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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      July 3, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline
July 3, 1998

Orlando—

1) 3,484 Conferencegoers are registered for Annual Conference in Orlando.
2) Association of Brethren Caregivers honors Jay Gibble, highlights its
diverse 
   ministries and announces changes to its board.
3) The General Board announces that Mary Jo Flory-Steury will serve as its new
   chair during its report today to Annual Conference delegates.
4) Brethren Benefit Trust announces its reorganization and reports on the
success 
   of its ministries.
5) Bethany Theological Seminary celebrates the sale of its former Illinois
campus 
   while making a plea for continued support of its educational ministries.
6) Brethren Volunteer Service marks its 50th anniversary with celebration
events 
   throughout the week, including a sold-out dinner this evening.
7) Today’s business included acceptance of the World Mission Philosophy and 
   Global Church Mission Structure paper.
8) An additional 69 pints of blood were collected from Brethren during six
hours 
   today.
9) Outdoor Ministries Association announces the winners of its annual 5K
run/walk, 
   and the recipients of its Camp Leadership Awards.
10) One Conferencegoer who has missed only one Annual Conference during the 
   past eight decades is recognized by Conference delegates.
11) Association of Brethren Caregivers announces it is seeking a coordinator
of 
   centralized services.
12) The Conference schedule for Saturday.

1) As of 4:30 p.m. today, 893 delegates and 2,591 nondelegates are registered
for Annual Conference in Orlando, bringing the day’s total to 3,484.

2) A general feeling of joy and celebration pervaded the Annual Conference
floor Friday morning, as Association of Brethren Caregivers began a series of
reports by highlighting all the ministries that have come under its umbrella,
and by recognizing the work of Jay Gibble, who retired as executive director
this past year after more than 17 years of work with the ministry.

Board chair Robert Cain, Jr., led the delegate body in a litany of thanks and
affirmation for all the work of ABC. Groups highlighted included the Brethren
Chaplains Network, Church and Persons with Disabilities Network,
Denominational Deacon Ministry, Family Life Ministry, Fellowship of Brethren
Homes, Health Education and Research Ministry, Lafiya, Older Adult Ministry,
VOICE and Caring Ministries 2000.

Cain then heralded Gibble as one who lives out the vision of Lafiya wholeness
and invited him to take the podium. Gibble, saying, “It’s been a great joy,”
gave his thanks to all who work as caregivers and to his wife, June,
expressing regret only that their six children and 15 grandchildren couldn’t
be there for the moment. Conferencegoers were invited to attend a reception
for Gibble in the afternoon; they then joined in a Liberian song of
celebration and welcome to share in the joy of the moment.

In other ABC news, members voted to approve Marilyn Lerch Scott as chair-elect
to fill a vacancy created by Judy Mills Reimer, the General Board’s new
executive director. New ABC board members elected to a three-year term are
Connie Burke Davis, Ralph McFadden, Sue Moore and Bentley Peters. Fletcher
Farrar and Carolyn Wetzel were elected to serve as ABC Nominating Committee
members. 

3) The General Board took the stage for a second straight morning, this time
presenting the audit portion of its report, which included details of the past
year. General Board treasurer Judy Keyser also had good news to share,
reporting $315,000 of income over expense for the 1997 fiscal year, a marked
turnaround since the steep losses of 1994. She said that big year-end gifts,
good returns on investments, holding the line on expenses, earlier-than-
expected vacant positions and deferred maintenance and purchases all
contributed to finishing in the black.

Brethren Press reported a $129,000 loss for the year due to lower sales and
higher costs than budgeted, but the Brethren Service Center had $32,000 net
income over expenses. SERRV showed a $314,000 profit due to sales exceeding
budget estimates plus staff reductions.

Keyser emphasized the need for continued congregational giving, which
represented 65 percent of the budget in 1997. Other ways people can help
include gifts to build up the endowment, and estate gifts.

Outgoing Board chair Chris Bowman introduced the new officers for the upcoming
year, with Mary Jo Flory-Steury taking over as chair and Tracy Wenger-Sadd as
vice-chair. Other Executive Committee members are Phyllis Davis, Ernest Bolz,
Stafford Frederick and Bill Eberly.

Bowman then highlighted four scriptures to characterize the General Board’s
work and mission, urging the body to remember the Board’s successes, including
anniversaries (the General Board, Brethren Volunteer Service and Nigerian
mission) to celebrate new things (Generation Y curriculum, the Sudan Bible
translation project, Dominican Republic mission, the new denominational Web
site, Congregational Life Teams and youth ministries) to give thanks for the
service for interim executive directors Karen Peterson Miller and Joe Mason,
to express regret for those whose positions were cut during the past year, and
to lift up the witness of the various arms of the church through the office of
Brethren Witness, Washington Office, Brethren Press and elsewhere.

