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Date: July 5, 2002
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Reports from Annual Conference in Louisville.
     a) Delegates tackle heavy agenda of controversial items.
     b) New leaders are called out for numerous offices.
     c) Worship provides inspirational moments.
     d) Conference says "thank you" to Duane Steiner.
 2) General Board holds summer meeting with focus on finances.
 3) International Brethren leaders come together to share.
 4) Brethren bits: CCS, meetings, and more.

PERSONNEL
 5) Camp Eder seeks executive director.

COMING EVENTS
 6) Youth, advisors prepare to descend on Colorado for NYC.

****************************************************************
 
 1) Reports from the 216th Church of the Brethren Annual
Conference, held June 29 to July 3 in Louisville:

 a) The 2002 Annual Conference agenda was full to overflowing and
included some contentious issues. Moderator Paul Grout called on
the assembly to seek a spirit of unity and speak with Christ-like
attitudes and respect, and delegates largely did so.

Grout noted in Standing Committee meetings and again in the main
business sessions that the confluence of business items this year
was notable. While delegates tackled controversial items such as
the licensing and ordination of homosexuals and dialog on the
denomination's name, the agenda also included a resolution on
healing broken relations with the Brethren Church and a call to a
renewed emphasis on prayer.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that these are coming to us now,"
Grout said. "I begged us to get down on our knees, and now we're
being driven down to our knees."

Grout used ashes as a symbol of seeking this repentance, inviting
Conferencegoers to sprinkle themselves with them at Saturday's
worship, and pouring them over his own head as business began.

Still, long lines of Brethren went to the microphones to debate
discussion on the denomination's name, and the query on the
ordination and licensing of homosexual persons. Both votes narrowly
received the needed margin for approval--a majority on the
denominational name, and a two-thirds majority for the ordination
and licensings of homosexuals.

A five-person study committee of Ben Barlow, Jeff Carter, Alberto
Gonzalez, Shawn Kirchner, and Shirley McCracken Spire will promote
"a denomination-wide dialogue" on the denomination's name and
report back to Conference in 2003.

On the homosexuality query, delegates approved Standing Committee's
recommendation to affirm the 1983 Human Sexuality paper and state
that "it is inappropriate to license or ordain to the Christian
ministry any persons who are known to be engaging in homosexual
practices" and not recognize such licensings or ordinations. Dozens
of Brethren stood during part of the closing worship service on
Wednesday as a silent protest against the decision.

Delegates gave strong majorities to adopting guidelines on
continuing education and sabbath rest for ministers, and
unanimously and enthusiastically gave formal approval to a
resolution repenting of stubborness and brokenness in relationships
with the Brethren Church of Ashland, Ohio.

The unified vote brought a spontaneous round of applause. Delegate
Paul Steiner of Mountville, Pa., who holds joint ordination in the
Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church, said "This is a
grand day!" 

Unity was not found, however, as debate on a General Board
recommendation on India relationships came to the floor as the
final item on the agenda Wednesday morning. The paper recommended
working with two groups in India--maintaining the denomination's
partnership with the Church of North India while also seeking to
build relationships with Brethren who have separated from CNI and
wish for separate recognition.

Long lines again quickly formed at the microphones, but with time
running down a delegate rose to a point of privilege and moved to
lay the item on the table for further study. The motion received
the necessary majority, and the India recommendation was tabled. No
additional timeline or directive was given.

Some additional controversy arose during the week when Grout began
business by lamenting the presence of a large US flag hanging at
the back of the main hall, contrasting it with the Annual
Conference logo banner at the front of the hall. "I don't face that
banner," Grout said. "I face another banner, and I'm not sure quite
what to do. I find myself in conflict even as we begin. . . . When
we focus on the kingdom of God, these become confusing symbols."

Grout said that the convention center declined a request to take it
down, but he would later consider a motion to "suspend business
until that symbol is gone" if the holiness and attitude of the
Conference demanded it. Later in the week, Grout apologized if his
comments about the flag had offended anyone and asked for a time of
silence and prayer, saying he was speaking from a precedent set by
then-moderator Dan West at a Louisville Conference in the 1960s and
by what Grout hoped was God's leading. No motion came to suspend
business or remove the flag, and it remained hanging all week.

Business sessions opened with a time of humor and comedy to help
lighten the heavy mood of the Conference, including a look at
characteristics of "You Might Be a Brethren If. . .," as well as
with songs and prayer to call the body to spiritual centering and
discernment. 

