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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      April 9, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline                                   April 9, 1998
1) Christian Peacemaker Teams' Chicago office receives a death
     threat.
2) The annual meat canning project of Mid-Atlantic and Southern
     Pennsylvania districts produces 562 cases of canned beef.
3) Each congregation in two Brethren districts receives a $500
     TURF grant.
4) The May Source resource packet has been mailed.
5) Outdoor Ministry Association steering committee meets.
6) Loyce Borgmann is named coordinator of the Church of the
     Brethren Washington Office.
7) Two volunteer positions are announced by the Church of the
     Brethren General Board.
8) Sue Wagner Fields will participate tomorrow in an unusual Good
     Friday service.
9) First quarter gifts to the General Board's General Fund exceed
     those from 1997.
10) The winners of the National Youth Conference speech contest
     are announced.
11) Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National
     Council of Churches, reflects on her just-completed trip to
     South Africa as a member of President Clinton's delegation.

1) A death threat was recorded Sunday on Christian Peacemaker
Teams' answering machine at its Chicago office, stating, "We are
watching your activities." The unknown caller, who claimed to be
from Israel's Chicago consulate, characterized CPT's work as
anti-semitic. The caller threatened to send members of an
"Israeli intelligence team working in Chicago" to CPT's office to
cause "great bodily harm" should CPT continue its work. The
message concluded, "In other words, they're gonna kill you. This
is the last warning and action is gonna come next."

A spokesperson from the consulate stated that it was "absolutely
not possible" that the current message originated from their
office, expressing concern that someone would issue such threats
in their name.

CPT officials subsequently issued a call for its supporters to
serve as "greeters" in the lobby of the building where its
Chicago office is based. Four Church of the Brethren
representatives and a Mennonite family have responded, although
many other supporters have expressed their concern through phone
calls and e-mail, some even issuing "life threats." The Brethren
included Cliff Kindy of North Manchester, Ind., a full-time
member of CPT's Peacemaker Corps, who arrived Wednesday and will
stay until Friday. Joining Kindy today were Dorotha Mason,
Melissa Collett and Laura Clark, all currently of Elgin, Ill.
Mason is married to Joe Mason, interim executive director of the
Church of the Brethren General Board. Collett, a Brethren
Volunteer Service worker based at the General Board's General
Offices, serves as administrator of http://www.brethren.org.
Clark, also a BVSer, serves as a BVS recruiter.

According to CPT, the death threat was similar in content and
timing to one received in January. While the current threat
targets the Chicago office, the January message directly
threatened members of CPT working in the West Bank city of
Hebron. It identified team members by name, included a deadline
for evacuating them, and was accompanied by a series of
threatening e-mail messages.

CPT has maintained a violence-deterring presence in Hebron since
June 1995, and works closely with both Palestinians and Israeli
peace groups. The team has periodically received verbal and
written death threats from Israeli settlers, but detailed phone
threats to the Chicago office suggest a new level of intensity,
according to a CPT release.

The release also states that this latest threat comes at a time
when Israel is under major pressure from Palestinians and the
international community to implement the Oslo Peace accords,
which call for Israel to turn over additional land to the
Palestinians. CPT workers in Hebron, along with Israeli and
Palestinian peace and human rights workers, report an increase in
the demolition of Palestinian homes by Israeli authorities in
many areas of the West Bank, particularly around Hebron.  

For the past month, members of CPT in Hebron have maintained an
around-the-clock presence with the Al-Atrash family whose house
was bulldozed March 3. With help from Palestinian neighbors and
hundreds of Israeli volunteers, the Al-Atrash family has begun
rebuilding its home. 

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Church of the
Brethren and Mennonite congregations and Friends Meetings that
support violence reduction efforts around the world. 

2) About 50,000 pounds of beef were processed this year during
Mid-Atlantic and Southern Pennsylvania districts' 18th annual
beef canning project. About 200 volunteers produced 26,974 cans
of beef -- 562 cases -- from March 23 to 28. Half of the food
beef will be distributed throughout the two districts; the other
half will be sent abroad.

3) Within the past week, each Church of the Brethren congregation
in Atlantic Northeast and Southern Pennsylvania districts
received a $500 grant from The United Relief Fund, to be used to
offer immediate aid to those in need. According to a letter that
accompanied each check, the money may be used to assist with
"food, shelter, clothing, medical, auto, etc." Or congregations
may decide to use the funds to meet the needs of many families,
or even individuals.

TURF was established in the early 1990s by the two districts as a
way for some of the money raised from their large annual disaster
relief auction to be used by congregations for local needs.
Fifteen to 20 percent of the auction proceeds are sent to TURF
for distribution. About $270,000 has been used for various
projects since the fund was established, said Joe Long, TURF
chair. Those projects include providing clothing and blankets for
the homeless, providing transportation to disaster relief
projects, and an AIDS ministry.