“The Word of God that called the Church of the Brethren into existence still
calls the Church of the Brethren into action,” Bowman said. The delegate body
approved the report after concerns were expressed about the need for more
evangelism work and about those whose jobs were eliminated.

4) Brethren Benefit Trust also had success to report, as another year and a
surging bull market produced strong return on investments. Outgoing chair John
Flora, who received a plaque in thanks for his leadership, introduced the
report and presented Ann Quay of the La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren
as BBT’s new chair. Ray Donadio was elected vice-chair and is joined by new
board members Lamar Gibble and Richard Pogue, and Cheryl Ingold who yesterday
was re-elected by Conference delegates yesterday.

BBT President Wil Nolen introduced staff hired during the past year and gave a
special tribute to now-retired Stan Morrow for his 18 years of service and
leadership to the organization. Nolen  presented Morrow with a framed montage.
“I’d do it again in a minute,” Morrow said.

Board member Fred Bernhard continued the presentation, narrating a slide
presentation that focused on partnering. Bernhard lifted up the partnership
that occurs between BBT and various church agencies, districts, local
churches, pastors and others in carrying out their respective ministries.

BBT ministries highlighted included the pension plan annuity, which has
tripled since 1986; the medical plan, which is investigating new regional
options in the age of managed care; the Retired Church Workers Fund, which was
expanded at this Conference to include others in financial need; the Asset
Management Service; and the Planned Giving staff.

Nolen returned with Gene Roop, president of Bethany Theological Seminary, for
a final note of celebration — the payment in full as of April 13, 1998, of a
$4 million loan from BBT that Bethany used for relocation of its campus from
Oak Park, Ill., to Richmond, Ind.
Nolen noted that the significance regarding the loan is that it came from the
Pension Plan of retired church leaders and was granted to Bethany for the
benefit of future church leaders. He then presented Roop with a framed excerpt
of the mortgage, surrounded by pictures of leaders of both organizations.
Stamped in red were the words, “PAID IN FULL.”

5) Bethany Theological Seminary closed the Friday morning reports with the
long-awaited offical report delivered by board chair Earl Fike — “The land is
sold!”

With the sale of Bethany’s Illinois property this past year, and the resulting
payoff of the loan from Brethren Benefit Trust, Fike said the school can now
give full attention toward the shaping of its mission and ministry.

Bethany President Gene Roop also applauded the successful transition to
Richmond and reminded delegates that the support of church and individual
members remains crucial. Educating students for ministry remains Bethany’s
primary task, Roop said.

Two of this year’s graduates, Shawn Replogle and Rhonda Pittman Gingerich,
performed a humorous dialog about the opportunities they received to explore
their call and gifts while at Bethany. Replogle is now working as a pastor in
Iowa and Gingerich as a curriculum writer for Brethren Press.

Theresa Eshbach, director of institutional advancement, followed them by
saying, “What a journey!” She thanked all whose hard work and sacrifice made
it all possible. She gave special thanks to Bethany’s alumni, and asked all
those who had attended some part of Bethany’s offerings to stand; many did.

As a final part of the motion to accept the report, Fike presented two names
for confirmation as members of the Bethany Board of Trustees, Janice Ruhl and
Mark Baeverstad. The motion was approved by Conference delegates.

6) Brethren Volunteer Service caps its weeklong anniversary celebration this
evening with a sold-out dinner featuring presenter Alma Long, a member of BVS
unit #1, who recounts with humor and excitement the speech Ted Chambers made
50 years ago that launched the denomination’s world-wide service program.
Chambers, who was 22 years old when he took to the top of an orange crate to
present an unoffical businss item, caught the ears and hearts of Conference
delegates who voted unanimously to develop a program to support the young
adults in their desire to help with post World War II hunger, illness and
devastation. 

During this morning’s business session, current BVSer Matt Stauffer, assistant
to the director of BVS orientation, played the role of Ted Chambers at 72 —
this time proposing another 50 years of volunteer service projects that
advocate justice, foster peace, fill human needs and maintain the integrity of
creation. Moderator Sollenberger asked for all who have served in BVS who
would support such a motion to stand up, along with those who predated the
ministry and those who might yet still serve to likewise stand. The “motion”
to continue BVS clearly passed as those standing received a resounding round
of applause. 

Other events this week highlighting the 50th anniversary included an insight
session Thursday night sponsored by the General Board’s Volunteer Service
Ministries and the Brethren Historical Committee. Those present shared stories
of their service.

