wfn.org | CoB Newsline-Weekly Church of the Brethren update

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      February 20, 1997
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline                                 August 1, 1997  

News 
1) Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee announces
        revised goals and guidelines for Annual Conference
        insight sessions. 
2) Election procedures for the 1998 Annual Conference are
        announced. 
3) Nearly 70 youth and advisers are participating at workcamps
        this week in Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Walker, Ky.
4) The 24th annual Brethren Bible Institute is being held this
        week. 
5) The first Congregational Life Team director is appointed; a
        graphic related to Congregational Life Teams and one
        pertaining to the General Board's new Leadership Team
        are available via e-mail. 
6) Two new staff are announced by Association of Brethren
        Caregivers. 
7) Kathleen Campanella resigns as coordinator of Public
        Information at the Brethren Service Center, 
        New Windsor, Md. 
8) Information regarding the 1998 Church of the Brethren Living
        Word Bulletin Series is now available. 
9) Bridgewater College pays tribute to four generations of
        Spoerleins as it dedicates a new facility. 
10) Phyllis Carter joins the Goshen (Ind.) College staff as
        interim dean of Students. 
11) Church World Service appeals for humanitarian aid to Cuba and
        several other countries. 
12) Members and supporters of Christian Peacemaker Teams hold a
        vigil most days this week outside Walt Disney World.  

Feature 
13) A funny thing happened while on the way to work.    

1) The Annual Conference office on Wednesday released a letter to
district executives and to staff of the three organizations that
report directly to Annual Conference -- Bethany Theological
Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust and the General Board -- 
announcing new goals and guidelines that govern insight sessions. 
 
According to the letter, Annual Conference Program and
Arrangements Committee has final authority for the oversight of
insight sessions, but now will delegate management
responsibilities to the Annual Conference office. Previously, the
General Board assisted in selecting insight sessions.   

"Districts and those agencies reportable to the Annual Conference
are eligible to apply for insight sessions," reads the letter.
"The Annual Conference office will make final determinations
related to daily scheduling.  

"If groups or agencies not reportable to the Annual Conference
desire to schedule insight sessions, they will need to gain
sponsorship from a district or agency that is reportable. As the
guidelines state, if a question arises regarding decisions to
schedule a session or not, the Annual Conference office will make
the determination." Some such groups that could be affected by
these guidelines are Association of Brethren Caregivers,
Brethren/Mennonite Council for Gay and Lesbian Concerns, Brethren
Revival Fellowship and On Earth Peace Assembly. Each of these
organizations also received a copy of the revised goals and
guidelines.  

The impetus for the revisions approved June 28 by Annual
Conference's Program and Arrangements Committee (PAC) came from
the committee's desire to assume more responsibility and
accountability over the insight sessions, and from its assumption
that its old guidelines would soon be obsolete. The former
guidelines were based on the General Board's three-commission
structure, which, in fact, was changed in July by Annual
Conference delegates.  

As approved by PAC, the revised goals for insight sessions seek
"to provide opportunities for districts and agencies reportable
to the Annual Conference to interpret their programs and
responsibilities, and to provide opportunities for Annual
Conference attendees to be informed about denominational programs
and issues."  

The revised guidelines call on insight sessions to "support the
ideals and principles of the Church of the Brethren" and to be
limited to 12 each day. "If requests exceed this number, a
rotation system will be developed providing equitable treatment
for all."  

The new guidelines also describe the process a district or one of
the Annual Conference agencies should take if they choose to
appeal an Annual Conference office decision. "This may be done by
a written communication to the Annual Conference moderator, who
will present the appeal to the Program and Arrangements
Committee."   

2) Church of the Brethren members are invited to submit names of
potential candidates for the 1998 Annual Conference ballot.
That's the word from Cathy Huffman, Annual Conference secretary,
in a letter released Wednesday.   

Offices open in 1998 will be: 
*moderator-elect. One person will be elected for a two-year term. 
*General Board. Four positions will be open -- three district
       representative positions and one at-large. All terms are
       for five years. Nominees for the district representative
       positions must come from Atlantic Southeast, Missouri/
       Arkansas and Southern Pennsylvania Districts. Districts
       ineligible to offer at-large representatives are Atlantic
       Northeast, Illinois/Wisconsin, Northern Indiana, Michigan,
       Mid-Atlantic, Northern Ohio, Shenandoah and Western
       Plains. 
*Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee. One person
       will be elected for a three-year term. 
*Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. One
       person representing laity will be elected for a five-year
       term. 
*Committee on Interchurch Relations. One person will be elected
       for a three-year term. 
*Brethren Benefit Trust. One person will be elected for a
       four-year term. 
*Bethany Theological Seminary electors. Two people will be
       elected for five-year terms, one representing laity, one
       representing ministry.  

