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Date: March 15, 2002
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) General Board adopts India recommendation at spring meetings.
 2) ABC reports smaller-than-expected deficit for 2001.
 3) The church remembers the life of Chalmer Faw.
 4) Ministry Summer Service draws large group for 2002.
 5) Church World Service needs "Gift of the Heart" kits.
 6) International Sunday School Lessons mark 130th anniversary.
 7) Brethren bits: ABC board meetings, college news, and more.

COMING EVENTS
 8) Brethren Academy offers Practical Peace Church Theology class.

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

 1) The General Board tackled a full agenda of global and domestic
issues as it gathered March 9-12 in Elgin, Ill. It again sought to
work from a spiritual discernment model, meeting with the theme
"Servants of Jesus Christ," based on Romans 1:1. A display of
feetwashing basins from many of the denomination's districts formed
a backdrop in the board's meeting room.

The board devoted a significant amount of time to exploring
relations with church groups in India. After much debate and
discussion, the board eventually adopted an amended version of a
recommendation brought by a board-appointed study committee. 

The committee, appointed in October 1999, had been asked to look at
possible recognition of Brethren groups in India that united with
the Church of North India (CNI) in 1970, then later withdrew citing
theological differences. The "separated" Brethren have periodically
sought recognition from the US church, which began mission efforts
there in the early 20th century.

Many viewpoints were expressed during the meetings, including those
of some former missionaries to India who felt acknowledgment of the
"separated" group would not honor the 1970 covenant of union.
Rather than extending formal recognition, the final recommendation
emphasizes relationship. It calls for beginning "an intentional
process of building a relationship with the India Brethren" while
also seeking a strengthened partnership with CNI.

"The US church desires a relationship with two churches in India:
the Church of North India and the India Brethren," the document
reads. 

It suggests several steps toward building those relationships,
including training events and seminars, exchange visits, and
sending visitors to each other's annual meetings. It also offers
the help of the US church in mediating ongoing differences between
the two India groups if requested, while stressing that those
problems must be solved within India. The paper will now go to
delegates at this summer's Annual Conference for affirmation.

Other highlights of the meetings, led by chair Don Parker, included
the following:

*Mennnonite consultant Dennis Koehn continued to lead a process of
comprehensive planning, scheduled to last through March 2003. Board
members accepted in principle a set of core values/guiding
principles, a mission statement, and a vision statement, with plans
to formally adopt them at the next meeting, on June 29 in
Louisville, Ky. Koehn praised the "diligence and sensitivity" that
went into the work.

*The board adopted a response to the 2001 Annual Conference query
on evangelism and church planting. Input from a General Board staff
committee and a focus group of congregational leaders fed into the
development of the paper, which emphasizes a personal
responsibility for evangelism by each Christian. It asks the
General Board's Leadership Team to make evangelism a "renewed
emphasis" throughout the organization, "calling out others to
assist as needed." It also recommends continuing to gather focus
groups to guide the board's efforts in this area. The paper will be
included in the General Board's report to Annual Conference.

*The board received a resolution from the Puerto Rico Brethren via
the Atlantic Southeast District related to Vieques, a small island
off the coast of Puerto Rico that has been used as a US Navy
bombing test site for more than 60 years. The resolution supports
a 2001 referendum in which nearly 70 percent of voters called for
the US Navy to withdraw, and requests petitions to the US
government. Board members passed a motion expressing "solidarity
with the people of Vieques and the Puerto Rico Brethren" and
calling for "advocacy on their behalf" by General Board staff.

*General Board Finance and Funding staff led board members through
a review of 2001 figures and a look at challenges for the future,
including the continued decline in congregational giving to the
General Ministries Fund and the tendency to give toward designated
projects. A review of the board's special-purpose funds showed the
Emergency Disaster Fund making 28 grants for a total of $505,400 in
2001, and the Global Food Crisis Fund sending $471,929 to 11
locations. The new Emerging Global Mission Fund is providing all
support for current mission work in Brazil.

*The meeting included the usual series of reports from General
Board ministry areas, partner agencies, and other programs.
Highlights included an update from a General Board "Caring for the
Poor" committee now training to "develop strategies to identify and
dismantle racism in the Church of the Brethren" and a visit from
Guerra Freitas of SHAREcircle, an agency sending aid to Angola with
the help of Emergency Response/Service Ministries. A larger report
provided details and updates on renewed advocacy efforts for Iraq
through the General Board's Brethren Witness office. An evening
celebration dinner included stories from the December 2001 Iraq
delegation and a simple meal typical of rations received by the
average Iraqi family. A 90-minute power outage interrupted the
reports Saturday afternoon.

