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

[COBNews@aol.com]

 From nobody@wfn.org  Fri Sep 15 00:00:00 2000
V: 847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
Date: Sept. 15, 2000
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of
silver." Prov. 25:11

NEWS
 1) Report from National Older Adult Conference in North Carolina.
 2) The Church of the Brethren joins a call for an "international"
Jerusalem.
 3) The church mourns the loss of Owen Shankster and Russ Flora.
 4) A Global Food Crisis Fund grant continues work in Guatemala.
 5) Religion News Service report gives mixed reviews to Millenium
World Peace Summit.
 6) Brethren bits: Disaster auction, BVS, refugees, and more.

COMING EVENTS
 7) Virlina prepares for a weekend focusing on urban ministry.
 8) Workshop on interim ministry is slated for Western Plains.
 9) Disaster Child Care training to be held in La Verne, Calif.

RESOURCES
10) The October "Source" packet has an ecumenical flavor.

FEATURES
11) A cluster of churches raises money for world hunger.
12) Report from Sudan offers reflections on, and thanks for,
Brethren work there.

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

 1) When the roving news cameras of David Sollenberger and Larry
Glick went around campus asking people what they thought of this
year's Church of the Brethren National Older Adult Conference
(NOAC), the answers quickly formed a common theme. "Inspirational!"
said one. "Wonderful!" answered another. And "This is my kind of
conference," said a third.

That seemed to be the general consensus of NOAC participants, who
gathered at the Lake Junaluska (N.C.) Assembly Sept. 11-15 for a
week of worship, fellowship, study, and fun. The conference, for
adults ages 50 and over, is held every other year and is sponsored
by the Association of Brethren Caregivers. This was the fifth time
the conference was held, and about 1,050 attended.

More than 100 gathered for a group picture of anyone who had been
to all five NOAC events. Several said they felt this was the
best-organized and most spiritually uplifting yet. Near-perfect
weather, moving worship services, and a strong array of speakers
helped to create that impression.

"We were really thrilled with the guest leadership," said NOAC
co-coordinator Carl Myers of Elgin, Ill. "People received them so
well. I have very positive feelings about the experience."

The main presenters included former pastors Jimmy Ross and Dean
Miller, former McPherson College president Paul Hoffman, former
Kirkridge Retreat director Robert Raines, and theologian/author
Marva Dawn. In addition, former General Board general secretary and
Juniata College president Bob Neff led three Bible studies on
Psalms, and major entertainment sessions were presented by
Mennonite comedians Ted & Lee and by members of the North
Manchester, Ind., Shepherd Center, who put on a drama called
"Heavenly Days."

All of the speakers addressed aspects of the NOAC theme, "Still
Bearing Fruit, Still Fresh and Green," from Psalm 92:14. They urged
older adults to realize life is precious, to nurture intimacy--with
God and with other people, to stay active and "fruitful," to be
distinctive as Brethren through generous giving and strong
families, to stay "stuck" to God's vine, to be the church, to live
in God's love, to keep track of their stories, to share experiences
with younger generations, to dream, and, as NOAC co-coordinator
Doreen Myers put it, to "be fresh."

The Church of the Brethren's InterAgency Forum, which includes
executives and board chairs of each Annual Conference agency,
Annual Conference officers, and representatives of Standing
Committee and the Council of District Executives, also met during
the week. A panel of those members shared in a "State of the
Church" session Tuesday evening, fielding questions from those in
attendance. Most discussion focused on how to fund all the
agencies.

The conference also included early-morning devotions and nature
walks, handcrafts classes, a variety of recreation options,
"interest group" study sessions, support groups, a service project
of creating health and school kits for Church of the Brethren
disaster relief, special music, storytelling, duck-feeding, walks
around the lake, "night-life" activities, considerable ice cream
consumption, a resource fair, bookstore shopping, and regular video
updates.

The group included official participants ranging from Linda Fisher
of Lewistown, Pa., who just turned 50 last month, to 95-year-old
Ruby Witter of North Manchester, Ind.; Charles and Barb Simmons of
Virginia, who were married this past Saturday and spent their
honeymoon at NOAC; people from 30 states--including Hawaii--and 21
of the 23 Church of the Brethren districts; members of 236
congregations; and many attending NOAC for the first time.

The next NOAC will be held Sept. 2-6, 2002, again at Lake
Junaluska, N.C. Additional coverage and photos of this year's
conference can be found at www.brethren.org/noac/index.htm, and an
article will appear in the November "Messenger." Video and audio
tapes of major sessions and a musical montage video of scenes from
the week are available from David Sollenberger. 

