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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: March 2, 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:  CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       Special	Report

March 2, 2005

Brethren congregations, individuals, and  groups continue tsunami
relief efforts.

Many Church of the Brethren  congregations, individuals, colleges,
and other Brethren groups have been  raising money and material
donations to aid survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami  in Asia, through
the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and  Emergency
Response/Service Ministries program. Since the beginning of  the
year the EDF has received $764,521 in donations.

Following is a	compilation of the latest of these efforts:

First Church of the Brethren  in Wichita, Kan., voted to send
$25,000 to the EDF, depleting the  congregation's reserves built up
from an extended period of time without a  pastor, according to the
Western Plains District newsletter. "The  congregation had been
counting on these reserves to match their income to  their new
budget for the year, which goes beyond their present level  of
giving," the newsletter reported. "We commend them for their vision
and  seeking to be faithful to God's claim upon their lives."

Mountain View  Church of the Brethren in Boise, Idaho, held a
community fair Feb. 12 to  raise money for tsunami relief. "God be
praised!" reported pastor David  McKellip. "We had a great turnout
from the community and moved a huge amount  of second-hand stuff.
Sold over $80 of donuts and chili. The silent auction  went very
well.... It looks like when everything is in, we will raise  over
$2,000." Information tables featured Church World Service and  its
CROP and Blanket Sunday programs, Heifer International, Habitat  for
Humanity, World Relief, A Greater Gift (SERRV), and Ten  Thousand
Villages.

Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren youth held a  Tsunami Fast for
30 hours Feb. 25-26, reported Jody Gunn. The funds raised  by
sponsorships were donated to the EDF. "Last year the group  raised
$1,000 for World Vision and decided to change their  recipient
organization for 2005," Gunn said. The youth began a juice  and
water fast after lunch Friday and broke it with a light  supper
Saturday. A work project during the weekend lock-in was  assembling
Health Kits. "They hope other youth groups in the Church of  the
Brethren will participate in a fast to aid survivors of the
tsunami,"  Gunn said.

At Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren Jennie Reist, a	recent
college graduate, asked about the possibility of going to Asia	to
assist personally with relief efforts. "Since this wasn't an
option,"  reported Lititz moderator Jim Gibble, "she was encouraged
to collect relief  kits. Jennie delivered the kits to Church World
Service at New Windsor. This  was her first visit to the Brethren
Service Center. Also more than $5,000 has  been raised to support
the efforts of the General Board." The Lititz  congregation and
community embraced the project, according to the "Lititz  Record
Express." Many individuals and families in the church, as well	as
Sunday school classes, families from the church's Toddler Gym,	the
Friends Club from the ALIVE program, and even a local  fifth-grade
elementary school class helped collect and assemble Health Kits  for
tsunami victims as well as Emergency Clean-Up Kit buckets to  help
disaster-devastated areas in the US. "It would be wonderful if	the
kits wouldn't all fit in my car," Reist told the newspaper.

Many  other congregations collected Gift of the Heart kits as well,
notably  Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren, which delivered
3,612 Health Kits to  the Brethren Service Center as of Feb. 1 and
was planning to put together 400  more. 

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren in Glen Arm, Md.,  which
usually makes about 700 Gift of the Heart kits every year,  by
mid-February had assembled 875 kits and delivered them to the
Brethren  Service Center. After hearing about the tsunami, "money
came in, supplies  were purchased, and we met three times to
assemble kits," reported Marian  Bollinger. "One Sunday, folks
stayed after worship for soup and salad  (contributed money towards
kits) and then assembled 200 kits. It was great to  see 35 or 40
persons having so much fun working together and helping  others
around the globe."

The Pathfinders at Panther Creek Church of  the Brethren near Adel,
Iowa, sent 37 Health Kits and three Medical Kits. "We  have a good
start to meet pastor Peg's challenge to send 100 more kits  by
Easter," they reported in the church newsletter.

Among others  collecting kits were Staunton (Va.) Church of the
Brethren, which placed a  notice in the newspaper inviting the
community to contribute to its kit  collection; Polo (Ill.) Church
of the Brethren, which worked with several  individuals as well as
other churches and area businesses to donate 609 kits;	Freeport
(Ill.) Church of the Brethren, which stationed drop-off barrels  for
Health Kit donations at two sites in town; and the four Church of
the  Brethren congregations in the mid-shore region of
Maryland--Easton, Denton,  Fairview, and Ridgely--which will collect
items for Health Kits through April  1, unless the need then is
still critical in which case the project will  continue.

In Southern Pennsylvania District, Marsh Creek Church of  the
Brethren in Gettysburg, Pa., responded to a Jan. 2 challenge  from
pastor Joel Nogle to make and contribute 100 kits. By Jan. 16  the
church had donated money and necessary items for 295 Health Kits
and  delivered them to New Windsor, reported district staff Georgia
Markey. The  Gettysburg youth also hosted a pancake breakfast to
raise a love offering for  Medical Kits. In addition, Carlisle (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren collected  165 Health Kits; Bermudian Church
of the Brethren in East Berlin, Pa.,  collected 105; Newville (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren collected 54; and  Shippensburg (Pa.) Church
of the Brethren collected 47. Mission Central of  Mechanicsburg
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren collected 148 kits and  Emergency
Clean-Up Kit buckets.

McPherson (Kan.) Church of the	Brethren also was challenged to
provide 100 Health Kits. After two weeks, the  congregation had more
than doubled that number, collecting 206 kits. The  junior high and
senior high youth assembled the kits and donated many of  the
bandages and ziplock bags, and bought more supplies for  incomplete
kits. An anonymous donor committed to pay the $1 handling fee  for
each kit, to go to Church World Service to cover shipping  costs.

At least two Church of the Brethren districts have  contributed
corporately to the denominational effort. Some 60 congregations  in
Virlina District collected donations totaling $62,210.60 as of Feb.
25.  In West Marva District the Disaster and Relief Committee sent
$5,000 from  local emergency disaster funds.

"The North Manchester community and  Manchester College collected an
amazing amount in just one month for the  Tsunami Disaster Relief
Fund," reported Jeri S. Kornegay, director of Media  and Public
Relations for the college. A note from college president Jo  Young
Switzer said that another round of student donations was held  on
campus, in addition to that reported in Newsline on Jan. 21. Along
with  $2,884 from Dexter Axle, a North Manchester company that
matched donations  from its 220 employees, and gifts from North
Manchester neighbors and members  of the college community, the
effort coordinated by the college came to a  total of $9,631. "It's
pretty common for the people in the plant to step up  and help
people when there's a need," noted Dexter Axle plant manager  Pat
Mulroy. The donations were forwarded to the Church of the Brethren
for  its support of Church World Service relief work for the  tsunami
victims.

Please send any further news of Church of the  Brethren efforts for
tsunami relief to  cobnews@aol.com.

*****************************************************************
Newsline  is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news
services for the  Church of the Brethren General Board, on every
other Wednesday with other  editions as needed. Newsline stories may
be reprinted provided that Newsline  is cited as the source.
Newsline is a free service sent only to those  requesting a
subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe,  write
cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 260. Newsline  is
available and archived at www.brethren.org. For additional news  and
features, subscribe to the Church of the Brethren  magazine
"Messenger." Call 800-323-8039.