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

[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:      Nov. 19, 1999
Contact:  Walt Wiltschek
V:  410/871-0516   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.ComNewsline      Nov. 19, 1999

NEWS
 1) Howard Royer reports on the NCC's 50th anniversary celebration
in Cleveland, Ohio.
 2) A sentence is delivered in Dr. Dennis Lipton's conscientious
objector case.
 3) An article highlights the work of the CAIR team; numerous other
relief projects continue.
 4) Three more grants go out from the busy Emergency Disaster Fund.
 5) A Church of the Brethren delegation visits a project in Brazil.
 6) More than 100 Brethren are expected to attend a protest of the
School of the Americas.
 7) Bethany Theological Seminary hosts a special seminar on
effective interim ministry.
 8) A Southeastern District workshop day looks at ways to include
children in church life.
 9) Brethren bits: Brief notes from around the denomination and
elsewhere.

COMING EVENTS
10) A special conference next summer in Huntingdon, Pa., will look
at leadership.
11) A January retreat for young adults will examine privilege,
diversity, and justice issues.

RESOURCES
12) A new "...In Our Midst" installment provides resources on
"Children & Violence."

PERSONNEL
13) Steve Gregory is called as half-time Congregational Life Team
member for Area 5.
14) Walt Wiltschek is called to be manager of news services for the
General Board.
15) Education for Conflict Resolution, Inc., seeks an executive
director.

FEATURES
16) A Middle Pennsylvania congregation works at the issue of
children and violence.
17) Brethren pastor Don Fogelsanger becomes Retirement Benefits
Fund member No. 1,000 after a career spanning more than four
decades.

 1) A vibrant celebration of 50 years and structural shifts for the
future marked the National Council of Churches General Assembly
Nov. 9-12 in Cleveland. Some three dozen Brethren or staff of
Brethren-related agencies were among the 1,200 participants.

Unlike November 1950, when the National Council was chartered in
Cleveland in the midst of a paralyzing snowstorm, unseasonably warm
and clear weather surrounded the 50th anniversary events. Enriching
the activities were Cleveland's leadership in music and the arts
and the area's staunch interreligous climate.

The event revealed both the strengths and fragility of church
cooperation today: Overall, the celebrative aspects were festive,
often dynamic -- a far cry from the wake that detractors had
predicted.

The installation of Ambassador Andrew Young of the United Church of
Christ as president of the Council brought several firsts: the
first president so widely known in the realms of international
affairs, civil rights, and corporate business; the first former
staff member of the NCC to become its top officer; and the first
NCC president to be installed in a Roman Catholic cathedral.

Voted in at the end of the week was the next general secretary of
the NCC, the United Methodist's Robert Edgar, president of
Claremont School of Theology in California. He will succeed Joan
Brown Campbell, who has served in the position for nine years. In
the 1970s Edgar, then from Pennsylvania, and Young were colleagues
in the US House of Representatives.

In a revised plan of organization, Church World Service and Unity
and Justice will be two semi-autonomous units teamed under the
banner of the NCC General Assembly. Two departments, communications
and the Washington office, will serve both clusters. The office of
the NCC general secretary will continue to be the chief ecumenical
voice for the Council.

Insiders generally see the organizational shift as an appropriate
refinement rather than a radical departure, enabling both the
Church World Service and the Unity and Justice divisions to better
attend to the work to which they are assigned.

Two major challenges face the new administration. One is to reduce
staff by a third, roughly comparable to the Church of the Brethren
General Board's restructuring of the mid-'90s. The second is to
handle a $4 million deficit. Part of the deficit stems from costs
accrued in a recent study by a consulting firm asked to bring
recommendations on restructure and to bring clear accounting and
analysis to the Council's financial picture.

Brethren delegates to the Assembly were Judy Mills Reimer, Mary Jo
Flory-Steury, Connie Burkholder, Michael Hostetter, Richard
Speicher, and Merv Keeney. 

Also convening in Cleveland during the week was the Church of the
Brethren Committee on Interchurch Relations. A sales exhibit for
the assembly was mounted by SERRV.

 2) It has been a long road for Dr. Dennis Lipton. Lipton, a member
of the Shalom Church of the Brethren in Durham, N.C., enrolled in
the Air Force in 1993 to help pay for medical school. Later,
however, Lipton felt he needed to stay true to his calling to
preserve life and should become a conscientious objector. He filed
for discharge on these grounds, but this past January he received
word that his application had been rejected.

