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Date: July 6, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

"Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in
you?" Ps. 85:6.

NEWS
 1) Reports from the 215th Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
in Baltimore:
   a) Business items include ethnicity, leadership, evangelism.
   b) Results of elections and reorganizations.
   c) Varied worship services help bring spirit of revival.
   d) "Messenger" holds 150th birthday bash in Baltimore.
   e) General Board meets before Conference begins.
   f) Other notes from Annual Conference.

FEATURES
 2) Mary Jo Flory-Steury reflects on three years as General Board
chair.

*****************************************************************
 
 a) While this year's agenda featured fewer items that in some
years past, several major items related to ethnic diversity,
leadership, evangelism, and repentance received discussion on the
Conference floor. All items that came before delegates this year
were affirmed, adopted, or approved.

A query on ethnic representation, coming from the Atlantic
Southeast District, called on the denomination to better tap into
the gifts that Brethren from ethnic minorities have to offer. It
also asked for an update of a 1979 paper that looked at fair
representation in the church. 

Standing Committee drafted a "call to accountability" that raised
points from that 1979 paper and others, and included a numerical
breakdown of those called to denominational leadership positions in
the past two years. Of 36 people elected in that period, three came
from racial/ethnic minorities.

Standing Committee's recommendation to delegates praised the
efforts of the General Board's Cross Cultural Ministries Team and
said "the need for ethnic/minority involvement ... is a necessary
movement for the life and vitality of the church in this day and
the future." It recommended affirmation of the query's concerns,
and delegates did so. Delegate Irvin Heishman of Harrisburg, Pa.,
said that "These gifts by ethnic brothers and sisters are needed to
revive us again."

Another item looked at a different type of reaching out, as a
resolution coming from the General Board asked the denomination to
repent "of the stubbornness that has caused brokenness between our
denomination and the Brethren Church" of Ashland, Ohio, since a
split in 1883. It came in response to a plea for forgiveness from
Brethren Church executive Buzz Sandberg at a 2000 Annual Conference
event and again in an "Agenda" column this past year.

Standing Committee member Jim Hardenbrook of Idaho called
acceptance of the resolution a "slam dunk" in the committee's mind,
and most comments from the microphones were equally positive. The
resolution passed unanimously. It will be received--along with a
paper providing background and history--as a study paper for
circulation over the next year, then come before delegates for
action in 2002. The Brethren Church and Fellowship of Grace
Brethren Churches have also held talks toward reconciliation this
year.

Receiving significant attention was a query on evangelism and
church planting, coming from the Virlina District after a query on
the same subject was returned by delegates in 2000. The new query,
asking for increased attention to evangelism and church planting in
the Church of the Brethren, was overwhelmingly adopted this time.

"Turning things around in this denomination is going to take a
major shift in how the Church of the Brethren sees itself and
portrays itself to the world," delegate Ron Burtz said at a
microphone.

Some controversy arose over an amendment related to New Life
Ministries, which passed. It asks Standing Committee to consider
the inclusion of New Life Ministries--an ecumenical body which took
up evangelism concerns after the General Board's Andrew Center was
closed in mid-'90s redesign--as an agency reportable to Annual
Conference. Standing Committee is to report progress on this
exploration in 2002.

Two items will make notable shifts in denominational structure. The
report of the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee,
which looked at effects of the General Board redesign and other
related issues, was adopted by delegates. It will institute a new
Annual Conference Council composed of current Annual Conference
officers, the immediate past moderator, another former moderator,
and a district executive. 

The council's work will include resolving differences between
agencies, serving as an executive committee for Annual Conference,
assisting in making envisioning part of the denominational agenda,
and interpreting polity. It will not implement programs. The
council will take effect immediately, with Earl Zeigler (past
moderator) and Sandra Bosserman (district executive) elected by
delegates as council members for four-year terms.

The report also affirms the General Board's administrative
authority for denominational programming, except in tasks
specifically under other agencies, and changes the title of the
General Board's executive from "executive director" to "general
secretary."

The second structural item was a "Process for Calling
Denominational Leadership," which was also adopted. It will change
the way Annual Conference ballots are drafted in the future, aiming
for more balance between the biographical information presented for
each candidate. It also bumps up the timetable of presenting the
final Annual Conference ballot from just before the Conference
itself to February.

In addition, it changes the way General Board members will be
elected. Instead of the current practice of Annual Conference
delegates electing all General Board members, 15 will now be chosen
by the districts they represent and only affirmed by Annual
Conference. Another three will be chosen by the General Board and
affirmed by Conference. Three will still be directly elected by
Conference delegates. The measures will take effect for 2003.