*In addition to prayer and reflection that accompanied business,
and the devotions opening each session, the meetings included four
major times of worship. Annual Conference moderator Paul Grout and
moderator-elect Harriet Finney spoke Saturday morning and Sunday
morning, respectively, and General Board vice chair Christy
Waltersdorff led the closing worship on Tuesday. The Saturday
evening dinner was designed as a traditional love feast, including
singing and feetwashing to underscore the servant theme. Board
members also met prior to business Saturday for a time of
"spiritual preparation for God's leading."

*Meeting March 8 prior to the full meetings of the General Board,
the Executive Committee affirmed Ken Kreider as representative to
the Brethren Historical Committee beginning July 1 and affirmed
incumbent Lamar Gibble as a nominee for the Brethren Benefit Trust
board, representing "national agencies." 

 2) The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) reports an $85,816
deficit for 2001, with $559,020 in operating expenses and $473,204
in revenue, according to pre-audit figures.

ABC executive director Steve Mason attributes the agency's deficit
to three primary factors: discontinuation of $60,000 annual income
from the "Behold!" campaign, which stopped distributing funds in
2001; a decrease of $10,408 in investment income from the previous
year; and an $11,671 shortfall in expenses over revenue generated
by Caring Ministries Assembly, a biennial conference sponsored by
ABC.

Even so, the numbers are better than projected. Mason says ABC had
budgeted for a $146,130 deficit in 2001 as part of its ongoing
transition as an independent Annual Conference agency.
"Fortunately, the generosity of Brethren supporters helped us to
close the gap between our revenue and expenses in 2001," he says.
     
Financial support from both individuals and congregations increased
in 2001. ABC received $120,429 from 308 congregations, up from
$75,915 from 221 congregations in 2000; and $95,576 from
individuals, up from $88,542 in 2000.

 3) The church this week is remembering the life of former Bethany
Theological Seminary professor and Nigeria missionary Chalmer Faw,
who died Wednesday at The Cedars in McPherson, Kan. He was 91.

Faw and his wife, Mary, who died in 1996, worked at numerous sites
in Nigeria. They first went as missionaries in Gakirda from
1940-1945, then returned as teachers at Kulp Bible School in the
mid-1960s. They stayed on in the late '60s working with evangelism
and leadership training in Marama and with a tree-planting program,
then became teachers at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria
in 1971, continuing until 1976.

In between his Nigeria service, Faw was professor of biblical
studies at Bethany (then Bethany Bible Seminary) in Chicago,
serving on the faculty for 20 years. He had graduated from the
school with a bachelor of divinity in 1939.

An ordained minister, Faw pastored two congregations in California
and Pennsylvania and was secretary of Annual Conference from
1952-1959. He also assisted with mission interpretation and
education for congregations for the General Board following his
return from Africa and authored several books and many articles.

A funeral was planned for this Friday, March 15, at the McPherson
Church of the Brethren.

 4) This year's Ministry Summer Service group will be the largest
ever, with 18 young adults serving as interns in Church of the
Brethren congregations and other ministry settings.

The program, sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult and
Ministry offices, is in its seventh year. Participants, ages 18 to
24, gather for a one-week orientation followed by nine weeks
serving in ministry with a mentor. This year's orientation with be
held June 1-7 in Richmond, Ind., with Bethany Theological Seminary
faculty and staff aiding the training. 

The 2002 group comes from all parts of the country, with 14 females
and four males participating. Youth/Young Adult coordinator Chris
Douglas says it has been typical for the program to draw a high
number of female young adults interested in ministry.

Interns will serve in congregations in nine states, stretching from
Pennsylvania to North Carolina and as far west as Colorado and
Idaho, as well as Brethren Press in Elgin, Ill., the Brethren
Service Center in New Windsor, Md., Camp Blue Diamond in
Petersburg, Pa., and a placement with the General Board's Area 3
(Southeast) Congregational Life Team.

 5) After sending 1,300 cartons of "Gift of the Heart" school and
health kits and other supplies to uprooted Afghan families in
central Asia, Church World Service (CWS) has put out a request to
restock the supplies, housed at the Brethren Service Center in New
Windsor, Md.

CWS plans to send another shipment to Pakistan and Afghanistan,
according to CWS Emergency Response Program director Rick
Augsburger, and it is anticipating other needs elsewhere. Recent
shipments have also gone to the Balkans and to Angola. 

