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

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Date: , 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       May 7, 2004

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior," Luke 1:46-47

NEWS
1) Brethren Benefit Trust Board adopts five-year strategic plan.
2) CPT comments on `patterns of abuse' in Iraq.
3) Emergency Disaster Fund sends aid to Haiti.
4) Cross Cultural Consultation held in Puerto Rico.
5) Brethren attend conference on Christian philanthropy.
6) Brethren bits.

UPCOMING EVENTS
7) Brethren Witness/Washington Office sponsors Million Mom March,
CO day.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW
8) Submissions invited for Annual Conference display of Living
Peace Church Art.

*****************************************************************
1) Brethren Benefit Trust Board adopts five-year strategic plan.

With eyes firmly fixed on the future, the Brethren Benefit Trust
(BBT) Board of Directors has affirmed its blueprint for operations
over the next five years, according to a release from the agency.
Meeting April 17-18 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices
in Elgin, Ill., the board approved a strategic plan that includes
initiatives pertaining to the Brethren Pension Plan, Brethren
Medical Plan, Church of the Brethren Credit Union, and Brethren
Foundation, as well as overall marketing efforts.

"After 18 months of study, research, and discussion that led to the
creation of this plan, we believe these strategic issues will guide
a majority of BBT's work for the years to come," said Wil Nolen,
BBT president. "We're excited about what the future holds for BBT."

The strategic plan focus on the Pension Plan calls for the board's
Investment Committee and staff to improve the method of funding
retirement benefits to reduce the possibility of future unfunded
liabilities. The board began addressing this issue one year ago
when it approved the creation of "A" accounts for contributions
before July 1, 2003, and "B" accounts for contributions on or after
that date.

The major strategic initiative for the Brethren Medical Plan is a
continuing effort to locate and implement reasonable coverage for
members at affordable premiums. Inflationary trends and unfavorable
claims experience make it a major challenge to provide a good
benefit plan at a reasonable cost.

On April 1 BBT fulfilled a strategic plan goal of sponsoring a
denominational credit union by assuming all administrative
functions of the Church of the Brethren Credit Union (CoBCU), which
until mid-February was the Brethren Employees' Credit Union. Staff
members reported that they have begun a review of operating
policies and procedures and are exploring the development of new
products and services. Dennis Kingery, director of Credit Union
Operations, supervised relocation of the credit union offices to
BBT and the launching of a new "look" complete with new logo,
brochure, forms, and website. The board also affirmed the creation
of a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) as another strategic
priority. A CUSO typically offers an expanded range of financial
services to members of a credit union, although it is a separate
organization.

Under the umbrella of the Brethren Foundation, the board included
a strategic priority to support church agencies and related
organizations in the development of their own deferred giving
programs. This will support primarily those agencies with
insufficient staff to implement such a program on their own. The
Brethren Foundation will prepare educational articles, provide
descriptive materials, consult with potential donors, and
administer gifts that come to client organizations.

The final component of the strategic plan contemplates the
development of a consistent marketing identity for the wide range
of ministries provided by BBT.

In other business, BBT's long-term care insurance has been the
topic of several employee educational seminars.  Following numerous
inquiries for specific information, about 20 individuals have
policies either in force or under way. The board also received
reports on preparations for the 2004 Annual Conference, the work of
the InterAgency Forum, issues before the executives of
denominational agencies, the content of the denomination's
ecclesiology consultation, and matters that have come before the
Church Benefits Association.

In the last in his series of visits to board meetings of the five
Annual Conference agencies, Conference moderator Chris Bowman
opened the meeting with a meditation and prayer. Board members
expressed appreciation for Bowman's presence. 

Future BBT board meetings are scheduled for July 6 in Charleston,
W.Va., and Nov. 19-20 in Northern Indiana District.

2) CPT comments on `patterns of abuse' in Iraq.

With horrific images of abused Iraqi prisoners in the media this
week, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) urged attention to the
patterns of abuse in Iraq and the question, "How did this happen?"
CPT is a ministry initiated by Mennonites, Brethren, and Friends,
and has an "Adopt a Detainee Program" to support Iraqi detainees.

