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

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Date: Jan. 3, 2004
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) A review of 2003: Celebrating a year of Brethren activity and
ministry.
 2) Church World Service begins large-scale response to Iran
earthquake.
 3) Annual Conference Council responds to queries, makes plans for
Charleston.
 4) Emergency Disaster Fund aids projects in Iraq, Puerto Rico.
 5) Brethren bits: Awards, honors, and more.

PERSONNEL
 6) General Board seeks director of Identity and Relations.

COMING EVENTS
 7) ABC announces theme, keynote speakers for NOAC 2004.
 8) Level 1 Disaster Child Care workshops planned for 2004.

FEATURES
 9) A closing note: Newsline editor Walt Wiltschek signs off.

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

 1) While stories of war and violence filled many of the national
and international headlines in 2003, stories of Brethren continuing
the work of Jesus Christ in various ways and places also permeated
the year. In an annual Newsline tradition, following are highlights
of some of those stories from the past 12 months:

*New leaders were called for several of the denomination's major
agencies. Stanley J. Noffsinger succeeded Judy Mills Reimer in July
as general secretary for the Church of the Brethren General Board,
promising to "roll up his sleeves" for the difficult work ahead;
Kathy G. Reid was called as executive director of the Association
of Brethren Caregivers near year's end, succeeding Steve Mason; and
Stephen Breck Reid became academic dean for Bethany Theological
Seminary in July, following Rick Gardner.

*The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a ministry
training partnership of the Church of the Brethren General Board
and Bethany Theological Seminary, was selected in November to
receive a grant of $2 million from the Indianapolis-based Lilly
Endowment Inc. to participate in a national program called
"Sustaining Pastoral Excellence."  

*Brethren were closely engaged with developments in Iraq--issuing
statements, joining in ecumenical conversations, and participating
in protests and educational events in the days leading up to the
war, and later sending aid to the devastated nation.

*The Susquehanna Valley Satellite of Bethany Theological Seminary
observed its 10th anniversary with a celebration at Carlisle (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren on Nov. 2. The Elizabethtown, Pa.-based
satellite now partners with five area districts in its ministry.

*Dr. Haruun Ruun, who is supported in his work as executive
secretary of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) by the
General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office, was honored
with the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award in a ceremony in
Philadelphia on Nov. 8. Haruun received the award from Crown
Princess Victoria of Sweden.

*Brethren Benefit Trust agreed to serve as third-party
administrator for the Brethren Employees' Credit Union beginning in
spring 2004, with the aim of providing a new array of services to
a wider Brethren audience.

*An Annual Conference that 2003 moderator Harriet Finney of North
Manchester, Ind., characterized as "bathed in prayer" took place
July 5-9 at Boise State University in Idaho. About 2,900 people
registered for the event, making it one of the largest conferences
Boise had ever hosted. 

*Brethren responded to a host of natural disasters with financial
and material aid as well as volunteer hours. Major responses
included cleanup and recovery efforts following Hurricane Isabel in
September and a wave of severe tornadoes in the spring, plus
rebuilding projects in Wisconsin, Mississippi, Illinois, and
elsewhere. A Church of the Brethren Disaster Child Care project
responded to rampant wildfires in southern California in the fall,
with 26 volunteers making contact with nearly 500 children during
the 19-day response.

*General Board Global Mission Partnerships executive director Merv
Keeney joined National Council of Churches (NCC) general secretary
Bob Edgar, Church World Service (CWS) executive director John L.
McCullough, and four others in a delegation to North Korea and
South Korea in mid-November, capping a year-long effort by the NCC
and CWS to address political tensions and severe humanitarian needs
on the Korean Peninsula. 

*Sixteen interns, matching the record high set in 2002, were
present for the 2003 Ministry Summer Service orientation in
Richmond, Ind. The annual program, sponsored by the General Board's
Youth/Young Adult and Ministry offices, allows young adults to
consider ministry options by placing them in ministry settings with
a mentor for the summer. 

