wfn.org | Newsline - Church of the Brethren weekly news update

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Nov. 7, 1998
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline                                          Nov. 7, 1998
News
1) Five disaster grants are allocated in the wake of hurricanes
     Mitch and Georges and Texas flooding; Yvonne Dilling is named
     coordinator of Church of the Brethren response to Mitch.
2) The Global Women's Project Steering Committee allocates grants,
     produces "Gift of the Heart" school kits during its October
     meetings.
3) Western Pennsylvania District dedicates its new office building.
4) Brethren Press sends a special mailing to Church of the Brethren
     congregations.
5) Bulletin texts for 2000 have been selected; pictures will be
     selected on Monday and Tuesday.
6) A new paper on ministry in the Church of the Brethren, which
     could be sent to Annual Conference delegates in 1999, is
     available to be previewed online.
7) Brethren youth are encouraged to help combat hunger by
     participating in the 1999 "Souper Bowl."
8) The minutes book from the 1998 Annual Conference is available.
9) Susan Grubb is named coordinator of Orientation for Brethren
     Volunteer Service.
10) Two part-time Congregational Life Team staff positions are
     announced by the Church of the Brethren General Board.
11) Sara Speicher, former General Board staff member, in January
     will become a Cluster Communication officer for the World
     Council of Churches in Geneva.
12) 1998 Donations to several Church of the Brethren denominational
     agencies must be mailed no later than Dec. 31.
13) Contacting some denominational staff located at the General
     Offices in Elgin, Ill., just got easier.
14) The Brethren Home Community of New Oxford, Pa., has been
     accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
     Healthcare.
15) Reservations are now being accepted by the Bridgewater (Va.)
     Retirement Community for a new 71-unit congregate living
     facility.
16) "Faith and Money," the first of a series of workshops for
     pastors and lay leaders by the Alban Institute, is scheduled
     for Nov. 20-21 in Chicago.

1) Five disaster relief grants totaling $104,000 were allocated
from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund within the past
fortnight for assistance following hurricanes Mitch and Georges,
and flooding in Texas.

Two grants totaling $49,000 were allocated in response to Hurricane
Mitch, the worst natural disaster to hit the western hemisphere
this century. More than 9,000 people were killed in seven Central
American countries, tens of thousands were injured, and over 1.5
million were driven from their homes. As requested by Miller Davis,
manager of Emergency Response/Service Ministries, a unit of the
Church of the Brethren General Board's Global Mission Partnerships,
the first grant of $24,000 was made in support of a CWS/Action by
Churches Together appeal for Honduras. The remaining $25,000 will
be directed toward Nicaragua-related projects—
   * $2,000 to CWS.
   * $5,000 to Mision Cristiana, the Church of the Brethren's
          sister church.
   * $8,500 for bean seeds, tools, and building supplies, for use
          by a Brethren group who went to Nicaragua on Nov. 9.
   * $9,500 for additional requests as they are received.

In addition, Global Mission Partnerships has appointed Yvonne
Dilling to guide additional Brethren response to Hurricane Mitch.
One of her first goals is to assemble a medical team that will
travel with her to Nicaragua as soon as possible. Dilling also has
established an e-mail address for Brethren to use to request more
information about Church of the Brethren partners in Central
America or to explore ways to be personally involved. That address
is mitchcob@juno.com.

Dilling, who currently is in California, is the General Board's
former representative for Latin America/Caribbean.

The other EDF grants allocated by ER/SM included—
   * $20,000 to assist Church of the Brethren members and others in
     the Dominican Republic who were affected by Hurricane Georges.
     This grant will be sent to the treasurer of the Church of the
     Brethren in the Dominican Republic to be used in assisting
     Brethren and nonmembers alike.
   * $20,000 for use by COTEDO Inc. in the Dominican Republic in
     response to Hurricane Georges. COTEDO is a social service
     agency with which the Church of the Brethren has had a
     long-term working relationship.
   * $15,000 to assist CWS in work following the flooding of four
     major rivers in Texas. The flooding has affected 1,350 square
     miles of land, causing over $500 million in damage. This grant
     will assist in setting up and operating a number of interfaith
     disaster projects.

2) Grants totaling $3,000 and the construction of 50 "Gifts of the
Heart" school kits were outcomes from the Oct. 24-25 meeting of the
Global Women's Project Steering Committee.

A grant of $2,000 was approved for International Voluntary Services
and its partner in Viet Nam, the Women's Union, to help reduce the
spread of aids. A grant of $1,000 was also approved for the women's
fellowship of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the
Brethren in Nigeria).

In other business, Barbara Cuffie of Baltimore was welcomed as a
new member. The other steering committee members are Karen Carter
of Daleville, Va.; Rachel Gross of North Manchester, Ind.; Debbie
Roberts of La Verne, Calif.; and Linda Webber of Lombard, Ill.

