Nigerian Brethren write petition to United Nations

Samuel Dante Dali, president of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has written a petition to the United Nations. The two documents–a letter and a review of the situation of violence in Nigeria--concern “what is happening to us in Nigeria,” Dali wrote in a cover note to Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer, to whom he copied the petition. “Thanks again for your love for Nigeria and assistance,” Dali wrote.

Wittmeyer and Roy Winter, associate executive of Global Mission and Service and Brethren Disaster Ministries, plan a trip to Nigeria in August to assist EYN to design a crisis management plan.

Petition to the UN

The petition to the United Nations includes a letter signed by EYN president Samuel Dali, accompanied by a lengthy document titled “Report on the Genocide of Christians in North Eastern Nigeria: The Time to Act is Now.”

“I am appealing to the international community to show solidarity with a section of humanity that is threatened to being eradicated from the face of the earth,” the letter said, in part. “These are people, women and men, youth and children who are being slaughtered, abducted, enslaved, and reduced to sexual objects. These have the right to peacefully live and enjoy their freedom of belief, and the right to live with dignity in their land in Northern Nigeria, and neighboring countries. To be precise, these are innocent people who have been harassed, intimidated and many of whom are murdered....

“We plead with the United Nation as foremost international organization to put all its effort and influence to assist the government of Nigeria stop the current murderous carnage, a crime against humanity.”

Find the full text of the petition below.

Another EYN church burned

The Vanguard newspaper of Nigeria reported on July 14, at AllAfrica.com, that “gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect invaded Dille Village in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State and opened fire on residents, setting ablaze three churches, including the Church of Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), as well as, shops and residential buildings.”

The news came from people who had fled the attack, who said that the attackers were heavily armed, and that the attack was still ongoing. The Nigerian Air Force sent fighter jets to repel the attackers, the newspaper said.

Nigerian Brethren in the news in the US

After her presentations at Annual Conference, Rebecca Dali spoke at several Church of the Brethren locations before flying back to Nigeria this week. While in Iowa, her presentations were covered by the WFC Courier of Waterloo and KWWL TV Channel 7. Find those reports at  http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/nigerian-talks-of-religious-war-kidnapped-girls/article_fb122dd5-b9b0-565a-9fc1-b422c9c34886.html and www.kwwl.com/story/26001089/2014/07/11/nigerian-woman-speaks-out-about-terrorists-groups-in-nigeria.

Also in the news was a visit to the Peter Becker Community in Pennsylvania by EYN member Ali Abbas Apagu, who also had attended the Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio. “According to Apagu, the support from members of the Church of the Brethren in the United States has been ‘overwhelming,’”said The Reporter News of Landale, Pa. “The event was opened with a time for prayer before Apagu spoke about the recent violence against Christians in Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgent group. After a question and answer segment, the members of Peter Becker Community gathered around Apagu and prayed for Nigeria.” Read the full report at www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20140711/nigerian-church-of-the-brethren-member-visits-peter-becker-community-speaks-about-violence-power-of-prayer.

Full text of the petition to the United Nations

To the Secretary General of the United Nations
The United Nations Security Council
The General Assembly of the United Nations

Dear Sir or Madam and honorable members of the United Nations

On behalf of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, in humility and tears, I am appealing to the honorable members of the United Nations, who, I believe are deeply concerned about the peace of the world and the rights of every human being. We would like to draw your attention to the magnitude of the damage and the threat of murderous actions of Boko Haram against members of our community and other Christians in Northern Nigeria.

Since the beginning of the Boko Haram terrorist activities in 2009: the perennial killings of people, the destruction of properties and the kidnapping of women, church leaders, and school girls have increased to potentially leading to a genocide of Christians in Northern Nigeria in general and in particular, the members of our community.

As I am writing this appeal, there are 1,941 houses and properties that belong to our members that have been burnt, Now, 2,679 members of our community including women and children have been displaced from their ancestral native lands. These people have now lost their houses and properties. They are living homeless, with their women and children, without food and clean water. They camp under trees to find shelter and live as refuges either in Cameroon or in other states within the country. These displaced people who are mostly farmers cannot go and work on their farm this year. Those who have attempted to go back to their farm are either killed or chased away. Also, over 35,000 of their children cannot go to school, which means, the future for such children is in danger of being lost.

It is in light of these that I am appealing to the international community to show solidarity with a section of humanity that is threatened to being eradicated from the face of the earth. These are people, women and men, youth and children who are being slaughtered, abducted, enslaved, and reduced to sexual objects. These have the right to peacefully live and enjoy their freedom of belief, and the right to live with dignity in their land in Northern Nigeria, and neighboring countries. To be precise, these are innocent people who have been harassed, intimidated and many of whom are murdered. The latest horror that partly mobilized the international community has been the abduction of more than two hundred girls. This tragedy severally hit our community in that Boko Haram has kidnapped 178 girls who belong to our community, including a pregnant wife of one of our pastors and three of her children. Hence, we plead with the United Nation as foremost international organization to put all its effort and influence to assist the government of Nigeria stop the current murderous carnage, a crime against humanity.

Yours faithfully
REV. Dr. Samuel Dante Dali
The President of the Church of the Brethren


To the Secretary General of the United Nations,
The United Nations Security Council
The General Assembly of the United Nations.

A Report on the Genocide of Christians in North Eastern Nigeria: The Time to Act is Now.

Understanding the Undergirding Issues of the Current Crisis and the Religious Cleaning that is Perpetrated.

“There is no greater sorrow on earth than the loss of one’s native land.” Euripides, 431 BC,

With the above statement from one of the famous Greek philosophers I make this special appeal to you men and women of peace.

Presently, Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group together with al-Qaeda terrorists groups from North Africa are plotting to wipe Nigerian Christians out of the face of the earth from their native land.

As I am presenting this petition, there is every probability that some Christians are being slaughtered in North Eastern Nigeria right now. There is every probability too that a church or the houses of Christians in North Eastern Nigeria are burnt or destroyed right now.

This is the harrowing situations Christians in Northern Nigeria and particularly the North East sub-region have found themselves in as it is in the present day Nigeria in the hands of the Islamic terrorist group called Boko Haram.

On behalf of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (The EYN Church), I, as president, present this petition.

The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria is one of the worst affected Churches and if not the worst affected by the Boko Haram terrorists activities in Nigeria.

The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria has 550,000 baptised communicant members and over five million worshippers on each service day every Sunday.

It is worth mentioning that the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria is the largest national body of Church of the Brethren in the world.

It has its Headquarters in Mubi Adamawa State Nigeria which is amongst the three states where the Boko Haram atrocities is most devastating.

The records available as at the time of compiling this presentation on the 9th of June 2014 show that the Church incurred the following lost and damages.

Boko Haram terrorists have killed 517 members of the Church. Find attached the names of the murdered Church members.

Six district church council have been closed down and 52 local churches have been burnt down and their properties looted or destroyed completely.

1,941 houses and properties of members have been burnt.

Boko Haram has kidnapped 178 members of the Church.

2, 679 members including their women and children have been displaced from their ancestral native lands.

These people who lost their houses and properties are now living homeless, with their women and children without food and good water.

These displaced people who are mostly farmers cannot go and work on their farm this year, as those who attempted are either killed or chased away from the farm.

Over 35,000 of their children cannot go school.

I make haste to state here that because of the rural nature of our Churches and poor communication facilities, this report is the one from semi-urban and urban Churches.

Find attached as an appendix the summary of killing and destruction done to the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists.

Killings and destructions have not all been reported.

What is highly disturbing about all this genocide on Christians is that it is in connivance with some well placed political and Islamic leaders within and outside of Nigeria.

The ongoing pandemic genocide by the Boko Haram Islamic terrorists’ ethnic and religiously motivated violence, burning of and destruction of churches and Christian homes is a crime against humanity which the UN must act to address urgently before it will be worse than Rwanda and Darfur put together.

The carnage by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists is exacerbated by spurious reports being carried by Hausa language services of foreign media like the BBC Hausa, VOA Hausa, Radio France International Hausa and the Germany DW radio Hausa services.  As I present this petition, life in North Eastern Nigeria has descended into unimaginable, uncontrolled bloodshed.

Images flowing out of the country paint a scene of unprecedented carnage. The photographs attached below are a clear proof of why the UN must intervene now.

