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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Sept. 28, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

"Trust in the Lord and do good..." Psalms 37:3a

NEWS
 1) Brethren respond: Child care, memorial services, donations,
statements.
 2) Brethren Disaster Auction marks its 25th anniversary.
 3) CoBACE decides to disband.
 4) Two committees focus on connections at New Windsor meetings.
 5) Brethren bits: Annual Conference, Dominican Republic, and more.

PERSONNEL
 6) Bethany seeks associate dean and director of distributed
education.

RESOURCES
 7) On Earth Peace creates new "Seeking Peace" initiative.
 8) Online forum will address support, resources for clergy.

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

 1) More than two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks along the East
Coast, Brethren response is ongoing in many forms.

The Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency
Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM) office is overseeing a major
Childcare in Aviation Incident Response (CAIR)/Disaster Child Care
operation in New York, where coordinator Roy Winter says the family
care center has "been increasingly busy with children." Local
volunteers were being trained to assist. A less busy second site
set up in nearby New Jersey has been turned over to local
volunteers. 

Many of the original CAIR team volunteers who traveled to New York
are now returning to New Windsor, and others from the Disaster
Child Care program are taking their place. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has requested ER/SM assistance in setting
up child care in a long-term assistance center being set up in New
York and in training more local volunteers. 

Church World Service's disaster field office also continues to
operate in New Windsor, seeking volunteers trained in critical
incident stress debriefing, emotional and spiritual counseling, and
pastoral care, to be sent out as needed for requests. Those
qualified can add their name to a database by calling 800-226-7962.

Relief efforts also continue through the two Church of the Brethren
congregations in the New York area, Brooklyn First and First
Haitian. "The city is slowly pulling back together," says Brooklyn
First associate pastor Phill Carlos Archbold, "but there's a lot of
fear."

He said the church's emphasis has turned to helping people through
bereavement, doing "a lot of listening." One of the victims of the
World Trade Center attack, Joseph Anchundia, was from a family that
had long been part of the Brooklyn First church. He had attended
there as a child and continued to stay in touch after moving out on
Long Island. A memorial service is being held at the church this
Sunday.

The congregation also plans a Nov. 25 memorial service in honor of
the firemen from the area who lost their lives. The church is only
a few miles from Lower Manhattan. In addition, it has sought to
support its many Arab members, as Arabs have been the target of
some hate crimes following Sept. 11. Through it all, the New York
Brethren say they have appreciated the prayers and caring of others
in the denomination.

"We have received so much help from our district and other
districts," Archbold said. "We have been blessed. We have not been
alone. . . . We really feel those prayers."

Material and financial supplies poured into the church in recent
weeks. Archbold said the current material needs have been met to
overflowing, but financial donations will still be needed to
support victims of the disaster.

On the other side of the country, some members of the La Verne
(Calif.) Church of the Brethren have taken action by providing
support for an Islamic school in nearby Pomona. Volunteers have
been present at the school to show solidarity and provide an extra
measure of safety against hate crimes. A Los Angeles Times article
highlighted the effort.

Brethren have also responded verbally, as a number of districts and
congregations have joined denominational offices in passing
statements related to the attacks. The Northern Indiana District
and Southern Pennsylvania District conferences have been among
those, along with the Idaho District board and the Elizabethtown
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren.

An Interfaith "Religious Response to Terrorism," bearing more than
1,500 signatures, was delivered to all US Congressional offices and
the White House this week. Church of the Brethren General Board
general secretary Judy Mills Reimer and a number of Brethren
pastors and other members were among those signing. The paper calls
for "sober restraint" in the US response.

 2) The denomination's largest disaster auction marked 25 years of
outreach this past weekend, as the Atlantic Northeast and Southern
Pennsylvania districts again joined together for the Brethren
Disaster Auction in Lebanon, Pa.

Organizers on Saturday announced that proceeds from the auction and
pre-auction events had already totaled more than half a million
dollars. The auction has topped $600,000 several times in recent
years. 

A special 25th anniversary concert was held at the Lebanon Expo
Fairgrounds Sept. 20, featuring Jeff and Sheri Easter. The full
program followed Sept. 21-22 under sunny skies, with a farmers
market, arts and crafts stands, a chicken barbeque dinner, food
stands, and a variety of auctions. Auctioned items included heifers
and livestock, furniture, quilts, a pole barn, toys, art, gift
certficates, sports cards, and other pieces.

At one stand alone, more than 1,300 soft pretzels had been sold
during the weekend, according to Larry Hollingshead of the Codorus
congregation, Loganville, Pa. He said the church has been operating
the stand for several years, after their Sunday school class "felt
we should be doing some kind of service project."

