wfn.org | Newsline - Church of the Brethren weekly news update

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      June 18, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline
June 18, 1998
1) William Sloane Coffin has cancelled his Annual Conference appearances due
	to serious health complications.
2) Several audio, video and print resources capturing or recapping highlights
from this 
	year's Annual Conference will be available mid-July.
3) There is an error in the senior high materials of the 1998 Annual
Conference 
      Information Packet.
4) Two ongoing disaster response projects of Emergency Response/Service
Ministries 		receive additional grants totalling $30,000.
5) Over $130,000 is allocated by the Global Food Crisis Fund to begin a three-
year
	initiative in southern Sudan.
6) A Global Food Crisis Fund allocation of $7,500 is made for famine response 
	in Mauritania.
7) "What's Where," a new resource that lists the various denominational
ministries 
	and organizations, is available for free from Brethren Press or
www.brethren.org.
8) The biennial consultation between Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (the Church
of the 			Brethren in Nigeria) and its partners is scheduled for June 23-25 in
Elgin, Ill.
9) The 14th annual workcamp to Nigeria has been scheduled for early 1999.
10) Kate Johnson resigns as program director of On Earth Peace Assembly.
11) The Church of the Brethren General Board and West Marva District are
seeking
	a full-time Area 3 Congregational Life Team member/District executive.
12) The General Board is seeking an accounts receivable/gift processing
specialist.
13) Devotions from youth and young adults are being sought for the 1999 Church
of the 
	Brethren Youth Fellowship Devotional Handbook.
14) The 53rd annual reunion for Civilian Public Service workers is scheduled
for August.
15) Christian Peacemaker Teams invites Brethren attending Annual Conference to
	participate in daily vigils urging Disney to pay fair wages to Haitian
garment workers.
16) Fourteen new reservists are trained by Christian Peacemaker Teams.
17) A pilgrimage from "empire economics to jubilee justice will be the focus
of Christian 		Peacemaker Teams' fourth congress, Sept. 24-27, near North
Manchester, Ind.
18) "Dancing in the Southwind: Weaving an Inclusive Spirit," is the theme for
this year's
	annual Supportive Congregations Network conference, July 24-26, in Wichita,
Kan.
19) A fourth volume of the Brethren Encyclopedia is being produced for 2000.
Additions 
	and corrections are being sought.
20) Ministry of Reconciliation is preparing to call and train people to serve
as 
	denominational reconcilers.
21) Twenty "Habitat Singers," mostly from Olympic View Church of the Brethren,
       Seattle, will travel to Malawi this summer to sing and to build a
house.
22) "Women Against the Good War: Conscientious Objection and Gender on the  
       American Home Front, 1941-1947," is available from On Earth Peace
Assembly.
23) Nappanee (Ind.) Church of the Brethren will celebrate its 100th
anniversary July 19.
24) The next edition of Newsline will be produced June 30 from Orlando, site
of the 
	212th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.

1) The Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee announced this
week that William Sloane Coffin will not be able to participate in this year's
Annual Conference in Orlando because of severe health problems. Coffin was
scheduled to preach during worship Friday, July 3. He also had been scheduled
to speak at a Friday luncheon sponsored by Brethren Mennonite Council for
Lesbian and Gay Concerns.

"We pray for an improvement in his health situation," said Duane Steiner,
Annual Conference office executive director.

Duane Ramsey, who recently retired after a long tenure as pastor of Washington
(D.C.) City Church of the Brethren, will fill in for Coffin Friday evening.
Ramsey served as Annual Conference moderator in 1981.

Karen Carter of Daleville, Va., will serve as BMC's luncheon speaker. However,
the text of the speech Coffin intended to give is expected to be available for
distribution.

