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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Dec. 12, 1997
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline                                Dec. 12, 1997 
1) An Annual Conference-initiated summit on the denomination's 
     former ministry to South Korea and global missions in
     general is attended by 17 in Elgin, Ill. 
2) The nominating process for candidates to be included in next
     year's Annual Conference ballot has been extended. 
3) Lori Sollenberger Knepp will serve as chair of the General
     Board through January. 
4) Three new Congregational Life Team members are announced. 
5) Larry Glick resigns as associate executive of Shenandoah
     District. 
6) New Life Ministries announces its new director; is set to
     succeed The Andrew Center. 
7) "Daniel," the 26th title in the Covenant Bible Studies Series,
     is now available. 
8) A BVSer is being sought to live and work among the poor in
     Haiti. 
9) Over 300 paintings, prints, drawings and portrait miniatures
     from the 17th through 20th centuries were donated to Juniata
     College. 
10) At least four young adults are being sought to work at
     Brethren camps next summer teaching conflict resolution and
     mediation skills. 
11) The January/February Source resource packet has been sent to
     all Brethren congregations. 
12) Editor's note.    

1) A symposium that dealt specifically with the former Church of
the Brethren mission in South Korea and with denominational
global ministries in general was held Saturday and Sunday at the
General Offices in Elgin, Ill., at the urging of Church of the
Brethren Annual Conference officers.  

Seventeen people attended the symposium, including the Annual
Conference officers, General Board members and staff, and four
people who represent a group of congregations and individuals who
have special interest in global mission, particularly in South
Korea.  

The idea for the meeting originated in mid-October when Wayne
Zunkel and Earl Hostetter, members of the special interest group,
asked the General Board to take three actions that would allow
the group to continue Church of the Brethren mission in South
Korea, even though the General Board eliminated the ministry as
part of its redesign. However, none of the Board members offered
a motion in support of these actions, thus signaling that they
were being rejected. Instead, the Board underscored its action of
October 1996 when it voted to eliminate the South Korea ministry,
stating the Board then and now believes there are not enough
resources to support program and staff in South Korea.  

What was evident during Zunkel and Hostetter's discussion with
the Board is that their group believes Annual Conference in 1990
mandated the creation of a South Korean ministry, a ministry that
must continue until Annual Conference states otherwise. The
General Board, on the other hand, said it tried in good faith to
establish such a ministry, but that the roots of its mission
seedling never took hold. When set alongside all of the General
Board's ministries -- many if not most which were mandated by
Annual Conference -- the South Korea mission was viewed to be one
of the many ministries that needed to be eliminated through the
redesign process in order for the General Board to live operate
its means.  

Two major questions remained following the General Board's
October meetings: Is an Annual Conference directive an order
etched in stone or a recommendation that will hopefully be
implemented? And can an Annual Conference agency make a decision
that goes against an Annual Conference directive if it believes
it tried, in good faith, to follow that directive?  

It was in this context that the 17 people attended the symposium,
which the Annual Conference officers decided to organize near the
end of the Board's October meeting so that people representing
varying viewpoints could meet.  

Zunkel, Hostetter, and Dan Kim and Olden Mitchell represented the
special interest group. Lori Sollenberger Knepp and Bonnie Kline
Smeltzer represented the General Board. Karen Peterson Miller,
Joe Mason, Merv Keeney, David Radcliff and Lamar Gibble
represented General Board staff. Anne Myers, Duane Steiner,
Elaine Sollenberger, Lowell Flory, Cathy Huffman and Bentley
Peters, consultant, represented the Annual Conference office.  

The symposium began with participants identifying issues relating
to mission philosophy, polity and procedures and trust.  

They then reached consensus on a list of principles -- 
     "* We affirm the importance of Global Mission in life of the
          Church of the Brethren as an historical value and as a
          current expression of our faith.   
     * Mission must be biblically based.     
     * Our historic understanding is that mission rests on three
          fundamental principles: proclaiming Jesus as Lord,
          serving humanity and providing warm and meaningful
          fellowship among Christians. Viable mission depends on
          a wholistic expression of all three of these elements.  
     * We are committed to abide faithfully to polity and policy
          decisions of the body as expressed through the Annual
          Conference.    
     * We are committed to living with differences among us.     
     * We need to get the entire church involved in mission work.
     * Local churches need to be involved in active study of
          global mission.     
     * Given our heritage, there is a creative tension between
          individual conscience and the counsel of community. We
          are committed to continue working within the spirit 
          of Matthew 18."  

