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

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      October 15, 1999
Contact:  Walt Wiltschek
V:  410/871-0516   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) The Church of the Brethren General Board meets in Elgin, Ill.,
this weekend.
 2) Brethren response to Hurricane Floyd's aftermath continues.
 3) The Washington Office makes further efforts related to the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
 4) The On Earth Peace Assembly board approves a sabbatical, puts
site discussions on hold, and envisions the future at its fall
meeting.
 5) The Church of the Brethren Association of Christian Educators
steering committee makes plans for its 20th anniversary in 2000 and
cares for other business items.
 6) Brethren join those attending the annual meeting of the
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
 7) Virlina's Camp Bethel enjoys record numbers at two recent
events.
 8) Brethren bits: Some other brief notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.

COMING EVENTS
 9) Association of Brethren Caregivers encourages participation in
the National Donor Sabbath Nov. 12-14.
10) Bethany Theological Seminary and Earlham School of Religion
will sponsor a training event on interim ministry Nov. 6.

RESOURCES
11) Christian Peacemaker Teams provides a packet to help organize
a witness against violent toys and games.

PERSONNEL
12) The New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center is seeking a conference
coordinator.
13) Church World Service seeks an executive director.

FEATURES
14) Cloverdale Church of the Brethren looks at ways to "widen its
welcome."
15) A religion news show picks its top 10 religion stories of the
millenium.

  1) The Church of the Brethren General Board meets this weekend
through Tuesday at the General Board offices in Elgin, Ill., to
explore the future as well as the present. 
  The board will look at a proposed vision statement as the church
heads into the next century, examine an ecumenical statement of
ways to build "pillars of peace," and consider an "emerging
mission" fund among its agenda items.
  As in the past two meetings, that agenda will again use the
"Worshipful Work" model, addressing business in a worship format.
This year's stewardship theme of "The Gifts of God for the People
of God" will be used as the focus for the meetings, drawing from
Mark 4:26-29.
  Board members will also hear updates on a potential partnership
with a project in Tijuana, Mexico; on the Brethren Service Center
in New Windsor, Md.; on the children and violence resolution and
the Jubilee 2000 project; on the Dominican Republic; and other
items.
  Two queries, discussion of the role of the Washington Office, an
update on Brethren connections in India, and consideration of the
2000 budget are also scheduled.
  Before the business, the board and others will take part in a
workshop on "The Role and Responsibility of Effective Board
Members" led by communications consultant Patti Crane. Another
special event will celebrate the church with a banquet Saturday
evening.
 
  2) The response has continued to the flooding and other storm
damage in eastern North Carolina left after Hurricane Floyd and
additional torrential rains. The Church of the Brethren's Emergency
Response Service Ministries set up disaster child care centers in
Tarboro, Greenville, New Bern and Goldboro in response to requests.
Four centers continue to operate, with nearly 1,000 children cared
for by 27 child-care providers through Oct. 10, two and a half
weeks after the project opened. Jean Myers and then Glen Erps have
been coordinating that effort locally.
  ER/SM's cleanup efforts, meanwhile, will focus on needs in and
around Franklin, Va., with volunteers primarily coming from the
Virlina and Shenandoah districts. Long-term recovery efforts will
focus on Tarboro, N.C., but waters that have been slow to recede
are delaying that effort indefinitely until the area can dry out.
  The Virlina District also responded directly to the crisis, with
a special disaster response offering throughout its congregations
on Oct. 3. About $4,000 was collected, in addition to more than
$5,000 previously collected by North Carolina congregations,
according to the Virlina district office. The North Carolina
churches have also been gathering relief supplies.
  In addition to the Hurricane Floyd relief, ER/SM projects
continue in Haysville, Kans.; Biloxi, Miss.; drought relief for
farmers in the Mid-Atlantic states through Family Farm Drought
Response; and the Dominican Republic. 

  3) The Church of the Brethren Washington Office continued to work
for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty for nuclear
non-proliferation as it came before Congress this month, urging
Brethren to contact their senators and writing a letter to all
senators that went out in a Capitol Hill mailing last week.
  Washington Office staff member Pam Genise also attended an event
related to the treaty at the White House and a peace action
demonstration at the Capitol.
  The treaty failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed for
approval in a vote on Tuesday, however, meaning that, at least for
now, the United States will not be joining numerous other nations
around the world in ratifying the pact.
  The White House has promised continued efforts to have the bill
passed, however, according to news reports. General Secretary Joan
B. Campbell of the National Council of Churches has called
ratification of the treaty "an essential and historic step."
  For more information on the CTBT, call the Washington Office at
(202) 546-3202.

