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

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      July 16, 1999
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

News
1) The General Board prepares for J2K.
2) A tornado passes less than a mile from Lewiston (Minn.) Church
     of the Brethren.
3) The General Board to open up a disaster response project in
     Haysville, Kan.
4) Orientation for the 234th Brethren Volunteer Service unit begins
     on Sunday.
5) The first intergenerational multi-agency Brethren workcamp
     begins Wednesday.
6) Burt the Window Cleaner is named ClearViewNet's Web surfing
     guide.
7) Agencies affiliated with the Church of the Brethren are now
     eligible to join the Brethren Medical Plan.
8) A Brethren missionaries in China exhibit is on display at
     Bridgewater (Va.) College.
9) Carol Grove is spending her summer training teacher's aides.

Upcoming events
10) A Brethren delegation will travel to Guatemala to support two
     Brethren accompaniers.
11) Over 30 Brethren will participate in two work teams to Honduras
     in August.
12) "Spirit in the City -- An Urban Celebration" is scheduled for
     Aug. 14 in Harrisburg, Pa.
13) A one-day Servant Leadership workshop is scheduled for Aug. 30
     in New Windsor, Md.
14) Two training opportunities in "Worshipful Work" will be held
     this fall, winter.

Resources
15) The 1999-2000 Brethren Press Catalog is now available.
16) Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's book, "On Killing: The Psychological
     Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society," is now available
     from Brethren Press.
17) A new solo guitar recording from the Hymnal Masterworks series
     is now available.

Personnel
18) Camp La Verne is seeking a director.
19) The National Council of Churches is seeking applicants for
     general secretary.

Feature
20) Annual Conference delegates recently approved a
     nine-years-in-the-making Ministerial Leadership paper. Allen
     Hansell answers the question, "So what?"

1) "J2K -- New Hope, New Day" is the tentative title of a year 2000
initiative designed to focus on Jesus Christ through myriad ways.
This emphasis was approved in late June by the General Board as it
convened in Milwaukee prior to Annual Conference.

Components of the initiative are expected to include --

* Prayer and meditation: a monthly prayer/meditation calendar will
     include daily scriptures encouraging Brethren to read an
     annual goal of 200, 2,000, or 20,000 verses.
* Worship/leadership resources: special resources for the beginning
     and ending of the year, a theological conference in
     conjunction with Bethany Theological Seminary, and 
     "millennium moment" reminders for use throughout the year.
* Time capsules: to be used by individuals, families, or
     congregations to be opened in 2033.
* Tree planting: 2,000 across the denomination symbolizing hope for
     the future.
* Peace training: to prepare for "a new day of peace in the new
     millennium." Congregational goals could be to hold
     peace-related worship experiences, to host cross-cultural   
     events, and to call volunteers for workcamps or Brethren
     Volunteer Service.
* Outreach in a local community: congregations witnessing to their
     neighbors.
* Annual Conference: a booth to pique interest.
* Coordination of congregational response: to assist congregations
     "in presenting a coordinated and meaningful response to the
     dawn of the new millennium and to the anniversary of Jesus'
     birth.
* Mission outreach: encourage 50,000 Brethren to set aside 20 cents
     each Sunday to raise $500,000 for the following outreach
     ministry projects:
          1. Three years of ministerial training for men and women
               in the Dominican Republic ($100,000).
          2. A collaborative initiative with area Brethren
               congregations and others to create a "safe-haven"
               community center in East Los Angeles ($50,000).
          3. Improve life expectancy and protect the environment in
               developing countries by assisting in the
               construction of wood-conserving stoves. A         
               Brethren Volunteer Service worker could be assigned
               to this task ($50,000).
          4. Assist organizations that make low-interest loans to
               help the poor "take the small but essential steps
               toward a better life." ($50,000)
          5. Assist in the planting of congregations in the United
               States and Puerto Rico and help existing
               congregations grow and thrive ($150,000).
          6. Work with congregations, districts, and community
               agencies to help families "put a roof over their
               heads." ($100,000)

During its meeting, the Board approved a ministerial leadership
paper and a statement on children and violence, both which were
sent to Annual Conference delegates and approved.

The Board also approved the first-ever recommendation presented by
its Mission and Ministries Planning Council, a body established
during the Board's 1997 redesign to receive ideas and proposals for
new mission and ministries and to recommend action by the Board.
After much discussion, the Board voted to explore a partnership
with Companeros en Ministerio (Partners in Ministry) of Tijuana,
Mexico, an independent ministry that has received strong Church of
the Brethren support through congregations and districts and the
General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry office. By approving the
MMPC's recommendation, the Board now will work toward clarifying
expectations and developing an agreement. A possible agreement
could include organizational connection, program oversight,
financial accountability, fundraising, and ordination. The Board
also approved an amendment to review this partnership after two
years, if a partnership is indeed formalized.

