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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: June 27, 2003
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Puerto Rico Brethren meet for annual assembly.
 2) Ecumenical consultation focuses on Korean situation.
 3) New Emergency Disaster Fund grants send $55,000 in aid. 
 4) Districts' spring auctions support disaster relief efforts.
 5) Youth Peace Travel Team begins its summer itinerary.
 6) Brethren bits: Yearbook, workcamps, Annual Conference, more.

PERSONNEL
 7) ABC announces resignation of executive director Steve Mason.
 8) Russ Matteson resigns as Brethren Press Marketing and Sales
director.
 9) General Board seeks executive director of Congregational Life
Ministries.
10) General Board seeks director of Marketing and Sales for
Brethren Press.

NOTE: Daily coverage will again be provided this year from Annual
Conference. Reports from business sessions and other events in
Boise, Idaho, will be posted on www.brethren.org July 5-9. A
summary of Conference activities will be included in the July 11
issue of Newsline.

****************************************************************
 
 1) The 17th annual island-wide Church of the Brethren assembly for
Puerto Rico was held in the San Juan-area community of Caimito June
13-14. Events took place at the denomination's Segunda Iglesia
Cristo Misionera Fellowship.

Under the leadership of moderator Nilsa Rivera, a member of
Castaner, 22 delegates from five churches heard reports, voted to
approve a budget for the fiscal year that began June 1, and held a
reorganization of the board that resulted in Nelson Sanchez, Vega
Baja, being selected as president for the second year of his term.
Excitement was also expressed for the capable young leadership
being called from the island's congregations.

Alex Gonzalez of the Castaner congregation preached at a Friday
evening worship service on the conference theme, "Arise, eat,
because the journey is too great for you," from 1 Kings. Elsa Groff
was honored for her willingness to step forward and answer the call
to fill the secretary position two years ago when no one else would
do so. 

The Rev. Justo Velez, president of the newly formed Council of
Churches of Puerto Rico, brought greetings and shared the
excitement of the many Christian groups on the island now uniting
to call attention to the life and work of Jesus Christ in their
midst. He gave special emphasis to the need to promote the theology
of creation, learning to live in harmony with God's world.

Other guests included Eduardo Montero de los Santos, president of
the board of the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic;
pastor Angelica Maria Veriguete of the Dominican Republic Brethren;
Martha Beach, Atlantic Southeast District executive minister, and
her husband, Bob; General Board coordinator of District Ministry
Nancy Knepper, and Area 3 Congregational Life Team member Carol
Yeazell, who serves as liaison to the Hispanic churches in the
denomination.

Next year's Puerto Rico assembly will be held at Cristo Nuestra Paz
Fellowship in Yahuecas, June 4-5.

 2) The US National Council of Churches and Church World Service
last week co-sponsored a three-day consultation to discuss the
situation on the Korean peninsula.

Held June 16-18 in Washington, D.C., the event brought together
religious leaders from South Korea and the United States and a
variety of humanitarian experts, about 80 people in all. Church of
the Brethren General Board Global Mission Partnerships executive
director Merv Keeney was among those attending and convened one of
the sessions.

A delegation from North Korea had also been expected to attend but
withdrew due to travel concerns related to SARS. 

The group called for a peaceful solution to the Korean crisis and
urged the prompt reconvening of talks with North Korea. It also
called for a non-aggression pact between North Korea and the US,
and immediate action to address "grave humanitarian needs" in North
Korea.

"As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to ministries of
reconciliation, to work unceasingly to break down the barriers that
divide human beings one from another," a joint statement said.
"This reconciliation is urgently needed today in Korea, which for
half a century has been divided."

Church members and congregations were urged to learn about and
become advocates for the Korean situation and to assist with aid
for the humanitarian crisis. The General Board's Global Food Crisis
Fund has been a long-time supporter of famine relief in North
Korea.

Elsewhere, the group Christian Solidarity Worldwide called for a
week of prayer for North Korea June 23-29. Details are available at
www.csw.org.uk/northkorea.htm.