2) Several audio, video and printed resources pertaining to Annual Conference
will be available following this year's annual meeting:
	* a video wrap-up -- concise highlights from the week, including business,
worship and 				social activities -- by mid-July. Approximately 30 minutes
long, the video will 
		cost $26.95.
	* a printed wrap-up summarizing the Conference week through text and
pictures, also 				expected to be ready by mid-July. Printed Wrap-ups are used
primarily by 				churches for distribution to members in conjunction with
congregational reports 
		by Annual Conference delegates. Cost will be $12.50 per 50.
	* a video of the General Board's Live Report, an hour-long report using drama
and video 			to tell the story of General Board ministries. Cost will be
$19.95.
	* a sheet detailing the official actions of the 1998 Annual Conference, at no
charge. 				Contact the Annual Conference office at annualconf@aol.com or 800
323-8039.
	* audiotapes of each worship service sermon and three sessions by William
Willimon at 			the Minister's Association conference. Cost will be $4.95 each.

Order forms for these items will be available from Brethren Press at Annual
Conference. Orders can be placed by calling 800 441-3712.

3) There is an error in the senior high materials of this year's Annual
Conference Information Packet. Contrary to the grades listed, only youth who
have completed grades nine through 12 will be registered to participate in
Senior High activities. Youth who have completed grades six through eight will
participate in junior high activities. 

"We regret any confusion caused by this communication error," said Duane
Steiner, Annual Conference executive director.

4) Thirty thousand dollars was allocated from the Church of the Brethren
Emergency Disaster Fund Wednesday to assist with two ongoing disaster response
projects of the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency
Response/Service Ministries.

An additional $20,000 has been allocated for a rebuilding project of six
months to one year in Birmingham, Ala. Following tornadoes that struck in
April, $5,000 was allocated to support child care volunteers and to pay for
the delivery of 720 Church World Service school kits. This commitment to a
building project is needed, said ER/SM manager Miller Davis, because 45
percent of the people being assisted in the region have no insurance. The
allocation will be used to work with a local interfaith agency in opening this
long-term project.

An additional $10,000 has been allocated in response to spring tornadoes and
floods that struck Florida. Of the $50,000 that was approved in May, $43,555
has been used. The additional funds will allow ER/SM to continue its repair
and rebuilding work for the next several months.

5) An initial Global Food Crisis Fund grant of $132,500 has been forwarded to
the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) for hunger relief and development
assistance in southern Sudan. Sudanese communities of displaced people will be
the principle beneficiaries of the aid, part of a $238,000, three-year project
approved by the General Board in March.

One grant will support Blessed Bakhita Girls' School, home to over 400 girls
from across southern Sudan. The village of New Cush will receive funds for a
child-feeding program, school supplies for adults and children, and seeds and
tools for community members. A women's development program in Narus will
receive grants for small-scale income-producing projects, including tailoring
and bread-baking. The NSCC's peace department will receive assistance for its
conflict resolution training programs. Bicycles will be purchased for justice
and peace committee members at the sprawling Kakuma refugee camp. Emergency
food relief will be provided for the drought-stricken community of Mundri.  

The New Sudan Council of Churches is the Church of the Brethren's partner in
Sudan.

"We are pleased to move ahead in providing this first installment of our
multi-year commitment to our brothers and sisters in southern Sudan," said
Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney. 

For information on how Sunday School classes, youth groups and congregations
can participate in this project, or to borrow a Sudan photo display, contact
David Radcliff, director of the Global Food Crisis Fund.    

6) An allocation of $7,500 from the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis
Fund (GFCF) was approved Monday to assist famine relief in the west African
nation of Mauritania. This money will be forwarded to Action by Churches
Together, which is seeking a total of $52,506 to establish a mother/child
feeding program. Food, medicines and training will be provided by the World
Food Program and UNICEF. The program will run for one year, feeding thousands
of children and 900 women who are pregnant and women who are breast-feeding
their children.

Mauritania, one of the poorest countries in the world, is suffering through
its second year of drought. According to David Radcliff, director of the GFCF,
nearly one-fifth of the nation's people are at severe risk of malnutrition; 65
percent of the children are currently severely or moderately malnourished.

7) A new resource produced by the Church of the Brethren General Board is
available to inform Brethren what's what and what's where within the
denomination.

"What's Where," a 16-page booklet, includes a directory of addresses and phone
numbers for Church of the Brethren and ecumenical organizations and
ministries. It also includes an alphabetical guide to agencies, programs and
media related to the Church of the Brethren and partner organizations.

