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[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Feb. 1, 2002
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Sudanese rivals meet in Washington to work toward peace.
 2) General Board's final 2001 budget numbers edge into the black.
 3) Fire causes extensive damage to Virginia church's parsonage.
 4) MMPC holds meetings, conversations in California.
 5) District Disaster Coordinators meet in New Windsor.
 6) Brethren Witness begins Lenten postcard campaign for Iraq.
 7) Third Older Adult Workcamp heads to Puerto Rico.
 8) Faith Expeditions return from Central America.
 9) Brethren, others move forward in Decade to Overcome Violence.
10) Brethren bits: Olympics and more.

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

 1) Representatives from both the Dinka and Nuer tribes of southern
Sudan, now living in "diaspora" in the US, met at the Washington
(D.C.) City Church of the Brethren, Jan. 11-13 with the goal of
finding a peace among the long-time rivals. The Church of the
Brethren General Board, through its Washington Office, was one of
the event's sponsors.

Words of peace were found early and often throughout the
conference, and a strong will to come together was apparent.
Following the People-to-People Peace Process, the group succeeded
in striking common ground on a number of issues and signed the
unifying "Dinka-Nuer Washington Declaration."

"Peace is not an absence of war; it is a total way of life," said
Julia Duany, a Nuer representative and member of the leadership
team that organized the event. Ibrahim, a Dinka representative,
noted, "If we have peace in our (Dinka and Nuer) hearts, we may
have peace in our country."

The Declaration outlines several important points. It recognizes
the tribes' commonality as one people, disallowing political
movements the opportunity to divide and conquer as has been done in
the past; confesses that each tribe's members and leaders have
caused harm to the other and asks forgiveness for these mistakes;
invites all, not just the Dinka and Nuer, to join in the
reconciliation process; and offers appreciation to the United
States as a sanctuary as well as condolences for the attacks of
Sept. 11.

While the hope for the meeting was achieved, the hope for a just
and lasting peace in Sudan continues. The 18-year civil war between
the Islamic government in the North of the country and animist and
Christian rebel groups in the South has cost more than 2 million
lives. The situation remains desperate for most in the South.

Small steps for peace are occurring through talks between military
groups in the South and a North-South cease-fire in the Nuba
Mountains brokered by US Special Envoy John Danforth. Danforth is
conducting an investigation of the situation in Sudan and expects
to produce a final report and recommendations to President George
W. Bush in early March.

The Church of the Brethren has a long-held interest in peace for
Sudan through the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships
office, sponsoring seconded staff for the New Sudan Council of
Churches, offering Faith Expeditions to express solidarity with the
people of Sudan, translating the Bible into native languages, and
aiding in People-to-People Peace Conferences on the ground in Sudan
in recent years.

 2) The Church of the Brethren General Board's main budget area,
for General Programs, narrowly finished in the black for 2001.
General Programs, which supports most ongoing General Board
ministries and is funded primarily through donations to the General
Ministries Fund, had a small income over expense of $15,300 on a
budget of $5,695,000.

Giving statistics during the year had caused concern that the
budget might not be met. Giving from congregations was $76,520 (2.3
percent) less than in 2000 and $155,450 (4.5 percent) less than
budgeted in 2001. In addition, investment income was $283,360 under
expectations due to the economic recession.

"Despite careful short and long-range planning, each budget year is
a leap of faith," says Judy Keyser, General Board chief financial
officer and director of Centralized Resources. "As with any leap of
faith, challenges emerge. Fewer dollars represent a loss in both
the ability to expand ministries and the ability to continue
certain ministries."

Individuals, however, responded to the financial needs and more
than made up the income shortfall in congregational giving. Support
from individuals continues to represent a growing portion of the
income budget. The General Programs budget was also underspent by
more than $137,000, helping to balance the books. Estate giving
again was strong in 2001, though slightly below budget projections.

All but one of the General Board's self-funding ministries had
income over expense for 2001, as well. Included are Brethren Press
($61,600), the New Windsor Conference Center ($50,500) and
Messenger ($28,200). These amounts will be added to each respective
self-funded balance to support possible shortfalls in future years.
Emergency Response/Service Ministries had an expense over income of
$75,500 in the Service Ministries area. The General Board's other
self-funding ministry, the Immigration and Refugee Program, ended
on Dec. 31 as it became part of the Virginia Council of Churches
Refugee Resettlement Program.

Response to human need through designated funds was strong in 2001,
with $1,304,000 given to the Emergency Disaster Fund, and $428,600
to the Global Food Crisis Fund. The Emerging Global Missions Fund,
established to support evangelism and church planting both
domestically and abroad, received $113,400 in its first year. In
addition, partnering projects increased outreach in General
Programs by $438,600.

