes out of our shared commitment to peace and just peace making."

Our grief and our love are being held at the same place," said Noffsinger. "We, like the Nigerian church, must not be overcome by this great darkness, but rather, walk forward in the light of Christ. The darkness will not overcome us. Love is stronger than grief and will overcome this time."

To help the people of EYN through the UCC International Disaster Relief Fund, indicate you want your gift to go to the Women and Children in Nigeria. We will send your support to our ecumenical partner, through the EYN Compassion Fund for the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

-- Connie N. Larkman is managing editor and news director for the United Church of Christ. This UCC release is reprinted here with permission.

Source: 6/10/2014 Newsline

Updates on Nigeria

Here are various updates on Nigeria and current events affecting Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), as well as continuing expressions of support from Brethren in the United States and ecumenical partners:

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

“Tuesday, June 3: What a day!” wrote Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger after spending 35 minutes on Skype with second graders at Wakarusa (Ind.) Elementary School. After hearing about the girls abducted from Chibok, Nigeria, the school challenged their students to gather change to aid the girls and their families. At the end of the challenge, Noffsinger spoke via Skype with the class that collected the most change, explaining the situation in Nigeria and the Church of the Brethren connection with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria. “These courageous young people gathered about 400 pounds in change totaling $1,700!” Noffsinger reported. “This will be matched dollar for dollar by a matching grant which makes their effort total $3,400. Incredible. Preston Andrews came up with the idea because he cared so much about the girls. They all want them to return safely.” Noffsinger is making plans for Andrews to meet Rebecca Dali at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference this summer, as “two of a kind with hearts for the victims of violence.”

• Cards for Nigeria will be collected at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, which takes place July 2-6 in Columbus, Ohio. All congregations are invited to send with their Conference delegate a card of encouragement and prayerful concern for Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Cards will be gathered on Saturday, July 5, at the beginning of the afternoon business session during a time of remembrance and prayer for EYN. The cards will be delivered to EYN by staff at the next available opportunity.

• Under the subject line, “A trying moment,” the EYN staff liaison sent an e-mail to Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer reporting on continuing violent events in Nigeria. The Gwoza area near the Cameroon border has suffered repeated attacks by the Boko Haram insurgent group, in an area where reprisal attacks by communities against Boko Haram and bombings by the Nigerian military have begun as well. Christians are no longer able to live there, the EYN staff member reported, and are fleeing to nearby towns and even as far away as Lagos in the south of the country. He told the story of a retired minister and EYN trustee who also is a traditional ruler and district head in one of the areas that were attacked more than a week ago. “God speared his life through a Muslim who whispered to his wife about the terrorist group arriving in Ngoshe in large numbers, and he should not come out of his house and he should try by all means to hide because there will be a major operation of killing Christians in Ngoshe area by the terrorists. He managed to take a handful of his clothes, Bible, and hoe.... He left over 50 bags of grain, more than 35 goats, sheep, and cows behind, and many other things. He said he is grateful to God for his life despite the fact that he lost everything, but he is happy to be alive. He said no one remembers to take his wife or children when the fire is hot. He is urging all believers to please run for their lives.” In the attached picture, the retired minister stands with another young refugee who has been sheltering with the EYN staff liaison’s family for over a month. “My house became a small refugee camp but we are happy to have people alive in another way. We have only two bedrooms and a sitting room but we can still make it with the help and His grace. Feeding is becoming my major concern,” he wrote. His e-mail added details about areas where Muslims as well as Christians are in danger and need help, and the fact that neither Nigerian security forces nor government agencies have been coming to aid those communities. “Relocating Muslims and Christians together will build a stronger understanding for their future life,” he noted. “Both faiths are in pains.... May peace prevail on earth.” His note closed, “We thank you for your prayers also.”

• More women have been kidnapped from the Chibok area by Boko Haram, in media reports from Nigeria. Gunmen reportedly kidnapped 20 women and 3 men who tried to help the women, from a village of the Fulani people near the place more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in mid-April. The abduction reportedly took place last Thursday. The Nigerian military claims to have killed more than 50 of the militants last weekend, after an incident last week when the insurgent group reportedly killed hundreds of people in three villages in the Gwoza area, Nigerian media said.

• Bryan Hanger of the Office of Public Witness has written an insightful blog post reflecting on a Subcommittee on African Affairs hearing in May with testimony from the State Department, USAID, and Pentagon about the nature of Boko Haram and what the United States may or may not be able to do in response to the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. “By the end of their testimony it was clear that although the concern was great, there are many tangible realities limiting any effective outside response to the kidnapping,” he writes, in part. “As Brethren are all too aware, life in northern Nigeria is tough, and it has been that way for a while. This kidnapping did not happen in a vacuum, but rather is a grotesque manifestation of the insecurity that exists there all the time. The lack of good governance, quality education, reliable infrastructure, widespread peacebuilding practices, and stable local policing has created a region in northern Nigeria where corruption is rife and many Nigerians are left to fend for themselves. Especially children. We heard in a separate Congressional briefing the day before that 10.5 million of the world’s 57.5 million primary school aged children that do not attend school are Nigerian. And of those 10.5 million Nigerians, 9 million are from the North. According to A World At School, these figures mean Nigeria has the largest number of out of school children in the whole world.” Read the full blog post, titled “#BringBackOurGirls: Zooming Out But Staying Focused,” at http://blog.brethren.org/2014/bringbackourgirls-zooming-out-but-staying-focused .

Photo courtesy of Nan Erbaugh

Lower Miami Church of the Brethren flies the Nigerian flag 

in solidarity with the kidnapped schoolgirls

Photo courtesy of Nan Erbaugh




Names of the kidnapped girls are read in a prayer service at 

Lower Miami Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Ohio. At 

the podium reading names is Gale Stephenson.

• Lower Miami Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Ohio, held a prayer service for the Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram on May 21. Gale Stephenson and Clarence Griffith read the names of the girls, reports Nan Erbaugh, who wrote: “Toward the end of the service, each person was invited up to choose a bead to take with them as a reminder of the girls, as we sang ‘Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying.’ I encouraged everyone to keep the bead with them, perhaps in a pocket, as a reminder to pray. One person put the bead on a piece of yarn hanging from their purse. Another strung the bead and hung it on their rear view mirror. Another took several beads and made a necklace which she wears all the time.” The wooden beads were shared out of Ugandan and Kenyan dishes, placed on green cloth from Sudan. “We have decided to keep the Nigerian flag flying until the situation is resolved,” she added.

• Dranesville Church of the Brethren in Herndon, Va., is including prayer for Nigeria in its "Sweet Hour of Prayer" during June, July, and August. A time for silent prayer in the church sanctuary is scheduled from 9:30-10:30 a.m., with the congregation invited to come and pray for the whole hour, or for whatever time they wish. Other prayer ideas shared in the church newsletter included prayer for the church, for other crises in the world, and for personal and family needs. “You are also encouraged to thank and praise God for who He is and what He does!” said the newsletter. “It will be a sweet time of communion with the Lord.”

• Recent statements on the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls by ecumenical partners of the Church of the Brethren include a statement from the African Methodist Episcopal Church Council of Bishops. Their official statement dated May 7 and presented by Jeffrey N. Leath, 128th Bishop, and acting president, reads in part: “While we are experiencing many emotions, from outrage to grief, we are united in prayer and loving concern for these young women, their families, and those who live in insecure communities. We support the efforts of President Obama, other world leaders, and the international community in seeking the return of those abducted. We join the cry, ‘Bring Our Daughters Back!’ In our tradition of advocacy for liberation and reconciliation, we affirm the importance of a world order where all people may live in peace. We also assert that human trafficking and gender based violence are unacceptable as God has endowed all of humanity with intrinsic value.” Find the full statement at www.ame-church.com/statement-on-nigeria-abductions .