The attendees then reached the following recommendations --      
     "* We initially came to this symposium to discuss Korea, but
          enlarged our discussion to the foundation, the
          implementation, the future of Global Mission for the
          Church of the Brethren.  
     * We encourage the use of congregational church outreach
          funds for denominational missions.      
     * Despite our frustrations at times through the weekend, we
          affirm that the symposium format we have adopted here
          is a worthwhile way to address points of difference
          among us. We affirm the continued use of ad-hoc        
          groups to resolve questions of disagreement.      
     * We offer several suggestions to Mission and Ministries
          Planning Council (MMPC): That the Emerging Ministries
          Fund be divided into two parts, one for church building
          and the other for other ministries; that we examine new
          areas of the world where Christian witness is still
          needed; that we examine how the current generation of
          Brethren may view mission differently than have past
          generations and how we may be responsive to that
          perspective; and that we affirm strategies that
          emphasize comprehensive priority setting and planning
          for the denomination.    
     * We suggest to the appropriate implementation body that
          congregations be encouraged to spend time in biblical
          study of Global Mission and that educational materials
          be prepared for that purpose.      
     * We suggest that appropriate bodies continue to better
          clarify organizational roles, responsibilities and
          functions within the whole church and its bodies."  

Participants then concluded the symposium acknowledging that
there are points of uncertainty, and yet points of hope --  
     "* Under redesign, the MMPC is the current General Board
          vehicle for mission planning, but it remains unclear
          how it will function.    
     * Will there be flexibility to work within the current
          structure?     
     * How will we continue to work together in the life of the
          church?   
     * In philosophy, we have affirmed the need for balance among
          the three foundations of mission. We hope that new
          missions will reflect renewed commitment that all three
          of those elements are essential."      

"The symposium was a needed step to take," said Elaine
Sollenberger, Annual Conference moderator. "Even though we
adjourned the meeting, I would hope there would be continuing
discussion and would hope that maybe out of it there would be
some better ways of understanding each other. I think the best
part of it the symposium hasn't happened yet."

Sollenberger said unhappiness and dissent over the elimination of
the South Korean ministry became evident to her soon after she
assumed the responsibilities of the denomination's highest
elected position in September. With the representation of the
special interest group at the General Board's October meetings,
Sollenberger said she felt there was a call for leadership to
address the issue.  

"To sit back and do nothing was not an option," she said. "I saw
these different views and this anger and this hurt needing to be
addressed in some way, and I didn't see how else to do that. You
can't do it at Annual Conference. And so I thought this format
would be the best way."  

Although Sollenberger wasn't certain of the feelings each
participant took with them as they left the symposium, she said
the meeting met her expectations on many levels, including the
most basic of just getting varying voices together for
discussion.   

2) The deadline from the Annual Conference office for receiving
nominations for the 1998 Standing Committee ballot has been
extended to Jan. 5. This ballot will be voted on by Standing
Committee delegates just prior to Annual Conference in Orlando.
Standing Committee will reduce the number of nominees on the
ballot by half, and that ballot will be sent to Annual Conference
delegates for their vote.  

Call the Annual Conference office at 800 323-8039 to request the
form used to submit nominees for the various open positions.   

3) The Church of the Brethren General Board's Executive Committee
on Dec. 3 decided that Lori Sollenberger Knepp will continue
serving as acting Board chair through January. Chris Bowman, the
elected chair, has not served in that capacity since early
October as a result of a flare-up with his multiple sclerosis.
However, Bowman's speech and vision have improved to the point
where he can again drive.  

According to Knepp, Bowman will slowly ease back into Board
business, assuming the chair's responsibilities on Feb. 1. That
plan will also allow Knepp to assist with the transition that
will occur at the first of the year in the Board's executive
director position, when Joe Mason succeeds Karen Peterson Miller
as interim executive director.  

"We thank God for the healing thus far and for the overwhelming
support of family, friends, the church and many acquaintances,"
wrote Sherry Bowman last week in an update. "It has been a long,
harrowing experience from which we have learned how much we value
health, good relationships and our faith."  

The Board's Executive Committee also made two additional
announcements as a result of its Dec. 3 conference call. Board
member Bill Eberly's term as observer and consultant to the
American Baptist Churches U.S.A. was extended two years past its
previous expiration date of next summer. Though Eberly's term on
the Board will only allow him to serve as observer for two
additional years, instead of the routine three-year term, the
Executive Committee decided Eberly's continued involvement is
important "during this time of transition when we have minimized
ecumenical connections," Knepp said.  

The committee also named Sue Snyder coordinator of Ecumenical
Affairs. Snyder, assistant to the executive director, will serve
as liaison to various ecumenical groups "as we continue in
transition," Knepp said.   

4) The Church of the Brethren General Board on Tuesday announced
the hiring of three additional Congregational Life Ministries
staff.  

Linda McCauliff of Johnstown, Pa., associate executive for
Western Pennsylvania District, has been appointed half-time Area
1 team member, effective Jan. 1. She will continue to serve the
district half-time.  

