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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Jan. 29, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline                                     Jan. 29, 1998

1) The Pike Run Church of the Brethren is destroyed by fire;
     arson is the cause.
2) Tentative business items for the 1998 Annual Conference are
     announced.
3) The field of candidates for this summer's Annual Conference
     ballot are announced.
4) Bible study leaders for this summer's Annual Conference are
     announced.
5) A comprehensive consultation on ministry training and
     leadership development is held.
6) The sale of Bethany Theological Seminary's former campus moves
     one step closer.
7) Thomas Kepple Jr. is named Juniata College's 11th president.
8) Two General Board staff tender their resignations.
9) Georgia Markey is named associate executive of Southern
     Pennsylvania District.
10) Order forms for the 1998 Church of the Brethren Yearbook are
     available.
11) Three Emergency Disaster Fund grants totaling $52,500 are
     allocated.
12) Church World Service announces it will raise an additional
     $500,000 for aid to North Korea.
13) Several position openings are announced by On Earth Peace
     Assembly.
14) Two young adult retreats will be offered by On Earth Peace
     Assembly.
15) Eight week-long Peace Camps, a new ministry of On Earth Peace
     Assembly for people of all ages, will be offered this
     summer.
16) Bethany Theological Seminary receives a $200,000 technology
     grant.
17) Morrisons Cove retirement village is seeking a chief
     executive officer.

1) The Pike Run Church of the Brethren was destroyed by fire this
week in a blaze that investigators claim was an act of arson.
Eight fire companies responded to the call, and at least one was
still on the scene eight hours after the fire was first reported.

Not much remains of the building, which is located six miles west
of Somerset, Pa., in Western Pennsylvania District. The roof and
some of the walls collapsed, sending debris onto the first floor
which, in turn, collapsed, sending a pile of wreckage into the
basement. The brick building, constructed in 1914, was fully
insured, according to pastor Barry Conn.

The fire was first noticed by a church member who drove by the
building just after midnight early Tuesday. He reportedly spotted
smoke, then drove home to call 911. Upon his immediate return to
the church, he spotted footprints leading to a broken window. The
local fire marshall, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms all responded to
investigate the fire, checking evidence against that of two other
nearby church burnings attributed to arson that occurred within
the preceding week in neighboring Westmoreland County.

Tuesday afternoon Conn said insurance representatives had not yet
arrived, so a damage estimate was still forthcoming. For the
short term, several area Church of the Brethren congregations and
a Methodist church have offered their facilities to Pike Run.
Conn said those offers will be considered by the congregation at
7 p.m. Friday, when it will meet at the Somerset Church of the
Brethren to discuss immediate and long-term plans.

2) The tentative Annual Conference business agenda for this
summer's annual meeting in Orlando was released last week. Five
new and four unfinished business items will be sent to Annual
Conference Standing Committee delegates for consideration, in
meetings preceding the start of Conference. Standing Committee, a
group of 44 who represent the denomination's districts and Annual
Conference office, will then either forward these items to the
entire delegate body of representatives from the denomination's
1,100 churches or will return or reject them. Standing Committee
delegates are also scheduled to receive three special reports.

New business --
     * Congregational structure. This query originated with
          Atlantic Northeast District's Church Development
          Commission in 1995, which was passed by Standing
          Committee in 1996. The query was deferred until the
          completion of the General Board's redesign, which
          occurred in July 1997.
     * Fetal tissue use. The Human Genetic Engineering portion of
          an earlier query received final disposition in 1997.
          The Fetal Tissue Use statement was rejected by Annual  
          Conference and thus becomes a new business item for
          1998.
     * Caring for the poor. This query comes from Harrisburg
          (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren.
     * Revision to the Brethren Benefit Trust Articles of
          Organization. 
     * Changes to the Brethren Benefit Trust Retired Church
          Workers Fund. This and the previous item come from
          BBT's board of directors.

Unfinished business --
     * World Mission Philosophy and Global Church Mission
          Structure Committee. The final document of a committee
          formed at the direction of the 1996 Standing Committee 
          will be submitted for approval. The committee of five
          includes representatives of Standing Committee, the
          General Board and three districts.
     * The New Testament as Our Rule of Faith and Practice
          report. This query was accepted by Standing Committee
          in 1997. It appointed a subcommittee of three who
          drafted this report.
     * Polity for Free Ministry report. This query was accepted
          by the 1997 Standing Committee. It was drafted by a
          committee appointed by the Annual Conference      
          officers at the direction of Standing Committee.
     * Unfunded Mandates report. This report was accepted by the
          General Board in 1996 and by Standing Committee in 1997
          from committee work submitted by General Board and
          Annual Conference appointees.

