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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      June 30, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline         June 30, 1998
Orlando—

1) The 212th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference convenes tonight.
2) The schedule for tonight and Wednesday.
3) Annual Conference delegates to consider accepting Association of Brethren  
    Caregivers and On Earth Peace Assembly as official Annual Conference     
     organizations, joining the General Board, Bethany Theological Seminary
and 
     Brethren Benefit Trust.
4) The Annual Conference Standing Committee sends its Annual Conference   
     business recommendations to this year's Annual Conference delegates.
5) The ballot for 11 denominational positions, including moderator-elect, is
set.
6) Wednesday's Newsline preview -- Annual Conference delegates begin business 
    deliberations, the General Board convenes for its summer meetings, the
Annual 
     Conference Standing Committee delegates hear a host of reports.
7) Three teams tie for first place today in this year's annual Brethren
Benefit Trust 
	golf outing.  

1) In 1989 the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference convened in Orlando
with Elaine Sollenberger serving as moderator. That conference is also
remembered for lively debate centering on the structure of the General Board
-- an Annual Conference agency; for its consideration of a world mission
philosophy paper. It also was a Conference that used a live worship center to
help interpret that year's theme.

Tonight, when the 212th edition of the Church of the Brethren Annual
Conference convenes in Orlando for six days of worship, business and
fellowship, Elaine Sollenberger will again be serving as moderator, having
been selected last year by Conference delegates following the resignation of
former moderator-elect Jimmy Ross. One major new business item is structural
in nature -- the possible acceptance of two Brethren-related organizations as
official Annual Conference agencies. One of the two unfinished business items
delegates will consider is the "World Mission Philosophy and Global Church
Mission Structure" paper. And, in lieu of the creation of a Conference logo,
each worship service will have a live depiction of this year's theme, "...so
that God is not ashamed to be called our God."

Not everything will be familiar to Brethren who attended the second Orlando
Annual Conference in 1989. However, nine years ago Brethren were easy to find
in the convention center or along International Drive, which then had more
grass lots adjacent to it than developed ones. (The first Orlando Conference
was held in 1947.)

Today International Drive is bulging with tourist-related businesses.
Restaurants and souvenir shops and stands offering discounted tickets to
various theme parks and attractions are everywhere. So are the hotels and
motels. So much tourism is in the Orlando area, in fact, that the city is
considered to be the world's number one tourist destination. Thus, unlike most
years when Brethren seem to dominate a block or two or three for a week during
Annual Conference, this year's estimated 4,500 attendees will most likely just
blend in to the local scene.

Since 1989 the Orange County Convention Center has undergone several
expansions; it now contains 1.3 million square feet and over a half mile long
-- enough to make it the largest contiguous convention center in the country.
Only the three-building McCormick Place in Chicago is larger in square
footage.

Thus, good walking shoes (or a pass for the Conference shuttle) is an asset at
this year's Conference, where the nearest hotel is a 10-minute walk from the
entrance Brethren are using to enter the Convention Center.

2) Annual Conference begins tonight at 6:50 p.m. with congregational singing,
followed by worship, business hearings and age-group activities. Wednesday
will mark the beginning of the business schedule. The schedule of events for
tonight and Wednesday is --

Tuesday evening
* worship -- William H. Willimon, preacher
	"Faithfulness: Keeping on seeing that which is not seen"
	Cindy Barnum-Steggerda, worship leader
* Bible study -- "Spiritual piety."  
* Hearings --
	World Mission Philosophy & Global Church Mission Structure Committee
	The New Testament as Our Rule of Faith and Practice Report
* Forum: Pastoral Compensation & Benefits Advisory Committee
* Age group activities -- junior high youth, get acquainted games/video and 
       preparing for week; senior high youth, get acquainted gathering; young
adults, 
       get acquainted gathering; single adults, Gabfast

Wednesday daytime
* Chaplain's breakfast
* TRIM coordinators/advisers breakfast  
* Bible study -- "Stories of sin and strength," "Houston, we have a problem!"
"God 
         and money," "Fidelidad: El poder guiador"
* Addictions Support Group (ABC)
* Women's Sexual Abuse Support Group 
* age-group activities -- children: music and worship, learning centers
including 
          drama; junior high youth: devotions, a day at the Beach; senior high
youth: 
           worship/Bible study, BVS presentation, service project at Camp
Ithiel.
* business
* ecumenical luncheon -- "Brethren ecumenism-the faith and the works."
* Ministry of Reconciliation luncheon -- "New partnerships in serving
congregations"
* Men's Sexual Abuse Support Group
* Addictions and Substance Abuse Networking Meeting 
* insight sessions -- "CPT: Fasting for a miracle," "Women, faith and money."
* Bereavement Support Group (ABC) 
* Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Support Group (ABC)