Let me quote from a well publicised article by Gary K. Busch, author and political analyst. “The genocide by Boko Haram on Northern Christians is purely for political power. In 2010, when it became apparent that Goodluck Jonathan would contest in 2011, Alhaji Lawal Kaita a leading political figure in the North had warned that should Jonathan contest and win in 2011 Nigeria would be made ungovernable. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was more poetic.  Jonathan’s National Security Adviser then, General Gusau resigned to contest against him. All northern contestants banded together to support Atiku Abubakar. At their political party “PDP” Convention of December 2010 when it was obvious that delegates were rooting for Jonathan, Atiku Abubukar,a contestant at a political forum quoted Frantz Fanon saying “those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.”

These are the precursor statements to the post-election violence that took place in 2011 even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finished announcing the results of the Presidential Election of that year. Those violent incidents that claimed the lives of hundreds in Bauchi, Maiduguri, Gombe, Yola, Kano, Minna and Kaduna have not abated in the guise of Boko Haram.

“The jihadists fighting for Boko Haram are said to have been trained in eight different countries namely Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt and the Niger Republic. They travelled as a group and received basic and advanced training. As proof of the success of their training they sport a mark (tattoo) showing proficiency. The mark is in the form of a sword held in a hand. Those who went through the training regard it as the ‘license to kill for Allah’. They included Ali Baba Nur, Asari Dokubo, Mohammed Yusuf, Salisu Maigari, Danlami Abubakar, Ali Qaqa, Maigari Haliru and Asabe Dantala.”

It is true that the duty to prevent and halt genocide and mass atrocities lies first and foremost with each individual State, but the international community has a role that cannot be blocked by the invocation of sovereignty. Sovereignty no longer exclusively protects States from foreign interference; it is a charge of responsibility where States are accountable for the welfare of their people. This principle is enshrined in article 1 of the Genocide Convention and embodied in the principle of “sovereignty as responsibility” and in the concept of the Responsibility to Protect.
As it is now, the Nigerian state has not succeeded to overcome this serious challenge to its mandate to protect all the people of Nigeria specially the Christians living in the North East sub-region of Nigeria.

There are reports that the Nigeria armed forces and other security organisations may have been compromised and that they have been infiltrated by Boko Haram elements.

Many reports have that the Nigerian military commanders have been known to divulge troop movement and locations to Boko Haram that has always led to the troops being ambushed by the Boko Haram fighters. In fact that led to mutiny recently in one of the military barracks. We still count of the government protection of all its citizens. We are Nigerian citizens.

Our requests as a Church are as follows:

We earnestly appeal to the Nigerian government to protect its citizens particularly the Christians in the North East from mass murder by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists. Given the scope of this religious cleansing, across states, we urge the UN to come under the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) on humanitarian grounds

1. To protect us from total annihilation by Boko Haram.

2.To arrest the genocide on Christians in North Eastern Nigeria in particular and Northern Nigeria in general, we seek the immediate deployment of UN peace keeping and peace enforcement troops in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe until peace is permanently returned.

3. I urge the General Assembly of the UN under the Article 111, which prevents the genocide on any group, should allow the world powers to use drones to track and take out all the Boko Haram terrorists’ camps in Sambisa forest in Nigeria and wherever they are located in West and Central African regions.

4. Since the Nigerian government has failed in its primary responsibility to protect its citizens in North Eastern Nigeria, the UN should declare the above three state as a UN territory as it did in the Darfur region of Sudan.

We as a Church urge the Security Council to invoked R2P for the deployment of the above measures to protect Christians in North Eastern Nigeria.

We note that the Security Council of the UN has invoked the R2P in a number of resolutions: three times in 2006, once in 2009, six times in 2011, twice in 2012, seven times in 2013 and at least four times in 2014.

The Human Rights Council has also invoked R2P in a number of resolutions, most recently on the situations in Syria.

Today, “our world continues to be confronted with different challenges of global reach and impact,” including poverty and hunger; unemployment; myriad impacts of climate change; armed conflicts; and emerging security threats such as transnational organized crime, terrorism, piracy and human trafficking of which terrorism by this Boko Haram is the most deadly because it has spread into Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.

“Collectively, we must continue to take concerted action to address these challenges. This is what has made the United Nations a strong, unique and indispensable organization.

The world cannot sit by as whole towns and cities are depopulated by grotesque bloodletting and unprecedented murder by Boko Haram.

North east Nigeria requires the world’s long-term commitment to end the bloodshed, secure peace and facilitate inclusive dialogue, and to recover its landscape from what can only be described as catastrophic destruction.

Boko Haram massacre of Christians in North east Nigeria is a perfect example of a major tragedy occurring in front of our eyes with no one taking decisive action to stop this tragedy once and for all. Our protection has not been secured par local, regional or federal leaders. The killings continue.

We trust that prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, are an intrinsic part of your noble mandate. To bring about in conformity with the principles of justice and international law…”Article One UN Charter” will ultimately benefit all people groups.

The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria strongly calls on United Nations and its members to heed to the demands of the endangered remaining population in the North east of Nigeria now. Indifference and staying silent in the face of tragedy that has befallen the Christians in North Eastern Nigeria is not an option for this great assembly.

To arrest the genocide on Christians in North Eastern Nigeria in particular and Northern Nigeria in general, we once more seek the immediate deployment of UN peace keeping and peace enforcement troops  in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe until peace is permanently returned.

Since the efforts of the Nigerian government has as yet resulted in stopping the massacre, abductions, sufferings, and predicament of Christians, we call upon the UN as an International organization to intervene. Because one of the primary responsibilities of the Nigerian government, that of protecting all its citizens has not yet been secured, (It may even become necessary for the UN to declare the above three state as a UN territory as it did in the Darfur region of Sudan.

We urge the United Nations and in a concerted effort with the Western democratic nations to act quickly as they have done in Syria, Iraq and even Darfur region of Sudan. To neglect the suffering Christians of North Eastern Nigeria at the mercy of the Boko haram Islamic terrorists who have brutally ransacked all the Christian communities from their native land is not an option.

The worst hit is our Church, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN Church), which has its Headquarters in Mubi, Adamawa State Nigeria.

It is true that there are many conflicts going on globally at the moment but the pogrom by Boko Haram and the Northern Nigeria states government deserve a special attention to starve the complete annihilation and extermination of the remaining Christian population.

As at the last count, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has lost 750 Churches to the attack of the Islamic terrorists group Boko Haram.

This august assembly has enough grounds to intervene in the situation in North Eastern Nigeria.

This august assembly must not wait until 800,000 innocent people like in Rwanda are killed before they will intervene. Now is the time to take action to prevent this catastrophe in North Eastern Nigeria which has actually spread to the Republic of Cameroun, Chad and some part of Central African Republic from escalating beyond control.

I thank you for your time.

Long Live the United Nations General Assembly.

Thank You,

Reverend (Dr) Samuel D. Dali
President
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria.

Source: 7/16/2014 Newsline

EYN president represents Brethren at World Council of Churches Central Committee

Photo by Peter Williams/WCC

World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2014

EYN president Samuel Dante Dali represented the world community of the Church of the Brethren at the recent Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Dali, whose own national body Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria or the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, is a member denomination of the WCC, attended as proxy for Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger.
Noffsinger was one of those elected to the WCC Central Committee by the WCC 10th Assembly in November 2013, but was not able to attend because the meeting coincided with the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.

The Central Committee serves as the chief governing body of the WCC until the next assembly, meeting every two years. The committee consists of 150 members from all global regions and is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the WCC 10th Assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programs, and the budget of the council.

Churches to continue their “pilgrimage of justice and peace” in the world

At the opening of the Central Committee meeting July 2-9, the moderator Dr. Agnes Abuom reflected on the significance of the theme “pilgrimage of justice and peace,” which is based on a call issued by the WCC Assembly.

The final message from the WCC 10th Assembly states, “We intend to move together. Challenged by our experiences in Busan, we challenge all people of good will to engage their God-given gifts in transforming actions. This Assembly calls you to join us in pilgrimage.”

Emerging concerns for the global Church

Renewal of churches’ commitment towards Christian unity as well as solidarity with churches in conflict situations remained in focus during the meeting. Countries where churches’ work for justice and peace is being prioritized include the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Nigeria, Syria, and Israel and Palestine. Strategies were also developed on how to promote churches’ work for the reunification of the Korean peninsula.

