Title: Brethren train for âTogetherâ conversations Subject: Church of the Brethren Newsline Date: March 30, 2006 From: Church of the Brethren News Services Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103 E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN MEMBERS TRAINED TO FACILITATE `TOGETHERâ CON VERSATIONS
March 30, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- âIt was the best of being church,â € said Kathy Reid of the training event for âTogether: Conversations on Bei ng the Church. â Reid is executive director of the Association of Brethren Caregive rs, and has been on the planning committee for the denomination-wide conversation process in the Church of the Brethren. âThis experience was everythi ng I hoped for,â she said.
The training Feb. 24-26 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., brought more than 140 people from across the Church of the Brethren to talk about what it means to be the church, in preparation for facilitating and leading conversations in their own areas. Participants included representati ves of all 23 Church of the Brethren districts in the US, district executives, a nd representatives of the five main agencies of the church.
The training was led by Lisa M. Hess and Brian D. Maguire. The married couple, who are ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), will serve as lea ders for the Together conversations to take place at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, July 1-5. Hess teaches practical theo logy at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; Maguire is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Xenia, Ohio.
A new Together study guide and DVD published by Brethren Press sparked conversation in small groups at the training. The guide is the primary Toget her tool, providing a flexible plan for groups to worship, learn, listen, pray, and reflect, and includes background reading, conversation questions, and worshi p suggestions. The training schedule included a practice or run-through of what a Together conversation might look like in a congregational, district, or regional setting, using the guide written by James L. Benedict, pastor of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.
The study guide is available from Brethren Press for $4.95 each, and the accompanying DVD for $4.95 each, plus shipping and handling (order one guide for each group participant and leader; the companion DVD contains supplemental images for two of the sessions--order one DVD for each congregation or group ). Call 800-441-3712.
In addition, participants also worshiped together and met for Bible study and to plan Together conversations in their own areas. âThe design a nd details for continuing the process will be determined by the people from the individual districts present,â said Julie Hostetter in a communicat ion with participants before the event. Hostetter, former staff of the Church of the Brethren General Board, chaired the training event committee.
A "listening group" served as recorders of the conversations that took place. Three process observers from On Earth Peace offered feedback on the sessions.
Reid said that by the time the weekend was over, her small group representing widely different theological viewpoints and experiences of the church, had bonded. âWe sang together, we laughed together, had way too much fu n, and we cried together,â she said. The group of seven people included two m en and five women, all from different districts, and denominational and district s taff. They connected so well that they took a group picture to help them remember the experience, exchanged e-mail addresses, and have kept in touch since th e training, Reid said. The group plans to meet again at Annual Conference.
The Together conversation was initiated in 2003 by a statement from the executive ministers of the Church of the Brethren districts, identifying fragmentation in the denomination and calling for conversation âconc erning who, whose, and what we are.â Since then, a group of leaders and staff of Brethren agencies, and representatives of the district executives, have been planning a denomination-wide discussion. From its beginning, the broad intent of the wo rk is to help bring about a renewal of the church.
The training event âwas a good experience,â said Lerry Fogle , executive director of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, âbut one t hat needs to go beyond discussion of what it means to be the church, to being the Church. Hopefully that will occur in greater measure in the months and years ahead. â
The February training is the jumping-off point for Together conversations later this year and next at Annual Conference and in congregations, district s, and regional events. At the 2006 Conference, the officers âhave prov ided four 30-minute sessions on Together that hold the possibility to broaden the discussion and spur us on to our God-ordained ministry,â Fogle said. The Together process will culminate at Annual Conference 2007.
For more information go to _www.togetherconversations.org_ (http://www.togetherconversations.org) or _www.conversacionesjuntos.org_ (http://www.conversacionesjuntos.org) .
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its fa ith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave. Elgin, IL 60120 847-742-5100 ext. 260 _cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ (mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org)
***************************************************************** The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford , director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the so urce. To receive Newsline by e-mail, write _cobnews@aol.com_ (mailto:cobnews@aol.com) or call 800-323-8039 ext. 260.