Finally, a paper on Brethren and litigation was adopted after
lengthy discussion. It suggests "alternative ways of resolving
conflict" rather than litigation and offers historical and
scriptural models for considering the implications of such action.

While most delegates appeared to agree with the paper's basic
intent, nuances and wording were debated, with numerous amendments
proposed. Several were approved, including one that encourages
"Brethren in all careers, including legal careers, to examine what
it means to be conformed to Christ in our occupations and daily
living." The paper also recommends additional study of the
pertinent issues.

Eleven reports were received by delegates, including approval of
financial statements from the various agencies. The report of the
Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee included a
recommendation for a 3.6 percent cost of living increase in the
pastoral scale for 2002, which was approved, and the Annual
Conference Program and Arrangements Committee report announced Des
Moines, Iowa, as the Conference site for 2006.

Sunday afternoon featured the Brethren Ministries Live report,
which included presentations from all five Annual Conference
agencies: The Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany
Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, the General Board,
and On Earth Peace.

Using the theme, "Shall We Gather at the River?," actors and
presenters used skits, videos, music, and stories to lift up
highlights from the work of each agency. Short vignettes between
the agency segments, all centered around the blue cloth "rivers"
flowing through the conventional hall, provided laughs and
reflections. The report opened with a baptismal scene.

Other highlights from business sessions included the Church of the
Brethren launch of the Decade to Overcome Violence; the
introduction of and greetings from international guests who came to
Conference from Nigeria, Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil;
and brief remarks from Cardinal William Keeler, archbishop of
Baltimore.

A fire alarm, caused by a short circuit, caused some excitement
Tuesday morning; it forced the convention center to be evacuated
for about 20 minutes. Conference executive director Duane Steiner
joked that the alarm was "confused by the fire of the Holy Spirit."

 b) Delegates called Harriet Wenger Finney of North Manchester,
Ind., as moderator-elect during Conference elections. Finney, an
ordained minister who serves as co-district minister for the
South/Central Indiana District along with her husband, Ron, will
assist moderator Paul Grout in the coming year, then serve as
moderator for the 2003 Annual Conference in Boise, Idaho. She has
served as co-coordinator of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial
Leadership and chair of the Council of District Executives.

Others elected at Conference were as follows:
 *Annual Conference Program & Arrangements Committee, Gilbert
Romero, Montebello, Calif.

 *General Board members, at-large: Jaime Diaz, Castaner, P.R.;
Atlantic Northeast: David Sollenberger, Annville, Pa.; Middle
Pennsylvania: Glenn Mitchell, Boalsburg, Pa.; Western Pennsylvania:
Douglas Matthew Diamond, Hooversville, Pa.

 *On Earth Peace board: Phil Miller, Conrad, Iowa

 *Associaton of Brethren Caregivers board: Sue Moore, Roanoke, Va.

 *Bethany Theological Seminary board: representing colleges, Ron
Wyrick, Huntingdon, Pa.; representing laity, Kathy Long, North
Liberty, Ind.

 *Brethren Benefit Trust board: Gregory W. Geisert, Keezletown, Va.

 *Pastoral Compensation and Benefit Advisory Committee, Marilyn J.
Koehler, Kirksville, Mo.

 *Committee on Interchurch Relations: Julie Liggett, Denver, Colo.

 *Annual Conference Council (special election after Annual
Conference Review & Evaluation Committee report was adopted): Past
moderator, Earl Zeigler, Lancaster, Pa.; district executive: Sandra
Bosserman, Peace Valley, Mo.

 Several boards and committees reorganized during Conference. They
include the following:

 *The General Board called Don Parker of West Salem, Ohio, as
chair. Parker succeeds Mary Jo Flory-Steury, whose term on the
board ended this year. Parker's term ends in 2002. Christy
Waltersdorff of Lombard, Ill., was called as vice-chair. Other
executive committee members for 2001-02 are: Marty Barlow, Warren
Eshbach, Donna Shumate, and Jan Thompson. The board also appointed
Robert Johansen to the Committee on Interchurch Relations.

 *Brethren Benefit Trust board members elected Ann Quay Davis to
another term as board chair and Raymond Donadio as vice-chair. BBT
president Wilfred E. Nolen will serve as secretary and BBT chief
financial officer Darryl Deardorff as treasurer. The board also
decided on the makeup of its three committees.