Climate change, ecological and economic justice, and sharing of resources among the churches emerged as major topics during the six-day meeting. The current situation in Mosul, Iraq, was highlighted through a statement. The need for stronger engagement from youth in the ecumenical movement was stressed. A statement “Towards a Nuclear-free World” recommended ways for churches to work to end nuclear dangers and respond to the witness of those affected by continuing nuclear tragedies – from Hiroshima in 1945 to Fukushima in 2011 and beyond.

In his report, the WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit highlighted the significance of ecumenical, inter-religious, and ecclesiological dialogue, as well as Christian mission. He mentioned the need to enhance support for refugees and displaced peoples, as well as efforts from the churches in addressing issues related to HIV and AIDS. In pursuit of “justice and peace” Tveit encouraged a stronger participation in the churches from youth, women, as well as people with disabilities.

The Central Committee accepted an application from the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa to be re-admitted as a member within the WCC after having parted ways with the council due to fundamental disagreements on policy during the apartheid era. Applications from the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Blantyre Synod in Malawi, as well as from the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India, were also accepted. Action will be taken on these applications at the next Central Committee meeting in two years’ time.

As the members of the Central Committee returned to their home communities across the world, they will consider some key questions: What is a pilgrimage? What are justice and peace? Why a pilgrimage of justice and peace?

The answers will depend on the realities faced in a particular country or community, reflected Marianne Brekken of the Church of Norway. “We have been challenged by the realities we are facing in different contexts,” she said. “It was a hard reality to face and hear about how we can be a fellowship when we are in crisis. To hear about the situation in Nigeria is hard for me, coming from Norway. Through sharing, we are also walking together.”

Earlier in the meeting, WCC Central Committee members from areas challenged by conflict shared their stories with colleagues, bringing a new understanding to people who don't often hear such firsthand accounts.

More about the WCC Central Committee meeting is at www.oikoumene.org/en/central-committee-2014.

Watch a video on the WCC Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace:



-- This report includes sections of several press releases from the World Council of Churches.

Source: 7/16/2014 Newsline

Anabaptist Disabilities Network seeks stories of supportive care in congregations

Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADNet) is looking for stories of church congregations that are providing a congregational network of care for persons with significant disabilities and/or their families. Such care may include supporting their church participation, but goes beyond this to support aspects of daily living needs and/or participation in the wider community.

ADNet is collecting these stories with the goal of creating a sequel to their book, Supportive Care in the Congregation, that will tell the stories of congregations that have implemented something similar to the vision outlined in the book.

If you know of such a group who might be willing to share their stories, ADNet would like to know how to contact them. Stories can be shared anonymously in the book if those involved wish to protect privacy.  Contact ADNet at 574-343-1362 or adnet@adnetonline.org.

ADNet and the Church of the Brethren are partners in providing support and resources to individuals with disabilities, as well as their families and congregations.

-- Donna Kline is director of Deacon Ministries for the Church of the Brethren

Source: 7/16/2014 Newsline

Dean of Bethany Seminary speaks to international meeting Bethany Seminary dean Schweitzer at international meeting

Steven Schweitzer, academic dean at Bethany Theological Seminary, presented two professional research papers at the 2014 meeting of the International Society of Biblical Literature (ISBL), held July 6-10 at the University of Vienna in Austria.

The Society for Biblical Literature holds its international meeting in collaboration with the European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS) each summer on different continents, drawing more than 1000 participants from more than forty countries. As one of the largest gatherings of religious scholars in the world, it highlights current research, fosters networking and fellowship, and focuses on issues in the profession. The North American meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature, also open to members from around the world, occurs each November in conjunction with the American Academy of Religion.

Schweitzer’s first paper, “After Exile, under Empire: Utopian Concerns in Chronicles,” was presented on July 8 at the invitation of the Chronicles and Utopia Group of the EABS, based on his earlier publications and presentations. Beginning with his doctoral dissertation, Schweitzer has contended that Chronicles presents a vision for a “better alternative reality,” or utopia, that is set in Israel’s past rather than a documentation of historic reality.

Schweitzer is one of the first and strongest proponents for this approach to reading Chronicles, having published Reading Utopia in Chronicles, a revision of his dissertation, in 2007. His paper for the ISBL specifically examined how the writer of Chronicles dealt with two crises of Israel’s heritage in proclaiming his utopian vision: the exile of the Hebrews in Babylon under the Persian monarchs and the failure of the Davidic dynasty.

His personal interest in science fiction and the prevalence of theological themes found in that genre led Schweitzer to develop and teach the course Science Fiction and Theology at Bethany in the fall of 2013. When he discovered the existence of a Science Fiction and the Bible Group within the EABS, he submitted a proposal to present a second paper at this summer’s meeting, which was accepted. The paper entitled “Teaching Science Fiction and Theology: Reflections and Possibilities,” presented on July 9, was a reflection on the process of teaching the course.

Using a number of movie and television science fiction series, the class explored a wide variety of theological themes, such as the nature of humanity, construction and experience of the Divine, the problem of evil, and the quest for meaning. Students discussed how these examples relate to biblical texts that illustrate similar themes. Noting that science fiction has grown in influence and appeal within western culture, Schweitzer says that “the course was about how to ask theological questions of many aspects of our lives and the culture around us in intentional ways.”

Schweitzer’s work in the field of Chronicles has also led to two recently published essays. As a former professor at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Schweitzer was invited to contribute to a book honoring two leading Mennonite scholars from AMBS, Struggles for Shalom: Peace and Violence across the Testaments, published earlier this year. His essay “The Concept of Shalom in the Book of Chronicles” is his first exploration of the texts through the lens of shalom.

A second essay, “The Genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9: Purposes, Forms, and the Utopian Identity of Israel,” was invited by the editors of Chronicling the Chronicler: The Book of Chronicles and Early Second Temple Historiography, released in 2013. Based on a chapter in Schweitzer’s earlier book, the essay is a much broader treatment of genealogies in Chronicles than many other publications offer.

-- Jenny Williams of the Bethany Theological Seminary communications provided this report.

Source: 7/16/2014 Newsline

Brethren bits

• Remembrance: Donald (Don) Link, 81, died on July 1. He and his wife Nancy served as Church of the Brethren mission workers in Nigeria from 1966-72, and also did volunteer service in the United States on a Navajo reservation. He was a faithful member of Lebanon Church of the Brethren in Shenandoah District, where a memorial service was held on July 7. His wife Nancy survives him. “Lift up prayers of comfort for the family and friends,” asked a remembrance in the district newsletter. -- Catherine (Cat) Gong has accepted the position of member services representative, employee benefits, with Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) in Elgin, Ill. She will begin her duties on July 28. She has been working as financial aid assistant/administrative support for Midwestern Career College in Chicago. She previously served in Brethren Volunteer Service and was coordinator for the Church of the Brethren Workcamp Ministry in 2012, and attends Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin. She holds a degree in sociology with minors in Italian and international studies from Pennsylvania State University. For more about the work of BBT go to www.brethrenbenefittrust.org .

• Update on Annual Conference Blood Drive: Brethren Disaster Ministries has provided a correction to the number of units of blood collected at the Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this month: 150 is the correct number. The staff have shared the following thank you note from the Red Cross in Columbus: “Thank you all so much for such a successful blood drive at the Columbus Church of the Brethren Conference last week! It was so great to work with you all on this, and your passion and commitment were like no other. In an urgent need time period, and on a holiday time period your group came through in a BIG way! There were: 168 presenting donors, 150 units collected, including 11 double red cell donations. The number of patients’ lives potentially saved with these donations = 450!!!” The Brethren Disaster Ministries staff note that R. Jan Thompson started the first blood drive at Annual Conference in 1984 after driving in to Baltimore for the 1983 Conference and hearing a radio announcement about a need for blood donations in the community. Since then the largest Annual Conference blood drive took place a few years later in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the organizers set a goal of 500 units and received some 525, Thompson said.

• At the Bridgewater (Va.) College luncheon at the 2014 Annual Conference, Mary Jo Flory-Steury and Jennifer Jewell were presented the Merlin and Dorothy Faw Garber Award for Christian Service. Flory-Steury, a 1978 Bridgewater graduate, is associate general secretary and director of the Office of Ministry for the Church of the Brethren. Jewell, a 2014 graduate of Bridgewater from Luray, Va., is doing work in South Africa on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, reported the Shenandoah District newsletter.