The organization has been documenting abuses within the detention
system in Iraq for nearly a year, a CPT release said. "The problem
is very broad," wrote Sheila Provencher in the release. "These
photos, tragically, were not a surprise to me." Provencher has been
a member of the CPT team in Iraq, where her work focused on
detainees. The team left Iraq in April on the advice of Iraqi
colleagues of risks to international workers. CPT has had a team in
Iraq almost continuously since Oct. 2002.

"We have communicated grave concerns about the detention system in
several meetings with US military and Coalition Provisional
Authority officials in Iraq, and with representatives in Congress,"
said Provencher. "Many Iraqis who tell us stories of degrading
abuse also comment on the `noble soldiers' who protested such abuse
and treated them with respect. However, the sheer number of
allegations of mistreatment, many of which I have heard personally,
suggests that the problem is not just a matter of a few `bad
people,'" she wrote. She acknowledged that there are Iraqis guilty
of violent acts, but added that "the methods used to capture,
imprison, and interrogate such Iraqis are so violent that the
Coalition only creates more resisters." 

Provencher suggested that factors contributing to the abuse include
ideology that separates the world into "good guys" and "bad guys,"
military hierarchy, and the dehumanization of young US soldiers by
their training, combat stress, and neglect. "To feel a constant
threat to one's life, coupled with the psychological stress of
being separated from home and family, is devastating," she said.
She added that routine military orders might be considered abusive,
such as the systematic arrests of all male members of a household
or community in midnight raids that terrify families "and sometimes
end in the injury or death of women and children."

"Once the men are in detention, families find it extremely
difficult to secure information about them, and do not know if they
are alive or dead," she said. "Many women and children who rely on
the male breadwinner become homeless while he languishes in jail."

CPT's Adopt a Detainee Program is coordinated by Rick Polhamus, a
member of Pleasant Hill (Ohio) Church of the Brethren. Several
Church of the Brethren groups and congregations are taking part, he
reported, along with people from other denominations and different
interfaith and ecumenical groups. The response has spanned the
globe, all the way from Nigeria to Alaska, he said. For more
information contact CPT at 773-277-0253 or www.cpt.org, or call
Polhamus at 937-313-4458 or e-mail jrp@cpt.org.

3) Emergency Disaster Fund sends aid to Haiti.

An allocation of $10,000 has been made from the General Board's
Emergency Disaster Fund in support of an expanded Church World
Service (CWS) appeal for materials and aid for Haiti, following the
violent overthrow of the government in March. Despite the presence
of an international military force, political violence continues to
disrupt everyday life in Haiti, according to the grant request.

The funds will help provide a variety of aid and services including
first aid, legal assistance, food security, health assistance,
agricultural recovery, income-generating activities, psycho-social
assistance, and conflict resolution in nine Haitian provinces. An
initial grant of $5,000, made in March, supported an emergency air
shipment of food and medicine.

This week, staff of the board's Service Ministries program at the
Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., packed and shipped a
CWS container shipment for Haiti valued at $151,003. The shipment
included 25,000 pounds of canned meat, 25 Interchurch Medical
Assistance Medicine Boxes, 185 cartons of school supplies, and 700
cartons of Mennonite Central Committee refugee buckets. This week's
shipment follows on the heels of the March shipment that was
channeled through the Dominican Republic to assist Haitian refugees
along the Haitian-Dominican border.

4) Cross Cultural Consultation held in Puerto Rico.

With tears streaming down his face, Brother Joseph Craddock, a
minister of Germantown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, spoke for many
when he joyfully proclaimed, "This has been the best experience of
my life." Forty-seven pastors and leaders from the mainland joined
with sisters and brothers of Puerto Rico at the Cross Cultural
Consultation hosted by the Castaner church, April 29-May 3.

Spirit-filled worship occurred several times a day and the Castaner
church building was filled to overflowing each evening. Sermons,
testimonies, music, and prayers were offered to God in French,
Creole, Spanish, and English, held together by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Harriet Finney, past Annual Conference moderator,
reminded the gathering that the church has not yet arrived in
becoming the multi-cultural church of the New Testament, but is on
its way and closer to this goal than when it first began. Ruben
Deoleo, of Lancaster, Pa., and Miguel Alicia, of Rio Prieto, P.R.,
also preached. Worship was led by Gilbert Romero of Bella Vista,
Calif. Belita Mitchell, of Harrisburg, Pa., retold the Cross
Cultural Ministries Team story. Greetings from the General Board
were shared by Frank Ramirez, of Everett, Pa.