*More than 250 Brethren gathered at Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the
Brethren Aug. 14-16 for the biennial Caring Ministries Assembly
sponsored by the Association of Brethren Caregivers. This year's
theme, "Healing Out of Silence," focused on spiritual growth and
practical help with caregiving issues.

*A celebration of the Brethren family's historical roots and
present-day worldwide ministry marked the Brethren World Assembly,
held July 23-26 in Winona Lake, Ind. About 100 people registered
for the event, which wa sponsored by Brethren Encyclopedia Inc. and
held on the Grace College campus. It was the third time such an
assembly has been held, and the first since 1998. All six major
denominations tracing their roots to Alexander Mack's 1708 movement
were represented.

*The Council of District Executives initiated a process to discuss
and study the ecclesiology of the church, with a series of meetings
and events planned for the next few years. All of the Annual
Conference agencies have joined in the effort, which will examine
what it means to be the church and how the church goes about its
ministry.

*Delegates at Annual Conference gave a strong endorsement to a Call
for a Living Peace Church, looking for practical ways to live out
the denomination's peace position. On Earth Peace and the General
Board, which co-sponsored the resolution, are moving forward with
ideas, plans, and resources.

*The National Youth Cabinet declared a denomination-wide Youth Day
of Prayer for Sept. 28, asking youth across the Church of the
Brethren to join together in prayer in creative ways. Earlier, on
March 7, Brethren gathered at three denominational sites for
special prayer services held in conjunction with the World Day of
Prayer. Both initiatives, along with some activities at Annual
Conference, came in response to the "Call to Prayer" query passed
by the 2002 Conference.
 
*Thirty-five grants were made from the General Board's Emergency
Disaster Fund, totaling nearly half a million dollars. The aid
supported relief work through Church World Service and other
organizations across the United States and in all corners of the
world.	  

*Brethren Volunteer Service worker Don Vermilyea continued his
"Walk Across America," trekking across the Rockies and the Plains
in his quest to visit every Church of the Brethren congregation
that will host him. By year's end he had crossed the 8,000-mile
point in his journey as he reached Nebraska.

*Brethren traveled to Sudan as part of a Faith & Advocacy
delegation led by Phil and Louie Baldwin Rieman in late summer and
to Nigeria on an annual workcamp sponsored by the Global Mission
Partnerships office. Workcampers on the latter trip continued
construction of a classroom at the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria
(EYN) Comprehensive Secondary School.
     
*New leadership was called for major Brethren mission areas, with
Irv and Nancy Heishman beginning as coordinators in the Dominican
Republic, and Greg and Karin Davidson Laszakovits called as
representatives for Brazil. A search is under way for a successor
to John and Janet Tubbs in Nigeria. 

*The 2003 youth/young adult workcamp season ended in mid-August
after more than 500 youth, youth advisors, and young adults
participated in 26 workcamps across the US, in the Caribbean, and
in Northern Ireland and Ecuador. 

*A November Ministry of Reconciliation workshop at Camp Mack in
Milford, Ind., titled "Leadership in Times of Controversy,"
provided space for people involved in deep and ongoing conflict to
sit down and talk openly with one another. 

*The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board this fall
completed the first cycle of its Vision and Planning Process by
adopting a document entitled "Strategic Goals, Objectives, and
Action Steps." The document sets in place an action plan for the
next three years.

*Brethren Colleges Abroad officially launched its new Peace and
Justice programs, enabling students to study in these fields by
examining current world issues at universities and colleges in
Cuba, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary,
Belgium, and Wales.	 

*The Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the
Dominican Republic continues to grow, with two preaching points--
Boca Chica and Sabana Torsa--given congregational status at the
church's annual "conferencia," and two other worshipping
communities in Peniel and La Caya formally recognized as preaching
points.   

*The 2003 Youth Peace Travel Team of Laura Sweitzer, Erica Schatz,
and Mandy Wampler traveled to Church of the Brethren camps in the
Midwest and to Annual Conference, the 13th year a team has been
sent out to do peace education. 	

