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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Jan. 8, 1999 (PART TWO OF TWO)
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com
18) The Association of Brethren Caregivers is seeking a full-time
program field staff to be responsible for coordinating its
Denominational Deacon Ministry and possibly Family Life and Lafiya:
A Whole-Person Health ministries. This position, based in Elgin,
Ill., will begin July 1 and will fill the vacancy created by the
retirement of Jay Gibble and June Gibble, who had shared this
full-time position. Jay Gibble retired Jan. 1; June Gibble will
retire mid-year. 

Some travel will be required. For more information, contact Steve
Mason at smason_abc@brethren.org or at (847) 742-5100.

19) Four to six musically gifted adults ages 18-28 are being sought
to serve on the 1999 JOYA team. Members of the Journey of Young
Adult team, sponsored by On Earth Peace Assembly, share God's love
and Jesus' peacemaking through music, drama, and educational
workshops. This year's team will tour throughout the Church of the
Brethren from May 29 to Aug. 15. Stops will include 12
congregations, Annual Conference, and a song and story festival at
Camp Mack near Milford, Ind. Team members will receive an $1,800
stipend.

To apply, write to oepa@oepa.org or call 410 635-8704. Application
deadline is Jan. 13. 

20) The Clinical Pastoral Education program of the Brethren Home
Community, New Oxford, Pa., is being offered to seminary students
to meet an elective requirement, and to area pastors as a
continuing education experience. Offered in partnership with the
Pastoral Care Department of the York Health System, this program
provides an opportunity "to learn the practice of ministry in a
clinical setting under trained and certified pastoral supervisors,"
according to Kay Jones of the Brethren Home Community.

Started in 1925, Clinical Pastoral Education is a cooperative plan
between medical and religious workers to work at the clinical
practice of theology. The program, accredited by the Association
for Clinical Pastoral Education, consists of 16 class hours, 32
clinical hours, and 18 on-call hours. Cost is $400. To apply or for
more information, contact the Department of Pastoral Care, York
Health Systems, at 717 851-2305.

21) A person is being sought by Outdoor Ministry Association to
coordinate its activities and display this summer at Annual
Conference in Milwaukee. People who plan on attending conference
interested in this position should contact Rex Miller at
shepherds.spring@juno.com or at (301) 223-8193. A $200 stipend is
available.

22) This weekend, Audrey Osborne, program coordinator for On Earth
Peace Assembly, will represent the Church of the Brethren at a
conference in Lake Doniphan, Mo., convened by the Peace and Justice
Resources Commission of the General Conference Mennonite Church.  

The commission is developing a new congregational peace education
program called "The Second Mile: A Peace Journey for
Congregations." Osborne is attending in response to a request the
commission made for Church of the Brethren feedback and counsel
during the developmental stages of this new program, as it is
designed for use by several Anabaptist denominations.

In related news, Osborne is also scheduled to serve as leader of
two upcoming youth and young adult district events.

^From Jan. 15 to 17, Osborne will lead a peace academy for Northern
Indiana District youth, which will be held at Camp Mack near
Milford. "The Dream of Peace" will be the theme; participants will
learn and reflect upon three basic dimensions of peacemaking --
within themselves, within their families and among their friends,
and throughout the world. This retreat, held the weekend prior to
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, will provide opportunities to learn
more about King's vision and will strive to empower youth to
develop their own "Dream of Peace," Osborne said. To register,
contact Wendi Hutchison at 219 533-1884.

Osborne will also serve as co-facilitator with Darla Kay Bowman
Deardorff of Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 19-21, at Southeastern District's
Annual Winter Young Adult Retreat, to be held at Camp Carmel in
Linville, N.C. This event is open to young adults of all Church of
the Brethren districts. Using the theme "Who is My Neighbor?"
Osborne and Deardorff will emphasize the importance of good
communication skills in cross-cultural settings, as this relates to
conflict prevention and resolution. For more information, call
Karen Edwards at 423 753-5040.

23) Two training events for disaster project directors and district
disaster response coordinators, sponsored by the Church of the
Brethren General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries,
have been scheduled.

Basic training for new or less-experienced disaster project
directors will be held Feb. 21-23 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Flor. 

The District Disaster Response Coordinators Seminar will be held
May 21-22 at the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md. This
will be for current disaster response coordinators. 

For more information, contact Jane Yount at jyount_gb@brethren.org
or at 800 451-4407.

