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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: March 7, 2003
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) General Board prepares for pivotal meeting in New Windsor.
 2) Annual Conference Standing Committee releases 2003 ballot.
 3) Association of Brethren Caregivers finishes in black for 2002.
 4) Emergency Disaster Fund aids children in Iraq; other Iraq
developments.
 5) Brethren complete month-long Nigeria workcamp; more planned.
 6) Church World Service school kits, health kits in short supply.
 7) Disaster Child Care team serves at project near Roanoke.
 8) Brethren bits: Prayer, title changes, Faith Expeditions, more.

COMING EVENTS
 9) Logo designs for 300th anniversary celebration are sought.
10) Seventh Song & Story Fest heads to Big Sky country.

RESOURCES
11) BVS debuts new promotional video.

****************************************************************
 
 1) The Church of the Brethren General Board will gather in New
Windsor, Md., March 7-11 for a pivotal meeting in the life of the
agency and the denomination.

During its meetings at the conference center of the Brethren
Service Center, the board is expected to call a new general
secretary to succeed Judy Mills Reimer, who is retiring in July
after five years in the role. The general secretary serves as head
of the denomination's main administrative and ministry agency and
as the chief ecumenical officer for the Church of the Brethren. 

The board will also grapple with the financial difficulties facing
the General Board, which reported a shortfall of more than $700,000
in 2002 and anticipates additional funding challenges for the
future. 

Other items on the agenda include further work on a comprehensive
plan for the agency, training in anti-racism initiatives, a
resolution on being a "living peace church," updates on several
mission items, and reports from a variety of the General Board's
wide spectrum of ministries.

The board's Executive Committee will meet today, March 7, followed
by meetings of the full board March 8-11. The board is composed of
20 members from across the United States and Puerto Rico, plus
several ex officio members. Warren Eshbach of Thomasville, Pa., is
serving as chair for 2002-2003.

Major announcements from the meetings -- including Monday's
expected general secretary announcement -- will be posted online,
at www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline. A special board wrapup edition
of Newsline will be sent on March 11.

 2) Two ordained ministers top this year's Annual Conference
Standing Committee ballot as candidates for moderator-elect, the
denomination's top elected position.

Delegates at the 2003 Conference in Boise, Idaho, to be held July
5-9, will vote for either Jim Hardenbrook, pastor of Nampa (Idaho)
Church of the Brethren, or Carol Spicher Waggy, interim pastor of
the Rock Run congregation in Goshen, Ind.

Hardenbrook also is chaplain for the Idaho House of Representatives
and has served on Standing Committee. Waggy has been involved with
the Companeros en Ministerio program of Tijuana, Mexico, and is the
current Northern Indiana District moderator.

Candidates for other positions are as follows:
*Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee: Rosanna
Eller McFadden of Goshen, Ind., and Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm of
Richmond, Ind.;

*On Earth Peace Assembly board: Kimberly Noelle Rhudy Chaffin of
Jonesborough, Tenn., and John L. Huffaker of North Liberty, Iowa;

*Brethren Benefit Trust board: Eric P. Kabler of Ebensburg, Pa.,
and Dale E. Minnich of Moundridge, Kan.;

*Association of Brethren Caregivers board (delegates will vote for
two): Eddie Edmonds of Martinsburg, W.Va.; David Fouts of
Maysville, W.Va.; Vernne W. Greiner of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; and John
Earl Wenger of Anderson, Ind.;

*Bethany Theological Seminary board, representing the ministry:
Phill Carlos Archbold of York, Pa., and Susan Stern Boyer of
Claremont, Calif.;

*Bethany Theological Seminary board, representing the laity: Esther
Boleyn of Cumberland, Md.; and Raymond M. Donadio Jr. of
Greenville, Ohio;

*Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee,
representing the laity: Linda Frey Barkdoll of Hagerstown, Md., and
Shirley Bowman Jamison of Callaway, Va.

*Committee on Interchurch Relations: Steve Derek Brady of Lebanon,
Ohio, and Brandy Fix of Wabash, Ind.;

*Representative to the World Council of Churches (delegates will
vote for two; candidate with most votes is the representative,
candidate with second-most is the alternate): Jeff Carter of
Manassas, Va.; Elizabeth L. Bidgood Enders of Dayton, Ohio; Carolyn
Pieratt Schrock of Mountain Grove, Mo.; and Sarah Leatherman Young
of Littleton, Colo.

