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[Church of the Brethren News Services]

Date:     Jan. 21, 2000
Contact:  Walt Wiltschek
V:  410/848-8090   F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:   CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
  1) A close call on a plane landing doesn't stop the celebration
of Nuer-language Bibles.
  2) The church mourns the death of "Mr. Juniata," otherwise known
as H.B. Brumbaugh.
  3) A $10,000 J2K grant will assist poor Guatemalan communities.
  4) eMountain Communications announces new electronic services for
Brethren.
  5) Another "Worshipful Work" training event aims to prepare a
network of consultants.
  6) The Committee on Interchurch Relations seeks nominees for its
2000 award.
  7) Manchester College memorializes a couple who gave generously
to many charities.
  8) Congregations are asked to help with a statistical
compilation; new forms due Feb. 1.
  9) Brethren bits: Other news and notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.

COMING EVENTS
 10) ABC announces dates for the next Caring Ministries Assembly,
in 2001 in California.
 11) Church of the Brethren Womaen's Caucus will hold a theology
conference May 4-6.
 12) Registrations continue to stream in for the March Renovare
conference.
 13) The Cross Cultural Ministries Team schedules a consultation
March 23-26 in Ohio.
 14) Christian education expert Rosella Weins Regier will lead Area
1 workshops in March.
 15) The third annual Anabaptist Evangelism Council will be Feb.
19-20 in Elkhart, Ind.
 16) Brethren Revival Fellowship will hold a conference at
Elizabethtown College in July.
 17) The Urban Peace Tour prepares for a sixth edition in February,
this time in California.

RESOURCES
 18) The Brethren Archives seeks a copy of the film "If Any Man
Thirst."

************************************************************

 1) Even a change of site and a very rough, near-tragic airplane
landing couldn't take away from the joy of dedicating the first
complete Bible in the Nuer language -- a project more than nine
years in the works.

After the location of the new translation's launch shifted from
Akobo to Mading, Church of the Brethren representatives Lester and
Esther Boleyn of Citronelle, Ala., and David Sollenberger of
Annville, Pa., took a flight from northern Kenya to Mading. As the
plane approached the dirt landing strip, however, it was whipped by
strong crosswinds and rolled sharply back and forth. The right
landing gear hit hard and collapsed, and the plane then skidded
sideways into a fence. It rolled the plane, snapping off the left
wing and leaving the plane lying on its roof.

The Boleyns reported that miraculously, however, none of the 24
people on the plane had more than a scratch, and they were able to
exit via a rear loading door or the cockpit. Sollenberger was able
to videotape the rescue operation.

"God is great, we are safe, and the Nuer now have the Bible in
their own language," the Boleyns wrote.

 2) Harold B. ("H.B.") Brumbaugh, of Huntingdon, Pa., fondly known
by many as "Mr. Juniata," died Jan. 17 after an extended illness.
He was 88.

Brumbaugh dedicated his entire life to Juniata College, the
Huntingdon institution where he studied and worked -- and even
lived until 1993. 

A 1933 alumnus, he began his career there in 1936 as assistant to
President Charles C. Ellis. Over the years his titles included
alumni secretary, vice president for development, and vice
president for college advancement emeritus. Among his many honors
were an honorary doctor of human letters degree from Juniata in
1975 and the 1999 John C. Baker Award for Exemplary Service to
Juniata College. He was active in a number of local and regional
church-related and civic organizations.

 3) A $10,000 grant to impoverished Guatemalan communities has been
made as part of the "We're Building a House -- the Lord's House"
component of J2K: New Hope, New Day.

The funds will be used to construct wood-conserving stoves and
water-storing cisterns. The stoves replace open indoor cooking
fires and will drastically reduce wood consumption and eliminate
indoor smoke, a leading cause of respiratory illness for Guatemalan
women. The cisterns provide badly-needed water storage facilities
during the long dry season, when water must otherwise be carried
from distant streams. The stored water is also much purer than
carried water, greatly reducing infestations of parasites in
Guatemalan children.

For information on how to become involved in this and other J2K
outreach projects, contact the J2K project office at
1-800-323-8039, ext. 228.

 4) eMountain Communications, the Internet ministry of the Church
of the Brethren Benefit Trust, on Jan. 3 announced a wide-range of
personal and corporate electronic services now available for Church
of the Brethren members and organizations. In addition to its
ClearViewNet national filtered Internet service, eMountain now
offers Web site hosting, e-mail services, e-commerce, video
conferencing, Web site design, and domain name registration.