• The Board of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church also has made a Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Praying for the Abducted Nigerian Girls. Among other “whereas” statements that start off the proclamation, the bishops note that: “Whereas, this horrific action takes place during this period of history when exploitation of women, children, the poor, and the otherwise vulnerable is accepted by many as sound perspective, the justifiable use of strength, and even aligned with Christian principles; and Whereas, we applaud the efforts of the Obama administration and other world leaders to lend support to the Nigerian government in their attempt to rescue the girls; but Whereas our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ taught us that to dispel some evils requires more than power and might, but are not affected ‘except by prayer and fasting’ (Matthew 17:21).... NOW, THEREFORE, we petition all communities of faith who call upon the one Sovereign God, to join us in a day of fasting and praying to petition the Almighty to visit us with God’s amazing power and grace to effect the resolution of this grave insult to the humanity of the Nigerian school girls and the wretched grief of their families, and to give us a witness that will urge upon the hearts of humankind the cessation of exploitation, abuse, and other wickednesses toward disenfranchised people all over the world.” The document proclaimed May 30 to be a day of fasting and prayer “in the name of the one God who is in us all and above us all.”

Source: 6/10/2014 Newsline

Collections at Annual Conference benefit YWCA shelter, express concern for Nigeria

The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference partners this year with the YWCA/YMCA of Columbus, Ohio, for an annual Witness to the Host City. An offering of donations of items needed by the YWCA shelter for women will be received at the Thursday night worship service on July 3. In another collection at the Conference, cards expressing concern and prayerful encouragement for the Nigerian Brethren will be received on the afternoon of July 5.

Annual Conference 2014 takes place in Columbus on July 2-6, led by moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman.

Witness to the host city

Each year, the Witness to the Host City service project invites Brethren to aid the city that hosts the denomination’s annual meeting. The YWCA shelter for women in Columbus, called Rebecca’s Place, works with women and children in a significant ministry providing educational opportunities, job training, employment services, and more to equip women and families for a better future.

Below are some of the most pressing needs that Brethren may respond to. An offering of these donations will be taken at the Thursday night worship service on July 3. Conferencegoers are invited to bring one or all of the following items:

• Socks, both men’s and women’s are needed

• Disposable baby diapers, any size

• Hygiene kits. Each kit should include 1 hand towel (not a finger tip or bath towel), 1 wash cloth, 1 one-gallon zipped plastic bag that is filled with 1 bath-size bar of soap, 1 bottle of shampoo, 1 container of deodorant, 1 nail clipper, 1 wide-tooth comb, 1 container of dental floss, 6 bandaids.

Cards for Nigeria

Cards for Nigeria also will be collected at the Annual Conference, during a time on Saturday afternoon, July 5. All congregations are invited to send with their Conference delegate a card of encouragement and prayerful concern for Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

Cards will be gathered on July 5, at the beginning of the afternoon business session during a time of remembrance and prayer for EYN. The cards will be delivered to EYN by staff at the next available opportunity.

Source: 6/10/2014 Newsline

Torin Eikler named executive minister of Northern Indiana District

Torin S. Eikler has been called to serve Northern Indiana District as district executive minister, a four-fifths time position beginning Sept. 1. Currently he is a team co-pastor at Morgantown (W.Va.) Church of the Brethren, which also is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Carol Spicher Waggy has been serving as interim district executive for Northern Indiana.

During his seven-year tenure at the Morgantown Church, Eikler has provided leadership for West Marva District through Bible study, the Peace Team, and Matthew 18 seminars, and he has been a member of an Allegheny Mennonite Conference committee for conference structure redesign. He has served on the Church of the Brethren’s Committee on Interchurch Relations, Anti-Racism Team, and as guest director for youth workcamps. During a term in Brethren Volunteer Service he was coordinator for the Church of the Brethren workcamp ministry in 1998-99, and served at the Capital Hill Soup Kitchen in Washington, D.C., 2001-02.

He holds a master of divinity degree from Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., and a bachelor of arts degree in biology and environmental studies, with a minor in French, from Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind.

He and his family will move to Northern Indiana District sometime in August. His wife Carrie Eikler is coordinator for the ministry training programs (TRIM and EFSM) of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a ministry training partnership of the Church of the Brethren and Bethany Seminary.

Source: 6/10/2014 Newsline

It’s not about the pastor: A reflection on the Vital Ministry Journey

The Vital Ministry Journey, an initiative of the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Ministries, is a process that empowers congregations to recapture a dynamic vision and mission to live abundantly and be God’s blessing to the community. This reflection on the Vital Ministry Journey is by Chris Bowman:

One of the best things about Vital Ministry Journey is that it is not about the minister. More accurately: it’s not about the pastoral minister.

The VMJ process is about the church. It is about the journey as this “fellowship of Jesus-followers,” together. It is not about the pastor.

Ministry is the calling of every Jesus-follower. Our baptism is our ordination. Our personal giftedness shared in community is our training. Wherever God sends us is our “mission field” as God calls us to do our part in the unfolding Kingdom of Heaven with whomever God sends to us.

To keep alive, empowered, vital, and connected to God, we gather to read the scripture, share our insights, and pray.

This kind of gathering is not new. Reading the Oakton Church minutes for 1903-1913 we see this kind of vital ministry journey was part of every church Council meeting (though by a different name).

Every three months the whole church would gather and share about how things were going and where the needs were in their community. Then someone would “admonish the Brethren.” Nowadays the word “admonish” means “to scold” but back then it meant “to encourage” or “urge forward.”

In the same way this year we meet together to hone, sharpen, and stay relevant as these individual gifts are knit together in the ministries of the Body of Christ. Thus, here at Oakton Church, VMJ is laity led.

This is what a rePurposing church is: It continually connects people to their ministry purpose.

It is not about the pastor! For too long church pastoral leadership has been heard saying, “We professionals can do it; you can help.”

The emerging church is different. We are to be more like that Home Depot slogan: “You can do it! We can help.”

Let me put it another way: “If your minister is the one doing your Vital Ministry Journey, you’re doing it wrong.”

-- Chris Bowman’s blog post about the Vital Ministry Journey is reprinted from the website of Oakton Church of the Brethren, with permission. Find out more about the Vital Ministry Journey at www.brethren.org/congregationallife/vmj.

Source: 6/10/2014 Newsline

Brethren bits

• Correction: In the "Brethren Bits" of the last Newsline, dated June 2, the listing of districts supporting the meat canning project was incorrect. The project is a joint effort of Southern Pennsylvania and Mid Atlantic Districts.

• The Church of the Brethren staff position of coordinator of the Office of Public Witness has been upgraded to a director level position. Nathan Hosler began his work in this office in a joint position with the National Council of Churches. The title is being changed to acknowledge the scope and ecumenical nature of the work. For more about the Office of Public Witness, go to www.brethren.org/peace/office-public-witness.html .

• Atlantic Northeast District has announced the calling of Mary Etta Reinhart as the new director of Witness and Outreach, beginning June 15. She presently serves the district board as chair of the Church Development and Evangelism Commission and a member of the executive committee. She is a long-standing member at Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren and resides in southern Lancaster County, Pa. Reinhart is a licensed minister and has completed the Training in Ministry (TRIM) programs in preparation for ordination. She recently completed an interim pastorate at Shippensburg Church of the Brethren and will be completing an interim pastorate at Swatara Hill Church of the Brethren in August. She is a graduate of Manchester University. Employed in customer service in the banking industry for 27 years, she spent much of her work career employed by the Bank of Lancaster County / PNC Bank. Reinhart follows Pat Horst in the district position; Horst continues chaplaincy work at Hershey Medical Center, as well as spiritual direction.