McCauliff, an ordained minister, has completed the Church of the
Brethren three-year reading course. 
She is a graduate of the denomination's Training in Ministry
program and is currently enrolled in a degree program at Geneva
College in Beaver Falls, Pa.  

Carol Bowman of Wenatchee, Wash., has been appointed half-time
staff for Area 5. Bowman currently works as a legal assistant at
a law firm. Previously she has served as support staff for the
Oregon/Washington District and for the Washington/Northern Idaho
Conference of the United Church of Christ.  

Bowman was born and raised in Nigeria, and returned there to
teach. She is a graduate of the University of La Verne.   

Nada Sellers, pastor of Pasadena (Calif.) Church of the Brethren,
has also been appointed half-time staff for Area 5. Sellers has
served as adviser for pre-Ph.D. students at Fuller School of
Theology, as music director and associate pastor of First
Mennonite Church, Upland, Calif., and as chaplain coordinator for
Community Hospice Care, San Bernadino, Calif.  

She received her Bachelor's of Science degree from Yale and her
Master's of Divinity from Fuller. She is ordained by the Church
of the Brethren, and is nearing the completion of a certificate
in the Art of Spiritual Direction Program from the Center for
Spiritual Development in Orange, Calif.  

In a related announcement, the General Board's Office of Human
Resources announced last week that the creation of a half-time
Congregational Life Team position for Area 3, which was announced
in the Nov. 26 Newsline, has been put on indefinite hold.   

5) Larry Glick, who has served as associate executive of
Shenandoah District for the past 15 years, has resigned effective
March 31. Glick's resignation is a result of his desire to spend
more time with his family. At this time he is uncertain about the
work he will be doing in the future. Glick said he and his family
are continuing a discernment process, seeking God's guidance and
direction in their faith journey.   

6) Joan Hershey has been named quarter-time coordinator for New
Life Ministries, the Anabaptist successor of The Andrew Center,
the Church of the Brethren General Board's evangelism ministry
that is closing at the end of this month. The Andrew Center was
one of the ministries eliminated by the Board during its redesign
process.  

Hershey, who serves as lead congregational adviser for The Andrew
Center, has served on the General Board and was field staff
director for the Passing on the Promise ministry. She also has
served in leadership roles at the Florin Church of the Brethren,
Mount Joy, Pa., and with the denomination's Atlantic Northeast
District.  

Hershey will take over New Life Ministries, which was formally
created on Oct. 31. Partner denominations include the Church of
the Brethren, the Brethren Church and the General Conference
Mennonite Church. The Mennonite Church is considering joining.  

A New Life Ministries council, scheduled for Feb. 21-22 in
Chicago, will be used for the new organization to establish its
vision. However, it plans to carry on The Andrew Center's mission
-- "To multiply the number of people turning to Jesus Christ by
multiplying the number of leaders and congregations spiritually
alive and evangelistically effective."   

7) God's promises to the oppressed are among the topics examined
in "Daniel," the 26th title in the Covenant Bible Studies Series,
which is now available from Brethren Press. Written by Frank
Ramirez, pastor of Elkhart (Ind.) Valley Church of the Brethren,
this 10-session Bible study explores the apocalyptic testimony of
Daniel and characters of the Apocrypha who testify that God comes
to a suffering people at the right time, God's time.  

This Bible study series is designed for use by small groups. Most
of the titles include resources for sharing, prayer and action,
in addition to Bible study. Cost of "Daniel" is $5.95. For more
information, call 800 441-3712.   

8) A person is being sought to live and work among the poor in
Haiti by the General Board's Brethren Witness and Global Mission
Partnerships offices. The two-year assignment would be a Brethren
Volunteer Service position under the auspices of Beyond Borders,
a U.S.-based Christian group supporting development programs
initiated by Haitian churches.    

As part of Beyond Borders' Apprenticeship in Shared Living
project, the volunteer would live in a Haitian community, learn
Creole and participate in community life. "This program has a
kind of depth often lacking in mission enterprises in poorer
nations," said Merv Keeney, director of Global Mission
Partnerships.  

A special emphasis for the volunteer would be on learning about
education programs for child workers, with possible participation
in such programs. "This is an effort to follow up on the 1997
Annual Conference statement on child exploitation," said David
Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness. "The statement condemned
the practice of child labor and called for efforts to alleviate
this practice. Education provides one of the surest ways out of
exploitation for working children."  

This position is open immediately. Call Radcliff for more
information at 800 323-8039.   

9) Over 300 paintings, prints, drawings and portrait miniatures
from the 17th through 20th centuries were donated Dec. 4 to
Juniata (Pa.) College by Quayton Stottlemyer, a 1951 Juniata
graduate. Stottlemyer inherited the collection from his father.  