"What's Where" is available at no cost from Brethren Press by writing to
brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or calling 800 441-3712. This printed piece is
also available electronically at www.brethren.org.

8) The biennial consultation between Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN) and it
partners in mission is scheduled for June 23-25, at the Church of the Brethren
General Offices in Elgin, Ill.. The consultation, a problem-solving, planning
event, was last held in the United States in 1992.  

Coming from Nigeria are the president of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (the
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), Bitrus K. Tizhe, and general secretary
Bitrus Bdlia. Coming from the Basel (Switzerland) Mission are Sibylle Gundert-
Hock, consultant, and Albrecht Hieber, Africa secretary.

The Church of the Brethren will be represented by Merv Keeney, director of
Global Mission Partnerships, and Carol Mason, former Nigeria missionary. The
General Board's interim executive director, Joseph Mason, will present special
greetings and share a denominational update.

Also attending a portion of the meeting will be Jeff Mummau, coordinator of
the yearly Church of the Brethren Nigeria workcamp, and Linda Webber,
representing the Global Women's Project.

9) The 14th annual workcamp in Nigeria is tentatively scheduled next year from
Jan. 16 to Feb. 15. The workcamp will focus on the continued construction of a
secondary school close to the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria
(the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), near Mubi. Participants will also
have the opportunity to eat, socialize and work with Nigerian workcampers.
Other activities include visits to local churches, participating in cultural
events and traveling throughout Nigeria. 

For more information, contact the General Board's Global Missions Partnerships
at 800 323-8039; Jeff Mummau, workcamp coordinator, at 717 367-2269; or the
workcamp's home page at http://www.cob-net.org/docs/nigeria-1999.htm

10) Kate Johnson, On Earth Peace Assembly's program director, has resigned
effective early August to pursue studies at Bethany Theological Seminary,
Richmond, Ind.

According to Tom Hurst, OEPA director, Johnson joined the organization in July
1996 and provided a stabilizing influence on OEPA's program that had been
carried the three previous years by short-term Brethren Volunteer Service
workers. During her tenure, more than a dozen Peace Academies for junior and
senior high students were held and a new Peace Retreat for young adults was
established.

"At a time when stability was required, Kate was able to come in and provide
OEPA with continuity through a well-thought-out program," said Hurst. "I am
delighted that she has decided to pursue full-time studies at Bethany and know
that the spirit of God will guide her into service for our church in many ways
in the years to come."

11) The Church of the Brethren General Board and West Marva District are
seeking a full-time person to serve part-time as an Area 3 Congregational Life
Team member and as a part-time District executive. Candidates should be
committed to Church of the Brethren values, understand small membership
churches, possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, have strong
management and administrative experience, be willing to travel, have
experience in congregational or district ministries, and have appropriate
education. Application deadline is Aug. 15. For more information, contact
Elsie Holderread at eholderread_gb@brethren.org or 800 323-8039.

12) An accounts receivable/gift processing specialist is being sought by the
Church of the Brethren General Board, to be located at the General Offices in
Elgin, Ill. People interested in the position, which is open immediately,
should contact Elsie Holderread at eholderread_gb@brethren.org or 800 323-8039
by Friday.

13) Fifty-two devotions by youth and young adults are being sought for the
compilation of a weekly devotional booklet. This publication is intended for
use at youth group meetings, Sunday school or by individuals.  

Entries for the 1999 booklet are due Sept. 1. Contact the Church of the
Brethren General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministries at
cobyouth_gb@brethren.org or 800 323-8039.

14) The 53rd annual reunion for Brethren and others who served in Civilian
Public Service is scheduled for Aug. 19-20 at Laurelville Mennonite Church
Center, Mount Pleasant, Pa. Registration deadline is Aug. 1; lodging can be
arranged as part of the registration process. For more information, contact
Mervin Hostetler at 540 433-6172 or John Rudy at 717 299-6031.

15) Christian Peacemaker Teams invites Church of the Brethren members
attending the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference June 30 - July 5 in
Orlando to participate in a daily vigil calling on the Disney Corporation to
give fair wages to Haitians who sew Disney clothing.

