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 From nobody@wfn.org  Fri Nov 17 00:00:00 2000
V: 847/742-5100   F:  847/742-6103
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
Date: Nov. 17, 2000
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline      Nov. 17, 2000

"...a word in season, how good it is!" Prov. 15:23b

NEWS
 1) The 2001-2002 National Youth Cabinet is announced.
 2) BVS enrollment hits record low.
 3) The NCC General Assembly begins in Atlanta.
 4) Messenger shows an increase in subscriptions.
 5) Brethren in Dominican Republic work at future goals. 
 6) Reports from some recent district conferences.
 7) The church mourns the loss of John Harvey, Joanne Holmes.
 8) Interest in National Donor Sabbath grows among Brethren.
 9) A women's delegation visits Honduras on a Faith Expedition.
10) Brethren Historical Committee holds its annual meeting.
11) Brethren bits: Annual Conference, Ministry Summer Service, and
more.

PERSONNEL
12) Verneda Cole begins as Brethren Press subscriptions specialist.

RESOURCES
13) Color brochures on colleges, workcamps highlight December
"Source" packet.
14) Congregational Life Team helps produce new video to highlight
youth event in Southeast.

FEATURES
15) The $100 question: Have you swept your church floors lately?
16) Brethren in business begin to build bonds.

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

 1) The General Board's Youth/Young Adult Office has announced the
members of the 2001-2002 National Youth Cabinet, which will plan
the National Youth Conference scheduled for July 2002.

Youth members are Kristin Frick, La Verne, Calif.; Jeff McAvoy,
Live Oak, Calif.; Justin North, Greenville, Ohio; Brandy J.
Shelton, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Crystal Waggy, Goshen, Ind.

Wendi Hutchinson of North Manchester, Ind. -- an NYC assistant
coordinator in 1994 -- and David Steele of Martinsburg, Pa., have
been selected as adult advisors for the cabinet, joining
Youth/Young Adult Ministries coordinator Chris Douglas.

 2) Brethren Volunteer Service will record the lowest 12-month
placement total in its history this year. BVS placed 57 volunteers
in 2000, down from 68 the year before.

BVS placed 50 volunteers in 1948, the year it began, but units did
not begin that year until September. It placed 67 in 1949 and
reached an all-time high of 177 in 1962. Despite a series of peaks
and valleys, the total has not topped 100 since 1984, when it shot
up to 130 before falling again.

BVS director Dan McFadden attributes the drop, being felt by many
other volunteer agencies as well, to a number of factors: the
diminished role of the church in society, the strong economy, an
absence of wars that raise alternative service requests, and a
culture that emphasizes "me first" among them. With more options
competing for people's time and energy, McFadden believes the need
to highlight BVS as a choice becomes even greater.

"I think a lot of people don't know about it," McFadden says.
"Young people are simply not aware of that option of BVS."

European placements have been particularly hard-hit, with only four
new volunteers heading to projects there in 2000. Nearly two dozen
projects in Europe, which currently require a 2-year commitment,
remain open. Interest in projects in Central America and the
Caribbean has been growing, however. And in the US, where only a
1-year commitment is required, many have been returning for
multiple years. Ninety-seven BVSers are currently serving.

McFadden says that BVS will continue to emphasize recruitment.
Recent years have brought more frequent visits to Brethren
colleges, annual direct mailings to Brethren youth, and promotion
of new older-adult units. He also urges congregations to help
spread the word. About half of this year's volunteers were from the
Church of the Brethren, a percentage that has remained fairly
constant over the years.

"We need the help of the whole church to encourage people to
serve," McFadden says. "We need volunteers who are willing to give,
and willing to make some sacrifices."

BVS had set a goal of 65 volunteers placed for 2000. The goals are
70 in 2001 and 75 in 2002.

 3) The National Council of Churches opened its annual General
Assembly on Wednesday in Atlanta, hometown of NCC president Andrew
Young. Young is presiding over four days of meetings, with business
including two major focus items: launching a 10-year ecumenical
mobilization to overcome poverty and exploring how a divided church
of US Protestants, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, and
Evangelicals can find new ways to work together.

Delegates from 35 member communions, including the Church of the
Brethren, were attending. Slated to represent the Church of the
Brethren were General Board executive director Judy Mills Reimer,
Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney, Frances Townsend,
Gene Bucher, David W. Miller, and Valentina Satvedi.