Wednesday evening
* Retired District Executives Dinner
* Early Evening Concert Series, Gwen Ball and Debbie Summerall of Community 
           (Orlando) Church of the Brethren
* worship -- 	Elaine Sollenberger, preacher
		"Living the connection"
		Lowell Flory, worship leader
* age-group activities -- junior high youth: "Without Reservations" video;
senior high 
            youth: National Youth Cabinet presentation, music; Young Adults:
Coffee 
            House "A la Carte"; 	Singles: attending an insight session
* Bible study -- "Patience and forgiveness"
* insight sessions -- National Youth Conference; Have your values changed?; 
             What's the dirt from Brethren Press?; Brethren ecumenism: the
faith and 
              the works; The seven biggest mistakes most people make with
their 
              money; Congregational/pastoral tensions: a Lafiya response;
Ministerial 
               leadership; The church faithful: on earth and in heaven; Giving
voice to 
               the issues of living with HIV/AIDS, conditions of children, 			
               addictions and mental health; The Matthew 18 workshop: a new
resource 
               for congregations; Annual Conference 2000 update.

3) Three new items of business center around the requests by Association of
Brethren Caregivers and On Earth Peace Assembly to become agencies reportable
and accountable to the Annual Conference. If accepted by delegates, ABC and
OEPA would join the General Board, Brethren Benefit Trust and Bethany
Theological Seminary as separate Church of the Brethren agencies.

Both ABC and OEPA, former ministries of the General Board, became independent
organizations on Jan. 1 as a result of the acceptance of the General Board
redesign at last year's Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif. Since that
time, the boards of both organizations have formulated proposals that would
redefine their relationship with the denomination as agencies reportable and
accountable to Annual Conference.

During the Standing Committee session prior to Conference in which these
requests were heard, both ABC and OEPA communicated that they had met with
Annual Conference officers about how these requests would best be processed.
One option given to Standing Committee, which it adopted, was to "suspend the
rules which interfere with considering the requests from (ABC) and (OEPA) for
becoming reportable/accountable agencies of Annual Conference." The
"Guidelines for Agency Requesting Reportability/Accountability to Annual
Conference" were not distributed publicly during Standing Committee, but will
be available Wednesday when business convenes. 

Nonetheless, suspending these guidelines, which would require a two-thirds
vote by the delegate body, would then allow delegates to deal with the ABC and
OEPA requests this year rather than delaying action until 1999. Standing
Committee is therefore recommending to this year's delegates that they suspend
the rules. Likewise, they recommend that both the ABC and OEPA requests be
adopted, for which a two-thirds vote is also required by Conference delegates.

4) In other Standing Committee pre-Conference meetings, which are used by
committee members to provide guidance to Annual Conference delegates, two
unfinished business items were discussed. For "The New Testament as Our Rule
of Faith and Practice," Standing Committee recommends that the 1998 Annual
Conference adopt the paper, which grew out of a query from the Middle
Pennsylvania District. It revolves around the concern that a statement was
needed that would provide "guidelines and encouragement for the content and
character of our conversations with one another as we do business and bear
witness in the Spirit of Christ." In 1996, Standing Committee appointed a
committee of three to write this statement and return it to the 1997 Standing
Committee. The committee consisted of Carl Bowman, Verona, Va.; Earl W. Fike,
Jr., Bridgewater, Va.; and Carol Kussart, Cerro Gordo, Ill. In 1997, the
delegate body received a draft statement that was presented to Standing
Committee, which referred it to the 1998 Annual Conference as an unfinished
business item. A hearing on the paper will be held tonight. 

In light of the section of the paper titled "Additional Suggestions for our
Life Together," Standing Committee recommends that the paper be accepted and
that another hearing be scheduled for the 1999 Annual Conference as a follow-
up to discuss the particulars for arriving at concrete strategies to issues
raised in this section of the paper. Several of the issues cited in that
section include a review of the way in which Annual Conference speeches are
currently conducted at the microphones and a review of the current rules for
conducting business where a two-thirds vote is not required in all instances. 