According to CPT, several U.S. clothing producers use Haitian factories to
assemble the garments Disney has licensed them to make. The majority of the
workers in these factories are paid 28 cents an hour, the Haitian minimum
wage. CPT delegations to Haiti since March 1997 have spoken with these
workers, who have stated their wages do not meet their own or their families'
basic needs for food and shelter, and for transportation to and from work.

According to a CPT release, this summer's vigil is "an ideal opportunity to
witness that God will be honored to see the Brethren calling for justice for
all God's people making sure that all people have the necessities for a full
life -- enough to eat, drink and live in security." CPT organizers hope "to
dialog with Disney, educate Brethren Conference attendees and their extended
constituents, support Haitian workers' efforts to negotiate better wages and
working conditions and witness their faith across any humanly-constructed
barriers.

CPT's vigils, which will be held outside the Orange County Convention Center
from 4:30 - 7 p.m. the Wednesday through Saturday of Conference week, will
include prayers, speeches and banners and signs.

16) Fourteen new reservists joined the Christian Peacemaker Corps in May after
completing 11 days of intensive training. The training built on the learning
from four pre-training visits to aboriginal communities in Ontario, and also
on CPT's work in Hebron, Haiti and Chiapas. The participants organized a
public witness at the Israeli Consulate on May 14 to "highlight the suffering
caused by Israel's policy of demolishing Palestinian homes.

Reservists from Ontario have now established a regional CPT Ontario initiative
with regular meetings and two task forces to work on aboriginal concerns in
Ontario and on CPT's Campaign to Secure Dwellings in the Middle East.

17) A pilgrimage from "empire economics to jubilee justice" will be the focus
of the fourth Christian Peacemaker Teams congress, to be held Sept. 24-27 near
North Manchester, Ind.

According to a CPT release, speaker Chad Myers will lead a journey from Egypt
(America's empire economics) through the wilderness of imaging a new way, and
into a celebration of jubilee. Sara Reschly will speak on her work in Hebron.

Congress participants will be encouraged to spend nights outside or in tents,
and help in the preparation of simple meals. Worship, workshops and a public
witness will also be scheduled.

For more information contact CPT at cpt3@igc.org or 312 455-1199.

18) "Dancing in the Southwind: Weaving an Inclusive Spirit" is the theme for
this year's annual Supportive Congregations Network conference, scheduled for
July 24-26 in Wichita, Kan. According to SCN's release, this is a gathering
for Church of the Brethren and Mennonite members "who seek to welcome gay,
lesbian and bisexual members."

This year's conference "will be a time to focus on worship of the Spirit of
inclusion" held in the Brethren and Mennonite faith traditions. "Joining the
celebrative worship will be time to discuss current political realities of
congregations and individuals who have been censured or disciplined due to the
stance of welcome for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the church."

For more information, contact SCN at scnetwork@aol.com or 612 722-6906.

19) Plans are underway to produce a fourth volume of "The Brethren
Encyclopedia." The schedule calls for the manuscript to be completed next
year, with the new volume to be published in 2000.

The new volume will include additions and corrections to the first three
volumes (published in 1983-1984), new articles on topics that have emerged
since 1980, and a comprehensive index. Carl Bowman of Bridgewater (Va.)
College and Don Durnbaugh of Juniata (Pa.) College are serving as co-editors.
Members of the editorial board include Donald Miller and Kenneth Shafer
(Church of the Brethren), Dale Stoffer and Bradley Weidenhamer (The Brethren
Church), Robert Lehigh and Jacob Ness (Dunkard Brethren), Jerry Young and
Ronald Clutter (Grace Brethren), and Fred Benedict and Glen Landes (Old German
Baptist Brethren).

The editorial board is seeking corrections and additions to the previously
published volumes for inclusion into volume four. These corrections should be
sent to Durnbaugh at Box 948, Juniata College, Huntingdon PA 16652.

20) Ministry of Reconciliation, a ministry of On Earth Peace Assembly, is
preparing to call and train people to serve as denominational reconcilers.