Earlier in the week, the 50-member NCC Executive Board met and
"affirmed the work of the NCC general secretary and staff to
'reshape and resize its operations' in line with available
revenues while seeking to maintain the integrity of its program."
NCC officials confirmed a small surplus in operating revenue over
expenditures for January-June 2000, and said they expected the same
in July-December 2000, marking an end to years of deficit spending.

 4) Messenger, the denominational magazine published by Brethren
Press, has shown an increase in subscriptions this year.

The magazine began 2000 with 16,750 subscribers, a number that fell
slightly between then and June. It rebounded for the second half of
the year, however, led by nearly 500 people who responded to a
half-price offer for new subscribers. 

Nearly 17,200 copies of the December issue will be mailed. 

 5) A special "envisioning summit" held Oct. 27-28 in Boca Canasta
brought together 25 local Church of the Brethren leaders in the
Dominican Republic, including pastors, members of the National
Board, and others. 

The purpose of the meeting was to reflect on the present state of
the church in the Dominican Republic and to establish goals to
guide its continued development. Guillermo B. Encarnacion, director
of theological education in the Dominican Republic, served as
moderator. The group process included devotions, identifying
problems and resources in the life of the church, and developing
recommendations for addressing the problems and for using the
resources God has made available to the church.

Recommendations from the leadership summit will now go before the
10th Annual Assembly of the Dominican conference, which will gather
Feb. 23-25 in San Juan de la Maguana. 

The recommendations include seven points:
*That a process for annually evaluating the health and ministry of
all congregations and projects/fellowships be implemented
immediately.

*That the conference moderator and moderator-elect organize the
official boards for the local churches.

*That as of January 2002, the congregations that qualify will
receive a subsidy from the National Board (of the Dominican
Republic churches) to help them with their local budget (instead of
each local pastor receiving a subsidy from the National Board as is
now the case).

*That as of January 2002, all congregations will purchase their own
Sunday School materials (currently subsidized by the National 
Board).

*That (in relation to the Church of the Brethren denomination) the
Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic be recognized as
a "national church." And that as of January 2002, there will be a
request that reductions begin in the subsidy presently being
received from the General Board, and that over the course of 15
years, this help will be finished.

*That there be a review of the areas of mutuality in construction
projects.

*That the person who has been Conference moderator may be elected
again after six years have passed.

Church of the Brethren work in the Dominican Republic is carried
out via the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office.
Jerry and Becky Crouse serve as mission coordinators.

 6) Reports of some recent district conferences: 
 *Atlantic Southeast: Held Oct. 14 at Camp Ithiel in Orlando, Fla.,
with Norman Harsh as moderator and the theme "So Great a Cloud." 
Forty-one delegates attended, approving a recommendation to amend
the district by-laws and allow selection of district leadership via
a slate of nominees rather than an election. John Mueller was
called as moderator-elect. Other new business included dissolution
of the Embajada Cristiana Fellowship in San Juan, Puerto Rico;
sending a query about ethnic representation in denominational
leadership to the 2001 Annual Conference; approval of using
endowment fund proceeds to balance the 2001 district budget; and
extending the fund-raising effort to complete Camp Ithiel's Kramer
Dining Center for another two years. Many reports were also given,
and the district board reorganized with chair Phil Lersch.

 *Virlina: Held Nov. 10-11 at Franklin Heights Baptist Church,
Rocky Mount, Va., with the theme "Living Unashamed of the Gospel."
Total registration was 664, including 249 delegates representing 78
congregations. Annual Conference moderator Phill Carlos Archbold
served as keynote speaker for worship, and Dewey Williard served as
moderator. A musical titled "Living it Up" was presented Saturday
evening. The agenda included calling Wayne C. Garst of the Green
Hill congregation as moderator-elect and Harold S. Moyer of
Williamson Road to Annual Conference Standing Committee, updates on
district ministries, recognition of new pastors that had been
placed in more than 25 percent of the district's congregations,
honoring J. Willard Bowman and Robert R. Jones for 50-plus years of
pastoral service, and celebrating achievement of the $750,000
Forward in Faith challenge goal. Delegates approved six major
items: the request of the Shalom Fellowship (Durham, N.C.) for a
change of name to Peace Covenant Church; the request of Wakefield
Chapel in Hopewell, Va., and New Covenant in Chester, Va., to
become congregations; a district board budget of $268,830.62 for
2001; a long-range plan for Camp Bethel; a resolution entitled "A
Call to Action on the Death Penalty"; and several changes to the
constitution and bylaws including a mission statement. Delegates
also forwarded a query to the 2001 Annual Conference from the
district board concerning evangelism and church planting.   