• Production of a new minister's manual for the Church of the Brethren is underway. Twenty one years after the publication of "For All Who Minister," the task team working on a new manual is seeking input through an online survey. “This is your opportunity to join in the adventure and participate in the production process,” said an announcement from associate general secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury. “Watch for additional ways to be involved including submitting a variety of worship resources." Find the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/2MManual .

• The staff at Brethren Disaster Ministries have directed an allocation of $8,200 from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to respond to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ministry received an appeal for relief funds from Shalom Ministry of Reconciliation and Development following an attack on the town of Mutarule in the eastern part of the DRC, which killed 37 people and left over 100 injured. Shalom Ministries will focus on contributing to the improvement of food and social life for the population of Mutarule and building peace and reconciliation between ethnic groups there. The EDF grant will support aid for approximately 2,100 people, including the provision of emergency food, household supplies, and school supplies. For more about the Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund see www.brethren.org/edf .

Photo courtesy of CDS

The children and youth of Thornwell Home for Children in South Carolina recently voted to award Children's Disaster Services with a gift of $222.16. “The children researched different organizations and choose recipients for their 2014 awards,” said a note from associate director Kathleen Fry-Miller. “One of the children had been a part of a CDS children's center in disaster and wanted us to be on the list to receive a donation.” Children's Disaster Services representative Sue Harmon was present to accept the gift. She said, "It was a sweet program on the steps of the church at the Children's Home. Different children were given the envelopes with checks for the different entities, and when the director called out the organizations' names and briefly explained what it was, the child with their check would step down and give the envelope to that representative." For about the ministry of Children’s Disaster Services go to www.brethren.org/cds.

• Children’s Disaster Services staff Kathy Fry-Miller writes that “prayers and advocating for a compassionate response would be appreciated,” in response to the situation of more than 50,000 immigrant children refugees who have fled into the United States from Central America. Media reports have highlighted the cause of the influx of unaccompanied children as gang and criminal violence that is increasingly targeting children and families in Central America. “At this point Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services have been in touch with FEMA, the Red Cross, and Church World Service to offer assistance, but so far what we can provide is not where the greatest need is,” Fry-Miller wrote by e-mail today. “CDS is not anticipating being called out, but we are certainly willing, if services we can provide would match the need.”

• Bread for the World is requesting prayer for the tens of thousands of immigrant children refugees, saying “this is a humanitarian crisis.” An e-mail alert from Bread for the World today highlighted the story of Emilio, a 16-year-old from Honduras. “The journey is dangerous, and some children die on the way, but conditions in his home country are so desperate that Emilio says he will try again,” the alert said. “Emilio is one of tens of thousands of children from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador attempting to flee violence and extreme poverty. We as people of faith must act to address the root causes of this humanitarian crisis.” Bread for the World is requesting prayer for the children and their parents, and is encouraging people of faith to contact their congressional representatives to respond to the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the border with “legislation that addresses the conditions of poverty, hunger, and violence in Central America that are forcing them to leave. The Bible tells us that Jesus has a special concern for children who belong to the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14). Christians must speak up for children like Emilio.” The alert said that since October 2013, over 52,000 unaccompanied children have crossed into the US, and by year’s end that number is expected to climb to between 70,000 and 90,000.

• The 2014 district conference season in the Church of the Brethren begins July 25-27 in Northern Ohio District, at the Myers Convocation Center at Ashland (Ohio) University, and in Western Plains District, at McPherson (Kan.) College and McPherson Church of the Brethren. Southeastern District holds its conference on July 27-29 at Mars Hill (N.C.) University.

• The Brethren Mission Fund, a ministry of the Brethren Revival Fellowship (BRF), is contributing $2,500 to the EYN Compassion Fund of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The money will help support Nigerian Brethren who have lost a family member, home, or property to ongoing violence in Nigeria. An announcement from the Brethren Mission Fund newsletter noted that this is the second such contribution since the fall of 2013 when $3,000 was given. “Recently a Church of the Brethren in the West Marva District decided to channel some funds through the BMF to the EYN Compassion Fund. The BMF committee also decided to contribute some additional monies for this fund so that the total combined amount being sent to the EYN Compassion Fund at this time will be $2,500.” For more about this ministry of BRF go to www.brfwitness.org/?page_id=9 .

• “The Power of God” is the title of the latest spiritual disciplines folder from Springs of Living Water, a church renewal organization. The folder is provided for Bible study and meditation for the period of time following Annual Conference through Sept. 6. The folder offers daily scripture readings and questions for meditation, looking at 10 ways in which the power of God can come into lives and into the church to fulfill the mission to make disciples, said an announcement. The folder was created by Thomas Hanks, pastor of the yoked congregation of Friends Run and Smith Creek near Franklin, W.Va. Find it at www.churchrenewalservant.org or by e-mailing davidyoung@churchrenewalservant.org .

• Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has announced in a release that “generous donors have surpassed the original $110,000 goal for its Plowing and Planting Campaign, contributing $123,300,” despite trends showing a decline in non-profit giving. The campaign was launched to “plow under” the debt for CPT’s Chicago training center and office, and “plant” seeds of investment in supportive care for full-time team members, the release said.  “We’re thrilled to have such generous supporters who believe so deeply in the work of CPT,” said executive director, Sarah Thompson. The additional funds will allow CPT to provide in-person psychosocial care to CPT team members involved in active peacemaking in the current project areas of Iraqi Kurdistan, Colombia, Palestine, and alongside the First Nations in Canada. The organization currently has 21 full-time, 8 part-time stipend-eligible CPTers, and 156 reservists (CPT volunteers). Find out more at www.CPT.org.

• The World Council of Churches (WCC) has strongly condemned the violence in Gaza. In a July 10 release, the WCC condemned both the “attacks by the Israeli military on the civilian population in Gaza, as well as firing of rockets by militants from Gaza to Israel.” A statement by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit said that “what is happening in Gaza now is not an isolated tragedy.” The failure of peace negotiations and the loss of prospects for a two-state solution to end occupation have led to this “unbearable and infernal cycle of violence and hatred that we are witnessing today,” Tveit said. “Without an end to the occupation, the cycle of violence will continue,” he said. In the statement, Tveit said that recent events in Israel and Palestine must be seen in the context of the occupation of Palestinian territories, which began in 1967. He added that calling for an end to the occupation and the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel has remained a long-term commitment of the WCC. Tveit urged the United Nations Security Council to demand an immediate end to all kinds of violence from all parties to the conflict and called on churches and religious leaders to “work together to transform the discourse of hatred and revenge that is spreading more and more in many circles in society into one that sees the other as neighbour and as equal brother and sister in the one Lord.”

• The "Brethren Voices" television program with Andy Murray, moderator-elect of Annual Conference, is now the featured program at www.youtube.com/Brethrenvoices . The July 2014 edition of this community television program from Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren features "A Conversation About Peacemaking" with Bob Gross and Melisa Grandison commemorating the 40th anniversary of On Earth Peace. For more information contact producer Ed Groff at groffprod1@msn.com.

Source: 7/16/2014 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 Jan Fischer Bachman, Deborah Brehm, Samuel Dante Dali, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Kathleen Fry-Miller, Donna Kline, Donna March, Nancy Miner, Randi Rowan, Howard Royer, R. Jan Thompson, Jenny Williams, Jay Wittmeyer, David Young, Jane Yount, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.

Newsline: July 8, 2014

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014

• Revision to Ministerial Leadership polity is adopted by Annual Conference
• Revision of 1996 Ethics for Congregations paper is approved by the delegates
• Query on Climate Change is returned, Conference declares the church is not of one mind on the issue
• Resolution supports Nigerian Brethren, invites worldwide community of Brethren to a week of fasting and prayer
• Delegates maintain current structure of Mission and Ministry Board; defer to 2015 other decisions on board bylaws, BBT articles, agency financial reports
• Andy Murray chosen as moderator-elect, among other election results and appointments
• Rebecca Dali interviewed by Columbus' NBC4, leads insight sessions on Nigeria
• Three new fellowships are welcomed into the denomination
• Standing Committee denies support to On Earth Peace ‘Statement of Inclusion’ but commits to ‘walk in love together’
• Mission and Ministry Board hears update on Nigeria, discusses finances, celebrates Open Roof Award and Ministry Summer Service
• Annual Conference bits and pieces

Revision to Ministerial Leadership polity is adopted by Annual Conference

Photo by Regina Holmes

Associate general secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury (at podium) speaks to the Annual Conference delegate body during its deliberations on the revision to Ministerial Leadership Polity. On the large screen is the motion to adopt the document, which was carried out with a two-thirds majority vote.