This year's auction also included special attention to the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks. Church of the Brethren Emergency
Response/Service Ministries manager Stan Noffsinger addressed the
large crowd in attendance, and more than a dozen skids were piled
high with donations for disaster relief in addition to the
financial contributions. Monetary donations were being emphasized
this week, as material needs have been met to overflowing.

"We can't all go to New York, but we can do what we can," said
Helen Patches of the Midway congregation, who--along with her
husband, Henry--has been assisting the Atlantic Northeast response.
"Everyone has been so helpful. They really have."

 3) Members of the Church of the Brethren Association of Christian
Educators (CoBACE) Steering Committee/Transition Team have decided
to disband the organization, which began in 1980. 

The committee held its final meeting in a retreat Sept. 10-11 at
Camp Blue Diamond, Petersburg, Pa. "Committee members believe that
CoBACE has finished its work and that by God's grace, new ways are
already emerging that will nurture the educational ministries of
the Church of the Brethren," a release from the organization said.

The network was founded to support, strengthen, and encourage
Christian educators in the denomination. Its activities over the
past two decades have included publishing a newsletter, hosting
Annual Conference luncheons and insight sessions, and providing
continuing education activities.

Five years ago, following the General Board's redesign in the
mid-1990s, the steering committee began to wrestle with CoBACE's
future. An insight session for further discernment was held at this
year's Annual Conference in Baltimore, with former Jubilee
curriculum director Rosella Wiens Regier serving as consultant and
30 people representing 13 districts attending.

Based on the data from that consultation, CoBACE concluded that
congregations still desire resources, support, and advocacy for
Christian education. "However, due to diminishing membership in
CoBACE, minimial financial support, as well as a variety of shifts
in the environment for Christian education in the Church of the
Brethren, the CoBACE organization does not have the resources to
meet those needs," according to the release.

A Christian education publication begun in the past year, titled
"The Seed Packet," will continue under the direction of its other
partners, Brethren Press and the General Board's Congregational
Life Teams. CoBACE also suggested that a focus group of Christian
educators meet with representatives of those partners to envision
"a denomination-wide emphasis" on educational ministry, spiritual
formation, and discipleship education.

Serving on the Steering Committee/Transition Team were: Kitty
Collier, Joan Daggett, Audrey Finkbiner, Julie Hostetter, Donna
Rhodes, Donna Forbes Steiner, and Dean Wenger.

 4) Two Church of the Brethren General Board committees that seek
to bring people together held meetings at the New Windsor (Md.)
Conference Center in the past week.

The Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR), which focuses on
ecumenical concerns, met Sept. 21-23. The Mission & Ministries
Planning Council (MMPC), which explores potential new points of
mission submitted by Church of the Brethren congregations and
districts, met Sept. 23-24. Both groups operate out of the general
secretary's office.

CIR's work included issuing a statement regarding the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, urging members and congregations to "consider
carefully the most appropriate Christian responses." It
particularly calls for prayer, compassion, and respect of other
religious traditions and nationalities, following the example of
Jesus. The full statement is posted online at
www.brethren.org/genbd/CIR/response.htm.

CIR also began making plans for its 2002 Ecumenical Award, which
will go to an individual who is working on overcoming violence.
Nomination forms will be available soon. The award will be
presented at CIR's Ecumenical Luncheon at the 2002 Annual
Conference. Other work included suggesting names for the Annual
Conference nomination process, looking at priorities for the next
few years, and discussing possible connections with the American
Baptist Church's Black Caucus.

MMPC, meanwhile, served as the venue for the fourth set of "mission
conversations" to occur between General Board staff and Brethren
with a passion for mission. Emphasis was given to hearing stories
and visions, celebrating the mission that is happening, and finding
ways to work together under the guidelines of the Annual Conference
mission philosophy paper. General secretary Judy Mills Reimer
described the spirit of the meetings as "very positive."

The three prior mission conversations had occurred under the
auspices of the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office.
Another one, again under MMPC, is being planned for the La Verne,
Calif., area in January. One or two others are also anticipated in
2002 in other parts of the country.

MMPC includes General Board staff, General Board members, district
executives, church members, and the Annual Conference moderator and
moderator-elect. A facilitator from Ministry of Reconciliation has
been present for the meetings, which have included a focus on
prayer and devotions. 

MMPC also heard a proposal on church planting from the Western
Plains District and expects other proposals may be received in the
coming months.

 8) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *The Annual Conference office has announced that the anticipated
range of hotel costs for the 2002 Conference in Louisville, Ky.,
will be $84-$110. Most rooms are expected to be in the $97-$110
range, and hotel taxes are 12.36 percent. 