 *The Annual Conference Standing Committee elected Ludovic St.
Fleur, Ann Eberly, Harold S. Moyer, and Ron McAdams to its
Nominating Committee.

 c) Building on the 2001 theme "Revive Us Again," from the book of
Psalms, worship services at this year's Conference employed a
variety of components to speak to the spirits of those in
attendance and to keep attention focused on God's presence at the
event.

Saturday's opening worship began with a trumpet chorus of "We
Praise Thee, O God" (also known as "Revive Us Again") and the
presentation of a candle and basin for the front of the convention
hall. A procession of banners from most of the denomination's 23
districts followed, with moderator Phill Carlos Archbold and
moderator-elect Paul Grout behind them.

Emphasizing the all-important need for constant prayer for the
successful completion of God's work, Archbold in his opening
message Saturday evening laid out two descriptions to cover all
Christians: hinderers or helpers in the work of Jesus Christ.

Speakers Tom Zuercher of Northern Ohio District, Baptist pastor Dr.
Harold Carter of Baltimore, Frank Ramirez of the Elkhart (Ind.)
Valley congregation, and Christy Waltersdorff of the York Center
congregation, Lombard, Ill., touched on other aspects of revival
during the week, using different styles and emphases.

Sunday morning worship, which included members of many area
congregations that suspended their own services to attend
Conference, drew more than 5,000 people. 

A variety of choirs and instrumental music, songs, litanies,
dramas, dancers, children, and youth added energy and creativity to
the services. Paul W. Roth of the Annual Conference Program and
Arrangements Committee served as worship coordinator this year.

 d) Events connected with the 150th anniversary celebration of
Messenger, the denominational magazine, hit full stride during
Annual Conference, highlighted by Sunday evening's dinner with
keynote speaker Walter Wink.

Wink, a professor of Biblical interpretation at Auburn Theological
Seminary in New York, presented attendees with the challenge of
"Nonviolence for the Violent."

An author, minister, and internationally known workshop leader,
Wink guided dinner attendees through his traditional participative
style of Bible study, complete with audience input and
laughter-inducing role plays.

Basing his message on the text of Matthew 5:38-41, in which Jesus
instructs his followers to turn the other cheek and go the extra
mile, Wink led his audience through three situations to demonstrate
the need to meet evil creatively and nonviolently.

"Don't become like evil," he explained. "Find a different way to
react that puts power on a different footing." There is a third
option to fight or flight, Wink suggested, and as one of the
historic peace churches, it is the Brethren's position to find that
alternative solution to problems and preserve the world.

"Peace churches have a tremendous gift to give to the world," he
said in closing. "This is your hour. Can we literally save the
world?"

During Tuesday morning business, publisher Wendy McFadden and
editor Fletcher Farrar welcomed Henry Kurtz (portrayed by Lee
Krahenbuhl), who founded the Gospel Visitor--predecessor of
Messenger. "Kurtz" discussed the need for a denominational magazine
in the 1950s and still today. The presentation included a video
retrospective, "In the Midst of Us."

A special exhibit in the convention center also highlighted the
anniversary, marked with a giant 150th birthday cake at the
exhibit's entrance. The display included opportunities for children
to write their own miniature version of Messenger; quotes,
photographs and cover art from the many years of publication;
magnets and pins for visitors to take; and a table-size jigsaw
puzzle of one of the magazine's covers.

Conference attendees could have their photographs taken behind
wooden prop boards dressed in all manner of "vintage" clothing,
including everything from plain black and white garb to tie-dyed
T-shirts and bell-bottom jeans.

 e) The Church of the Brethren General Board held meetings in
Baltimore prior to Annual Conference, tackling several items of
business and saying farewell to five members.

Picking up on the Conference theme of "Revive Us Again," board
member J.D. Glick opened the meeting in devotions, asking "How can
we ... bring life back into the church?" Ultimately, he said,
revival is God's activity and requires "being open to God's
movement in our midst."

Agenda items included a show of highlights of the General Board's
work, an update on reconciliation efforts in India, a presentation
of the new LabOra worship planning software from Brethren Press,
and the official launching of the new Emerging Global Missions
Fund.

Significant time was given to finances, including approval of a
budget parameter of $5,747,000 for the General Ministries budget
for 2002. Balancing the budget for 2002 required a $50,000
reduction from 2001, not including special one-time funds. It
marked the first time since 1997 that budgets were reduced. The
Funding office reported that while overall giving is up, giving to
the General Ministries Fund is down by 3 percent compared to 2000
and 5 percent below budget.