The revision to Ministerial Leadership Polity today was adopted by Annual Conference, gaining the two-thirds majority vote it needed. With its adoption, several changes will be taking effect in January 2015.

Among those changes is establishment of a  new, additional category of set-apart ministry: the commissioned minister. These ministers will be called, trained and commissioned to serve one particular congregation or ministry setting. With training that does not need to be as rigorous as for an ordained minister, it is expected to be a helpful option for leaders of small congregations who do not have the time and finances to pursue a seminary education.

A second change the paper makes to existing polity is that more guidelines are laid out for community participation during all parts of a minister’s calling, training, and ongoing life.  Mentors, small groups of people supporting licensed ministers, and ongoing peer groups called cohort groups for ordained clergy, are all described in the guidelines.

One goal of the paper is to provide more uniformity among the districts in credentialing. However, some flexibility is also part of the design. For example, the category of lay speaker is no longer an official position in the denomination, and has not been since the last revision to ministerial polity, but districts may decide to continue to list lay speakers. However, there will no longer be a listing of lay speakers in denominational records.

The length and complexity of the paper proved challenging to some delegates, especially those unfamiliar with the ministerial credentialing process currently in use. The process of licensing was a topic of much discussion. This paper places a 10-year time limit on being licensed. One metaphor used by a speaker compared licensing to a hallway, not a destination, saying that a licensed minister should be encouraged to complete their training.

The paper has been in development for some seven years in total. In 2012 the document was brought to the floor of Annual Conference for a first reading. Last year the document was brought for adoption, but Annual Conference returned it to the Mission and Ministry Board with instruction to address concerns raised by the Standing Committee of district delegates. The concerns fell into several areas including the need to address plural non-salaried ministry, to be in conversation with leaders from ethnically diverse congregations to take into account how the paper will affect ministers in their context, and to adjust requirements regarding calling cohorts. Revisions based on those suggestions have been incorporated into the document.

Staff and committees that have worked on the revision include associate general secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury and Dana Cassell, working with the Ministry Advisory Council. Input on the paper was received from a number of groups including the Council of District Executives and the Mission and Ministry Board.

Find the document as presented to and adopted by Annual Conference at www.brethren.org/ac/2014/documents/business-items/2014-ub1-revision-to-ministerial-leadership-polity.pdf.

-- Frances Townsend provided this report.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Revision of 1996 Ethics for Congregations paper is approved by the delegates

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Delegates speak at the microphones

For the past few years Congregational Life Ministries staff member Joshua Brockway has been developing a revision of the 1996 Ethics for Congregations paper, as requested by the study committee initially appointed to answer the Query: Guidelines for Implementation of the Congregational Ethics Paper. Brockway is director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship for the Church of the Brethren. The final version of the polity came before the delegate body at this year’s Conference and was adopted.

A number of concerns were expressed as the delegate body deliberated over the document, some with great emotion. Some speakers worried about the legal implications of the document. There were concerns about creating layers of bureaucracy and red tape.

One delegate wondered what would be the result if a congregation refused to do the requisite self-study and paperwork and was assured that coercive action would not be taken, and that the matter would be in the hands of the district.

Another rose to explain that his congregation had already worked through most of the paperwork and that it was neither onerous nor difficult.

Brockway emphasized that the polity was designed to address those issues with legal implications, usually matters involving finances, and to draw lines that held congregations accountable yet left the door open to reconciliation.

Sections of the document outline scriptural visions of the church, talk about the church and its relationships including relationships within the congregation and with pastors and staff, and sexual improprieties. A section titled “Practices of Awareness, Assessment, and Accountability” advises congregations on self assessment and how occasions of misconduct may be addressed. A code of ethics also is included in the paper.

The paper was passed in two sections. The first, involving a change in polity, was adopted with a two-thirds majority vote. The second, involving implementation of the polity, passed by a simple majority.

Find the Congregational Ethics Polity at www.brethren.org/ac/2014/documents/business-items/2014-ub2-congregational-ethics-paper.pdf.

-- Frank Ramirez provided this report.

Query on Climate Change is returned, Conference declares the church is not of one mind on the issue

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Timekeeper Stafford Frederick raises a yellow paddle to signal that a speaker's time is nearly up. As it became clear Saturday that the Conference would not be able to deal with all the business in the time still available, the Conference suspended rules in order to shorten a speaker's time at the microphone.

The response to the query on Guidance for Responding to the Changing of Earth’s Climate was defeated in a close vote, and the query was returned to the district and congregation where it originated. The response had been formulated by staff of the Office of Public Witness working with a study committee appointed by that office.

This query originally was adopted by the 2011 Annual Conference and referred to the Advocacy Office of the Global Mission Partnerships--now the Office of Public Witness--for a response. In 2012, the Conference received a report from the working group formed by the Advocacy Office and additional time to prepare a thorough answer was granted.

By 2013, a congregational study resource was developed and additional feedback was being collected from those using it. The Annual Conference received an interim report and granted another year to revise the study resource and prepare a statement on climate change to present to the 2014 Annual Conference for adoption.

On the business floor during this Annual Conference, much debate was heard, both for and against the statement. Some of those who spoke to the document doubted the validity of scientific conclusions on climate change, or expressed the opinion that global warming is not caused by human activity. Others said solutions such as restricting use of fossil fuels are harmful to those who earn their living through the coal and oil industries, and may harm the poor who cannot afford more expensive forms of energy. Other speakers were concerned about the church calling for support for political legislation for this kind of issue.

On the other side of the debate, a number of speakers supported the scientific consensus on climate change and expressed concerns about the detrimental effects of global warming on the worldwide human population, saying that it inevitably will lead to starvation and loss of land in poorer regions of the globe as sea levels rise. Speaking as a scientist herself, one speaker said that caring for the earth is a faith issue and biblical mandate.

An amendment that would have added fossil fuel production to the list of Socially Responsible Investing concerns for the denomination was turned down by the delegates.

After the motion to adopt the answer to the query failed, the moderator declared that the query had become a new item of business and turned to the delegate body for a motion to answer it.

The delegates adopted a motion to return the query to the originating district and congregation with gratitude, declaring that the church is not of one mind at this time.

-- Frances Townsend and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford provided this report.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Resolution supports Nigerian Brethren, invites worldwide community of Brethren to a week of fasting and prayer

A note to Conference attendees: The Office of the General Secretary has clarified that it is appropriate to identify Rebecca Dali and her association with the Brethren, and encourages the sharing of any photos and reports about her that appear in official Church of the Brethren publications such as the website Brethren.org, Newsline, and the denominational Facebook page.

“Messenger” editor Randy Miller provided this report

Annual Conference delegates voted Saturday in favor of a resolution indicating solidarity with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). The resolution comes as the Nigerian Brethren endure turmoil in their country.

Among other things, it commits to a week of fasting and prayer on Aug. 17-24, and invites the worldwide community of the Brethren to join in that commitment.

The resolution was adopted by the Mission and Ministry Board on Wednesday, July 2, and was passed on to the Standing Committee of district delegates, which recommended its approval.

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Annual Conference moderator Nancy S. Heishman (left) greets EYN representative Rebecca Dali (right), with Roy Winter of Brethren Disaster Ministries.

The Saturday afternoon business session began with the reading of a letter from EYN president Samuel Dante Dali by his wife Rebecca Dali. “On behalf of EYN, I wish to express our appreciation for your concern over our situation here,” the letter read in part. “We have been struck down by the enemy, but not destroyed. We are hard pressed and persecuted, yet we still have Christ and are doing our Father’s business. Your prayers of support have been a source of encouragement for us, and show us that we are not alone in our suffering.”

Global Mission and Service executive Jay Wittmeyer provided further detail about the conditions faced by Brethren in Nigeria. He and Roy Winter, associate executive director for Global Mission and Service and director of Brethren Disaster Ministries, are planning a visit to Nigeria in August to explore ways in which further assistance can be provided.

“This is going to be a long journey,” Winter said. “We can’t fix it all, but we can work and pray with our brothers and sisters there.”

