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Date: March 29, 2002
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline     March 29, 2002

"He is not here; for he is risen, as he said." Matthew 28:6a

NEWS
 1) Membership drops again in 2001, but less sharply.
 2) ABC board studies "cultural competency," finances at spring
meeting.
 3) Brethren ponder action at "Organizing for Peace" conference.
 4) Emergency Disaster Fund sends added support to Wisconsin.
 5) Earthquakes increase challenges of Afghanistan relief.
 6) Elizabethtown basketball team falls in national championship. 
 7) Brethren bits: Race winner, college news, and more.

COMING EVENTS
 8) Fernando Enns will keynote 2002 Ecumenical Luncheon.

FEATURES
 9) Brethren around the world prepare to celebrate Easter.

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

 1) Church of the Brethren membership dropped again in 2001, though
not quite as sharply as in recent years. The denomination's 23 US
districts reported a net loss of 1,051 members in the past year,
according to statistics in the Church of the Brethren Yearbook
published by Brethren Press.

The decrease, about 0.8 percent, brings the denomination's total
membership to 134,828. It is the smallest one-year decline in both
number and percentage since 1997, when a net loss of 411 members
was reported. The Church of the Brethren has not shown a net gain
in membership since 1974, when it grew by 54 members. The overall
downward trend, however, extends to the early 1960s.

Fifteen districts reported net losses in 2001, seven had net gains,
and one, Northern Plains, reported no change. The largest declines
came in the Great Lakes region, where the five districts that cover
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin had a combined net loss of
751 members. Michigan was the exception, with a 1.8 percent
increase.

Southern Ohio, which had the largest net gain in 2000, reported the
denomination's largest numerical decrease in 2001, with a net loss
of 202 members. Illinois/Wisconsin, which had the largest net loss
a year ago, had the second largest in 2001, down 178 members.
Missouri/Arkansas showed the largest percentage decline in 2001,
off 7.7 percent.

The largest numerical and percentage increase came in Southeastern
District, which reported a net gain of 72 members (2.63 percent).
Mid-Atlantic reported a 45-member increase.

Atlantic Northeast continues as the Church of the Brethren's
largest district, with 15,519 members at the end of 2001, followed
by Shenandoah, Virlina, and Mid-Atlantic. Idaho remains the
smallest district, with 709 members, although it grew by 2.2
percent in 2001. Idaho and Western Plains were the only districts
west of the Mississippi River to report net gains last year. The
largest district in that region, Pacific Southwest, had a
156-member (4.8 percent) decline.

All figures are based on data provided by congregations returning
statistical reports. More than 71 percent turned in updated reports
in 2001. The totals do not include the membership of global
partners. There are about 825 Brethren in the Dominican Republic
and 80 meeting in Brazil; the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church
of the Brethren in Nigeria) has a larger membership than the US
church. 

Total reported worship attendance is about half of the reported
membership, at 71,737 per week--a decrease of 264 from 2000. The
number of congregations decreased by just two, to 1,035. There are
also 31 fellowships and four projects.

Total per capita giving was up by more than 10 percent in 2001,
however, at about $47 per person. Giving to the Association of
Brethren Caregivers and On Earth Peace was up sharply last year, as
was giving to disaster relief and other special funds, while giving
to Bethany Theological Seminary and the General Ministries Fund of
the General Board remained about the same.

The Roman Catholic Church, the nation's largest, has about 63.7
million US members, and the Southern Baptist Convention has nearly
16 million, according to the Yearbook of American and Canadian
Churches 2002, published by the National Council of Churches. The
newly organized Mennonite Church USA has about 116,000 members, and
Mennonite Church Canada about 36,000. 

The Church of the Brethren Yearbook will be sent to all regular
subscribers prior to Annual Conference and will be available at the
Brethren Press bookstore at Conference for others. To subscribe,
call 800-441-3712.

 2) The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board and staff
participated in a "Cultural Competency" workshop during ABC's
spring board meetings, held March 15-17 at the General Offices in
Elgin, Ill.

Board member Heidi Loomis led the board and staff through a
three-step process aimed at raising each individual's consciousness
of his or her attitudes toward race and culture. This training
event was created in response to the 2000 Annual Conference paper,
"Caring for the Poor," which called for boards and staff of Annual
Conference agencies to educate themselves about cultural diversity.
The two-hour session will be used as a basis for future training of
new board and staff members.

During its meetings, the board approved a new 2002 operating budget
of $641,690 in revenue and $671,380 in expenses, which represents
a $29,690 deficit. Steve Mason, ABC's executive director,
attributes the deficit budget to several factors, including a
depletion of reserve funds, which has resulted in less income from
interest; rising costs in expenses such as insurance; and the
absence of $60,000 in revenue from the Behold fund, which stopped
distributing funds in 2001.

