wfn.org | Church of the Brethren Newsline for Nov. 7, 2003

[COBNews@aol.com]

Newsline	 Nov. 7, 2003

"O sing unto the Lord a new song." Ps. 98:1a

NEWS
 1) Bethany board examines bylaws, tuition rates at fall meeting.
 2) Church of the Brethren/Brethren Church anniversary committees
hold joint meeting. 
 3) Dr. Haruun Ruun to receive 2003 Raoul Wallenberg Award.
 4) Three Disaster Child Care projects open in southern California.
 5) Emergency Disaster Fund sends aid to flood recovery in Indiana.
 6) Youth ministry workshop puts priority on intergenerational
involvement. 
 7) Large Brethren group joins rally, march in Washington, D.C.
 8) Annual Conference introduces online registration, other new
features.
 9) Church of the Brethren joins letter against "Clear Skies"
initiative.
10) BBT shareholder advocacy efforts aid coffee farmers.
11) Brethren bits: Workcamps, Brethren Colleges Abroad, and more.

***************************************************************
 
 1) The Bethany Theological Seminary Board of Trustees heard
centennial plans and set tuition rates as it gathered for its
semi-annual meeting Oct. 24-26 in Richmond, Ind.

New to the board were Phill Carlos Archbold, York, Pa.; Frances
Beam, Charlotte, N.C.; Raymond Donadio, Greenville, Ohio; and
Phillip C. Stone Jr., Harrisonburg, Va. New staff Stephen Breck
Reid, academic dean; Leland Flora, director of admissions; Amy Gall
Ritchie, director of student development; and Pam Alexander,
administrative assistant to the deans, were also introduced.

In its business, the board approved a 3.85 percent tuition increase
for the 2004-2005 academic year; recognized the Susquehanna Valley
Satellite's 10th anniversary; and noted that work has begun on
Bethany's next self-study in preparation for accreditation renewal,
and for the seminary's 2006-2010 strategic plan. The board gathered
with the wider seminary and church community to celebrate Reidbs
installation as dean.

The Executive Committee recommended revisions of Bethany's bylaws
to incorporate organizational and nomenclature changes, and
encouraged each committee to develop a "job" description for that
committee's work to assist in the orientation of new board members.

In committee reports:
*The Institutional Advancement Committee gave an update on plans
for Bethany's centennial celebration July 2004 to October 2005, and
on the launch of the congregational phase of Bethany's financial
campaign, "Inspired by the Spirit * Educating for Ministry."

*The Student and Business Affairs Committee reported that the 2003
audit received from Battelle and Battelle an "unqualified opinion,"
the highest level achievable. Bethany's financial position has
improved significantly due to careful control of expenses, strong
support from congregations and individuals, and an improving
investment economy.

*The Academic Affairs Committee reported on the August start of
"Connections," Bethany's distributed education program, with 11
students, and on The Practices Project, administered by Russell
Haitch, director of the seminary's Institute for Ministry with
Youth and Young Adults. The project seeks to identify ways in which
essential Brethren practices, such as love feast, can bring
vitality to ministry with youth and young adults.

*The Recruitment and Student Development Committee discussed new
admissions and student development strategies with the new staff.

 2) Members of the anniversary committees of the Church of the
Brethren and The Brethren Church held a joint meeting at Ashland
(Ohio) Theological Seminary on Oct. 17. Most of the discussion
focused on plans for joint worship/historical services at the 300th
anniversary Annual Conferences to be held in Richmond, Va., in
July, 2008.

In addition, members of the Church of the Brethren Annual
Conference Anniversary Committee held intensive planning sessions
both before and after the joint meeting, concluding their work on
Oct. 19.

After first concentrating its efforts at gleaning and refining
suggestions for anniversary events, the committee now is proceeding
with specific plans to prepare and carry out a large number of
anniversary-related projects. These include congregational
resources, anniversary publications, curricula, artistic creations
(especially in music), and special meetings.

The committee spent a major block of time narrowing the choices for
the anniversary logo, with a final decision to be made at the next
meeting, Feb. 29 to March 2, 2004, in Elgin, Ill.