Included in Huffman's letter is "Election Procedures for 1998
Annual Conference," "Call to Accountability for Equality of
Representation on Annual Conference Ballots," a current listing
of General Board members, and two applications for people
interested in submitting names (including their own) for one of
the aforementioned positions. All such submissions need to be
returned by Dec. 1 to Annual Conference office, 1451 Dundee Ave.,
Elgin IL 60120. Huffman's letter, including the enclosures, can
be obtained by calling the Annual Conference office at 800
323-8039 or by writing to AnnualConf@AOL.Com.   

3) Sixty-seven junior high and high school students and their
advisers are participating in three Church of the Brethren
workcamps this week.   

Seventeen senior high students and their advisers left on Monday
for a week in Walker, Ky. There, participants are working at
Lend-A-Hand Center  a midwifery service and teaching facility 
mending fences, painting, and doing farm chores and other
maintenance work. Participants also will host a carnival for area
children.   

Directing this workcamp are Rhonda Pittman-Gingrich (Minneapolis,
Minn.) and Shelly Ungemach (Palmyra, Pa.). Serving as advisers
are David Lineweaver (Bridgewater, Va.) and Lori Lineweaver
(Bridgewater, Va.).  

Twenty-nine junior high students and advisers left Wednesday for
five days in Philadelphia. There they are working with several
city aid agencies, including The Greater Philadelphia Food bank.
They also are working with several other food banks and food
shelters. Participants will also visit some of the historical
sites, visit with local youth and attend a Phillies major league
baseball game.   

This workcamp is directed by Steve Brady (Richmond, Ind.) and
Emily Shonk (Elgin, Ill.). Advisers are Tony Blackwell (Tryon,
N.C.), Kevin Daggett (Tryon, N.C.), Ron Hoet (York, Pa.), John
Ilyes (York, Pa.), Sarah Stafford (New Windsor, Md.) and Randall
Witman (Willow Street, Pa.).  

Twenty-one senior high students and advisers also left on
Wednesday for a five-day workcamp in Indianapolis. There they are
working with the Concord Community Development Corporation
repairing homes and doing yard work. Participants will also visit
with local children and youth.  

Directing this workcamp is Wendi Hutchinson (Goshen, Ind.) and
Mark Yingling (Lancaster, Pa.) Serving as assistant coordinator
is Joe Godfrey (York, Pa.). Serving as advisers are Ron Beachley
(Davidsville, Pa.) and J. Marlin Hershey (Ephrata, Pa.).  

This year the Church of the Brethren is offering 20 workcamps
throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean,
which will involve about 400 participants.    

4) The 24th annual Brethren Bible Institute, which began Monday
and runs through today, is being held at Elizabethtown (Pa.)
College. This event, sponsored by Brethren Revival Fellowship, is
intended for people 16 years of age or older. This year's courses
include Old Testament Survey, Personal Evangelism, The Life of
David, Homiletics, Bible Geography, The Supporting Cast, Church
History, Studies in Ephesians, and Studies in the Sermon on the
Mount.   

5) Beth Sollenberger Morphew has been named coordinator of the
General Board's Area 2 Congregational Life Team, effective July
24. She fills the first of five such coordinator positions
included in the General Board's new design. Area 2 includes
Illinois/Wisconsin, Michigan, Northern Indiana, South/Central
Indiana, Northern Ohio, and Southern Ohio districts.  

Sollenberger Morphew has served the General Board as director of
Stewardship Education since 1994. She previously has served the
Sebring (Fla.), Pleasant Hill (Ohio) and Hagerstown (Md.)
congregations. She is a graduate of Juniata (Pa.) College and of
Bethany Theological Seminary, where she earned a Master's of
Divinity.  

This announcement closely follows the release of a letter to
General Board staff from Chris Bowman, Board chair, and Karen
Miller, interim executive director, in which they summarize
action taken by Annual Conference delegates earlier this month
pertaining to the Board's redesign. The letter also includes a
diagram of the General Board's new Leadership Team configuration,
and a map detailing the five areas to be covered by the newly
created Congregational Life Teams.   