Even so, Long believes only about a dozen out of the more than
120 eligible congregations have actively sought TURF funds. Thus,
TURF committee members hope the $500 grants will challenge
congregations to be in the ministry of helping people in need.
The grants will also show congregations how their local
ministries could be increased by using additional TURF monies.

To use the $500, congregations must participate in the project;
they must give appropriate witness and glory to Jesus Christ,
like giving a Bible, New Testament or other appropriate
literature as they are handing out the monetary aid; and they
must submit a year-end report on their use of the money for
accountability reasons.

Though the $500 to each congregation will cost TURF in excess of
$60,000, Long said the money is only good when it's being used.
"We'd rather be out of money than have a large backlog," he said.
"Hopefully the options (for distributing the funds) will continue
to grow."

4) The May Source resource packet has been mailed. Included in
this issue is the Church of the Brethren General Board's
statement on Iraq; a notice from the Board's Mission and
Ministries Planning Council regarding mission proposals;
resources for peacemaking by individuals and congregations; a
flier about the work of the Board's Brethren Witness office;
mission studies on Indonesia and refugees by the National Council
of Churches; a flier relating to Brethren Volunteer Service's
first 50 years; and a copy of NYC InSight, a newsletter about
National Youth Conference '98; 

5) The steering committee of the Church of the Brethren Outdoor
Ministries Association (OMA) met March 29-31 at Camp Blue
Diamond, Petersburg, Pa.

The committee is composed of Rex Miller, chair; Alan Keiffaber;
Marvin Thill; Jerri Heiser-Wenger; Mike Neff; Demetra Heckman;
Lori Fackler; and Mary St. John. David Smalley, a Church of the
Brethren Congregational Life Team member (Area 4), serves as the
General Board's liaison.

During the meetings, committee members --
     * learned that their 1997 year-end financial reports show
          income over expense.
     * were informed of this year's Venture Forth outdoor
          experiences, such as a trip to North Dakota; a hike to
          the Pasaytan Wilderness; four day hikes at Camp
          Peaceful Pines in Dardanelle, Calif.; a north loop hike
          in Mt. Rainier National Park; a hike in the Pacsaden
          Wilderness; and a cross country skiing experience.
     * learned that the OMA history project is in need of a new
          writer, following the resignation of Bill
          Haledman-Scarr.
     * appointed Joann Ebling, office manager at Camp Swatara,
          Bethel, Pa., as volunteer treasurer; and appointed Rex
          Miller, outgoing chair, to serve as OMA bookkeeper.
     * elected Lori Fackler of Goshen, Ind., to its steering
          committee as a volunteer representative.
     * announced that its camp directors and managers retreat
          will be Nov. 19-23 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. 
     * announced that its next meeting will be Sept. 28-29 at
          Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry Center, Sharpsburg,
          Md.

OMA has a new address -- OMA, Church of the Brethren, P.O. Box F,
Bethel PA 19507.

6) Loyce Borgmann of Vienna, Va., has joined the Church of the
Brethren Washington Office as coordinator. She will serve in the
position as a volunteer, working on-site three days a week. Her
husband, Kurt, is pastor of Oakton Church of the Brethren,
Vienna.

"Loyce brings many gifts to this role with the office," said
David Radcliff, Brethren Witness director and Washington Office
supervisor. "One key component of her work will be to bring a
sense of stability and longer-term leadership to the office. Both
of these are challenges when funds for carrying out this
important witness have been severely reduced." 

Borgmann joins BVSers Heather Nolen and Costa Nicolaidis, who
will continue their terms as legislative assistants.

7) Two volunteer positions were announced this week by the Church
of the Brethren General Board. 

Global Mission Partnerships is seeking a volunteer Latin
America/Caribbean specialist to give programmatic and
administrative support to mission efforts in the region.
Administrative skills, living experience in the region, a
knowledge of Spanish and the ability to articulate denominational
identity are important. Hispanic Brethren are encouraged to apply
for this position, which will be filled by an intern or Brethren
Volunteer Service worker. For more information, contact Mervin
Keeney, Global Mission Partnerships director, at 800 323-8039.

Volunteer Service Ministries has announced an opening for someone
with computer hardware and software experience. This Information
Services position will be located at the Church of the Brethren
General Offices in Elgin, Ill. For more information, contact
Perry Hudkins at 410 635-8791.

