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

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:   August 25, 2000
Contact:  Walt Wiltschek
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of
silver." Prov. 25:11

NEWS
 1) Annual Conference announces 2001 theme and preachers.
 2) BBT joins those calling for AT&T to reconsider its partnership
with an adult network.
 3) Two BVS staff members visit Japan during a remembrance for
Hiroshima.
 4) A Disaster Child Care team finishes its operation in Montana.
 5) An Emergency Disaster Fund grant sends aid to India.
 6) Christian Peacemaker Teams continues assessment of violent
toys.
 7) Reports on some recent district conferences.
 8) Brethren bits: Heritage tour, new college program, Vieques,
ecumenical news, and more.

PERSONNEL
 9) The General Board seeks a financial resource counselor for the
Northeastern US.

COMING EVENTS
10) Plans crystallize for the end-of-year J2K conference.

RESOURCES
11) Youth/Young Adult Office has many new resources and information
pieces available.
12) New curriculum invites exploration of membership with "Heart,
Soul, and Mind."

FEATURES
13) An Iowa youth group becomes a highlight for a sister
congregation in Chicago.  
14) Ivester's Covenant Chorale ministers through music.

****************************************************************

 1) "Revive Us Again." Annual Conference Program & Arrangements
Committee has announced that this phrase, taken from Psalms 85:6
and part of a popular hymn in the Church of the Brethren hymnal,
will be the theme for the 2001 Annual Conference in Baltimore, Md.

The theme statement from moderator Phill Carlos Archbold says,
"There is an urgent need for revival in this new millenium. At the
2001 Annual Conference, the worship services will focus our
attention on the need for revival in God's church in our time." It
also issues a call for "radical Christian discipleship."

Preachers, themes, and worship leaders for services during
Conference are as follows:
*Saturday evening, preacher: Phill Carlos Archbold, moderator of
the 2001 Conference and associate pastor of Brooklyn (N.Y.) First
Church of the Brethren, "Revive us again," Psalms 85:1-13; worship
leader: Paul Grout, 2001 Annual Conference moderator-elect.

*Sunday morning, preacher: Tom Zuercher, Northern Ohio District
executive minister; "Revive us again...preparation for
denominational revival," II Chronicles 7:1-14; worship leader:
Linda Lambert, Keymar, Md.

*Monday evening, preacher: Rev. Harold Carter, New Shiloh Baptist
Church, Baltimore, Md., "Revive us again...in the fullness of
Pentecost," Acts 2:1-12 (Carter also spoke at the 1984 Annual
Conference in Carbondale, Ill.); worship leader: Marilyn Montauban,
Brooklyn, N.Y.

*Tuesday evening, preacher: Frank Ramirez, pastor of Elkhart (Ind.)
Valley Church of the Brethren, "Revive us again...in soul-winning
evangelism," Galatians 6:1-18; worship leader: Paula Bowser,
Nokesville, Va.

*Wednesday morning, preacher: Christy Waltersdorff, pastor of York
Center Church of the Brethren (Lombard, Ill.), "Revive us
again...to go forth to serve," Matthew 28:19-20; worship leader:
Joe Mason, North Manchester, Ind.

Paul Roth of Broadway, Va., in his final year on Program &
Arrangements Committee, serves as worship coordinator for the 2001
Conference, to be held June 30-July 4.

 2) The Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust has joined more than
two dozen institutional investors, both religious groups and
others, in calling on AT&T to reconsider a recent decision to
partner with The Hot Network, which distributes pornographic
material for broadcast on cable TV systems.

The investors collectively control nearly 3 million shares of AT&T;
BBT has 33,745 shares between the Brethren Foundation and Pension
Plan holdings. A joint letter sent to AT&T says "We call on AT&T to
reconsider its decision to carry The Hot Network, to live up to its
past reputation as a leading corporate citizen and a company
committed to a values-centered business philosophy." It also
questions the management processes leading to such a decision.

Wil Nolen, president of BBT, said, "We believe in using BBT's
shareholder position to advocate for a higher standard of social
responsibility. AT&T is a reliable company that has allowed its
standards to slip. We intend to use our investment position in AT&T
to work for a positive change."

According to a Religion News Service story, however, AT&T spokesman
Rob Stoddard said in late July that no reconsideration of the
decision was expected. "We intend to proceed with our plans,"
Stoddard said, emphasizing that The Hot Network will only be
offered where "very effective parental lock mechanisms" are
available.

