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Date: March 16, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline      March 16, 2005

"Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds  everything
together..." Colossians 3:14

NEWS
1) General Board hears	good news, shares glimpses of the church.
2) Church-college conversation	focuses on vocation.
3) Inter-Agency Forum holds `successful and gratifying	meeting.'
4) Global Food Crisis Fund distributes $90,000 for hunger  relief.
5) Disaster fund gives grants, disaster projects are completed.
6)  Dominican assembly welcomes church planting projects.
7) Brethren bits:  Personnel, Annual Conference, and more.

PERSONNEL
8) Julie Hostetter  resigns from Congregational Life Teams.

UPCOMING EVENTS
9) Young  adults will meet on `Provoking Love and Good Deeds.'

FEATURE
10)  General Board shares glimpses of the  church.

***********************************************************
1)  General Board hears good news, shares glimpses of the church.

Meeting in  Elgin, Ill., March 11-14, the General Board received
numerous reports of  positive developments in the agency and in the
church. The agenda included  time to focus on stories from board
members and their congregations and  districts (see feature story
below).

A positive income report headed  the good news (see the Feb. 16
Newsline). A giving report for 2004 "showed  the first growth in
years" in congregational giving to the board's Core  Ministries
Fund, according to Ken Neher, director of Funding and  Donor
Development. Other categories of giving were up as well, and  the
prospect for 2005 is similarly bright. Self-allocation reporting
from  congregations for 2005, which is up 8.9 percent from 2004, was
another  positive note, as was the giving to the Emergency Disaster
Fund (EDF) this  year, which totals $868,775. "It is remarkable what
our gifts can do when  bound together in Christ," Neher said.

Reports of recent  out-of-the-ordinary efforts highlighted the
breadth of the board's work: the  Church of the Brethren Christmas
Eve service on CBS, the response to the  tsunami, and the Anabaptist
Consultation on Alternative Service. Reports of  these three
juxtaposed in one meeting gave a sense of how the board is  working
in areas of worship, peace, service, and witness.

The board  also received a report from Dale Roth, chair of the
Stewardship of Properties  Committee, a board-appointed committee
considering use of General Board  properties in Elgin, Ill., and New
Windsor, Md. He reported plans to gather  data from board members
and staff, districts, the church at large, Annual  Conference
agencies, and other organizations that rent from the board.  "We're
open to the Spirit," he said, adding that the committee does  not
have a "preconceived notion" about the outcome of its work.  He
outlined questions the committee will ask and a timeline for the
study,	which will include an insight session at Annual Conference
and conclude with  a report and recommendations to the board in
March 2006.

Board members  discussed how to have informed decision making when
the recommendation is  received and asked that the board's October
meeting include consideration of  the committee's survey questions
as a group. Heads of other Conference  agencies may be invited.
"This must be a very transparent and collaborative  discussion,"
said Stan Noffsinger, general secretary.

A capital  proposal was approved for up to $130,000 for masonry
repair on the four  oldest buildings at the Brethren Service Center
in New Windsor, Md. Repairs  are needed "so it doesn't deteriorate
any further and become a more expensive  problem," said executive
director Roy Winter. Safety concerns also motivated  the proposal.

A project to increase donations to the Emerging Global	Mission Fund
was presented early in the meeting. The fund supports new  church
planting in the US and mission in Brazil. "New Birth, New  Life"
would encourage Brethren to mark events of new life--such  as
baptisms, births, anniversaries, memorials--with gifts to the fund.
A  concern that the approach would not generate the amount of money
needed was  expressed as well. "We see this as seed planting," said
Del Keeney, executive  director of Congregational Life Ministries.
"This feels incremental but it	has the potential to change folk."
By the end of the meeting, two unsolicited  donations to the
Emerging Global Mission Fund had been received. A collection  for
One Great Hour of Sharing, taken on Sunday morning when  many
congregations observed the annual offering, received $536.

2)  Church-college conversation focuses on vocation.

About 70 Brethren  college administrators, college chaplains,
denominational staff members,  pastors, and others met Feb. 10-12 at
Manchester College in North Manchester,  Ind., for a "Church-College
Conversation" on issues of faith leadership and  vocation.
Manchester campus chaplain Jim Chinworth said the time was  intended
"to create a space where we can listen, not just to each other,  but
to the holy and sacred."