The Worth B. Stottlemyer Collection includes landscape and
seascape paintings by Asher B. Durand, John W. Casilear, Jervis
McEntee, Worthington Whittredge, Thomas and Edward Moran, Andrew
Melrose, George Inness, Arthur F. Tait and Ralph Blakelock.
Included British and American portraits are by Sir Joshua
Reynolds, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Jane Stuart, Samuel Morse, Anna
Peale and William Sydney Mount. Works by European artists include
paintings by Gerard Dou, Adriaen Brouwer and Sebastiano Conca.
Among the prints and the drawings are works by Rembrandt, Turner
and Whistler.  

"We are truly grateful to Quayton Stottlemyer for this
magnificent donation," said Bob Neff, Juniata president. "The
acquisition of the Worth B. Stottlemyer Collection is a major
step forward for the arts at Juniata College. These works will be
the showcase of our impressive and ever-expanding works in the
Juniata College Museum of Art."   

The museum will catalog, publish and exhibit the works to promote
study, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts.  

"I believe the college can use the collection for educational
purposes, helping students and me to develop standards of
critical artistic judgment, taste, understanding and
appreciation," said Quayton Stottlemyer. "I believe the college
can and will display the best portion of the collection for an
increasing number of outside viewers to appreciate, as my father
and the artists involved would have desired.""   

10) On Earth Peace Assembly is seeking at least four young adults
to serve at Church of the Brethren camps next summer as full-time
camp staff and as teachers of conflict resolution and mediation
skills. Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old. Those
selected will receive a $1,200 stipend and will attend a nine-day
conflict resolution and mediation training experience prior to
being assigned to a camp.  

Applications are due Dec. 20. For more information, call 410
635-8705.   

11) The January/February Source resource packet has been sent to
all Brethren congregations. Materials in this issue include --   
     * a flier for "Shepherd King: Stories of David," the 1998
          Vacation Bible School curriculum.       
     * a flier for the Hymnal Companion, which includes the
          stories behind the writers, composers, hymns and
          worship resources included in "Hymnal: A Worship Book."
     * a flier for "Turning Toward Jesus," a video and study
          resource for new and growing believers, produced by
          Mennonite Media.    
     * the 1998 youth and young adult workcamp brochure.    
     * a "Take the Pledge" flier, which asks Brethren to
          personally affirm the peace tradition of               
          the Church of the Brethren. The first 500 signees will
          be recognized in an upcoming Messenger magazine
          advertisement.      
     * a flier for two new New Revised Standard Version editions
          of the Bible -- a pew Bible and a pocket companion
          Bible.    
     * a preview of the January/February Messenger.    
     * a 1998 Church of the Brethren desk calendar.    
     * a copy of "Insight," the monthly newsletter of National
          Youth Conference 1998.   

12) Unbeknownst to most receivers of Newsline, the Nov. 26 issue
marked the end of an era for the news service, which celebrates
its seventh anniversary in January.   

Newsline originated as a three-minute telephone message,
providing weekly headlines of denominational news. In time that
same information began being transmitted via e-mail to interested
Brethren worldwide, so that by January 1995, Newsline had
approximately 25 telephone listeners and 70 e-mail recipients
each week. That quickly changed.  

Early in 1995 Newsline's electronic capabilities were bolstered
as it was moved from the Ecunet computer network to America
Online. This change enabled Newsline to be sent electronically in
about two minutes, as opposed to what had taken several hours.  

Newsline by Fax was added in early 1996 for people who can
receive faxes but not e-mail. Since then, the Newsline readership
has exploded. Newsline is now sent to a mailing list of 800
addresses compiled at the Church of the Brethren General Offices
in Elgin, Ill. It is also read by about 50 General Board staff in
Elgin and New Windsor, Md.; by people from a variety of
denominations in an Ecunet meeting called NewsWeb; by subscribers
to the press releases sent daily to Worldwide Faith News, the
National Council of Churches web site that archives press
releases of its member denominations; and by people surfing
CoB-Net.Org, an unofficial Church of the Brethren web site. It is
also read by about 40 fax recipients.  

But as the e-mail and fax versions of Newsline have grown, the
opposite has happened to the voice recording. Through November
Newsline was averaging six listeners each week, although those
numbers grew during Annual Conference and General Board meetings. 

Because some reductions were necessary as a result of the General
Board's redesign, Newsline by Voice was eliminated at the end of
November. The decision, hardly difficult to justify, was
difficult nonetheless, as it signals the end of access to weekly
updates of Brethren news to anyone who has a telephone. But times
change and so, too, does the demand for various resources. Given
the recent demand of Newsline by Voice, it was due a graceful
exit off the Brethren information stage.    

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the General
Board's News and Information Services. To receive Newsline by
e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 263, or write
CoBNews@AOL.Com.  

Newsline is archived with an index at
http://www.cob-net.org/news.htm and at http://www.wfn.org.