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Date: June 4, 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       June 4, 2004

"O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the
earth!" Psalm 8:1 

NEWS
1) Planners refine process, goals for ecclesiology consultation.
2) On Earth Peace builds on 30 years of peacemaking.
3) BBT reviews accomplishments in Socially Responsible Investing.
4) General Board renews emphasis on stewardship.
5) Church planting event develops `deep roots, strong wings.'
6) Brethren bits.

FEATURE
7) Yum! shareholders' meeting hardly yummy.

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

1) Planners refine process, goals for ecclesiology consultation.

A unique group of high-level Church of the Brethren leaders met May
12-13 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., for a
thoughtful and, at moments, passionate planning session for a
denomination-wide consultation on ecclesiology, or the nature of
the church. The broad intent of the work is to help bring about a
renewal of the church. The consultation was initiated in 2003 with
a statement from the district executives identifying fragmentation
in the denomination and calling for conversation "concerning who,
whose, and what we are."

The planning group, a gathering of church leaders that may not
occur in any other setting, includes district executives and
representatives of Annual Conference and Conference agencies, and
is not consistently the same group of individuals. This was the
third meeting for the group, which wrestled with practical matters
such as how to ensure participation by the diversity of the
denomination, how to identify an evocative theme, how to acquire
funding, how to train facilitators for the discussion, and how to
structure a launch event for the consultation.

The group is requesting of the Annual Conference Program and
Arrangements Committee that the launch event be a day at the 2006
Conference in which ordinary business is set aside. Conference was
identified as a forum to ensure as broad a representation of the
denomination as possible. If the request for Conference time cannot
be met, a separate launch event will be held. The process will
continue with regional events and a culminating celebration in
2007. A key component will be a study guide, prepared for the
launch event and then made available to the denomination. Districts
will be invited to use the consultation theme for their 2006
conferences.

Ron and Harriet Finney agreed to be volunteer coordinators for the
regional events and for a training event for those who will
facilitate the discussions. The Finneys are retired from leadership
in South/Central Indiana District and Harriet was moderator of the
2003 Conference.

At the meeting, discussion came to focus on a spiritually searching
question, What is God's yearning for the Church of the Brethren?
"It's an imperative conversation," said Jonathan Shively, director
of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, who also called
the consultation "risky" for church leaders who in initiating it,
must be ready and willing to lead based on their findings. Brethren
Press publisher Wendy McFadden characterized the consultation as
exercise for the church's "muscles of conversation," a way of
practicing on more fundamental issues now in order to be prepared
to take on more difficult questions in the future.

"We want everybody to be part of the conversation," said Southern
Ohio district executive Mark Flory Steury, who chairs the group,
during a sometimes heated discussion of how to represent the
diversity of the denomination. Related worries for the group were
that Brethren may not share their excitement for the conversation,
that the consultation be a constructive dialogue rather than a
forum for polarizing issues, and that it result in renewal and
change.

Shively's question, "Who is listening?" prompted the group to
discuss the possibility of naming a "listening team" with
responsibility to listen to and reflect on responses that are
generated. Responses already have been solicited from diverse
groups such as the Brethren Revival Fellowship, Womaen's Caucus,
and the Brethren and Mennonite Council for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender Concerns.

"People have been in prayer for so long in so many ways for the
church. I believe this is part of the answer," said Ron Finney.
"We're going to do something and put it into God's hands."

At this meeting, Mark Flory Steury, Virlina District executive
minister David Shumate, and the Finneys represented the districts;
Annual Conference was represented by secretary Fred Swartz; the
Association of Brethren Caregivers was represented by executive
director Kathy Reid; Matt Guynn, peace witness program coordinator,
represented On Earth Peace; academic dean Stephen Reid and faculty
Jeff Bach and Dena Pence Frantz represented Bethany Theological
Seminary; Jonathan Shively attended from the Brethren Academy; and
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary, and staff Wendy McFadden, Mary
Jo Flory Steury, Julie Hostetter, and Del Keeney represented the
General Board.

2) On Earth Peace builds on 30 years of peacemaking.

The year 2004 marks the 30th anniversary of On Earth Peace. In
1974, M.R. Zigler gathered a group of peacemakers at the Brethren
Service Center in New Windsor, Md., because of his belief that the
church needed a hands-on organization to teach people about
biblical peacemaking, conscientious objection to war, and
faithfully living the words of the Gospel. 

Since that day, many people have helped to carry out Zigler's
vision to make the Church of the Brethren a Living Peace Church,
and have provided leadership and programming for thousands of youth
and adults to learn how to live and work as Christian peacemakers.
On Earth Peace will celebrate these 30 years of empowering people
to discern "the things that make for peace" at various regional
weekends and at the 2004 Annual Conference.