"For many people, the Internet is a complex technological medium,"
said Michael Addison, eMountain's project director. "Often they
seek advice from friends or colleagues on how to communicate
electronically or how to get a Web presence. We are excited to be
able to offer these new services to all Brethren in addition to our
overall technology ministry to the church." 

Costs for the services vary. For more details and information,
contact Michael Addison, eMountain Communications' project
director, at maddison_bbt@brethren.org, at 1-800-250-5757, or at
www.eMountain.net.

 5) The second Worshipful Work training event is taking place this
weekend at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. It
follows an introductory event that took place this past fall, when
16 districts were represented by approximately 50 people.

The Bethany chapel is serving as the main meeting space for the
group, with a foot tub and towel in the worship center to encourage
worshipfully continuing the work of Jesus. The training, which
strives for a weaving together of church business life and
spiritual life, is focusing on John 13:1-17 for the weekend event.
People trained in the sessions will be equipped to "coach" and be
a consultant to congregations and other groups interested in using
the method. Bethany and the General Board's Congregational Life
Ministries are co-sponsoring the training.

 6) The Committee on Interchurch Relations is seeking nominations
for the recipient of the 2000 Ecumenical Award, which will be
presented at the Ecumenical Luncheon at Annual Conference in Kansas
City, Mo., in July.

This year's award will go to an individual who has worked at
promoting cross-cultural or interracial relationships to further
the work of Christ at local and/or regional levels. If you know of
such a person and would like to nominate them, please write to:
Ecumenical Nomination 2000, Committee on Interchurch Relations,
Church of the Brethren General Offices, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin,
IL  60120. Send the person's name and address along with your
reasons for the nomination. Include a summary of some of your
nominee's cross-cultural or interracial activities and a letter of
affirmation from someone who can confirm the information.

Nominations must be received by Feb. 20. More information can be
faxed to interested persons; e-mail jkobel_gb@brethren.org or call
1-800-323-8039 and ask for the Executive Director's Office.

 7) A Goshen, Ind., couple who generously supported Manchester
College (North Manchester, Ind.) before their deaths will forever
be remembered at the college. A terrace located on the east side of
the newly renovated campus library has been named the Bigler
Terrace in honor of the late Richard G. and Marjorie Hayslett
Bigler, a 1932 Manchester College graduate. The college dedicated
the terrace during a ceremony Oct. 23.

A plaque, located on the terrace near the library's entrance, says
the Biglers' "commitment to others and their concern for persons'
welfare will live on through their marvelous, sustaining generosity
to Manchester College and other institutions dedicated to the
common good." The Biglers supported Bethany Theological Seminary,
the Boys and Girls Club of Goshen, Camp Alexander Mack, the Church
of the Brethren General Board, Church World Service, Greencroft
Inc., and Goshen City Church of the Brethren, of which they were
members, along with other charities. Their gifts to Manchester
included a $1 million endowed scholarship fund.

The Biglers died within six months of each other.  Marjorie, a
retired elementary teacher, died Aug. 23, 1998, while Richard, the
retired president of Dick Bigler Associates, died Feb. 21, 1998.

 8) The denominational statistics form has undergone a major
overhaul, the first in many years. The new form was sent to
congregations in early January for collecting 1999 statistics.
Congregations are reminded to complete the annual statistics form
and send it to their district offices by Feb. 1. (Congregations
should keep the pink copy for their own records and return the
white and yellow copies.)

The form has been redesigned to include explanations and directions
within the form itself, to eliminate the awkwardness of continually
referring back to a set of instructions. The most significant
addition is a full page that collects ministerial information. The
changes also incorporate suggestions made over the years by those
filling out the forms.

The statistical information is collected and published by the
General Board as a service to the denomination, and involves the
cooperative efforts of congregations, districts, and other
agencies. While three-quarters of the congregations return forms,
the General Board is encouraging remaining congregations to
increase the usefulness of the data by participating as well. The
collective information enhances the effectiveness of the Church of
the Brethren's ministry, both locally and across the denomination.
The 1999 statistics will appear in the 2000 Yearbook, which will be
released by Brethren Press in June.