ABC's Finance Committee met prior to the board meetings and began
discussing issues related to the long-term financial viability of
ABC. "ABC is at a significant threshold with its reserves nearing
depletion and with the board's resolve for the organization to live
within its means," Mason says. "ABC's financial viability beyond
2002 will depend on its ability to balance income and expenses.
Financial reserves will no longer be available to supplement
revenue."

These meetings marked the first time that Bentley Peters of Elgin,
Ill., and Sue Moore of Roanoke, Va., served as chair and
chair-elect. In other business, the board:

*Continued to work on the Vision and Planning Process it began in
2001 by developing a new mission statement and outlining areas of
focus for the organization. The final results of the board's work
will be announced following some fine-tuning of the statements.
Based on its work, the board asked staff to submit a strategic plan
to the board at its September meeting.

*Affirmed the Brethren Chaplains Network Steering Committee's
suggestion to include chaplains in portions of two papers
concerning ministerial leadership. During the steering committee's
meetings held prior to the ABC board meeting, the committee
reviewed the papers "Guidelines for Continuing Education" and
"Guidelines for Sabbath Rest," which will be considered by Annual
Conference delegates this summer. The suggested changes will be
presented to the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory
Committee and the office of Ministry of the General Board for their
consideration prior to Annual Conference.

*Empowered the board's Executive Committee to resolve issues
associated with ABC becoming a sponsoring organization of
Anabaptist Risk Group, a newly created insurance company for
retirement communities. As a "captive group" liability insurance
company, Anabaptist Risk Group would be owned by those who join it
to meet their insurance needs. Members who join would be carefully
screened; have similar exposures and risks; and agree to a risk
management program to help minimize risk, and thereby reduce
premiums. Formation of this new company is a response to ABC's work
with other Anabaptist organizations over the past year to find
alternative ways to address the liability insurance needs of
retirement communities, such as members of the Fellowship of
Brethren Homes. As a sponsoring organization, ABC would have an ex
officio representative serve on the Anabaptist Risk Group's board
of directors. The Anabaptist Risk Group's board would be composed
of representatives of member organizations.

*Received a report from Scott Douglas, ABC's director of Resources,
announcing that the next Caring Ministries Assembly will be held
Aug. 14-17, 2003. Douglas reported that the biennial conference for
caregivers will be held over a weekend, with all conference events
being hosted at the Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren.

 3) More than 110 people gathered in North Manchester, Ind., March
15-17 for a weekend of "Organizing for Peace." The event,
co-sponsored by On Earth Peace and the Manchester College Peace
Studies Institute, was planned "to motivate, connect, and inspire
peacemakers to mobilize and act against the current war against
terrorism."

"A basic goal for the weekend was to bring together peacemakers who
might be isolated in these times," said Kim Stuckey, On Earth Peace
program coordinator for peacemaker formation. "We wanted people to
find community support for their feelings and ideas of opposition
to the war. We hope this support can give them the strength to act
in their home communities."

The intergenerational gathering included college students
representing eight schools in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, and California, and church members from as far away as
Virginia and Colorado.

The weekend schedule included large and small group sessions,
workshops, worship, and singing. In a series of sessions,
participants looked at ways to build their efforts and drafted
two-year timelines for peace action in their individual settings.
Topics for organized workshops included music as a tool for social
change, war tax resistance, organizing local congregations or
college campuses for action, and anti-racist perspectives.
Participants also had opportunities to lead discussions on subjects
of interest to them over the Saturday lunch hour.

An art area and "creative encounters" before main sessions allowed
for expression of art in various forms, from sculpting and painting
to singing and poetry. A Saturday night concert featured social
justice folk singers Charlie King and Karen Brandow, and a Sunday
morning worship service included numerous energetic and moving
elements.

"The ball has started rolling in the development of a Brethren and
friends peace and justice movement," said Brethren young adult
Shelly Ungemach of Washington, D.C. "This weekend was a good
reminder that there's work to be done, and that we as people of
faith need to get going."

 4) Another $10,000 from the General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund will go to support tornado recovery work in Siren, Wis.,
following a request from Emergency Response/Service Ministries
(ER/SM).

ER/SM volunteers began rebuilding and repair work on several
projects in Siren last fall and will be returning this spring to do
additional work.

 5) Church World Service (CWS) is stepping up its efforts in
Afghanistan after earthquakes on Monday and Tuesday resulted in the
death of at least 600 people, according to United Nations reports,
with many thousands of others injured or homeless.

The quakes, registering as high as 6.0 on the Richter scale, added
"yet another layer of need to the already critical needs that
continue to multiply in Afghanistan," CWS Pakistan/ Afghanistan
director Marvin Parvez said. As its first response following the
earthquake, CWS is transporting 7,000 quilts from Quetta, Pakistan,
to the affected area of Afghanistan. Further CWS response is being
planned in collaboration with partners.

Parvez, a Methodist, traveled through the US earlier this month to
thank US churches and others for their ongoing support. CWS staff
also met for a conference March 12-17, featuring former US Sen.
George McGovern, now United Nations Ambassador to the Hungry, as
keynote speaker. McGovern promoted a campaign to end hunger in the
world by 2030.