Reports to Standing Committee --
     * Report from the Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR)
          on a potential relationship with the National Council
          of Evangelicals. This was assigned to CIR in 1997 by   
          Annual Conference delegates.
     * Report from InterAgency Forum (which includes
          representatives from the Annual Conference office and
          the three organizations that report directly to the
          Annual Conference -- Bethany Theological Seminary,
          Brethren Benefit Trust and the General Board).
     * Report from the Standing Committee subcommittee that is
          researching Standing Committee's role in the Church of
          the Brethren.

3) Candidates for the various positions that will be voted on
this summer by delegates at Annual Conference were released last
week. The following ballot will be submitted to Standing
Committee delegates just prior to Annual Conference. They will
reduce the number of candidates in each category by half. The
remaining candidates will be submitted to the Annual Conference
delegates.

Moderator-elect (two-year term, the second as moderator) -- Joan
George Deeter, 67, associate pastor of Manchester Church of the
Brethren, North Manchester, Ind.; J.D. Glick, 56, pastor of
Harrisonburg (Va.) First Church of the Brethren; Harold Moyer,
68, retired pastor and member of Williamson Road Church of the
Brethren, Roanoke, Va.; Emily Metzger Mumma, 65, pastor of the
Hollidaysburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.

General Board (at-large representative, five-year term) -- Kim
Yaussy Albright, 37, college exchange program staff and co-pastor
of Huntington (Ind.) Church of the Brethren; Andy Loomis, 28,
graduate student in Astoria, N.Y., and member of University
Baptist and Brethren congregation, State College, Pa.; Janet Over
Sell, 52, director of Residential Services and member of Woodbury
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Jan Thompson, 62, retired school
counselor and member of Community Church Fellowship, Mesa, Ariz.

General Board (Atlantic Southeast District representative,
five-year term) -- Merle Crouse, 66, retired pastor/church
executive and member of New Covenant Fellowship, Gotha, Fla.; Ron
McInnis, 42, teacher and member of Christ the Servant Church of
the Brethren, Cape Coral, Fla.; Mary Moyer Mason Peckover, 66,
registered nurse and member of Sebring (Fla.) Church of the
Brethren; Irma Zayas, 55, guidance counselor and former associate
district executive and member of Rio Prieto, Iglesia De Los
Hermanos, Lares, Puerto Rico.

General Board (Missouri/Arkansas District representative,
five-year term) -- Don Brooks, 66, retired U.S. government
employee, real estate and insurance broker, financial adviser and
member of New Beginnings Church of the Brethren, Warrensburg,
Mo.; Dale Grosbach, 42, computer systems professional and member
of Messiah Church of the Brethren, Kansas City, Mo.; Elizabeth
Baile Irle, 63, homemaker, farmer and member of New Beginnings
Church of the Brethren, Warrensburg, Mo.; Cynthia Loper Sanders,
39, pastor of Cabool (Mo.) Church of the Brethren. 

General Board (Southern Pennsylvania District representative,
five-year term) -- Warren Eshbach, 58, pastor of the Brethren
Home retirement community, dean of Bethany Seminary's satelite
campus and member of Faith Community of the Brethren Home; John
Henry, 61, research group supervisor and member of Codorus Church
of the Brethren, Loganville, Pa.; Roger Miller, 70, semi-retired
food merchant and member of New Fairview Church of the Brethren,
York, Pa.; Sara Swartz, 74, retired teacher and member of
Huntsdale Church of the Brethren, Carlisle, Pa.

Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee (three-year
term) -- Janet Frankhouser Brounce, 64, retired registered nurse
and member of Uniontown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Paul
Brubaker, 54, banker/ordained minister and member of Ephrata
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Wendi Hutchinson, 27, director of
Nurture/Youth Education at Goshen (Ind.) City Church of the
Brethren; Paul Roth, 50, pastor of Linville Creek Church of the
Brethren, Broadway, Va.

Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee (five-year
term) -- Wanda Button, 66, homemaker and member of Ivester Church
of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa; Eunice Erb Culp, 45, vice
president of Human Resources and member of Goshen (Ind.) City
Church of the Brethren; Joseph Hinish, 64, financial adviser and
member of Martinsburg (Pa.) Memorial Church of the Brethren;
James King Jr., 64, retired business executive and member of
Williamson Road Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va.

Committee on Interchurch Relations (three-year term) -- Jim
Beckwith (incumbent), 47, pastor of Montezuma Church of the
Brethren, Dayton, Va.; Tim McElwee, 43, Manchester College
administrator and member of Manchester Church of the Brethren,
North Manchester, Ind.; Dorotha Fry Mason, 71, retired pastor and
social work administrator and member of Beacon Heights Church of
the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Belita Mitchell, 51, sales
professional and member of Imperial Heights Church of the
Brethren, Los Angeles.

Brethren Benefit Trust (four-year term) -- Janice Bratton, 33,
investment officer and portfolio manager and member of Spring
Creek Church of the Brethren, Hershey, Pa.; Cheryl Ottemoeller
Ingold (incumbent), 43, employee benefits administrator and
member of Highland Ave. Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill.; Gary
Osborne, 63, senior vice president stockbroker and member of
Williamson Road Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va.; Norma
Jeanne Hochstetler Shaub, 40, homemaker, attorney and member of
Medina (Ohio) Church of the Brethren.

Elector, Bethany Theological Seminary (five-year term
representing the laity) -- Karen Orpurt Crim, 47, certified
public accountant and member of Mack Memorial Church of the
Brethren, Dayton, Ohio; James McKinney, 53, school administrator
and member of Marion (Ind.) Church of the Brethren; David Wysong,
37, podiatrist and member of Beacon Heights Church of the
Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Peggy Mangus Yoder (incumbent), 50,
teacher and member of Stone Church of the Brethren, Huntingdon,
Pa.

Elector, Bethany Theological Seminary (five-year term
representing the ministry) -- Susan Stern Boyer, 37, pastor of
Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Manchester, Ind.; Judy
Gibble Kipp, 52, pastor of Ridgeway Community Church, Harrisburg,
Pa.; Karen Peterson Miller, 52, former General Board staff and
member of Hagerstown (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Michael Titus,
46, pastor of Covington Community Church of the Brethren, Kent,
Wash.

4) Bible study leaders for this year's Annual Conference were
announced last week. Leading 7:30 a.m. sessions Wednesday through
Saturday will be Kurt Snyder of Roann (Ind.) Church of the
Brethren; Janice Elaine Custer of Huntsdale Church of the
Brethren, Carlisle, Pa.; Michael Hostetter of Williamson Road
Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va.; and Vincent Rivera of
Iglesia Evangelica La Nueva Jerusalem Fellowship, Cicero, Ill.
Lamar Gibble of St. Charles, Ill., will lead a 9 p.m. Bible study
Tuesday through Friday.

5) A comprehensive consultation on ministerial training and
leadership development within the Church of the Brethren was held
Jan. 22-25 at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind.
Nearly 50 Bethany faculty, District executives, selected General
Board staff and specially invited resource people gathered for
further development of ministry education and as part of the
current five-year denominational emphasis on ministry and
leadership development.

The two primary goals were to develop a core of shared
understandings of the nature of ministry in the Church of the
Brethren, and to do initial work on developing a partnership
model for mentoring people who enter the ministry. Rick Gardner,
Bethany's academic dean and associate professor of New Testament
Studies, described the consultation as a landmark meeting that
brought together several partner agencies involved in ministry in
the Church of the Brethren, giving them an opportunity to
"articulate basic understandings of ministry that can serve as a
common reference point for our respective programs." 

Although a nasty flu virus swept through the group affecting the
health of about a dozen participants, with some shifting of
responsibilities and the willingness of others to serve as
caregivers, the consultation continued as planned. Various
presentations by participants discussed ministry from biblical,
historical and cultural perspectives. 