 2) The top leaders of American Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox
churches urged President Bill Clinton to promote a sharing of
Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as among Jews,
Christians, and Muslims during ongoing negotiations, according to
a release.

The leaders chided the administration for inattention to Christian
concerns and international law as it affects Jerusalem. In a
jointly-signed letter, the churches leaders said "we do not view
the Administration's attention to the American churches' concerns
and recommendations or those of the Jerusalem churches' interests
and rights to be adequate." 

It calls on the White House to put a greater importance on
Jerusalem's significance as an international community but does
commend Clinton for blocking a Congress-ordered move of the US
embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It endorses a proposal to
"create an internationally guaranteed special statute for the
governance of Jerusalem" which would "allow Jerusalem to be an open
city which transcends local, regional or world political troubles."

It was signed by 16 church denominations and agencies, including
the Church of the Brethren and the National Council of Churches.

 3) Two well-known Brethren leaders passed away early this month:
Owen Shankster of Roann, Ind., and Russ Flora of Tipp City, Ohio.

Shankster served in General Board mission work in Nigeria with his
wife, Celia, for more than 40 years before retiring in 1991.
Shankster oversaw numerous building projects, including schools in
Waka, facilities for the Lafiya Health Program in Garkida, a major
project that created thousands of wells, and various buildings for
Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)
congregations, hospitals, Hillcrest School, and Kulp Bible College.

Flora was serving as chair of the Brethren Retirement Community
Board of Trustees. He also did significant work with the Resident
Aid Fund and other programs of The Brethren's Home in Ohio and
served on its board of trustees for 11 years. He was recently named
Trustee of the Year by the American Association of Homes and
Services for the Aging, a national association representing more
than 5,600 retirement homes.

 
 4) A $15,000 Global Food Crisis Fund grant was sent to Guatemala
this month by the General Board. The funds will assist families in
building wood-conserving stoves and water-storing cisterns in poor
communities in the region of Huehuetenango. This is the third such
grant to be sent to support this project in the past two years.

In a country where deforestation rates are extreme, the wood-stove
project drastically reduces the amount of wood needed for cooking.
In addition, while traditional indoor open fires lead to widespread
respiratory disease among Guatemalan women, the stoves vent smoke
outdoors to protect women's health.

Inadequate supplies of clean water during the six-month dry season
is a leading cause of sickness and death in Guatemalan communities,
especially among children. Storing water from the rainy season in
large sub-surface tanks provides clean water.

Both projects are coordinated through the Pastoral Social program
of the Catholic church. A Brethren Volunteer Service position with
this project is currently open; contact BVS or the Global Mission
Partnerships office for more information at 800 323-8039.

 5) Chris Herlinger of Religion News Service delivered the
following report of the Millenium World Peace Summit held in New
York (The Church of the Brethren was not among those invited to
attend):

Rich in color and pageantry, long on good intentions, but often
falling short of a clear purpose and outcome, the Millennium World
Peace Summit provided a revealing glimpse of religious groups--and
indeed, the conference itself--sometimes at their best, sometimes
at their worst.

On paper, the four-day summit, which concluded its work Aug. 31,
did little that was either surprising or remarkable. In a final
"Commitment to Global Peace," the nearly 1,000 leaders
representing a wide spectrum of religions pledged their support to
ending religious-based violence and respecting each other's faith
traditions.

Still left unsettled was the formation of a kind of global
religious advisory group to the United Nations, which hosted the
first two days of the conference. As the summit ended, there was
talk of selecting a steering committee to oversee the creation of
such a panel, though the specifics remained to be worked out.

Beyond the symbolism, however, was something of lasting value and
importance, said David Little, director of the Center for the Study
of Values in Public Life at Harvard University and a member of the
Scholars' Group at Harvard Divinity School, one of the summit's
partners.

"Yes, it's a slow, glacial process, but it's worth trying because
it gets dialogue going," Little said of the summit and its attempt
to get religious leaders to think more concretely about issues of
poverty, conflict resolution, and environmental damage. "However
awkward," he said, "it is a start in the right direction."

Another peace-related event is scheduled for the coming week: a
millenial Peace Day at the United Nations on Sept. 19. A mile-long
quilt will be presented by children from around the world, followed
by a presentation of flags of every nation and a prayer recognizing
all of them. On Sept. 20, the same quilt will be wrapped around the
US Capitol in Washington, D.C., followed by a ceremony of peace and
forgiveness.