MoR serves the Church of the Brethren through reconciling intervention,
facilitation and teaching. In order to realize these values in its work, MoR
has decided to establish a network of qualified practitioners "with
demonstrated competence in their particular area of service." There will be
four parts to this process —
	* calling people into reconciling ministries.
	* preparing those people for service.
	* recognizing readiness for service in these people and signifying the
readiness.
	* reviewing the work of MoR practitioners and maintaining accountability.

MoR has established a Calling and Ministry Committee, which includes Kim
Yaussy Albright, Helen Beery, Clyde Carter, Enten Pfaltzgraff Eller, Bob Faus,
Nancy Knepper, Angela Lahman, Amy Gall Ritchie, Paul Roth and Jim Tomlonson.

Practitioners may be recognized in one of three levels of expertise, in order
to be able to match the practitioner with the level of difficulty of the
assignment. In order to move from one level to the next, the person would meet
with a three-person recognition group.

"With this structure in place, the MoR coordinator or other responsible people
will be able to refer requests for MoR services to an appropriately skilled
person in the geographical area where the assistance is needed.

MoR is expected to begin receiving applications from people wanting to serve
as practitioners by the end of the year. For more information, contact Bob
Gross at bgross@igc.org or 219 982-7751.

21) A team of 20 "Habitat Singers," mostly from Olympic View Church of the
Brethren in Seattle, will travel to Malawi in August for three weeks. This
Global Village work team, sponsored by Habitat For Humanity, is unique in that
it is a choir and a construction crew. Members will build friendships through
the sharing of music while constructing a home alongside the recipient family.

The group is being led by Bob Kauffman, Olympic View Church of the Brethren
choir director, who has experience teaching music in Africa. With Thelma, his
wife; John Braun, Olympic View's pastor; and Braun's wife, Velda, and
daughter, Tali, the team has already performed throughout the Seattle area at
various fundraising events. 

Other team members from Olympic View are Patty Berg, Roger Edmark, Frosty
Wilkinson, Martha Bosch, Sid Bosch, Janet Lamont and Mike Stern.

Stern is a Brethren songwriter who composed "Count Well the Cost" for last
year's Annual Conference. He has written a new song for Habitat For Humanity
called "Everyone Of Us Deserves A Home." This song has become the Habitat
Singers' theme song and has been sung at other Habitat events and projects in
and around Seattle. 

Contact Mike Stern at mstern@u.washington.edu for ways to support the group or
to obtain sheet music of his songs.

22) "Women Against the Good War: Conscientious Objection and Gender on the
American Home Front, 1941-1947," a book published in 1997, is available from
The Peace Place, on Earth Peace Assembly's book store at the Brethren Service
Center, New Windsor, Md.
The book, written by Rachel Waltner Goossen, a Goshen (Ind.) College history
professor, shows how religious cultures of nonconformity inspired pacifist
women during World War II. Goossen points out that the 151 Civilian Public
Service locations attracted not only 12,000 men, but 2,000 women as well.

Encouraged by religious traditions that prized nonconformity, these women
"made unusual choices, questioned government dictums and defied societal
expectations, all of which set them apart from the millions of Americans who
supported the war effort."

Cost is $34.95 for a clothbound edition; $15.95 for paperback. Contact The
Peace Place at 410 635-8708 for more information.

23) The Nappanee (Ind.) Church of the Brethren will celebrate its 100th
anniversary July 19. Ruth Angle will share some history of the Church of the
Brethren in Indiana at 9 a.m. Worship, with former pastor Bill Kidwell
delivering the message, will begin at 10 a.m. A picnic dinner will follow.

24) Newsline will next be produced June 30 from Orlando, in preparation for
the 212th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. For Conference preview
information, check out the Annual Conference web page at www.brethren.org.

Updates will be made to the Conference web page three times daily throughout
this yearly event.

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the General Board's News
Services. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as
the source and the publication date is included.

To receive Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 263, or write
CoBNews@AOL.Com. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is archived
with an index at http://www.cob-net.org/news.htm and at http://www.wfn.org.