Instead, he received orders to report for four weeks of military
training in Alabama. He reported but said he would be unable to
participate in the training due to his beliefs. That led to a
series of events in which Lipton submitted a resignation and a
check for $63,000 as repayment of the debt for his education. 

That, too, was denied, however, and Lipton received a court-martial
trial date of Nov. 16 in Montgomery, Ala., for dereliction of duty
and disobeying orders. Phil Jones, pastor of the Shalom
congregation, and director of Brethren Witness David Radcliff were
among those who went to Montgomery for the trial. An ecumenical
worship service was held at an area church the night before the
court date, with about 30 people attending for prayer and singing.

On the 16th came day-long arguments and eventually a sentence: five
days in jail, a $30,000 fine, and dismissal from the Air Force. The
original verdict had called for a six-month imprisonment, but a
pre-trial aggreement limited the maximum penalty imposed, according
to Jones. Jones has continued to visit Lipton this week at his
8-by-12-foot cell in the prison in Montgomery.

"Dennis is being confined and imprisoned for this period of time
simply because he chose to stand firm in his religious convictions
that would allow him to do nothing else," Jones said.

"The Air Force chose to disregard more than 120 letters and other
documents that were presented as defense for Dennis. ... These
documents confirmed over and over that Dennis is a man of deep
religious conviction, and though he did not take his commitment to
the military lightly, his commitment to the ways of peace, as
modeled by Jesus, would not allow him to continue as a military
officer or physician."

Brethren and others had been urged to write such letters of support
in the weeks preceding the trial. Jones said that Lipton expressed
deep thanks for the many people who encouraged and helped him
through the ordeal. Lipton will be released on Nov. 20.

"Dennis remains faithful and courageous," Jones said. "His time (in
prison) will be well-spent in study, reflection, and prayer, and as
a continuing witness for Christ, for himself, and for the church."

A legal defense fund has been set up for Lipton through the Church
of the Brethren General Board, as legal fees alone could top
$35,000. Send funds to the General Board at 1451 Dundee Ave.,
Elgin, IL 60120, or call the Brethren Witness office at
1-800-323-8039 for more information. Details are also available on
a web site at www.ipass.net/~shalomcob/lipton.html.

 3) The General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries' work
with the Egypt Air flight 990 tragedy through Childcare Aviation
Incident Response received some recent media attention. The
DisasterNews Network featured the CAIR team in an article, which
can be seen at www.disasternews.net. The team, which went to
Newport, R.I. to be near the crash site and victims' families,
included ERSM staff member Lydia Walker along with Gloria Cooper,
Doug and Sheryl Dekker, Beverly Lineweaver, and Sharon Gilbert.

Response also continues to Hurricane Floyd, with volunteers going
to the area of Franklin, Va., and Vanceboro, N.C., to work at
setting up recovery projects, with start dates yet to be
determined. Earlier, more than 2,000 children were cared for via
Disaster Child Care efforts.

Work is also still going on in Haysville, Kans., rebuilding after
tornadoes; and wrapping up in  Biloxi, Miss., and the Dominican
Republic following Hurricane Georges

New needs arose in the past week, meanwhile, with the second major
earthquake in three months in Turkey, killing more than 500 people
and injuring thousands. Church World Service has responded by
shipping $29,530 worth of layettes, blankets, and health supplies.

4) Three more grants went out from the Emergency Disaster Fund in
the past week and a half in what continues to be a very busy year
for disaster relief.

The first grant allocates an additional $20,000 to support Emergeny
Response/Service Ministries' response to Hurricane Floyd.  Six
weeks of Disaster Child Care response was completed in November,
and ERSM is laying the groundwork for two long-term repair and
reconstruction projects.

A second allocation, of $9,100, will go to support Interfaith
Disaster Response's recovery efforts following Hurricane Bret in
Falfurrias, Texas.  The storm struck early in the hurricane season
and received only minimal response from the American Red Cross and
federal agencies. Funds will be used to purchase materials for 14
roofing projects for low-income families affected by the storm who
have "fallen through the cracks."

The third grant is for $30,000 and will go to support the work of
North Carolina Interfaith Disaster Response, also in the wake of
Hurricane Floyd. NCIDR is an experienced disaster relief agency
that is working at meeting emergency and long-term needs of the
survivors of the hurricane. The aid includes food, baby and hygiene
items, cleaning supplies, building materials, counseling, and other
needs.