24) A Church of the Brethren Women in Ministry retreat has been
scheduled for April 12-15 at the Cenacle Retreat House and
Spirituality Center in Warrenville, Ill. "Spirit Bound ... Spirit
Free!" endorsed by the Church of the Brethren General Board's
Ministry office, will feature Sue Bender, an artist, lecturer, and
author. In addition, there will be leadership from many Brethren
women as well as of the Cenacle ministry staff. 

The retreat will allow women to explore their own spiritual life in
the settings of large groups, workshops and worship, and will
provide for quiet times for prayer, Bible reading, and reflection.
The on-site planning committee consists of Linda Weber, chair;
Kathy Gingrich; Erin Matteson; Marilyn Lerch Scott; Christy
Waltersdorff; and Cindy Weber-Han.

This gathering of the female leadership occurs every few years; the
last was held in 1995. Cost, which includes lodging and meals, will
be $200.00. To receive a brochure or for more information, contact
Marilyn Lerch Scott at napercob@aol.com or at 630 355-7171.  

25) The 1999 Young Adult Conference, "One Creation Under God...,"
will be held May 29-31 at Camp Woodland Altars, near Peebles, Ohio.
David Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness for the Church of the
Brethren General Board, will serve as leader. Cost is $80.

Information fliers are now available. For more information, contact
the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry office at
cobyouth_gb@brethren.org or at 800 323-8039.

26) Caring Ministries 2000 is planned for June 1-4, 1999, at
Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. With the theme "Be transformed in
body, mind, and spirit," this second biennial conference, sponsored
by Association of Brethren Caregivers, is focused on helping people
find health and wholeness to meet the crises of life.

Major speakers include Phil Yancey, author of "What's So Amazing
about Grace" and "The Jesus I Never Knew"; Ginny Thornburgh of the
National Organization for Disabilities; Barbara Lundblad of Union
Theological Seminary of New York; Staccato Powell of the National
Council of Churches; Robert Raines, director of the Kirkridge
Center, author, and United Church of Christ pastor; Melva Wilson
Costen, professor of worship and music at Interdenominational
Theological Center, Atlanta, Ga.; John Shea, research professor at
the Institute for Pastoral Studies, Loyola University, Chicago; and
Phillip Stone, president of Bridgewater (Va.) College. More than 60
workshops will feature additional leaders.

Workers in healthcare vocations, pastors, and deacons are
especially encouraged to attend. For more information, contact ABC
at abc@brethren.org or at 800 323-8039.

Robert Raines will also lead a post-conference seminar, "A Time to
Live," on June 5. A graduate-level Caring Ministries Intensive is
being offered to seminary students by Bethany Seminary's
Susquehanna Valley Satellite, from June 7 to 9.

27) The first Alexander Mack Festival, scheduled for Oct. 2, 1999,
at Camp Mack near Milford, Ind., will be held in conjunction with
the 50th anniversary of camp's 12 large murals. These murals depict
the history of the Church of the Brethren from its beginnings up to
1949.

The festival will feature "Alexander Mack" talking about the
beginning of the Brethren movement in 1708 Germany. Other
highlights will include demonstrations of early crafts, such as
spinning, weaving, wood carving, quilting, apple butter making,
churning, candle dipping, pottery making, rope making, and the
making of communion bread. Historic displays, such as old love
feast tubs, cooking utensils, clothing, and other items depicting
the past, are expected.

Congregations from the Northern Indiana and South/Central Indiana
districts are expected to feature a variety of food booths, and
activities for all ages are planned.

But the focus of the festival will be on the murals, which were
created by Medford Neher between 1944 and 1949, when they were
dedicated. Each averages 5 1/2 by 15 feet. Six panels line each
side of Quinter/Miller Auditorium stretching for about 90 feet. 

The first panel depicts the formation of the Brethren movement and
its shift to North America. 
Panels two through 11 depict the development of the Church in North
America and then the specific development of Brethren ministries.
According to Phyllis Leininger of Camp Mack, the final panel "looks
to the future with hope in Christ as Brethren of various races and
backgrounds are gathered around a large communion table and are
washing one another's feet.

Funds raised during this festival will assist in the commissioning
of Margie Petry to paint a new mural to bring Church of the
Brethren history up to date. The unveiling of this new mural is
scheduled to be part of the camp's 75 anniversary celebration in
2000.

28) More than 1,500 religious communicators are expected to attend
the Religious Communications Congress (RCC) 2000 meeting March
29-April 1, 2000, in Chicago.
 
The multifaith forum will include state-of-the-art communications,
exhibits, workshops, expressions of faith, banquets, denominational
and interfaith meetings, and award presentations.
 
"Faith Stories in a Changing World," the congress theme, will focus
on sharing the faith through spoken, electronic, cyberspace,
written, and artistic stories.
 