Each event will feature music from the JOYA (Journey of Young
Adults) quartet of LuAnne Harley, Shawn Kirchner, Brian Kruschwitz,
and Barb Sayler, which first gathered in 1994 while in Brethren
Volunteer Service. At Conference this year, JOYA will be featured
at the On Earth Peace breakfast July 6. At each regional weekend,
JOYA will provide concerts and worship leadership. At the regional
events a "Conflict Transformation for Congregational Leaders"
workshop will be provided. Workshop topics include understanding
conflict dynamics, centered speaking and listening, transformation
in a conflict setting, being a "non-anxious presence," and handling
power in leadership roles. Workshop registration is $40, pastors
will be eligible to receive 0.6 continuing education units. For
more information about the workshops, contact Annie Clark at
260-982-8595 or e-mail annieclark@mchsi.com.

The first regional celebration of the On Earth Peace anniversary
will be held in the Great Lakes area of northern Indiana and
southern Ohio, June 11-13. There will be JOYA concerts at Trotwood
(Ohio) Church of the Brethren June 11 and at Bethany Church of the
Brethren, New Paris, Ind., June 12. On June 13, JOYA will provide
worship leadership at Manchester Church of the Brethren, North
Manchester, Ind. On June 12 at the Bethany congregation, two
workshops will be offered: "Conflict Transformation for
Congregational Leaders" 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and "Peacemaking in
the Family" 1:30-4:30 p.m., for parents and children above age
three, led by Judy Myers-Walls. For more details on any of these
events, visit www.brethren.org/oepa/30thAnniversary.html or call On
Earth Peace at 410-635-8704.

Other regional celebrations will be held Aug. 13-15 in the
Mid-Atlantic Region at the Brethren Service Center and Bridgewater
(Va.) Church of the Brethren; Nov. 12-14 in the Plains Region at
First Central Church of the Brethren, Kansas City, Kan., McPherson
(Kan.) Church of the Brethren, and Wichita (Kan.) Church of the
Brethren; and March 4-6, 2005, in the Pacific Southwest Region at
Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren and La Verne (Calif.)
Church of the Brethren.

3) BBT reviews accomplishments in Socially Responsible Investing.

In April the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) Board of Directors
reviewed accomplishments of the organization's Socially Responsible
Investing (SRI) program. The SRI program is three-pronged, with a
first component to screen potential investments according to
guidelines consistent with Annual Conference statements, a second
component of activism through shareholder actions, and a third
component of community development through investments.

Each BBT investment fund manager follows screening guidelines to
invest in companies whose activities "support the creation and
maintenance of a society consistent with the policy statements of
the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference," according to BBT.
Guidelines exclude stock or bond investments in organizations that
generate significant revenue from gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or
defense contracts. This excludes about 60 of the S&P 500 companies,
said Nevin Dulabaum, director of Communications and Information
Services.

BBT investors and pension holders need not worry about losing
potential returns because of such screening practices, Dulabaum
said. Over the past ten years, BBT funds generated returns on par
with those of major market benchmarks. "This means that our
investors gave up nothing to the markets in order to invest in a
socially responsible manner," said Will Thomas, director of
Foundation Operations.

Most SRI activity focuses on the second component, shareholder
actions. BBT has been lead filer of three shareholder initiatives
in 2003-2004: YUM! Brands was asked to adopt a smoke-free policy in
company-owned restaurants; Caterpillar was asked to report on the
impact HIV/AIDS will have on its African operations and on the
company's response to the pandemic; and Xcel Energy was asked to
report on efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Boston Common Asset Management, a BBT investment manager, also
pursued other initiatives using BBT shares to gain access. In
response to a resolution from BBT, Burlington Resources adopted a
policy on dealing with indigenous peoples in areas where the
company proposes to extract natural resources and BBT is working
with the company to make the policy more responsive to the concerns
of local people. For more than 20 years, Union Carbide and later
Dow Chemical have faced significant claims arising from the gas
leak in Bhopal, India, and BBT has filed a resolution with Dow
requesting a report on how settling the claims will affect the
company. BBT also was a co-filer in a successful effort asking
Procter & Gamble to include a fair-trade coffee product in its
offerings. The company now offers fair-trade coffee through its
Millstone brand.

Other such issues tackled by BBT include human rights policy at
Occidental Petroleum, labor rights at Exxon Mobil,
greenhouse gas emissions at Apache Corporation, environmental
disclosure and other issues at Newmont Mining Corporation,
instruments containing mercury at McKesson Medical, HIV/AIDS
reporting at American International, marketing of violent video
games to children by Target Corporation, extractive industries
review recommendations at the World Bank, and licensing of
HIV/AIDS drugs by GlaxoSmithKline.

A third component in the SRI ministry, the Community Development
Investment Fund, has been available to pension members and
foundation clients for a year. These investments are placed with
nonprofit lenders and are used to finance affordable homes and
small businesses and to help fund agencies working directly with
disadvantaged populations and communities.

