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Date: Dec. 19, 2003
Contact: Walt Wiltschek
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

NEWS
 1) Annual Conference announces 2004 preachers, worship leaders.
 2) BBT board finalizes credit union sponsorship, sets strategic
plan. 
 3) Emergency Disaster Fund grants aid projects in US and abroad.
 4) Korea delegation delivers aid, joins in peace conference.
 5) Brethren Press gains partner for children's curriculum project.
 6) Ecumenical Stewardship Center event explores "asset-based"
thinking.
 7) Brethren bits: Brief news and updates.

PERSONNEL
 8) ABC board calls Kathy G. Reid as next executive director
 9) Beth Sollenberger Morphew resigns as Area 2 Congregational Life
Team coordinator.
10) Brethren Academy seeks "Sustaining Pastoral Excellence"
coordinator.
11) On Earth Peace seeks a development coordinator.
12) On Earth Peace seeks program coordinator for Ministry of
Reconciliation.

****************************************************************
 
 1) Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee has
announced the lineup of preachers and worship leaders for the 2004
Conference, to be held July 3-7 in Charleston, W.Va.

Moderator Christopher Bowman, pastor of Martinsburg (Pa.) Memorial
Church of the Brethren, will deliver the message for the opening
service Saturday evening, with moderator-elect Jim Hardenbrook,
pastor of Nampa (Idaho), serving as worship leader.

Other preachers during the week will be Bethany Theological
Seminary faculty member Dena Pence Frantz on Sunday morning; James
Washington, pastor of Faith Center Fellowship, Whitehouse, Texas,
on Monday; Tim Button-Harrison, co-pastor of the Ivester
congregation, Grundy Center, Iowa, on Tuesday; and Juniata College
(Huntingdon, Pa.) Baker Institute director Andrew Murray at the
closing service Wednesday morning.

Worship leaders for those services are Nancy Fitzgerald of
Nokesville (Va.) Church of the Brethren on Sunday; Sonja Griffith
of First Central Church of the Brethren, Kansas City, Kan., on
Monday; Bethany student Jim Buckles on Tuesday; and Paul Roth of
the Linville Creek congregation, Broadway, Va., on Wednesday.

Choir director Jesse Hopkins of Bridgewater (Va.) College and music
coordinator Scott Duffey of Westminster (Md.) Church of the
Brethren were previously announced. Jonathan Emmons of Rocky Mount,
Va., will serve as organist and Robin Mundey of Frederick, Md., as
keyboard player. Program & Arrangements Committee member Judy Epps
of Runnels, Iowa, is the worship coordinator this year.

 2) In a significant move toward the establishment of a Church of
the Brethren credit union for all denominational members and their
families, the Brethren Benefit Trust board in November approved
becoming the sponsor organization of Brethren Employees' Credit
Union (BECU).

By approving a comprehensive business plan that outlines the
sponsorship role and goals during its Nov. 21-22 meetings in
McPherson, Kan., the board also agreed to infuse BECU with $250,000
of capital to help increase the size of the credit union over the
next five years.

BBT's sponsorship role, approved in October by the BECU board, is
expected to be ratified in early 2004 by BECU members during the
credit union's annual meeting. This step will increase the
partnership relationship between BBT and BECU that was established
in early October when the organizations signed an agreement for BBT
to serve as BECU's third-party administrator (TPA). This TPA
agreement calls for BBT to assume all credit union staff and office
responsibilities beginning April 1.

BBT's sponsorship of the credit union will give the financial
organization official Annual Conference status within the
denomination, opening the door for expansion of its charter to
include all Church of the Brethren members. Dennis Kingery has been
hired to fill BBT's newly created director of Credit Union
Operations position beginning Feb. 15.

The BBT board also adopted the basic structure of a strategic plan
to guide the agency's major initiatives within the context of its
mission and vision statements over the next five years. The plan
focuses on seven priorities that support the well-being of the
Church of the Brethren, its agencies, employees, and members. 

Some of the work included in the plan began earlier this year, with
the Brethren Medical Plan's introduction of the Congregational
Employee Plan in January, changes in the financing of pension
benefits, and a relationship with Brethren Employees' Credit Union
being established in October. "I see an evolution in our services,"
said board chair Dick Pogue.

In other business:
*As health-care costs continue to rise, Brethren Medical Plan staff
said they continue to explore ways to keep insurance premium
increases at a minimum. Insurance Plans director Jeff Garber
reported that in light of the significant increase in premium
Brethren Medical Plan members are receiving for 2004, a
restructuring of benefit options may be necessary. One possibility
being investigated is offering a health reimbursement arrangement
(HRA) in conjunction with a high-deductible option through the
Congregational Employee Plan. 

*The board approved a housing allowance exclusion of up to 100
percent of gross income for ministers who receive a long-term
disability benefit, and a housing allowance exclusion of up to 100
percent of total retirement compensation for retired ministers,
including those who receive a Church Workers Assistance Plan grant.