 5) A delegation from the Church of the Brethren is visiting the
church-start project in Brazil this weekend, Nov. 19-21. Mervin
Keeney, director of Global Mission Partnerships; Allen Hansell,
director of Ministry; and James Miller, Shenandoah District
executive, will travel to visit the congregation in Rio Verde,
Goias. They will be joined in Brazil by Marcos Inhauser.

The young congregation had been through a period of conflict and
division some years ago.  "We need to go and listen," Keeney said
about the trip. "After a period of limited contact, we want to hear
and discern where God is leading this group now." 

 6) A large group of Brethren from around the country plan to
attend a protest and vigil this weekend at Fort Benning Army Base
in Columbus, Ga., aimed at closing the U.S. Army-run School of the
Americas. The SOA has long provided covert operations training for
Latin American soldiers, many of whom are now officially documented
in connection to thousands of human rights violations. This event
commemorates the 10th anniversary of the murder in El Salvador of
six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter, carried out
by graduates of the SOA.

The vigil is being planned by the SOA Watch, which currently has
two Brethren Volunteer Service workers on its staff. Activities
will include speakers from Latin America and the U.S., non-violence
training, other workshops, and acts of non-violent civil
disobedience which include "Crossing the Line" and marching in
vigil onto the grounds of Fort Benning.

The Church of the Brethren General Board in 1997 approved a
resolution calling for the school to be closed. More than 100
Brethren of all ages are expected to be in attendance. The Church
of the Brethren Washington Office, several Brethren colleges,
Bethany Theological Seminary, districts as far away as Northern
Plains, and other individuals will be represented. 

 7) Training for effective interim ministry was the focus of a
seminar held at Bethany Theological Seminary on Nov. 6. About 25
people from Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren, and other churches
gathered to learn how interim ministry specialists can effectively
help congregations through a time of transition.

James Bower of Earlham School of Religion spoke about the
specialized work of an intentional interim minister in moving
through the five developmental tasks in transition ministry. Tara
Hornbaker of Bethany moderated the discussion of panelists Opal
Pence Nees, James Davis, and Donna Moore, all of whom have
experience in interim ministry.

Those attending this training event included seminary students,
active pastors, retirees who may be looking forward to possible
interims, and several persons currently serving as interims.
Dramatic changes in society and church have created situations that
call for the skills and gifts of persons trained for intentional
interim ministries. Such leaders can help a congregation prepare
for more effective ministry in the future by helping them grieve
the departure of a much-beloved minister, deal positively with
conflict related to pastoral transition, and do the goal-setting
necessary for the transition to new pastoral leadership.

 8) The Southeastern District Nurture Commission sponsored a
Children's Ministry Workshop on Nov. 6 at the Jackson Park Church
of the Brethren in Jonesborough, Tenn. The workshop featured
members of the district who regularly work with children's and
youth ministry and provided the 50 people who attended with
creative ways to include children in the worship and activities of
the church.

Kathy Blair, a resident of Jonesborough and member of the National
Storytellers Association, conducted a session on storytelling as a
ministry. Other sessions included information on a youth club at
Jackson Park and one on handbells there, one on getting youth
involved and excited, one led by the youth choir from the Spindale
(N.C.) congregation, and one on puppetry led by the Beaver Creek
congregation.

 9) Brethren bits: Some other brief notes from around the
denomination:
   *The Council of District Executives emphasized clergy ethics at
its fall meeting, with 22 members representing 16 districts meeting
at Camp Mack in Indiana. Randy Yoder, chair of CODE, said the
recent high turnover in district staff made it important to bring
everyone up-to-date on the issues and proper procedures. Discussion
focused on the "Ethics in Ministry Relations" paper adopted by
Annual Conference in 1996.
   *A new Brethren Press mini-catalog called "Gifts that Matter"
presents unique ideas for Christmas gift-giving. Call
1-800-441-3712 for more information.
   *The Northern Indiana District will present a workshop on
Blended/Contemporary Worship on March 18 at the Middlebury (Ind.)
Church of the Brethren. Dick Shreckhise, associate pastor at the
Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, will provide leadership.
   *Mathematics professor John E. White and senior students Luke
Croushorn, Karen Hollinger, and Matthew Long were recognized at
Bridgewater (Va.) College's 30th annual Presidents Dinner recently
for commitment to education, service, and achievement.
   *The Shenandoah District Disaster Response Auction has been
scheduled for May 19-20, 2000, at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds
in Harrisonburg, Va.