  4) The On Earth Peace Assembly Board of Directors met Oct. 1-2 at
the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.  Among its items of
business, the board:
  *Placed the issue of organizational location on hold until a
program envisioning process for OEPA has been completed. Similar
recommendations to this effect were received from the staff,
Executive Committee and the Site Committee.
  *Approved a request for sabbatical for Executive Director Tom
Hurst. He will be finalizing his plans for 2000 that call for him
to be on sabbatical during parts of the spring and the fall.  
  *Tabled the discussion regarding issuing public witness
statements until the envisioning process is completed.
  *Affirmed a formal consensus decision-making process that will be
implemented after appropriate training.
  *Discussed a new nominating procedure, reviewed the Board of
Directors position description and approved the 1999/2000 budget.
  After the business agenda, Phyllis Senesi of Kalamazoo, Mich.,
led OEPA's board and staff through a one-day envisioning process.
Attendees listed internal and external factors as they relate to
OEPA, followed by a brainstorming exercise about possible program
ideas and prioritizing of those ideas.
  "I see it as a good beginning on a process that has to continue,
and not an end product," Senseni said in introducing the
envisioning activity.
  At the end of the exercise, an envisioning group of board and
staff was named to review the collected information and to present
a document to the April board meeting that delineates possible
areas of focus.  
  OEPA is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with an event
Oct. 27-31 at Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministries Center in
Sharpsburg, Md.
 
  5) The annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren Association
of Christian Educators steering committee took place Sept. 30-Oct.
1 at Camp Blue Diamond in Petersburg, Pa.      
  Those serving on this year's committee include Donna Forbes
Steiner, chair; Audrey Finkbiner, secretary; Kitty Collier,
treasurer; and Dean Wenger, professional growth conference
coordinator. Donna McKee Rhodes will continue as the newsletter
editor, and Julie M. Hostetter joined the group as the
Congregational Life Team representative.
  Among the committee's plans are ways to highlight CoBACE's 20th
anniversary at the 2000 Annual Conference in Kansas City, Mo. The
annual spring professional growth event will also resume in 2000
after taking a year off in 1999 so members of the group could
participate in the Ecumenical Church Educators Event in Chicago.
  Other agenda items for the meeting included evaluating activities
of the past year,  reviewing membership rolls and fees, outlining
future newsletter topics, and envisioning the future ministry of
CoBACE.  

  6) Some Church of the Brethren members were among those who
attended the 19th annual meeting of the National Coalition to
Abolish the Death Penalty, held in Philadelphia Oct. 1-3. Workshops
were held on various aspects of working to abolish the death
penalty, and more than 100 people participated in a rally
protesting the work of Lynn Abraham, Philadelphia's district
attorney, whose office has generated a disproportionately high
number of death sentences in Pennsylvania.
  Keynote speakers at the conference included David Kazcynski,
brother of "unabomber" Ted Kazcynski, and Christoph Arnold,
spiritual leader of the Bruderhof communities.  
  A Church of the Brethren representative was invited to serve on
the Advisory Council of Religious Organizing Against the Death
Penalty. Death Row Support Project coordinator Rachel Gross of
North Liberty, Ind., is also working with ROADP to encourage people
to write to those on death row as a way of becoming involved with
the death penalty issue. The Death Row Support Project is supported
by the Church of the Brethren General Board's Brethren Witness
office.

  7) Camp Bethel (Va.) in the Virlina District, is celebrating two
recent successful events. The camp held its 14th annual Heritage
Festival on Oct. 2 and had a record attendance of 2,600. More than
$18,300 was raised to support the camp's ministries, and the
American Red Cross received 36 pints of blood from those present in
a new part of the festival.
  The camp also raised a record $7,340 from its fifth annual Golf
Benefit Tournament on Sept. 22 at the Botetourt Country Club. It
included 111 golfers, 40 hole sponsors, and numerous organizations
and individuals donating money and prizes to support the
tournament, plus a large banquet afterwards. 