In other news, the Board --

* discussed how to address other groups that are active in mission
     and mission fundraising, when Annual Conference polity
     identifies those responsibilities as being the General      
     Board's.
* thanked and dismissed its redesign evaluation task team,
     accepting that team's report that the executive director and
     executive committee examine data collected from an Annual   
     Conference insight session and from staff and 100 pastors and
     lay members, and report to the Board in October. Benchmarks
     for evaluating the new design could be approved in March.
* heard a positive budget update showing congregational giving,
     direct gifts, bequests, and investments ahead of year-to-date
     projections. 
* tentatively adopted a balanced year 2000 budget for general
     programs of $5,402,000.
* named Board member Don Booz, pastor of McPherson (Kan.) Church of
     the Brethren, to serve as observer to the American Baptist
     Church.

2) When Gordon Hoffert, pastor of Lewiston (Minn.) Church of the
Brethren decided to lead an upcoming delegation from his church to
participate in tornado relief response, little did he know that
such an opportunity would soon exist in the church's backyard.

Last weekend a tornado passed less than a mile north of the church,
striking a vacant farm and a residential area in Lewiston and
causing about $1.8 million in damage. Although 15 homes were
damaged beyond repair, there were no casualties. Because the
tornado didn't devastate the town and thus didn't personally affect
a large portion of its citizens, such as the May 3 tornado that
blasted through Haysville, Kan., most of the cleanup in Lewiston
was finished by local volunteers -- including Church of the
Brethren members -- within two days.

On Wednesday Hoffert learned that only about half of the damaged
houses will be covered by insurance, meaning volunteer labor and
grants will be sought to make up the remaining $900,000. Thus,
although he plans on taking a work crew of about six to Haysville
in late August to assist with a General Board Emergency
Response/Service Ministries' rebuilding project, he also is now
preparing for his congregation to assist those in need in Lewiston.

ER/SM manager Stan Noffsinger has contacted Hoffert and will be in
contact with the Northern Plains District disaster coordinator to
determine whether a national Church of the Brethren response is
appropriate.

"It sounds like there will be a lot of need that won't be covered
by insurance or any other kind of public support," Noffsinger said.

3) Long-term response to the May tornado that struck Haysville,
Kan., is what the General Board's Emergency Response/Service
Ministries will begin the first week of August when a group from
Southern Pennsylvania District helps open up a new project. Initial
project coordinators Wilbur and Nancy Morris of Stanardsville, Va.,
will be assisted by Adrian Sayler of St. John, Kan., in
establishing the project. They will arrive onsite on July 25. 

The tornadoes that struck Kansas on May 3 destroyed 8,500 houses,
including many in Haysville. Much of the repair work will consist
of repairing roofs. 

4) The first-ever intergenerational, multi-denominational agency
workcamp will begin Wednesday in Harrisburg, Pa. Fourteen youth and
10 older adults will repair homes and maintain properties of the
Brethren Housing Authority, an urban housing and ministry project
located in the city's downtown. This workcamp marks the first time
that the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministries office and
Association of Brethren Caregivers have teamed up to offer such an
experience. 

5) The 234th Brethren Volunteer Service unit will kick off
orientation on Sunday at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center.
Twenty-one volunteers from 11 states, Germany, and Japan will
participate in this orientation. About half of the BVSers are of
Church of the Brethren background, though eight other religious
organizations will also be represented.

Throughout the training, which concludes Aug. 7, the group will
study the Bible and discuss simple living, conflict resolution,
homelessness, the death penalty, peacemaking, healthy living, and
cross-cultural awareness. Resource people from a variety of
organizations will provide leadership.

This unit will be unique in that it will mark the first time in
years that a BVSer has come from Japan. This link was made from the
Church of the Brethren's association with the World Friendship
Center in Hiroshima.

There currently are 72 projects worldwide looking for BVSers, 35
with an urgent need. Application deadline for the fall unit, which
begins Oct. 24, is Sept. 13. Contact BVS at bvs_gb@brethren.org or
at 800 323-8039.

