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Date: Oct. 19, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) General Board prepares for fall meetings.
 2) Updates on responses and events related to Sept. 11.
 3) ABC board approves new vision statement, names new members.
 4) BVS Unit 246 volunteers complete orientation, head to projects.
 5) The church mourns the death of E. Paul Weaver.
 6) Brethren bits: Meetings, anniversaries, marathon, and more.

PERSONNEL
 7) Roger Cruser to retire as Woodland Altars executive director.

RESOURCES
 8) On Earth Peace begins program focused on death penalty.

COMING EVENTS
 9) Anabaptist Evangelism Council to feature Leonard Sweet in
February.

****************************************************************
 
 1) Planning for the future and addressing the aftermath of the
Sept. 11 attacks highlight the agenda for the fall meetings of the
Church of the Brethren General Board. Board members, staff, and
guests will gather at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., Oct.
20-23. The board's executive committee is holding meetings today.

Most of Saturday morning will be dedicated to discussing the recent
terrorist activity and ensuing world events. The board will review
the responses of the denomination and General Board, share stories
and reflections, and work on a proposed official General Board
statement.

Sunday afternoon and Monday morning will be given to starting a
process of "comprehensive planning," led by Mennonite consultant
Dennis Koehn. The listed purpose of the time is "to begin a process
for shared planning of God's ministries through the General Board
by board members, staff, and partners."

Other events on the schedule include a video and discussion panel
on relations with Brethren groups in India and the Church of North
India, consideration of the General Board's 2002 budget, a kickoff
for the 2002 National Youth Conference, numerous reports and
updates, times of worship, and a Saturday celebration dinner.

 2) Updates on Brethren-related responses to the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and their aftermath:
 *The Sept. 11 tragedies struck particularly hard for the Frederick
(Md.) Church of the Brethren. Allan P. Linton Jr., the son of
Frederick board chair A. Patrick Linton, was among those killed in
Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. Linton, who worked for Sandler
O'Neil & Partners, grew up in the Frederick church. "We've been
dealing with it since Sept. 11, constantly," says Frederick pastor
Paul Mundey. "He had very strong ties here. . . . The reality of
this is really driven home." The church and the bank where the
senior Linton works co-sponsored a candlelight vigil the week after
the attacks. This Saturday, the church will hold a "celebration of
life" service open to the community. Mundey says 400-500 people are
expected. It will be carried on a local television station, and the
Associated Press plans coverage. Several Washington, D.C., TV
stations have also been to the church to do stories. 

 *As giving to Sept. 11 relief efforts continues to mount, many
charities and non-profit groups have expressed concerns that funds
they depend on may be diverted elsewhere. CNN reported this week
that more than $1 billion has now been given toward Sept. 11
response funds--nearly half of that through the American Red Cross.
The Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund
has received $76,165 for its "US Terrorism Response" through
Thursday. Giving to the General Board's General Ministries Fund
continues to lag behind budget projections and well behind last
year, but treasurer Judy Keyser says "We cannot attribute
shortfalls . . . for congregational giving and direct gifts to be
a result of these events" and praised the strong response to the
special-needs projects. General Board investments declined in value
from $23 million to $22 million in the third quarter--three-fourths
of that after Sept. 11. Keyser said the agency is looking long-term
and not yet alarmed by those figures, although it could impact
expected investment income in the current year's budget. Bethany
Theological Seminary has also seen a dropoff in giving over the
past month after a strong summer, but "It's too soon to tell how it
will shake out," said Theresa Eshbach, Bethany's executive director
of institutional advancement. Many agencies are hoping for a strong
fourth quarter to balance the books.

 *Church World Service has expanded its planned assistance of food
and shelter to Afghan refugees to $6.28 million, adding a major
hunger relief component. The General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund has already sent $50,000 toward the shelter part of this
appeal, and the Global Food Crisis Fund has pledged $50,000 toward
the hunger relief effort. Action by Churches International has
criticized the food drops by the US military, saying "It is
dangerous to do this" because it confuses military and humanitarian
actions and often does not get the aid to those who need it most,
perhaps hampering the credibility of future work by humanitarian
aid groups in the region. "We had a bad feeling about this when it
was first announced as a part of the US war plan," said David
Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness and manager of the Global
Food Crisis Fund. "It is inappropriate to use food relief as a
military or political tool." The Global Food Crisis grant is
expected to provide about 200 food packages, each costing $250 and
containing enough food for a family of seven for six months.

 *Disaster Child Care teams coordinated through Church of the
Brethren Emergency Response/Service Ministries continue to work at
two centers in New York. They are expected to remain there at least
through the end of the month, making it an usually long-term
response for the program. Nearly 20 volunteers are presently
serving in Manhattan.