Because of the extraordinary length of its commitment (the
committee runs from 2000 to 2008), by prior agreement the
chairmanship of the committee will be circulated. Leadership was
thus transferred from Don Durnbaugh to Jeff Bach, while Rhonda
Pittman Gingrich continues as recorder.       

 3) Dr. Haruun Ruun, a member of the General Board Global Mission
Partnerships staff who serves as executive secretary of the New
Sudan Council of Churches in Africa, will receive the 2003 Spirit
of Raoul Wallenberg Award this weekend in Philadelphia.

The award, which is sponsored by the American Swedish Historical
Museum and carries a $5,000 cash prize, will be presented by Sweden
Crown Princess Victoria in a Nov. 8 ceremony. Haruun will present
the first Raoul Wallenberg Lecture the following day.

"This award surely belongs to us all in the continued efforts for
a just and lasting peace for the peoples of Sudan," Haruun wrote in
a letter. He and other staff work from offices in Nairobi, Kenya,
maintaining contact with the many Christian groups in war-torn
southern Sudan. The organization, formed in 1989, has helped to
broker several peace conferences and other efforts.

The Wallenberg Award is presented in alternating years to a person,
organization, or institution that "has done remarkable work in the
cause of human rights and to alleviate human suffering." It is
named for a World War II hero of peace and justice who helped to
combat the Holocaust in Hungary through his diplomatic post.

Haruun and fellow New Sudan Council of Churches staff member Merlyn
Kettering have been invited to be the featured speakers at the 2004
Annual Conference International Welcome Dinner in Charleston,
W.Va., next July.

 4) Church of the Brethren Disaster Child Care program volunteers
are serving at three locations in California affected by the past
month's massive wildfires.

Two of the locations are in San Diego County, at Ramona and Valley
Center. Child care was requested at the centers by the San Diego
County Health and Human Services Agency. Sylvia Trenton of La
Jolla, Calif., is serving as disaster project manager for the site.
Assistance had originally been requested for a shelter in the San
Diego suburb of La Mesa late last month, but volunteers were
ultimately not needed there.

The third active center is in San Bernardino, at an American Red
Cross Service Center set up at Orange Show Fairgrounds. Lorna Grow
of Dallas Center, Iowa, is the project manager.

The three child-care centers opened this past Monday, Nov. 3, with
18 volunteers serving about 65 children through Wednesday.
Additional volunteers remain on alert.

This latest response continues a busy autumn for Disaster Child
Care, based in New Windsor, Md. A large response followed Hurricane
Isabel in southern Virginia in late September and early October,
with 16 volunteers serving in six recovery centers in the Tidewater
region. A disaster response project may open in that area soon.

On Oct. 1, four members of the Critical Response Child Care team
(formerly CAIR), participated in an air drill in Seattle. The
volunteers provided child care to children whose family members
were recruited to participate in the emergency drill, sponsored by
Alaska and Frontier airlines. Setting up a Family Assistance Center
was part of the drill.

Another four volunteers served at the 9th annual National Air
Disaster Alliance/Foundation (NADA/F) event in Washington, D.C.,
Oct. 18-19. Child care was provided for children of victims'
families from the Sept. 11 attacks. NADA/F was founded to address
long-term and short-term challenges faced by those affected by air
tragedies.

Disaster Child Care volunteers also staffed a child-care center at
the annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction in Lebanon, Pa., in
September. Four other responses earlier this year involved 19
volunteers.

 5) Emergency Response/Service Ministries staff have requested an
allocation of $15,000 from the General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund to support the work of the Howard County Flood Recovery Team
in Indiana.

Record flooding impacted thousands of homes in the region in July,
hitting Howard County especially hard. The funds will be used to
provide building materials, furnace replacement, appliances, and
debris removal. It is the 24th grant made from the fund this year.

Robin Wentworth Mayer, pastor of Kokomo (Ind.) Church of the
Brethren, is serving on the recovery team's steering committee. 