 3) Three new grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund will provide aid in the US and abroad.

The first, for $15,000, comes in response to a Church World Service
(CWS) appeal for aid to displaced persons in the Bong region of
Liberia. The West African nation has been torn by heavy fighting in
a years-long civil war between government troops and rebel forces.

The funds will assist with nutritional needs, health care, and
education for 3,000 displaced families. CWS earlier this month
airlifted 1,500 blankets, 3,984 cans of processed beef, 1,000
personal hygiene kits, and 4,300 pounds of rice for distribution in
the country. CWS associate director for Emergency Response Donna
Derr said circumstances were "incredibly dire."

Another $15,000 will be sent as an additional allocation for the
ongoing Church of the Brethren Emergency Response/Service
Ministries tornado recovery project in Mississippi. The project
began in Columbus, Miss., in March, and the new grant will allow
Brethren volunteers to continue work through the summer.

The third grant will send $25,000 to assist in rebuilding and
recovery work in Afghanistan, in response to a Church World Service
appeal. The grant will help the project rebuild homes for 1,000
families, supply quilt materials to women for income generation,
and provide 50,000 students in 100 schools with desks, chairs, and
school kits. The fund has also supported earlier relief efforts in
Afghanistan.

Twelve grants have been from the Emergency Disaster Fund this year.

 4) Mid-Atlantic District held its 23rd annual Disaster Response
Auction last month in Westminster, Md., raising $62,000 for the
General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund. The total included $26,800
from quilt sales and $15,765 from the auction booklet.

The 2004 auction is scheduled for May 1, again at the Carroll
County Fairgrounds in Westminster.

Southern Ohio District held its first disaster auction this year,
at Oakland Church of the Brethren near Gettysburg, Ohio, and raised
more than $15,000.

Shenandoah and Middle Pennsylvania districts also held disaster
auctions this spring. Details were not immediately available.

 5) The 2003 Youth Peace Travel Team began its summer-long service
with a week at Woodland Altars in Southern Ohio, June 15-21. This
year's team of Laura Sweitzer, Erica Schatz, and Mandy Wampler will
travel primarily to Church of the Brethren camps in the Midwest,
with a swing out to Boise, Idaho, for Annual Conference. 

The Youth Peace Travel Team is jointly sponsored by Outdoor
Ministries Association, On Earth Peace, and the General Board's
Brethren Witness office, Washington Office, and Brethren Volunteer
Service. The team spends the summer engaging in peace education in
Brethren church camps.

This is the 13th year a team has been sent out.

 6) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *The 2003 Church of the Brethren Yearbook is now available from
Brethren Press. The spiral-bound resource lists key dates, provides
details on agencies and organizations, lists all district data and
congregations, contains a directory of ministers, and offers key
denominational statistics. It can be purchased for $18.50 at Annual
Conference or by calling 800-441-3712. 

 *The Church of the Brethren summer youth workcamp season is in
full swing. In addition to young adult workcamps held earlier in
Ecuador and Northern Ireland, junior high and senior high youth
workcamps have already occurred in Richmond, Va.; Brooklyn, N.Y.;
Americus, Ga.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Workcamps are taking
place this week in Harrisburg, Pa.; Philadelphia (Germantown); and
Castaner, Puerto Rico. Sixteen more workcamps are scheduled this
summer. The program is sponsored by the General Board Youth/Young
Adult Ministry office.

 *The Church of the Brethren calendar hits full throttle in the
next two weeks as Annual Conference takes place at Boise State
University in Idaho July 5-9, and many other meetings occur before
and after the main event. The Song & Story Fest/Weaving Peace
conference is June 29 to July 5 at Camp Wilbur Stover in New
Meadows, Idaho; Annual Conference Standing Committee meets for
several days prior to Conference; the General Board and Brethren
Benefit Trust hold meetings before and during Conference; and the
Ministers' Association has its annual meeting July 9-10 in Boise.