*Representative to the National Council of Churches (delegates will
vote for three): Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford of Windsor, Colo.; Nelda
Rhoades Clarke of Crystal, Minn.; Esther Mohler Ho of Hayward,
Calif.; Jennie E. Ramirez of Everett, Pa.; Marianne Miller Speicher
of North Lima, Ohio; and David Whitten of New Hope, Va.

Delegates will also be asked to affirm three General Board
candidates called by their respective districts (Southern Plains,
South/Central Indiana, and Virlina) and one appointed by the
General Board under new Process for Calling Denominational
Leadership polity approved at the 2001 Annual Conference.

 3) For the second time since becoming an Annual Conference agency
in 1998 -- and the first time since the conclusion of the Behold!
campaign in 2000 -- the Association of Brethren Caregivers
generated sufficient revenue to meet its financial obligations in
2002.

The agency had projected an operating deficit of nearly $30,000 for
the year but instead reported a net income over expenses of
$12,884, according to pre-audit figures.

ABC reported that its congregational support increased nearly 13
percent in 2002 to a pre-audit total of $135,631. The number of
congregations directly supporting ABC rose to 337 from 308 in 2001.
Financial support from individuals, including offerings collected
at National Older Adult Conference, increased by slightly more than
5 percent over the previous year, to $100,462.

Investments, including endowments, yielded lower interest income in
2002, however. Investment income was down more than 15 percent from
the previous year, and the total market value of these funds
declined nearly 8 percent, leaving fewer assets to generate
interest in coming years.

ABC staff say they expect rising personnel costs and other expenses
to provide continuing financial challenges for the agency. ABC
executive director Steve Mason says the agency's board and staff
"are working diligently to maintain the viability of the agency and
to continue meaningful programming in the caring ministries of the
denomination."

 4) A new allocation of $25,000 from the General Board's Emergency
Disaster Fund will aid an expanded Church World Service emergency
appeal for Iraq.

The appeal, titled "All Our Children," is for a $1 million campaign
to meet critical health-care needs of children in Iraq. Provisions
will include vaccinations, first-aid kits, antibiotics, hospital
supplies, infant feeding programs, and incubators. A CWS bulletin
called the situation "a crisis of tragic proportions to which
compassionate people of faith in the United States must respond."

Former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, are helping to
promote the program, which grows out of an initial humanitarian
appeal for Iraq made by Church World Service in November. The aid
is being delivered under the appropriate US permits currently
required by the sanctions on Iraq, with distribution to pediatric
hospitals and other institutions via international relief
organizations.

This is the fifth grant made from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF)
this year. It continues a stream of support to Iraq humanitarian
efforts through the EDF and Global Food Crisis Fund. 

Other updates on the Iraq crisis from Church of the Brethren groups
and denominational partners include the following:
 *The Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren is joining with other
area churches and organizations to sponsor a second anti-war
billboard in the community. The first billboard went up in January.
Southern Ohio District's Shalom Ministries Team has put up several
billboards around Dayton, and the York Center Church of the
Brethren in Lombard, Ill., is working with other area groups to put
one up in that area.

 *Pope John Paul II called for a Global Day of Peace this past
week, on Ash Wednesday, March 5. The pope said war "is always a
defeat for humanity." A National Moratorium to Stop the War on Iraq
was scheduled the same day, asking people to leave their daily
routines and protest for peace. Earlier in the week, a movement
called for three minutes of prayer at 3 p.m. on March 3, 2003
(3/3/03). The National Council of Churches helped to sponsor a
major interfaith prayer service in San Francisco March 2, praying
for both the Iraq situation and the plight of America's poor.

 *The World Council of Churches Executive Committee called for an
end of threats to Iraq as it met in Switzerland Feb. 18-21. The
committee said war on Iraq would be "immoral, unwise, and in breach
of the principles of the United Nations charter" and would lead to
a "humanitarian crisis of grave magnitude." It also called on Iraq
to abide by human rights standards and UN resolutions. The WCC
created Lenten peace prayer resources at
www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/iraqprayers-e.html.

 *Action by Churches Together (ACT) -- the international relief
partner of both the Church of the Brethren and Church World Service
-- has issued a statement that it would continue to uphold
"accepted and acknowledged international humanitarian principles"
in the face of any war on Iraq. It includes not accepting any
government funding that "promotes military or geopolitical
interests" and expresses concern over the blurring of military and
humanitarian actions in recent US policy. ACT also calls for a
peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis.