 9) Brethren bits: Brief news notes from around the denomination
and elsewhere:
  *The John Kline Riders of the Shenandoah District will hold a
ride June 9-12 in Somerset County, Pa. The group rides to dramatize
the story of Kline, a well-known Brethren minister during the Civil
War era who traveled frequently by horseback. 
  *The Hagerstown (Md.) Daily Mail earlier this month ran an
article on the Welty Church of the Brethren (Smithsburg, Md.) and
its idea to mark the General Board's "J2K" initiative for the year
2000. The church sealed a time capsule packed with bulletins,
directories, newsletters, Polaroid pictures, and other items. It
will remain sealed for 33 years to represent Jesus Christ's age
when he died.
  *The current exhibit in McPherson (Kans.) College's Friendship
Hall Gallery features work from the college's unique automotive
restoration program. The exhibit, titled "Technology and Auto
Restoration: Craftsmanship and Artistry," will run through Jan. 31.

 10) The third biennial conference for caregivers, Caring
Ministries Assembly, will be held Aug. 7-11, 2001, at the
University of La Verne, La Verne, Calif. Sponsored by the
Association of Brethren Caregivers, this five-day conference will
be a time of professional and personal growth, fellowship, and
spiritual renewal for people involved in caring ministries.

At the Caring Ministries Assembly, attendees from many
denominations will explore how a holistic approach can be
transforming for both the caregiver and the person receiving care.
Pastors, chaplains, social workers, health care providers, nurses,
doctors, and anyone involved in caregiving will have opportunities
to fully explore and integrate their faith perspective with the
physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of those for whom they
care.

Conference planners met Jan. 8-9 to discuss themes and
opportunities to work with other ecumenical organizations in order
to bring about a slate of keynote presenters and workshops. Eight
keynote presentations and more than 60 workshops were featured at
the last Caring Ministries conference held in June 1999 at
Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. Speakers and registration information
for the 2001 event will be announced in the fall.

 11) The Church of the Brethren Womaen's Caucus will hold a
theology conference titled, "The Politics of Sin: Who Decides
What's Right and Wrong" May 4-6 in Dayton, Ohio. The conference
will be led by Melanie Morrison, an author and ordained United
Church of Christ minister who has served three congregations in
MIchigan and the Netherlands. 

The conference will focus on the ways that the Church's teachings
about sin have targeted, stigmatized, marginalized, and silenced
particular groups of people in different historical periods. The
sessions will explore issues including sexism, racism, and
heterosexism and look at current insights from theologians of these
marginalized groups.

For a brochure or more information about this conference, contact
Zandra Wagoner, Caucus administrator, at: zandra.wagoner@cgu.edu;
or phone (909) 399-9552; or write Womaen's Caucus, PO Box 1324,
Claremont, CA 91711.

 12) Registrations continue to stream in for the Renovare spiritual
renewal conference, to be held March 10-11 at Elizabethtown (Pa.)
College.

As of Jan. 12, about 450 people had registered for the event, which
is sponsored by Atlantic Northeast District and features author
Richard Foster as a keynote speaker/leader along with Emilie
Griffin and George Skramstad. The cost increases to $35 on Feb. 1
($25 before then). The maximum registration is 840.

Individuals of all ages are invited to attend. Pastors can receive
a certificate of attendance for free or 10 hours of CEU continuing
education credit from Bethany Theological Seminary for $25 by
visiting the Susquehanna Valley Satellite booth after the
conference. Lay persons and licensed ministers can receive credit
for the Bethany Academy's prayer and spiritual growth course by
also attending an add-on morning session April 8 at Elizabethtown's
Young Center. For more information on the event, call the Atlantic
Northeast office at (717) 367-4730. 

 13) The Cross Cultural Ministries Team is hosting an Consultation
on Leadership Development for ethnic churches. The consultation
will be held March 23-26 at the Mack Memorial Church of the
Brethren in Dayton, Ohio. The event's purpose is to explore ways to
provide appropriate and relevant training for leaders of
cross-cultural communities and to support and affirm one another in
our leadership roles.

Participating in the consultation will be leaders from Church of
the Brethren programs currently providing leadership training. A
keynote address will be presented by Fumataka Matsuoka, former
academic dean at Bethany Theological Seminary. 

The event is being supported financially by the Congregational Life
Team program of the General Board. For more information or to
request travel assistance, please contact: Duane Grady,
Congregational Life Team Area 2, 5535 E. 46th Street, Indianapolis, 
IN  46226; or e-mail dgrady_gb@brethren.org; or phone (317)
546-3220.