 *As part of the General Board's transitions and staff changes this
summer, Helen Stonesifer will become coordinator of Disaster Child
Care for the Emergency Response/Service Ministries office based in
New Windsor, Md.

 *Brethren Benefit Trust is celebrating two anniversaries this
year: 60 years since the formation of the Pension Plan, and 15
years since the formation of the agency in its present form.
Anniversary celebration events are planned for Annual Conference.

 7) The Association of Brethren Caregivers has announced that Steve
Mason will conclude his service as executive director on or about
Dec. 31. 

In making the announcement, ABC board chair Bentley Peters
expressed regret for Mason's decision to leave, and appreciation
for his leadership during the past six years. "Steve's skills and
love for the church served ABC well during this challenging period
in the organization's life," Peters said.

Mason has served as executive director since Jan. 1, 1998, when ABC
became an independent agency to serve the caring ministries of the
denomination, including deacon ministry, older adult ministry, and
the Fellowship of Brethren Homes. It was formally recognized as an
Annual Conference agency later that year.

Mason's future plans are undetermined at this time. He said his
decision to leave ABC is with the best interests of the
organization in mind. "I believe, as this organization moves into
a new stage of its life, it will be better served by a new
executive."

The ABC board at its spring meeting discussed the possible need for
a new denominational agency structure to best serve the church. The
search process to identify a new executive director will be
announced soon. 

 8) Russ Matteson has announced his resignation as director of
Marketing and Sales for Brethren Press effective Aug. 18. He and
his wife, Erin -- currently pastor of Faith Church of the Brethren
in Batavia, Ill. -- have accepted the call to serve as co-pastors
of Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren.

Matteson, who had previously also served as a Brethren Volunteer
Service worker in the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry
office and as support staff at the General Offices, began his
current position in July 1999. 

In addition to ongoing marketing of Brethren Press books and other
products, and operation of bookstores at major Brethren
conferences, his work has included development of the "Without Fear
or Hesitation" Brethren history CD-ROM and LabOra worship planning
software. He has also overseen Messenger advertising, circulation,
and promotion.

 9) The Church of the Brethren General Board is seeking an
executive director of Congregational Life Ministries, to begin Jan.
5, 2004. This full-time position is based at the General Offices in
Elgin, Ill. The executive director is reportable to the general
secretary and is a member of the General Board Leadership Team.

The person in this position oversees and assists with the three
units within Congregational Life Ministries -- Congregational Life
Teams, the Ministry office, and Youth/Young Adult Ministries -- as
well as networking and training for church planters and coaches for
new church development.

Qualifications include a Master of Divinity degree, a minimum of 10
years of pastoral ministry, and five years experience in program
development and administration. The candidate must also be an
active member of the Church of the Brethren. 

Applications will be accepted through Aug. 22, with the goal of
making an appointment by Oct. 1. Those interested should submit
resume' and letter of application, and request three references to
send letters of recommendation, to: Office of Human Resources,
Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL
60120-1694. The office can also be reached at 800-323-8039, ext.
258, or by e-mail at mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.

A more detailed position description can be found at
www.brethren.org/genbd/GeneralSecretary/Elgin.htm.

 10) The General Board is seeking a director of marketing and sales
for Brethren Press. The full-time position will be located at the
Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

Responsibilities include developing a marketing plan, managing the
Brethren Press inventory, supervising customer service and
shipping/warehouse functions, helping to develop new products and
create promotional materials, operating the Annual Conference
bookstore, and managing advertising and subscriptions for
Messenger.

Candidates should have proven skills in marketing or sales, a
bachelor's degree in a related field, and experience working in a
religious setting.

Applications are due by Aug. 15. Those interested should submit
resume' and letter of application, and request three references to
send letters of recommendation, to: Office of Human Resources,
Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL
60120-1694. The office can also be reached at 800-323-8039, ext.
258, or via e-mail at mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.

A more detailed position description can be found at
www.brethren.org/genbd/GeneralSecretary/Elgin.htm.

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, director 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. Carol Yeazell and David Radcliff contributed to this
report.

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