In “Living the Story: 50 Years of Brethren Volunteer Service,” author Jim
Lehman recounts how the decision to forego the procedure of funneling business
through Standing Committee surprised many at the 1948 Annual Conference in
Colorado Springs, Colo. Dan West was among the influential backers of the
service plan and helped the young people draft their proposal. Lehman quotes
Paul Robinson, 1948 Conference reading clerk who later became president of
Bethany, saying, “I don’t suppose any of us recognized how significant that
moment was.... We never dreamed that (BVS) would become what it has become.
But we did think this was an idea whose time had come. If the youth had not
been as insistent as they were, if Dan West had not been insistent, probably
it would never have come to Conference that year. The unusual thing was that
it came without being on the agenda.... The time was right. The young people
were concerned. We felt it was a great cause. We felt all of this overruled
the objections of protocol.”

7) In other Conference business today, after some minor editorial changes
resulting primarily from a hearing held Tuesday night, the “World Mission
Philosophy and Global Church Mission Structure” paper passed nearly
unanimously by delegates. The paper responds to a query requesting Annual
Conference to reformulate its denominational world mission philosophy by more
clearly articulating district responsibilities and support for new
congregations outside the United States, and providing direction for calling
and training for set-apart ministries in nations beyond district boundaries.

With little discussion, delegates voted to accept the Standing Committee
recommendation to adopt the Brethren Benefit Trust Retired Church Workers Fund
proposal to expand its scope and change its name. The new name for the fund is
the Church Workers Assistance Plan. The fund will increase in scope to include
active pastors and church workers with extraordinary long-term financial need.

8) Brethren donated 221 pints of blood this week to benefit the Central
Florida Blood Bank. An additional 69 pints of blood were collected from
Conferencegoers during six hours today when the blood bank returned with a
mobile unit parked outside the Convention Center. 

9) First- and second-place winners of the Outdoor Ministries Association
annual 5K run/walk held early Thursday morning were Fernando Coronado and
Jerry Crouse for the men, with times of 19:05 and 19:18 minutes, respectively,
and Deb Morris and Rachel Long for the women, at 23:07 and 26:59 minutes. In
the walking division, Dave Fouts won for the men with a time of 34:04 minutes
and Becki Ball-Miller reached the finish line first at 37:21 minutes.

In other OMA news, Camp Leadership Awards were presented to  Kathryn Oltman,
director’s assistant at Camp Ithiel, Gotha, Fla., and Al Brubaker, Camp Ithiel
counselor and dean. 

10) Galen Young of Drexel Hill, Pa., holds at least one record among
Conferencegoers in Orlando. He has attended 80 Annual Conferences since he was
five years old, having missed only one Conference during the past eight
decades. After honoring Young at the lectern, moderator Elaine Sollenberger
challenged anyone present who could top that tally to step forward, but no one
did.

11) A new full-time position was announced this week during the Fellowship of
Brethren Homes networking meeting, a ministry of the Association of Brethren
Caregivers. A coordinator of Centralized Services, to be located in Elgin,
Ill., will be responsible for coordinating the services and programs of the
Fellowship of Brethren Homes, an ABC ministry and voluntary organization of 20
retirement communities affiliated with the Church of the Brethren.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For more
information, contact ABC a ABC@Brethren.org or (800) 323-8039.

12) Here is the schedule of events for the final full day of Conference
activities —

Saturday daytime
* development officers breakfast
* General Board alumni breakfast
* cancer support group
* parents of teens support group
* Bible study — “Stories of faithful worship,” 1 Samuel 1:10-28 and Acts
16:16-32; 
   “Overexposure,” 1 Samuel 6:14-15; “God and prayer,” John 15:1-16;
“Fidelidad en 
   la Adoracion,” Hebreos 11:20-22
* age-group activities — children: music and worship, Fourth of July picnic at
Camp 
   Ithiel; junior high youth: devotions, Orlando Science Center; senior high
youth: 
   worship/Bible study, Brethren Colleges presentation; single adults:
breakfast at 
   Shoney’s
* business
* Brethren Revival Fellowship luncheon
* alumni luncheons for Bridgewater College, Elizabethtown College, Juniata
college, 
   Manchester College, McPherson College, and University of La Verne
* men’s sexual abuse support group
* women’s sexual abuse support group
* mental health networking meeting
* Association for the Arts quilt auction

Saturday evening
* Brethren Benefit Trust retiree dinner
* Nigeria 75th anniversary celebration reception
* mental health support group
* parents, families and friends of lesbians and gays support group
* early evening concert — musical variety program performed by musicians from 
   the Sebring (Fla.) Church of the Brethren
* children’s music program
* worship — Donna Forbes Steiner, preacher
		“Faithful people with a heart for worship”
		Guy Buch, worship leader
* Godspell performance by Bethany students, for all Conferencegoers and the 
   evening age-group activity for junior high youth, senior high youth, young
adults 
   and single adults

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

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