 6) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *The Brethren Disaster Relief Auction of Atlantic Northeast and
Southern Pennsylvania districts, the largest and oldest in the
denomination, will be held Sept. 22-23 at the Lebanon (Pa.) Area
Fairgrounds. Auctions of livestock, quilts, and other items are the
main event, but a hymn sing, arts and crafts sales, a bake sale, a
chicken barbeque dinner, and various displays are also included.
The auction, which raises money for Church of the Brethren disaster
relief efforts, is in its 24th year. Another major disaster
auction, in Shenandoah District, reports that nearly $150,000 was
raised this year, putting the auction's net earnings for eight
years over the $1 million mark.

 *Twenty people will be gathering at Camp La Verne in Angelus Oaks,
Calif., this weekend for their Brethren Volunteer Service
orientation as part of Unit 241. The orientation runs from Sept.
17-Oct. 7; volunteers then head to their individual projects.

 *Paul Grout's "Stations of the Resurrection" artwork will be on
display at Bridgewater (Va.) College's Miller Gallery Oct. 9-Nov.
8. Grout, an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and
this year's Annual Conference moderator-elect, will also share
about his work during a special convocation on Oct. 9.

 *Nearly 700 congregational peace coordinators were sent a copy of
"The Peace Book: New Millennium Edition" and an order form for
other peace resources in a mailing from the General Board's
Brethren Witness office this month. Recipients were also asked to
give counsel related to plans for Brethren participation in the
National Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence, which
this summer's Annual Conference affirmed.

 *The South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren recently tried
a new approach to Vacation Bible School: holding it overnight.
Using the Marketplace 29 A.D. curriculum over a weekend format,
children came Saturday afternoon and stayed through Sunday,
culminating with participation in a creative Sunday morning worship
and an all-church picnic. Twenty children participated. South
Waterloo also hosted Mennonite comedy duo Ted & Lee last Sunday.

 *General Board vice-chair Don Parker of West Salem, Ohio, has
designed the new symbol for the Worshipful-Work organization, based
in Kansas City, Mo. It features a round meeting table with an open
Bible and the communion elements in a pair of hands.
Worshipful-Work has been used in several Brethren settings this
year, including Annual Conference and the General Board.

 *Brenda Girton-Mitchell of Silver Spring, Md., a Baptist lay
leader and a lawyer whose career has included experience in
business, government, and the non-profit sector, has been nominated
as associate general secretary for public policy of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ. Her name will go to the NCC
Executive Board for election Oct. 2.

 *The U.S. Committee for Refugees' World Refugee Survey 2000
reports that almost 7 million people in 24 countries fled their
homes due to wars, other violence, and persecution in the past
year. Although some were able to return, total numbers of refugees
and internally displaced persons jumped sharply. In all, about 35
million people are now uprooted, according to the report. More than
10 percent of these are in Sudan, where the Church of the Brethren
General Board has ongoing involvement through Global Mission
Partnerships.

 *Brethren Colleges Abroad recently said farewell to program
associate Lance Kenney after five years of service and welcomed new
program associate Mary Ann Walker, who will oversee international
student placement and other student-exchange matters, and program
assistant Tiffany Hendrix, who will aid Spanish-speaking programs.

 *The annual "See You at the Pole" event urging student prayer
around school flagpoles before the school day is scheduled for
Sept. 20, according to Religion News Service.

 7) Virlina District will take a look at urban ministry on Oct.
13-14 with a special event called "Seeking the New Jerusalem:
Christians in an Urban World." Rev. Dr. Sherman Hicks of
Washington, D.C., who has pastored in several urban areas, will
serve as keynote leader for the weekend.

The planning committee of Tom Bryant, Michael Hostetter, Jan Kulp
Long, David R. Miller, David W. Miller, and Julie Hostetter,
coordinator of the General Board's Area 3 Congregational Life Team,
began meeting last December to put the event together.

Friday evening will be a worship service at Central Church of the
Brethren in Roanoke, Va., with Hicks as preacher. Saturday begins
with a keynote address by Hicks, followed by a panel discussion
moderated by Congregational Life Team member Duane Grady,
workshops, a time of wrap-up and reflections, and closing worship.
For more information or to register for Saturday events--all at the
Williamson Road congregation in Roanoke--call 800 244-5896.

 8) Western Plains District is among groups sponsoring a training
workshop for interim pastors Oct. 23-26 in Newton, Kan. The event,
geared toward anyone serving or considering serving in intentional
interim ministry, will be held at the MCC Central States Service
Center.

Resource persons providing leadership include Dale Stoltzfus, John
Esan, Dan Lord, Gordon Scoville, and Don Steelberg. The four-day
schedule includes worship, models and case studies, polity
dynamics, various congregational topics, and a look at transitions.