(Copies of the diagram and the map will be e-mailed as an
attached jpg or gif picture file to those who request it. Send an
e-mail to CoBNews@AOL.Com. On the subject line, simply write
"Send structure diagram" or "Send Teams map." If you want both,
send two e-mails.)   

6) Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) on Wednesday
announced the hiring of two full-time staff. Scott Douglas has
been hired as director of Marketing and Resourcing; Mary Dulabaum
has been hired as director of Communications.   

Douglas currently serves as Church Services director for Mutual
Aid Association of the Church of the Brethren. The Elgin, Ill.,
resident also has worked for an insurance company and a silk
flower company. In 1985 he earned a Master's of Divinity degree
from McCormick Theological Seminary. Douglas is quite familiar
with ABC, having served on its board up until a month ago when he
applied for this job. He is married to Chris Douglas, coordinator
of the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministries.  

Dulabaum, an Elgin, Ill., resident, has served as director of
Communications for the Sherwood Group of Northbrook, Ill., an
association management firm, since 1991. She joined that firm in
1989 as production manager. Previously she served in the
marketing department of Selmer-Ludwig LP of Elkhart, Ind. In 1987
she earned her undergraduate degree in English with a journalism
minor from Manchester College. She is married to Nevin Dulabaum,
manager of the General Board's News and Information Services.  

Douglas and Dulabaum will assume their new responsibilities 
Sept. 2.  

"ABC is fortunate to have had highly qualified persons apply for
these staff positions," said Jay Gibble, executive director.
"They bring strong work experience to these positions, and we are
impressed by that."   

7) Kathleen Campanella, coordinator of Public Information at the
General Board's Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md., has
tendered her resignation, effective August 26. Campanella's
duties have included coordinating media relations, preparing a
weekly in-house newsletter, and serving as the Center's chief
tour guide. She also has coordinated marketing efforts for the
New Windsor Conference Center. Though her position is full-time,
it actually is the sum of three jobs. Campanella also provides
public information services for two ecumenical organizations also
located at the Service Center  Interchurch Medical Assistance and
Heifer Project International. She leaves her employment at all
three organizations to join her husband's expanding public
relations firm, Campanella & Associates.    

8) The 1998 Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin Series is
now available to order. The Living Word Bulletin series features
scriptural texts and images chosen by Brethren, for Brethren,
with back-page devotional material written by Brethren authors.
Bulletins and texts for all Sundays in 1998, plus love feast and
Christmas Eve, are available, and are depicted in a full-color
brochure available from Brethren Press. Call 800 441-3712 or
write to Brethren.Press.Parti@Ecunet.Org to request a brochure or
to order the bulletin series.   

9) Four generations of the Spoerlein family of Oakland and New
Windsor, Md., were honored last week at Bridgewater (Va.)
College. Spoerlein Lecture Hall, a 116-seat facility located in
the new McKinney Center for Science and Mathematics and used for
large classes and meetings  complete with built-in teacher aids,
like World Wide Web access  was dedicated July 22 in tribute to
Ernest and Alice Spoerlein and their family, and to the late
Randall Spoerlein.  

Until his retirement, Ernest served as a math teacher and
guidance counselor in the Garrett County, Md., public school
system, and as director of Federal Programs for the Garrett
County Board of Education. He has served on the Bridgewater
College board since 1956. He has served 10 terms on the board of
Oak Park Church of the Brethren, Oakland, and has twice served as
moderator of West Marva District. He and his wife, Alice, are
Bridgewater College graduates.  

Ernest's uncle, Randall Spoerlein, was also considered a
Bridgewater College alumnus. He attended Blue Ridge College in
New Windsor, which later merged with Bridgewater College. A dairy
farmer and mayor of New Windsor for 22 years, Randall left
Bridgewater College more than $1.1 million when he died in 1991.  

Ernest and Alice and several other Spoerleins attended the
dedication. A plaque, which is located at the lecture hall's
entrance, reads, "This room is dedicated in honor of the
Spoerlein family of Oakland and New Windsor, Md., and in
appreciation for the family's long and generous support of
Bridgewater College."   

10) Phyllis Carter of Goshen, Ind., has been named interim dean
of Students at Goshen College for the 1997-1998 school year. She
succeeds Norman Kauffmann, who served the college as dean since
1977.   