Congregations and other groups are asked to assemble the school and
health kits "as quickly as possible," according to Augsburger, and
send them to the Church World Service in care of the Brethren
Service Center Annex at 601 Main St., New Windsor, MD 21776-0188. 

The kits require specific contents. A list of contents for each
type of kit can be found at www.churchworldservice.org/heart.html,
or call 888-297-2767. Complete kits should be packed in boxes with
only one type of kit in each box, unless only a small number are
being sent. The name and address of the congregation, group, or
individual should be included at the top before sealing the box,
and $1 should be enclosed for each kit assembled to cover
processing and shipping. The outside of the box should be clearly
marked as to the contents. 

 6) The 130th anniversary of the International Sunday School
Lessons, also called the Uniform Series, will be celebrated this
Sunday in Orlando, Fla., during the annual one-week work session of
the series' writing and editing team. 

One of the broadest ecumencial efforts in the United States, the
series involves Christians from a wide spectrum of theological and
cultural backgrounds. The outlines created by the team are drawn
upon by 18 denominations, including the Church of the Brethren, and
33 independent publishing houses. 

"I can't see how it would work without God willing it to work,"
says Marvin Cropsey, editor of adult study resources at United
Methodist Publishing House and current chair of the Committee on
the Uniform Series. "When you look at the wide variety of
theologies and understandings of what scripture really is and at
how the different denominations operate, for them to come together
annually to create the foundations for a common Bible study is more
than remarkable. It's just stunning. It's powerful."

Brethren have been using the materials for 117 years, predating the
denomination's publishing house. Today, Brethren Press uses the
series to create the weekly lessons of "A Guide for Biblical
Studies," which has more than 11,000 users. A large-print version
began in 2000-2001, and a redesign of the curriculum is planned
this fall.

Julie Garber serves as the editor of the quarterly curriculum for
Brethren Press, drawing on the talents of many Brethren writers. To
order, call 800-441-3712.

 7) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *Thirteen Association of Brethren Caregivers board members will
gather in Elgin, Ill., this weekend for the agency's spring
meeting. Chaired by Bentley Peters, the group will meet Friday
evening through Sunday morning. 

 *Don Vermilyea arrived in San Diego on the evening of March 9 as
he continued his "Walk Across America," sponsored by the General
Board's Brethren Witness office and Brethren Volunteer Service. He
spoke at the San Diego Church of the Brethren the following
morning, presenting an intergenerational Sunday School, a
children's story, and a "Moments for Mission" talk to the
congregation. "The information and challenges Don presented for
simple living rekindled our awareness of that aspect of our peace
and justice witness," said Susie Glass, Witness chair at San Diego.
Vermilyea reported that he recently took the one millionth step of
his journey, which now heads north. He planned to be in San Marcos
this weekend.

 *This Sunday, March 17, marks the annual observance of One Great
Hour of Sharing. The special offering emphasis supports relief,
hunger, development, and refugee work around the world via the
General Ministries Fund of the General Board. Resources are
available at www.brethren.org/genbd/funding/opportun/onegreat.htm.

 *While the more famous "March Madness" swirls for NCAA Division I
basketball teams, the Elizabethtown (Pa.) College men's basketball
team will be playing in the Final Four of the Division III
tournament this weekend. The Blue Jays have a record of 28-2 and
are ranked fourth in the nation. Elizabethtown will face the
University of Rochester in Salem, Va., at 8 p.m. Eastern time this
Friday, March 15, in one semifinal. Third-place and championship
games will be played Saturday. The college is sending several fan
buses to the tournament.

 8) The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership will hold an
event titled "The Church of the Brethren and a Practical Peace
Church Theology" May 10-11 and June 14-15 in Kansas City, Kan.

Bethany Theological Seminary graduate Dean Johnson of Denver,
Colo., who represented the denomination at the 2001 Historic Peace
Church Consultation in Switzerland, will serve as instructor for
the course. He previously created and taught the first peace
studies course at Anderson (Ind.) University.

The class will study current and historical issues related to the
Church of the Brethren's peace witness. It will emphasize personal
belief and spirituality and violence/nonviolence, as well as the
development of a practical peace theology.

Cost is $100. Registration deadline is April 10. More information
is available at www.bethanyseminary.edu/peace church theology.pdf,
or from the Academy at 765-983-1824 or academy@bethanyseminary.edu.

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. Kathleen Campanella, Mary Dulabaum, and Todd Reish
contributed to this report.

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