Fee is $50, not including meals or lodging. For more information,
call the Western Plains District Office at 316 241-4240 or General
Board Congregational Life Team Area 4 coordinator David Smalley at
888 526-9589.

 9) The General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries
Office will hold a Disaster Child Care training workshop at the La
Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren Oct. 7-8. The training is
being sponsored by the Pacific Southwest District's Commission on
Witness and by the La Verne church.

For additional information or a registration form, call local site
coordinator Karen Wolff at 909 392-0140 or Helen Stonesifer of
ER/SM at 800 451-4407 (option 5) on weekdays.

 10) The October "Source" packet being sent to congregations by the
General Board's Office of Interpretation includes two pieces
related to ecumenism: a pamphlet listing resources that can be
ordered for the 2001 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January
and a nomination form for the Committee on Interchurch Relations'
2001 Ecumenical Award.

Other materials in the packet include a flyer on the 2001 Living
Word Bulletins, a registration form for the J2K "Speaking of Jesus"
conference, theme materials and other pieces of information from
the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Office, a report on
hospitality from New Life Ministries, copies of "Shine" and
"Together" newsletters, an ad from Brethren Employees' Credit
Union, and a staff-opening poster from Brethren Benefit Trust. 

 11) The motto of the World Hunger auction, held by 10
congregations in southern Virginia, is "Doing what we can opens the
door for God to do much more." With more than $500,000 now raised
in 17 years of auctions, many doors have been opened.

The 2000 edition of the annual event, held in August, raised more
than $26,000. When combined with other satellite programs held
during the year--a 5-mile walk and a bike hike where participants
raise pledges, a musical jamboree, and a "mustard seed" project
where people take seed money and turn it into larger amounts to
give back--the year's total tops $46,000. "Mustard seed" projects
this year included a green-bean canning and sale that raised more
than $2,000, a Super Bowl luncheon, and a spaghetti supper.

Money raised goes primarily to three projects focusing on hunger
relief: Heifer Project International, the General Board's Global
Food Crisis Fund, and the soup kitchens and food banks of Roanoke
Area Ministries. Committee chairman Sandra Myers said she was
pleased with this year's results.

The effort began as an outreach idea of the Antioch Church of the
Brethren (Rocky Mount, Va.) in 1984 under the leadership of W.W.
Naff Jr., and the auction is now held in his memory. In the
following years, other congregations joined on as co-sponsors.
Antioch, Bethany, Bethlehem, Boones Mill, Cedar Bluff, Germantown
Brick, Monte Vista, Smith Mountain Lake Fellowship, Oak Grove, and
Ninth Street all worked on the project this year.

"For a lot of people, this is the highlight of their year," Antioch
co-pastor Mel Fike said. "A lot of people save their money so they
can bring it to the auction."

Fike said it's growing every year, with a host of volunteers, and
there's plenty of energy for it to continue. The auction even has
its own website, at www.worldhunger.bizland.com, and an large
article on this year's auction appeared in the Roanoke (Va.) Times.

"It's a big event for us," Fike said. "It kind of boggles my mind
that 10 churches can do that kind of thing here."

 12) Mark Sloan in February became the third member of the Church
of the Brethren General Board's Global Mission Partnerships Office
working with the New Sudan Council of Churches, based in Nairobi,
Kenya. He is serving as special assistant to executive director
Haruun Ruun, working primarily with donor relations, budgeting, and
planning.

In a recent letter, Sloan offered some observations from his first
months of work with the Sudanese people:

"Working here with and amongst the Sudanese exiles has been an
eye-opening experience. It seems that I learn something new or gain
a new perspective on life every day.

"I have no idea what it must be like to be an `exile' from my home
country. I've never had to leave my home and belongings behind to
flee an advancing military under the cover of darkness. I've never
experienced persecution because of my religious beliefs. But these
are part of everyday life in Sudan. I'm amazed at the resilience of
my co-workers and of other Sudanese I've met here in Nairobi, as
well as in Sudan. It's rare not to be met with a smile and an offer
of warm hospitality.

"Please be in prayer for the people of Sudan and Africa as a whole.
Whether you know it or not, they do appreciate anything we as
Westerners do to advance their cause. I also appreciate your
thoughts and prayers as I continue in my assignment here. Know that
the Sudanese churches hold the Church of the Brethren in high
regard and are extremely thankful for our long and warm
relationship."

 

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, manager of news services
for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third
and fifth Friday of each month. Newsline stories may be reprinted
provided that Newsline is cited as the source.

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.