*More than 70 people gathered in Gotha, Fla., to attend the
denomination's annual Cross-Cultural Consultation, making it the
largest gathering in the five-year history of the energetic and
multilingual event.

*A "Toward a Brethren Philosophy of Higher Education" conference
coordinated by Elizabethtown (Pa.) College's Young Center for
Anabaptist and Pietist Studies presented viewpoints on varied
aspects of higher education, representing both the college and
church perspectives. Topics included biblical and theological
foundations, the importance of having Brethren personnel at the
denomination's colleges, the church-college relationship, and
models of maintaining Brethren identity on campus.     

*Brethren Volunteer Service began the year with one of the largest
winter units in recent history, and continued with strong
enrollment throughout the year. Several orientations were held in
unique locations and formats, including emphases on spiritual
growth and simple living.

*The Brethren Press children's book "Faith the Cow," originally
published in 1995 to tell the story of the origins of Heifer
Project, passed the 15,000-copy level in sales this summer. The
book recently went to press for its sixth printing.    

*Two dozen Church of the Brethren pastors, district executives, and
new church development committee members gathered in Phoenix in
January for a seminar on coaching church planters, part of an
ongoing drive to provide training and resources in church planting.

*A dedication service for the 10-acre campus of the new Valley
Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center was held Sept. 7 in
Harrisonburg, Va. . . . Southern Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic
districts again joined for an annual meat canning project,
processing 80,000 pounds of chicken. . . . About 160 people
gathered at Idaho's Camp Wilbur Stover June 29 to July 5 for the
seventh annual Song & Story Fest. . . .  Other groups met for a
youth ministry workshop in New Windsor, Md., led by Mark DeVries;
a Fellowship of Brethren Homes Forum; an annual Young Adult
Conference held at Camp Eder in Fairfield, Pa.; a youth Christian
Citizenship Seminar in New York and Washington, D.C., focusing on
globalization issues; an "Organizing for Peace" event in Richmond,
Ind.; and an Anabaptist Evangelism Council conference in Chicago
examining worship.

And in 2004, the work of Jesus continues!

 2) Responding to the immediate need for medical supplies in
earthquake-ravaged Bam, Iran, Church World Service (CWS) announced
this week that it will airlift medical supplies to serve 1,000
people for three months, as well as 5,000 hygiene kits. The 20-foot
container shipment is expected to leave for Iran on Jan. 6.

The shipment launches a long-range response commitment for CWS,
which announced on Monday a $500,000 appeal for survivors of the
devastating Dec. 26 earthquake, estimated to have killed more than
30,000 people according to news reports. Some 200,000 people live
in and around Bam and about 70 percent of the houses in Bam were
destroyed by the 6.6-magnitude quake, Iranian State Television
reported.

CWS also issued an emergency grant immediately following the
earthquake for the purchase and distribution of emergency shelter
materials for Bam's survivors. CWS is responding to a direct
request from the Iranian Red Crescent through the Middle East
Council of Churches. 

"Medical and hygiene supplies are vitally needed now by the
thousands of survivors still struggling and unprotected in what is
essentially a demolished city," CWS Emergency Response Program
director Rick Augsburger said. "We are acting immediately."

Augsburger said that complete recovery from the earthquake "will
take several years." This latest emergency response in Iran is part
of CWS' longstanding presence in the Middle East, including support
to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

 3) Two new grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund
were made during the final weeks of the year.

The first will send $15,000 in additional support for the Church
World Service "All Our Children" campaign in Iraq. Funds will help
secure health and medical assistance for children in Iraq, where
ongoing violence has hindered relief efforts.

A second grant, for $4,000, will go toward Church World Service's
response to flooding in Puerto Rico. Unusually heavy rains on the
island caused severe flooding and landslides, affecting more than
5,000 homes in 21 particularly hard-hit municipalities. The funds
will help to provide material aid and to support local recovery
groups.

Thirty-five grants have now been made from the fund in 2003.