 6) On a warm Nov. 1, 44 people from as far away as Ohio gathered
at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., to learn more
about Family-Based Youth Ministry. Well-known youth ministry author
and speaker Mark DeVries led the group in his high-energy style,
giving statistical information mixed with hands-on, practical
"how-to" youth ministry ideas. 

Family-Based Youth Ministry, DeVries said, is about moving young
people to mature Christian adulthood. To do that, he said, each
youth needs to have many adults (such as choir directors, youth
advisors, prayer partners, Sunday School teachers, pastor, etc.)
who know the youth and keep touching base with him or her.

In 15 minutes of brainstorming the group came up with more than 100
"program ideas," many of them new ideas that could be used to keep
youth groups active. But the real meat of youth ministry, DeVries
said, is empowering families and building on the intergenerational
connections that can be made during that active time.

The workshop was sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult
Ministries office. Videographer David Sollenberger of Annville,
Pa., will have a video of the workshop available in the near future
for youth pastors and other church leaders to use in training
workshops and/or parent meetings.
       

 7) Approximately 100 members of the Church of the Brethren
participated in a peaceful rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25.
Seeking to end the current war in Iraq and supporting the return of
US troops, between 10,000 and 20,000 individuals in all descended
upon the National Mall for the march and rally.

The rally remained peaceful, with speakers addressing the crowd
near the Washington Monument. Speakers included presidential
candidate Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Dutch-American
actor Viggo Mortensen.

The General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office helped
organize a visible Brethren presence at the event. After meeting at
the Washington City Church of the Brethren in the morning,
Witness/Washington Office staff led a march of Brethren
participants down Pennsylvania Avenue. Upon arriving at the rally
site, individuals made signs and posters with messages of peace.

The rally was followed by an organized march through downtown
Washington, past the White House and the Federal Trade Building,
and ending back at the Washington Monument. Brethren who attended
included a tour-bus load from Elizabethtown, Pa.; a group of
students from Manchester College in Indiana, led by Peace Studies
intern Heidi Gross; and individual church members from all along
the East Coast. 

 8) Annual Conference is moving its centuries-old institution
further into the 21st century with several new innovations made
possible by technology.

Pre-registration of non-delegates will be available for the first
time via a new, online registration system. Brethren will be able
to pay for their registration, Conference booklet, age-group
program signups, and meal events by credit card, or by registering
online and sending a check. Annual Conference staff hope this will
reduce long registration lines on-site. Delegates will be
pre-registered online by Annual Conference office staff.

The primary distribution of this year's information packet in the
spring will also be done in a new way, with CD-ROMs being sent
through the "Source" mailing and by mail to others who normally
receive a packet. Designed to be "indexed and user-friendly," it
will allow printing of only the desired forms and fliers to reduce
the 122,000 pieces of paper previously needed to produce the
packet. The information packet will also be online, at
www.brethren.org/ac.

Churches and individuals without computer access may request a
print version instead. Those not on the "Source" list or
non-delegates who would like to receive the CD will be able to
order one from the Annual Conference office for $2 each to cover
postage and handling. 

 9) Church of the Brethren General Board general secretary Stan
Noffsinger is among those who have signed on to a letter from the
National Council of Churches (NCC) and the National Religious
Partnership for the Environment, responding to the Bush
administration's proposed "Clear Skies" initiative.

The proposal to Congress would "significantly sets back provisions
of the 1970 Clean Air Act," according to the NCC. The letter to
President George W. Bush expresses "grave moral concern" over this
most recent initiative and a pattern of similar attempts to weaken
environmental standards.

"A growing number of religious Americans have come to recognize a
solemn obligation to measure environmental policies against
biblically mandated standards for stewardship and justice," the
statement says. It cites scriptures from Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah,
and Amos while	noting particular dangers for the poor, senior
citizens, and children.

"The private use of creation's bounty must serve the needs of all
God's children," the letter says. "Yet we are concerned that
powerful corporate interests have had disproportionate influence in
shaping and reaping benefits from a clear air program which should
serve the common good."

It concludes by asking for an opportunity to meet in person and
discuss the concerns.