 *Church of the Brethren Washington Office legislative associate
Marc Rittle will be among the denominational participants in
Monday's www.FaithandValues.com webcast event, titled "Faith in the
Face of Terror" and billed as a "multi-faith report to the nation."
It is scheduled for online broadcast from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern
time. A Church World Service-sponsored pastoral care-oriented
program, "Faith in America after 9/11," will follow from 2-4 p.m.,
also broadcast live online. It will look at the changing role of
faith in America; topics will include issues of conflict mediation,
religious tolerance, peace concerns and political analysis.

 *The Virlina District Peace Affairs Committee and the peace
counselors of the Green Hill Church of the Brethren, Salem, Va.,
will hold an interfaith event titled "Faith Responses to the
Violence of Terrorism" on Nov. 4 at the church. it will include a
panel discussion and displays. Confirmed panelists include Greg
Laszakovits of the Church of the Brethren Washington Office and
retired Bridgewater (Va.) College professor David Metzler.

 3) The Association of Brethren Caregivers board voted unanimously
at its Sept. 28-29 meeting in Elgin, Ill., to adopt a new vision
statement reflecting the guiding principles of the organization. As
recommended by the executive committee, the board approved the
following statement: "The Association of Brethren Caregivers
extends the healing touch of Jesus by affirming, empowering, and
equipping persons and groups within the Church of the Brethren to
seek and secure the well-being of all people."

"The writer of the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus was the Word
that became flesh and lived among us," says ABC board chair Marilyn
Lerch of Blacksburg, Va. "It is my prayer that the words of our new
ABC vision statement help us to 'flesh out' the power of the
healing touch of Jesus in the Church of the Brethren."

The vision statement began the second step of the Vision and
Planning Process, a long-range process adopted by the board at its
meeting last spring. During that meeting a sub-committee of the
board was appointed to first articulate ABC's core values--
wholeness, compassion, biblical focus, and faithfulness--which
would be reflected in the development of a vision statement,
mission statement, and strategic focus. The final step in the
process is to develop a strategic plan, which will be prepared by
ABC staff.

The board charged the Vision and Planning Committee to continue its
work by developing a mission statement and a strategic focus. The
committee will report on its progress at the spring 2002 meeting of
the board.

Also during the meetings, the board cared for the transition of
leadership and approval of new board members. It recognized the
contributions of Lerch, whose term of service officially ends Dec.
31. ABC's chair-elect, Bentley Peters of Elgin, Ill., will become
the new board chair effective Jan. 1. Peters is vice-president of
Mutual Aid Exchange,  a property and casualties insurance company
serving the Anabaptist community.  

Sue Moore of Roanoke, Va., was called by the Board to serve as the
new chair-elect. Moore is the executive director of Good Samaritan
Hospice. The board called physician assistant Diane Harden of
Miami, Fla., to fill the remainder of Moore's unexpired term on the
board. It also called Wally Landes, pastor of the Palmyra (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren, for a first board term and Connie Burk
Davis of Westminster, Md., for a second term. Members of the ABC
ministry group steering committees elected Allegra Hess, a clinical
counselor from West Chicago, Ill., to a first term on the board.

In other business, the board:
*responded to the recommendation by the 2000 Annual Conference
"Caring for the Poor" paper, which recognizes racism "as one
enduring structural factor related to poverty . . . and seeks a
method to increase staff capacity to respond." It encourages the
development of anti-racism training for agency staff. Board member
Heidi Loomis of Boalsburg, Pa., agreed to develop an orientation
module for ABC staff and board members in cultural competency.
Loomis will present results of her work at the March 2002 meetings.

*received the 2002 operating budget of $685,350, which contains a
deficit of $35,530. The board instructed ABC staff to present a
revised budget to the Financial Committee and Executive Committee
for consideration and adoption before the end of the year.

 4) Eighteen volunteers completed Brethren Volunteer Service Unit
246 orientation at Brethren Woods in Keezletown, Va., on Oct. 12.
Six days were spent in Washington, D.C.--including Oct. 7, the day
the US began bombing Afghanistan. That evening, the group visited
the US State Department, the Vietnam Memorial, the Washington
Monument, and the White House to reflect on peacemaking and
justice, to sing, and to pray.  

Other time during the three-week orientation was spent learning
about conflict resolution, homelessness, debt relief, the political
effects of Sept. 11, Latin American issues, death penalty issues,
and welcoming diversity. Participants also engaged in work
projects, worship, and community-building.

The following are placements for volunteers of Unit 246: 
Ashleigh Arledge, International Peace Bureau, Geneva, Switzerland;
Jonas Bunte, Jubilee USA Network, Washington, D.C.; Sara Cook,
Ballysally Youth and Community Center, Coleraine, Northern Ireland;
Natalie Dutrow, Forthspring Inter-Community Group, Belfast,
Northern Ireland; Caroline Ferguson, Tri-City Homeless Coalition,
Fremont, Calif.; Robyn Hansen and Devin Zeller, Comision Christian
de Desarollo, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Rebekah Helsel, EYN
Comprehensive Secondary School, Mubi, Nigeria; Shannon Hildenbrand,
Washington (D.C.) City Church of the Brethren Nutrition Program;
Edie Hinkle, Bridgeway, Lakewood, Colo.; Ellen Knechel, ASONOG,
Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras; Samuel Kramp, Catholic Worker House,
San Antonio, Texas; Nadine Monn, Church of the Brethren General
Board Latin America/Caribbean Office, Elgin, Ill.; Carsten Neumann,
Bread and Roses Catholic Worker House, Olympia, Wash.; Todd Rebman,
Hospitality House Ministries, Wenatchee, Wash.; Dan Royer, Pacific
Southwest District Youth Ministry Office, La Verne, Calif.; Katja
Schroeder, Su Casa Catholic Worker Community, Chicago, Ill.;
Sherrie Stevenson, Habitat for Humanity, Lancaster, Pa.