The fourth such event since 1970, RCC 2000 will continue to reflect
the goal of the first congress, organized by the Religious Public
Relations Council -- to broaden the perspectives of professional
communicators of religion. Since that first event, participation
has expanded, according to Shirley Whipple Struchen, a United
Methodist member and RCC 2000 chair. "We're not talking about just
Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish (attendees). We're talking about
a larger religious gathering," she said.
 
During the event, communicators will be able to:
     * exchange views of communications issues affecting people
          throughout the world;
     * explore the effectiveness of current religious
          communications models;
     * examine new technologies for the effective communication of
          values and faith in the new century;
     * enhance cooperation among people of diverse media
          disciplines, faiths, cultures and nations.
 
Ken Medema, a singer and poet from San Francisco, will help
dramatize the "faith stories" theme. His music, in various styles,
is considered "earthy and direct, full of stories and humor."
 
Other confirmed presenters are Patrick Anthony, a Christian
communicator from St. Lucia who will discuss the challenges of
technology in relation to the politics and cultures of developing
countries, and Carlos Valle of Argentina, who will bring global
insights from his work as general secretary of the World
Association for Christian Communications.
 
Workshop topics already confirmed include: Story Sharing; Telling
Stories in the Cave of the New Millenium; In Search of a Story;
Preparing the Story; the Influence of Popular Culture on Religious
Communicators; Hispanic Teleministries in a Multi-Ethnic World;
Murdoch, Mickey and Madonna Meet Ministry; and Public Access TV and
Democracy.

Also, Religion and the Internet; Community Communications; Touched
By a Modem; Women in Media; Media Awareness and Media Education;
Crisis Management; Liturgical Dance in Congregational Settings;
Using the Internet; and Religion and Film-International and User.
 
A Web site for the event can be found at http://www.RCC2000.org.
Registration will begin in February. For information, call 212
870-2985. Releases and photos about this event are available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/.

Nevin Dulabaum, manager of News Services for the Church of the
Brethren General Board, is contributing to the organization of this
event, both on the local and national levels.

29) Church Women United (CWU) has announced plans for CWU's first
global ecumenical assembly since 1991.  

Assembly 2001 -- "One Bread, One Body, One Global Table" -- will be
held July 26-29, 2001, in Milwaukee, Wis. 2001 marks the 60th
anniversary of Church Women United.

Organizers state that the 2001 meeting will enable CWU to
strengthen its ecumenical witness, locally, nationally, and
globally.

30) The Church of the Brethren consists of 142,000 members within
23 districts that span 36 states. It has a handful of national
organizations that serve its members in a variety of ways. It has
one seminary, five colleges and one university, 25 retirement
homes, and 33 camps. And throughout 1998, the church was active on
many fronts. Though they are by no means comprehensive, here are
snapshots of the denomination in 1998 --