 5) Ten Church of the Brethren members recently returned to the
United States after spending a month in Nigeria for the annual
workcamp sponsored by the General Board's Global Mission
Partnerships office.

While in Nigeria, the group was joined by four members of mission
partner Mission-21 (formerly Basel Mission) of Switzerland and 15
members of the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren
in Nigeria). Workcampers continued construction of a classroom at
the EYN Comprehensive Secondary School near Mubi.

"We mixed cement; made, carried, and laid block; broke rocks; and
poured concrete," Church of the Brethren workcamp coordinator Jeff
Mummau said. "It was a lot of work, but somehow it seemed fun. We
had a great time working, eating, traveling, playing games, and
just being with the Nigerian workcampers.

"For those of us from North America," he added, "it is easy to get
wrapped up in work and doing something for others. But this
workcamp was more than that; it was a 'do with' workcamp."

Workcampers also visited traditional mission sites including
Gakirda, saw EYN progams, hiked up two mountains, participated in
Nigerian cultural events, spent several nights in Nigerian homes,
and visited with Church of the Brethren and Mission-21 mission
workers. Building relationships with other EYN Christians was also
a priority.

Some photos of the 2003 workcamp can be viewed at
www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/workcamp. Next year's Global
Mission Partnerships workcamp is tentatively scheduled for
mid-January to mid-February 2004; additional details will be posted
to the website about June 15.

Atlantic Northeast District, meanwhile, is sponsoring its own
summer and fall workcamps to Nigeria. The first will be June 19 to
July 15, and the second Oct. 2-28. Estimated cost for each is
$2,300. Work will be centered at the new headquarters conference
building near Mubi. Applicants may contact the district office or
Monroe Good, 124 Pinnacle Road W, Holtwood, PA 17532.

 6) Church World Service has put out an alert that "Gift of the
Heart" health and school kits are in short supply to meet an
avalanche of needs around the world.

Stan Noffsinger, director of the Church of the Brethren General
Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries office, says that
there has been "a huge drain on supplies" of the kits shipped from
the Brethren Service Center warehouse in New Windsor, Md. "They've
been going all over the world," Noffsinger says. "We are
dangerously low on them."

Noffsinger says the need will remain "urgent" through the year. He
has set a goal for Church of the Brethren congregations to donate
5,000 school kits and health kits during 2003. Nearly 3,000 were
given last year after special projects at Annual Conference and
National Older Adult Conference.

Details on contents of the kits and mailing instructions are
available at www.churchworldservice.org/kits/index.html. 

 7) The Church of the Brethren Disaster Child Care program
activated five caregivers last week in response to flooding near
Roanoke, Va.

The team traveled to Salem, Va., at the request of the American Red
Cross and opened a child-care center at Ridgewood Baptist Church on
Feb. 24. Serving on the team were Wilma Ammerman, Rena' Brown,
Nancy Crumpacker, Faye Boone, and Karin Musselman.

The project was closed March 3 after 52 child-care contacts had
been made.

 8) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *Today, March 7, is designated World Day of Prayer. A committee
representing the various Annual Conference agencies has planned
special services today in Elgin, Ill.; New Windsor, Md.; and
Richmond, Ind., to coincide with the day and lift up the Annual
Conference "Call to Prayer" query adopted last year. Additional
resources are being compiled this spring.

 *General Board general secretary Judy Mills Reimer announced title
changes for many of the agency's salaried staff last week.
Leadership team members, formerly directors, will now have the
title of executive director. Most other salaried staff will now
have the title of director; some other titles were changed to more
accurately reflect current job responsibilities. A full list of
staff can be found at www.brethren.org/genbd/staff.html.

 *The General Board's Congregational Life Ministries office is
seeking a full-time program assistant in Elgin, Ill., to provide
support for the department's executive director. Responsibilities
include maintaining a network database, desktop publishing,
editing, and some writing; at least 10 years of related experience
and an associate's degree is preferred. Contact Mary Lou Garrison
at 800-323-8039 or mgarrison_gb@brethren.org by March 17. . . . The
Palms of Sebring (Fla.) Retirement Community is seeking a part-time
chaplain to work 20 hours per week. For information, contact Lester
E. Kesselring, Director of Resident Activities, Palms of Sebring,
725 South Pine St., Sebring, FL 33870; phone 863-385-0161. 