 14) Rosella Weins Regier, a top leader in Christian education, and
former executive director of "Jubilee: God's Good News," will lead
several workshop events sponsored by the Area 1 (Northeast)
Congregational Life Team and local congregations this spring.

Stops on the Tour de Regier include March 18 at Maple Spring in
Western Pa. District; March 21 at Mechanicsburg and March 23 at
Waynesboro in Southern Pa. District; March 25 at Manassas (Va.) in
Mid-Atlantic District.; and March 26 at Philadelphia First, March
27 at Conestoga, and March 28 at Palmyra, all in Atlantic Northeast
District.

The workshops will cover a variety of topics. For more information
or registration forms, call the host congregation, the appropriate
district office, or Area 1 Congregational Life Team coordinator Jan
Kensinger at 1-888-411-4275.

 15) Anabaptist ministry in a multi-cultural context will be
examined in Elkhart, Ind., when more than 50 representatives from
six Anabaptist denominations will gather at the Associated
Mennonite Biblical Seminaries Feb. 19-20 for the third annual
Anabaptist Evangelism Council.

The council, sponsored by New Life Ministries, has again enlisted
a mix of scholars and practitioners to discuss the role of
Anabaptist churches in an increasingly multi-cultural North
American society around the theme: "A New Humanity: Anabaptist
Ministry Amidst Many Peoples."

Brethren involved in the event include Robert Kettering, senior
pastor of the Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, who will serve
as worship leader Sunday morning; Stephen B. Reid, professor of Old
Testament Studies at Austin (Tex.) Presbyterian Theological
Seminary and a Church of the Brethren minister, who will open the
two-day meeting with a plenary address on "The People of God: Old
Testament Inspiration"; and Paul Mundey, senior pastor of the
Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren, who will lead a closing
worship. Kettering and Mundey are both New Life trustees.

The Evangelism Council is designed as an Anabaptist “think tank”
and a practitioners' rendezvous. Its desire, according to one of
this year's planners, Tym Elias, a missions executive from
Winnipeg, Manitoba, is to "empower integral theological reflection,
coherent strategy and consistent practice geared toward
transformation of society through Anabaptist Christian witness in
North America." Registration for the two-day event is $25. Meals,
provided by the seminary, are at the attendee’s expense, as is
overnight lodging. To register or for more information call Joan
Hershey at 1-800-774-3360

 16) Brethren Revival Fellowship will sponsor an event titled
"Brethren Alive 2000" at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College July 28-30.
The schedule includes worship services, numerous workshops, youth
activites, and the BRF's General Meeting.

Worship speakers are James Myer, David Kent, David Rittenhouse, and
Phill Carlos Archbold, focusing on the early church in Acts 2. Cost
is $50 per person for those staying on site and includes meals, $10
per person for commuters (no meals). Registration deadline is July
1. For more information, write to Brethren Alive 2000, 155 Denver
Rd., Denver, PA 17517 or call Ken Leininger at (717) 336-1287.

 17) The Urban Peace Tour is again gathering urban Church of the
Brethren members from across the country to share worship and
fellowship at five Brethren congregations, this time Feb. 8-13 in
Southern California.

The 2000 tour will be the sixth tour of its kind, but the first in
California. The tour will be very musical in flavor but will also
include vital preaching and testimonies as well as time for
everyone to participate. The tours have a long history of weaving
relationships and worshipful interaction between peoples of many
different backgrounds with the thread of Brethren tradition running
throughout.

Anyone living in Southern California or planning to be in the area
who would like to attend an event, please call Greg Laszakovits at
1-800-323-8039 for more information.  

 18) The Brethren Historical Library and Archives collects and
preserves Brethren materials: books, periodicals, videos, etc. In
the collection are more than fifty 16 mm films that were produced
by the denomination between the 1930s and the 1970s.

Recently it was discovered that the archives does not have a copy
of the film "If Any Man Thirst." This is a film about Raul
Tasiguano, the youngest son of the first family baptized by the
Brethren in Ecuador and one of the leaders of a nonviolent protest
against a bus service monopoly. Shortly after the film was made, he
was struck down by a bus and died of his injuries at the age of 24.
Anyone who knows where a copy of the film might be found should
contact the archives at 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120; phone
1-800-323-8039, ext. 294; or e-mail: kshaffer_gb@brethren.org.

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.

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