The group was joined for the second half  of the meeting by more
than 20 college students who have been part of	Ministry Summer
Service (MSS) or Theological Exploration of Vocation  (TEV),
programs designed to help young adults explore Christian  vocation.
Those students then stayed on for a student leadership	conference.

Manchester president Jo Young Switzer thanked the Lilly  Endowment
for the funds that made the events possible, calling it  a
tremendous gift. "Let's be like kids at Christmas time, rip it
open, and  have some fun," she said.

Margee Iddings of the Rising Phoenix Retreat  Center in Maryland led
several worship times, weaving in biblical background  for
leadership and vocation. Two of the worship times included
listening  circles in which participants were able to share their
own stories of call  and examine the challenges, fears, and joys of
those callings. In another  main session Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, a
member of Open Circle Church of the  Brethren in Burnsville, Minn.,
and an ordained minister, shared her personal  journey that led to
ordination. Del Keeney, executive director of  Congregational Life
Ministries for the General Board, followed with an  overview of
Brethren heritage and tradition related to calling. "In  our
tradition, to aspire to leadership is the quickest way not to  be
called to it," Keeney said. "It is the community that names the
gifts  and calls them out and affirms them."

Further exploration of calling came  via short vignettes that
students shared before each meal, in small-group  table discussions,
and through journaling. David White of Emory University's  Candler
School of Theology led a session of "creative play," in  which
participants created living sculptures to illustrate  their
perceptions of the church-college relationship. White and  the
General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry director Chris
Douglas  teamed up to share some of the learnings and best practices
of MSS and TEV.  MSS has had 110 young adult interns serving in
congregations or other	ministry settings over the past nine years,
while TEV has placed 91 college  students over the past four
summers, many in Brethren Volunteer Service  projects. This coming
summer is the last funded by a special Lilly  grant.

3) Inter-Agency Forum holds `successful and gratifying	meeting.'

The Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) held its ninth annual meeting Feb.  2-3
in Daytona Beach, Fla. Annual Conference officers and  executive
director, a representative from the Council of District  Executives
(CODE), and executives and board chairs of the five  Conference
agencies were present. Chris Bowman, immediate past  Conference
moderator, led the meeting.

Collaboration and economization  of resources by sharing common
tasks was a dominant theme. One member	commented that the desire to
work together was more evident now than he had	seen in more than 30
years' association with the denomination.

A major  item of discussion was how agencies can collaborate to
provide a more	effective and comprehensive report to district
conferences. The discussion  began in a CODE meeting on the eve of
the IAF meeting. A proposal was  presented to designate
representatives from two of the agencies to give a  video
presentation of the work of all the agencies, and then briefly	talk
in more detail about the work of their own agencies.
Representatives  of two other agencies would visit that district
conference the following  year, and the final agency would be
represented the next year, with all  agencies to be represented each
three years. Exhibits would reflect a  collaborative effort to
present the entire work of the	denomination.

District executives cautioned that each district conference  is
unique in its agenda and time allotment, but gave a warm reception
to  the idea, especially as it demonstrates an effort to show unity
and  creativity in denominational reporting. Members of IAF
developed the idea in  more detail and commissioned the
communications staffs of the agencies to  propose a design,
beginning with the 2005 district conference  season.

Other arenas in which a more unified purpose can be  presented
include Annual Conference, the annual consultation with  Standing
Committee, and the memorial time for church leaders observed  at
Conference.

The IAF also examined some issues of critical nature  for the
denomination: providing a medical plan for pastors and	church
workers, promoting deferred giving to denominational agencies,	the
study of the stewardship of denominational properties, pros and
cons  of dispersed staff, and how IAF members should be involved in
and informed  about issues that divide the denomination and alienate
segments of the  membership. Annual Conference, CODE, and the
agencies reported their  activities, financial status, and concerns
as the IAF concluded what was  called its most successful and
gratifying meeting, reported Fred Swartz,  Annual Conference
secretary.

4) Global Food Crisis Fund  distributes $90,000 for hunger relief.

The General Board's Global Food  Crisis Fund (GFCF) has issued three
large grants for hunger relief in North  Korea, El Salvador, and
Angola. 

The GFCF allocated $50,000 to  continue support for a longterm
international farm rehabilitation project in  North Korea. The
project encompasses 24,000 acres across three coastal and  inland
counties, and involves four large farm cooperatives. The  first
$60,000 GFCF grant toward this effort in Jan. 2004 supported  early
planting of barley and rice; this new grant will help provide  new
and additional grain and vegetables along with material for
protective  covering of the crops.