Another unfinished business item, the "World Mission Philosophy and Global
Church Mission Structure" paper, will come before the 1998 Annual Conference
for action. A progress report presented to the 1997 Annual Conference was
received by the delegate body, which granted the committee an additional year
to complete their work. The initial query originated from Virlina District
asking the Annual Conference to reformulate current denominational world
mission philosophy with respect to clearer articulation regarding district
responsibilities and support for new congregations outside the United States;
an appropriate system for calling, training and recognizing the discipline of
set-apart ministries in nations beyond district boundaries; and greater
inclusion of our global Brethren in the administration and development of the
Church of the Brethren family for world-wide mission and ministry through the
Annual Conference.

In new business, Standing Committee heard queries related to congregational
structure, fetal tissue use, and caring for the poor. The query on
Congregational Structure, which originated from Atlantic Northeast District
Board, asked Annual Conference to appoint a committee to evaluate and study
current congregational structures and propose structural options that also
maintain the integrity of Brethren heritage. At the 1996 Annual Conference,
delegates adopted the recommendation of Standing Committee to accept the
concerns of the query, but decided to defer action related to it in light of
the proposed General Board redesign. This year, Standing Committee recommends
to the 1998 Annual Conference that the query be accepted, that a three-person
study committee be elected and that the committee report back to the 1999
Annual Conference. Several Standing Committee members voiced support for the
query as they relayed their own experiences with some of the concerns of the
query, specifically with regard to how to make the three-commission structure
work within very small congregations. Some debate ensued as to whether to
amend the recommendation to also include districts in the study, but the
majority ultimately felt that such a study, while likely needed, should remain
separate. 

With regard to the query on Fetal Tissue Use, Standing Committee recommends
that the 1998 Annual Conference return the query, citing the controversial
nature of the issue and the feeling by many Standing Committee members that
consensus among the delegate body can't easily be reached as reason for doing
so. This query is the result of action by the 1997 Annual Conference to accept
the statement on Human Genetic Engineering but reject the Fetal Tissue Use
statement that was originally part of it, therefore leaving the sections of
the query addressing Fetal Tissue Use unanswered. The query originated from
Michigan District Board asking for the church to develop a position on the
issue of the use of fetal tissue in the treatment of human disease. In 1995,
the delegate body adopted the recommendation of Standing Committee to accept
the query and appoint a study committee to update the "1987 Genetic
Engineering Statement" and in the process address the issue of fetal tissue
use.

A query on Caring for the Poor, which comes from the Harrisburg, Pa., Church
of the Brethren, asks Annual Conference for guidance regarding the role
Brethren should take in calling the U.S. government to alleviate poverty in
the United States, what responsibilities the Church should assume with regard
to the care of the poor, the responsibility districts and the denomination
should assume in supporting ministries of congregations serving in poor
communities, as well as the theological issue of whether ending poverty should
be seen as an individual or corporate responsibility. Standing Committee
members affirmed the validity and importance of the questions raised and
recognized that while solutions for how to go about assisting people in need
are often developed at a congregational level, discussion is still necessary
at a national level to develop direction and flesh out the denomination's
biblical understanding and response. Therefore, Standing Committee recommends
to the 1998 Annual Conference that the query be accepted, that a three-person
study committee be elected by Annual Conference and that it report back to the
1999 Annual Conference. 

As a result of action by the 1997 Standing Committee to adopt the report of
the task force charged with developing a process for the free ministry with
the aim of integrating this into denominational polity, Polity for Free
Ministry comes to the 1998 Annual Conference as a new item of business.
Standing Committee recommends that the 1998 delegate body accept the 1997
report, which seeks to clarify the authority and status of set-apart free
ministers and speaks to raising awareness of the possibilities for expanded
use of the free ministry model. Standing Committee further recommends that the
polity statement section entitled "Plural Non-Salaried Ministry" be adopted
separately, which would require a two-thirds vote.

With regard to last year's tabled discussion of a Standing Committee and
General Board proposal suggesting the need for feasibility and cost estimates
to be presented in conjunction with all queries and Annual Conference business
involving General Board programming, the paper "Annual Conference Process
Regarding Unfunded Annual Conference Mandates" appears this year as a new
business item. However, in light of other new business this year that may
increase the number of agencies reportable and accountable to Annual
Conference, Standing Committee recommends to the 1998 delegate body that it
accept the intent of the paper, refer it to Standing Committee for revision in
line with current organizational life and structure, and report back to the
1999 Annual Conference. This item of business will require a two-thirds vote.