All numbers are pre-audit. Final 2001 figures for the Association
of Brethren Caregivers were not yet available. Bethany Theological
Seminary ends its fiscal year on June 30, and On Earth Peace on
Sept. 30. On Earth Peace also achieved a positive balance of income
over expense--of $4,497--for the second straight year, and reported
new gifts from 90 congregations and 347 individuals who hadn't
contributed in 2000, spurred in part by a matching gift challenge.

 3) A fire caused extensive damage to the parsonage of the Midland
(Va.) Church of the Brethren this past Tuesday. Interim pastor Ron
McLean discovered the fire when he returned to the parsonage
Tuesday afternoon. Most of McLean's personal items were destroyed,
including all his Bible study and sermon preparation materials.

"I had been thinking about downsizing, but not in this manner,"
McLean said ruefully.

The blaze began in the study/living room area of the home and
spread to adjacent rooms. All areas suffered smoke damage and
blackened walls. The parsonage building was insured by the Midland
congregation, but McLean had no renter's coverage on his contents.
 
Mid-Atlantic district executive Don Booz says that the insurance
representatives told him less than 10 percent of clergy who live in
parsonages have their contents insured. Booz suggested church
boards make it an item of conversation. He also requested prayers
for McLean and the Midland church. Those wishing to help can
contact mad.cob@mindspring.com.

 4) The General Board's re-energized Mission & Ministries Planning
Council met Jan. 12-14 in La Verne, Calif., first attending to the
business before the committee and then engaging in the latest in a
series of "mission conversations."

Topics at the meeting included exploration of a possible church
planting project in Tijuana with Companeros en Ministerio--a group
affiliated with the General Board--and discussion on several other
possible partnerships and new ideas. A recommendation related to
the Tijuana project will come to the General Board's March meeting.

Judy Mills Reimer, general secretary of the General Board, said
much time was spent in shaping MMPC's call and focus, examining its
place in the General Board structure. Words like partnership and
connection were highlighted, providing the General Board a way to
hear the "hopes, dreams, and concerns" of districts and
congregations.

Prayerful discernment will also be important, as MMPC realizes it
"cannot do everything for everybody," Reimer says. She hopes those
with a passion for a specific project will trust God's leading in
the MMPC's work even when the current answer is "No."

The mission conversation with church leaders from the surrounding
area was the second held under the auspices of MMPC, following one
in New Windsor, Md., last September. Several previous conversations
had been held through the General Board's Global Mission
Partnerships office. 

The tone of both MMPC conversations was described as positive, with
an emphasis on listening. Another set of mission conversations is
planned for Sept. 9, again in New Windsor. A return trip to the
West Coast is tentatively planned for January 2003. A larger
mission conference is also a future possibility.

In addition to Reimer, the MMPC includes Global Mission
Partnerships director Merv Keeney, the Annual Conference moderator
and moderator-elect, and representatives from the district
executives and the elected members of the General Board.

 5) Seventeen districts were represented at the Emergency
Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM) District Disaster Coordinators
seminar held at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center Jan. 27-29.

The seminar provided an opportunity for coordinators to meet ER/SM
staff and other coordinators, and to clarify roles and
responsibilities. Ideas were shared for promoting disaster response
within districts and for volunteer recruitment. A session on
building partnerships was conducted by Linda Reed Brown, Church
World Service Disaster Response staff.

At a Monday evening banquet, Dr. Carolyn Tyler, executive director
of North Carolina Interfaith Disaster Response, presented a
certificate of appreciation to Stan Noffsinger, director of ER/SM. 
She praised the Church of the Brethren volunteers for their
continuing work in North Carolina, "rebuilding homes with kindness
and love."

Diane Hardison and Hazel Sorrell, co-directors of the Wilson (N.C.)
Interfaith Recovery Center and Michael Shaw, director of the Twin
County Interfaith Disaster Response, also shared their gratitude
for the commitment and caring of ER/SM staff and volunteers. The
General Board's ER/SM office has had four Hurricane Floyd recovery
projects in North Carolina, maintaining a ongoing presence since
the major storm struck in fall 1999. 

 
 6) Following a Church of the Brethren delegation's visit to Iraq
in December, the General Board's Brethren Witness office has begun
a "Write to Life" Lenten postcard campaign for the people of Iraq.

The delegation noted the effects of US-led United Nations economic
sanctions against Iraq, including malnutrition, poverty, and poor
health care. UNICEF estimates that the sanctions have led to the
deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children in the past 11 years.

Brethren Witness director David Radcliff, a member of the
delegation, sent a letter to several newspapers and to President
George W. Bush this week, noting the graciousness and generosity
with which the delegation was received. "Our delegation came home
with the conviction that to continue to inflict such suffering on
a whole people is inhumane, and conduct not becoming of any
political goal." He criticized the president's characterization of
Iraq and other nations as an "axis of evil" in this week's State of
the Union address.

