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

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Aug. 6, 1999
Contact:  Nevin Dulabaum
V:  847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

News
1) Brethren Revival Fellowship turns 40 this month.
2) A fifth Manchester College student is named a Fulbright scholar
     for 1999-2000.
3) An EDF grant of $20,000 for new disaster recovery vehicles has
     been allocated.
4) The president of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria meets with the new
     Nigerian president.

Upcoming events
5) A fifth annual Peace Toys Fair will be held Nov. 6 at First
     Church of the Brethren, Reading Pa.
6) An Alban Institute seminar on church security will be held 
     Aug. 20 near Chicago.

Personnel
7) Nevin Dulabaum resigns as Newsline editor and as manager of news
     services for the General Board to become manager of marketing
     and public relations for Brethren Benefit Trust.
8) The General Board is seeking a manager of news services.

Feature
9) Rajendra More of Milwaukee, Wis., describes his experience of
     becoming one of the newest Church of the Brethren members and
     the call he feels on how he should live his life. His pastor,
     Marilyn Lerch Scott, assists in the storytelling.

1) Brethren Revival Fellowship turns 40 this month and a special
issue of BRF Witness, the BRF newsletter, focuses on the movement
past, present, and future. Nine pages of the 16-page document
reflect on the anniversary, incorporated in an article by Harold
Martin titled "Brethren Revival Fellowship: A Loyal Concern
Movement." Article subheadings include "Where and when did the BRF
get its start?" "What are the specific concerns of the BRF?" "What
precisely does the Brethren Revival Fellowship do?" "Who is the BRF
committee and how are members elected?" "Has the BRF accomplished
change in the Church of the Brethren?" "How is the work of the BRF
being financed?" and "How may a person become a member of the BRF?"

According to the Brethren Encyclopedia, the BRF is "a movement
within the Church of the Brethren seeking to call the denomination
to a firm stand for the authority of the Scriptures and to an
emphasis upon the teachings of the New Testament as they have been
historically understood by the Brethren." It started following the
1959 Annual Conference in Ocean Grove, N.J.

For more information, contact Harold Martin at 717 225-4184.

2) And then there were five.

Dustin Brown, member of Manchester Church of the Brethren and
student at Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind., has been
named a Fulbright scholar for the 1999-2000 school year. Brown, who
earlier had been named an alternate, will study international
relations at the Andean University of Simon Bolivar in Quito,
Ecuador.

Brown joins four other Manchester students, including two members
from Elkhart City Church of the Brethren, as recipients this coming
year of the U.S. government's premier scholarship. The five are
among only 800 students out of 4,000 applicants to earn Fulbrights
for the upcoming academic year.

"It is remarkable for a college the size of Manchester to have
produced five Fulbright grantees," said Keith Geiger, director of
the Office of Academic Programs at the U.S. Information Agency,
which administers the Fulbright program. "It is an achievement to
be very proud of and surely reflects the high quality of the
institution and its students, as well as the importance the
administration, faculty, and students at Manchester place on public
diplomacy and international relations."

Earlier this year Brethren Steve Berkebile of Osceola, Ind., and
Monique DePue of Goshen were two of the four other Manchester
students to receive Fulbright scholarships. Berkebile will study
physics at Karl-Franzens University in Austria and DePue will study
how English is taught as a second language at a Lima, Peru,
university. 

Since 1996, Manchester College has produced 12 Fulbright scholars.

3) A grant of up to $20,000 has been allocated from the General
Board's Emergency Disaster Fund for the purchase of two disaster
recovery vehicles for Emergency Response/Service Ministries. In
addition to EDF funds, Mid-Atlantic District will contribute
approximately $24,000 for the purchase of these vehicles.

The two current vehicles needing to be replaced are each in excess
of 14 years old and in very poor road condition -- one has 105,000
miles, the other 160,000. ER/SM is considering purchasing two
full-sized, one-ton vans equipped to pull its disaster tool
trailer.

 
4) Toma Ragnjiya, president of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church
of the Brethren in Nigeria) was one of 10 church leaders from
northern Nigeria invited to meet with Olusegun Obasanjo, the
country's new democratically elected leader, on June 10. 

Ragnjiya said the transition from military to civilian rule has
gone smoothly and that many Nigerians are pleased "God has given us
a dedicated and committed Christian as president." He also has
noted the new president's prompt steps against corruption and other
actions to begin to deal with the country's problems. The EYN
church leader also called for U.S. Brethren to pray for the new
Nigerian president.

5) The fifth annual Peace Toys Fair at First Church of the
Brethren, Reading, Pa., will be held Nov. 6. Vendors will present
peacemaking toys, games, books, and musical instruments. Admission
will be free. Contact Cheryl Williams at 610 370-2924.

6) A seminar in church security will be offered Aug. 20 in Oak
Park, Ill., by the Alban Institute. Jeffrey Hanna, a Methodist
minister with law enforcement experience, will serve as leader. "In
years gone by, church doors stayed open round the clock," said
Hanna. "Lawsuits, embezzlement, and church shootings were things
that happened to others. Today's headlines, however, tell us that
crime has taken up residence even in our midst."