 4) The Annual Conference Council met Dec. 8-9 in Elizabethtown,
Pa., with a full agenda. Major items included the council's
response to an unanswered portion of a query sent to Conference
from Michigan District, a revised draft of the Annual Conference
paper on The Role and Qualifications of Local Church Moderators,
next steps toward a revision of the denomination's Manual of
Organization and Polity, and items related to preparation for the
2004 Conference in Charleston, W.Va.

The council was charged by 2003 Conference delegates with the task
of responding to a number of questions raised in a Michigan query
titled, "Clarification of Confusion." The request for clarification
related to both procedural and theological issues in the
denomination's policies for calling and disciplining set-apart
ministers.

After considerable discussion relating to each question, the
council felt that answers should come from a larger group than the
council itself, and that a consultation on ministry issues,
involving especially the General Board Office of Ministry and
district executives, should occur as soon as possible. Current
moderator Chris Bowman and moderator-elect Jim Hardenbrook are also
planning a visit to several areas of Michigan District.

Aware of both the Michigan issues and similar concerns throughout
the denomination, the council made plans to hold a session at the
2004 Conference in which individuals and groups will have
"opportunity to share with the council and fellow Conferencegoers
concerns, observations, and suggestions relating to denominational
life and ministry." the session is scheduled for July 4 at 9 p.m.
On Earth Peace has agreed to help facilitate the discussion. 

As asked by the 2003 Conference, the council assembled a committee
of key people to help revise the paper on local church moderators.
With the help of this ad-hoc committee, the council revised the
paper for consideration by the 2004 Conference. The new paper
provides for the moderator to work in whatever structure the
congregation has, including the possibility for moderators to be
called from beyond the local church. The paper still maintains the
traditional requirement for moderators to be members of the Church
of the Brethren.

At the invitation of the council, Wayne Miller had been working at
revising the 2001 Manual of Organization and Polity, primarily
gathering materials for a section that will provide information on
the Annual Conference agencies. Miller asked to be relieved of
further responsibilities for the revision, so the council asked
Conference secretary Fred Swartz to form a committee to help him
complete an initial draft of the revision.

The initial draft will be posted on the Annual Conference web page
prior to the 2005 Conference, when a new denominational Review and
Evaluation Committee is to be called by Conference. A new manual
will not be published in hard-copy form until after the next Review
and Evaluation Committee has made its report.

In other actions, the council:
*received with regret the resignation of council member Sandy
Bosserman, who cited unexpected responsibilities at home and work.
Annual Conference delegates will be asked to elect another district
executive to fill the vacancy on the council.

*confirmed that it now shares with Standing Committee the
responsibility to provide for denominational envisioning. The
moderator and moderator-elect will engage the 2004 Standing
Committee in a process to begin the fulfillment of that function.

*confirmed a mission statement and refined core value and vision
statements as part of a strategic planning process. The council
plans to submit the statements to Standing Committee in Charleston
for consideration, then do further work on goals and objectives.

*heard and ratified plans from the Conference officers to prepare
materials and hold information sessions where invited on the
preparation of queries for Annual Conference. 

*heard reports from the moderator and Annual Conference executive
on preparations for the 2004 Conference in Charleston, W.Va., and
approved the executive director's salary package for 2004.

The council next meets March 16-17 in Elgin, Ill.

 5) Brethren bits: Brief news and updates from around the
denomination and beyond.
 *The General Board's Service Ministries program received a
Certificate of Appreciation from the American Red Cross in
recognition of service following Hurricane Isabel this past fall.
Shipments of blankets and Gift of the Heart kits were made to
shelters in Maryland and Virginia.

 *Registration for the 2004 National Young Adult Conference opened
Jan. 1 at www.nyac2004.org. The event--the first of its kind in
size and scope--will be held June 14-18 in Winter Park, Colo.

 *Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) worker Peggy Gish, a member of
the Church of the Brethren, accepted the Yoko Tada Human Rights
Award at a Dec. 18 ceremony in Tokyo for her work with CPT. Gish
has spent much of the past year as part of a CPT presence in Iraq.
Japanese journalist Masakazu Honda nominated Gish for the award
after he interviewed her in Jordan last March. Three Yoko Tada
awards are presented each year.