* 3,509 Brethren attended Annual Conference in Orlando, including
     893 delegates.
* 4,520 youth and advisers attended National Youth Conference.
* More than 1,040 older adults attended National Older Adult
     Conference.
* The 25th Annual Brethren Bible Institute, sponsored by Brethren
     Revival Fellowship, was attended by 129 people.
* The fourth annual "Dancing" conference, sponsored by the Brethren
     Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns and the Church
     of the Brethren Womaen's Caucus, was held in Wichita, Kan.
* Over 130 people from the handful of groups that call themselves
     "Brethren" attended the second Brethren World Assembly, held
     at Bridgewater (Va.) College.
* Christian Peacemaker Teams held its fourth "Congress" near North
     Manchester, Ind.
* Over 400 people attended the 50th anniversary celebration of
     Brethren Volunteer Service at the Brethren Service Center, New
     Windsor, Md.
* Over 500 people, including many Brethren, attended the dedication
     service of the newly constructed Butler Chapel A.M.E. church
     near Orangeburg, S.C., in January.
* Three Church of the Brethren churches were destroyed or heavily
     damaged by fire in the first quarter of the year --
     Manchester, North Manchester, Ind.; Faith, Batavia, Ill.; and
     Pike Run, near Somerset, Pa.
* 547 congregations and about 155 people from each district
     participated in Association of Brethren Caregivers' Deacon
     Tour.
* The Fellowship of Brethren Homes grew to 22 with two new members
     -- Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, Ia., and Northaven
     Retirement Residence and Assisted Living in            
     Seattle, Wash. 
* 230 students were involved in ministry studies at Bethany
     Theological Seminary, about 100 in the graduate program and
     130 in the academy program.
* 45 men and 21 women were licensed to the ministry.
* 29 men and 10 women completed their education and were ordained.
* 2 ordained ministers came to the Church of the Brethren from
     other denominations.
* 4 men and 2 women were called and placed as lay speakers.
* 76 men and 18 women were placed in pastoral positions in Church
     of the Brethren congregations.
* 10 Brethren were involved in six weeks of advanced training with
     the Center for Creative Church Leadership. These people will
     as trainers of other Brethren.
* 12 Training in Ministry students (TRIM) and 1 Education for a
     Shared Ministry (EFSM) minister-in-training graduated through
     the Brethren Academy.
* 18 TRIM students and 5 EFSM ministers-in-training entered the
     Academy's training programs at the orientation in July.
* At year's end there were 67 TRIM students and 17 EFSM students.
* 11 young adults served in Ministry Summer Service for 10 weeks as
     a Brethren congregational intern.
* The Brethren Historical Library and Archives (BHLA) responded to
     194 requests for information from General Board employees and
     Brethren members.  
* BHLA received 299 telephone requests from nonGeneral Board groups
     and individuals; 240 responses were written to nonGeneral
     Board individuals.  
* 79 nonGeneral Board researchers used the BHLA collection, and 146
     visitors received tours. (This does not include Kurtz organ
     visitors.)
* BHLA added 125 volumes to its library collection, ending the year
     with 8,859 books and bound periodicals in its collection. 
* BHLA added 60 sets of archival records to its archival
     collection.
* The Henry Kurtz pump organ turned 300 in September.
* 165 young people and their advisers attended eight Peace
     Academies.  
* The Church of the Brethren Collaboration on Admissions database
     grew from its original 3,300 names to 4,300.
* 171 Church of the Brethren youth attended seven Youth/Young Adult
     workcamps.
* An estimated $824,700 was raised for disaster response through
     five district auctions.
* Day and resident volunteers at the Brethren Service Center, new
     Windsor, Md., contributed 17,891 hours in the areas of SERRV
     International, the Conference Center, and Emergency
     Response/Service Ministries.
* 171 groups received tours of the Brethren Service Center, which
     included 3,052 people.  
* Forty-three people volunteered at the Church of the Brethren's
     Hurricane Georges response project in Caimito, Puerto Rico,
     organized by Emergency Response/Service Ministries.
* The "Take the Pledge" campaign, sponsored by the General Board's
     Brethren Witness office, gathered 1,000 signatories of
     Brethren committed to nonviolence and justice.
* In the four months following its initial presentation at National
     Youth Conference, 5,000 copies of The Peace Book were
     distributed to Brethren youth.
* Six Brethren congregations provided support for two accompaniers
     serving as human rights monitors in communities of returned
     Guatemalan refugees.
* Over 1,600 Brethren signed petitions urging President Clinton to
     support a full investigation of the assassination of Guatemala
     bishop Juan Gerardi.
* With four additional trainings in 1998, over 600 people now serve
     as Congregational Peace Coordinators.
* As part of the Brethren Witness presence at National Youth
     Conference, 500 youth and adults gave up one shoe upon
     entering worship as a reminder of the 500 people       
     worldwide who are killed or maimed by land mines each week.
     About 300 people participated in a witness at a nearby nuclear
     weapons silo.
* The ninth annual Youth Peace Travel Team toured the United
     States, sponsored by four denominational agencies.
* David Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness for the General
     Board, was elected chair of the board of the National
     Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors.
* Contributions to the General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund from
     individuals and congregations totalled $441,760, breaking the
     previous all-time high by $180,000.
* The first installment was made on the three-year $238,000 "Sudan:
     Partnership for Peace" effort to provide food, peace training,
     women's development, and adult literacy training.
* $669,703 was allocated by the General Board's Emergency Disaster
     Fund for 38 projects, which included financial grants, repair
     and rebuilding work, and child care.
* Through October, 444 individual refugees were resettled through
     Church of the Brethren efforts. The refugees came from the
     former Soviet Union, Liberia, Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam,
     Cuba, and Haiti. 
* About 500 people participated in On Earth Peace Assembly's
     Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR) workshops, which included
     four at Annual Conference, two at National Older Adult
     Conference, and two at National Youth Conference. MoR also
     held three Matthew 18 workshops and two Discipleship and
     Reconciliation workshops.
* MoR experienced an increasing number of requests for assistance
     in interpersonal and congregational conflict resolution. 
* 64 people were trained as Brethren Volunteer Service workers.
* Through December there were 98 current BVSers, 70 serving in 16
     states and 28 serving in 17 countries. Of those 98, 49 were
     Brethren, 20 were from overseas.  
* There are 63 current BVS projects, 38 in the U.S. and 25 abroad.
* www.brethren.org expanded to six partners, with the addition of
     Association of Brethren Caregivers and On Earth Peace
     Assembly.
* Newsline reached 1,026 e-mail recipients, plus 164 individual
     addresses sent out to denominational employees, and 43 fax
     recipients. This does not include multiple 
     readers at single addresses, organizational addresses, or
     people who read Newsline at www.brethren.org or at
     www.wfn.org.