Numerous reports were also heard from Annual Conference agencies,
ecumenical bodies, and other groups.

Standing Committee gave a recap of its meetings this week, and
shared an update from the Annual Conference Council that included
consideration of a request from New Life Ministries for
reportability to Annual Conference. The council "was not of one
mind" according to secretary Cathy Huffman, and did not reach any
decision. They will discuss the matter again in August.

Among other reports, Annual Conference Program & Arrangements
Committee announced Cleveland, Ohio, as the 2007 Annual Conference
site; the Pastoral Compensation & Benefits Advisory Committee
recommended a 1.2 percent increase to the pastoral scale for 2003,
which was approved; and the Annual Conference 300th Anniversary
Committee announced a theme for the 2008 Conference; "Surrendered
to God, Transformed by Christ, Empowered by the Holy Spirit."

In other action, the delegate body:
 *affirmed a renewed emphasis on prayer in the denomination as an
answer to the Mid-Atlantic District query "A Call to Prayer," with
instruction that resources be developed and that one hour be set
aside at the 2003 Annual Conference for sharing on the blessings
prayer has brought over the past year;
 *asked the Annual Conference Council to "direct a revision and
update" to existing statements related to church moderators;
 *and approved updated discipleship and reconciliation polity that
calls for a "Shalom Team" model in districts and congregations,
with teams that will work at tasks of consulting, assessment,
educating, and mentoring.

 b) Delegates called Christopher Bowman of Curryville, Pa., pastor
of Martinsburg (Pa.) Memorial Church of the Brethren, as
moderator-elect when elections were held Monday.

Bowman will assist moderator Harriet Finney in the coming year as
Conference heads to Boise, Idaho, and will serve as moderator for
the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va.

Bowman, 39, is one of the youngest moderators elected in recent
years. He served as chair of the General Board in the mid-1990s,
charting the agency's course through its redesign process.

"I pray that God will provide me with a discerning and
understanding heart so that I might know how to carry out my duties
as a servant among the Church of the Brethren--this chosen and
beloved people of God," Bowman said.

Fred Swartz of Manassas, Va., was called as Conference secretary,
which will bring an end to his 23-year run as editor of the
Conference Journal information sheet, and Judy Epps of Runnells,
Iowa, was chosen as the new member of Program & Arrangements
Committee. 

Those elected to other offices were as follows:
 *General Board: At-large, Frank Ramirez; Northern Plains, Jeff
Neuman-Lee; Oregon/Washington, Janet Stutzman; Pacific Southwest,
Angela Lahman Yoder. (Warren Eshbach, chair; Donna Shumate, vice
chair; Glenn Mitchell, Jan Thompson, Merle Crouse, and Jill Best
were selected to Executive Committee during reorganization)
 *On Earth Peace board: Phil Jones (Brenda Wilkinson was re-elected
by OEP membership, and the appointment of Gilbert Bond was
affirmed) 
 *Association of Brethren Caregivers board: Brian S. Black,
Katherine Ramsey Melhorn (affirmation also came for appointed
members Wally Landes, Diane Harden, and Allegra Hess)
 *Bethany Theological Seminary board: representing colleges, Carol
A. Scheppard; representing the ministry, Marla Bieber Abe.
 *Brethren Benefit Trust board: Harry S. Rhodes (BBT Pension Plan
members elected Steve Mason to represent the agencies, and Richard
Pogue was appointed with Conference affirmation).    
 *Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee: Manny Diaz
 *Committee on Interchurch Relations: Michael Hostetter
 *Standing Committee elected Jim Myer, Kathy Hess, Harold Yeager,
and Jim Beckwith to its Nominating Committee, joining four
continuing members.

 c) Daily worship services were once again a highlight of Annual
Conference, as those gathered filled the hall with songs of praise
ranging from old favorites in four-part harmony to modern praise
songs.

Conference worship began dramatically with a strong call to
repentance and community by Paul Grout, who opened by putting
together a cross. "I understand still that I am crucifying Jesus in
my life," he said. He then challenged the present-day, North
American church in many areas, bemoaning its focus on issues, its
tendency toward isolationism, its tendency to be stuck in the past,
its arrogance, and its desperate need for repentance. "The North
American church is in trouble, make no mistake. The kingdom of God
is not," Grout said. 

Preachers throughout the week continued to call the Brethren to a
deeper, truer commitment to Christ.

