wfn.org | Church of the Brethren Annual Conference

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

Journal
The daily information sheet of the 
213th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
Wednesday, June 30
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
produced by Fred Swartz
(daily website updates from Conference are posted at www.brethren.org/ac)

1) Tonight's Speaker Shares Many Gifts With Church
     
Nancy Rosenberger Faus, speaker for tonight's worship service, has
many spiritual gifts which she has dedicated to the church, and
particularly to the Church of the Brethren.  She is professor
emerita of Bethany Theological Seminary, where her teaching and
mentoring has been endeared to many students.  She still teaches an
occasional course at the Richmond, Ind. campus.  

Nancy and her husband, Bob, live in Richmond, and they have two
children and three grandchildren.   Nancy served as chair of the
Hymnal: A Worship Book project and she currently is working on a
supplement to Hymnal.  Both she and Bob, former Ministry Consultant
for the Church of the Brethren General Board, are ordained
ministers.

Conferencegoers are accustomed to seeing Nancy lead Conference hymn
singing.  Tonight she will share the spoken word, looking at how
joy was a key in the early church to unity and service.

2) Insight Session On Ministerial Leadership Added Tonight
     
"Goals for Ministerial Leadership in the Church of the Brethren" is
the title of an Insight Session added to tonight's offerings, 9:00
p.m.  The session is sponsored by Atlantic Northeast District and
will be presented by the Brethren Revival Fellowship.  The location
is the Walker Room of Hilton Hotel.

3) Junior High Youth Having "Wild and Crazy" Day
     
The junior high youth registered for Conference have a full
schedule of activities this week, including what is labeled "a wild
and crazy day" tomorrow.  Actually, the main attraction on
tomorrow's schedule is a day at the Milwaukee Zoo.  On Friday, the
junior highers will share in a service project in the city, and on
Saturday, they get to play at Milwaukee's Water Park.  Each day the
junior high group begins with devotions and a session on Brethren
heritage and program.

4) Worship Leaders Have Bethany Connection
     
Most of the participants who lead tonight's worship service have
some connection to Bethany Theological Seminary, including the
worship leader, the choral readers, the music ensemble, the dancer,
and the music coordinator.  They are alumni, cur-rent students,
faculty, staff, or spouses.

Names of those in the musical ensemble are not listed in tonight's
program.  They are Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, Christy Dowdy, Dale
Dowdy, Mark Flory-Steury, Dena Pence Frantz, Keith Funk, Rhonda
Pittman Gingrich, Erin Matteson, Jonathon Shively, Mark Sloan,
David Steele, and Sarah Steele.  The accompanist is Delora Roop.

5) Labyrinth Featured In Tomorrow's Spiritual Development Session
     
Tomorrow morning's Spiritual Development Session, 7:00 a.m., in the
Midwest Express Center, Room 202 C, will be a Labyrinth instead of
the Taize Worship as listed in the Conference booklet.  The Taize
Worship will be Friday's morning's Spiritual Development topic. 

6) Mutual Aid Exhibit Knows How To Attract Brethren
     
The Mutual Aid Association has a tried and true "gimmick" this
year...offer Brethren free ice cream!  Stop by their exhibit and
you'll get a coupon for ice cream at the Copper Penny Family
Restaurant!  There are more surprises at the exhibit, too!

7) Best Of Brethren Artists Featured In Silent Auction At AACB
     Exhibit
     
An Artist's Showcase and Silent Auction are special features of
this week's Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren
(AACB) exhibit.  The Showcase consists of a selection of the best
of all the arts and crafts in the exhibit.  The proceeds from the
Silent Auction will benefit AACB's service project, Art for Hunger.

8) Opening Night Attendance "Good"
     
Conference officials were pleased with last night's opening worship
attendance.  The ushers counted 2,550 in the Arena.  The
participants were led in an inspiring worship service that featured
a strong Conference choir, a brass ensemble that accompanied the
hymns, an instrumental trio in-volving guitar, clarinet, and flute,
a cross-cultural anthem from the Chicago, First Church choir, and
a dramatic presentation of Moses' call from God.       

