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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      February 18, 1997
Contact:  Paula Wilding
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

This is Newsline for the week of January 30. In the news today: 
1) Visa problems have cancelled two General Board-sponsored trips 
      to Nigeria that were scheduled to begin this week. 
2) A Dominican Republic congregation prepares to build a new 
      sanctuary with assistance from state-side Brethren. 
3) This year's Youth Peace Travel Team is announced. 
4) A new "Youth-to-Youth" program is underway in Northern Indiana 
      District. 
5) The latest issue of "ModCOB" is in the mail. 
6) The Andrew Center has two events scheduled this weekend.  

1) Two General Board-sponsored trips to Nigeria were cancelled
because of problems in obtaining visas. The annual workcamp to
Nigeria, sponsored by the Africa and Middle East  department, was
canceled for American participants after they were denied visas
by that country. The workcamp will still be held for six
workcampers from Germany and Switzerland affiliated with the
Swiss-based Basel Mission, the Church of the Brethren's mission
partner in Europe.  

The second trip cancelled -- which was scheduled to begin this
week -- was to have included Jimmy Ross, 1997 Annual Conference
moderator-elect; Ross wife, Betty; Bonnie Kline Smeltzer, World
Ministries Commission chairwoman; and Mervin Keeney,
representative to Africa and the Middle East.  Prior to its
cancellation, Keeney had stated why the trip by the Church of the
Brethren moderator and General Board representatives to visit
with top administrators of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (the
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), which occurs every four
years, is important.  

"Conversations during this time of (General Board) redesign are
especially timely and the visit will enable a broader sharing
about the major changes happening in the American church," Keeney
said. "Many changes are also occurring in Nigeria and this visit
affords a key opportunity to enable a wider group of American
church leaders to hear directly from the Nigerian church members
and leaders."   

Keeney stated that alternative dates are being considered for the
trip.  

These situations are similar to that of two Nigerian students
from Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria), who planned to attend Bethany Theological Seminary in
Richmond, Ind., but were denied visas by the US in 1995 and 1996.

2) From Feb. 22 through March 1, Earl Ziegler, pastor of Lampeter
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and 20 other Brethren will help the
Santo Domingo congregation in the Dominican Republic build a new
sanctuary. Last year the Dominican Church Board identified the
Santo Domingo congregation's building project as a priority and
asked Ziegler for assistance with the project. Ziegler, who has
been involved with other Dominican church building projects,
joined with the General Board to raise the funds needed to
construct the two-story, 600-seat sanctuary.  

"We will be (building) it with them, not for them," Ziegler said
of the project in which Brethren from the States and from the
Dominican Republic will participate. The $40,000 obtained to
finance the construction project was raised through the donations
of two congregations and several individuals.   

3) The 1997 Youth Peace Travel Team was announced this week. The
four members are Mike Brinkmeier, Yellow Creek Church of the
Brethren, Lena, Ill.; Jacki Hartley, Lewistown (Pa.) Church of
the Brethren; Jessica Lehman, Highland Avenue Church of the
Brethren, Elgin, Ill.; and Nathan Musselman, Oak Grove Church of
the Brethren, Rocky Mount, Va. Before the team visits camps in
the East and Midwest this summer focusing on peace education,
they will participate in orientation, June 10-12, and in the John
Kline 200th birthday celebration at Linville Creek Church of the
Brethren, Broadway, Va., June 13-15. The Youth Peace Travel Team
is sponsored by four General Board ministries -- On Earth Peace
Assembly, the Denominational Peace Witness, Outdoor Ministries
and Youth and Young Adult Ministry.   

4) In other Youth and Young Adult Ministry news, the office is
assisting Northern Indiana District in the "Youth-to-Youth"
program for the 1996-97 school year. Thirteen youth from the
district's congregations were selected by the district and
trained last fall by Chris Douglas, director of Youth and Young
Adult Ministry. Throughout the year, the 13 youth are visiting
youth groups in the district, sharing district and national youth
news and helping strengthen local youth groups. Wendi Hutchinson,
district youth coordinator, is coordinating the program, which
will be offered to other districts for the 1997-98 school year.
For more information, contact Douglas at 800 323-8039, or at
CoB.Youth.parti@Ecunet.Org.   

5) The latest issue of ModCOB, the newsletter from David Wine,
the Church of the Brethren moderator, is being mailed this week.
This month's issue was designed to help readers understand the
structure of the Church of the Brethren, and was "devoted to our
structures and how we do our work together as a community of
believers we call the Church of the Brethren," writes Wine.
In-depth explanations are given about various denominational
structures, including Annual Conference, Standing Committee and
national boards and districts. Wine and the Annual Conference
officers encourage readers to use the newsletter as a reference
tool in the next several months of change for the General Board.
To receive MobCOB, contact Wine by phoning -- 800 255-1243, ext.
11; faxing -- 800 238-7535; or e-mail -- dwine@maabrethren.com.  

6) The Andrew Center is sponsoring two events on Saturday.
"Hospitality and the Vital Church" will be taught by Fred
Bernhard, pastor of Oakland Church of the Brethren, Gettysburg,
Ohio, at First Mennonite Church, Upland, Calif. "Reaching Baby
Boomers" will be held at Cape Christian Fellowship, Cape Coral,
Fla. For more information on Andrew Center events, call 800
774-3360; or CoB.Evang.parti@Ecunet.Org.   

Newsline is archived with an index at
http://www.tgx.com/cob/news.htm.   

This message can be heard by calling 410 635-8738. To receive
Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 257, or write
CoBNews@AOL.Com.