Hanna is also author of "Safe and Secure -- The Alban Guide to
Protecting Your Congregation." For more information on the seminar
or the book, contact registrar@alban.org or call 800 486-1318, ext.
230.

7) Nevin Dulabaum has resigned as Newsline editor and as manager of
News Services for the General Board, effective Aug. 27. On Sept. 6
he joins Brethren Benefit Trust as manager of marketing and public
relations. He will continue working from the Church of the Brethren
General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

In addition to the Newsline responsibilities he's held since
joining the Board in November 1994, Dulabaum has also served as
co-editor of Agenda newsletter for Brethren leaders. From November
1994 to July 1997, he served as managing editor of Messenger
magazine, and since November 1996 he has served as administrator of
www.brethren.org. Previously he served as writer/photographer at
the Courier News, Elgin; the Elkhart (Ind.) Truth; and for The
Papers Inc., Milford, Ind.

Dulabaum is a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester,
Ind., and a member of Highland Ave. Church of the Brethren, Elgin.

8) The General Board is seeking a manager of news services to
produce Newsline, co-edit Agenda, coordinate the Annual Conference
Press Room, and to coordinate the receiving and distribution of
news and other information within the Church of the Brethren.
Contact Elsie Holderread at eholderread_gb@brethren.org or at 800
323-8039.

9) Rajendra Kumar More of Milwaukee, Wis., was baptized into the
Church of the Brethren at the Naperville, Ill., congregation on
June 27. He and his wife, Renny, then headed home to attend the
213th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, which was held in
Milwaukee and concluded July 4.

Marilyn Lerch Scott, Naperville pastor, talks about Rajendra, a
native of India, and his conversion from being a Hindu to a
Christian. Rajendra then reflects on his baptism and his Annual
Conference experience --

Marilyn Lerch Scott:

The realities of working in a multicultural congregation are
sometimes hard, but the joys are great. The honor of baptizing
Rajendra More, as he converted from being a Hindu to being a
Christian, is a wonderful example of the joy. When Rajendra entered
the sanctuary after his baptism, he was dressed in a tuxedo. What
a striking statement of the importance of this event in his life!
The celebration that day was great, including a meal provided for
the whole congregation by Rajendra and his wife, Renny, as is the
great tradition of hospitality in India. 

In years past, it may have felt that the saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ moved from the Church of the Brethren in America to those in
India who did not know of our Savior. Today, in our Naperville
church, the Spirit most often flows in the opposite direction, with
we American Christians experiencing new wonder and wisdom in our
faith because of the commitment of our Indian members to Jesus
Christ. We are experiencing what we call a "circle of blessing."

Rajendra More:

I was born into a Hindu family where I knew of different gods and
goddesses. Then I married a Catholic woman who took me to church.
There I listened to the word of God, and came to know that Jesus
died for the sins of you and me. Pastor Marilyn gave me classes
regarding the Bible and I have two friends who are licensed
ministers in the Church of the Brethren who always discuss the word
of God with me.

I was baptized on June 27 at Naperville (Ill.) Church of the
Brethren and then proceeded to Annual Conference. I went to the
daily worship services that were held in the evening. It was
wonderful to listen to different preachers, worship leaders, and
words of testimony. I liked the message given by Patrick Mellerson,
"The Great Servant."

One of Conference's special meal events was an International
Dinner. Pastor Marilyn invited my wife and me to the dinner.
Afterwards, six of us helped present the program -- Pastor Marilyn
and Valentina Satvedi, pastor of North County Church of the
Brethren, San Marcos, Calif.; two friends who are licensed
ministers, Jastin Thakor and Walter Christian of Naperville; and
Renny and me. We represented American, Hispanic, Indian, and
African-American cultures. Each of us sang songs from our own
cultures. We sang two songs, one in Gujarati and one in Hindi, the
two languages spoken in India. 

My wife and I were introduced as new members to the Church of the
Brethren. I felt as if the whole world knew I accepted the Lord
Jesus Christ to be my Master and Guide. I felt great joy and pride
to be a member of the church.

Before I was baptized I felt my life was empty. The baptism of the
Holy Spirit is a supernatural infilling and it is a supernatural
overflow. How do you know when a vessel is full? It begins to
overflow. I cannot see inside your heart or your spirit and you
cannot see inside mine. But when I see the overflow, I know it has
been filled and it is clear, scriptural, and practical.

During baptism ceremony Pastor Marilyn asked me and the other two
people to light candles. I praise the Lord not only for creating
light but for eternal hope that is represented through Jesus
Christ. At one time, I lived in a pit of darkness, not knowing the
Lord. Now the light of hope in Christ glows within me.

Along with the light of hope, God has given me a responsibility. He
reminds me through his word not to let my light grow dim. He wants
me to witness to "light" the soul of someone else.

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
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