• The Indiana Camp Board, which is the camp board for the districts of Northern Indiana and South Central Indiana, has announced that as of June 1, Galen Jay is serving as interim executive director at Camp Mack. Rex Miller has retired from the position. The announcement came in a letter to all the district congregations, and went on to read in part: “We have discovered that due to financial issues at camp, funds have been misallocated from the Growing From The Ashes fundraising campaign to cover operating expenses and capital improvements. We are in the process of securing an independent audit and most likely the services of a business/financial consultant(s) to assist us in dealing with these concerns. As a board, we are working to maintain the property and programs in a way that shares holy hospitality and a sense of God's presence with all who set foot on Camp Mack. We seek your prayers as we work through this uncertain time. If your congregation has given a gift to the Growing From The Ashes campaign, then as soon as we have an accurate accounting of our financial situation, we will be in touch with you regarding the funds you have already shared. From this day forward, all gifts received for the campaign will be placed in a separate Lake City Bank certificate of deposit, which will be administered by board-appointed trustees. Thank you for your support.” The letter was signed by J.D. Wagoner, chair of the Indiana Camp Board.

• Robby May has been called as interim camp manager at Camp Galilee by West Marva District and the trustees of Camp Galilee. This position needed to be filled following the resignation of Phyllis Marsh, long-time manager for over 30 years. May is originally from Westernport, Md., and attends Westernport Church of the Brethren where his wife Diane May is pastor. He has participated at Camp Galilee since he was five years old and has been at the camp as a camper, counselor, director, member of the Camp Planning and Promoting Committee, and a member of the Trustees. Additionally, he has served several summers on the program staff at Camp Swatara in Atlantic Northeast District and has many friends throughout the Outdoor Ministries Association. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Social Science Secondary Education from Frostburg State University and a master of science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Drexel University. He is a Nationally Board Certified Social Studies Teacher and continues as a lifetime Boy Scout leader and Eagle Scout. Additionally, he has volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician with LaVale Volunteer Rescue Squad for more than 10 years. For more information about Camp Galilee go to www.camp-galilee.org .

• “The People of God Set Priorities” is the title of the 2014 summer quarter of A Guide for Biblical Studies, the Brethren Press Bible study curriculum for adults. Written by Allen T. Hansell, with the “out of context” feature by Frank Ramirez, this issue of Guide offers weekly study sessions for Sunday school classes and small groups. The three themes for the study are: “Hope and Confidence Come from God,” “Living as a Community of Believers,” and “Bearing One Another’s Burdens.” Order from Brethren Press at www.brethrenpress.com or call 800-441-3712.

Photo by Chelsea Goss

Rebekah Maldonado-Nofziger faces a flood in Virginia 

at the beginning of the BVS Coast to Coast ride

• “We're biking across the country advocating justice, encouraging the gift of service, and working for peace. Follow us in our journey!” write bicyclers Chelsea Goss and Rebekah Maldonado-Nofziger. Their cross-country tour, BVS Coast to Coast, promotes Brethren Volunteer Service and is on schedule to reach the Chicago area by the end of this week. Goss, of Mechanicsville, Va., and Maldonado-Nofziger, of Pettisville, Ohio, began the trip in May on Virginia’s Atlantic coast, and plan to reach Oregon’s Pacific coast by August. Follow the journey at http://bvscoast2coast.brethren.org or catch tweets and photos by following @BVScoast2coast. Communities interested in hosting them, or fellow cyclists interested in riding along for part of the journey, may contact bvscoast2coast@brethren.org or leave a telephone message with the BVS Office at 847-429-4383.

• Brethren Volunteer Service and Manassas (Va.) Church of the Brethren are partnering for a BVS Connections Dinner on Thursday, June 26, at 6 p.m. These dinners are free and open to anyone who has served, supported, or may be interested in volunteering in the future with Brethren Volunteer Service. The menu will be a taco salad bar. Ben Bear, a current staff volunteer working with recruitment and orientations, will be hosting the event. There will be a time for BVS alumni in attendance to share how their time of service has shaped their priorities, faith, and world view. Please RSVP to 703-835-3612 or bbear@brethren.org or indicate your attendance on the Facebook event page “BVS Connections Dinner--Manassas, Va.” If you would like to see a BVS Connections Dinner event in your area or would be interested in having some BVS representation at a local or regional event, please contact Ben Bear for more information.

• Lubungo A. Ron, a leader in Eglise des Freres au Congo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has sent an e-mail sharing concern about a massacre of people in the Bafulero community, in a nearby village. “It is very sad to inform you about killing of more than 35 persons and 62 wounded with machete, gun, and knife yesterday night from Bafulero community in Mutarule, one of the villages of Uvira territory South Kivu province of DRCongo,” he wrote earlier this week. “People fled and numerous persons arrived here in the town. The wounded people were transferred in the hospital of Burundi, Bukavu, and Kenya yesterday by Red Cross International. People who were killed all were Christians who celebrate the Pentecost day in Mutatrule...under a Pentecost church for praying God. This killing is the outcome of land conflict between two ethnic groups in this area.” Concerns included the need for help for survivors and the displaced people. Eglise des Freres au Congo is a self-identified Brethren group in the Congo, who have been developing a relationship with the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service.

• On June 13-15 the John Kline Homestead has organized a weekend of events in memory of Elder John Kline, a Civil War-era leader in the Church of the Brethren and a martyr for peace. The highlight of the weekend is the play, “Under the Shadow of the Almighty,” depicting the last days of Elder Kline. The John Kline Riders will hold a heritage tour on horseback during the weekend. Other special events include activities for children and youth, lectures, historic house tours, and vesper services. Morning and afternoon activities based on Elder Kline’s interests and talents are planned for children age 6-11, junior highs age 12-14, and senior highs age 15-18, including crafts, music, scavenger hunts, and hikes, plus information about his gardening and medical practices. Most events are in the Broadway, Va., area. A full schedule and a weekend registration form are at http://johnklinehomestead.com/events.htm . On the registration form, senior adult prices are intended for those 65 and older.

• Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., on June 22 will have a day of worship and education to remember the Battle of Hanging Rock and its effect on the church, according to an announcement from Virlina District. The Civil War battle took place June 21, 1864, and was fought near the Peters Creek Church at 5333 Cove Road, NW, in Roanoke. “The worship will include only hymns from before 1861 and be in the style of worship used by the Brethren at that time. David K. Shumate, Virlina District executive minister, will be the preacher for the worship,” said the district newsletter. The day will include educational presentations given by Clive Rice, whose wife Betty was a member of Peters Creek, and who has spent many years researching the Battle of Hanging Rock and is considered to be the expert on the battle. Rice’s presentations will be give before worship that morning, and again at 3 p.m. that afternoon. The afternoon event will include a hymn sing.

• A Salvadoran sister church to Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind., is celebrating a 50th anniversary, according to the Manchester Church newsletter. “We pray for our sister church in El Salvador, Emmanuel Baptist,” the note said, adding prayer for “renewal of strength, new vision, and increased support.” Brad Yoder represented the congregation in worship and fellowship in El Salvador on the anniversary weekend.

• First Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., is hosting a “Raise the Roof” concert and meal to raise funds to repair the roof of Camp Bethel’s Shelter-by-the-Spring. “Join us on Saturday, July 26,” said an invitation. Donations will be accepted. The meal begins at 4 p.m., with hot dogs, chili, baked beans, cole slaw, desserts, and drinks. At 5 p.m. is a steel drums concert. Please RSVP by July 22 to fcob2006@verizon.net .