 *In addition to the large Disaster Child Care response in New
York, Church of the Brethren Emergency Response/Service Ministries
disaster relief work also continues in Wilson, N.C., and Siren,
Wis., with the possibility of additional projects beginning in West
Virginia and Arizona.

 *Death toll estimates following rioting in Jos, Nigeria, have
risen to at least 165 and as high as 500, according to the United
Nations. Many others have been injured or displaced, and many
buildings destroyed. Peace has held since the violence, sparked by
tensions between Muslims and Christians, erupted Sept. 8-10. Four
Church of the Brethren General Board Global Mission Partnerships
workers continue to live and work in Jos.

 *John A. Hostetler, the founding director of the Young Center for
Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, died
Aug. 28 in Goshen, Ind. A noted Amish and Hutterite scholar, and a
member of the Mennonite Church, Hostetler served at the Young
Center from 1986-1990.  

 *The World Council of Churches' Commission on World Mission and
Evangelism has begun plans for its next world mission conference,
to be held in the first half of 2005. It will focus on churches as
reconciling and healing communities, coinciding with the midpoint
of the Decade to Overcome Violence. Organizers are proposing a
conference of 500 participants. A more detailed proposal is to come
to the WCC Central Committee in September 2002.

 *A new US visa program for church exchanges begun this year in the
Dominican Republic has allowed several members of the Church of the
Brethren in that country to visit with US Brethren. Young adults
Henry Perez and Milciades Mendez assisted with summer camp programs
in Indiana and Florida, and Eduardo Montero and Felix Arias
traveled to the 2001 Annual Conference in Baltimore as official
delegates of the Dominican church. Visa difficulties had created
problems with some visits in the past.

 *Correction: One of the members elected to the Brethren Revival
Fellowship Committee at this year's BRF general meeting was
misidentified in the Sept. 21 Newsline. John Shelly Jr. of the
Shanks congregation, Greencastle, Pa., was elected to fill a 1-year
unexpired term.

 6) Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind., is inviting
applications for the position of associate dean and director of
distributed education, with a beginning date of July 1, 2002.

Responsibilities will include administering the distributed
education track of the M.Div. program, providing support to faculty
in the design and teaching of online courses at the graduate and
academy levels, and teaching up to two courses annually. The
associate dean will serve as a member of both the teaching and
administrative faculty.

A full description of the position is available at
www.brethren.org/bethany, under "position openings" or by calling
765-983-1821. Prospective candidates can send a letter of
application and curriculum vitae, and ask three references to
submit letters of recommendation, to Academic Dean, Bethany
Theological Seminary, 615 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374.
Deadline for submitting application and supporting materials is
Dec. 1.

 
 7) On Earth Peace this week produced a new initiative titled
"Seeking Peace," calling the Church of the Brethren to be "not only
a historic peace church but also one with a living witness to the
gospel."

"The peace witness of the Church of the Brethren is vitally needed
today in light of recent events and reactions," says On Earth Peace
co-executive Bob Gross. "On Earth Peace will seek to encourage and
equip the church to respond faithfully."

The points of the initiative include prayer and reflection,
information and networking, congregational support, and peace
witness. The agency says this work will be a "high priority." It
has hired Matt Guynn of Richmond, Ind., to provide coordination of
the project for at least three months. 

More detailed information is available by contacting Guynn at
765-962-6234 or via e-mail at mguynn@alumni.nd.edu; or the On Earth
Peace office at 410-635-8704 or oepa_oepa@brethren.org. Information
will also be available on the denominational website, at
www.brethren.org/oepa/news.htm. 

 8) An interactive Web forum titled "Tragedy and Spiritual Care"
will take place this Sunday, Sept. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern
time on www.FaithandValues.com. It is designed to help local church
pastors who are helping their members in the struggle to understand
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath.

The forums are being sponsored by the Church World Service
Emergency Response Program and its denominational partners,
including the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency
Response/Service Ministries office. Church World Service executive
director John McCullough said the forums will offer "spiritual
support and professional resources."

Dr. Katrina Bright, consulting psychologist from Oklahoma City,
will moderate a panel of experts, still to be named. Panel members
will primarily be drawn from among those working directly with
survivors and recovery workers in New York.

The Sunday forum will include both audio-video and audio-only
formats. Participants will need a current version of Real Player;
a free version is available for download online. The forum can be
joined by going to www.FaithandValues.com at the specified time and
clicking on "Forum for Faith Leaders."

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, with other editions as needed.
Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited
as the source. Lester Boleyn contributed to this report.

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