Gardner gave a presentation on "Biblical Vistas on Ministry."
Jeff Bach, Bethany's assistant professor of Brethren Studies and
director of Peace Studies, gave a presentation on "Historical
Perspectives on Ministry in the Church of the Brethren." Carl
Bowman, professor of Sociology at Bridgewater (Va.) College,
convened a panel discussion on "Cultural Contexts of Ministry in
the Church of the Brethren." Allen Hansell, director of Ministry
for the General Board, and Randy Yoder, executive of Middle
Pennsylvania District, gave presentations on "Visions for
Ministry in the 21st Century."  

The group also spent two sessions discussing the issue of
mentoring in the church. Nancy Faus, retired Bethany professor,
and Herman Kauffman, executive of Northern Indiana District, lead
these sessions. Presentation papers will be published in a future
issue of Brethren Life and Thought.

The presentations served as valuable resources for small group
dialog that led to the development of a working paper. This paper
and further discussions on mentoring will be part of the agenda
for the May meeting of the Ministry Advisory Council, made up of
the executive director of the Church of the Brethren, General
Board staff for Ministry and Congregational Life, coordinator of
District Ministries, coordinators of the Brethren Academy for
Ministerial Leadership, and representatives from the Brethren
colleges and from Bethany. The Council will explore options for
engaging districts and congregations in the converstaion about
ministry that the consultation set in motion.

Jeff Bach reminded the group that consultations, Annual
Conference queries, denominational programs and study papers
relating to ministry have been produced for decades. The
leadership and participants of this consultation realized that
ministry issues in the church will need perpetual thought and
discussion: They hope this consultation will be a catalyst for
such work.

6) The sale of Bethany Theological Seminary's former campus
property, located west of Chicago, moved one step closer to being
sold last week as the village board of Lombard unanimously
approved the first reading of Bethany's petition for annexation
into that village. The petition, which seeks zoning changes that
are necessary for the proposed development of the property, will
return before the village board Feb. 5 for final approval.

If approved, the rezoned site will be renamed Fountain Square of
Lombard, and will include a mix of residential, retail,
restaurant, hotel and commercial properties. It is being
developed and managed by The Shaw Company, a Chicago-based real
estate firm.

Two companies intending to build on the property are already well
into the process of obtaining site approval. Galyans Trading
Company, a sporting goods division of The Limited, Inc., has
received approval and expects to begin construction as soon as
possible. Amerisuites Hotel, a division of Prime Hospitality
Corp., is currently seeking similar approval. A division of The
Shaw Company will be developing condominiums, with a tentative
start date of later this year.

7) The 11th president of Juniata College will be Thomas Kepple
Jr., currently vice president for Business and Community
Relations at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.
Kepple, who will assume his new duties July 1, will succeed Bob
Neff, who retires June 30 after 12 years as president. Prior to
joining Juniata, Neff served as General Secretary of the Church
of the Brethren General Board in Elgin, Ill. Juniata is one of
five colleges and one university affiliated with the Church of
the Brethren.

Kepple will bring a diversity of strengths to the position, said
John Cramer, chair of Juniata's Board of Trustees. "Dr. Kepple
possesses a set of skills and experiences that are ideally suited
to Juniata College," Cramer said. "From his exceptional work in
developing and implementing strategic plans to his broad
experience in academic affairs, admissions and fund raising, Dr.
Kepple has the requisite skills to lead Juniata into the 21st
century."

"For 121 years Juniata College has had a reputation for academic
excellence," Kepple said. "My primary goal will be to keep the
college focused on its mission of offering the high quality
education that Juniata graduates and current students have come
to expect."

Kepple's duties at The University of the South have included
serving as the university's chief business manager as well as
manager of the town of Sewanee, which sits on some of the 10,000
acres of land owned by the university.

Kepple graduated from Westminster College in 1970 with a bachelor
of arts degree in Economics and Business. He received his
master's of Business Administration in 1974 and his doctorate in
1984, both from Syracuse University.

8) Two General Board resignations have been announced within the
past two weeks.

Guillermo Encarnacion has resigned as interim representative for
the Dominican Republic, effective March 27. He has held this
position since June 1994. In addition to this part-time position,
Encarnacion served as director of Hispanic Ministry until July
1997. He will continue pastoring the Alpha and Omega Church of
the Brethren, Lancaster, Pa.