6) And the surf guide is -- Burt the Window Cleaner. This creation
of Ted Kaetzel, Knoxville, Md., will guide Web "surfers" in the
future when they use the filtered search engine of Brethren Benefit
Trust's ClearViewNet Internet service. Burt "will provide a
friendly and helpful companion to those surfing the Net," Kaetzel
said. Burt wields a "Dirt Be Gone" cleaner and squeegee to clean up
the Internet for those using ClearViewSearch, a search engine that
filters out pornography, violence, sex, cheating, drugs, and
alcohol. Kaetzel received a new computer and a year's subscription
to ClearViewNet as his prize. 

Nearly 40 young Brethren from throughout the denomination
participated in the contest. Shannon McNeal of Highland Avenue
Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill., was the winner in the 10-13
age group -- she drew a loyal mascot and guard dog, Fetch. Brandon
Henderson of Lower Miami Church of the Brethren, Dayton, Ohio, won
the 14-16 age group with Gabe the Guide. The 20 and over winner was
Lisa Hufford of Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, who created
Matthew the Mouse. 

These entries will be posted at www.brethren.org/picthis next week.

7) Agencies affiliated with the Church of the Brethren will now be
able to participate in the Brethren Medical Plan. This decision was
approved by the Brethren Benefit Trust board two weeks ago during
Annual Conference in Milwaukee. Agencies affiliated with the
denomination must have 501(c)(3) status and must "espouse beliefs
and value systems that coincide with those of the church."
Applications from interested agencies will be considered on a
case-by-case basis. 

Contact Jeff Garber, medical plan director, at
jgarber_bbt@brethren.org or at 800 746-1505.

8) A Brethren missionaries in China exhibit is now on display at
the Alexander Mack Memorial Library at Bridgewater (Va.) College.
The exhibit includes artifacts, photographs, and other memorabilia
from the work of 94 Brethren missionaries -- 20 of whom were
Bridgewater graduates. These missionaries served in China from 1908
through 1950, during a period of war and famine that lead up to and
through that country's communist revolution. The China missionary
ministry was characterized by village evangelism and church
planting along with the administration of orphanages, schools, and
hospitals. Descendants of Brethren believers are thought to be
found throughout northern China, although there are no Brethren
churches there today.

One former missionary, the late Ernest Wampler, his children (all
Bridgewater graduates), and a handful of other former missionary
children helped create this exhibit.

It is open free-of-charge through July 31 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. During
August it will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

9) Carol Grove, professor of education and chair of the education
department at Bridgewater (Va.) College, is spending her summer
with colleague Rodney Morris conducting workshops for teacher's
aides throughout the state. "Making a Difference: Connecting
Teachers and Teachers' Aides" is the theme. The two are also
writing Virginia's guidelines for paraprofessional training, using
the "Making a Difference" workshop as a model. In January during
the college's interterm, the two will conduct similar workshops in
Birmingham, Ala.

Grove is a member of Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren,
Bridgewater.

10) A delegation of 20 will visit Guatemala July 28 to Aug. 5 in
support of two Church of the Brethren accompaniers, people who live
in areas where former refugees have returned to their homes. The
premise is that the returned refugees will likely be safe as long
as there is an accompanier set to document and report atrocities.
Half of the group will visit Sarah Stafford in Nuevo Mexico while
half will visit Sandy Summers in Xoxlac.

The delegation will be led by Tom Benevento, a long-term Brethren
Volunteer Service worker in Guatemala, who currently serves as
Latin America specialist with the General Board's Global Mission
Partnerships office.

11) Over 30 Brethren will take part in work teams headed for
Honduras in late August to help rebuilding projects following last
fall's Hurricane Mitch. 

The teams will be part of an effort by Church World Service and the
Christian Commission for Development, a Honduran organization with
which Brethren have worked for many years. Groups are being sent
every week for the foreseeable future. The Brethren teams will be
in Honduras on August 15-23 and 22-30. 

"This is our way of letting our friends in Central America know
that . . . their needs are not forgotten," said Brethren Witness
director David Radcliff, leader of the first team. "The groups will
also learn about the on-going social and economic problems of
Honduras, which caused tremendous suffering for many of the
country's people long before the arrival of Mitch."

Also joining the first group will be Jim Dodd of Midland, Va, who
will be making his sixth trip to Honduras as a work coordinator for
a Brethren workcamp.

These workcamps are sponsored jointly by the General Board's
Brethren Witness and Global Mission Partnerships offices.

12) "Spirit in the City -- An Urban Celebration," is scheduled for
Aug. 14 at Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren. According
to the flier, this event "is for all who share excitement about and
a love of urban life."