Board members also approved cooling tower replacement for the air
conditioning system at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The new
structures, which take heat away from the system, will replace
43-year-old wood construction. A paper recommending ways to be more
welcoming to international guests at Annual Conference and better
use their time and gifts while there was also approved. Board chair
Mary Jo Flory-Steury said that while there is no guarantee that
recommendations to other bodies will be implemented, it is a way of
"starting a conversation."

Citations were presented to retiring General Board staff member
Shantilal Bhagat and to five General Board members finishing their
terms: chair Mary Jo Flory-Steury, J. Paul Wampler, David R.
Miller, J. Wayne Judd, and Marie Willoughby.

The meeting concluded with board members and staff gathering at the
General Board exhibit in the exhibit hall for a time of dedication
and prayer, followed by a "tour" of the expansive exhibit.

 f) Other notes from Conference:
 *Located near the largest concentration of Brethren in the
country, Baltimore drew a crowd. Official registration topped
5,000--the first time it has done so in nearly a decade. It last
approached that number in Cincinnati in 1996, when more than 4,900
registered. Figures do not include those who only come for Sunday
morning worship.

 *The Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, Fort Wayne, Ind., and
Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren, Los Angeles, received this
year's Ecumenical Awards from the Committee on Interchurch
Relations for their work in breaking down cross-cultural and racial
barriers. 

 *Two groups related to the Church of the Brethren held public
witness events during the Conference. Christian Peacemaker Teams
members held a press conference with two Catholic sisters to call
attention to plans of the United States Space Command, calling it
a "plan for domination of space and domination of the world." The
Brethren Mennonite Council for Gay and Lesbian Concerns held a
witness outside the convention center Tuesday afternoon, with a
line of protestors wearing black gags over their mouths and holding
signs to "raise awareness of the silencing of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender leaders in the Church of the Brethren." 

 *Winners in the Brethren Benefit Trust annual 5K Fitness Challenge
were as follows: Male runners, overall: Aaron Lahman, Glendale
Ariz.; 19 and under, Lahman; 20-39, Andy Lahman, Glendale, Ariz.;
40-59, Courtland Howard, Windsor, Pa.; 60-plus, Wil Nolen, Elgin,
Ill. Female runners, overall: Jordan Henley, Rossville, Ind.; 19
and under, Henley; 20-39, Rosalie McBride, Elkhart, Ind.; 40-59,
Deb Crouse Morris, Charlottesville, Va.; 60-plus, Joyce Nolen,
Elgin, Ill. Walkers, overall: Bev Anspaugh, Cincinnati.

 *Several events took place just before and after Conference: The
Song & Story Fest at Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Minstries Center the
week prior, the Ministers Association meetings immediately
afterwards, and the "Weaving Peace" event in Union Bridge, Md.,
during the following weekend. Details on these events will appear
in an upcoming Newsline.

 2) Mary Jo Flory-Steury of Dayton, Ohio, "graduated" from the
General Board during Annual Conference after accomplishing a
rarity--serving as chair of the board for the final three years of
her five-year term.

"That's a long time!" Flory-Steury exclaims. "I'm surely not the
same person I was five years ago, and hopefully the board has
grown, too."

Flory-Steury began her term in 1997 in the midst of the board's
redesign, soon serving as chair of the search committee for a new
executive director and then being called as chair of the board in
1999. She brought to the table the "Worshipful-Work" model of
carrying out church business, carefully weaving devotions and
worship through each meeting.

"One of the things I feel best about is a renewed emphasis in
spirituality and discernment at the board level, and the worship
component," Flory-Steury says.

She calls it a "real privilege" to be able to serve the wider
church, and is particularly grateful to the congregation she
pastors--Prince of Peace in Kettering, Ohio--for growing along with
her and being so supportive even as she had to spend time away in
her role as chair. The congregation sent a letter to the General
Board's meeting in Baltimore last week, expressing their joy of
"sharing" her with the denomination and their joy of having her
"all theirs" again. Tears came to Flory-Steury's eyes as the letter
was read.

As for the future, Flory-Steury hopes to be able to spend some time
in reflection, renewal, and rejuvenation, as well as spending more
time with her family and focusing her energies more fully at Prince
of Peace again. She says she also always tries "to be open to God's
call," however, "wherever that leads."

 

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. Angie Mountain, Eric
Miller, Beth Rhodes, and Kathleen Campanella--members of the Annual
Conference news services team--contributed to this report.

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