4) General Board renews emphasis on stewardship.

The General Board is renewing its emphasis on stewardship at a time
when the national trend may be for more giving to churches and
nonprofits, according to a new study by the Barna Group. Increases
in giving by individuals have not, however, quite made up for a
subtle, long-term decline in congregational giving to the core
ministries of the board, according to Ken Neher, director of the
board's Funding and Donor Development.

The new stewardship emphasis is an attempt "to help the
denomination become financially healthy at all levels," reported
Carol Bowman, stewardship development counselor for the board and
Congregational Life Team staff for Area 5, in a phone interview
that included Neher. Stewardship is not just about fulfilling
budgets but is "a foundational faith issue" for Bowman, who is
concerned that the Church of the Brethren has not thoroughly
educated for stewardship in recent years. "We've often left giving
up to conscience, which I think is fundamentally a good thing," she
said, "but what we don't do is challenge people at the outset of
their faith commitment that it's a life commitment, and giving is
a huge part of your faith."

"I've been calling stewardship a priority issue" in a culture of
"misguided" priorities, Neher said, listing stewardship concerns
that go far beyond the financial choices of individuals. He gave
the examples of a US lifestyle of waste and the assumption of
personal entitlement, as well as thoughtlessness about how lavish
lifestyles affect neighbors around the world. In order to be
faithful stewards, the Brethren have to exhibit a "radical
counter-culturalness to live what Jesus taught," he said, "and
that's not easy."

The call to radical discipleship echoed a recent discussion with
Church of the Brethren young adults in which Bowman said she was
challenged to present stewardship as a counter-cultural activity of
the church. Young adults voice these concerns more than their
elders, she said. She sees hope for the church in a new generation
who want to live as disciples of Christ.

The two board staff also emphasized that costs for keeping the
ministries of the church going--such as health insurance--continue
to rise and "put the squeeze on" all ministry priorities, in
Neher's words. Both understand rising costs as a problem for
congregations and districts as well as for the board and other
Annual Conference agencies.

Work has already begun on developing a closer relationship with
congregations and districts in regard to stewardship. More than 100
congregations have responded to a survey sent out in April, seeking
information about how the board "can better help congregations in
growing generous disciples." In addition, Outreach Planning Packets
will be provided to districts by the Conference agencies, including
information about agency ministries as well as other district and
camp ministries. The packets will be passed on to congregations for
their use. In mid-July, congregations also will receive a
Stewardship Resource Packet containing "Giving" magazine and other
resources for year-long stewardship education. "Untamed
Stewardship" will be the theme for the Congregational Life
Ministries dinner at Annual Conference July 5 with speaker Ed
Taylor, director of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. 

For more information about the new stewardship emphasis, contact
Carol Bowman at 509-663-2833 or e-mail cbowman_gb@brethren.org.

5) Church planting event develops `deep roots, strong wings.'

"Deep roots, strong wings"--the phrase formed a repeating chorus in
a song composed by Jonathan Shively and Tara Hornbacker for this
year's Church of the Brethren church planting training event. The
event itself, sponsored by the Brethren Academy for Ministerial
Leadership and held May 17-21 at Bethany Theological Seminary in
Richmond, Ind., also echoed the themes: being rooted in heritage
while unafraid to soar into new horizons and possibilities. About
85 people attended the conference, the second to be hosted by the
Brethren Academy.

Jay Steele, a member of the General Board's New Church Development
Advisory Committee, opened the week with a keynote worship message.
Steele asked rhetorically whether it mattered for new congregations
to be distinctly Brethren. "Spirituality is a 21st-century term for
pietism," Steele said. "The pietist movement has been reborn.
People want it, and we have what they want." Steele also heralded
the Brethren qualities of peacemaking, community, and service as
being particularly relevant for today's world. "I just passionately
believe that we have a unique message that speaks to some people
and is needed," he added, "one that people are looking for."

Bethany dean Steve Reid picked up on the Brethren angle the
following night, preaching from the book of Ezekiel. Reid lifted up
the need to confront the "brutal facts" facing the denomination
while never losing hope because "God is not done with us." Other
featured speakers included Bob Logan of Coach Net Inc., Jeff Wright
of the Center for Anabaptist Leadership, and Nadine Burton, who
works with new church leader development in Indianapolis.

The week also included "house church" worship services, workshops,
stories of Brethren church plants, presentation of an upcoming new
church development manual, opportunities for spiritual direction,
and group discussion.

6) Brethren bits.

*The 2004 series of Church of the Brethren workcamps for junior and
senior highs and young adults began with a May 28-June 10 trip to
the Taize community in France and the World Council of Churches in
Geneva, Switzerland. Leaders are Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade,
co-coordinators of this year's workcamp program. Crystal Waggy, of
Rock Run Church of the Brethren, Goshen, Ind., and a student at
Manchester College, is assistant coordinator.