In other grants the GFCF gave $20,000 to support  Iglesia Bautista
Emmanuel in an irrigation and water conservation project in  the San
Simon area of El Salvador, which will help ten communities  with
water management, growing crops, fruit tree  cultivation,
reforestation, and education. In Angola, the fund gave $20,000	to
support SHARECircle in the agricultural phase of its  post-war
construction work. The funds will go toward equipping and  training
10,000 family farmers with tools to grow grains and vegetables	and
will assist with water management and infrastructure.

For more  information about the Global Food Crisis Fund,  see
www.brethren.org.

5) Disaster fund gives grants, disaster  projects are completed.

Several grants have been given from the Emergency  Disaster Fund
(EDF) totaling $50,000, and disaster response staff are  celebrating
completion of disaster rebuilding and repair projects in  Poquoson,
Va., and Camp Ithiel in Florida.

The EDF grants are headed  by $20,000 for the Brethren Disaster
Response work in Florida, where funds  will continue clean-up,
repair, and rebuilding projects. An allocation of  $10,000 supports
a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for peace and  rebuilding
initiatives in post-war Liberia, including building  permanent
shelters, distributing tools and seeds, and health services  for
women, youth, and children. Another $10,000 goes to CWS  hurricane
disaster response work in nine US states and  territories,
continuing to provide small grants to recovery groups,	trauma
response training, "Gift of the Heart" kits, and supporting  staff
working on longterm recovery. A grant of $5,000 supports a  CWS
appeal for longterm recovery from severe flooding and mudslides  in
five US states: California, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Arizona.
Another  $5,000 supports CWS recovery work in the Philippines
following flooding and	mudslides in Nov. 2004.

In other disaster response news, the rebuilding  project in
Poquoson, Va., is completed and will close March 19. "In the  past
13 months, over 700 volunteers have assisted more than 50
families,"  reported Jane Yount, of the General Board's Emergency
Response. "Well done!"	she added in a newsletter for disaster
volunteers. "It's difficult to say  goodbye to a community that has
been so warm and accepting of our presence,  but we rejoice at their
recovery and healing from Hurricane Isabel."

A  project to repair storm damage at Camp Ithiel, a Church of the
Brethren camp  in Gotha, Fla., also has been completed. Over 100
volunteers worked at the  camp and in the surrounding community
starting in January. "Now it is time to  move on," Yount said,
reporting that the project will move to Pensacola,  Fla., over Holy
Week. Pensacola and neighboring Escambia and Santa Rosa  Counties
bore the brunt of Hurricane Ivan on Sept. 16, 2004, the third  of
four hurricanes to strike Florida in a five-week period.  Volunteer
Glenn Kinsel reported, "Upon flying in over the area, I  was
immediately struck with the preponderance of blue (tarped)
roofs....  The older, non-affluent area of the inner city of
Pensacola is indeed in bad  shape.... One shocking statistic is that
as of now one in eight persons in  the area is homeless." Volunteers
will repair roofs and water-damaged  sections of homes.

For more information about the General Board's	disaster response
work, see www.brethren.org.

6) Dominican  assembly welcomes church planting projects.

The 14th Annual Assembly of  the Church of the Brethren in the
Dominican Republic was held Feb. 18-20 in  Santo Domingo with the
theme "Peace in the Storm" from Luke 8:22-25.  Preachers included
Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the General Board,  and Jim
Hardenbrook, Annual Conference moderator.

Led by moderator and  pastor Anastacia Bueno Beltre, some 95
delegates and many additional  attenders enjoyed a spirited weekend
of worship, business, and fellowship.  The 19 Dominican
congregations gave a hearty official welcome to three new  church
planting projects: Carmona, located in the area of Sabana Grande  de
Boya, is a "daughter" of the San Luis congregation and because of
its  larger size was welcomed as a fellowship; Al Coride, a
preaching point of the	Peniel congregation; and Villa Esperanza, a
preaching point of the San Juan  congregation. Delegates elected as
pastor Mardocheo Catalice from the "Fe en  Cristo" congregation in
Boca Chica as moderator-elect and approved a 2005  budget.

The assembly also received reports from all the  congregations,
elected leaders, and General Board staff working in the DR,  while
the children in attendance enjoyed activities provided by  Dominican
church leaders working jointly with a work group from Florin  Church
of the Brethren, Mount Joy, Pa. Youth and young adults were led  in
Bible study by Carol Yeazell, a member of the General  Board's
Congregational Life Teams.