8) Sue Wagner Fields of Little Swatara Church of the Brethren,
Bethel, Pa., tomorrow will participate in an unusual Good Friday
service in Washington, D.C.: She will be a reader at one of the
"Economic Stations of the Cross," an interfaith effort to focus
attention on international lending institutions and the role
these organizations play in relation to human welfare and the
health of the environment. In a 14-station pilgrimage reminiscent
of Jesus' journey to Golgotha, the procession will offer
statements of concern and hope interspersed with scriptural
quotations at various institutions, including the White House.

"Economic and environmental injustice are not inevitable
directions for our world," said Wagner Fields. "These things are
the result of decisions being made by people in these buildings
in our nation's capital. If we change these policies, we can
change our world."

For more information related to "efforts to challenge destructive
practices of international financial institutions," contact David
Radcliff, director of Church of the Brethren General Board's
Brethren Witness.

9) Gifts to the General Board's General Fund for the first
quarter of 1998 totalled $807,586, an increase of $24,561 over
1997's first quarter, said Ken Neher, director of the General
Board's Funding office. "I want to express my sincere thanks and
appreciation to the congregations and individuals who continue
their strong support of the vital ministries of the Church of the
Brethren General Board," Neher said. "We appreciate the
confidence and trust you place in us to be good stewards of your
mission and outreach funds."

10) Linetta Alley of Bridgewater, Va., and Cindy Laprade of Rocky
Mount, Va., are the winners of the National Youth Conference 1998
Speech Contest. Both will deliver their winning eight- to
10-minute speeches -- based on the theme, “... with Eyes of
Faith” -- during the July 31 morning service.

Miriam Radcliff of Elgin, Ill., the third-place finalist, will
help lead that morning's service.

11) Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National
Council of Churches, on March 25-29 joined President Clinton and
his delegation in South Africa. The following is an interview of
Campbell that addresses why she went as representative of many
mainline religious communions, including the Church of the
Brethren --

Q: Why were you chosen to accompany President Clinton to South
Africa? What was your role?

A: I was in the 70-member official delegation, which included
members of Congress, corporate chief executive officers,
President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton and the presidential staff. 
There were two representatives of the church -- African Methodist
Episcopal Bishop Fred Calhoun James and myself.

The President said that he chose every person personally and that
he wanted to include people who worked in the anti-apartheid or
Civil Rights movements. Everyone on the trip was credentialed not
by virtue of their jobs but by virtue of what they had done in
the freedom struggle, including the members of Congress who went.
One of the wonderful things on the plane was listening to
people's stories about South Africa and about the Civil Rights
movement.

I think the President's strongest signal to that commitment was
naming Jesse Jackson as his special envoy to South Africa. It was
interesting how many ministers played special roles. The
ambassador to South Africa, James Joseph, is a United Church of
Christ minister. The name of Andrew Young, another United Church
of Christ minister, was often lifted up for having played one of
the major roles with the United Nations in relation to South
Africa.

Q: Why was it important that the NCC be represented on the
presidential delegation?

A: Because the NCC has a long history both in the Civil Rights
movement and in the anti-apartheid movement, I think our presence
was very logical and I'm grateful to the president for
recognizing that. The president said that there was a sense in
which my presence as general secretary helped him, because there
are many people in South Africa who know the NCC.  Among them is
Thabo Mbeki, whom I visited when he was in exile. He is writing
the constitution for the new South Africa.

I think President Clinton knows, as well, that there will be
important follow-up that the churches must play if Africa is to
be treated as a partner and not as an object of charity.

Q: What was the tone in South Africa, especially in light of
what's been happening with the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission?  Are the people able to build a different kind of
society?

A: Probably the best time to sense the tone was at the State
dinner. There were 750 people, all personally invited by South
African president Nelson Mandela. The tone has been affected by
the way in which Mandela emerged from all those years in prison
without hatred, without bitterness, without rancor, but as
someone who was prepared to move toward building a new South
Africa. He continues to say, "I am not here to punish. I am here
to work toward a future that is the future for all South
Africans." He says that over and over again.

To me, he is reminiscent of Martin Luther King Jr. You never
heard Dr. King say that white people should be punished for their
deeds. He consistently said, "We are all God's children,"
insisting upon the inclusion of blacks in that "all God's
children." Similarly, Mandela says, "I will work toward a future
for black South Africans in which there is economic stability,
education and opportunity, but I will also make this a safe place
for all South Africans." The tone he sets at the top is what
makes it possible for people to behave toward one another in
forgiving and grace-filled ways. And they are.

Q: Do the churches help with that?

A: The churches absolutely help in that process. The churches are
struggling a bit now. The anti-apartheid movement was so much a
part of their mission and now the churches need to find their
role and mission in the new South Africa. The church has to
develop its new identity in a South Africa that is free. Since
the church played such a strong role in the anti-apartheid
movement, so much of its leadership is now part of the
government. Frank Chikane, who was head of the South African
Council of Churches, is now the chief of staff for Thabo Mbeki. 
Beyers Naude has worked with the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. Desmond Tutu chairs the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission.

