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Date: Nov. 30, 2001
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) CAIR team closes latest New York project.
 2) Bethany receives planning grant to explore theological programs
for youth.
 3) Emergency Disaster Fund grant sends aid to Cuba.
 4) Report from a recent district conference.
 5) Brethren bits: Centennial, Bethany, books, offering, and more.

PERSONNEL
 6) Marie Willoughby is called as interim executive for Michigan
District. 
 7) Gary Dill resigns as president of McPherson College.

COMING EVENTS
 8) ABC announces plans for NOAC 2002.

****************************************************************
 
 1) The Childcare in Aviation Incident Response (CAIR) team
assisting in the aftermath of the American Airlines flight 587
crash in New York earlier this month closed its operation on Nov.
21. A significant number of children received care at the center in
Manhattan, especially for a prayer vigil/memorial service on Nov.
18.

Jean Myers of Sinking Spring, Pa., served as coordinator of the
project. She and the other five members of the team all returned to
New York on Nov. 12 or 13 after having spent time there previously
as part of a long-running response to the Sept. 11 attacks. Both
projects were carried out through the CAIR/Disaster Child Care
program of the General Board's Emergency Response/Service
Ministries office.

 2) Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind., has received a
$30,000 planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The endowment has
awarded grants totaling $14.3 million to help 53 theological
seminaries across the country develop, maintain, and enhance
theological programs for high school youth.

Through the grant, Bethany--in partnership with Church of the
Brethren colleges, Earlham College, and other agencies and
institutions--will explore developing a program to nurture young
people in Christian practices and narratives grounded in the
traditions of the Church of the Brethren and the Society of
Friends.

The grant will allow Bethany to strengthen its current offerings
and to consider expanding the program "Exploring Your Call," an
event to help high school juniors and seniors consider their faith
and vocational options, which debuted at Bethany this summer. 

"While the Exploring Your Call program offers an opportunity to
begin a dialog on faith and vocation with young people at Bethany,
it does not respond to a larger hunger for faithful inquiry and
discipleship expressed by the adolescents we might serve in a more
extensive program in theological exploration," says Tim Van Meter,
assistant professor and director of Bethany's Institute for
Ministry with Youth and Young Adults, and leader of the planning
team.

The planning process will include four components: 1) a
consultation bringing together a small group of youth theological
program veterans who will engage questions with the planning team
about the strengths and weaknesses of their programs and Bethany's
proposed model; 2) a day-long meeting with denominational
representatives having national or regional responsibility for
youth; 3) a consultation for high school youth and young adults in
different regions of the country from a peace church heritage who
agree to reflect on their own spiritual formation during high
school and the strengths and weaknesses of their church
experiences; 4) a visit by three committee members to the Taize
Community in France and the World Council of Churches in
Switzerland to explore the possibility of an international
cross-cultural experience.

In addition to Van Meter, other committee members are Scott
Holland, assistant professor of peace studies and cross-cultural
studies at Bethany; Chris Douglas, Youth/Young Adult Ministries
coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board; David
Shetler, Bethany's director of admissions and student development;
Patrick Nugent, assistant professor of Quaker studies, Earlham
College; Wendi Hutchinson, director of church relations, Manchester
College; Sue Kern, administrative assistant for the Institute of
Quaker Studies; and Garrett Bucks, Earlham College junior and
candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church.

 3) The 19th allocation from the Church of the Brethren General
Board's Emergency Disaster Fund this year will aid hurricane relief
in Cuba.

Emergency Response/Service Ministries staff requested the $15,000
grant in response to a Church World Service appeal for recovery
efforts in the Caribbean nation after it was struck by Hurricane
Michelle earlier this month. The funds will help to provide food,
medicine, clothing, and housing reconstruction.

 
 4) Report from recent district conference activity:
 Virlina District: Met at the Bonsack Baptist Church near Roanoke,
Va., Nov. 9-10 with the theme "Seed Scattered and Sown" from Mark
4:26-29. Registration stood at 536, including 250 delegates
representing 72 congregations. James C. McKinnell, pastor of the
New Covenant congregation, served as moderator. Moderator Paul
Grout was keynote speaker for worship. Business included calling
people to numerous district positions, including William C. Stovall
as moderator-elect; hearing reports from district ministries;
recognizing new pastors--noting that 25 congregations and
fellowships had been in the pastoral placement process during the
year ending Sept. 30--and those who had served 50 or more years;
and celebrating the installation of associate district executive
Emma Jean Woodard. Decisions included approving: the request of the
Richmond congregation to officially change its name to West
Richmond, the request of the Smith Mountain Lake Community Church
to become a congregation, a district board budget of $255,981.02
for 2001, the disorganization of the Fremont congregation, a
resolution of support and affirmation related to the purchase of
205 acres for Camp Bethel, and two changes to the constitution and
by-laws dealing with the composition of the Church Extension
Committee and the unification of Camp Bethel and District Board
financial officers.  The Church Extension Committee reported that
it is exploring the possibility of multiple fellowships in
Brunswick County, N.C. and Horry County, S.C. Frances S. Beam of
the Living Faith fellowship, Concord, N.C., will serve as the first
female district board chair in the coming year.