A Church of the Brethren member, Carter has served in many
denominational capacities, including as moderator at the 1992
Annual Conference. From 1983 to 1993, she served as pastor of
Goshen City Church of the Brethren. Her other pastorates have
included the Wabash, Ind., and Hartford City, Ind.,
congregations. She has served as interim pastor at Brethren
congregations in Fort Wayne, Ind., and in Lombard, Ill. She also
has served as executive for Atlantic Southeast District.  

Locally, Carter has served as president of the Goshen Ministerial
Association and on the Oaklawn Hospital board. She is a founding
member of Goshen's Adult Day Care Program.  Carter has studied at
Earlham School of Religion, Bethany Theological Seminary,
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Shalom Institute.  

"Phyllis brings a wealth of experience to her new role from her
many years in church leadership," said Larry Rupp, director of
Residence Life and acting dean of Students. "I am impressed by
her communication skills, keen listening and perception, and her
energy and eagerness to keep learning and facing new challenges.
Her warmth, energy and sense of humor, along with a spiritual
vitality and vision for education of the soul, body and mind,
suit her well for this job."  

"I've long appreciated Goshen College as a community treasure,"
Carter said. "As a pastor I've appreciated the educational
process at Goshen and the college's commitment to students and
wholistic education. I enjoy young adults and look forward to
working with the student development team this academic year, and
to preparing for the next dean of students."   

11) Church World Service on July 25 issued several appeals for
humanitarian assistance to several countries. It is seeking
$100,000 to purchase medical supplies and to pay for the high
cost of transporting goods to Cuba. This is in addition to CWS'
$750,000 appeal that was made two years ago. CWS is also
advocating a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.
1951) "that would lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba as it
applies to the export of food, medicines, medical supplies,
instruments and equipment." According to the Cuban Council of
Churches, Cubans are experiencing an increase in ailments such as
intestinal parasites and hepatitis, due to the lack of clean
drinking water. Soap, medicines, and food items like canned meats
and powdered milk are also needed.  

CWS also called for support of a $200,000 appeal by Action by
Churches Together (ACT), which will provide emergency relief for
flood victims in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania
and Armenia. Two weeks of flooding in these countries  called the
worst flooding in centuries  have killed over 100 people and have
caused major damage and destruction.  

CWS is supporting an ACT appeal of $100,000 for short-term
emergency relief for residents of the Caribbean island of
Montserrat, who were affected in late June by the eruption of the
Soufriere Hills volcano.  

CWS also is sending $5,000 in seed money from its Midwest/South
Storms Appeal to support the recovery efforts in the aftermath of
a violent storm that struck the Detroit area earlier this month,
killing seven and injuring more than 100.   

12) Members and supporters of Christian Peacemaker Teams on
Tuesday held a vigil outside Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.,
in protest over one of the firm's practices, but it wasn't
because Disney extends medical benefits to the partners of gay
employees, which is the focus of a widely publicized boycott by
the Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God denominations. This
vigil, which will continue each day during the Mennonite Church's
biennial meeting in Orlando, calls for Disney to pay Haitian
workers "a living wage."  

According to a CPT release, Haitian workers sewing Disney apparel
in Port-au-Prince factories earn about $2.25 U.S. dollars per
day, less than half of what is required to meet a family's needs. 

With signs reading "Haitian Workers Say: 'Hey Mickey! Pass the
Bread!'" and "Stop Paying Mickey Mouse Wages in Haiti,"
demonstrators passed out fresh bread, symbolizing the need to
share resources.   

13) A funny thing happened to Sherri Bantner, Monday, on her way
to work. The 23-year-old Westminster, Md., resident was dropping
off her two children at her mother's house when the doorbell
rang.   

At the front door were three young adults who had been
blindfolded, loaded into a vehicle, and driven about 15 minutes
toward Taneytown before being dropped off. Equipped with only a
letter stating they were Brethren Volunteer Service workers
participating in three weeks of training at the Brethren Service
Center in nearby New Windsor, the three asked Sherri's mother if
she would allow them to fulfill their assignment: To work for
someone for the day, with payment coming in the form of a ride
back to the Service Center.  

After some thought, Sherri's mom finally concluded that she had
no work for Matthew Stauffer of Farmington, Del., Joy Struble of
Okemos, Mich., and Rebekah Rieki of Colman, S.D. It was then that
Sherri piped up that she would have some things to do at her
house, which is located about 15 minutes on the opposite side of
New Windsor, on the outskirts of Westminster. Not being daunted
by geography they didn't know, the group said they were game for
the ride, and so they joined Sherri inside her Volvo and were on
their way.  