While the resolution was before the delegates for consideration, an amendment was presented suggesting that, in addition to supporting EYN through prayer and fasting, individuals willing to present themselves as stand-ins in exchange for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls should be allowed to do so. Church of the Brethren member Cliff Kindy, who presented the amendment on behalf of himself and Christian Peacemaker Teams, said several persons already had expressed their willingness to do this.

Although they expressed appreciation for the courage and sacrifice evident in the offer, delegates voted down the amendment. With no further modifications, the resolution was accepted. Delegates and observers rose in a standing ovation in an expression of support for EYN.

Following is the full text of the resolution:

A Resolute Fast and Fervent Prayer: A Resolution Responding to Violence in Nigeria

“Christ is just like the human body--a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body.... If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. You are the body of Christ and parts of each other” (1 Corinthians 1:12a, 26-27, CEB).

I. Biblical vision of the church

The Apostle Paul wrote frequently of the bonds between communities of faith that bridge the miles between them. Our shared confession of Jesus Christ as Lord unites us, through the Holy Spirit, in a way unparalleled even by family or national ties (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12). This same Spirit, Paul reminds us, intercedes on our behalf when our own prayers become sighs too deep for words (Romans 8).

For the Brethren, the church as community is central to our life and faith. In testaments to mutuality, we have walked alongside one another in joy and loss, taking to heart the words of the letter to the Hebrews: “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured” (13:3).

II. The struggle of our sisters and brothers

The circumstances in Nigeria have come to the attention of the world, and to our attention as Brethren. Sisters and brothers of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) suffer kidnappings, bombings, mass killings, and burning of churches and homes. Despite the global awareness, the violence has continued at an alarming rate.

EYN leaders have asked for fasting and prayer for the plight of the church and the people of Nigeria.

Aware that sisters and brothers in Nigeria are not the only ones facing violence on a daily basis, we include in our prayers those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Syria, and other places where people face threats that few in the United States have known in their lifetime.

III. The resolve of the church

Grieving with each new word from Nigeria, we as the Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren resolve to walk with our sisters and brothers in Christ by entering a season of fasting and prayer. We commit ourselves to the practices of lament, prayer, fasting, and bearing witness.

In lament we turn to the rich tradition of our faith witnessed to by the Psalms. We bring to God the realities of evil and violence, knowing that they bear no resemblance to the ways of God.

In prayer we intercede for our sisters and brothers, asking God for protection, justice, and peace. We give thanks for their profound witness as they strive for the well-being of their families and communities, seeking to embody the peace so graciously given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the one who calls us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Thus, we pray also for the perpetrators of violence, for the softening of hearts and for right relationships among neighbors.

In fasting we let go of a little in order to accompany those who are losing so much, and stand before God with them. We name our longing for the day when life overcomes death, justice and peace meet, and love drives out fear.

In bearing witness we share the stories of our sisters and brothers, bringing atrocities to light, confident in our faith that the Good News of Jesus Christ is indeed light in a world covered in darkness.

We commit a week of the summer to spend significant amounts of time in fasting and prayer, beginning Sunday, August 17, through Sunday, August 24. We invite the worldwide community of the Church of the Brethren and our sister churches in Nigeria, India, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, and Spain, as well as Brethren groups with which we are in conversation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other friends and believers, to join in this commitment. May we be the body of Christ together as we pray and fast for peace and reconciliation.

We further resolve to partner with EYN and ecumenical international relief and development agencies to offer support as requested and directed by the leadership of the Nigerian Brethren.

“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b, NRSV).

References and resources

A history and timeline of the Church of the Brethren Mission in Nigeria, out of which EYN has grown, are posted online at www.brethren.org/nigeriahistory.

The EYN website www.eynchurchonline.org offers information about the ministries of the Nigerian Brethren.

Current Church of the Brethren news from Nigeria is updated regularly at www.brethren.org/partners/nigeria/news.html.

Just peace and just policing: An Annual Conference resolution of 2003, “Call for a Living Peace Church,” calls the whole church to be a peace church that serves Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace; www.brethren.org/ac/statements/2003livingpeace.html. An Annual Conference statement of 1996, “Nonviolence and Humanitarian Intervention,” offers a Brethren point of view on international intervention in situations of violence; www.brethren.org/ac/statements/1996nonviolence.html. Documents on just peace from the World Council of Churches include “Statement on the Way of Just Peace” at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/assembly/2013-busan/adopted-documents-statements/the-way-of-just-peace and “An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace” at www.overcomingviolence.org/fileadmin/dov/files/iepc/resources/ECJustPeace_English.pdf.

Sex trafficking and slavery: An Annual Conference “Resolution on Slavery in the 21st Century” was adopted in 2008; www.brethren.org/ac/statements/2008-resolution-on-slavery.html. A related Study and Action Guide is at www.brethren.org/advocacy/moderndayslavery.html.

Nigeria and peacemaking in Africa: Are There Limits to Pacifism? by Musa Mambula outlines challenges for peacemaking in Nigeria. Seeking Peace in Africa (ed. Donald Miller et al) collects presentations from a peace church meeting in Africa in 2004. The DVD of that meeting, Watu Wa Amani, is available from Brethren Press. Life Among the Chibok of Nigeria by former Brethren mission teachers Gerald and Lois Neher, is a detailed history and anthropological study of the Chibok people, also available from Brethren Press.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Delegates maintain current structure of Mission and Ministry Board; defer to 2015 other decisions on board bylaws, BBT articles, agency financial reports

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Becky Ball-Miller, chair of the Mission and Ministry Board, speaks to the delegate body

This year's recommendation by the Mission and Ministry Board responding to a query about equitable representation on the board, was adopted. The content of the recommendation was unusually simple--to maintain the current structure of the Mission and Ministry Board with no changes to how members are chosen.

At the close of business on Saturday afternoon, July 5, three business items having to do with agency bylaws and articles of organization as well as financial reporting had not yet been dealt with. The three items were deferred for inclusion on the 2015 Conference agenda: Amendments to the Bylaws of the Church of the Brethren Inc., Amendments to Brethren Benefit Trust Articles of Organization, and Interpretation of Polity Regarding Agency Financial Reports, which was an item added to the Conference agenda by Standing Committee.

Current structure of Mission and Ministry Board is maintained

The original query was formulated in 2011, expressing a concern that parts of the country with low populations of Brethren were over-represented on the board, and that higher population areas were under-represented. The 2012 Conference adopted a recommendation to send the issue to the Mission and Ministry Board to formulate a change.

In 2013, Annual Conference was presented with a new plan of board member selection, but after reflection and discussion the delegate body decided not to adopt it. Instead, the query was returned to the Mission and Ministry Board.

Table talk among the delegates last year garnered many written suggestions and opinions. The Mission and Ministry Board used that important delegate feedback, as well as the speeches from the microphones, as they developed the recommendation to make no changes to the selection process for board members.

However, during discussion on the Conference floor this year the same concerns for proportional representation which prompted the original query continued to be raised. Mission and Ministry Board chair Becky Ball-Miller showed charts illustrating how the current composition of the board compares to percentages of population in the different areas of the denomination, and also percentages of giving and of giving per capita.

She reiterated that every board member, no matter where they are from or how they are elected, represents the entire denomination, not just their own geographical area or district.

Ball-Miller also pointed out that the delegate body of Annual Conference as well as Standing Committee are more directly representational of population and it is those bodies that make policy, while the Mission and Ministry Board’s task is to implement Annual Conference decisions and see that the work of the denomination is carried out.

She reported to the Conference that the Mission and Ministry Board has done its best to answer the concerns of the query and sincerely believes the current structure works.

-- Frances Townsend provided this report.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Andy Murray chosen as moderator-elect, among other election results and appointments

Andy Murray has been chosen as moderator-elect of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, in an election of new denominational leadership. He will serve as moderator-elect for next year’s Annual Conference, and as moderator for the 2016 Conference.

Murray is a member of Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon, Pa. He is a retired minister, chaplain, college professor and administrator. He was founding director of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College. His involvements in peace and conflict studies have included service on the United Nations/International Association of University Presidents’ Commission on Arms Control and Disarmament Education, service as director of the International Seminar on Arms Control and Disarmament, service on the UNESCO/IAUP Planning Team “The Role of Higher Education in Promoting a Culture of Peace” roundtable for UNESCO World Conference on High Education, and more.