  8) Brethren bits: Some other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere:
  *Hillcrest Homes, a Brethren retirement community in LaVerne,
Calif., will hold groundbreaking ceremonies for a new project of
"courtyard homes" on Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m. Hillcrest, celebrating
its 50th anniversary this year, plans to build 26 of the new homes
on its campus, providing an independent-living option for
residents. It is also holding a country fair Oct. 16.
  *Noted German pacifist and longtime peace advocate Hans de Boer
spoke at a chapel service and led a forum at the General Board
offices in Elgin, Ill., recently.
  *The World Council of Churches' United States Conference will
meet Dec. 9-11 in Atlanta with the theme "Reconciled in Christ: The
Churches' Ministry of Reconciliation."
  *Bridgewater (Va.) College held its ninth annual International
Kite Fly for Peace on Oct. 3 as part of "One Sky, One World"
observances to promote global harmony.
  *Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla., will celebrate its 50th anniverary
from 1-8 p.m. Nov. 6 at the camp, with swimming, hay rides, a slide
show, supper, and other events. Call (407) 595-5683 for more
information.

  9) The Association of Brethren Caregivers wants congregations and
their members to think about organs: not the ones that produce
beautiful music, but ones that can provide an even greater gift.
   National Donor Sabbath is coming up Nov. 12-14, and ABC is
encouraging churches and individuals to support much-needed organ
and tissue donation by wearing and distributing green ribbon pins.
The pins are being used nationwide by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, which initiated the National Donor Sabbath
campaign in 1997.
   "By encouraging congregations to participate in National Donor
Sabbath, we hope to raise the awareness of the need for organ and
tissue donation," said Bob Blake, program field staff representing
Lafiya, a whole-person health ministry of ABC. "Individuals should
seriously consider this end-of-life issue, study the direction
provided in the 1993 Annual Conference resolution on organ and
tissue donation, and plan for the future in accordance with their
beliefs."
  A series of worship and study resources about end-of-life issues
are being created through the Lafiya ministry with recognition that
these issues transcend all ages and are part of the natural process
of life and death. Copies of the 1993 Annual Conference statement
are also available. See ABC's web site at www.brethren.org/abc.
  Congregations wishing to participate in this nationwide effort to
raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donation can order
up to 25 pins for distribution on National Donor Sabbath. To order
the pins or the worship and study resources, contact the
Association of Brethren Caregivers at 1-800-323-8039 or (847)
742-5100.

  10) Bethany Theological Seminary and Earlham School of Religion
are sponsoring a one-day training event called "Interim Ministry:
Making a World of Difference" on Nov. 6 in Richmond, Ind. The event
is being held to introduce the concepts of interim ministry and its
important role in church transitions for new pastoral leadership.
  This introductory workshop is appropriate for licensed or
ordained ministers, persons with interest and/or experience in
interim ministry, seminary students, and those participating in
the Brethren Academy programs of TRIM/EFSM. For more information
contact Tara Hornbacker, Assistant Professor of Ministry Formation
at Bethany at (765) 983-1817 or 1-800-287-8822, ext. 1817.
Registration is due Oct. 15.  

  11) In an effort to address the concerns of violence among
children, especially in regards to violent toys and video games,
Christian Peacemaker Teams has produced a resource packet called
"Sing Out Against Violent Toys: How to Organize a Public Witness at
your Local Toy Store."
  Twelve pages of organizing tips, creative scenarios and
background information are 
interspersed with photographs and other visuals to facilitate
church and community group action planning. The packets are
available for a donation of $4 from CPT, P.O. Box 6508, Chicago, IL
60680; or by calling 312-455-1199; fax at 312-432-1213; or e-mail
at cpt@igc.org.
  Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and
Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that
supports violence reduction efforts around the world.

  12) The Church of the Brethren General Board's New Windsor (Md.)
Conference Center is seeking a conference coordinator.
Responsibilities include scheduling and coordinating lodging,
conferences, meetings, and retreats; coordinating banquets; and
recruiting and scheduling volunteer hosts/hostesses. The
coordinator will also assist in marketing, pricing and other
duties.
  The position requires an outgoing personality, initiative,
organizational and computer skills, flexibility, attention to
detail, and a genuine customer-service orientation. Hospitality and
volunteer recruitment experience is also desired, and experience in
other areas of conference center administration would also be
helpful.
  Usual hours are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, with
flexibility in days and hours required. A full benefits package is
available. Send resume and salary requirements by Oct. 18 to Ellen
Hall, P.O. Box 188, New Windsor, MD 21776 or fax to (410) 635-8789.