Eleanor Plagge has announced her retirement from the General
Board, effective Feb. 13. Since 1989 Plagge has served in
Brethren Press Customer Service, answering the phone for
customers ordering books, curriculum and other Brethren Press
items. Plagge originally joined the General Board in 1958 as
secretary for the Christian Education Commission. She left in
1963 because of family obligations. She rejoined the General
Board in 1976 as switchboard operator and receptionist before
transferring to Brethren Press as purchaser/accounts payable.

9) Georgia Markey has been named associate executive of Southern
Pennsylvania District, effective Jan. 17. Markey joined the
district in 1989 as administrative assistant. For the past
several years she has served as assistant to the executive.

A member of Bermudian Church of the Brethren, East Berlin, Pa.,
Markey was licensed to the ministry in 1995. She is a student in
the Training in Ministry program and is studying business
administration at York (Pa.) College.

10) Order forms for the 1998 Church of the Brethren Yearbook are
now available. This year's yearbook will come in a new format --
a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" softbound book. It will include a comprehensive
listing of denominational organizations, including the redesigned
General Board. It also will list denominational employees,
licensed and ordained ministers, e-mail addresses and
denominational statistics from 1997.

Yearbooks can be ordered by check, credit card or standing order
with Brethren Press. Cost is $17.50. For more information,
contact Brethren Press Customer Service at 800 441-3712.

11) Grants totaling $52,500 have been allocated in January from
the Church of the Brethren General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund in response to three disasters.

Following the ice storms that have hit the northeastern United
States, $25,000 has been allocated to purchase electric
generators. Church World Service has already purchased 10
generators, but more are needed as some areas are expected to be
without electricity for another month. Large generators are
needed for many reasons, such as by dairy farmers who need to
resume milking.

A request for $25,000 by Miller Davis, manager of Emergency
Response/Service Ministries, was approved to help a clean-up and
rebuilding project in Tennessee in the wake of flooding two weeks
ago. Two hundred seventy-five families were affected by the
floods. 

In response to the Dec. 22 massacre of unarmed civilians,
including women and children, in Chiapas, Mexico, $2,500 has been
allocated to help supply long-term material assistance for the
4,000 people who fled the area of the massacre and settled in
Polho.

12) Church World Service has announced it will raise another
$500,000 in aid to North Korea for assistance in March and April
when food supplies are expected to become scarce several months
before the next crops can be harvested.

Half of that money will go toward food shipments and half toward
the purchase of livestock and freight costs. The money will be
raised from individuals and CWS member organizations.

Last year CWS member denominations contributed $681,574 toward a
$500,000 appeal. CWS then shipped 1,200 metric tons of corn.
Eight hundred thirty pounds of antibiotics and seven 20-foot
containers of clothing are scheduled to arrive this month. CWS
also sent 500 tons of barley seed as part of 10,000 tons of grain
donated by international relief agencies. This seed was used in a
double cropping experiment, which yielded a harvest of 150,000
tons of grain.

The Church of the Brethren has participated in these CWS efforts,
raising about $125,000 from a $75,000 appeal in March. A second
appeal for $100,000 is underway.

13) On Earth Peace Assembly has announced several position
openings.

Five young adults, ages 18-30, are being sought to serve on
OEPA's 1998 Conflict Resolution Teams. Candidates should have at
least some experience in conflict resolution and mediation. 

Applicants for OEPA's program coordinator/development associate
position are being sought. This staff will carry out OEPA's peace
education programs and assist with fundraising. Applications are
due March 31.

OEPA is also seeking a volunteer (possibly through Brethren
Volunteer Service) to spend at least one year working on the
organization's 1999 Summer Peace Camp program, and its silver
anniversary festivities. For more information on these positions,
contact Kate Johnson at on_earth_peace_assembly.parti@ecunet.org
or at 410 635-8705.

14) Two retreats for young adults will be held within the next
five weeks, sponsored by On Earth Peace Assembly. The first will
be held at the Brethren Service Center, New Windsor, Md., Feb.
27-March 1. The second is scheduled for March 6-8 at Koinonia
Environmental Retreat Center near North Manchester, Ind.

The New Windsor retreat, "I have no bucket and the well is deep,"
will be led by Audrey Osborne. The purpose of this spiritual
retreat is for participants to step away from the distractions of
everyday life to be refreshed through uninterrupted awareness of
God. 

The Koinonia retreat, "Breaking down walls, building bridges,"
will be a peacemaking/communications experience led by Debbie
Eisenbise and Lee Krahenbuhl. This retreat will be a time for
fellowship, relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation.

