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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Aug. 3, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Brethren Colleges Abroad will move its headquarters.
 2) Giving to General Board drops dramatically.
 3) Emergency Disaster Fund makes two $5,000 grants.
 4) Brethren Press pulls new tract series off the shelves.
 5) Caring Ministries Assembly takes place next week in La Verne.
 6) Area 1 prepares to celebrate urban ministry this weekend.
 7) Brethren bits: Volunteers, anniversaries, and more.

PERSONNEL
 8) Darlene Johnson is new office manager for On Earth Peace.
 9) Susquehanna Valley Satellite announces new staff.
10) Virlina seeks associate district executive.

FEATURES
11) Youth camp raises record $1,750 for Global Food Crisis Fund.

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

 1) The Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA) board of directors at its
summer meeting voted unanimously to move the organization's
headquarters from North Manchester, Ind., to Elizabethtown, Pa.

BCA, which facilitates international study programs for US and
international students, had been located on the campus of
Manchester College. It will now be headquartered at another of the
Church of the Brethren colleges, located between Lancaster and
Harrisburg.

A BCA release says the vote was "taken after a careful analysis of
a detailed survey" that included such issues as proximity to a
major airport, cost of living, available space, and access to the
college market. BCA plans to move to its new home by the start of
the 2002-2003 academic year.

BCA expressed its thanks to Manchester in the release, for "the
generous and unwavering support given by Manchester College to BCA
for many years and the friendships that have developed."

In other BCA news, Thomas Millington will begin work as program
officer for Spanish-language programs in August; John Maruschak
will begin as program associate for BCA's three Asian programs; and
Adam Jones will start as the director of the Dalian, China, study
site. 

 2) Giving to the Church of the Brethren General Board is down
sharply from 2000. Through July 31, gifts to the General Ministries
Fund--which covers most General Board programs--stood at
$1,964,209, down from $2,550,638 at the same time the year before.

Gifts to the Global Food Crisis Fund were down more than $60,000
compared to the previous year, and special gifts also showed a
slight decline. The Emergency Disaster Fund showed a slight
increase after a very strong start to the year. 

"This is very, very serious," says General Board Funding director
Ken Neher. "Being a half-million dollars behind last year, and
slipping $100,000 per month as we have the last two months, will
cripple the work of the General Ministries Fund well into the
future ... I am seriously concerned and disappointed by the
numbers."

The fund's work includes ministry, youth and young adult programs,
Brethren Volunteer Service, global mission, congregational life,
the Brethren Service Center, communications, ecumenical efforts,
and other ministries. Neher called it "the backbone of the
denomination's worldwide mission and ministry work."

Giving statistics for other Annual Conference agencies dependent on
donations--the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany
Theological Seminary, and On Earth Peace--were not immediately
available.

 3) Two more grants have been awarded from the General Board's
Emergency Disaster Fund, following requests from Emergency
Response/Service Ministries staff.

One allocation of $5,000 will be given in response to a Church
World Service appeal for assistance to the North Okanogan
Ministerial Association. The funds will provide support for
low-income families still recovering from a July 2000 wildfire in
the Rocky Hull community near Tonasket, Wash. The Emergency
Disaster Fund had previously aided the recovery effort there last
year.

A second $5,000 allocation will provide help following heavy rains
and storms that caused millions of dollars in damage in southern
West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. The funds will support a
larger Church World Service appeal, providing seed grants in
support of the West Virginia Council of Churches and local response
efforts.

Thirteen grants have now been made from the Emergency Disaster Fund
this year. 

Work continues, meanwhile, at two hurricane recovery projects in
North Carolina. Jiggs Miller is serving as project coordinator in
Wilson in August, and Elzie and Carrie Morris are serving as
coordinators in Rocky Mount.

 4) A series of tracts on Brethren beliefs has been cancelled by
Brethren Press. The new series--which was to cover 12 topics in
brief pamphlet form--debuted at Annual Conference but met with
criticism from Brethren who took issue with two of the pamphlets.