  13) Church World Service and Witness is seeking an executive
director to give overall leadership to the organization, with major
influence in recommending overall policy and program, management of
the program, personnel and budget, and guiding of decision-making. 
  Requirements include a basic Christian commitment to the mission
and unity of Christ's Church worldwide, and a member in good
standing of an NCCC member communion or an eligible member
communion; familiarity with the global, political, economic,
cultural and religious dimensions of the world today; demonstrated
ecumenical commitment; skill in management and personnel
relationships, broad conceptual ability and excellent writing and
public interpretation skills; a minimum of 10 years experience in
management, including supervision of a large and diverse staff, and
the ability to function as a team leader and team member; a basic
understanding of the theological undergirdings for mission; strong
human relations skills; a solid educational background preferably
with graduate study in areas related to the work of the agency; a
knowledge of and sensitivity to the concerns and interests of
domestic and international partners; and skill in problem-solving
on a daily basis.
  In addition, experience working cross culturally is highly
desirable.
  Deadline for submitting applications is Dec. 3.

  14) "Twenty-seven!" was Pastor Glenn McCrickard's response when
asked how many children came to the chancel area for the children’s
moments on Sunday, Sept. 19. Later he added that several of their
regular attenders were even absent that day.
  That rush of children provided the perfect kickoff for Cloverdale
Church of the Brethren's annual Fall Faith Renewal Services in
Virlina District. This year's planning committee requested that the
theme for this series would coincide with the New LIFE (Living in
Faithful Evangelism) Ministries unit they were beginning. Several
youth and many adults are using the book, "Widening the Welcome of
Your Church -- Biblical Hospitality and the Vital Congregation," by
Fred Bernhard and Steve Clapp. 
  Emily Shonk Edwards, newly installed Director of Christian
Education and Youth Ministries at Cloverdale, secured three youth
to serve as worship leaders for that kickoff morning, and four more
sang special music. Under the theme, "Widening the Welcome Through
Evangelism," the children's message was "You're Invited" and the
sermon was "Y'all Come!," based on Genesis 18:1-8 and Matthew
25:31-46. Julie M. Hostetter, coordinator of Congregational Life
Team Area 3, was the preacher and facilitator for the services.   
  Evening sessions were held in the fellowship hall and began with
15 minutes of informal singing. "Welcoming People of ALL Ages,"
faith sharing among folks of all ages and intergenerational
activities, took place on Sunday evening. Monday focused on "How Do
We Share the Good News?" in the ongoing ministry of making
disciples, and Tuesday focused on "Called for Service," recruiting
and developing leadership. The process had people engaged, and the
discussions were lively. A Monday morning prayer group and a
Tuesday morning breakfast meeting added more intimacy to the
format.
  Wednesday evening began with dinner in the fellowship hall,
followed by a Service of Celebration and Commitment in the
sanctuary. The combined children's choirs sang and led the
congregation in singing "The Wedding Banquet" as part of the
children's message. "Bread for a Feast" was the meditation that
preceded communion.  
  An unusual format for fall faith renewal services?  Yes, but then
this is an unusual congregation. In the neighborhood, McCrickard
has been identified as "the pastor of the community center."
Widening the welcome has already been going on in this church, and
Cloverdale plans to continue it.

  15) The top 10 religion stories of the millenium, in
chronological order, according to Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly:
    1. The Great Schism of 1054 dividing Christianity into the
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.
    2. The Crusades, 1095-1291.
    3. Muslim expansion and conquest of India (1190-1200) and the
reign of Islamic empires in the Middle East and parts of Europe.
    4. Printing on movable type of the Gutenberg Bible in 1455.
    5. Church patronage of the arts, and of universities and
learning.
    6. The posting by Martin Luther of the 95 theses to the church
door in Wittenberg in 1517, beginning the Reformation.
    7. Colonialism and the Christian missionary period, responsible
for the spread of Christian faith to North and South America,
Africa and Asia.
    8. In 1620, English Puritans settle in Plymouth, Mass., the
first of many immigrants seeking religious freedom. Religious
freedom becomes the cornerstone of American democracy.
    9. The ideas of 19th-century thinkers including Darwin, Marx,
Nietzsche and Freud that challenge traditional belief.
    10. The ongoing anti-Semitism and persecution of Jews
culminating in the Holocaust and the establishment of the state of
Israel (1948).
  The selections of the top stories were made in consultation with
scholars and advisers.

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, interim Newsline editor for
the Church of the Brethren General Board's News Services, on the
first, third and fifth Friday of each month. Newsline stories may
be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source and the
publication date is included. Rachel Gross and Julie M. Hostetter
contributed to this report.

To receive Newsline by e-mail or fax, call 1-800-323-8039, ext.
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