The school kits were constructed during an evening of fellowship
between the committee and members of seven area Church of the
Brethren congregations.

The Global Women's Project was formed in 1978 to encourage women to
participate "in the continuing birth of God's world."

3) A new office building for Western Pennsylvania District, located
about 3 1/2 miles from the former office in Hollsopple, was
dedicated Oct. 18. The new facility is an office building complete
with a resource room for previewing curriculum and displaying new
items, a library that is being updated and expanded, and a large
meeting room available for use by district and church groups. The
new building was needed as the district office outgrew its former
facility.

The office's new address is 115 Spring Road, Hollsopple PA
15935-7412. Its phone and fax numbers, which are listed in the
Church of the Brethren yearbook, did not change.

4) What's new from Brethren Press? That question was answered
recently through a special mailing sent to each Church of the
Brethren congregation. Included in the mailing were the following
fliers --
     * "Jubilee songbook," which includes information on the new
          songbook and its companion cassette and CD. 
     * "Good Ground," a new Sunday school curriculum for adults.
     * "Teaching for Life," new adult education materials. 
     * "Faith Building Books 1998-1999," books that were selected
          from Brethren Press and four other church-affiliated
          publishing houses that "inform, enrich, and enlighten" a
          person's spiritual journey.
     * "Let Our Joys Be Known," a new heritage curriculum that
          teaches about the Brethren past and present.
     * Bible study curriculum for junior high youth.
     * "1999 Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin Series."
     * "Games that Byte," a hands-on tool for evaluating computer
          and video games.
     * "Annointed to Bring Good News!," Jubilee Sunday school
          curriculum for children age two through grade eight.
     
Also included are order forms and a complete Brethren Press
catalog. For more information, contact Brethren Press at
brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or call 800 441-3712.

5) Several Midwest pastors, a General Board member, and a district
executive joined Brethren Press staff in an all-day session Oct. 25
to select bulletin texts for the year 2000. The texts, from Series
B of the Revised Common Lectionary, will be used in the Church of
the Brethren's Living Word Bulletin Series.  

The weekly use of worship bulletins--60,000--is the largest regular
distribution of denominational material within the church.

Increasingly congregations are incorporating the prayers and
litanies appearing on the back panel of the bulletin in the order
of service. These resources, plus reflections and stories, are
prepared by Church of the Brethren pastors and laity.

Custom photos for the bulletins will be selected Monday and
Tuesday.

Living Word Bulletins are available from Brethren Press. For a free
catalog, write to brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or call 800
441-3712. 

6) A new paper on ministerial issues affecting the Church of the
Brethren that is working its way toward 1999 Annual Conference
delegates in Milwaukee is available online for evaluation.

The paper emerged in March as a response to recommendations made in
the "Ministerial Leadership Statement" to the 1996 Annual
Conference. This paper addresses the many issues associated with
licensed and ordained ministry, ministerial education, and
procedures for receiving ministerial leaders from other
denominations.

It has been reviewed thus far by the Ministry Advisory Council
(twice), the Council of District Executives, and the General Board.
Following the General Board's October meetings, the paper was
revised, redistributed to district executives, and placed online at
www.brethren.org/genbd/ministry.

Following this latest round of feedback-gathering, the paper will
be returned to the General Board in March. The goal, said Ministry
director Allen Hansell, is for the paper to be addressed by next
year's Annual Conference delegates.

Comments pertaining to the paper should be directed to Hansell at
ahansell_gb@brethren.org.

7) Church of the Brethren youth groups are being encouraged to
participate in this year's "Souper Bowl," an annual event
anticipated nationwide that has absolutely nothing to do with
football.

The idea is simple: Youth groups invite their congregation to
participate by asking each person in worship on Jan. 31 to donate
one dollar. Youth hold a large soup pot at the door of the
sanctuary to collect donations. A group representative that day
calls a toll-free number to report how much money was donated.
Earlier this year over $1.7 million was raised by 8,500 youth
groups. The youth group then sends the proceeds to a local soup
kitchen or food bank.

"The premise is to use some of the 'hype' about the Super Bowl to
actually minister to the needs of the hungry in communities
throughout our country," said Chris Douglas, coordinator of the
Church of the Brethren General Board's Youth and Young Adult
Ministry. "Its a tangible way for youth to serve 'the least of
these.'"

This event began in 1990 with a Presbyterian youth group in North
Carolina. About 150 Church of the Brethren youth groups
participated in the 1998 bowl.

Fliers for 1999 were recently sent to all Church of the Brethren
youth advisers. For more information, contact Douglas at
cobyouth_gb@brethren.org or at 800 323-8039.

8) This year's minutes book from the 212th Annual Conference in
Orlando is now available from the Annual Conference office. 

The publication includes 14 reports and delegate actions pertaining
to the two unfinished and 12 new business items. It also includes
election results, a Conference recap, and attendance figures.