The worship experience was enriched by the leadership of Puerto
Rican Church of the Brethren congregations including Las Casa del
Amigo Fellowship of Santana, Arecibo, where Loren and Lily Crespo
are pastors; Yahuecas, where Norma Medina Rivera is pastor; Juan
and Isabel Figueroa, pastors of Camito Christian Center; the young
adults of Vega Baja, where Hector Perez is pastor; and the youth of
Castaner, where General Board member Jaime Diaz is pastor.

Educational opportunities included hearing the story of the
Brethren in Puerto Rico and a tour of the Castaner hospital led by
Elsa Groff; an introduction to the work of the Anti-Racism Training
Team led by James Washington, of Whitehouse, Texas, and Sharon
Reich, of New Hope, Va.; and a workshop on new ways of dealing with
conflict led by Mark Chidley of Cape Coral, Fla.

Castaner church provided hospitality including meals and housing.
A work project left behind a new driveway for the church, which was
financially assisted by three Indiana congregations: Bremen,
Pleasant Dale, and Anderson.

The Cross Cultural Ministries Team is supported by the General
Board and receives staff assistance from Congregational Life Team
members Duane Grady and Carol Yeazell. A 2005 event is planned for
April 21-24 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. For
more information contact Grady at 800-505-1596 or e-mail
dgrady_gb@brethren.org.

5) Brethren attend conference on Christian philanthropy.

"Gateway to Giving" was the theme of the 26th North American
Conference on Christian Philanthropy (NACCP) this past week, held
by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center (ESC) literally under the
Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo. The General Board is an important
partner and contributor to the training and stewardship resource
production efforts of the ESC, said Ken Neher, the board's director
for Funding and Donor Development, in his report on the conference.

Twenty Church of the Brethren pastors, stewardship advocates,
representatives of care facilities, and General Board staff were
among the 250 people at the event. Southern Ohio District was well
represented because of an anonymous donor with a passion for
stewardship, who paid registration fees with the request that
attendees who feel they have received from the event pay for
another person to attend with them at the next event in two years.
That generosity is making it possible for Southern Ohio to build a
solid core of motivated and trained stewardship mentors and
advocates, Neher said.

Keynote presentations were by Martin Marty, professor emeritus at
the University of Chicago Divinity School and author of over 50
books on topical issues of Christianity. Daily worship was led by
Anthony Bailey, senior minister of Parkdale United Church in
Canada. In one evening session, attendees were treated to the
poignant humor of Mennonite comedians Ted and Lee. Among other
pieces, the duo performed "Don't Sit on Your Stuff," a stewardship
story co-sponsored by General Board stewardship staff and
videotaped and distributed to many Brethren congregations over a
year ago as part of a stewardship resource packet.

Two full days of breakout sessions were presented in three tracks
for congregational leaders, development leaders, and a general
track. Seminars ranged from "The ABCs of Giving," to "Kids and
Money," to "Financial Planning for Ministers." Teaching and
discussions ranged from the very basics of motivations for giving,
to cutting-edge understandings of Christian stewardship in a
material-oriented culture.

In his workshop "Speaking of Money," ESC director Ed Taylor asked,
"Why are you afraid to give as much as you'd like to give?" and
then challenged the church with the question, "How can the church
address the worry that delays or lowers our giving and the joy that
would follow?" That question is "something for us all to ponder!"
said Neher, who invited Brethren to plan to attend the next NACCP
in 2006.

6) Brethren bits.

*On behalf of the Church of the Brethren, the Association of
Brethren Caregivers (ABC) has signed on to the Cover the Uninsured
Campaign, which focuses attention on the plight of nearly 44
million uninsured Americans. Cover the Uninsured is a national
campaign that has organized a range of events to educate the public
about the social injustice and compounding problems that the lack
of health insurance brings to all Americans. ABC has posted "A Call
to Care for People Without Insurance" on its website at
www.brethren.org/abc/ and encourages congregations to participate
in awareness-raising and educational events planned for their areas
during Cover the Uninsured Week May 10-16. To find out more, visit
www.CoverTheUninsured.com.

