wfn.org | Caring Ministries 2000 Care Journal

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      June 4, 1999
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Care Journal
Daily news sheet for Caring Ministries 2000
June 4, 1999

1) Retreat Leader To Speak Tonight, Lead Special Seminar Tomorrow
     
Robert A. Raines, tonight's messenger, served as director of
Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, Bangor, Pa., for 20 years.  He
has written thirteen books, covering subjects from the nature of
the church to personal life development.  His latest book, A Time
to Live: Seven Tasks of Creative Aging, is indicative of his
lifelong willingness and ability to be candid and realistic about
one’s present moment in life, but with hope for whatever is to
come. He writes in A Time to Live, "Change and growth involve
painful birthing, and take us into unknown and often fearsome
places, where the fresh energy of hope awaits us."

Raines is an ordained minister and a graduate of Yale Divinity
School.  He and his wife, Cynthia Hirni, make their home now in
Guilford, Conn.  Following this evening's session, he will
autograph his book in the M & M Mars Room.

2) Post-Conference Seminar Tomorrow
     
A special seminar on issues of aging will be sponsored tomorrow, 9
a.m.- 4 p.m., by the Fellowship of Brethren Homes.  The seminar
leader will be tonight's speaker, Robert A. Raines.  Raines will
speak to four areas of aging --

* Acknowledging loss, pain, and grief
* Remembering and delighting in blessings
* Reviewing and revising ways to learn, grow, enjoy being, and
     contribute to society
* Deepening relationships to others and to God.
     
The seminar will meet in the Performance Room of Leffler Chapel,
second floor, near the elevator.  Anyone interested in the seminar
but has not registered for it can check at the Conference Office
following tonight’s worship to see if there is room.  Registration
for the seminar is $60.  Saturday’s breakfast and lunch in the
college dining hall is $4.00 and $6.25 respectively.

3) Energy, Joy, Testimony Describe Tonight's Prayer/Praise Group
     
They are a group of very energetic, joyful, celebrating disciples
called The Bittersweet Gospel Band, and they will bring their
proclamation of the message of Jesus to Leffler Auditorium at 9
p.m. tonight.  Formed ten years ago by Pastor Gilbert Romero of the
Bella Vista Church of the Brethren, Los Angeles, the Band has
played all across the U.S., including performances at Annual
Conference and National Youth Conference.  Their music is a blend
of stories, hymns, contemporary Christian songs, and Spanish tunes,
with accompanying instruments of praise!  Be prepared to be
entertained, inspired, and involved!

4) Correction About Breakfast Tomorrow
     
Last night's Care Journal incorrectly reported that tomorrow's
breakfast in the college dining hall was included in the Caring
Ministries 2000 registration fee.  The last meal included in the
registration actually was this evening's dinner, unless you
pre-registered for tomorrow’s seminar and meals.  However, anyone
can buy breakfast at the dining room door tomorrow morning for
$4.00.  Still a bargain!

5) Please Remember To Leave Keys, Cards, Evaluations, 
     Name Tag Holders
     
Check out times to leave your keys and meal cards are tonight,
8:30-9:30 p.m., and tomorrow morning, 8:30-10:00 a.m.  Also, please
place your completed evaluation forms in the M & M Mars Room or on
a table in the Leffler lobby, along with the plastic name tag
holder.  

Be sure that someone takes your name when you return your keys and
meal card, so that you will not be charged with "lost" items!  If
you need help carrying luggage, please call the Conference Office,
ext. 1997.      

6) Charitable Groups Made Possible Conference's 
     Outstanding Speakers
     
It should seem obvious that 300 participants cannot yield enough
registration fees to underwrite a conference with speakers of the
caliber we have enjoyed this week.  Through the generosity of five
charitable groups, funds were provided to supplement registrations
and enable the conference to secure high-quality messengers.  

Groups making grants to Caring Ministries 2000 were -- 
* The Joel K. Thompson Endowment Fund: a fund established in memory
     of Joel Thompson, who was a member of the Church of the
     Brethren General Board staff, an officer for the Evangelical
     Hospital Association, and a Brethren missionary teacher.  He
     was aboard the fatal U.S. Air crash in 1994.
* The Association of Anabaptist Risk Management (AARM): a
     non-profit cooperative providing various types of insurance to
     non-profits with Anabaptist heritage, and with whom ABC is
     developing a long term care insurance program for
     participating Brethren homes.
* The Rosenberger Family Charitable Trust: a fund established to
     support projects that honor the dedication to the church of
     the late Lester and Pauline Rosenberger.
* The Mutual Aid Association of the Church of the Brethren: a
     Christian-based insurance agency that serves Brethren
     congregations and individuals with personal and property
     coverage.

* Fellowship of Brethren Homes: an agency of ABC by which the
     Church of the Brethren-sponsored homes for the aging network
     and standardize their services and share in important
     training. 

7) Did You Like Caregiving?
     
We hope you liked the free issue of Caregiving that was in the
registration packets. This is the new quarterly publication of the
Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), combining the news and
interests of all nine ABC ministries.  Each issue will carry a
theme important to all caregivers.  Individual subscriptions are
only $10 per year.  Full registrants of this week’s conference will
receive a free one year subscription.

8) ABC Planning Many Events For Annual Conference In Milwaukee
     
Members of the Church of the Brethren will convene for their Annual
Conference in Milwaukee, Wisc., June 29-July 4.  The Association of
Brethren Caregivers’ nine ministries will sponsor 39 different
meetings and nurturing opportunities during the week.  Those
persons in this Caring Ministries Conference who plan to be in
Milwaukee will find the Annual Conference brochure in your
registration packet helpful to identify those events.  Also, please
share the information with others from your congregation who will
attend Annual Conference.

9) Many Volunteers Contributed To This Second Caring Ministries 
     Conference
     
A salmon-colored sheet handed to all registrants of this week’s
conference, lists the names of many people who served as volunteers
for the many tasks it takes to make a meeting of this magnitude
successful.  A few volunteers appeared after the paper was printed. 
ABC wishes to acknowledge the help of others who assisted the
conference, but whose names did not get included on the sheet.  A
special thank-you is extended to the Elizabethtown Church of the
Brethren which supplied more than 40 volunteer helpers.

10) You Are Invited To Join VOICE Tonight
     
Voice is one of the nine ministry groups of ABC and its purpose is
"to increase the visibility and participation of those within the
Church of the Brethren who are hurting, afraid, silent and left at
the margins."  Voice will meet at 9 p.m. tonight in Nicarry 106. 
They invite anyone with an interest in their purpose to join them. 
     

11) Relive The Flavor After You Get Home
     
You can relive the flavor and inspiration of this week’s conference
after you get home by logging on to www.brethren.org/abc/ where
Nevin Dulabaum, Manager of News Service for the General Board, has
been posting pictures and commentary each day this week.  The web
site will carry the reports for some time.  Also, if you get home
and wish you had purchased video or audio tapes, you can still get
them by using the order blank that was in the registration packet,
or by calling the ABC office (1-800-323-8039).