Gene Roop, president of Bethany Theological Seminary, preached that
the church must sing two songs, one which expresses fear and a
second that takes the church beyond fear into victory. "We as a
church have two songs to sing, two songs to pray," he said. "We
know fear . . . but we do not know fear alone, for we live in a
body, the body of Christ." A powerful anthem by the choir featuring
soloist Erin Matteson highlighted the musical offerings, drawing a
loud ovation.

Valentina Satvedi, pastor of South Bay Community congregation,
spoke of the importance of being true to who we are called to be as
people living in the kingdom of God. She urged everyone to not just
"do the work of the kingdom, but to be the kingdom." 

An ecumenical guest, noted United Methodist author and pastor Dr.
Tex Sample, spoke Tuesday night on "The Upside-Down Kingdom." He
spoke in a down-home, easygoing style, lifting up the story of
God's kingdom as "the ultimate story of the world," and called the
denomination to live as people of God committed to nonviolence. He
used stories from his years in the South and images including
baseball and pickups. A choir of Conference children opened worship
with energetic songs. 

Grout and Emily Shonk Edwards led the closing worship, emphasizing
a theme of coming home. Grout used several works of art as
illustrations and talked about his own childhood and family. He
expressed the pain that some have felt in being excluded and said,
"You see, my invitation to this table . . ., your invitation to the
table is not dependent on the grace of others." He closed by
inviting people to the communion table, urging Brethren that "we
must come out and invite one another to the table."

Program & Arrangements Committee member Marla Bieber Abe of Akron,
Ohio, served as worship coordinator this year, and Andrew Wright,
pastor of the New Carlisle (Ohio) congregation, was a late fill-in
as music coordinator after scheduled coordinator Tony Leach had to
withdraw.

 d) For 10 years, the steady hand of Annual Conference executive
director Duane Steiner has guided the yearly meeting of the Church
of the Brethren through both the storm and the calm. Monday
afternoon in Louisville, old friends and new ones filed through a
reception to thank Steiner for his service and wish him well in
retirement.

Phill Carlos Archbold, moderator of the 2001 Conference in
Baltimore, admired Steiner's ability to accomplish whatever task he
was asked to take on.

"He had the administrative and organizing skills to get it done,"
said Archbold. "You could say X-Y-Z to Brother Duane, and he did
it. . . . He loves the church, he believes in it, and he took his
job as administrator as a ministry. He worked behind the scenes for
the Lord, and I'm glad he did, and I was blessed to work with him."
New General Board chair Warren Eshbach of Thomasville, Pa., called
Steiner "a class act." 

"He has brought diplomacy, administrative skills, graciousness and
congeniality to this position," Eshbach said. "He always spoke with
grace and kindness."

Steiner, a member of the York Center Church of the Brethren in
Lombard, Ill., will continue to work through November and will be
joined in October by his successor, Lerry Fogle of Frederick, Md.
Fogle officially assumes the duties of executive director in
December.

 2) Prior to Annual Conference, the Church of the Brethren General
Board and its Executive Committee held meetings in Louisville to
look at finances, welcome international guests, and care for other
business.

The largest block of time went to financial matters, with chief
financial officer/treasurer Judy Keyser and controller Dennis
Kingery raising a "yellow light" for the next few years. The
General Board is running a deficit so far this year, but staff said
the overall picture for 2002 still looks good.

In 2003, however, the challenges begin. A 2003 budget was presented
using one-time funds to "patch" some ongoing expenses. The board
approved budget parameters of $5,655,000 for the General Ministries
Fund--not including self-funding programs and special-purpose
funds--for 2003, the first time since 1998 that the parameters were
reduced from one year to the next.

The moves forestall more serious concerns to 2004 and 2005, when a
combined deficit of more than $700,000 is projected if things
remain unchanged. Annual salary and benefit increases, skyrocketing
medical insurance premiums, and other effects of inflation on
ongoing expenses are causing the crunch. 

The board expects to address the issue as it continues its
comprehensive planning process over the next 18 months, setting
priorities and focus areas. Board members gave formal approval to
vision and mission statements and a list of core values at the
meeting. The vision statement says, "The General Board envisions a
dynamic Church of the Brethren doing the work of Jesus in the
world."

The board also held a commissioning service for its anti-racism
team, which will work in the denomination under the Brethren
Witness office in an "intentiontal process of dismantling racism
wherever it exists in the body of Christ known as the Church of the
Brethren."