How, then, does the church give South Africa the kind of
undergirding it needs now when the challenges are economic?  How
do you create a South Africa where there are economic
possibilities for people who for years were basically servants to
others?

One of the most powerful statements was made by Thabo Mbeki. I
asked him publicly, "What is it you want us to do?" He said, "If
the energy that was put into the disinvestment movement could now
be translated into the reinvestment of all of Africa, then I
believe that we would find progress." He was really saying that
the kind of moral energy that went into the bringing down of the
system needs to be focused on the rebuilding of Africa, and he
was very clear to talk about not just South Africa, but the whole
continent.

Q: When Desmond Tutu spoke to the NCC's General Assembly in
November 1996, he pressed the whole issue of forgiving foreign
debt. Did that issue come up?

A: It did. President Clinton made a statement that he felt he had
come to understand the debt issue better since he'd been in
Africa. Desmond Tutu pressed the debt issue directly with the
president, who said that there will be debt reduction for the
poorest of the countries, perhaps debt forgiveness. He did not
put forward a specific proposal, but he did promise that he would
deal with the issue; he spoke to the members of Congress and
said, "Obviously, I will need your support in this." What the
specific proposal will be, we will not know until we see it.

I have watched as President Clinton has moved through Africa and
noted the tremendous emotional power that Africa has had for him.
He began to put away his written speeches others had helped
prepare and began to speak from his heart and from the knowledge
that he was gaining in Africa. There's no question that Africa
informed him and helped him develop his own thinking.  I have no
question that he will return from Africa with a different agenda
than the agenda he took with him. I think it will be a broader
agenda, I think it will be deepened on some issues, like debt
reduction. There's no question he will continue to focus on the
trade issue, because he personally believes that Africa must
become a trading partner of the United States. The presence of 12
chief executive officers of major corporations was an indication
of that belief.

Q:  What role do the churches have to play in Africa's future?

A:  While I think it is up to many people to see that Africa
become strong economically and that the business community needs
to play its role, I also believe that the churches have a
historic role to play. President Clinton himself said, "We have
not treated Africa fairly." He said that during the Cold War, we
chose people because they were our friends, not because they were
giving good leadership in Africa. I was pleased to hear him say
this. His confessional statement is tied to my belief that the
future of Africa is a theological as well as an economic issue
for us, because Africa has clearly been a continent that has been
affected by the racial prejudice that exists in this country.
There is not question in my mind that it is not an accident that
Africa is misunderstood, that it gets less aid than other
continents and that it has been treated without the kind of
fairness that is due to a continent of its size, history and
culture. This is in large part related to the racial bigotry that
exists in this country and we have to deal with that issue on a
continuing basis. We cannot say that racial prejudice in this
country can be contained within our own borders. We export it and
there is a whole continent of people who then suffer. It is
important that President Clinton has talked about both a race
initiative in this country as well as talking about making trade
and relationships with Africa a priority. The churches also are
uniquely positioned to be a moral leader and call for an end to
the racism that causes suffering both here and in Africa.

As churches, we need to assert that when we dream of a global
human community where peace and justice are possible, Africa is
essential to the realization of that dream.

Q:  There is a curious quirk about human nature that we will
rally to the negative -- we will fight apartheid. But how do we
rally churches to a positive approach? How do we get people to be
invested in Africa?

A:  Although the churches have played a major role in aid to
Africa, they need to move beyond the issue of aid to the issue of
partnership. Take the example of Christian missionaries. The
missionaries left in their wake some cultural problems. But they
also left in their wake a very strong and positive legacy in the
hospitals and schools they built, where many individuals who are
now in leadership were trained. We must now listen to the very
people that we have trained and to whom we have introduced
Christianity because they have a message for us about Africa. 
They are saying to us, "You helped to train us," or in
evangelical language, "You helped to bring us to Christ. Now
listen to us, because we need you to be our partners as we move
Africa to a place of real prominence in the world." I think we
need to respond to that.

Can we get people to do that as easily as we got them to object
to the system of apartheid? I don't know. I think part of the
answer is keeping Africa before our churches. If you look at the
NCC, we have one office with only a few people to deal with the
entire continent of Africa. It would be my dream that our
churches would say, "We need at least 10 people to deal with the
continent of Africa" if we are seriously committed to changing
the way in which this country looks at Africa. I believe this
council needs to send a very high level delegation to Africa and
we need to help create an Africa policy for our churches that is
as important for our ecumenical life as the Middle East policy
has been.

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the General
Board's News Services. Newsline stories may be reprinted in
newsletters and other publications, including web sites, provided
that Newsline is cited as the source and the publication date is
included.

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