Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- May 11, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
CROSS-CULTURAL CELEBRATION MEETS ON THEME OF
PEACE
(May 11, 2007) Elgin, IL -- "Paz (peace). Croyez (believe). Joy...." The theme banner in five languages at the Cross-Cultural Consultation and Celebration of the Church of the Brethren, also featured the words for "It is good" in Japanese, and "The good path" in Cree. The banner made by Dena Lee, a physician from Ohio and member of the On Earth Peace board, followed the scriptural theme from John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you...."
The gathering April 19-22 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., attracted some 100 Brethren of a wide variety of backgrounds from across the US and Puerto Rico, to share daily worship, Bible study, fellowship, and opportunities for conversation about cross- cultural issues. Main sessions were offered with Spanish translation.
Daily Bible study sessions were offered for small groups, some in multiple languages. Scriptures and study questions focused on peace, but participants also had an opportunity to share personally from their lives and experiences, and to develop new relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Youth had an opportunity to make new friends at an overnight retreat hosted by Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren. The conference also included a report from the Intercultural Study Committee of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
Worship and music in many languages and styles formed the heart of the celebration. Members of the Bittersweet music ministry led by Gilbert Romero, pastor of Bella Vista Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, were joined by many other musicians and singers as the Spirit led. Opportunities were given for participants to bring testimonies, prayers, songs, and dance.
Preachers included Stephen Breck Reid, academic dean of Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., who spoke about the meaning of Christian baptism. "What does it mean to be a people in water that might carry you away?" he asked. Reid called the church to participate in the baptism of Jesus Christ in order to claim a new identity, and to transform the world into the Kingdom "that is beyond racial and class distinctions."
"There is no peace in the world without Christ," said Gaston Pierre Louis in his sermon. Louis serves as a pastor at Eglise des Freres Haitiens, a Haitian Church of the Brethren in Miami, Fla. His message was given in French Creole, and translated by Founa Augustin, a member of his congregation. "If we don't have peace together, how can we share it with the world?" he asked. "Let's walk in peace with Christ. Let's live in peace together...even with those that hate us. Christ will say, come here my children, this is my Kingdom."
On Earth Peace board member Doris Abdullah of Brooklyn, N.Y., gave a prayerful meditation on the stations of the cross. She asked for remembrance of suffering people around the world, just as Christians remember the suffering Christ. "We remember the dark CIA prisons... we remember the two million in the camps (in Darfur, Sudan)... we remember those crossing the borders," she prayed. "We remember how you loved us to your death. Help us peacemakers to change the world."
Revelation 7:9 is "a revelation of the true intended nature of God's church in the here and now," not just a description of God's church at the end of time, said chair Asha Solanky during the presentation from the Intercultural Study Committee. The committee's report will be a major item of business when the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference meets in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 30-July 4. Committee members reviewed their recommendations for the denomination, highlighting a major recommendation for the Church of the Brethren to adopt Revelation 7:9 as the denominational vision for the remainder of the 21st century.
When the floor was opened for questions, participants asked about the feasibility of many of the recommendations, which include suggestions such as cross-cultural requirements for church committees, and the nature of mentoring that the church may offer to new leaders from ethnic and minority backgrounds, and the diversification of hiring for employee and volunteer positions in the church. Solanky's response to several questions was to reiterate that although the recommendations may seem difficult, they are necessary to accomplish the goal of becoming an intercultural church. "If we're serious about this, we have to start somewhere. Yes, it will be hard," she said.
A presentation by Mennonite guests Conrad Moore and Titus Peachey received a standing ovation. The two men told their personal stories: one was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, the other a Vietnam veteran who has become an advocate for peacemaking. They challenged the church to provide opportunities for employment and service to members of all ethnic and minority backgrounds. "The issue is access to opportunities," Moore said. Inviting youth in the congregation to rise and be seen, he said, "Stand up young woman. Stand up young man. We need to make sure he has an opportunity to go to the mission field."
The board of On Earth Peace held its spring meetings concurrently with the consultation, and joined in worship and Bible studies. A presentation about On Earth Peace prompted questions about its work against military recruitment, what resources are available for those faced with gang recruitment, violence against immigrants, and whether peace resources are available in Spanish. Several invitations were extended for On Earth Peace staff to visit in congregations.
Closing worship featured the newly formed Best Friends group, dedicated to sharing music from the African-American tradition. Founder James Washington Sr., an ordained Church of the Brethren minister from Whitehouse, Texas, introduced a set of songs that ranged from a soulful a cappella "Precious Lord," to upbeat praise. The set included two of five original compositions that the group has in its repertoire. Best Friends will be featured at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in July.
Find a photo journal of the event at www.brethren.org, click on "Photo Journals."
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
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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 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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