Congregations and individuals are being invited to send postcards
to the US government, calling for an end to the sanctions. The
first three weeks of March are suggested as a time for the
campaign, but cards may be sent at any time. A color display and
postcards featuring an Iraqi mother and child are available from
the Brethren Witness office at 800-323-8039 or
witness_gb@brethren.org. More information is also available at
www.brethren.org/genbd/witness.

 7) Seventeen Brethren left Jan. 28 for Puerto Rico as participants
of the third Older Adult Workcamp sponsored by the Older Adult
Ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

The group will return home Feb. 7 after spending 11 days visiting
with Brethren congregations and working at the Rio Prieto
congregation to replace the roof on the parsonage. Other highlights
of the experience will include tours of the Christian Community
Center in Caimito and the Castaner Hospital, and sightseeing in Old
San Juan. Mary Sue and Bruce Rosenberger of the Greenville (Ohio)
Church of the Brethren are leading the group.

Other participants are: Jim Eby, Lititz, Pa.; Jim and Elaine
Gibbel, Lititz, Pa.; Claire and Raymond Hartsough, Plymouth, Ind.;
Earl Heckman, Elgin, Ill.; Wil Lengel, Juda, Wis.; Alberta and Ron
McAdams, Tipp City, Ohio; Joyce and Richard Person, Polo, Ill.;
Eleanor Starline, Union, Ohio; Jim Thomas, Greenville, Ohio; Ray
Tritt, Sycamore, Ill.; and Marilyn Yohn, Elgin, Ill.

 8) A pair of General Board Faith Expeditions headed abroad in
January, with groups recently returning from Honduras and
Guatemala.

The Honduras group was a women's delegation, with participants
living in communties in the southern part of the country. In
Guatemala, the group focused on care for creation and visiting
Brethren-supported forestation projects and development
initiatives. Both groups traveled Jan. 8-17. 

The next Faith Expedition trip is scheduled for Feb. 23-March 8 to
Sudan. The purpose will be to support the people of southern Sudan,
to learn about the work of the New Sudan Council of Churches, to
visit communities where Global Food Crisis Fund grants have been
given, and to prepare for advocacy on the group's return to the US.
The delegation will include General Board members Jan Thompson and
Roy Unruh, and staff David Radcliff and Janis Pyle.

 9) Thirty Church of the Brethren congregations in 16 districts
have committed to the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) as of late
January.

Each congregation has named a contact person who will keep in touch
with their district's representative, possibly attend DOV training
events, and help keep the congregation's resource pack, called a
"DOVPak," current.

The DOVPak, sent out to each congregation that commits to the
Decade, provides ideas for worship, suggestions on ways to take
action, background on Brethren heritage and peacemaking, and other
resources. Periodic mailings provide updates and additional
materials.

Congregations wishing to sign a commitment should contact Laura
Kreider at the Church of the Brethren Washington Office,
202-546-3202 or lkreider_gb@brethren.org. Additional information is
available at www.brethren.org/dov.

The Church of the Brethren affirmed joining the Decade at the 2000
Annual Conference, and the DOV was officially launched within the
denomination in 2001. The General Board's Brethren Witness office
and On Earth Peace are coordinating the denomination's involvement
in the worldwide effort.

Internationally, a World Council of Churches DOV working group
meeting brought 30 participants from around the world to Geneva,
Switzerland, Jan. 25-27. The group met to draft user guidelines for
a study document on overcoming violence being prepared for
churches.

The document will focus on four major themes, identified as root
causes of violence by responses to a 2000-2001 survey among
churches: the spirit and logic of violence; the use, abuse and
misuse of power; issues of justice; and religious identity and
plurality. The WCC says the document will need to be adapted to
each church's specific environment and context. 

 10) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *The Church of the Brethren has a few connections to the Winter
Olympic Games, which run Feb. 8-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two
Brethren from the Mid-Atlantic District--Beverly Hoffmaster of the
Moler Avenue congregation in Martinsburg, W.Va., and Dick Smith of
the Hagerstown (Md.) congregation--were torch-runners as the
Olympic torch made its way along the I-81 corridor in late
December. And the Disaster Child Care (DCC) program of the General
Board's Emergency Response/Service Ministries office has worked
with the American Red Cross to have volunteer teams on alert in
case of emergency. They initially discussed having a team stationed
close to Salt Lake City, but decided to just have extra volunteers
on-call. DCC coordinator Roy Winter says he will have double the
normal number of volunteers on-call during the Olympics. If you
know of other Brethren involved in the Games, as a competitor or
otherwise, please send the information to cobnews@aol.com.

 *Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA) has announced its 2001-2002
International Education Week winners, awarding a $500 scholarship
to Bridgewater (Va.) College and $250 to Manchester College, North
Manchester, Ind. Bridgewater's top award came in recognition of its
innovative International Education Week program, which included an
international food fiesta and sending "care cards" from Bridgewater
students to their classmates studying overseas with BCA.

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. Greg Davidson Laszakovits, Don Booz, and Kathleen
Campanella contributed to this report.

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