*Scott Holland, assistant professor of Peace Studies and Cross
Cultural Studies at the Church of the Brethren's Bethany
Theological Seminary, is scheduled to speak at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C., on May 20, along with Ann Riggs, National
Council of Churches' associate general secretary for Faith and
Order. The two are members of an organizing committee for the "Watu
Kwa Amani" conference in August in Kenya, the next in a series of
Historic Peace Church conferences engaging with the World Council
of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence, and co-editors of a
recently published book of papers from the first such conference,
held in Bienenberg, Switzerland, in 2001. The third co-editor is
Fernando Enns, a German Mennonite theologian. The book, "Seeking
Cultures of Peace: A Peace Church Conversation," can be ordered
from Cascadia Publishing at 215-723-9125 or
www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com.

7) Brethren Witness/Washington Office sponsors Million Mom March,
CO day.

Two May events in Washington, D.C., are being sponsored by the
General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office: the Million Mom
March on May 9, and International Conscientious Objector Day May
15.

The office is urging Brethren to join the "Mother's Day March to
Halt the Assault" for gun control laws. "People die every day from
handguns. Show your convictions of nonviolence, peace, and justice
by taking a stand and lending support to those who have lost loved
ones needlessly," said an action alert from the office.

The event will begin with an interfaith prayer service at 10 a.m.
on the west lawn of the US Capitol building and is expected to
continue to mid-afternoon with speeches and a march down
Constitution Avenue. Presenters sharing stories of how violence and
the gun lobby have influenced their lives and families will include
Jesse Jackson Sr., Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer,
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and
authors Marianne Williamson and Richard North Patterson. The event,
organized by the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence, is wheelchair
accessible and interpreters will be on hand for the hearing
impaired.

On May 15, International Conscientious Objector Day, the office is
hosting seminars and workshops about conscientious objection,
anti-militarism, counter recruitment, and war tax resistance from
noon to 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Brethren
Witness/Washington Office, 337 North Carolina Ave., SE, Washington,
DC 20003.

On May 14, the office is co-sponsoring the Center for Conscientious
and War Lobby Days along with Mennonite, Quaker, United Methodist,
Unitarian, Catholic, and Presbyterian organizations as well as the
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund and Veterans for Peace. The
lobbying day will focus on educating Congress about conscientious
objection and how a military draft is not a viable option. "During
this time when the United States military is stretched thin across
the globe in various military campaigns, there are talks about the
administration considering a draft. Now is the time to make our
voices heard, to let Congress know that we do not want a draft,"
the action alert said. 

For more information call the Brethren Witness/Washington Office at
800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

8) Submissions invited for Annual Conference display of Living
Peace Church Art.

In May and June, Newsline will offer short previews of unique
events or features of the 2004 Annual Conference of the Church of
the Brethren, to be held July 3-7 in Charleston, W.Va.

"Join the call for a living peace church. Contribute your art and
stories!" invite On Earth Peace and the General Board's Brethren
Witness/Washington Office, following the "Call for a Living Peace
Church" issued by the 2003 Annual Conference.

Peace art projects by adults and children may be sent in for a
display at the Charleston (W.Va.) Civic Center during the 2004
Annual Conference. Send art submissions by June 1, identified with
name and address of the artist, to the Brethren Witness/Washington
Office, 337 N. Carolina Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003. Submissions
cannot be returned by mail and must be picked up at the end of
Conference.

Personal and congregational stories about peacemaking also are
sought. There will be brief moments to share the stories during
business sessions, times of worship, an insight session on "How to
Be a Living Peace Church" 9 p.m. July 6, and in On Earth Peace and
Brethren Witness/Washington Office displays. Send stories with
contact information by June 1 to On Earth Peace, P.O. Box 188, New
Windsor, MD 21776 or e-mail Oepa_oepa@brethren.org.

*****************************************************************
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, 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. Mary Dulabaum, Duane Grady, Ken Neher, and
Will Thomas contributed to this report.

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