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

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Nov. 2, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Nigerian violence strikes Brethren in city of Kano.
 2) Changes ahead for Church of the Brethren Immigration and
Refugee Program.
 3) The church remembers the life of Paul Robinson.
 4) Ministry office makes more materials available in Spanish.
 5) Emergency response work continues in Manhattan, elsewhere.
 6) D. Miller Davis ends long term as representative to Heifer
Project board
 7) Brethren bits: Annual Conference, death penalty, Brethren
Press, and more.

PERSONNEL
 8) Karla Hignite resigns as senior writer with BBT; successor is
sought.

FEATURES
 9) A Disaster Child Care worker shares reflections from New York.

****************************************************************
 
 1) Violence in Nigeria has again touched Brethren in the African
nation. Word came to the General Board's Global Mission
Partnerships office this week from Nigerian mission coordinators
John and Janet Tubbs that the church in Kano was attacked during
mid-October riots between Muslims and Christians in the northern
city.

Six members of the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church of the
Brethren in Nigeria) congregation in Kano were killed, and the EYN
school on the church's compound was destroyed. The temporary church
building, twice destroyed by fire in the past decade, was not
damaged. A total of about 30 people were killed in the city after
a demonstration against US bombing in Afghanistan, according to
news reports.

Similar rioting between Muslims and Christians last year resulted
in deaths of church members and the destruction of the EYN church
building in Kaduna State--where Islamic sharia law is scheduled to
come into full effect today in areas with Muslim majorities. Last
month, violence struck the city of Jos, where the Tubbs and other
General Board mission workers are headquartered. Ethnic and
political tensions have inflamed the religious differences.

 2) Significant changes are ahead for the Church of the Brethren
General Board's Immigration and Refugee Program, which also serves
as the Maryland Affiliate for Church World Service placements
within the state of Maryland.

A sharp decrease in the number of refugee arrivals in the US,
further restrictions following the Sept. 11 attacks along the East
Coast, and minimal participation by Church of the Brethren
congregations created renewed debate about the future of the
program--based at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. 

The program showed a loss of more than $11,000 for the year through
Sept. 30, and Brethren Service Center director Stan Noffsinger said
that deficit is likely to increase by year's end. Past reserves
should cover the 2001 loss, but General Board staff began looking
at ways to keep the program alive in the future.

Discussions about potential partnerships with groups in
Pennsylvania and Virginia have resulted in an agreement between the
New Windsor program and the Virginia Council of Churches Refugee
Resettlement Program (VCCRRP). As of Jan. 1, the Church of the
Brethren program will become part of VCCRRP, which will in turn
open a new office on the Brethren Service Center campus. Noffsinger
termed the agreement a "win-win situation."

Current General Board employees Alexandru Kirculescu and Sarah
Krause are scheduled to meet with VCCRRP staff next week to discuss
possible employment opportunities with the organization. The
General Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries office will
provide a grant to VCCRRP in 2002, aiding with rent as the new
office is established and covering one-fourth of a staffperson's
time to manage existing Church of the Brethren files.

While no longer operating its own refugee program, the Church of
the Brethren will maintain a direct involvement in refugee work.
Noffsinger will continue serving on the Church World Service
Immigration and Refugee Committee, which works with a variety of
refugee issues and with the network of affiliates. 

 3) The church this week is remembering the life of former Bethany
Theological Seminary president Paul Robinson, who died last Friday
in Sebring, Fla. A memorial service was held Tuesday at the Sebring
Church of the Brethren.

Robinson, 87, was president of the denomination's seminary from
1953-1975 while it was located in Illinois. He also served as a
pastor in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Indiana, and was moderator of
Annual Conference in 1955-1956.

He was chairman of the denomination's Foreign Missions Commission
from 1954-1962 and was a 10-year member of the General Board
executive committee. A graduate of Juniata College, Princeton
Theological Seminary, and Lutheran Seminary of Philadelphia, he
lectured and traveled widely and wrote for numerous publications.
He was also active ecumenically and with many civic organizations.

 4) The collection of Church of the Brethren ministry materials
available in Spanish continues to grow.

The newest addition is a Spanish version of the "For All Who
Minister" pastor's manual, joining the video "Journey in Jesus'
Way" and the book "To Follow in Jesus' Steps." The 2000 Ministerial
Leadership Manual has also been translated into Spanish and will
soon be available for distribution.

Guillermo and Gladys Encarnacion have done the translation for the
new pieces. The Church of the Brethren has Spanish-speaking
congregations in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and some
scattered through several districts in the United States.

Also this week, a theological conference was held in the Dominican
Republic with Guillermo Encarnacion serving as the overall planner
and leader. Scheduled to end today, the event featured seven
sessions on Brethren heritage led the General Board director of
Ministry Allen Hansell and daily Bible studies on Ephesians led by
Elias D'Oleo.

 5) Work continues on several fronts for the General Board's
Emergency Response/Service Ministries office.

In New York, the large-scale response by Brethren-coordinated
Disaster Child Care teams moved into its seventh week. Through Oct.
24, about 90 volunteers had made 1,678 child-care contacts while
giving thousands of hours of service at two family assistance
centers in Manhattan.

Elsewhere, disaster relief work is proceeding at projects in
Wisconsin and North Carolina. Don Atkins of Richmond, Ind., is
serving as director at the Siren, Wis., site this month, succeeding
Ken and LouElla Imhoff. A powerful tornado moved through that area
in June. In Wilson, N.C., where volunteers are engaged in long-term
hurricane recovery work, Ben and Mary Hutson are directors for
November.

ER/SM has been monitoring other potential needs in the wake of
disasters in Oklahoma, Florida, Indiana, and West Virginia. Several
districts and congregations have also been involved in local relief
efforts. A tornado struck near La Porte, Ind., last week, but no
damage was reported at the Church of the Brethren congregation
there.