In two new items of business involving Brethren Benefit Trust, Standing
Committee recommends to the 1998 Annual Conference that it adopt both
proposals. One item involves proposed changes to the Brethren Benefit Trust
Articles of Organization, which would grant BBT the permission to explore
expanding its current services and establishing new programs and services for
the church at large, including certain types of personal investment options,
in response to a growing interest within the denomination for BBT to offer
such programs and services.

The second proposal is to rename the BBT Retired Church Workers Fund to the
Church Workers Assistance Plan and to expand its scope to include not only
retired pastors and church workers but also active pastors, church employees
and their families who have a significant long-term financial need. Such a
change would require writing a legal plan description to remove any potential
subjectivity about who would or would not receive assistance. The proposed
change comes as a result of an awareness developing over recent years that
significant financial needs often exist among active pastors and church
workers as well as those who are retired.

Another new item of business also deals with helping pastors and families in
need by providing short-term financial assistance. The Standing Committee
recommends to the 1998 delegate body to adopt the Crisis in Transition Fund
Guidelines Revision, part of which includes renaming the fund to the Ministry
Assistance Fund. This fund differs from what is offered by the BBT Church
Workers Assistance Plan in that the latter is established for long-term
financial need, whereas the purpose of the Crisis in Transition Fund has
always been to meet one-time, short-term financial need. This item of business
will require a two-thirds vote.

In a final business item, Standing Committee recommends to the 1998 Annual
Conference that it establish a study committee to review its process of
calling individuals into denominational leadership. 

5)In its meetings prior to the start of Annual Conference, Standing Committee
reduced the ballot of nominees for denominational positions by half. This is a
routine task undertaken each year by Standing Committee, which will now send
the remaining candidates on to Annual Conference delegates for final vote.
These candidates are -- 
*Annual Conference moderator-elect: Joan George Deeter, North Manchester,
Ind.; 
        Emily Metzger Mumma, Duncansville, Pa.
*General Board, at-large: Kim Yaussy Albright, Huntington, Ind.; R. Jan
Thompson, 
        Mesa, Ariz.
*General Board, Atlantic Southeast: Merle Crouse, St. Cloud, Fla.; Irma Zayas,
        San Sebastian, Puerto Rico
*General Board, Missouri/Arkansas: Dale A. Grosbach, Gladstone, Mo.; Cynthia 
         Loper Sanders, Cabool, Mo.
*General Board, Southern Pennsylvania: Warren Eshbach, Thomasville, Pa.; Sara 
         Swartz, Newville, Pa.
*Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee: Wendi Hutchinson, 
         Goshen, Ind.;  Paul Roth, Broadway, Va.
*Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee: Wanda W. Button, 
         Conrad, Iowa; Eunice Erb Culp, Goshen, Ind.
*Committee on Interchurch Relations: James M. Beckwith, Dayton, Va.; Tim 
         McElwee, North Manchester, Ind.
*Brethren Benefit Trust: Cheryl Ottemoeller Ingold, Merced, Calif.; F. Gary 
         Osborne, Daleville, Va.
*Bethany Theological Seminary elector (representing the laity): Karen Orpurt
Crim, 
         Dayton, Ohio; Peggy Mangus Yoder, Huntingdon, Pa.
*Bethany Theological Seminary elector (representing the ministry): Susan Stern
         Boyer, North Manchester, Ind.; Karen Peterson Miller, Hagerstown, Md.

6) Wednesday's Newsline preview -- Annual Conference delegates begin business
deliberations, the General Board convenes for its summer meetings, the Annual
Conference Standing Committee delegates hear a host of reports.

7) Twenty-six golfers endured Monday's heat and humidity to play in the annual
Brethren Benefit Trust golf outing at the nearby International Golf Club in
Orlando. Three teams tied with the low score of 72, one under par. Using a
score card play-off to break the tie, first place went to Todd Reish, Dan
Poole, Dave Rogers and Jean Fike. The second-place team consisted of Phil
Flory, Jeff Garber, Nathan Downhaur and Kres Lipscomb. Winners in other
categories were Debbie Hansen and Wil Nolen for long drive, Matt Meyer for
closest to the hole and Joyce Nolen for putting.

Newsline Orlando is produced by the Church of the Brethren General Board's
Communication Team -- Nevin Dulabaum and Karla Boyers Hignite. Newsline
stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source and the
publication date is included.

Newsline and complete Annual Conference coverage is available at
www.brethren.org. Newsline is also archived with an index at
http://www.wfn.org.