Other members of the coalition include Mennonite, Friends,
Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Reformed, and Catholic groups. 

 3) Two Brethren Volunteer Service staff members, Sue Grubb and
Tracy Stoddart, recently traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, for an
on-site visit with BVS workers Allan and Vercey Smyth. The Smyths
have been volunteering at World Friendship Center as hosts of an
international bed and breakfast, English teachers, and peace
advocates since March 1999. The visit coincided with a meeting of
German PAX team members with the Japanese members of World
Friendship Center.

Grubb and Stoddart reported that the highlight of the time there
was participating in the 55th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony on Aug.
6, commemorating the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima in 1945. An estimated 40,000 people from around the world
attended this ceremony of rememberance and prayed together for
peace. Later in the evening, each participant was invited to write
a peace prayer on a lantern. They were then lit and floated down
the river that runs through Hiroshima Peace Park.  

The memorials at the Peace Park were covered with paper cranes made
by children around the world, with more than a million cranes
decorating the Children's Peace Memorial. A-bomb survivors were
invited to tell their emotional, powerful stories and to spread the
prayer for "no more Hiroshimas."

 4) The Disaster Child Care team sent to wildfire-stricken areas
around Hamilton, Mont., closed its operation Wednesday. The team
shifted locations frequently according to needs, and the American
Red Cross expressed gratitude for the team's presence during the
10-day operation. Team coordinator Lorna Grow also made present-
ations in the area on children's needs during high-stress times.

Another Disaster Child Care team was placed on alert this week as
Hurricane Debby headed toward the Caribbean and toward Florida, but
the storm later weakened.

 5) A new Emergency Disaster Fund grant, the 18th of 2000, will
provide $8,000 to support Church World Service's flood relief
efforts in India. The money will help provide emergency relief in
the form of clothing, blankets, utensils, dry food, and tents for
8,500 affected families in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, and
West Bengal.

Church World Service asked its member denominations for a total of
$80,000 to aid the work of Church's Auxiliary for Social Action, a
longtime CWS partner, in India.

 6) A group of about 40 staff, team members, and reservists from
Christian Peacemaker Teams converged on Cliff and Arlene Kindy's
farm in Indiana for a retreat the week of Aug. 7. Part of their
agenda was to visit toy stores, dozens of them. CPT has launched an
effort to rate toy stores all over the country, determining to what
extent their merchandise promotes violence or promotes healthy,
peaceful play. The rating results are released to local media to
raise awareness among shoppers and store management. 

Following a similar effort in Kansas City-area toy stores during
the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, CPT moved on to Fort
Wayne, Ind., the largest population center near the Kindy farm.
Church of the Brethren members Cliff Kindy, Julie Garber, and Rick
and Margie Polhamus made an advance trip for assessment. A local
store that sells educational toys and books scored 98 points on a
rating system of 100 points, but comic-book stores whose wares are
largely violent superheroes--often with gender stereotypes--rated
very low.

In advance of toy store visits, CPT staff contact store management
and explain their project. Most store managers are cooperative, CPT
says, knowing that good ratings can mean good publicity for their
stores. On the day of the visit, a CPT volunteer announces the
team's arrival to the store manager while other team members begin
browsing the aisles, looking for types of toys, their placement on
shelves, and store advertising that promotes violent play. When the
team has finished rating the store, they share the score from the
survey with the store manager and discuss ways to reduce or
eliminate the appeal of violent toys.  

For example, CPT has discovered that Target stores rate very high
in their toy departments, but lose points for violent video games
in the electronics departments. While video games are rated, some
stores display the games at the eye-level of an 8-year-old. Stores
do not forbid children to buy games rated "mature." The rating
system is a warning device and a discouragement to adults who
supervise child shoppers. Wards and Sears have voluntarily removed
violent video games from their inventories; Wal-Mart and Target
have not, according to CPT. 

 7) Reports from some recent Church of the Brethren district
conferences:
 *Northern Plains: Almost 240 people registered for the Aug. 4-6
event at the University of Northern Iowa. Wanda Button of the
Ivester congregation served as moderator, and Bethany Theological
Seminary professor Nadine Pence Frantz spoke at two worship
services. Brethren folk group Kindling provided music throughout
the weekend. Delegates granted full congregational status to the
Open Circle church in Burnsville, Minn., approved the 2001 budget,
and ate ice cream at an evening social sponsored by the district
youth. The theme of the conference was "Live in the light of
Christ."