 7) *John Harvey, a former coordinator of the Church of the
Brethren Washington Office, died Nov. 7 after collapsing while
playing basketball. Harvey, 29, of Encinitas, Calif., attended
Bethany Theological Seminary and had also served as a Brethren
Volunteer Service worker in several General Board offices. A
licensed minister, he had recently accepted an interim pastorate at
the North County Church of the Brethren, San Marcos, Calif.

"Few 29-year-olds packed as much living into 29 years as John,"
said Chris Douglas, coordinator of the General Board's Youth/Young
Adult Office. Brethren Witness director David Radcliff called
Harvey "one of our denomination's most committed voices for peace
and justice."

Services were held Nov. 12 at the La Verne Church of the Brethren,
with an additional memorial service held simultaneously at
Bethany's campus in Richmond, Ind. Memorial funds were designated
to set up scholarships for former BVS workers to attend Bethany.

 *Joanne Holmes, the longtime voice of the General Offices in
Elgin, Ill., as the building's receptionist/switchboard operator,
died Nov. 15 in Elgin after an extended illness. Services were
scheduled for Nov. 18.

Holmes was honored in absentia during General Board meetings on
Oct. 23 for 10 years of service with the General Board, beginning
in Aug. 1990. 

The General Board sent a flowering plant to Holmes' husband of 45
years, Karl, and other family members. An attached note included
the message that "Our community will miss her faithful service and
her warm presence among us." 

 8) Church of the Brethren members requested more than 700
green-ribbon pins to celebrate National Donor Sabbath, held Nov.
10-12, according to the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

Congregations and individuals were encouraged to use the pins as a
way to show support of organ and tissue donation for National Donor
Sabbath and National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week,
which will be held April 16-22.

"We've seen an increase in the amount of attention Brethren
congregations are giving to organ and tissue donation from when we
first began promoting National Donor Sabbath in 1997," says Scott
Douglas, director of resources for ABC. "Last year we distributed
about 450 donor pins to raise awareness of the need for organ and
tissue donations. This year we sent out 725 pins, many times to
people who said their congregation had a member on the waiting list
(for donations)." 

Today about 71,000 patients nationwide await organ transplants, and
some 16 patients die each day while waiting, according to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. 

ABC provided worship resources for National Donor Sabbath on its
website and to anyone requesting materials; it is also asking
congregations that created prayers or worship resources to send
their materials to ABC so that they can be shared with other
Brethren congregations. For additional study resources or copies of
the 1997 Annual Conference Statement for Organ and Tissue Donation,
call ABC at 800 323-8039.

 9) Eleven Church of the Brethren women returned on Nov. 5 from an
eight-day Faith Expedition to Honduras. Arranged by the General
Board's Brethren Witness office in cooperation with the Christian
Commission for Development, the women's delegation was the first of
its kind to be hosted by CCD. The Honduran agency, active in the
Central American nation for nearly two decades, has been the
primary partner for Brethren and Church World Service relief and
rebuilding following Hurricane Mitch.

The Brethren women received an orientation to the overall situation
of Honduran women, visited a soon-to-be-completed women's shelter,
and attended a regional women's conference. For the central part of
their experience, the women were divided into three groups and
traveled to poor, rural communities, where they were hosted by
women's groups for a four-day stay. The Brethren women learned
about the daily life of Honduran women and saw small livestock
projects funded by the Global Food Crisis Fund of the Church of the
Brethren.

A second delegation is being planned for January 2002. Contact the
Brethren Witness office for more information at 800 323-8039.

 10) The annual meeting of the Brethren Historical Committee was
held at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., Nov. 3-4. 
Members of the committee are Bill Kostlevy (chair), Jeff Bach
(secretary), Elaine Gibbel, and Don Durnbaugh. Also meeting with
the committee were General Board staff members Judy Keyser
(treasurer and director of Centralized Resources) and Ken Shaffer
(librarian/archivist).

At the meeting the committee affirmed a policy for the preservation
of electronic records; voted to give $500 toward the microfilming
of the "Gospel Visitor"; planned an insight session for the 2001
Annual Conference; noted the placement of a marker on the grave of
John Lewis, a 19th-century African-American Brethren, in Elmira,
N.Y.; received an update on the revision of the "Guide to Research
in Brethren History" pamphlet; recognized the life and work of
Harold B. Brumbaugh; and toured Brethren sites in southern Indiana
and Ohio. 

Reports were heard from the Brethren Historical Library and
Archives (including plans for an internship program at the
archives), Brethren Press, the Germantown Trust, and the Brethren
Encyclopedia Board. Next year the committee will meet at the
General Offices in Elgin, Ill., on Nov. 2-3.