"We decided to discontinue the series when it became clear that the
pamphlets on salvation and Jesus were characterized by some as
offensive," says a letter that will be going out to those who
expressed concerns.

It is the first time in recent years that a publication has been
pulled. There are currently no plans to resume the series.

 5) Brethren involved or interested in caregiving ministries are
expected to gather next week in La Verne, Calif., for the biennial
Caring Ministries Assembly, sponsored by the Association of
Brethren Caregivers.

About 140 people--counting workshop leaders and speakers--have
pre-registered for the event, which will take place at the
University of La Verne and nearby La Verne Church of the Brethren.
Others are expected to register at the event. About 400 people
attended the 1999 assembly in Elizabethtown, Pa., and more than 400
attended the previous one in North Manchester, Ind. This is the
first time the assembly has been held on the West Coast. 

The four-day event will include a pre-conference seminar by Harold
Koenig, Bible studies by Virginia Wiles, worship services featuring
Joe Leonard and Susan Boyer, and keynote sessions by Fumitaka
Matsuoka, Gary Gunderson, Marty Richards, and Ken Medema. Numerous
workshops and other activities will also be offered. On-site
coverage of the event will be available on www.brethren.org.

 6) A celebratory urban ministry event is planned for tomorrow,
Aug. 4, in Lebanon, Pa. It is sponsored by the Area 1 (Northeast)
Congregational Life Team and will be held at the Cornerstone
Christian Fellowship congregation. 

Using the theme "Community Transformation," the event will include
worship and workshops in the morning and afternoon. Lunch will be
provided. A free-will offering will be taken to cover the costs of
the meal. Several youth activities will also be held during the
weekend.

The event is for Church of the Brethren members and pastors in the
Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle Pennsylvania, Southern
Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania districts. There is no fee,
and registration is not required. Call Cornerstone at 717-279-5683
or Stan Dueck at 717-335-3226 for more information. 

 7) Brethren bits: News from around the denomination and elsewhere.
 *Myrna Wheeler has been named chaplain at Hillcrest Homes in La
Verne, Calif. A long-time Hillcrest board member, Wheeler has also
been a teacher and counselor for many years. She was most recently
interim pastor for the Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship Church of the
Brethren. 

 *Summer workcamps offered through the General Board's Youth/Young
Adult Ministries office have continued at full throttle, with
recent youth workcamps traveling to Chicago; Keyser, W.Va.;
Baltimore; and Myrtle Point, Ore., plus the national youth
spiritual growth camp at Camp Mack in Milford, Ind. Five more
workcamps are scheduled this month.

 *Peg Crist of the York (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren was
named Nursing Home Volunteer of the Year at the recent state
conference of the Pennsylvania Not-for-Profit Nursing Home
Association. Crist has been active at The Brethren Home Community
of New Oxford, Pa. Jake Hershey of the West York congregation
received the Board of Directors Volunteer of the Year award.    

 *A large group of volunteers for Brethren Volunteer Service is in
the midst of orientation at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference
Center. The group of about two dozen will conclude orientation Aug.
10, then head to various projects.

 *Bridgewater (Va.) College has been selected as one of seven
colleges nationwide to receive a Retention Excellence Award from a
national higher-education consulting firm. The award cites
Bridgewater's Personal Development Portfolio program for retaining
students and improving academic performance. Bridgewater's
retention rate stands at 80 percent.

 *The Meyersdale (Pa.) Church of the Brethren will celebrate its
150th anniversary Sept. 28-30 with a meal, old-fashioned service,
chicken barbeque, concert, love feast, worship, and other events.
Elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania District, the Penn Run
congregation recently broke ground for an 11,700-square foot
multi-purpose building addition.

 *Habitat for Humanity International will hold its 25th anniversary
celebration Sept. 10-16 in Indianapolis. Call 229-924-6935 for more
details.

 *The Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (BMC)
has kicked off its 25th anniversary celebration, which will
culminate with 25 special gatherings in the month of October.
Resources materials, including ideas for ritual and worship will be
available for congregations and local groups. In addition, a
special anniversary publication featuring BMC's
history, stories from the early days, and reflections by key
leaders in BMC's history will be released this fall. For more
details, call 612-722-6906 or e-mail BMCouncil@aol.com.