 8) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *A group of 43 Brethren recently concluded a Brethren Heritage
Tour in Europe, traveling through Germany, Switzerland, and France
as they visited significant sites in Brethren history. They also
spent a day at the Oberammergau Passion Play, a once-a-decade
event, in southern Germany. Don and Hedda Durnbaugh served as
leaders for the tour.

 *Elizabethtown (Pa.) College begins offering its first
post-baccalaureate degree program this fall, a Master of Science in
occupational therapy. It is designed as a five-year program of
study combined with a bachelor's degree. Dr. Marian Gillard,
formerly of Temple University, has been hired as the new chair of
the department.

 *Campus ministers from the six Church of the Brethren colleges met
in Elgin, Ill., last weekend for networking, resource-sharing, and
discussions on further collaboration, particularly related to
promoting the importance of religious life on the campuses. 

 *Due to some cancellations, the New Windsor (Md.) Conference
Center at the Brethren Service Center is in urgent need of
volunteer hosts/hostesses for the first two weeks of September.
Training, room, and board are provided. Interested persons should
contact Elaine Hyde at 800 766-1553.

 *Aug. 31 is the final date for congregations or individuals to
reserve a copy of LabOra Worship Planning Software at the special
price of $299. After that date the cost will go to $349. This new
tool, customized for the Church of the Brethren, will be available
in early 2001. LabOra can be ordered by contacting Brethren Press
at 800 441-3712 or e-mailing brethrenpress_gb@brethren.org.

 *The steering committee of Second Mile, a new congregational peace
program due for release in Summer 2002, is seeking diverse Church
of the Brethren congregations to test a draft of the curriculum
from January through April 2001. For more information, please
contact Second Mile coordinator Doug Krehbiel, General Conference
Mennonite Church, PO Box 347, 722 Main, Newton, KS, 67114; or call
316 283-5100; or e-mail dougk@gcmc.org. On Earth Peace Assembly is
representing the Church of the Brethren on the project, and
Brethren Press will sell it once produced.

 *Protests have continued since US authorities in early May removed
those camped on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, in opposition
to the presence of the US Navy and its bombing tests there. On
Sept. 22, a major event called "National Day of Solidarity with the
People of Vieques" will be held in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of
individuals and organizations who are part of the struggle for
peace in Vieques--from around the US, as well as from Vieques and
elsewhere in Puerto Rico--are expected to attend. The event, to be
held in Lafayette Park, will call for the US Navy "to immediately
and permanently stop bombing and leave Vieques."

 *A major conference called "Committing to Conscience: Building a
Unified Strategy to End the Death Penalty" will be held Nov. 16-19
in San Francisco. Speakers include Sister Helen Prejean and Danny
Glover. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and
Religious Organizing Project Against the Death Penalty are among
the sponsors.

 *The Brethren Employees Credit Union (Elgin, Ill.) is currently
providing a special rate on 9-month certificates of deposit for all
past and present Church of the Brethren employees, including
pastors and other congregational workers, agency staff, and
employees of Brethren retirement homes. Members of the Illinois-
Wisconsin District and their relatives are also eligible. The rate
is 6.75 percent APR with a minimum deposit of $2,500. Call 888
832-1383.

 *Religion News Service has reported that the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod, faced with "a serious budget crunch," has
closed its Washington advocacy and information office. The office
opened in 1986 with a part-time director and later expanded to
three full-time staff.

 *The Rev. Jerrye Champion, a chaplain in Phoenix and an ordained
elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, has been chosen as
the new president of Church Women United at a recent council in
Toronto, according to Religion News Service. Nancy Heisey of
Harrisonburg, Va., has been selected president-elect of the
Mennonite World Conference; she will be the conference's first
female president.

 *Organizers of the upcoming World Peace Summit of Religious and
Spiritual Leaders are urging people worldwide to join in a "Day of
Prayer for World Peace" on Aug. 28, the day the summit begins.
About 1,000 religious leaders from across the globe are expected to
gather at the United Nations for the summit, which will focus on
ways religious and spiritual communities can work together to
foster peace, eradicate poverty, and work on environmental issues,
according to Religion News Service.

 9) The Church of the Brethren General Board Funding office is
seeking a financial resource counselor for the Northeastern US. The
job includes visiting with members and friends of the church about
what ministries excite them and sharing in their dreams; giving
thanks to and for the generosity of Brethren congregations; and
giving away information, advice, and counsel. 