Five outgoing General Board members, including chair Don Parker and
vice chair Christy Waltersdorff, were honored for their service,
and a citation was presented to Jerry and Becky Baile Crouse as
they completed their term of service as mission coordinators in the
Dominican Republic.

In other business, the board heard several updates on General Board
ministries, welcomed international Brethren leaders, changed fall
2003 General Board meeting dates to Oct. 18-21 in Elgin, Ill., and
dedicated the General Board exhibit in the Annual Conference
exhibit hall.

 3) For the first time, representatives of international Church of
the Brethren bodies gathered together and reflected on the global
identity of the Church of the Brethren.

Called together by Merv Keeney, director of the Board's Global
Mission Partnerships office, the group gathered at the General
Offices in Elgin, Ill., June 24-25. International participants
included Toma Ragnjiya, president of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria,
and his wife, Kwanye; Marcos Inhauser, president of the Igreja da
Irmandade in Brazil; and Felix Arias, moderator of Iglesia de los
Hermanos in the Dominican Republic.

Also at the table to listen and reflect were a small group of US
participants: Warren Eshbach, John Braun, Galen Hackman, James
Miller, Bradley Bohrer, and Carol Mason Page, as well as mission
staff Nadine Monn and Janis Pyle. The group emphasized the need for
a forum to continue to build relationship and partnership.

The international leaders were also present for Annual Conference
in Louisville, bringing greetings and sharing their stories at
several events during the week.

 4) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *The theme has been announced for next year's national Church of
the Brethren youth Christian Citizenship Seminar, to be held May
3-8 in New York and Washington, D.C. Youth will examine the topic
"It's a Small World After All," focusing on globalization and
related issues. Registrations will be due by April 1, 2003, or when
100 registrations have been received. Cost is $300. The event is
sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry office. 

 *Church of the Brethren minister David Young of Ephrata, Pa., has
authored a chapter titled "Foresight, the Lead that the Leader Has"
in the new anthology "Focus on Leadership: Servant Leadership for
the 21st Century" edited by Larry Spears and Michele Lawrence.
Young is currently interim pastor at the Hatfield (Pa.)
congregation.

 
 5) Camp Eder, a year-round, 400-acre Church of the Brethren camp
and retreat center in Fairfield, Pa., is seeking a full-time
executive director. 

Qualifications include being a Christian with a growing faith and
a heart for evangelism, an understanding and acceptance of Church
of the Brethren values, a passion for outdoor ministry, ability to
implement the master site plan and strategic vision plan as
directed by the camp board, a bachelor's degree or equivalent
life/work experience, and capability and enthusiasm for
interpreting the mission and vision of the camp to area
congregations and beyond.     

Previous administration and camping experience is preferred, along
with strong fiscal, management, and communication skills.   

To apply, send letter of interest and resume to:  Nancy F. Knepper,
Office of District Ministries, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120.
Applicants are requested to provide letters of professional
reference from three or four people. Upon receipt of a resume, the
candidate will be sent an application which must be completed and
returned before the application is considered complete. Application
deadline is Sept. 3.

 6) More than 4,200 youth, advisors, and staff will travel to Fort
Collins, Colo., over the next week and half for National Youth
Conference at Colorado State University beginning July 16-21.

Many participants are heading out days before the actual event, as
district buses hit other stops of Brethren and/or tourist interest
along the way. Others are flying or driving in personal vehicles.

Once there, participants will be exploring the theme "For Such a
Time as This" in a variety of ways, including twice-daily worship
services, small-group sessions, workshops, service projects, and
off-site trips, along with recreation, exhibits, and late-night
activity options.

Main worship speakers for the week will be 2002 moderator Paul
Grout, widely known author/speaker Tony Campolo, General Board
Brethren Witness director David Radcliff, Dominican Republic
mission co-coordinator Becky Baile Crouse, Mennonite comedians Ted
& Lee; Brethren ministers Susan Boyer, Deanna Brown, Jimmy Diaz,
and Jim Myer; and winners of the youth speech contest.

Jeff Carter, Jim Chinworth, Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, and Bonnie
Kline Smeltzer are serving as worship coordinators for NYC, and
Joseph Helfrich and Shawn Kirchner as music coordinators. Shawn
Replogle will lead Bible study sessions through the week. Brethren
Volunteer Service workers Becky Ullom, Luke Croushorn, and David
Young are the NYC 2002 coordinators.

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. Angie Mountain, Eric Miller, Danielle Hart, and
Kathleen Campanella contributed to this report.

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