To order, send a check with $7 for each booklet to Annual
Conference Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin IL 60120. For more
information, contact Kristi Rittle at krittle_ac@brethren.org.

9) Susan Grubb, who on Sept. 9 was named interim coordinator of
Orientation for the Church of the Brethren General Board's Brethren
Volunteer Service ministry, was called to permanently fill that
position, effective Oct. 26. The Elizabethtown, Pa., native served
in BVS from 1992-1997.

10) Two openings for Church of the Brethren General Board
Congregational Life Team members have been announced -- a half-time
position for Area 3 (Atlantic Southeast, Shenandoah, Southeastern
Virlina, and West Marva districts) and a half-time position for
Area 1 (Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle Pennsylvania,
Southern Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania districts.

Application deadline is Jan. 2. Positions descriptions,
applications, and other information is available by contacting
Elsie Holderread at eholderread_gb@brethren.org or at 800 323-8039.

11) Beginning in January, Sara Speicher, former Church of the
Brethren General Board staff, will assume the position of Cluster
Communication officer with the World Council of Churches in Geneva,
Switzerland. In this capacity she will aid staff teams in
developing and implementing communication strategies for programs
and events, as well as work with the WCC's Cluster on Communication
in developing a communications strategy.

According to Speicher, the WCC is being restructured into four
clusters -- Communication, Issues and Themes, Relations and
Constituencies, and Finance and Administration. Her
responsibilities will be primarily with the Relations and
Constituencies cluster, which deals with Regional, Ecumenical,
International, and Interreligious Relations. Speicher has been
working as program assistant to the WCC's Programme to Overcome
Violence. Prior to that, she served as director of communications
for Association of Brethren Caregivers, then a ministry of the
Church of the Brethren General Board.

In related news, the WCC is seeking Speicher's successor with
Programme to Overcome Violence. This volunteer program assistant
position is for one to two years and is coordinated through the
Mennonite Central Committee Europe office. 

For more information, contact Debby Martin-Koop at
debby_martin-koop@mail.mcc.org or at 011 41 32-87-5756. 

12) Donations to the General Board, Bethany Theological Seminary,
Association of Brethren Caregivers, and On Earth Peace Assembly for
1998 must be postmarked by Dec. 31 and received by the Church of
the Brethren General Board's Finance office by Jan. 8, according to
Dennis Kingery, controller/assistant treasurer. Kingery also stated
that churches need to include additions to the Pastor's Housing
Fund on their pastor's W-2 form.

For more information, contact Kingery at dkingery_gb@brethren.org
or at 800 323-8039.

13) Contacting staff of the General Board, Association of Brethren
Caregivers, and Annual Conference office who are based at the
Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., just got
easier.

On Friday, a new telephone/voice mail system was installed,
enabling people to be in touch with or to leave messages for
national staff, regardless of the time.

During business hours, phone calls will continue to be answered by
an operator. Each call will be transferred to the appropriate
extension. If no one is there to answer the call, the caller will
have the option of leaving a message or returning to the operator.

This new system will also allow people to call during nonbusiness
hours. An automatic attendant will provide options for leaving
voice mail messages, using an alphabetical directory of staff.

The main General Offices numbers for these agencies did not change.
Brethren Benefit Trust, Brethren Employees Credit Union, and the
Illinois/Wisconsin District office have separate phone systems and
thus are not affected by this new phone system.

14) The Brethren Home Community, New Oxford, Pa., has achieved
accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare following an on-site review in July. Staff had spent
about two years reviewing and measuring policies, procedures,
practices, and care against the nationally recognized JCAHO
standards.

Formed in 1951, the nonprofit commission is dedicated to improving
the quality of health care through voluntary accreditation. It
currently accredits over 18,000 health care organizations. 

15) Reservations are now being accepted by the Bridgewater (Va.)
Retirement Community for Phase Two of Maple Terrace, a 71-unit
congregate living facility. Construction is set to begin next
spring pending sufficient reservations. For floor plans, pricing,
unit availability, or other information, contact Karen McNeal at
800 419-9129.

16) "Faith and Money," a nationwide forum produced by the Alban
Institute, scheduled for Nov. 20-21 in Chicago, is designed for
clergy and lay leaders. "Conspiracies of silence...systemic and
personal denial of powerful economic trends...poor fiscal
management skills...conflicts of interest for clergy who must raise
money for their own salaries even as they challenge cultural
materialism -- are among the many thorny issues affecting the faith
and money relationship in religious communities today," according
to the institute.

This event will launch a two-year nationwide discussion series
designed to provide conversational forums for clergy and lay people
to explore the attitudes, strategies, and realities within the
important faith and money relationship. Funded by a Lilly Endowment
grant, the discussion series will consist of three major
conversation sessions held in each of five cities through 2000.

To register or for more information, call 800 486-1318, ext. 235.

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the Church of
the Brethren General Board's News Services. Newsline stories may be
reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source and the
publication date is included.

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