 11) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *An additional position for Annual Conference 2001 in Baltimore
has been named: Linda Hollinger of Haymarket, Va., a member of the
Manassas Church of the Brethren, will serve as pianist.

 *The General Board's Youth/Young Adult and Ministry offices are
seeking names of young adults who might be interested in the
Ministry Summer Service program, a 10-week orientation and
internship for exploring ministry possibilities. Names can be sent
to Chris Douglas, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 or
cdouglas_gb@brethren.org.

 *The General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries project
of repairing a hurricane-damaged home in Vanceboro, N.C., has been
extended. Completion of the extensive repairs is expected to
continue into December, with hopes of having it completed by
Christmas. Jiggs Miller will continue to serve as project director
through Dec. 16. Volunteers are now being sought by district
disaster coordinators.

 *The board of directors for SERRV International was holding
meetings at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.,
Thursday and today.

 *The Living Faith Church of the Brethren Fellowship, a new church
plant in Concord, N.C., that just began meeting in May, recently
purchased a 7,000-square foot church building on a 3.2-acre lot
with the assistance of the Virlina District Board's church
extension committee. Living Faith is the only Church of the
Brethren congregation in the Charlotte area.

 *About 250 people attended a benefit concert to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of Camp Eder (Fairfield, Pa.) in Southern Pennsylvania
District Nov. 3. Brethren folksinger Joseph Helfrich opened for the
main performance by musician Ken Medema, who wove audience members'
camp stories into songs on the spot and urged everyone to be
involved with a camp ministry.

 *A video on the General Board's 2001 Youth/Young Adult workcamps
is now available. Call 800 323-8039, ext. 276 or 283, or e-mail
CoBYouth_gb@brethren.org.

 *William D. Wampler, a member of the Dayton (Va.) Church of the
Brethren on Nov. 3 received Bridgewater (Va.) College's Outstanding
Service Award for 2000. Wampler was honored for his work as chair
of a $60 million fund-raising campaign and other contributions to
the school, as well as his leadership in the agriculture industry
and the community. Bridgewater senior Michael Bryant of Lexington,
Va., who works with junior high youth at the Dayton congregation,
received a student service award.

 *An article in the October edition of "Successful Farming"
magazine tells the story of Paul and Ronda Neher, members of the
Ivester Church of the Brethren (Grundy Center, Iowa). The piece
highlights both the pig farm they operate and the many adopted and
foster children they have taken in.

 *The annual Christmas Peace Pilgrimage from Nazareth to Bethlehem,
Pa., will be held Dec. 9. The 10-mile walk and witness is followed
this year by a light meal and a keynote address by Gene Stoltzfus
of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

 *US President Bill Clinton on Nov. 6 signed a foreign aid package
of $14.9 billion, including $435 million to reduce or eliminate
debts of many of the world's poor nations. The Church of the
Brethren Washington Office, National Council of Churches, and many
other groups had been encouraging such a "Jubilee year" gesture.
"Global poverty is a moral affront, and confronting the challenge
is the right thing to do," Clinton said in a Religion News Service
article.

 *Some recent statistics: Private donations to the nation's largest
charities rose to $38 billion in 1999 -- a 13 percent increase from
the previous year, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The
Salvation Army topped the list, collecting $1.4 billion in donated
cash and goods. ... About 75 percent of the world's population is
subjected to restrictions and violations of their religious
freedom, according to a survey released Oct. 26 by the Freedom
House's Center for Religious Freedom. ... About 6 in 10 Americans
say they read the Bible at least occasionally and 65 percent
believe the holy book "answers all or most of the basic questions
of life," according to a Gallup Organization poll. 

 *The Brethren Peace Fellowship newsletter will cease publication
in summer 2001, ending with the June/July 2001 issue, according to
the coordinating committee.

 12) Verneda Cole has begun as the new subscription specialist for
Brethren Press, especially working with subscriptions for
Messenger, the denominational magazine. Cole has been employed by
the Church of the Brethren General Board since May, previously
working in the finance department. 

 13) The December "Source" packet, being sent to congregations by
the General Board's Interpretation Office, is highlighted several
colorful brochures. 

One is from the Church of the Brethren colleges, giving
descriptions, statistics, and photos for each of the six schools in
a new piece called "Believe. Belong. Become!" Information on
Brethren Colleges Abroad and Bethany Theological Seminary is also
included. Other flyers share details on the Youth/Young Adult
Office's 2001 workcamps and on options for Vacation Bible School
and outdoor ministry resources from Brethren Press.