This event is sponsored by the Urban Team of the General Board's
Area One Congregational Life Team. Registration deadline is July
30. Call Gerald Rhoades at 717 234-0415.

13) A one-day workshop of Servant Leadership for congregation and
district leaders will be held Aug. 30 at the General Board's New
Windsor (Md.) Conference Center. The workshop will focus on
"Continuing Caring Leadership for the 21st Century." It will be
presented by the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership,
Indianapolis, Ind. Cost will be $65, including lunch. 

This event is coordinated by the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, an
Association of Brethren Caregivers ministry. It is being offered as
part of the fellowship's Third Forum on Collaboration.

Space is limited; registration deadline is July 23. Contact ABC at
abc@brethren.org or at 800 323-8039.

14) Two training opportunities in "Worshipful Work" will be offered
this fall and next winter by the General Board's Congregational
Life Teams. These events are intended for denominational and
district staff, Bethany Theological Seminary students, and a
network of appointed district volunteers.

Attendees should possess an openness and readiness to be trained as
Worshipful Work mentors, have interest in their own spiritual
development and that of others, be available to mentor church
boards and councils, and be willing to become part of a Worshipful
Work network of mentors.

Trainers will be Charles Olsen, an ordained Presbyterian minister
and author of "The Base Church, Cultivating Religious Growth
Groups" and "TRANSFORMING BOARDS Into Communities of Spiritual
Leaders," and Ellen Morseth, a Catholic who has written "Call to
Leadership: Transforming the Local Church," and has jointly
authored "New Wine: The Kansas City Formation for Ministry
Program."

The first event will be Sept. 16-18 at the Church of the Brethren
General Offices in Elgin, Ill.  The second will be Jan. 21-23 at
Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind. Expenses will be
covered by the General Board.

Contact David Smalley at dsmalley_gb@brethren.org or at 888
526-9589.

15) The 1999-2000 Brethren Press Resource Catalog is now available.
Divided into four categories, these sections are --

* Curriculum: children's, books for children, children's ministry,
     children's worship, junior high, youth, young adult, heritage,
     and adult.
* Brethren membership and identity: Brethren identity, membership
     materials, Brethren belief and thought, Brethren history,
     Brethren biographies, Brethren cookbooks.
* Topical resources: Christmas, congregational vitality, deacons
     and caring ministries, devotional life and personal growth,
     family life, health and wholeness, justice and social
     concerns, mission and global awareness, peace and conflict
     resolution, Spanish-language materials, stewardship,
     stewardship of the environment, and worship.
* Supplies: Bibles and study resources, music, videos, Annual
     Conference statements, pamphlets and packets, manuals and
     handbooks, logo and gift items, and church supplies.

For more information, write to brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or
call 800 441-3712.

16) Lt. Col Dave Grossman's book, "On Killing: The Psychological
Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society," is now available from
Brethren Press for $14.95. 

Grossman, a military officer and professor of psychology, was
mentioned in recent Newsline stories related to the efforts of
Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in Littleton, Colo., to
engage its local community in dialog pertaining to children and
violence. Grossman was also featured on video during the General
Board's Live Report at Annual Conference, speaking on America's
penchant for teaching youth to be violent. He claims in his
research that video games make the idea of killing easy for teens,
and the possibility of incidences like the shootings at Columbine
High School more probable. Contact Brethren Press at
brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or at 800 441-3712.

17) A new solo guitar recording from the Church of the Brethren and
Mennonite Hymnal Masterworks series is now available from Tom
Harder, pastor of Lorraine Ave. Mennonite Church, Wichita, Kan.
This follow-up to a previous Harder recording is titled "Abide with
Me: More Hymns for Guitar." All selections are from "Hymnal: A
Worship Book," the latest Brethren/Mennonite hymnal. They include
"Great is Thy Faithfulness," "Shall We Gather at the River," "He
Leadeth Me," "Holy Spirit, Come with Power," and "Abide With Me."

CDs ($15.95) or cassettes ($10.95) are available from Brethren
Press at brethren_press_gb@brethren.org or at 800 441-3712.

18) Camp La Verne, a year-round Church of the Brethren facility in
Angelus Oaks, Calif., is seeking a director. Those interested
should send a resume and cover letter by Aug. 1 to Personnel Search
Committee, Camp La Verne, P.O. Box 355, La Verne, CA 91750. 

19) The National Council of Churches is seeking qualified
candidates for the position of general secretary, effective Jan. 1
when Joan Brown Campbell's term expires. This person will serve
through 2003 as the NCC's chief administrative officer. Application
deadline is Aug. 2. Contact Laura Williams at 212 870-2088.