31) Five anniversaries of note will be celebrated within the Church
of the Brethren in 1999, reports Ken Shaffer of the Church of the
Brethren General Board's Brethren Historical Library and Archives.
They are --
     * 25th anniversary of On Earth Peace Assembly (Dec. 20).
     * 50th anniversary of the end of Church of the Brethren
          mission work in China.
     * 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Council of
          Churches, of which the Church of the Brethren was a
          founding member.
     * 100th anniversary of Elizabethtown College.

32) The new year brought the end of an era at Peters Creek Church
of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va., as Estelle Vinyard and Kathleen
Craun retired together Jan. 1 as organist and pianist after 45
years of service. Each.

At 89, Vinyard had been the church's senior musician. She has been
a lifelong member of the congregation, having raised her daughter
in the church as well, according to a recent Roanoke Times article.
She started playing the piano at age 12 and learned to play the
pump organ when one was donated to the congregation. From 1933 into
the 1950s, she was frequently heard playing with the studio
orchestra and others on WDBJ radio. She subsequently taught piano
for a company that sold and installed organs, and then served as a
receptionist for the Boy Scouts.

Craun, 85, a fourth-generation member of the church, attends church
along with her daughter and grandson. She, too, is a life-long
lover of music. As a 10-year-old, she would ride a pony over bumpy
terrain to attend piano lessons from a cousin. At 12 she began
accompanying her father to a nearby mission church he led where she
played a pump organ.

For the past 45 years, the two have been fixtures at Peters Creek's
piano and organ, and for the past 30 they have worked alongside
Vinyard's daughter, Betty Lou Carter, who has served as director of
chancel choir and who, on Jan. 1, became the church's music
director.

The three musicians were honored at a December reception for their
long-time service. Jack Lowe, pastor, read letters of appreciation
that incorporated Matthew 25:21 -- "Well done, though good and
faithful servant." Lowe then presented the women with several
gifts.

Lowe led those at the reception in prayer for Craun and Vinyard,
thanking God "that they heard their calling to use their spiritual
gifts of music to praise and worship you ... and that they led us
to a deeper and richer faith because of the gifts they shared."

33) On Nov. 5, 1996, Dale Aukerman, a Church of the Brethren
minister, author, and activist, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He
was told he had only six months to live. 

Two weeks ago, as Aukerman and his family celebrated their third
Christmas since that time, the Carroll County (Md.) Times featured
Aukerman's story of how he and his family have dealt with death.
This week-long, front-page series, "Living with Dying," is posted
on the paper's web site at www.carrollcounty.com/dying/index.htm at
least through January.

34) Follow-up. The Aug. 7 Newsline included a feature about a camp
attended by 68 students of Westside School in Jonesboro, Ark., site
of a March shooting that took the lives of four students and one
teacher, injured 10 others, and robbed survivors of their sense of
peace and safety. 

That feature's author, David Gill, is a Presbyterian minister who
serves as director of Ferncliff Camp, site of the week-long
Westside experience. In late October he wrote to Lydia Walker,
training supervisor for the Church of the Brethren General Board's
Emergency Response/Service Ministries, who prior to the camp had
trained staff and volunteers to be sensitive to the student's
needs. Here's an excerpt of his letter to Lydia --

I met with 15-20 Westside students and their parents earlier this
week. The parents unanimously conveyed that the camp was a
wonderful and positive growing experience for their children; they
could see specific changes in them after the week. 

Together we discussed the possibility of following up with another
week the coming summer. The next camp would be developed to build
basic leadership skills that would enable the students to help heal
others (when they are ready for that step). The parents brought
this idea up before we did, though it was exactly what we were
thinking. 

The parents and kids said they would like to raise some of the
money themselves and also to invite some of their fellow students
who were eligible last year but didn't come: They've now heard
about it and want to come. I expect as many as 50 of the 68 will
return and we could go up to about 72. ... I look forward to
keeping in touch with you as we start developing the program.

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the Church of
the Brethren General Board's News Services. Howard Royer and United
Methodist Communications contributed to this report. 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.wfn.org.