People interested in aiding this stewardship service and exploring
the scenic Northeast should contact Elsie Holderread at 800
323-8039 for a job description and/or application.

 10) Leadership has been named for the "Speaking of Jesus"
theological conference set for Dec. 29 through Jan. 1 in Erlanger,
Ky., near Cincinnati, to culminate the J2K project.

Up to 250 Brethren pastors and other leaders will hear opening and
closing sermons by Dawn Wilhelm and Kurt Borgmann. Plenary sessions
will feature Mary Jane Button-Harrison, Scott Holland, Stephen
Breck Reid, and David Rittenhouse. Bible studies will be led by
Belita Mitchell, Sue Wagner Fields, David Valeta, Galen Hackman,
Valentina Satvedi, and Virginia Wiles. Worship coordinators will be
Ken and Bonnie Kline Smeltzer. A variety of workshops will also be
offered.

The conference will be held at the Airport Holiday Inn. Per person
cost is $250, which includes lodging, meals, and registration.
Travel scholarships are available for those traveling by air from
distances of over 600 miles. Children's activities will be
provided. Contact the General Board's Brethren Witness office (800
323-8039, ext. 228) for more information or a registration form.

 11) Several new resources and information pieces are available
from the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Office:
 *A poster and resources for the 2000-01 junior high theme, "Find
your place in this world" (based on Ephesians 1:11), for use on
Junior High Sunday, Nov. 5. These materials are being sent to all
junior high advisors on the office's mailing list.

 *Fliers on the national youth ministry workshop, featuring keynote
speaker Paul Grout on the topic: "The God-Centered Life: What it
means to be alive." It will be held Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the
Chambersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Cost is $10, which
includes lunch.

 *Application requests for the summer 2001 Youth Peace Travel Team,
which will be composed of four youth/young adults ages 16-22.
Applications are due Jan. 1.

 *A flyer on the 2001 National Youth Christian Citizenship Seminar,
to be held March 31-April 5 in New York and Washington, D.C. The
theme is "No Fear: Overcoming Violence in Our Communities, Our
Nation, and Our World."

 *A brochure for the 2001 Young Adult Conference, to be held May
26-28 at Brethren Woods in Keezletown, Va. The theme is "The
God-Bearing Life" with keynote leader Paul Grout.

 *The 2001 senior high youth theme has been announced as "Be an
example," based on I Timothy 4:12. Resource materials will be sent
out early next year.

 12) Hearing a call from churches to produce new materials for
church membership, Brethren Press organized a committee several
years ago to formulate ideas for a new curriculum. Those ideas have
resulted in "Heart, Soul, and Mind: Becoming a Member of the Church
of the Brethren," released at Annual Conference in July.

Geared toward youth at two levels--grades 6-9 and 9-12--the
curriculum introduces basic knowledge of what Brethren should know
about the Bible, church history, living the faith, and the
responsibilities of church membership. Through activities,
discussion, journal writing, and study, these topics are covered in
four units of five sessions each. The lessons can be presented at
weekly meetings through the year or at four intensive retreats. A
video resource planned by the Youth/Young Adult Office and produced
by David Sollenberger provides additional stories and clips from
youth across the denomination for discussion.

According to Julie Garber, editor of study resources and books for
Brethren Press, one of the driving forces in the development of the
curriculum was the incorporation of its mentor and apprenticeship
programs, which encourage relationships between youth and
experienced church members as well as youth participation in many
facets of church life.

Together, the course of study and mentor and apprenticeship
programs support youth through the process of exploring and
discerning the call to baptism. 

Curriculum author Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, a member of the Open
Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn., expressed a
hopeful vision for the resource. "While I believe there is a body
of knowledge that is helpful for nurturing faith," Gingrich said,
"I hope `Heart, Soul, and Mind' will help young people move beyond
that basic body of knowledge and commit themselves to a life of
discipleship.

"I want young people not just to know the overarching story of
God's people, but to begin to connect with that story and discern
where they fit into that story. I want young people to begin to
think theologically, to develop an ability to articulate the way
they sense God's presence and activity in their lives. I want young
people not just to know about the church, but to experience church.
I want young people not just to know about God, but to know God. I
want the decision for baptism to be rooted in the heart, soul, and
mind."