However, Murray is best known to Brethren as a singer and songwriter who along with his wife Terry performs songs such as “Sister Anna Beauty Queen” and the National Youth Conference theme song “Goodbye Still Night.” Their album “Summertime Children” recently was re-released.

Photo by Regina Holmes
 

Table 67 poses for a group photo

Other election results

Rhonda Pittman Gingrich of Minneapolis, Minn., was elected to the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee.

Eric Bishop of Pomona, Calif., was chosen as a Bethany Theological Seminary trustee, colleges.

Carla Gillespie of Dayton, Ohio, was elected to the On Earth Peace board.

Dennis Kingery of Centennial, Colo., was elected to the Brethren Benefit Trust board.

David K. Shumate of Roanoke, Va., was elected to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee.

Agency appointments confirmed by Conference

A number of appointments to agency boards were confirmed by the Annual Conference. The appointments were made to the Church of the Brethren’s Mission and Ministry Board, and to the boards of Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.

Mission and Ministry Board:

Susan Liller of New Carlisle, Ohio, was elected by the board to a five-year term ending in 2019.

Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees:

Brian T. Flory of Fort Wayne, Ind., was elected by the seminary’s Alumni/ae Association to a five-year term;

S. Philip Stover of Quinter, Kan., was elected by the board of trustees to a five-year term at-large; and

Lowell David Witkovsky of Huntingdon, Pa.,  was elected by the board of trustees to a five-year term at-large.

Brethren Benefit Trust Board:

Timothy A. McElwee of North Manchester, Ind., was elected by the Pension Plan members to a four-year term; and

Wayne T. Scott of Harrisburg, Pa., was elected by the board to a four-year term.

On Earth Peace Board:

Barbara Avent of Denver, Colo., was elected to fill an unexpired four-year term by the On Earth Peace constituents; and

Caitlin Rebecca Haynes of Baltimore, Md., was elected to a five-year term by the On Earth Peace constituents.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Rebecca Dali interviewed by Columbus' NBC4, leads insight sessions on Nigeria

A note to Conference attendees: The Office of the General Secretary has clarified that it is appropriate to identify Rebecca Dali and her association with the Brethren, and encourages the sharing of any photos and reports about her that appear in official Church of the Brethren publications such as the website Brethren.org, Newsline, and the denominational Facebook page.

Rebecca Dali was interviewed by Columbus’ NBC Channel 4. Reporter Ted Hart interviewed her just prior to a special insight session on Nigeria that Dali led over the lunch hour on Friday, July 4. She also presented an insight session on Nigeria the following Saturday evening.

Hart reported that Dali regularly travels to Chibok, the place where hundreds of schoolgirls were abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents, to meet with the parents at considerable risk to herself. “A lot of people are afraid to go to Chibok to see them,” Dali told the reporter, “but I took it upon myself that at least every two weeks, I will go and visit them.”

Find the NBC4 interview at www.nbc4i.com/story/25944040/church-has-ties-to-nigerian-kidnap-victims.

Nigeria insight session

At the noon insight session on Nigeria, Dali spoke about her work and the work of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) to aid those affected by violence.

She gave updated figures on the suffering of the Nigerian Brethren, although she warned that these numbers may have grown even in the few days she has been away from Nigeria: since 2006 more than 1,500 EYN members have been killed including pastors and their family members, more than 100 churches have been burned, five district church councils in the Gwoza area have been closed because of the violence, more than 8,500 homes of church members have been burned, and more than 150,000 people have been displaced.

She added, “Many pastors have been killed and some are without jobs” because of the need to flee. Other pastors and their wives and children have been abducted.

Part of Dali’s work with the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) is to sit down with those who have lost family members to Boko Haram, record their stories, and collect photos of the losses they have suffered including photos of the dead bodies and burned homes and businesses.

Dali has spoken with schoolgirls who have escaped and returned home, still only a small number of the total number of girls kidnapped from Chibok. Those who have managed to escape told her about the abuses the abducted girls have suffered, including gang rape and mutilation.

Her PowerPoint presentation included graphic photos of human bodies killed in horrific ways--fathers, mothers, children. Along with her frank discussion of the suffering of the abducted schoolgirls, the pictures brought many in the room to tears. Dali herself broke down into tears at the end of her presentation.

A time of prayer and the laying on of hands for Rebecca Dali closed the insight session, led by general secretary Stan Noffsinger.

Dali spoke to the delegate body at the start of the business session, Saturday, July 5, when cards of encouragement were collected to send to the Nigerian Brethren from the US church. Find the report from the section of Saturday’s business focused on Nigeria at www.brethren.org/news/2014/delegates-adopt-nigeria-resolution.html.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Three new fellowships are welcomed into the denomination

Photo by Glenn Riegel

Hanging Rock Church in W. Marva District is one of three new fellowships

Jonathan Shively, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries, led the welcome of three new fellowships into the denomination as one of the first items of Annual Conference business.

Proclaiming it “a joy,” Shively began by introducing Roya Stern of Common Spirit, a house church in Grand Rapids, Mich. The church was founded after the Grand Rapids Annual Conference in 2011 when Joanna Willoughby took seriously the encouragement to “just do it.” Weekly potlucks were held to create “a substantial Brethren presence in the city.” By the second year a house church was founded on Sunday evenings, allowing members of the new fellowship to attend traditional worship at other churches in the morning. On Oct. 27, 2013, the church celebrated its first two baptisms. Thirteen more people joined a week later. There are now 15 members with 20 people regularly attending. The goal is to be “a progressive Christian presence in Grand Rapids.”

Hanging Rock Church of the Brethren in West Marva District began when Bob and Brenda Combs supported a community toy drive, and then realized that “this is a good place for a church.” The church had its Grand Opening in February of 2013 with more than 50 people in attendance. The fellowship is self-supporting, and actively supports a food pantry, helps poorer individuals pay bills, and also aided a family that suffered significant losses to a fire. The congregation supports a visitation ministry in the community and also does hospital visits. In June 2013, a baptism service was held at the Combs home at North River, W.Va., and 10 church members were baptized. They now have 58 active members. According to the church’s statement of faith, “We Speak the Word, Share His Grace, and Strive to Light the Way to Christ.”

Iglesia De Los Hermanos “Remanente de Salvación” in Morovis, Puerto Rico, in Atlantic Southeast District, was founded by a group that moved from Vega Baja Church of the Brethren including Maria Otero, Jose Calleja, Kathy Diaz, Judex Diaz, and Nancy Irizarry. The major challenge has been to help the community overcome poverty and witchcraft. The congregation has delivered several people from witchcraft and has connected people through baptism to the church. They run a small group for single mothers, many of whom are the victims of domestic violence and abuse, also providing them with group therapy. Mario Otero serves as pastor.

-- Frank Ramirez provided this report, with contributions from Jonathan Shively.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Standing Committee denies support to On Earth Peace ‘Statement of Inclusion’ but commits to ‘walk in love together’

The Standing Committee of delegates from the Church of the Brethren’s 23 districts has made a statement regarding the On Earth Peace “Statement of Inclusion.” The Standing Committee statement responded to the report of a second delegation that met with On Earth Peace leadership.

Two Standing Committee delegations have attempted to gain resolution of concerns that the “Statement of Inclusion” is inconsistent with Annual Conference decisions affirming the 1983 paper "Human Sexuality from a Christian Perspective,” and denominational polity regarding ordination.

On Earth Peace is an agency of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. Its “Statement of Inclusion” dates back to 2011, and has been the subject of a series of interactions with Standing Committee for the past three years. The conversation in this year’s Standing Committee meetings included On Earth Peace representatives Bill Scheurer, executive director, and Jordan Bles, board chair.

The Standing Committee action came at the close of its first full day of meetings prior to the 2014 Annual Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. Standing Committee was led by Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, assisted by moderator-elect David Steele, and Conference secretary James M. Beckwith.

photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman leads a conversation in Standing Committee, with representatives from On Earth Peace. Executive director Bill Scheurer and board chair Jordan Bles and a delegation of Standing Committee members reflected on recent meetings regarding the agency's "Statement of Inclusion."

Denial of support, affirmation of love

The Standing Committee statement was arrived at after much conversation and at times emotional debate, and the vote revealed a significant divide in the group. The following statement was adopted by a simple majority vote, with a minority of more than a quarter of members voting against it:

“Standing Committee does not support the 2011 Statement of Inclusion of On Earth Peace as an agency of the church, but we will continue to commit ourselves to walk in love together in the face of differing interpretations of scripture and Annual Conference statements and decisions.”