• Northern Plains District is announcing “some exciting new events” at this year's District Conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Aug. 1-3. A Women's Prayer Breakfast will be held Aug. 2 at 7 a.m. with leadership from Tara Hornbacker, professor of Ministry Formation, Missional Leadership, and Evangelism at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. The theme will be "Keep Calm and Pray Without Ceasing." Coffee and juice will also be available for men during this time, said the district newsletter. A Young Adult Dessert and Discussion on Aug. 2 at 12 p.m. will be held on the theme "A Real Life Faith: God in the Daily Details." Childcare activities are being expanded with leadership from Katie Shaw Thompson, and will include exploring a prairie labyrinth at the Indian Creek Nature Center. Youth will have a chance to meet with McPherson (Kan.) College representative Jen Jensen and enjoy the Noelridge Aquatics Center. The Witness Commission is collecting names of those who served as cowboys for Heifer Project, now Heifer International, and the names of Brethren Volunteer Service workers and college students. Also, the Witness Commission will be collecting donations of supplies for Church World Service Clean-Up Buckets and Hygiene Kits, and diapers for Haiti. More information is at nplains.org/dc .

• In related news, members of Fairview Church of the Brethren will make a trip to Haiti to personally deliver diapers in advance of the Northern Plains District Conference. “The Northern Plains District has been sewing diapers for Haiti for several years,” reported the district newsletter. “The ladies sewing at Fairview talked about how fun it would be to take the diapers there and put them on the babies themselves. That conversation has taken wing...airplane wings, to be exact.” Three women from the congregation--Vickie Mason, Sarah Mason, and Diane Mason--will fly to Haiti in July to deliver more than 500 diapers sewn at Fairview, Ivester, and Panther Creek Churches of the Brethren. They will stay at the guesthouse operated by the Church of the Brethren in Haiti, and will participate in many projects with the Haitian Brethren as well as deliver the diapers and meet the babies, the newsletter said.

• The Shenandoah Valley Writing Academy (SVWA) at Bridgewater (Va.) College takes place July 7-18. The SVWA provides teachers for elementary, middle school, and high school the opportunity to hone writing skills and learn to teach writing more effectively. Participants have two options to earn teacher licensure renewal points. “The focus is always on the students we teach,” said SVWA co-director Jenny Martin in a release from the college. “We write, read, and engage with new technology to meet students’ writing needs in the classroom.” The first option for registration is the course EDUC/ENG 475: Shenandoah Valley Writing Academy Writing Workshop in the Classroom, a team-taught course associated with registration in the SVWA. Upon completion of the course, participants receive three hours of undergraduate credit, which qualifies for 90 recertification points under option 1 of teacher licensure renewal. In addition to the two-week summer program, course registrants also take part in three Saturday seminars during the fall: Aug. 23, Oct. 4 and Nov. 15. Total cost for the course option is $325. Registration for the two-week summer program only costs $125. The deadline for registration is June 20. For more information see www.bridgewater.edu/writing-academy or contact Jenny Martin at jmmartin@bridgewater.edu or 540-271-0378.

• Steven J. Schweitzer, academic dean and associate professor of Old Testament at Bethany Theological Seminary, will be the featured speaker at the Virlina District Practice of Ministry Day, Aug. 2, at Staunton (Va.) Church of the Brethren. He is the author of “Reading Utopia in Chronicles.” Practice of Ministry Day is required for students of the Christian Growth Institute and provides an opportunity for continuing education credits for ordained ministers. Cost is $50 for students in the Christian Growth Institute and $25 for ordained ministers or non-CGI learners.  The fee covers registration, lunch, and .6 continuing education units. For more information and a registration form, contact nuchurch@aol.com .

• Western Pennsylvania District is planning a 2015 mission trip to Puerto Rico, to take place Jan. 17-24. “Are you ready to escape the cold and frigid air in January? Then think about a working vacation in sunny Puerto Rico,” said the announcement in the district newsletter. “God truly blesses everyone that spends time giving to others, no matter how small or large.” The mission trip will help the community of Caimito. Contact Shirley Baker, coordinator, at 724-961-2724.

• Fahrney-Keedy Home and Village’s Auxiliary is selling daisies as a new aspect of its annual bake, food, and soup sale, on June 14 starting at 10 a.m. The Auxiliary is calling the event “Daisy Day,” said a release from the Church of the Brethren retirement community near Boonsboro, Md. Baked goods will be for sale in the Main Lobby. Other food including ham (country and regular) sandwiches, hot beef sandwiches, hot dogs, soup, and slices of cake and pie, may be purchased in the Dining Room. Cut daisies, at $5 a bunch, will be available in both locations. Ending time is about 1 p.m. or whenever food sells out. Pre-order daisies to be picked up at the sale by calling Diane Giffin, vice president of the Auxiliary and organizer of the flower sale, at 301-824-2340. Proceeds will be used for projects to enhance the lives of Fahrney-Keedy residents. Since its founding in 1955, the Auxiliary has contributed at least $500,000 for a wide variety of projects at the retirement community, the release said.

• The National Council of Churches (NCC) “reset” its agenda at a Christian Unity Gathering--its first national meeting in more than three years, said a release. Member communions and partners came together in Washington, D.C., on May 19-20 for an event “filled with worship, music, Bible study, and a discussion of crucial national issues on which members will focus their attention,” the release said. “Foremost among those issues is the crisis of mass incarceration in the United States.” A Bible study on Isaiah 58 focused on mass incarceration, led by NCC Governing Board chair A. Roy Medley. A panel on the issue included Sojourners’ Jim Wallis, Iva E. Carruthers of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund, prison reform activist Janet Wolf, and Harold Dean Trulear of Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project of Philadelphia. Carruthers said the prison system was “the most virulent crisis at the heart of America’s moral center” and “a new caste system affecting millions of African-American and Hispanic families.” Also on the agenda: a celebration service and inaugural address by new NCC president and general secretary Jim Winkler; a new structure of four “convening tables” that include Theological Dialogue and Matters of Faith and Order, Interreligious Relations and Collaboration on Matters of Mutual Concern, Joint Action and Advocacy for Justice and Peace, and Christian Education, Ecumenical Faith Formation, Leadership Development; a tribute to Civil Rights leader Vincent Gordon Harding, who passed away during the time of the gathering. Officers and the governing board also condemned the death sentence in Sudan for Meriam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag, whose only “crime” was to marry a Christian; thanked Habitat for Humanity for naming its summer building project in Vietnam in honor of the late Bob Edgar, NCC general secretary 2000-07; issued calls for human rights, peace, and security for Christians in the Middle East, Sudan, Syria, and Egypt; and issued a resolution on the violence and genocide in Darfur and South Sudan.

• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has published a release about the court case on the death of US peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an Israeli military bulldozer more than a decade ago. Her parents Craig and Cindy Corrie were present in the Supreme Court of Israel on May 21 this year, appealing a verdict handed down last year by a judge in the Haifa District Court. The judge ruled that Corrie was responsible for her own death by entering Gaza during a time of conflict. The CPT release raised concerns that such a decision by an Israeli court “opens up the doors for legitimized attacks on internationals across Israel and Palestine,” and quoted the Corries’ attorney at the Haifa hearing: “While not surprising, the verdict is yet another example of impunity prevailing over accountability and fairness and it flies in the face of the fundamental principle of international humanitarian law--that in a time of war, military forces are obligated to take all measures to avoid harm to both civilians and their property,” said attorney Hussein Abu Hussein. Titled “Jerusalem: The Case of Rachel Corrie,” the full CPT release may be found at www.cpt.org/cptnet/2014/06/09/jerusalem-case-rachel-corrie .