 5) The church is mourning the death of E. Paul Weaver, a former
missionary to Nigeria and longtime leader in the denomination.
Weaver, 89, died Oct. 14 in Everett, Pa., following a lengthy
illness. Memorial services were held Thursday at the Everett Church
of the Brethren.

Weaver served in Nigeria from December 1939 through April 1944 and
maintained a strong interest in mission work. He had also served as
pastor of the Snake Spring Valley and Cherry Lane congregations and
as a district executive in Indiana, and was active ecumenically.

 6) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *Ten employees at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.,
were recoginzed for tenure milestones at a special celebration on
Oct. 10. Those honored were as follows (all are General Board
employees unless otherwise noted): 25 years--Caroline Garber
(SERRV), Virginia Long, Helen Stonesifer, and Loretta Wolf; 20
years--Ed Leiter; 15 years--Maria Capusan, Carol Hulver
(Interchurch Medical Assistance), Linda Mathis, and Rosella Reese;
5 years--Ellen Hall.

 *The Mid-Atlantic Brethren Peace Fellowship will hold its fall
gathering Nov. 18 at the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
in Glen Arm, Md. Speaker will be Dorothy Granada, longtime director
of the Women's Health Clinic in Mulukuku, Nicaragua, until she was
expelled from the country in the past year.

 *This week's episode of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, a syndicated
TV program, will include a feature story on religious pacifism.
Reporter Kim Lawton will visit with people "speaking out against
the military action, talking with them about the reasons for their
beliefs and the challenges behind their convictions." The one-hour
program is broadcast on Saturday or Sunday in most areas, but time
varies. Check local listings, or obtain a list of stations and
times at www.thirteen.org/religionandethics/tv_default.html.

 7) Roger Cruser has announced his retirement after 25 years as
executive director of Woodland Altars, the Church of the Brethren
camp in Southern Ohio District. Cruser's retirement will take
effect July 31.

"Outdoor ministries is a very unique kind of ministry," Cruser says
of his long tenure at the camp. "If you do feel a passion and have
an understanding for that, it's tough to replace that with anything
else. It's something that gets under your skin."

Cruser, who worked in management and accounting before coming to
Woodland Altars, has been taking ministry training courses and
hopes to serve in interim ministry following his retirement.

 8) On Earth Peace has announced the launch of a new program titled
"Taking Action: A Journey from Anger to Forgiveness." It will
feature SueZann Bosler, a Church of the Brethren member and active
advocate against capital punishment. 

The speaking tour is designed to let congregations and other groups
interact with Bosler, gain personal awareness of death penalty
issues, learn about Church of the Brethren teaching regarding the
death penalty, and explore ways to witness actively on the issue.
Interested congregations or groups should call Barb Sayler at
410-635-8705 or e-mail bsayler_oepa@brethren.org.   

 9) Leonard Sweet, a popular futurist theologian, speaker, and
writer, will be the keynote speaker for the Anabaptist Evangelism
Council to be held Feb. 15-17 at the O'Hare Gateway Sheraton Suites
near Chicago.

Sweet will give four presentations--one Friday night and three on
Saturday--on the theme "Connections: Young Adults and the Church."
Sponsored by New Life Ministries, it will be the fifth annual
council bringing together theologians/scholars and church
development practitioners. Group worship will be led by a group of
young adults.

Sweet is currently the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at
Drew University in Madison, N.J., where he has been vice-president
of academic affairs and dean of the theological school for five
years. He has authored more than 100 articles, 400 published
sermons, and 18 books, among which is the best-seller
"FaithQuakes."

In addition to Sweet's presentations, council participants will
attend a Saturday night worship service known as the young adult
AXIS service at Willow Creek Community Church, a northwest Chicago
suburb megachurch.

Registration, including five meals but not lodging, is $179 per
person until Dec.18; $199 thereafter. Registration is limited.
Scholarships are being offered by the Church of the Brethren and
the General Conference segment of the Mennonite Church USA. Special
overnight rates for attendees at the Gateway Sheraton are $79 for
double or single occupancy. For more information, call Joan
Hershey, coordinator of New Life Ministries, at 1-800-774-3360 or
check online at www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.           

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. Dick Benner, Kendra Flory, Doris Frysinger, Fred
Swartz, and Carol Yeazell contributed to this report.

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