 6) For the first time in more than a decade, someone other than D.
Miller Davis will be representing the Church of the Brethren on the
Heifer Project International (HPI) board of directors. 
Davis, the former director of the Brethren Service Center in New
Windsor, Md., concluded his tenure on the HPI board in September.

"Miller has been and continues to be dedicated to the mission of
Heifer," a statement from the HPI board said, recognizing Davis'
work and service. "He has been very instrumental in moving Heifer
forward in so many ways, but most particularly in the areas of
governance. We will be sad to see him end his term, but know that
he will remain committed to ending hunger and poverty worldwide."

Kathleen Campanella, coordinator of public information at the
Brethren Service Center, has been named the new Church of the
Brethren staff representative to the HPI board.

 7) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *This Sunday is the denomination's National Junior High Sunday,
when churches are especially urged to involve junior high youth in
leading the morning's worship and to celebrate the presence and
contributions of those youth in the church. This year's theme,
chosen by a task force of the General Board's Youth/Young Adult
Ministry office, is "You're Blessed," based on Matthew 5:8. 

 *The Annual Conference office is still seeking names to be
submitted for consideration in the selection of nominees for the
2002 ballot. Information forms for the submissions have been sent
to each congregation, and all members are invited to participate.
Positions on the ballot will include moderator-elect, board members
for the various Annual Conference agencies, Program & Arrangements
Committee, and others. Permission must be secured from each person
before his or her name is submitted, along with biographical
information. Forms are due by Dec. 10 to the Annual Conference
office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. For additional forms,
call the office at 800-323-8039.

 *The Virlina District Church Extension Committee has appointed a
five-member Coastal Carolina Steering Committee to examine the
potential for new church development along the Atlantic Coast
around the border of North and South Carolina. A release from the
district says that "It is hoped that multiple fellowships will be
developed is this area." The committee, one of the most active in
the denomination, is also looking at projects elsewhere in the
district.

 *Several Brethren from the Brethren Business Network will be among
those participating in this weekend's "Business as a Calling"
conference in Chicago, sponsored by Mennonite Economic Development
Associates. Speakers include Richard C. Mouw, Don Eberly, Amy
Domini, and Roberta Hestenes.

 *Phil Jones, pastor of Peace Covenant Church of the Brethren in
Durham, N.C., and Rachel Gross, coordinator of the Death Row
Support Project, took part in a march against the death penalty in
Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 19. The event was part of the 25th annual
meeting of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
About 300 people walked from the site of the conference to Central
Prison, where death row inmates are housed and executed. The
conference featured speakers Robert Meeropol, son of Julius and
Ethel Rosenberg; Bruce Shapiro, editor of The Nation; and Sister
Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking.

 
 8) Karla Hignite has resigned as interim senior writer for
Brethren Benefit Trust effective Dec. 14. Hignite had begun in the
position in January, working with BBT's communications department
on ongoing promotion and education efforts.

BBT has begun an immediate search for a successor. The senior
writer will work with other staff on editorial, photo, and video
content for news, public relations, and promotional purposes,
including the creation of print and electronic materials and
special interpretative projects.

Qualifications include a bachelor's degree or equivalent in
journalism, public relations, communications, marketing, or a
related discipline; professional experience in a related position;
and strong written and verbal communication skills. Experience in
desktop publishing and Web page production is a plus, and
familiarity with the Church of the Brethren is desired.

Those interested and qualified can apply by faxing letter, resume,
and salary history to 847-742-0135 or by mail to Claudia Sheets,
Human Resources, Brethren Benefit Trust, 1505 Dundee Avenue, Elgin,
IL 60120. (Direct phone: 847-622-3389).

 9) Sheryl Faus of the Chiques Church of the Brethren, Manheim,
Pa., is among more than seven dozen volunteers who have served in
the massive Church of the Brethren-coordinated Disaster Child
Care/Child Care in Aviation Incident Response (CAIR) project in New
York following the Sept. 11 destruction of the World Trade Center.
She shared some reflections on her experience in her church
newsletter. Some excerpts follow:

"I was not on call for CAIR in September, but immediately knew that
our team members from the West Coast would not be able to fly to
New York. Many of us from the East Coast contacted the Disaster
Child Care office in New Windsor, Md., to say we were available.

"We knew this response to care for the children would be more
far-reaching than just airplane victims' families. There was no
distinction made between children of families from airplanes, the
World Trade Center employees, policemen, firemen, destroyed
businesses and apartments, foreign- or American-born.

"Our childcare center was located in the Family Assistance Center,
created in barely more than 24 hours in an empty warehouse at least
the size of two football fields. We were four or more miles from
'Ground Zero.' . . . 

"I have a picture in my mind of a police officer rocking a baby,
whose mother was having extreme difficulty. Several officers
checked on the baby often, or would take the child to see the
mother periodically. 

"Members of the New York Jets football team took time to sit down
beside a child, ask her about the picture she was drawing, and
autograph it for her--a very special moment for this little girl
and her mother in a time of great pain. . . .

"There is no way to know the ramifications this horrific disaster
now has or will have in the future of the thousand-plus children
who lost parents. Many became orphans in a matter of a few seconds.
But from the expressions of thanks and smiles on children's faces,
I believe our presence made a bright spot in a huge cloud of sorrow
and pain.

"My life was touched by the many who were suffering and many who
were caring for those who were suffering. These faces will remain
in my mind's eye for a long time. Thanks to everyone here at home
for your support and prayers. It is what kept our team going."

 

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, with other editions as needed.
Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited
as the source. Don Fitzkee and Julie Hostetter contributed to this
report.

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