Also in the packet are a current Brethren Volunteer Service
placement list, an update on the General Board's series of visits
to pastors in every district, a flyer advertising the Anabaptist
Evangelism Council meeting in February, and a New Life Ministries
report on congregational morale and church growth. 

 14) The General Board's Area 3 Congregational Life Team has
produced a video for the Interdistrict Youth Cabinet in the
southeastern part of the country.

This past April, Brethren videographer David Sollenberger attended
the Roundtable regional youth conference held annually at
Bridgewater College, taping worship services, small group sessions,
activities, and interviews. The purposes of the video are to serve
as a wrap-up summary from the 2000 event, to give local
congregations a glimpse of the Roundtable experience, to encourage
the participation of more youth in the future, and to announce
information for Roundtable 2001.

More than 400 copies of the video were distributed to individual
congregations in the Atlantic Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Shenandoah,
Southeastern, Virlina, and West Marva districts at their district
conferences. "This was a wonderful way for the Interdistrict Youth
Cabinet, districts, Bridgewater College, and the denomination to
work together," said Julie M. Hostetter, coordinator of the Area 3
Congregational Life Team and the project.

 15) Usually when churches find something unexpected on the floor
of their fellowship halls, it's something unpleasant, like mice or
bugs or seeping water. At the Bermudian Church of the Brethren in
East Berlin, Pa., however, the surprise item was a $100 bill.

It first happened five years ago, as pastor Larry Dentler was
cleaning up after a church meal during revival services. He recalls
seeing a "little, crumbled-up piece of paper" under one table. It
was green, and when he opened it up, he found Benjamin Franklin's
face looking back. He announced at the service that a sum of money
had been found, but nobody ever came forward to claim it.

The money went into that year's revival mission project, and a
tradition began. "The next year we had a little fun. We called it
$100 bill night," Dentler says. " 'See if the mysterious miracle
$100 bill comes out again.' "

It was fruitful and multiplied, with six or seven of the C-notes
showing up that year. About the same number showed up this year,
going toward Fruit Belt Farmworkers Christian Ministry, when
Bermudian held its revival week with speaker John Layman last
month. Dentler said the record for one year is eight.

"I believe so much in stewardship being presented from a positive
aspect," Dentler says. "If you keep it joyful, people love to give.
God gives us a heart to give. This is a way to have a little fun
and show giving as something that is fun and exciting."

And he expects that $100 bill night will remain a tradition to
accomplish that. The speaker each year suggests a mission project
that's meaningful to him or her, and $100 bill night always brings
the highest offering of the week.

"Everyone talks about it now," Dentler says. "They ask afterwards
how many showed up, and everyone has kind of a wink in their eye
that night. I still think about that original person who dropped it
and didn't say anything, wondering if they're sitting back and
laughing at what's happened with this stewardship seed they've
planted and what it's harvested."

 16) A renewed effort is aiming to connect Brethren in the business
world. Called the Brethren Business Network, it has a motto of
"Serving God and neighbor through responsible enterprise."

Efforts to organize the group have occurred in the past, but it
gained steam a few years ago when Manchester College (North
Manchester, Ind.) offered to house the project. Wendi Hutchinson,
who also serves as the college's director of church relations, is
coordinating the new drive.

"We're trying to bring Brethren in business together for mutual
support," Hutchinson says. "It's an opportunity to look at
spiritual growth as Brethren in business: How do they live out
their faith?"

She says the network's hope is to start five chapters in the next
year. Areas being considered are Fort Wayne, Ind., Lancaster, Pa.;
Dayton, Ohio; northern Virginia; and New Windsor, Md. The sites
were chosen due to the high concentrations of Brethren there and
the presence of people who have expressed interest and enthusiasm
in having a network. A meeting was held in late October in Fort
Wayne, with another scheduled for Jan. 17.

The network also plans to join with a Mennonite counterpart to hold
a conference in November 2001 in Chicago, part of a goal that calls
for affirming and strengthening leadership. Other states goals of
BBN include providing Christian fellowship, applying Christian
ethics, assisting and mentoring others, supporting economic
development, and modeling the integration of faith and business.
Hutchinson says the mentoring goal includes plans for partnership
between Brethren colleges and network members, providing
internships and other training opportunities.

The network has a website, www.brethrenbusinessnetwork.net, and
about 20 active members so far. 

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. Becky Baile Crouse
and Russ Matteson contributed to this report.

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 archived with an index at http://www.wfn.org.