10) The Area 1 (Northeast) districts and the Ministry Office of the
General Board are sponsoring an event called "Leadership 2000 ...
Preparing Church Leaders for the New Millenium." The conference,
designed for pastors, licensed ministers, deacons, other
congregational leaders, district leaders, and district and
associate executives, will take place June 8-10, 2000, at Juniata
College in Huntingdon, Pa.

A focus on pastoral and district/associate executive leadership
issues will run all three days, while a focus on district and
congregational lay leadership issues will run June 9-10. Messiah
College President Rodney Sawatsky, St. Paul School of Theology
President Lovett Weems, and Jeff Woods of The Alban Institute will
be the keynote speakers. Christina A. Bucher, chair of the
department of religion at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College will be the
Bible study presenter.
A registration brochure with additional information will be
distributed in January.

11) A young adult retreat called "It's My Privilege: Claiming the
Call to Justice-Filled Relationships" will be held Jan. 7-9 at Camp
Eder in Fairfield, Pa. The retreat, which will focus on training
about privilege and diversity in our lives and in the church, is
sponsored by On Earth Peace Assembly, Camp Eder, and the Southern
Pennsylvania District. 

The retreat will be led by: Derek Lehma, coordinator for
multicultural student development at Messiah College; Keturah
Laney, serving/learning coordinator at Westminster College; and
Greg Laszakovits, racism awareness coordinator for the Church of
the Brethren General Board. Scholarships are available for those
unable to pay the full $75 cost for tuition, room, and board. Call
Chris Fitz at (717) 642-8256 for a brochure and registration form.

12) A new addition to the General Board's "...In Our Midst" series
of resources being sent to congregations this month focuses on
"Children & Violence," a response to the resolution passed by
delegates at the 1999 Annual Conference in Milwaukee.

The materials are designed to help people work at the issue
personally, in congregations, and in their communities. The packet
includes a commitment service, peace pledges, a video titled
"Lessons from Littleton" that includes footage shown at Annual
Conference, a youth discussion session, resource lists, and other
articles. It also presents an essay contest on "The response of
Christian youth to violence in our schools and communities" with
categories for older elementary (grades 4-6), junior high youth,
and high school. Entry deadline is Jan. 15.

"Together we can make a difference in the world around us," David
Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness, says in an introductory
sheet, "a world that is as close as the halls of our schools and
the streets of our towns."

13) Steve Gregory has accepted the call as half-time Congregational
Life Team Member, Area 5 (West), beginning Jan. 1. Gregory is
currently half-time district executive for Oregon-Washington
District. He has pastored the Outlook (Wash.), Ladera (Calif.), and
Mountain View (Idaho) congregations. He has also held various
district offices in Pacific Southwest, Idaho, and Oregon-Washington
districts and has been active in communities where he lived.

Other work experience includes serving as campus minister at the
University of LaVerne (Calif.) for 12 years and owning and
operating a landscape retail nursery. He holds a B.A. in sociology
from LaVerne, a master of divinity degree in ministry from Bethany
Theological Seminary, has pursued doctor of ministry work at
Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology, and mediation course work at
Boise (Idaho) State University. Gregory and his wife, Esther, live
in East Wenatchee, Wash.

14) Walt Wiltschek has accepted the call as Manager of News
Services, beginning on Jan. 31. An ordained minister, Wiltschek is
currently serving as associate pastor of the Westminster (Md.)
Church of the Brethren. He also is editor of the denominational
young adult newsletter, Bridge, serves on the Junior High Task
Force, and is interim Newsline editor. He has served on the
denomination's Young Adult Steering Committee, written articles for
Messenger, and assisted the communication team at two Annual
Conferences and at the 1998 National Youth Conference. He has also
been active in Southern Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic districts,
and in his local congregations.

Wiltschek has nearly eight years of experience on two different
newspaper staffs, the York (Pa.) Daily Record and the Carroll
County (Md.) Times. He holds a B.S. in mathematics/education from
York College of Pennsylvania, a certificate of biblical studies
from Eastern Mennonite University, an M.A. in religion from
Lancaster Theological Seminary, and has done additional graduate
studies at Western Maryland College with emphasis on religion and
communication.

15) Education for Conflict Resolution, Inc., a community mediation
and conflict resolution training center in North Manchester, Ind.,
with strong ties to the Church of the Brethren, is seeking an
executive director to lead its staff of seven and direct its
fund-raising program. 