For more details on the curriculum, which can also be adapted for
adults, call Brethren Press at 800 441-3712. Other new curriculum
initiatives include "Bible Quest," a cooperative effort of 10
denominations that features Bible story-based lessons for all age
groups and debuts this fall, and Spanish-language translations of
several Jubilee and Good Ground units.

 13) It started at an Annual Conference several years back. Jeff
Neuman-Lee, pastor of the Panther Creek Church of the Brethren
(Adel, Iowa) asked Jean Keith, co-pastor of the Douglas Park Church
of the Brethren in inner-city Chicago, how she'd feel about havng
his youth come there for a workcamp. Keith's response came quickly:
"There's plenty to do!"

She envisioned minor projects at first, but Neuman-Lee was thinking
big: replacing ceilings, tearing down walls, repairing leaks, and
other much-needed tasks for the old church building. They added
Vacation Bible School to the mix, too, and set a date.

About a dozen youth came with a few adults that first year and went
to work right away. Keith recalls "youth were coming out of every
window and door," tackling projects left and right. In about half
a dozen years since then, including a group of 18 a few weeks ago,
Douglas Park has seen its kitchen renovated and rebuilt, new
electric work in several rooms, a new carpet laid for the foyer,
books sorted for a church library, walls painted (including a
mural), plumbing replaced, a patio laid, and a children's garden
created--all from the work of the Iowa youth.

The children in the mostly low-income neighborhood became excited,
too, and many soon joined in to help. Up to 40 of them attended
Vacation Bible School each summer, with youth from Panther Creek
teaching the classes.

"Now, as soon as school is out, I am stopped on the street and am
asked, `When are the Iowa kids coming?' " Keith said. "As I drive
around, I stop a few key children and tell them the dates and they
spread the word. `The Iowa kids' are a major happening!  

"More times than not," she adds, "as I watch the interaction
between teenagers from very rural Iowa and inner-city Chicago
children, my eyes well up with tears. I see the neighborhood
children being given unconditional love and acceptance by
teenagers, by their own sisters' and brothers' peers. These Iowans
are not gang-affiliated; they are not asking the kids to transport
drugs or hide weapons; they are not berating the little ones for
being who they are; they are not being encouraged to drink or
smoke.

"They are being given individual attention; they are learning that
there is another way to live; and they are learning that they are
lovable. They are seeing that learning about God can be fun; and
they are learning that the church is a safe place. I can't help but
believe that that each child's heart has been opened a little, and
that they have experienced what it means to be touched by God."

 14) Sharing their faith with the church family and the community
through the expression of quality music--this has been a vision for
the Covenant Chorale of the Ivester Church of the Brethren (Grundy
Center, Iowa).

Rehearsing weekly from September to April, the 20-member Covenant
Chorale prepares music not only to be shared in worship at the
Ivester church once a month but also through a number of other
programs at the church and in the community. During the fall the
chorale practices music for its Christmas program, and thereafter
practices for the spring program, usually revolving around a theme.

Performing with Ivester's Covenant Kids choir, the Chorale
presented a program this spring centered on the theme "Celebration
of Peace"--conveyed through singing, instrumental music,
interpretive dance, and narration. They first performed the program
in 1999 in two nearby communities as a fundraiser for Kosovar
refugees. The group will soon be working on music focused on
"Images of God."

In addition, the choir performs for special occasions at the
church, nursing homes, and other events in the area. They have also
performed an early evening concert at the 1999 Annual Conference
and sang at the 1995 Northern Plains District Conference.
                                        
Covenant Chorale was organized in 1993 when the ensemble's
director, Karen Cakerice, and several others in the congregation
wanted to start a group dedicated to preparing and sharing quality
music. They formed a committee to brainstorm the idea and extended
an invitation to Ivester church members to join the group. That
fall the chorale started with 15 members.

The members of Covenant Chorale have become a close-knit group
experiencing the love of God through their music and each other.
Members often gather outside of rehearsal time, including at the
chorale's end-of-the-year potluck dinner.

"We have a very close camaraderie, and what we do, we do it
together. It's a group effort,' Cakerice said. "We've been very
touched by the music ministry in our church."

 

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, manager of news services
for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third,
and fifth Friday of each month. Newsline stories may be reprinted
provided that Newsline is cited as the source and the publication
date is included. Kendra Flory, Sue Grubb, and Julie Garber
contributed to this report.

To receive Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 1-800-323-8039, ext.
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