 *The 2001 annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and
the Society of Biblical Literature will take place Nov. 17-20 in
Denver, Colo. Thousands of religion scholars are expected to
attend. For more details, call 404-727-3049 or e-mail
annualmeeting@aarweb.org. A website is available at
www.aarweb.org/annualmeet.

 *Sudanese Roman Catholic Bishop Macram Max Gassis met with US
Secretary of State Colin Powell during a recent visit to the US,
discussing conditions in war-ravaged Sudan. Gassis called the
discussions "warm and constructive."

 *Charisma News Service is reporting that four Christian churches
in Nigeria's Jigawa state were burned down in June by rioting
Muslim youths, in the latest round of violence between Muslims and
Christians in the country. The riots followed publication of a book
by a Christian author whose writings were said to be blasphemous.

 8) On Earth Peace in New Windsor, Md., has announced the hiring of
Darlene Johnson as the agency's new office manager.

Johnson, a New Windsor resident, worked for SERRV International for
almost 25 years in the areas of marketing and administration. She
began her new duties July 23.

 9) Two new staff members have joined Bethany Theological
Seminary's Susquehanna Valley Satellite in Elizabethtown, Pa. 

Mary Shiavoni began July 9 as program coordinator and registrar. A
member of the Annville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, she had
previously been office manager for a child learning center.

Donna Rhodes has been called as part-time director of Academy
training. She will coordinate training for students in the various
programs of the satellite in the four sponsoring districts. She is
a Juniata College graduate and an author of several books on
children's stories; she most recently served as pastor of nurture
at Stone Church of the Brethren, Huntingdon, Pa.

 10) The Virlina District is seeking an associate district
executive for a full-time position beginning Jan. 1, 2002. The
schedule will include numerous evenings and weekends, and travel is
required within and beyond the district. 

Responsibilities include providing consultation services and
resourcing for congregations, assisting with the overall mission of
the district, and assisting in the planning, implementation, and
evaluation of district program.

Qualifications include Christ-centered belief and practice,
membership and extensive experience in the Church of the Brethren,
strong interpersonal and communication skills, a bachelor's degree
and some ministerial training, and ability to work with people from
many backgrounds. Ordination and pastoral experience are preferred.
     
Interested and qualified persons may apply by sending a letter of
interest and resume to: Nancy F. Knepper, Office of District
Ministries, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120. Applicants should
contact three or four people to have them provide a letter of
reference. Applicants will be asked to complete a candidate profile
on receipt of resume. All materials are due by Aug. 31.

 11) When youth get together for summer camp, they do more than
hiking, making crafts, playing games, and participating in vespers.
Some are also digging deep to help others.

Each week at Camp Eder in Fairfield, Pa., campers and staff
participate in a "service auction." Groups of campers offer a
service such as cleaning bathrooms or singing telegrams that other
groups bid on, and all proceeds go to this year's project--the
General Board's Global Food Crisis Fund.
 
At the July 22-28 youth camp, junior and senior high campers and
staff joined together to raise $1,750 at the auction. A pair of
bathroom cleanings alone went for a combined $760. It was a
one-week record for the camp, and Global Food Crisis Fund manager
David Radcliff said that, to his knowledge, it's the most ever
raised for the fund by a youth camp.

Staff offered special "challenge goals" to give campers an extra
incentive. Camp Eder executive director Curt Rowland and several
other staff members had their heads shaved after the record total.

Rowland and visiting worship leader Gilbert Romero marveled at what
the campers accomplished, as Romero told the group what the money
could provide for the hungry in the landfills of Tijuana, Mexico,
or elsewhere around the world. "I don't think they realize what
they've done here," Rowland said after the auction.
 
Last year, the youth camp at Camp Harmony in Western Pennsylvania
District raised more than $1,100 for the Global Food Crisis Fund.
Camp Bethel campers in Virlina District raised more than $5,300 for
youth camp programs in the Dominican Republic over the course of
the 2000 season.

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. 

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