 5) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *A peace pole bearing the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in 12
languages was recently installed in a courtyard at the Church of
the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. 

 *Statistics from Bethany Theological Seminary show a total
enrollment of 64 students in graduate school programs this fall, 59
of those at the main campus in Richmond, Ind. Forty-five are
Master's of Divinity students. Manchester College, North
Manchester, Ind., has the most alumni attending, with 11, followed
by Bridgewater (Va.) College with eight. Sixteen states are
represented in the student body--led by Indiana with 18 and Ohio
and Pennsylvania with 13 each--along with Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Another 106 students are enrolled in the Training in Ministry
(TRIM) and Education for a Shared Ministry (EFSM) programs of the
Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership.

 *Bridgewater College is experiencing one of its best football
seasons in recent history, with the Eagles still undefeated and
marching their way through the Division III playoffs. The Eagles
(10-0) defeated Trinity College of Texas 41-37 this past weekend in
the second round of the national tournament. Bridgewater will face
Widener (Pa.) University in the quarterfinals this Saturday. In
other athletic news, men's cross country runner Ross Bair, a member
of the Hanover (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, won the Old Dominion
Athletic Conference title and qualified for the regional race in
Mississippi.

 *At the annual business meeting of the Indiana Religious History
Association on Oct. 27, an award was presented to William R. Eberly
for his recent book, "Manchester Church of the Brethren,
1838-2000." Every two years, the IRHA conducts a competition of
congregational histories published in Indiana. This year five books
were honored, representing large and small congregations as well as
lay writers and professional writers. Eberly's book was in the
category of large congregations (over 500 members) and written by
a lay writer. The book was published in April 2000, in time for the
dedication of the new church sanctuary. The older church building,
located on Walnut Street in North Manchester, burned on Jan. 7,
1998. Eberly is a member of the Manchester church and former
faculty member at Manchester College. The book is available from
the Manchester Church of the Brethren, 1306 North Beckley Street,
North Manchester, IN  46962. 

 6) Marie Willoughby has been called as interim district executive
for the Michigan District effective Feb. 1. Pending a change in the
district's plan of organization at its August 2002 district
conference, she will be called as the permanent district executive.

Willoughby has served in many capacities in the Michigan District
over the past 27 years. She currently is serving as co-pastor of
the Marilla congregation and was moderator of the 2001 district
conference. This past summer she concluded a five-year term on the
Church of the Brethren General Board. 

The district office will be moved to Kaleva, Mich., from Battle
Creek in late January. A new telephone number, e-mail address, and
street address will be announced at that time.

 7) Dr. Gary Dill has resigned as president of McPherson (Kan.)
College effective at the end of the current academic year. Dill
began his service in December 1996, becoming the 12th president of
the 115-year-old college--one of six colleges and universities
affiliated with the Church of the Brethren.

Highlights during Dill's tenure have included a near-doubling of
the school's endowment; launching the Enhancing the Legacy capital
campaign; the construction of two residence halls, a fine arts
center, a science building, and other structures; and an increase
in the availability and use of technology on the campus.

The McPherson board of trustees has created a presidential search
committee, to be chaired by Vincette L. Goerl of Alexandria, Va. It
will begin work immediately. 

 8) The sixth National Older Adult Conference (NOAC), to be held
Sept. 2-6, 2002, is expected to draw 1,100 people to Lake Junaluska
(N.C.) Assembly. The biennial event is sponsored by the Older Adult
Ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

The theme for NOAC 2002 will be "While We Run This Race," based on
Hebrews 12:1-2. It was developed by the NOAC 2002 Planning
Committee, which includes Lester and Barbara Kesselring, Sebring,
Fla.; Norman Harsh, Lorida, Fla.; Romy Mueller, Modesto, Calif.;
Lona Norris, Huntingdon, Pa.; and Scott Douglas, ABC staff. Lester
Kesselring is serving as chair.

Keynote presenters at NOAC will include well-known speaker Tony
Campolo of Eastern College, St. David's, Pa.; Katie Funk Wiebe,
professor emerita of English at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan.;
Richard Morgan,  national leader in issues on aging confronting the
church in the 21st century; long-time social worker, teacher, and
writer Marty Richards of Seattle. Church of the Brethren presenters
will include Paul Mundey, senior pastor of the Fredrick (Md.)
Church of the Brethren and Dawn Ottoni Wilheim, assistant professor
of Ministry Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind.

A Bible study each morning will again be led by Robert Neff,
president emeritus of Juniata College and visiting professor at
Penn State University. He is staff for resource and development at
The Village at Morrisons Cove in Pennsylvania. 

Evening entertainment will include Ministers of Music, a male
quartet with female accompanist/vocalist from Lancaster County,
Pa.; and the duet of Joseph Helfrich of Darke County, Ohio, and
Shawn Kirchner of La Verne, Calif.

Bob Durnbaugh of Elgin, Ill., is assisting ABC by recruiting
district leaders to organize bus groups for conference attendees.
For more information about NOAC 2002, contact ABC at 800-323-8039.
Registration materials will be available in February. Pastors and
district offices will receive copies of the NOAC promotional
brochure for distribution to interested church members.

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. Marcia Shetler and Kendra Flory contributed to this
report.

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