The “Statement of Inclusion” from the On Earth Peace board reads:

“We are troubled by attitudes and actions in the church, which exclude persons on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or any other aspect of human identity. We believe God calls the church to welcome all persons into full participation in the life of the faith community.”

Series of interactions between Standing Committee and On Earth Peace

Moderator Nancy Heishman introduced a time of sharing of feelings about the interaction between the Standing Committee delegation and On Earth Peace, offering information about the series of interactions between the two groups and reviewing other relevant information as well as the activities of the most recent delegation.

Interactions that led to this year’s statement included, among others, two Standing Committee delegations that both reported good conversations with the agency’s board and staff but that did not gain resolution of the conflict.

As part of its effort, the second delegation held a conference call with the executive committee of On Earth Peace and the two groups jointly proposed that On Earth Peace add the following additional sentence to the statement of inclusion, from which much of the language of today’s Standing Committee statement was derived:

“We continue to commit ourselves to walk in love together with the denomination in the face of differing interpretations of scripture and Annual Conference statements and decisions.”

However, the sentence did not receive consensus support from the full board of On Earth Peace, which requested consultation about the sentence from several other groups in the denomination including the Open Table Cooperative, Womaen’s Caucus, Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests, the Brethren Revival Fellowship, and the liaison to the Council of District Executives.

Other interactions over the three years included a specially called session with Scheurer during 2013’s Standing Committee meetings, reported by Newsline at www.brethren.org/news/2013/ac2013news/standing-committee-special-session-with-oep.html, and in 2012 the Standing Committee statement of concern titled “A Way Forward” that said, in part, “trust in leadership has been broken” by three events--one being the “Statement of Inclusion.”

At that time Standing Committee urged On Earth Peace “to re-examine its statement of inclusion regarding ‘full participation’ so that it will be consistent with Annual Conference decisions regarding Human Sexuality from a Christian Perspective [the 1983 Conference statement] and the polity regarding ordination.” Find “A Way Forward” in full at www.brethren.org/news/2012/ac2012-onsite-news/a-way-forward.html.

In other business

Standing Committee also held elections for its Nominating Committee and Appeals Committee.

The Nominating Committee includes: from the class of 2015, Joel Kline of Illinois/Wisconsin District, John Shelly of Southern Pennsylvania District, John Moyers of West Marva District, chair Roy McVey of Virlina; and from the class of 2016, Duane Grady of Northern Indiana District, Ellen Wile of Mid-Atlantic District, Jim Myer of Atlantic Northeast District, and Lou Kensinger of Middle Pennsylvania District.

The Appeals Committee for 2014-2015 includes David Crumrine of Middle Pennsylvania District, Larry O’Neill of Atlantic Northeast District, Ron Nicodemus of Northern Indiana District. First alternate is Edith Kieffaber of Northern Ohio District. Second alternate is Jim Benedict of Mid-Atlantic District.

-- Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services, provided this report.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline

Mission and Ministry Board hears update on Nigeria, discusses finances, celebrates Open Roof Award and Ministry Summer Service

Photo by Randy Miller

International guests at the 2014 Annual Conference were introduced to the Mission and Ministry Board

At their Annual Conference meeting on Wednesday, July 2, Mission and Ministry Board members got acquainted with international visitors and received an update from Global Mission and Service director Jay Wittmeyer on conditions facing Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

They also celebrated this year’s Open Roof Award to congregations that are making strides in welcoming people with disabilities, were briefed on the denomination’s financial status, and heard a report on the Ministry Summer Service program.

Report on Nigeria

Wittmeyer, who visited Nigeria in April with general secretary Stan Noffsinger, said conditions there were going from bad to worse in many areas where EYN members reside, citing reports of fresh attacks near Chibok over the weekend.

“When I first came on board in 2009, there had been attacks on churches in Nigeria,” Wittmeyer told board members. “There’s a long history of violence in Nigeria. But when Stan and I were there in April, it looked like an armed insurgency, even the beginnings of a civil war. The situation has shifted dramatically during my time in this office. In three states in northeast Nigeria, where EYN has most of its churches, 250,000 people have been displaced.”

Rebecca Dali, a leading member of EYN and wife of EYN president Samuel Dante Dali, was among the international visitors who spent time sharing their stories around tables with board members. Dali will be speaking about how EYN is coping with the surge of violence in Nigeria with various groups during and after Conference.

In addition to Dali, representatives from the Church of the Brethren in Brazil, as well as the Church of North India and the First District Church of the Brethren in India were in attendance.

“As we go forward, I feel the need for Brethren Disaster Ministries to be involved, because Nigeria is in crisis mode,” said Wittmeyer, who plans to return to Nigeria in August, along with Roy Winter, associate executive director for Global Mission and Service and director of Brethren Disaster Ministries.

Financial report

Leanne Harnist, treasurer for the Church of the Brethren, briefed the board on the denomination’s finances. She reported that total giving was ahead of where the church was a year ago by 8 percent, but that giving to Core Ministries lagged behind, and that congregational giving had decreased in 2013 by about 3 percent. However, she said that she expected there to be an increase in individual contributions as the year progressed. Nevertheless, expectations are for a 2 percent decrease in 2015. She added that projections for the future indicate that expenses will outpace income.

“We need to be looking at this,” said board chair Becky Ball-Miller. “We can’t continue operating like this for much longer.”

Ministry Summer Service

Board member Pam Reist presented an overview of the Ministry Summer Service program, in which young Brethren are offered opportunities to try their hand at church leadership. After showing a short video, Reist introduced intern Lauren Seganos, who currently is serving at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, where Reist is a pastor.

“I’m really grateful for this program,” Seganos told the board. “The thing I love most about it is the intentional mentorship of us workers by church leaders. It draws upon our Brethren heritage in that regard. Young people who have come through this program before are now serving as leaders in the Church of the Brethren. So please continue to support MSS!”

Photo by Randy Miller

The 2014 Open Roof Award was presented to three congregations: South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, Lone Star Church of the Brethren in Lawrence, Kan., and Clover Creek Church of the Brethren in Martinsburg, Va.

Open Roof Award

Three congregations were acknowledged for their extra efforts to welcome persons with special needs into their congregations. Jonathan Shively, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries, presented the 2014 Open Roof Award to South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren, Lone Star Church of the Brethren in Lawrence, Kan., and Clover Creek Church of the Brethren in Martinsburg, Pa.

In addition, Shively acknowledged and thanked Donna Kline, director of the Deacon Ministry, for her years of service to the denomination. Kline is retiring this summer.

South Waterloo Church of the Brethren has developed a relationship with Harmony House, a brain injury care facility in Waterloo, Iowa, providing gift bags to some of the residents, and space for outings and the annual fall dance. The church also “says yes” to its own members who live with disabilities, offering ways for them to serve in spite of their challenges, learning how to incorporate them into church activities. An elevator has been installed in the church building, and restrooms are ADA compliant. A pew in the sanctuary was removed to make room for those in wheelchairs, and ushers help those who use walkers.

Lone Star Church of the Brethren is a congregation that has struggled to achieve progress and is committed to keep moving forward. The conversation about physical improvements to make buildings accessible began there 40 years ago, and although over the four decades not all the things that were tried were that helpful, the church persisted. The church has been able to install an elevator. A child with Down Syndrome lights candles for morning worship. A young adult with cerebral palsy provides leadership in vacation bible school, leads prayer in church, and gives testimony. The congregation understands that providing opportunities for all to serve is often the best way to be of service.

At Clover Creek Church of the Brethren, offering physical accessibility is a work in progress, but the church provides large print bulletins and hearing enhancement devices, and has a new concrete front entrance ramp that eliminates steps. In 2009, the church started the John’s Way Medical Equipment Ministry to help people with disabilities and/or medical equipment needs. They take in used medical equipment, clean and repair it as necessary, and then give it away. A total of more than 2000 items have been provided for people in need, facilitated by a large warehouse space. This May on the 10-year anniversary of John’s Way, which was named after 19-year church member John Scott Baird who was born with a rare genetic disorder which made walking or speaking impossible, the church dedicated a new warehouse building for the ministry.

-- Randy Miller, Donna Kline, and Jonathan Shively contributed to this report.

Source: 7/8/2014 Newsline