 6) The Elizabethtown (Pa.) College men's basketball team reached
the national NCAA Division III championship game before falling
102-83 to Otterbein College of Westerville, Ohio, this past
Saturday in Salem, Va.

Elizabethtown led by as many as 12 points, 43-31, in the first
half, and still led by 6 points at halftime, but Otterbein came
back by taking advantage of Elizabethtown turnovers and hitting a
series of 3-point baskets. It was the first national championship
for Otterbein. Brian Loftus and Bob Porambo led Elizabethtown with
17 points each.

The Blue Jays reached the title game with a 93-83 overtime victory
over Rochester the previous night, giving them their first
championship appearance. They finished the season 29-3.
Elizabethtown police and fire personnel escorted the team bus
through town upon its return Sunday, and team members were greeted
by cheering fans.

It is the second time this academic year that a Church of the
Brethren college team has reached a national championship played in
Salem, Va., and finished second to an Ohio school. The Bridgewater
College football team came up just short against Mount Union
College in the Division III title game in December.

 7) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *Sam Hornish Jr., a member of the Poplar Ridge Church of the
Brethren, Defiance, Ohio, is building an impressive career in auto
racing's Indy Racing League. Hornish, 22, was named IRL Northern
Light Cup champion for the 2001 season last fall and this past
weekend won the IRL Yamaha 400 race in Fontana, Calif. He leads the
IRL points standings again this year.

 *Eighty major US-based organizations representing a wide
cross-section of American values and constituencies issued a strong
call this month for President George W. Bush to join the Mine Ban
Treaty, an accord signed by over 140 governments--including every
NATO nation except Turkey--that prohibits the production,
stockpiling, transfer, and use of antipersonnel landmines. The
Church of the Brethren Washington Office was among the groups
signing the letter, organized by the US Campaign to Ban Landmines.

 *Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA) is finalizing plans for the move
of its headquarters from North Manchester, Ind., to the
Elizabethtown (Pa.) College campus this summer. The BCA office will
close July 8 and plans to be fully moved to its new location by
July 22. It will have a new phone number, 717-361-6600, and new
toll-free number, 866-222-6188. In other BCA news, Bethany
Theological Seminary president Gene Roop has begun as chair of the
BCA board of directors. He succeeds former McPherson (Kan.) College
president Gary Dill, who has accepted the position of president at
College of the Southwest in New Mexico.

 *A large tree fell on the Meadow Branch Church of the Brethren in
Westminster, Md., on March 10, just as the Sunday morning worship
service was concluding. There were no injuries, but the church
sustained some damage to the roof and to the second-floor ceiling
and walls.

 8) German Mennonite theologian Fernando Enns, who sparked the
creation of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome
Violence with an appeal at the WCC Assembly, will be the keynote
speaker for the 2002 Ecumenical Luncheon at Annual Conference in
Louisville, Ky.

Enns' presentation, at 12 p.m. on July 2, will be titled, "The
Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence. Contributions from the
Historic Peace Churches." The event is sponsored by the General
Board's Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR). Tickets are
available through the Annual Conference office, at 800-323-8039 or
at www.brethren.org/ac.

Applications for CIR's annual ecumenical award are also still being
accepted; details are available at www.brethren.org/genbd/CIR.

 9) Easter will be celebrated in Christian communities around the
world this weekend, including those communities that are part of
the global family of the Church of the Brethren.

Felix Arias, who is serving as moderator for the Brethren in the
Dominican Republic this year, sent this Easter message to the US
church: "We would like to be transcultural by identifying ourselves
with one another regardless of our language, race or, culture
because Jesus gave us the example of being transcultural and
accepting all cultures who are subject to God's Word. An example is
the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman."

Arias, who will be attending Annual Conference this summer, said
Easter is celebrated in the Dominican Church of the Brethren
congregations without a lot of fanfare and ritual, but many
churches have a full-day retreat set aside to gather at the church
for prayer, singing, Bible study, fasting, preaching, and worship.
Some churches focus on the seven last words of Christ and have a
worship focusing on that message on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.

In Nigeria, General Board mission co-coordinator John Tubbs says
the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria) celebrates Easter "pretty much as we do it in the (US)
Church of the Brethren."

"There will be Thursday love feast in all the churches. They might
start as early as 4 p.m.," he says. "The preaching points will
celebrate love feast on a different day because the church leader
will not be ordained, and they will have to wait for the pastor to
come and officiate the service."

Tubbs add that many of the churches will have a combined service on
Easter as they do on other special days, rather than having a
separate English service and Hausa service. 

General Board Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney sent
Easter greetings to all the denomination's international mission
partners this week on behalf of the US church, suggesting that
greetings from each group could be shared in the respective Easter
services.

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. Keith Hollenberg and Mary Dulabaum contributed to
this report. 

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