Once at her home, Sherri showed the group some laundry that
needed folding, brought out the vacuum and cleaning supplies, and
gave a few instructions. Once the chores were finished, she said,
the three could enjoy the little pool located outside, use the
weights in the basement, or watch TV.   And then one of the two
defining moments of this story occurred, as something that never
happens during this BVS assignment happened.  

Sherri went to work.  

That's right. For what was to be about four hours, the owner of
the home in which the BVSers were working said goodbye and drove
away.  

Her co-workers couldn't believe this. "You're going to go home
and everything is going to be gone from your house," some
co-workers said.  

To make matters worse, Sherri, who works in personnel and
training for a Westminster computer firm, was running late that
day. She arrived home an hour behind schedule, a full five hours
after the threesome had been left on their own.  

Was her house gutted to the bone? Hardly. Not only were her
family's possessions intact, but all of her laundry was washed,
dried and folded; her linens were changed; the kitchen and
bathroom floors were freshly scrubbed; the refrigerator newly
cleaned; and the basement vacuumed. To top it off, the BVSers
even had freshly baked raisin cookies waiting for her. (They
would have preferred making chocolate chip cookies, but couldn't
sniff out the chocolate in Sherri's kitchen.)  

"I was just so amazed that they made cookies on top of
everything," Sherri said. In addition to being utterly amazed at
the work the group had done, she was also grateful, as she now
would be free to spend more of her off-work time with her family. 

As for her co-workers, "The couldn't believe there there would be
people in this world who would volunteer to clean someone's
house," Sherri said. "They got a kick out of it."  

According to Todd Reish, coordinator for BVS Orientation, the
practice of blindfolding BVS trainees and depositing them some
miles away was a routine practice 20 to 30 years ago, but is only
done now when orientation is based in New Windsor, which is about
once a year.   

This exercise challenges BVS trainees to use their God-given
skills to break through communication and trust barriers that,
when given the opportunity, usually turns into a growing
experience both for the BVSers and for those for whom the BVSers
work. Monday's exercise saw five groups taken and dropped off at
various points. Four of the five were able to find work and a
ride home, with one even getting a faxed letter of commendation.
This group -- Diane Dubble of Lititz, Pa.; Sarah Shreckhise of
Annville, Pa.; and Daniel Opoku of Fuchtenfeld, Germany, worked
at Frances Scott Key High School in nearby Union Bridge.  

"Although the two tasks I asked them to do were messy and hard
work, they did them without complaint and retained their sense of
humor," wrote principal A. George Phillips. "I spent some time
talking with them and they appear to be sincere and thoughtful. I
wish them well and please assure them they are outstanding young
people. They demonstrated very well the calling of service to
others."  

Service that Reish believes inevitably has a ripple effect. "I
know Sherri is going to go to work and is going to tell people
there (of her experience) and they are going to be amazed that
this happened," Reish said. "And so the story is not just going
to end there. It is going to continue for some time. I told the
volunteers that they're really planting seeds, seeds that they
might not know of."  

It takes the right person to make this kind of project a rousing
success, and in this case, Sherri was that person. Her experience
with people, knowledge of the New Windsor area, and background in
a faith community all led her to taking these strangers at their
word.   

The letter was convincing, she said, as burglars most likely
wouldn't show up with such a positive reference letter, complete
with phone number. Second, Sherri is familiar with the Brethren
Service Center from living in the Westminster area all of her
life. And third, as she looked at the three BVSers standing
before her asking that she allow them to fulfill a zany
assignment, she could see herself in them, herself just a few
years ago as an active member of her church youth group that used
to gather three times a week, sometimes to do crazy things, such
as road rallies. The object of road rallies was to have your
picture taken doing unlikely things in surprising places, such as
serving fries behind the counter of a McDonalds or blowing a
bubble gum bubble while inside a dryer at a laundromat.  And
having been blindfolded once and taken to a youth event, Sherri
found the threesome's story quite plausible.  "I guess a lot of
people think I'm nuts, but it turned out to be a good
experience," she said.  

Such a good experience that Thursday night was this story's
second defining moment, as Sherri went, with a batch of chocolate
chip cookies in tow, to the Brethren Service Center to meet all
of the BVS trainees.   

A funny thing happened to Sherri Bantner on her way to work on
Monday. And she and her family, friends and co-workers won't
forget this experience with the Church of the Brethren for some
time.   

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

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