Moderator Lowell Flory challenged the congregation to hear the call
to be the servant church and defined a leader as one who serves. 
Moderator-elect Emily Mumma and organist Marilyn Mason added much
to the inspired tenor of the worship. 

First day registrations for this week's Conference totaled 2,875,
including 781 delegates.  Last night's offering was $4,953.67.

9) Feeling Oppressed By That Computer?
     
There is help on the way!  If you missed it today, you may want to
check in on the Insight Session tomorrow, 12:30 p.m., in which
Nevin Dulabaum, manager of news services for the General Board, and
Michael Addison, director of information services for Brethren
Benefit Trust, will present a workshop on how to get the most out
of the Internet.

In addition, Brethren Benefit Trust is providing at its exhibit
eMountain Communications where computer monitors and several
computer terminals give visitors an opportunity to experience the
Internet firsthand, as well as some other interesting features.

10) ABC's Annual Report Available At The Association's Exhibit
     
Copies of the Association of Brethren Caregivers' (ABC) Annual
Report are available upon request at ABC's exhibit, Midwest Express
Center.

11) Insight Session To Focus On Health for Pastors
     
An insight session tonight, 9:00 p.m., will feature wholistic
health specialist Karen Carrier speaking on "Who's Caring for the
Health of Pastors?"  The session will be in the Midwest Express
Center Room 201 C.  Also, Karen Carrier is available for wellness
assessment and consultation in the ABC/BBT Whole Person Health
Ministry exhibit, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. tomorrow.  And, you can sign
up for a ten-minute massage at the ABC/BBT exhibit 1:00-6:00 p.m.

12) Composer Of Conference Theme Hymn Also Has Hymns In Brethren
     Hymnal
     
Rich Brode, Chicago, composer of the Conference hymn, The Church of
Christ in Every Age, wants to make music his full-time profession. 
Presently, he is bi-vocational as music director for Chicago, First
Church "along with my tentmaking job, a mail carrier in Chicago." 
 
A graduate of Lebanon Valley College, where he majored in math and
minored in music, and of Bethany Theological Seminary, where he
received a Masters of Arts degree in 1992, Rich has two hymns in
Hymnal: A Worship Book and he enjoys the challenge of composing. 
"Not every composer has opportunity to hear his work debuted before
thousands of people," he comented after last night's use of his
hymn tune.  The hymn will be used in three more worship services
before the end of the week, with a full instrumental accompaniment
on Sunday morning.

13) Christian Peacemaker Teams To Meet
     
Christian Peacemaker Teams will meet tomorrow, Friday, and
Saturday, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., on the grassy knoll at 4th and
Kilbourn.  Bring a sack lunch.  Topics of conversations will be
projects in Chiapas, Hebron, and South Dakota.     

14) Three Authors To Sign Books Tomorrow
     
Three authors will be on hand tomorrow, 1:00-2:00 p.m., at the
Brethren Press exhibit to sign their new books.  William Easum,
Congregational Life Ministries Dinner and insight session speaker,
will autograph Growing Spiritual Redwoods and Dancing with
Dinosaurs.  David Young will sign Servant Leadership for Church
Renewal, and Stewart Kauffman will autograph Zella's Mountain, a
tribute to Zella Gahegan, a businesswoman and a generous benefactor
of the Church of the Brethren.  Also, the Brethren Press exhibit is
giving away Church of the Brethren logo decals while they last! 

15) BBT Exhibit Providing Lounge For Development Officers
     
At the Brethren Benefit Trust exhibit this week, there is provided
a quiet place for development staff to compare notes, get e-mail
messages, make copies and phone calls, and talk to a representative
of the Brethren Foundation.  Check on it tonight.

16) Reminder: There's ice cream tonight, 9:00-11:00 p.m., in both
the Hyatt and Hilton Hotels!