7) Brethren bits: Personnel,  Annual Conference, and more.

*Marilyn Ziegler has been appointed interim  manager of the Pension
Plan and Church Workers Assistance Plan at Brethren  Benefit Trust
effective March 1. She will occupy the former office of Don  Fecher.
At this time, the appointment is until the end of  2005.

*Pre-registration for Annual Conference 2005 in Peoria, Ill.,  is
now available online at www.brethren.org/ac or by using  the
pre-registration form in the Information Packet. The packet has
been  sent on CD to Church of the Brethren congregations in the
March Source  mailing, and is available online. For more information
call the Annual  Conference Office at 800-323-8039.

*The Annual Conference Anniversary  Committee invites submissions of
music, drama, and worship resources  representing the 2008
Tricentennial theme "Surrendered to God, Transformed in  Christ,
Empowered by the Spirit." Music submissions, due June 30,  may
include hymns, folk songs, praise songs, anthems, and  children's
songs.	Dramatic writings, due Dec. 31, may be full-length  dramas,
skits, monologues, and vignettes for adults, children,	and/or
youth. Worship resources, due Dec. 31, may include calls  to
worship, prayers, litanies, responsive readings, offertory
statements,  children's stories, benedictions, worship centers
(description and/or  drawing), power point presentations, and
interpretive movements. All  submissions become the property of the
Anniversary Committee for use in  tricentennial activities. Name,
address, and phone number of the writer or  composer should not
appear on the submission but should be included on a  separate page.
Send submissions to the Annual Conference Office, 1451 Dundee  Ave.,
Elgin, IL 60120.

*March 31 is the deadline for this year's  "Messenger" youth essay
contest. It is open to anyone age 13-18 during the  current school
year. Answer the question, "What do you like best about the  Church
of the Brethren?" in 300 words or less and send it  to
messenger@brethren.org or to 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL  60120,
postmarked by March 31. Include name, address, age, phone  number,
e-mail, and home congregation. Up to five entries will be  published
in the July/August issue; the writer of the top entry will  be
invited to share his or her essay at the 2005 "Messenger" dinner  at
Annual Conference.

*"Messenger" magazine readers noted a few months  ago that a Church
of the Brethren high school senior was recognized as a	National
Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. While these names often  are
published in local newspapers, there is no way to research the
total  Church of the Brethren list. If you are aware of a National
Merit Scholarship  finalist who is a member of the Church of the
Brethren and attending either  high school or college, please send
that information to  cobnews@aol.com.

*"Ever eaten a haystack?" asks the Global Mission  Partnership
Office of the General Board, sponsor of the Mission Alive  2005
conference in Goshen, Ind., April 1-3. Youth from Goshen's Rock  Run
Church of the Brethren are providing a regional dish known as  a
"haystack" for the Saturday evening meal at the conference, as	a
fundraiser for National Youth Conference. Participation by  nearby
congregations in meal preparation, music, and other aspects of	the
conference has been an important dimension of the event,  organizers
said. Participants also are coming from across the US and a  few
other nations. Keynote speaker Nathan Showalter is traveling  from
China to attend, and workshop and panel speakers Marcos and  Suely
Inhauser will attend from Igreja da Irmandade Brasil (the Church  of
the Brethren in Brazil). Participants are reminded to bring a gift
for  new missions from their congregations and "Hymnal: A Worship
Book." For more  information see the Mission Alive page of
www.brethren.org, including the  list of 21 workshops that will be
offered. Registration also continues at  this site, or call Mary
Munson at 800-323-8039 ext. 230.

*The General  Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is
supporting activities March  18-20 in Fayetteville, N.C., to voice
opposition to the war in Iraq on the  second anniversary of the war.
Activities will include a march and rally, a  concert by hip-hop
artists Ricanstruction and Little Brother, and a meeting  on
"Organizing in the South: Strengthening Our Communities, Sharpening
Our  Skills." The first national meetings of Iraq Veterans Against
the War,  Military Families Speak Out, and Gold Star Families for
Peace are also	planned. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office will
set up a table March 19  and will gather Brethren participants to
march together. Last year a similar  event in Fayetteville, which is
home to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base,  drew 1,500 people.
Heavy involvement by veterans and military families makes  the
Fayetteville events unique, according to an Action Alert from  the
Brethren Witness/Washington Office. For more information  see
www.ncpeacejustice.org, call the office at 800-785-3246 or  e-mail
washington_office_gb@brethren.org. See www.unitedforpeace.org  for
information about events planned in other parts of the	country.