• A court sentence in Sudan ordering flogging and the death penalty for Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag has prompted an expression of “profound concern” from Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, according to a WCC release. He urged Sudan’s President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir to “prevent the implementation of this unjust and unconscionable sentence.” Ishag, a 27-year-old Sudanese woman, was criminally charged for converting from Islam to Christianity and charged with committing adultery for marrying a Christian man. In his letter, Tveit expressed shock over the court’s decision. “Whether Mrs. Mariam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag was born of Muslim parents or Christian parents, such a sentence runs counter to the letter and spirit of the Sudanese Constitution,” Tveit said. According to the Sudanese constitution, he added, all citizens have the “right to the freedom of religious creed and worship.” Tveit said that condemning Mariam Yahya Ibrahim Ishag violates a fundamental principle of international human rights law. Read full text of the letter at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/messages-and-letters/concern-over-mariam-yahya-ibrahim-ishags-death-sentence-in-sudan .

• Betty Kingery has been honored by the United Methodist Administrative Council in Greene, Iowa, for her faithfulness and dedication to being the church pianist for the yoked congregation of the Church of the Brethren and the United Methodist Church. She also has been faithful in bringing a Heifer International Project quarter tube to church every Sunday, noted the announcement in the Northern Plains District newsletter. “Because of this, May was declared as ‘Betty Kingery Month’ and all donations to the Heifer Program were in her honor.” At the end of the month, $581.59 was given in her name.

Source: 6/10/2014 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 Ben Bear, Jeffrey S. Boshart, Chris Bowman, Deborah Brehm, Kendal W. Elmore, Nan Erbaugh, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Mary Kay Heatwole , Connie N. Larkman, Rachel Elizabeth Maley, Fito Moreno, Becky Ullom Naugle, Stan Noffsinger, Glen Sargent, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.

Newsline: June 2, 2014

NEWS

• Brethren Disaster Ministries directs $175,000 in EDF grants to the Philippines
• Theme is announced for 2015 National Older Adult Conference (NOAC)
• Bethany Seminary offers course at University of La Verne

NIGERIA UPDATES

• ‘Grief and love in the same place’: A communication from the Church of the Brethren general secretary and the EYN president
• A heart for bringing Christ: The Hills speak about their time in Nigeria
• A round up of Nigeria news

FEATURE

• What does the Emergent Church movement have to say to Brethren?

BRETHREN BITS

• Remembering Harry Gardner, new intern at BHLA, job openings with On Earth Peace and BBT, Zigler Hospitality Center seeks volunteers, church anniversaries, more.

Brethren Disaster Ministries directs $175,000 in EDF grants to the Philippines

The Brethren Disaster Ministries staff are directing three grants totaling $175,000 to rehabilitation and livelihoods work in the Philippines. The grants from the denomination’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) follow up on the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in Nov. 2013. The grants will support Heifer International livelihoods work on the island of Leyte, Lutheran World Relief livelihoods work on the islands of Cebu and Leyte, and rehabilitation work by a Filipino nonprofit organization in the coastal community of Tanauan, Leyte.

As of the end of April, more than $211,000 in donations received by the Emergency Disaster Fund in 2013 and 2014 have been earmarked by donors for Typhoon Haiyan response.

Photo by Peter Barlow

Brethren Disaster Ministries leader Roy Winter visits with Philippines villagers at a Heifer International project site

Heifer International

An allocation of $70,000 is supporting Heifer International livelihoods work on the island of Leyte. This grant will help fund the Building Resiliency and Sustainable Agribusiness in Haiyan-Damaged Areas of Central Philippines (BReSA-Haiyan Rehab Project).

The project will assist 5,000 families in rebuilding, recovering, and developing lost livelihoods, while at the same time ensuring future disaster preparedness in their respective communities. Through capacity building, training, instituting CMDRR, expanding agribusiness projects, replacing lost/deceased livestock, strengthening social capital, capacitating groups and cooperatives, and other climate-adaptation and preparedness initiatives, the project aims to empower families to become more resilient and self-reliant.

Lutheran World Relief

An allocation of $70,000 for Lutheran World Relief livelihoods work supports a long-term response to the typhoon. Called the Resiliency and Change for Haiyan Affected Families and Communities, this long-term response project benefits coconut farmers and coastal fisherfolk living on the islands of Cebu and Leyte. The grant also will help to equip local government and organizations to assist in long-term sustainable solutions.

Funds will support the Lutheran World Relief objective to ensure that farming- and fishing-related livelihoods of the most vulnerable are rehabilitated to be more sustainable and resilient in the face of future potential disasters. Assistance will be given to coconut farmers to transition to cocoa and other priority crops, as determined by the local agriculture sector. The fisherfolk will be supported by helping coastal communities restore seaweed farming, providing livelihood insurance, and rehabilitating coastal mangrove areas, all while strengthening community organization.

Burublig para ha Tanauan

An EDF allocation of $35,000 is going to rehabilitation work in the coastal community of Tanauan, Leyte. The majority of the money ($30,000) will support a newly organized Filipino nonprofit called Burublig para ha Tanauan (BPHT). This organization seeks to help in the restoration of the town. This portion of the grant will focus on providing fishing nets, a sewing center, and pedicabs for families who lost their homes and source of income.

The remaining $5,000 will provide school supplies for both teachers and students at the Tanauan High School. The school sustained considerable damage, and the government will not be able to resupply teachers for more than a year, as it focuses on construction projects.

About Typhoon Haiyan

On Nov. 9, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines causing a wide path of destruction and loss of life. This massive storm had sustained winds reported up to 195 miles per hour, and gusts up to 235 miles per hour, equivalent to a giant EF 4 tornado. As one of the strongest typhoons in recorded history, it was the latest and one of the worst of a continuous pattern of natural disasters in the Philippines. It was the third Category 5 “super typhoon” to make landfall on the Philippines since 2010, and followed the deadliest earthquake in 23 years just a month earlier (Oct. 2013).

The total storm path was more than 1,000 miles wide, damaging or destroying more than 1 million houses. Locally known as Yolanda, the typhoon affected more than 14 million people and displaced approximately 4 million. It caused more than 6,200 deaths, with more than 1,000 people still missing. Storm survivors report the number of official deaths is artificially low as they don’t include many of the children that died.

The devastation resulted in severe damage to the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector, costing the region $225 million in damages, according to the United Nations. These areas likely will face severe food security issues and may struggle to re-establish livelihoods. Sugar cane fields were not harvested due to the storm and may not have a more normal harvest for a couple of years. Millions of coconut trees lost during Haiyan means many farmers will not have coconuts to harvest for the coconut oil industry. Further, coconut processing and rice processing plants were severely damaged and are not functional. As a result many poor farmers have lost their primary source of income for the next several years, as it takes five to seven years for new coconut trees to produce.

For more about Brethren Disaster Ministries go to www.brethren.org/bdm. To give to the Emergency Disaster Fund go to www.brethren.org/edf.

Source: 6/2/2014 Newsline

Theme is announced for 2015 National Older Adult Conference (NOAC)

Photo by Lynne Krekelberg

The planning team for NOAC 2015 poses for a photo at beautiful Lake Junaluska. Shown here are (from left) Deanna Brown, Christy Waltersdorff, Bev Anspaugh, Kim Ebersole, Eric C. Anspaugh, Ruth Bell, Paula Ziegler Ulrich, Jim Kinsey.

By Kim Ebersole

Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories. So God’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I will use stories to speak my message and to explain things that have been hidden since the creation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35, CEV).

The planning team for the next National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) is excited to announce the 2015 conference theme, “then Jesus told them a story...” (Matthew 13:34-35, CEV).

The theme grows out of Phyllis Tickle’s 2013 keynote address, in which she challenged older adults as the ones who know the biblical stories to “go back and weave those stories into the lives of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.” It acknowledges the powerful way stories can convey God’s message, shaping and transforming our lives even today. This power of storytelling will be explored during the conference through worship, keynote presentations, creative arts, workshops, and song.