*Flash floods and mud slides on the border of the Dominican
Republic and Haiti May 24 have not directly affected Church of the
Brethren congregations on the Caribbean island, reported Irv and
Nancy Heishman, the General Board's mission coordinators in the DR.
Up to 1,000 people may have perished in floods that hit in the
middle of the night while most were sleeping, the Heishmans said.
"Fortunately, all of our Dominican Brethren were out of harm's way
during this intense three-day storm," they said. "However, the
Dominican Brethren have caught the Brethren spirit of disaster
relief and will likely organize a response effort in the weeks to
come."

*After a week of turbulent weather across the US, with devastating
storms, and floods in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, district disaster
coordinators are on the alert for ways Brethren can help reports
Jane Yount of the General Board's Emergency Response program. A
Disaster Child Care team was dispatched to Hallam, Neb., a small
town that was nearly obliterated by a tornado, Yount reported.

*Faculty and staff of Manchester College, a Church of the Brethren
school in North Manchester, Ind., are donating an estimated 9,000
textbooks to help a fledgling Philadelphia community college for
Hispanics build its library. The texts cover subjects ranging from
science and education to computers, writing, languages, and math.
The collection--including cataloging the texts--is a project of the
first graduating class of Manchester's newest degree program,
Master of Arts in Contemporary Leadership. The texts will travel
this summer to Nueva Esperanza Center for Higher Education of
Eastern University.

7) Yum! shareholders' meeting hardly yummy.

At least 30 armed police officers and other plain clothes security
personnel were directing motor and foot traffic. To enter the
building, all visitors had to be pre-registered, sign in, and get
temporary badges. Guests were herded through a metal detector where
all sharp objects, weapons, cell phones, and cameras were
confiscated.

A White House state visit? Hardly. It was the 2004 annual
shareholders' meeting of Yum! Brands, parent company of Taco Bell,
Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's, A&W, and KFC, held May 20 in
Louisville, Ky. Will Thomas and I were there to represent the $1.75
million Brethren Benefit Trust pensioners and Brethren Foundation
asset management clients own in Yum! stock. For three years BBT has
led a shareholder resolution asking Yum! to ban smoking in its
corporate-owned restaurants.

Seems like a simple request. Taco Bell took that step several years
ago when it was owned by Pepsi. KFC's European division has
instituted such a policy. So have McDonalds and Wendys. Moreover,
such a ban would remove the threat of costly tobacco-related
lawsuits by employees or patrons and reduce health risks to
everyone in the restaurants. Even some Yum! officials privately
support BBT's resolution and voted for it as shareholders.

Nevertheless, at heart of the issue is control, which Yum! did
everything in its power to maintain. Once shareholders passed
through the metal detector, aisle controllers guided visitors down
the hall. At the meeting, where chairman and chief executive
officer David Novak took his seat on a small stage along with
corporate secretary Chris Campbell, just off stage were two big men
whose job it was to watch the shareholders--Yum! bouncers. Each
shareholder resolution was limited to one speaker and three
minutes. No additional dialogue was allowed. Each speaker, Will
Thomas included, spoke into a cordless microphone firmly grasped
with two hands by a Yum! employee.

Once voting concluded, the firm had no plan to announce preliminary
results. A majority of shares are voted in advance through proxy
statements, and so the outcome of the vote--but not the official
vote percentages--is usually known at the start of each meeting.
After pleas from several shareholders, the numbers were read with
BBT's resolution receiving just over seven percent of the vote. Or
did it? The Securities and Exchange Commission mandates that
resolutions can return year after year only if they meet increasing
percentage thresholds of the vote, not including abstentions.
However, Will and other resolution presenters believe that the
numbers presented by Yum! included abstentions which, if true,
would reflect a much lower percentage of support. The true tally
will be available July 1.

Why armed guards, metal detector, aisle controllers, bouncers, and
limited shareholder interaction? One reason we were given is that
some shareholder activists, such as People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been known to become extremely
disruptive during shareholder meetings. But having witnessed all of
this control, I think Yum! does not want a single shareholder
resolution to pass--even those that are just and right. One
successful resolution could spawn new resolutions and soon Yum!
could have shareholders caring about and participating in the
company they own, leading the firm to adopt sensible social
practices in addition to maintaining a strong balance sheet. What
a concept!

--Nevin Dulabaum is director of Communications and Information
Services for Brethren Benefit Trust.

***********************************************
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. Chris Douglas, Nevin Dulabaum, Lerry Fogle,
Jeri S. Kornegay, Janis Pyle, Barbara Sayler, Will 
Thomas, and Walt Wiltschek contributed to this report. 

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