*Don Vermilyea has passed the 14,000-mile mark and has begun  year
four of his Walk Across America. The Brethren Volunteer  Service
worker is attempting to walk to every Church of the  Brethren
congregation. See  http://www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/Walk.html
or listen to Vermilyea's  phone message at 800-323-8039 ext. 239.

*"Study of the Psalms," a  Teleconference Continuing Education Event
sponsored by Bethany Theological  Seminary's Susquehanna Valley
Satellite 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 9, will  feature Robert Neff, a
Church of the Brethren biblical scholar. Cost is $100  plus a $10
continuing education fee. Pre-registration is required by March  25.
The teleconference is limited to 20 seats at each location. For
more  information call 814-643-6001 or e-mail svs@etown.edu.

*A  church-supported boycott of Taco Bell and its parent company,
Yum Brands,  ended March 8 after Taco Bell agreed to a
penny-per-pound increase in wages  for migrant tomato pickers in
Florida, reports Religion News Service. Church	groups that joined
the boycott included the National Council of Churches, the  United
Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Christian  Church
(Disciples of Christ), and the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Tomato
pickers earn about 40 cents for each 32-pound bucket of  tomatoes
they pick, according to "The Washington Post," and must pick  two
tons of tomatoes to earn $50. Labor leader Lucas Benitez said,
"This  is an important victory for farmworkers, one that establishes
a new standard	of social responsibility for the fast-food industry
and makes an immediate	material change in the lives of workers."

*The early-bird registration  deadline is approaching for a New Life
Ministries event led by Tony Campolo  and Brian McLaren in Telford,
Pa., April 26. "Renewing the Church--Reclaiming  the Gospel" also
features Brethren workshop leaders Fred Bernhard, Steve  Clapp, S.
Joan Hershey, David Young, and Paul Mundey. Save $10 by  registering
before April 1. Church of the Brethren attendees will earn  .6
continuing education units. For more information call  800-774-3360,
e-mail NLMServiceCenter@aol.com, or  visit
www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.

*"Let March 20 this year be a  celebration of the beginning of the
end of the war and occupation" in Iraq,  wrote Cliff Kindy, a Church
of the Brethren member of Christian Peacemaker	Teams (CPT). March
20 is the second anniversary of the beginning of the war.  "This is
the day the US public should proclaim the end of the war,"  Kindy
urged in a letter to supporters of his peacemaking work based  in
Baghdad. His suggestions for celebratory peacemaking actions on
March  20 included bringing the US soldiers home, supporting
military resisters, and  wrapping peace ribbons around weapons
factories, among many others. "CPT has	been here in Iraq for well
over two years. Please hear this proposal," Kindy  asked. "March 20
will no longer be a time to remember war, but a time of  new
beginnings." For more information about Kindy's work see
www.cpt.org.  CPT is an initiative of the historic peace churches
(Mennonites, Church of	the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and
membership from a range of  Catholic and Protestant denominations.

8) Julie Hostetter resigns  from Congregational Life Teams.

Julie M. Hostetter, coordinator of  Congregational Life Team (CLT)
Area 3 for the General Board, has resigned  effective April 30. She
has accepted the position of Academic Coordinator for  United
Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where she received her  master
of divinity degree in 1982 and served as administrative staff  for
five-and-a-half years.

Hostetter began with the board in 1997,  working from Roanoke, Va.
She brought experience as a co-pastor, pastoral  administrator,
church musician, and teacher, as well as a priority for  education
and the place of children to her work. Her duties  included
resourcing and consulting with congregations and  districts,
networking with Annual Conference agencies, and  providing
leadership training in Christian education, worship, music,  and
ethics. She coordinated the editorial team for "The Seed  Packet"
Christian education newsletter, served on the advisory	committee
for the new Gather 'Round curriculum, and chaired the  launch
committee for TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the  Church.

Hostetter plans to bring her regional work to a close by April	30,
but will continue denomination-related tasks during a time  of
transition. Carol Yeazell, Area 3 CLT member, will serve as  interim
coordinator until a new CLT staff member is hired.

9)  Young adults will meet on `Provoking Love and Good Deeds.'