NOAC is the Church of the Brethren gathering for adults age 50 and older. The 2015 event will be held at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, Sept. 7-11. Helping Congregational Life Ministries staff member Kim Ebersole with the conference are planning team members Bev and Eric C. Anspaugh of Rocky Mount, Va.; Deanna Brown of Clarks Hill, Ind.; Jim Kinsey of Lake Odessa, Mich.; Paula Ziegler Ulrich of Greenville, Ohio; Deborah Waas of La Verne, Calif.; and Christy Waltersdorff of Lombard, Ill.

More information about the 2015 NOAC will be available as planning progresses. Visit www.brethren.org/NOAC to experience the 2013 event through photos, written reflections, and videos by the NOAC News Team.

-- Kim Ebersole is director of Older Adult Ministry for the Church of the Brethren.

Source: 6/2/2014 Newsline

Bethany Seminary offers course at University of La Verne

By Jenny Williams

Bethany Theological Seminary will offer a weekend intensive class on public theologies at the University of La Verne, Calif., this coming fall semester. Scott Holland, Bethany’s Slabaugh Professor of Theology and Culture, will teach his popular graduate course, “The Peace of the City and the Quest for Public Theologies.”

“I am excited about the University of La Verne hosting this course,” said Jeff Carter, president of Bethany Seminary. “As Bethany seeks to serve the entire denomination and build deeper ecumenical partnerships with students in different geographical locations, hosting a class on the West Coast offers a new opportunity to extend Bethany’s reach. I am thankful to Professor Holland for his willingness to travel and hope his presence, especially among a growing community of new Anabaptist scholars and students, might inspire lively conversations of faith and living.”

As a theologian of culture, Holland reminds his students that religion may begin in solitude, but as we are social creatures, our lives are public. Thus, biblical religion reminds us that our faith is always embodied in ethical and aesthetic engagements with culture, inviting public reflection.

This course will explore how a variety of public proposals for religion or theology might contribute to or inhibit what prophetic religion has called the peace or welfare of the city. Class topics include Anabaptist and ecumenical views of church and society, the theocratic terrors of groups like Boko Haram, and how current proposals for theopoetics and theopolitics might aid in social transformation and seeking cultures of peace.

The class will be conducted during three weekends: Sept. 12-13, Oct. 10-11, and Nov. 14-15. Interested persons may either take the course for credit or audit the course. For all students, the application deadline for the fall 2014 semester is July 15. Contact Tracy Primozich, director of admissions, at primotr@bethanysemester.edu for enrollment information. For additional information on the course itself, contact Holland at hollasc@bethanyseminary.edu .

-- Jenny Williams is director of Communications and Alumni/ae Relations for Bethany Theological Seminary.

Source: 6/2/2014 Newsline

‘Grief and love in the same place’: A communication from the Church of the Brethren general secretary and the EYN president

“In my grief I saw myself being held,
us all holding one another in this incredible web of loving kindness.
Grief and love in the same place.
I felt as if my heart would burst with holding it all.”
(A Zimbabwean woman)

This quote from Margaret J. Wheatley’s book, “Perseverance,” has been riding in my soul since I returned from Nigeria.  The circumstances of the Nigerian conflicts happening around the gathering of the church at the Majalisa provide me with enough incongruence to feel grief and love in the same place.  Adding the bombing in Abuja, followed by the events of the Chibok girls’ abduction, however, put me in a place I have never experienced before, as Love Feast on Maundy Thursday and Easter worship became part of the experience for me.  I just could not shake the feeling that I had one foot at Golgotha (Hebrew for The Place of the Skull), and one foot at the empty tomb, torn by the grief and love of what I saw and experienced with our Nigerian family.  Intellectually and spiritually I understood, but the horror kept drawing me to the place of crucifixion – and there I realized that the atrocities continue today.

This past holiday weekend it was grand to be with family and friends enjoying time together; celebrating graduation accomplishments; and taking care of my personal need to clean the car.  How refreshing! Yet the news came fast Sunday afternoon that part of a family of which I am a member cannot rest, for violence awaits them.  By Facebook, email, and texts, news arrived that five more EYN churches had been bombed, with 500+ houses were destroyed, many people killed, and 15,000 people displaced – many of them running to Cameroon.

Dr. Rebecca Dali wrote, “Every day we are mourning.”  Markus Gamache wrote to say that he had just arrived at the Abuja airport and received sad news from his village. Twenty-one of his brothers had been killed in an attack on that very day, and he was told he should stay away.  Markus pleaded “God have mercy on Wagga Village!” Annual Conference secretary Jim Beckwith responded to Markus with these words, which speak for us all:

“We are so very upset to hear this tragic, terrifying news.  May God indeed have mercy on you and your family and your neighbors in Wagga village.  And may the Lord confront Boko Haram in their innermost souls, stopping them in their tracks and turning them inside out like happened to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.  May powerful prayers arise to earnestly seek a breakthrough of God's peace. 

We continue to pray.  May you know that you are not alone in your grief - may you be comforted to know that we are praying with you. You are our brother in Christ.  And the Lord is with you.  May you be aware of the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus to lead your loved ones into God's Kingdom and to strengthen and renew your spirit within you.  May the Lord hold onto you and empower you with the Holy Spirit.

With faith in God's love for you and with our love for you,

--Jim Beckwith and the Annville Church of the Brethren

Almost simultaneously, I wrote to Dr. Samuel Dante Dali, President of EYN, because I heard in his voice growing weariness from the violence and losses.  I asked Samuel what more the US Brethren might do to support EYN, and when speaking to our government and the United Nations, what would he want us to share.  His response came quickly and clearly:

“Dear Brother Stan,

Thank you very much for your concern, prayers and words of encouragement and comfort. I feel we are not alone. Also, thank for your promise to walk with us in this most difficult time in the ministry. Concerning the questions you raised let me respond to them as best I can.

First, you are already supporting us . . . by praying for us and sending funds to help the victims. You are also sharing our stories with others, which is receiving a series of positive and encouraging responses. There is no more manner of helping more than this. We will only continue to be very grateful to you as you continue to walk with us.

The response of the US government which I think will be appropriate and helpful in providing lasting solution to the Nigerian crisis is, in addition to identifying and rescuing the missing girls, the US security experts should also screen the Nigerian security service men – both military, police, SSS, past political leaders, and rich business men – with the aim to identify supporters and sympathizers of Boko Haram. After identifying such people, the US government should help to freeze their overseas accounts and deny them any visa to USA and other European countries.  The US government can also help the Nigerian government with equipment that will assist the government in indentifying criminals wherever they are hiding. The US should reject business and relationship with any government in Africa that is supporting or hiding terrorist organizations.

To the members of the United Nations, stop playing politics for selfish interest with the lives of citizens of other countries that have been attacked by terrorist groups by watching and leaving terrorist activists in other countries just as internal problem or matters those countries must deal with. Mercy, compassion and the importance of every human life should guide the thinking, the activities and action of the United Nations in responding to crisis in any nation. The United Nations is not a platform for displaying power and pride but an organization for empowering the weak, liberating the captive and the oppressed, and a place for justice. Finally, it should be a united force against terrorists.

Finally, the role of the Christian Church in the situation we are facing today is to continue to pray together for God's mercy and justice, encouraging the victims that they are not alone in their suffering, and sharing material things with the victims – especially those who have lost their source of living. Christians should feel and act together against any form of evil injustice, terrorism, and any form of religious fanaticism. The Christians across the world should strongly speak to the government of their nation to take strong action against evil, and stop supporting or having relationship with any government that is irresponsible for the life of its citizens and is supporting or hiding terrorist groups.

I believe these to the best of my knowledge will help in addressing the current terrorist situation we are facing in Nigeria and across the world.