 *Two 2003 Faith Expeditions have been rescheduled. The trip to
Sudan planned for February under the leadership of former Sudan
staff Phil and Louise Rieman has been postponed to Aug. 22-Sept. 6
due to Phil Rieman's heart surgery. Others are still welcome to
join the group; cost is about $2,750. Contact plbrieman@ctlnet.com
or 317-546-9675, or the Global Mission Partnerships office at
800-323-8039, as soon as possible to register or for information.
This summer's scheduled trip to Alaska will now be Aug. 29-Sept. 7.
Contact the Brethren Witness office at 800-323-8039 for details.

 *The General Board Mission & Ministries Planning Council (MMPC)
met Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Daytona Beach, Fla., primarily to hear a
report from a delegation exploring a Haiti project. After review
and lengthy discernment, MMPC decided not to make a recommendation
at this time to begin a new mission in Haiti. The council's next
meeting will be in September in New Windsor, Md.

 *Southern Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic districts will again join
forces for an annual meat canning project. This year, volunteers
from the districts plan to process and can 80,000 pounds of chicken
April 21-24 and 28-30. The meat will be shared through the Church
of the Brethren Emergency Response program for shipment to Cuba,
for local hunger projects in the two districts, and at Christian
Aid Ministries of Ephrata, Pa., where the canning takes place.

 *Harrisburg (Pa.) First pastor Irv Heishman was among those
speaking at an interfaith press conference at the Pennsylvania
State Capitol Feb. 26, expressing opposition to proposed bills
linking drivers' license registrations and selective service.

 9) The Annual Conference committee planning for the 300th
anniversary of the denomination in 2008 is inviting Brethren to
submit ideas for a logo representing the anniversary theme:
"Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ, Empowered by the
Spirit."

This logo will be separate from those used for Annual Conferences
in the coming years. It will be used in anniversary publications
and in connection with celebration events being planned.

Drawings and explanations of the logo entries -- which cannot
include the Church of the Brethren logo -- must be received by the
Annual Conference office by June 15. Submissions should be on size
8 1/2 by 11" paper or smaller. Those sending color entries should
also include a black-and-white copy.

Entries should include the artist's name, address, and phone number
on a separate sheet of paper. Send all entries to Annual Conference
Office, Attention: Anniversary Logo, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.

 10) The seventh annual Song & Story Fest moves to the Big Sky
country of the northwestern US this year, with a gathering titled
"Weaving Peace Together" June 29-July 5 at Camp Wilbur Stover in
Idaho. On Earth Peace is joining as a sponsor this year, merging in
the "Weaving Peace" event it has held the past few summers with a
peace and justice focus.

Mornings of the fest will feature intergenerational gatherings and
worship, followed by workshops for various ages. Afternoons will be
free for crafts, recreation, family time, or other informal
choices. Evenings will include campfires, snacks, concerts, and
folk dances. A variety of storytellers, workshop leaders, and
musicians will give leadership to the program. 

The event immediately precedes Annual Conference in Boise.
Registration -- which includes all meals, housing, and program fees
-- is $180 for adults, $150 for teens, $110 for children ages 7-12,
$90 for children ages 4-6, and no charge for children 3 and under,
with a maximum per-family fee of $550. Registrations sent after
June 1 must add a 10 percent late fee. A day fee of $30 is also
available.

Register online at www.brethren.org/oepa/songandstoryfest.html, or
mail to On Earth Peace, PO Box 188, 500 Main St., New Windsor, MD
21776. Phone 410-635-8704; fax 410-635-8707; or e-mail
oepa_oepa@brethren.org. Ken Kline Smeltzer is serving as volunteer
director for Song & Story Fest.

 11) Brethren Volunteer Service has developed a new video titled,
"Needed: A Few Good Servants," replacing one created about a decade
earlier.

The new, purple-covered video include four segments: one geared
toward young adults, one for older adults, a 2-minute music video
aimed at youth, and a historical photo narrative through the
development of BVS.

Free copies of the video, also available in DVD format, are
available by calling the BVS office at 800-323-8039, ext. 410 or by
sending an e-mail to bvs_gb@brethren.org. Additional information
will be included in the May "Source" packet. A new BVS promotional
brochure is also in production.

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. Jon Kobel and Howard Royer contributed to this
report.

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