 6) The Church of the Brethren General Board is seeking a full-time
director of Identity and Relations, based at the denomination's
General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

Responsibilities of the position include providing interpretation
of the ministries of the General Board through personal contact and
a variety of media, working with a peer advisory group to provide
coordination of communication and public relations in a cohesive
manner, and collaborating with and coaching other staff in sharing
about their work.

Applicants must be an active member of the Church of the Brethren,
possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, and have
familiarity with the General Board's ministry areas. A bachelor's
degree in a related field is required; master's preferred.

Application deadline is Jan. 19. Candidates should complete the
General Board application form, 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 Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694. For
application form or other questions, call 800-323-8039, ext. 258,
or e-mail mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.

 7) Plans are coming together for the seventh National Older Adult
Conference (NOAC), to be held Sept. 6-10 at Lake Junaluska (N.C.)
Assembly. Sponsored by the Older Adult Ministry area of the
Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), the biennial event
typically draws more than 1,000 people.

The conference theme will be "Being Renewed Day by Day," based on
2 Cor. 4:7-16. Keynote speakers will include United Methodist
leader and author Tex Sample, Foundation for Global Community
fellow L. Robert Keck; Gratis (Ohio) Church of the Brethren member
Pamela K. Brubaker, a professor of religion at California Lutheran
University; Manchester Church of the Brethren (North Manchester,
Ind.) senior pastor Kurt Borgmann; and Beacon Heights (Fort Wayne,
Ind.) pastor for worship Deanna Brown. Borgmann and Brown will
preach at the opening and closing worship celebrations,
respectively.

Morning Bible studies will be led by Stephen Reid, academic dean
and professor of Old Testament studies at Bethany Theological
Seminary. 

Registration details for NOAC will be available in February. For
more information about the conference, call ABC at 800-323-8039.

 8) A series of Level 1 Disaster Child Care training workshops has
been scheduled for the first half of 2004 by the General Board's
Emergency Response/Service Ministries office.

The first workshop will be held Feb. 20-21 at Union Congregational
United Church of Christ in West Palm Beach, Fla. 

Others will be March 5-6 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the
Brethren; March 12-13 at a site to be announced in North Carolina;
March 26-27 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Frederick, Md.; April
16-17 at Tearcoat Church of the Brethren, Augusta, W.Va.; April
24-25 at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.;
April 30-May 1 for a combined UMCOR/Disaster Child Care training at
a site to be announced in Buffalo, N.Y.; and May 21-22 at Lanark
(Ill.) Church of the Brethren.

Further details are available at www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm.

 9) Dear readers: After writing and editing more than 140 issues
of Newsline over the past four and a half years, this first issue
of 2004 marks my final one at the helm. I begin this month as
editor of Messenger magazine, where I will continue the quest to
share the denomination's stories in a different format.

It has been an honor to have stewardship of this communication
vehicle, and it has been exciting to watch its continuing growth.
More than 2,100 people now receive Newsline directly via e-mail,
and many others read it online or see parts of it reprinted in
church and district newsletters or elsewhere. 

I am pleased to be able to hand over the editing duties to Cheryl
Brumbaugh-Cayford, who officially begins as director of news
services on March 1. Cheryl has graciously agreed to begin doing
much of the writing and editing for Newsline beginning with the
Jan. 16 issue, however, so the transition is already under way. She
brings strong communications and church experience, and Newsline
will be in good hands.

Above all, I have appreciated the opportunity to dialogue with many
of you via e-mail or in person, and to see the church at work in so
many places and forms while reporting its stories. I am excited
about continuing those relationships and building new ones in the
pages of Messenger, and I'm excited by some of the things I see
happening in the church. Blessings to you on the journey...

Walt Wiltschek

 

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. Newsline stories may be reprinted
provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Lerry Fogle and
Kathleen Campanella contributed to this report.

To receive Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 263,
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