Thanks for the questions again. Yours, Dr. Samuel Dante Dali.”

photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

A cloth worn by the ZME women's 

group of the Church of the Brethren 

in Nigeria

Samuel is calling us to engage in the spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting as a response to the violence they are witnessing.  Other EYN leaders and members have been writing to me with resolve in their voices that nothing can shake them from their commitment to Christ and the Church.  Through Samuel’s letter we can recognize additional ways for the US Brethren to be faithful to God and faithful to our family in Nigeria.

It seems to me that it is now time to engage more of our resources.  In the midst of their own losses, EYN is reaching out not only to EYN families, but to neighbors and friends.  Just like the church in Haiti following the earthquake, leadership is plotting a course of accompaniment, support, sustainability, and restoration of wholeness.

The season of prayer and fasting has reached US churches across the country – Brethren and others – and the stories of this “on your knees” discipline is reaching Nigeria. It is a blessing.  The call to prayer has also spirited other denominations to support the EYN Compassion Fund.  And most recently, the Wakarusa (Indiana) Elementary School accepted a challenge to raise $4,000 for the Chibok Girls and their families – an amount for which there is a matching grant. They chose to support the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, knowing we have trusted direct partners in Dr. Rebecca Dali and CCEPI.

Now it is our turn to get up off our knees and, in the heart and spirit of Jesus, serve.  As the number of displaced people rises in Nigeria and in refugee camps in Cameroon, food security is at risk.  EYN is serving the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the mourning . . . . and the list goes on.  So we must respond generously with our resources to help empower EYN in their mission and service.  It’s time to give!

We can also encourage our congregations to create cards and write letters to EYN.  The messages can be sent with your Annual Conference delegates to Columbus.   Cards will be gathered on Saturday at the beginning of the afternoon business session during a time of remembrance and prayer for EYN.

We are in the final stages of securing transportation for one of our Nigerian sisters or brothers to be present at Annual Conference and share their story.  At the same time we meet in Columbus, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Dante Dali will be representing the Church of the Brethren at the World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, as my proxy. He will have opportunity to share first-hand experience with the Central Committee, and tell of the global Brethren response.

Our grief and our love are being held at the same place.  We, like the Nigerian church, must not be overcome by this great darkness, but rather, walk forward in the light of Christ.  The darkness will not overcome us.  Love is stronger than grief and will overcome this time.

My sincere thanks is sent to each of you as members of the Church of the Brethren Leadership Team, Mission and Ministry Board, Council of District Executives, and every pastor and congregation who took to their knees in prayer.  Your support of this season of prayer and fasting has been so meaningful for the Brethren in the US and in Nigeria. It makes a difference.  Thank you for being faithful followers of Jesus and coworkers with Christ.

May God, Christ and Holy Spirit be with you.

Stan Noffsinger, General Secretary
Church of the Brethren

Source: 6/2/2014 Newsline

A heart for bringing Christ: The Hills speak about their time in Nigeria

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Roxane and Carl Hill at the church planting conference in Richmond, Ind., after their return from completing a term of service as mission workers and teachers at Kulp Bible College in Nigeria.

Newsline interviewed Carl and Roxane Hill shortly after they returned to the United States from a term of service at Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The Hills flew back to the US on May 14, in time to attend the church planting conference in Richmond, Ind., where Brethren videographer David Sollenberger taped a series of short interviews; find them at www.brethren.org/partners/nigeria/news.html .

Following is the Newsline interview with the Hills:

Newsline: What was your work in Nigeria?

Carl Hill: When we went, Jay [Wittmeyer, Global Mission and Service executive] gave us two pieces of advice: go to Kulp Bible College and teach there. And don’t try to change EYN church. The teaching load was light. Most of our down time was to exist, how to get food, water. The first semester we were there it was particularly hot, and I lost 25 pounds and Roxane lost....

Roxane Hill: Fifteen pounds. Just getting food was challenging. We didn’t actually take any food with us that time, and it was very difficult. You could get pasta and rice and fresh vegetables, whenever there was any, but meat.... We could always get eggs. With fried rice, that was our main protein.

We were not supposed to drive outside of the area. We were allowed to drive one stretch of road up to the EYN headquarters, but on the main road we were asked not to drive. So every time we even wanted bread or vegetables or bottled water, we’d have to get a driver. EYN staff didn’t let us go into the real market because it’s too congested and too dangerous. But there was this little roadside area we’d go on not-market-day and buy fruit and vegetables.

Carl: The locals would say, “All these Muslims, you don’t know if they’re members of the Boko Haram or not.”

Newsline: There’s that level of distrust in the community, because you don’t know who’s who?

Carl: That’s why they [Boko Haram] are so sinister. A lot of times they’d be living in the community, and at night they would go and participate in attacks.

Roxane: Or they’re funding it. Or working in it and giving information. You never know which government people are in it. That’s really one of the big problems.

Carl: We didn’t understand all the politics of it.

Refugees pose a real hardship for everyone

Roxane: The area that’s been hit hardest is the Gwoza area. Soon after we got to Nigeria that area started being attacked. That’s where all the refugees have come from. It’s a real hardship for everyone in those tribes, who live anywhere else, because they have to take the refugees in, and they’re already struggling to make ends meet.

The guy who herds goats and sheep and cows for Kulp Bible College is from that tribe. He had 40 to 50 extra people at his house. One of the students saw 20 people eating out of one little bowl of food. He came and said, “Can’t we help them with something?” So we were able to give them food. That’s the same family that we went to with Rebecca Dali’s CCEPI group [Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives] and were able to help again. Out of those 40 or 50 people there were about 8 different families.

During their trip to Nigeria in April, general secretary Stan Noffsinger and mission executive Jay Wittmeyer visited with Church of the Brethren mission workers Roxane and Carl Hill, and Carol Smith.

The administrative secretary is from Gwoza area. So we asked him, if they know the Boko Haram is coming often, why don’t they leave? Why don’t they go find some other place? He says, “How can they? There are 100,000 people still left in that area.” He says, “How do you transplant thousands of people when every other place in the country is crowded and is using the land for their own farms?”

At the school, we didn’t notice the population, how crowded it is. But you leave there and go anywhere else.... Nigeria is the size of Texas and half of Oklahoma, but it has half the population of the US in that area. And they’re all basically subsistence living. Just living off their produce and any little thing they can sell.

Newsline: It’s just so hard to understand from a perspective like the United States.

Roxane: You go there and you can’t explain what the US is like, because it doesn’t translate at all. And you come back here and you can’t explain what it’s like there, it’s just another world.

There are thousands of people who have been displaced and moved. They’ve lost their house, they’ve lost all their clothing, they don’t have their farm anymore, they have no way of making any income. So they’re just devastated, and they have nothing. So even if you give them $1,000, think about that. Could you start over on $1,000? No! And they can’t either. They’re so thankful, but it’s really that much need. Dr. Dali has calculated it, and says that $75,000 is still just a drop in the bucket. They’ve set up a committee to use those funds wisely and make sure it doesn’t get misused.

Carl: About the compassion money that’s going to EYN, you know $10,000 is 1.6 million Naira [the Nigerian currency]. Just like here, a million six is a lot of money! And it buys a lot there. So with $10,000 you really make a huge contribution to their needs.

Newsline: I was going to ask how they’re using that money. Is it basically for refugees?

Roxane: Some of it is given to district executives to distribute, because they know the needs better. But it’s always a problem to know how to distribute it well.

Carl: So they have committees. And whenever you have a committee to do something like that, it slows the process down. And maybe the right people don’t get the aid that they need, or they don’t get it quick enough. So Rebecca Dali started her nongovernmental organization, and she is actually reaching the people at the grassroots level.