20) Two weeks ago in Milwaukee, the 1999 Annual Conference
overwhelmingly adopted a nine-years-in-the-making Ministerial
Leadership paper. So what? What does this mean for the
denomination? Allen Hansell, director of ministry for the General
Board, explains --

This paper reaffirms the importance of ministerial leadership in
the Church of the Brethren. The future of the denomination is
dependent upon faithful, committed, and well-trained men and women.
Paul knew the importance of ministerial leadership when he wrote
about sharing the Gospel with others in Romans 10:14: "But how are
they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are
they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are
they to hear without someone to proclaim him." 

Proclamation, of course, in the context of this paper goes far
beyond pulpit ministry. The church needs capable leaders to serve
in myriad ways.

This paper calls on the denomination at all levels to observe and
intentionally call people to leadership positions. For too many
years we have relied upon volunteers. Our silence about calling
people has silently insinuated that ministry is not very important.
We have actually encouraged our young adults to seek better paying
professions in the secular world. We now want to affirm that our
congregations have a "sacred obligation" to seek and call people
into ministerial leadership.

Included in this seeking and calling and then educating, placing,
and supporting has to be women and people of color. Our
denomination has long stated it approves of female ministerial
leaders. However, only 12 percent of our pastors are women, while
many more are willing to serve. Congregations are challenged not
only to call women to leadership roles, but to actually receive
them as leaders following their training. We have more urban
congregations than most Brethren realize, but we do not have many
qualified people, especially people of color, to serve in those
important areas. While a polity paper cannot address these issues
directly, this paper does create a new sensitivity and concern
about them.

Through this paper, the Church of the Brethren for the first time
in its history has stated it expects accredited ministerial
education, and that the "accreditation shall come from a nationally
recognized agency for post-secondary education and/or the
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada,
or an equivalent accreditation outside the North American context."
In addition to a master's of divinity degree, this includes the
Training in Ministry and Education for a Shared Ministry programs
administered through the denomination's Academy for Ministerial
Leadership, which has direct connections to Bethany Theological
Seminary. This paper creates the opportunity for
district-administered educational programs to be standardized
across all 23 districts, and to be certified by the Academy.

The 1975 Annual Conference paper on ministry defined ordination as
being primarily functional in nature -- if one is not functioning
in a clearly defined role, ordination should be terminated. While
we affirmed that point of view in that paper, most district
ministry commissions ignored it. The result was confusion, leaving
the church with large numbers of ordained people with little
accountability. 

The 1999 paper returns the denomination to ordination as a lifetime
commitment, with everyone in an active category. To this end, the
paper created a new category for retired ministerial leaders. These
retired people will be respected, appreciated, and used within the
life of the church, and they will be held accountable like any
other ordained person.

A fifth significant change is in the area of record keeping. That
may not sound like something to get excited about until one looks
below the surface. District ministry commissions will be expected
to stay in contact with every ordained person under their
jurisdiction. This means that commissions will know where and how
these people are serving, deal with difficulties, and provide
continuing education opportunities. Commissions will also create
ways of knowing when a ministerial leader retires.

Good recordkeeping will also enable my office to do better planning
for future leadership needs. In order to plan ahead for leadership
development, it is critical that we know and understand the needs
of the church and the availability of leaders to meet those needs.

The final key point is that this paper establishes new guidelines
for receiving ministerial leaders from other denominations. Before
a person is called to serve among us, we will check their
ministerial standing in his or her current denomination and will
run a background check for possible felonies and misdemeanors. We
will expect the individual's educational preparation to meet our
denomination's standards, and we will expect a time of orientation
and study for a minimum of one year before the ordination will be
accepted into the Church of the Brethren. Part of the additional
study will include courses in Brethren heritage, beliefs and
practices, polity, and leadership in a believers' church.

These are a few of the changes this paper will create as we prepare
to enter the 21st century. In the end, however, a paper is no
better than those who are called to implement it. I have high hopes
that our district executives and district ministry commissions will
take this great opportunity to lead the way toward these
fundamental and far-reaching changes. Change is never easy and is
seldom comfortable, but our faith in the risen Lord challenges us
to embrace the unknown. God will not fail us; let us seek never to
fail God!

Newsline is produced by Nevin Dulabaum, manager of the Church of
the Brethren General Board's News Services. To receive Newsline by
e-mail or fax, call 800 323-8039, ext. 263, or write
CoBNews@AOL.Com. Newsline is available at www.brethren.org and is
archived with an index at http://www.wfn.org.