The position requires demonstrated ability in non-profit management
and fund-raising, an ability to work within a team-oriented staff,
strong written and oral communication skills, computer competence,
and a commitment to community service and community empowerment.
The position is available in January. Review of applications will
begin in early December and continue until the position is filled.
For more information, contact Bob Gross at bgross@igc.org or call
(219) 982-7751.

16) Spring Run Church of the Brethren, in Middle Pennsylvania
District, took the recent Annual Conference "Children & Violence"
statement to heart. Members of the church formed a special task
force called Master Peace whose vision is "to promote peaceful
living and the creation of a child- and youth-friendly environment
beginning in Spring Run, in Mifflin County, and far beyond."

Their first project was creating a petition "challenging us all to
refuse to purchase violent games, toys, or videos this Christmas
season. We will instead buy games, toys, and videos which encourage
cooperation and creativity." The goal of Master Peace is to get
10,000 signatures. The group has also made plans to take out ads in
local newspapers that will have the petition pledge, the names of
those who signed, and a tear-off coupon that people can send in to
show support.

More information on the project is available from Master Peace, Box
333, Spring Run Church of the Brethren, McVeytown, Pa. 17051. The
Church of the Brethren Washington Office also wants to gather more
stories of congregations putting faith into action. Call the office
at (202) 546-3202.

17) Longtime Church of the Brethren pastor Don Fogelsanger was
honored Oct. 24 at Chambersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren by
Brethren Benefit Trust's Pension Plan for his role in helping the
plan reach a significant milestone. 

When Fogelsanger notified the Pension Plan in October that he was
ready to begin receiving his retirement benefits, the group of
Brethren Pension Plan members who actively draw on their retirement
-- Retirement Benefits Fund members -- became 1,000 strong. Don
Fecher, Brethren Pension Plan director, presented Fogelsanger with
a certificate at the Chambersburg church during morning worship to
commemorate the milestone. 

The certificate recognized Fogelsanger's 30-plus years of financial
stewardship as a Pension Plan member during nearly 36 years as a
pastor. It also acknowledged the four congregations he served
during his full-time career for contributing to Fogelsanger's
account: Chambersburg, Lebanon (Pa.), Harrisonburg (Va.), and 28th
Street in Altoona, Pa.

The certificate, which includes Scripture from Matthew 25:20-21,
also bears the likeness of a check that reads: "One Annuity for
Life: Priceless."

It was appropriate that Fogelsanger was honored in the Chambersburg
church; it was there that he was baptized when he was 10. He
returned 48 years later to serve as pastor, where he led a
congregation now four times as large as it had been in his youth.
He officially retired in January 1995 on disability.

Since then, Fogelsanger has spent his time doing the things for
which he has passion. Reading to his grandchildren is one of his
favorite pastimes. He has also:
  *served as interim pastor of Greencastle (Pa.) Church of the
Brethren. 
  *worked on several disaster response projects for Southern
Pennsylvania District and for the General Board's Emergency
Response/Service Ministries.
  *served as one of three remodelers of the Francis Leiter Center,
a Chambersburg counseling center for abused children that earlier
this year moved into a new building purchased by the Chambersburg
church. 
  *rebuilt old toys for the Chambersburg Toy Rescue Mission, which
distributes the refurbished goods to children in need. "It is quite
a big operation in the community," Fogelsanger said. "I would guess
that 2,000 families are touched by it."

Fogelsanger is a throwback to a different era, having fulfilled his
desire to work in one vocation during his full-time career. His
pastoral call stems from his strong faith and the joy he finds in
sharing in life's important moments with the members of his
congregations. These are challenges that energize him, which is why
he believes that pastoral ministry "is where the action is." 

Fogelsanger has noticed some profound changes in society and the
ministry that have occurred since he began his career. For example,
two-career households means families have less time to volunteer
for church work. And, whereas people's lives used to center around
their church and faith family, people today have support groups
that extend far beyond the church. 

As for the church, Fogelsanger's biggest concern remains that many
congregations continue to have full-time and interim pastoral
openings. That number was reduced by one in October, however, as
Fogelsanger began serving as interim pastor of Shippensburg (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren. This new challenge is also fitting, as
Shippensburg is where he was licensed (1951) and ordained into
pastoral ministry (1956). Thus, Fogelsanger's pastoral ministry
career has now gone full circle.

The steady membership growth of BBT's Retirement Benefits Fund is
also drawing near another milestone, by the way -- $100 million in
assets.

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. Howard Royer, Bruce
Rosenberger, Loyce Borgmann, and Nevin Dulabaum contributed to this
report. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is
cited as the source and the publication date is included.

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