‘We want you to come to our church’

Carl: After we were there half the semester, one of the students came to me and said, “We want you to come to our church, I want to show you to my church.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “You come to our church and you preach.” So that was the first [church visit]. It was really exciting for them because some of these people have not seen a white missionary. Their parents had but some of the kids have never seen white people.

We had a relationship with this church in Uba, which is about 13 miles north of Kulp Bible College. We went there about three or four times. Besides preaching, one person wanted me to come and help officiate a wedding. The next time we went, we participated in baby dedications. Twenty-one babies. And then the next time they wanted baptisms. And so we did 21 baptisms.

We ended up going to probably about 16 to 18 churches for EYN. That was really a big eye opener for us because we had been secluded at Kulp Bible College. We got to go see what the churches were like. You know, they’re big. The smallest congregation I preached at was 600, and the biggest in Mubi was about 1,300 in one service.

Roxane: A young man we met on the first day, Joshua, was our translator whenever we went to churches. Sometimes I would preach, mostly Carl would. So Joshua would come to our house, first he’d hear the sermon once and try to translate, then he’d write down all the words he didn’t know, and then do it one more time, before doing the final. Every time we went somewhere he’d already invested two run throughs. He is a remarkable young man. He was a huge joy for us, we called him our son and he called us his baturi parents.

Photo by Roxane Hill

Carl Hill with one of his classes at Kulp Bible College 

in Nigeria

Newsline: How large is EYN in total right now?

Carl: They don’t know, totally. But they have 50 districts. And, for instance, Uba alone--which is a good sized town--probably has six EYN churches. We went to four of the six. All of those were between 800 and 1,200 people.

Roxane: I’ve heard about close to a million [total EYN membership]. But you have to pay to get your member card, and some people really can’t afford that. And that doesn’t include children. Children do not come to the service with the families. Children have Sunday school early in the morning. So when you say 1,000, that’s not with any children in the service.

Newsline: The largest congregation in EYN is still Maiduguri Number 1?

Carl: Yes, it would be like 5,000. Some of the smaller churches have gone by the wayside because of all the violence.

Roxane: Many of the churches are walled now, with big metal gates and a metal bar across the gate. If it’s any size city at all they have to have police there at their worship services.

Carl: All over northeastern Nigeria every public building is now fenced and gated with a big safety bar over it. Police stations, schools, banks. It’s scary.

Roxane: When we went to a church we would always ask ahead and coordinate with the EYN headquarters people. Is it okay to go to this place? One time we were going to go and help with Boys Brigade, which is like a Christian boy scouts. Then something happened, it was targeted, and they said it wasn’t safe and we had to cancel.

Newsline: What classes did you teach?

Carl: I was the New Testament guy, so I did the synoptics and John’s gospel and Revelation and Acts and Paul’s letters, New Testament background, and a class in worship.

Roxane: The first semester we co-taught a Sunday school class. Then we presented a class that would be for adults in Sunday school, based on a class on spiritual maturity at Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, Calif. We presented that to all the district secretaries, when 50 of them came in for their annual gathering. I taught in the women’s school some. I tried to teach them English, and I taught some other classes too. Then I started teaching English in the diploma program, and a spiritual formation class.

Newsline: How many students are at Kulp Bible College?

Carl: Probably 150, mainly men, but some women in both programs. I had two classes with 36 and 38.

‘We were able to live generously’

Roxane: Some of the other things we did: Carl did some private tutoring. We allowed [cell phone] charging at our house, when we had the generator on, because the electricity is so sporadic. We had solar, that was a service we provided, so they really appreciated us. We encouraged and let people come and go. We had study groups. We did editing for students and staff. I did a women’s Bible study with Rosa, who wants to go to Bethany. We helped people who got a computer and didn’t know how to use it. We helped staff with the Internet, and printed things for people. A couple younger girls came in and did cooking with me. Carl gave driving lessons. The home management class of the women was to bake cakes but they had no oven. So then they’d come and ask me, can we do it at your oven?

Photo courtesy of Roxane and Carl Hill

Staff of CCEPI and Brethren mission workers help distribute food to refugees. Over the weekend of March 14-16, 2014, the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives served 509 refugees around the Headquarters and Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

Newsline: It sounds like you filled in places where you could, and the needs that you saw.

Carl: We had the ability because it was so cheap to live there. The little amount of money that we had went a long way. If somebody was really down, or their child was sick and they couldn’t afford to take her to the clinic, we would sometimes give the money.

Roxane: A girl got bit by a snake, they took her immediately to the clinic, but then they couldn’t pay the bill, so we helped with that. The need was usually under $20, from $5 to $20. That was a huge joy we had, being able to live generously there. We helped repair vehicles, we paid for medicine, we paid clinic fees, we bought food, we bought petrol, we paid travel costs, we sponsored people to NYC [National Youth Conference], we sponsored Boy’s Brigade, Girl’s Brigade, women’s ministry, we bought Bibles, we got glasses for people, we paid school fees, we bought materials for Sunday school, we got food for refugees, we gave business loans--all those things we were able to do with just a little bit of money.

One time Carl had $2 in his pocket and felt compelled to give it to a student who was in one of Carl’s classes. I was thinking, “Why are you wasting your time giving just $2? He won’t be able to do anything with it.” The next day he came back, almost in tears. He said, “That money put enough gas in my motorcycle that I could go to my farm and pick up all the produce.” He had bagged it all up but he couldn’t get it back home because he didn’t have the transport fee. Two dollars paid for that, and he was so appreciative. You can’t put a price on being able to help like that.

Newsline: Tell me how you think EYN is doing?

Carl: It’s big, you know, and they need help. Your typical church has, say, 800 people, and they have two paid staff--the pastor and the associate pastor. They have some degree of education. A lot of the pastors went to Kulp, and then maybe went to TCNN [the Theological College of Northern Nigeria] and got an advanced degree which is usually a year and a half master of New Testament or Old Testament. And then the associate has maybe a certificate of Christian religion. But with 800, you know, there’s no way they can minister to all those people.

Roxane: EYN has been trying to encourage spiritual maturity, spiritual growth. They’re starting to lose a bit of their young people because the program is pretty traditional. And the young people are starting to pick up different music, they want a different style of worship and want to do things differently. Some congregations combat that with the English service, which allows some of these young groups to do more of their music. But in the cities, it’s hard to keep the EYN youth and young adults interested in the church. So that’s another hurdle they’re going to have to address.

photo by Carl Hill

Roxane Hill with some of the girls she mentored while working in Nigeria

A reliance on faith

Carl: The neatest thing is their typical prayer. They start by thanking God that they are counted among the living that day. It’s so basic that we take it for granted here. But they see every day as a blessing from God.

Roxane: They have a reliance on faith that is very basic.

Carl: Another thing EYN does is giving. They set two big giant baskets up at the front of the church and aisle by aisle they march down and they place their offering in the basket. They dance down the aisle in a certain way, and we kind of learned how to do it. They know what it is to be joyful givers--something that we could really learn here, because it’s supposed to be that way. After you see it once, you’re just really impressed.

At the end [of our time at Kulp Bible College] they had what’s called a “send forth” service for us, and every tribe was represented. They got into tribal outfits, and they danced their traditional tribal dances. We were the guests of honor.

Roxane: We knew so many of the people who were putting it on, that’s what made it so fun.

Carl: It was to show us that they appreciated us. We asked, “Even though you went to all this trouble to send us forth, what if we decide to come back?” They said, “No, no. We thought about that. We’re praying that you do.”

Newsline: Would you think about going back?

Roxane: Not that we wouldn’t. It’s just that we’ve had a heart for church planting for five or ten years. This experience of intercultural living among the people--that’s what we want to take into a new place, and bring Christ, just like we did in Nigeria. We’re just waiting on God. We can go wherever he sends us.

Source: 6/2/2014 Newsline