Cost for each retreat is $45, although scholarships are
available. For more information, contact Kate Johnson at
on_earth_peace_assembly.parti@ecunet.org or at 410 635-8705.

15) Eight week-long Peace Camps for people of all ages will be
offered this summer by On Earth Peace Assembly. These camps, a
new ministry for the independent Church of the Brethren
organization, will be held at the Brethren Service Center, New
Windsor, Md. Most of the leadership will be provided by Church of
the Brethren members.

"Through these weekly Peace Camps, On Earth Peace Assembly is
moving well beyond its traditional day-long and weekend-long
peace education programming that only provides sufficient time to
introduce issues related to faith-based peacemaking," said Tom
Hurst, OEPA director. "Week-long camps that focus on particular
peacemaking themes will provide sufficient time for an intense
yet enjoyable experience."

Hurst added that the Peace Camps are not intended to replace the
traditional summer church camp experience; they are additional
ways for people to spend one summer week.

Although each camp will focus on a particular peacemaking theme
through the study of music, art, world faiths or lifestyle
issues, all will include morning Bible study, daily worship,
conflict resolution training sessions, group-building activities,
and one evening picnic and swim. All campers will also help
prepare two meals a day.

Camp dates, themes, intended age groups, theme leaders and Bible
study leaders will be --

* June 14-19; "Peacemaking as taught by world faiths"; grades
     9-12; major leaders representing   Christian, Jewish, Bahai,
     Muslim and Buddhist faiths; Leland Wilson.
* June 21-25; "Faith-based peacemaking: Artful cooperation";
     grades 3-5; Ruth Aukerman; Jan Long.
* July 12-17; "Faith-based peacemaking: Joyful sounds"; 
     grades 3-5; Steve Kinsey; Jody Gunn.
* July 19-24; "Faith-based peacemaking: Joyful sounds"; 
     grades 6-8, Peter Haynes; to be determined.
* July 26-30; "Faith-based peacemaking through the creative 
     arts"; grades 6-8; Jim Bowyer; Wayne Zunkle.
* Aug. 2-7; "Peacemaking as taught by world faiths"; adults;
     major leaders representing Christian, Jewish, Bahai, Muslim
     and Buddhist faiths; Dale Brown.
* Aug. 9-14; "Faith-based peacemaking: Lifestyle issues"; young
     adults ages 17-26; Cliff Kindy; Dale Brown. (Evening leaders
     will be Tom Hurst, David Braune, Grace Lefever and Dale     
     and/or Ruth Aukerman.)
* Aug. 16-21; "Faith-based peacemaking: Lifestyle issues; adults;
     Cliff Kindy; Wayne Zunkle. (Evening leaders will be Tom
     Hurst, David Braune, Grace Lefever and Dale and/or Ruth     
     Aukerman.)

Camp costs range between $210 and $250, which includes room,
board, tuition and materials. Contact OEPA at
on_earth_peace_assembly.parti@ecunet.org or at 410 635-8705 for
more information or applications.

16) Bethany Theological Seminary has received a $200,000 grant
from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to conduct a
joint program with Earlham School of Religion (ESR), which will
increase the technical capabilities of both institutions for
teaching and learning. "The program aims to encourage cooperation
among librarians, faculty members, computer technicians, media
specialists and administrators to develop new and creative ways
to enhance theological education," said Marcia Shetler of
Bethany's Institutional Advancement office. 

In 1997, ESR received a planning grant to develop a proposal for
the use of the $200,000, a plan that would be mutually beneficial
to ESR and Bethany.

"Information technology plays an increasingly important role in
the life of worshiping and teaching communities as well as the
world of commerce and communication," said Bethany president Gene
Roop. "This grant challenges us to employ that technology in ways
that embody our values and serve our mission."

The grant will be dispersed over three years. New computer
hardware and software will be purchased and a full-time
information technology support staff will be hired.

17) Morrisons Cove, a Church of the Brethren-related continuing
care retirement village, is seeking applicants for chief
executive officer. Candidates should possess strong
administrative and financial skills and have an understanding of
technology. Degrees in administration and NHA are desirable. For
more information, contact Morrisons Cove at 814 793-2104.

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the General
Board's News and Information Services. 

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