 10) Brethren Benefit Trust's shareholder advocacy efforts on
behalf of small-scale coffee farmers proved to be effective this
fall as Procter & Gamble announced that it would begin marketing a
Fair Trade Certified blend of coffee.

A shareholder resolution on which BBT was a co-filer was withdrawn
after Procter & Gamble, the largest seller of coffee in the US,
introduced Millstone's new Mountain Moonlight Fair Trade Certified
brand. The resolution had urged the corporation to review its
policies as they related to the effects the steep decline in coffee
prices has had on coffee farmers.

"Many farmers in developing countries who planted coffee in
response to encouragement from development agencies have been
devastated by low prices for their product," said Will Thomas,
BBT's director of Foundation Operations. "This will help double
their income."

Fair Trade Certified coffee is grown primarily on small family
farms that are part of democratically run cooperatives. Through
membership in the cooperatives, farmers are able to sell their
products at guaranteed prices, while the cooperatives in turn
invest in the community through housing programs, health clinics,
schools, women's programs, and scholarship programs, according to
a release from BBT.

Shareholders and advocacy groups had engaged Procter & Gamble in
discussions on the issue over the past two years. Last December, a
coalition of investors--including BBT--engaged the company in
dialog on the issue. In April, the coalition filed the shareholder
resolution.

The new Millstone Fair Trade Certified coffee is currently
available only online, at www.millstone.com, or by calling
800-729-5282. Cost for a 10-ounce bag is $8.99 plus shipping.
Coffee growers receive $1.26 per pound. The product will be
available on store shelves within a year if sales support it,
according to a company spokesman.

Additional information on Fair Trade Certified coffee and related
issues can be found at www.globalexchange.org and
www.fairtradecertified.org.

 11) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *New 2004 workcamp brochures from the General Board's Youth/Young
Adult Ministries office give details on the 23 junior high, senior
high, and young adult workcamps being offered next summer. The
theme for the summer is "Voices That Challenge," based on 1 Peter
4:11. Cindy Laprade and Beth Rhodes are serving as coordinators.
The brochures will be available at district offices, local
churches, or by calling the Youth/Young Adult office at
800-323-8039 (or e-mail cobyouth_gb@brethren.org). Details,
including registration materials, are also available online, at
www.brethren.org/genbd/yya/workcamps. Registration for workcamps
will begin on Dec. 1. 

 *This Sunday, Nov. 9, is designated National Donor Sabbath.
Details are available at www.brethren.org/abc.

 *On Nov. 14, Manchester College (North Manchester, Ind.) will
break ground on a $17 million science center. The center, more than
10 years in planning and fund development, will not carry debt. The
college will pay cash from the support of alumni, friends, faculty,
and the Lilly Endowment Inc. It will be built next to the campus'
library and is expected to be ready for students in July 2005. The
current science building will be used by other academic areas. 

 *Brethren Colleges Abroad this month is sponsoring a tour by
MacArthur Fellow Ferenc Miszlivetz, a leading figure in the
democratic opposition movement in Hungary during the 1980s, as part
of its 2003 Peace and Justice Lecture Series. Miszlivetz will
deliver a lecture entitled "Alternative Futures of Europe and
Euro-Atlantic Relations" at Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa., at 7
p.m. Nov. 11; at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College at 7 p.m. Nov. 13; at
Bridgewater (Va.) College at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 18; and at Manchester
College, North Manchester, Ind., at 5 p.m. Nov. 20.  

 *Correction: Due to incorrect information supplied to Newsline,
the recent appointment of Nelda Rhoades Clarke was misidentified.
Clarke was affirmed by the General Board Executive Committee as a
National Council of Churches representative.

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, director 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, Gerry Godfrey, Bryan Hissong, Ralph
McFadden, Helen Stonesifer, and Judy Pehrson contributed to this
report.

Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a
subscription. To receive it by e-mail, or to unsubscribe, write
cobnews@aol.com or call 800-323-8039, ext. 263. Newsline is
available at www.brethren.org and is archived with an index at
www.wfn.org. Also see Photo Journal at
www.brethren.org/pjournal/index.htm for photo coverage of events.