Young Adult  Conference (YAC) will be held the weekend of May 27-29
at Woodland Altars, a  Church of the Brethren camp near Peebles,
Ohio. The theme for the conference  is "Provoking Love and Good
Deeds" from Hebrews 10:24.

"A majority of	the leadership is already in place," reported Bob
Etzweiler of the Young	Adult Steering Committee. "Music and worship
are in good hands." Church of  the Brethren musicians Shawn Kirchner
and Joseph Helfrich are leading music  and General Board staff Walt
Wiltschek and Becky Ullom are planning worship.  Speakers Kurt
Borgmann, Cliff Kindy, and Margo Miller will focus three  worship
times during the weekend. A fourth worship time will use drama	and
multimedia to explore the theme.

"Workshops were done a little  differently at National Young Adult
Conference this past year," Etzweiler  added. "Called `padares,'
there was a shift from focus on the seeker to more  group
participation. They'll be a part of YAC this year with a lot  of
topics to choose from," he said. "With the chance to meet other
young  adults, singing, worship, a coffeehouse or two, small groups,
recreation,  padares, free time, and just hanging out, YAC promises
to be a great weekend.	We hope to see you there!"

For more information and to register  see
www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/yac.htm. Cost is $80. Participants  may
request the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office to send a
letter	to their home congregations asking them to provide a $50
scholarship.  Scholarship requests must be received by April 30.

10) General Board shares glimpses of the church.

The General  Board in its March 11-14 meeting shared stories from
congregations and  districts that became, in effect, an informal
collective "snapshot" of the  church.

Many board members talked enthusiastically of energy and  excitement
in their congregations and districts for the work of Jesus  Christ
and the task of calling new disciples. In his general  secretary's
report, Stan Noffsinger spoke of being at the annual assembly  of
the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic, where  each
announcement of a new fellowship was met with a round of  applause.
>From that point on, General Board members applauded each mention  of
a new fellowship--as well as other signs of new life in the  church.

"God indeed has blessed our congregation," said J.D. Glick,  who
pastors a new church that three weeks ago moved into its  first
building, enabled by generous gifts to pay half of the $700,000
cost  in one down payment. Jaime Diaz reported news of a large youth
group at the  new fellowship in Arecibo, P.R., and an "explosion" in
attendance at Rio  Prieto. Dale Minnich talked about the
transformation movement in Western  Plains District. Russell Betz
reported renewal in two small congregations in	Southern Plains
District. "We're seeing God working in our churches," he  said.
Janet Stutzman praised the powerful prayer chain at the  Sunnyslope
Brethren/United Church of Christ congregation. "I just think  the
church is ready to explode," said Doug Diamond of his
congregation's	enthusiasm for saving souls, "because people are
just ready to invite their  neighbors to be part of the church."

"What does it mean to build a  church?" asked Doug Price, one of
several board members who also gave voice  to key questions
currently facing the church. Price reflected on the  experience of
helping to build a church in Honduras, for a congregation that	grew
out of disaster relief work. Tim Harvey asked a related  question,
"How do we become a missional congregation?"

"Are we  intentional about calling pastors out of our
congregations?" asked Jay  Carter, who recently began work as a
pastor after 28 years in secular work.	David Sollenberger echoed
the concern for calling ministers and the process  of licensing and
ordination.

How the church welcomes children is  another challenge, said Michael
Benner. The church can see children "as a  gift God has brought into
our midst" or "give them the cold shoulder." Others  echoed the
concern for youth and extended it to young adults. Susan  Kinsel
Fitze told the story of a youth ministry that began in the  Trotwood
(Ohio) Church of the Brethren following the tragic death of  the
custodian's 18-year-old son. Jeff Neuman-Lee reported on a  personal
"What If" project to new patterns of worship for young adults.	Is
the church "willing to attract young people or are they not?"  Carol
Kussart asked.

"This is an incredible time to be in church  work," summarized
Annual Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook. "Believe it or  not,
the world is looking to us, looking to the church for answers. We
are  in a spiritual awakening."

In his moderator's report, he urged the board  not to squander what
may be a crucial moment of opportunity for the Church of  the
Brethren. Hardenbrook referred to two unprecedented events  as
indicators of what he called a "tipping point," that when looking
for a  church to provide its annual Christmas Eve service, CBS
turned to the Church  of the Brethren; and Selective Service also
turned to the Brethren from among  the peace churches. "It is very
possible in this church's life that this is  one of those tipping
points," Hardenbrook said. "Use it  well."

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