*The board approved an Investment Committee recommendation that
there be no 13th check issued to annuitants in 2003, due to the
continued impact poor stock market returns have had on the
Retirement Benefits Fund since 2000.

*Pension Plan director Don Fecher reported that the Plan
Participants' Handbook, revised every five years, has been
completed and will soon be mailed to all current plan members.
The "A" and "B" designations for Pension Plan accounts not yet
annuitized was implemented on July 1. The "A" accounts for
accumulations prior to July 1, 2003, will continue to use an 8
percent interest rate, while "B" accounts for accumulations July 1
and thereafter will use a market rate assumed earnings factor,
currently 6 percent.

*The board approved a lump-sum Supplemental Income for Equitable
Annuitants grant of $131,159 to be distributed among eligible
retired lay employees of the General Board.

*The Investment Committee reported that the first three quarters of
performance for all of BBT's fund managers, who are charged with
investing the approximately $340 million in Pension and Foundation
monies that BBT manages, were exceeding their industry benchmarks.
"We've done well so far," said Gail Habecker, committee chair.

*The board approved a 2004 expense budget of $2,625,875 (with a net
of $100,000 in Credit Union TPA revenue and $20,000 in other
revenue), as compared to budgeted expenses in 2003 of $2,545,000.
In addition, the board approved $348,250 for Credit Union grants
and BBT capital expenditures.

*The board and attending staff traveled to Buckeye, Kan., to visit
the offices and meet with staff and board members of Mutual Aid
Association, with whom BBT has collaborated on Annual Conference
exhibits and other activities over the past few years.

The BBT board next meets April 17-18 in Elgin, Ill.

 3) Five new grants from the General Board's Emergency Disaster
Fund were approved in recent weeks, sending more than $50,000 in
aid domestically and abroad.

The largest of the grants is for $20,000 and will support the
Church World Service Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Recovery
(STAR) program. STAR responds to the needs of clergy and lay
leadership who are impacted by grief, anxiety, and trauma while
serving in the wake of disaster or terrorism.

The program arose following the Sept. 11 response, aimed at
building the religious community's ability to respond to such
incidents. STAR is coordinated through Eastern Mennonite University
of Harrisonburg, Va., which offers a Conflict Transformation
Program. A pair of $1 million grants from Church World Service
(CWS) have funded the STAR effort. General Board staff and board
members will undergo the training this March.

Another of the new Emergency Disaster Fund grants, for $15,000,
will support a CWS appeal for disaster response in the African
nation of Kenya. Flooding in the region this past fall caused 77
deaths and displaced more than 60,000 people. The funds will be
used to help provide food and other assistance to more than 10,000
people who were affected.

A $10,000 grant will send continued support for CWS' recovery and
rehabilitation work in Afghanistan. CWS has a long-standing
presence in the region and has developed new programs in response
to more recent needs. The funds will help rebuild homes, refurbish
and re-supply schools, and provide means of income for the
homeless.

A fourth grant is for $5,000 and will provide additional aid for
southern California, which was ravaged by wildfires in October. The
funds will assist with long-term recovery through Church World
Service, focusing especially on minority and uninsured communities.
A grant made in October provided support for a Disaster Child Care
response in the region. 

The final allocation, for $2,000, will support a Church World
Service appeal for flood recovery work in northwestern Washington
state. A record rainfall on saturated ground in November damaged or
destroyed hundreds of homes. The funds will aid long-term recovery
efforts.

A total of 33 grants have now been made from the fund this year,
totaling nearly $450,000.

 4) General Board Global Mission Partnerships executive director
Merv Keeney joined National Council of Churches (NCC) general
secretary Bob Edgar, Church World Service (CWS) executive director
John L. McCullough, and four others in a delegation to North Korea
and South Korea in mid-November.

The delegation reported a productive trip, delivering humanitarian
aid in North Korea, visiting the Demilitarized Zone between the two
nations, meeting with church and government leaders, worshipping in
several churches, and participating in two conferences in South
Korea. The visit culminated a year-long effort by the NCC and CWS
to address political tensions and severe humanitarian needs in the
region.

The delegation oversaw distribution of 132,000 pounds of refined
wheat flour--donated by CWS with the support of member
denominations--in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. "Without
the benefit of international aid, North Korea simply cannot feed
its population," McCullough noted. The General Board's Global Food
Crisis Fund has a regular supporter of North Korea famine relief
efforts.

In the South, the group participated in the Korea Peace Forum and
a special assembly of the National Council of Churches in Korea.
The delegation issued a six-point statement urging congregations to
be engaged in the Korean situation, calling for stronger
connections with the Christian community on the Korean peninsula,
and asking for "a clear US statement in favor of a peaceful
resolution to the tensions on the peninsula," along with generous
giving toward the humanitarian needs in the North.

Photos of the trip and other links are available at
www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission. A more detailed article on
the visit will appear in the January-February issue of Messenger. 

 5) Brethren Press has secured an important partner as it moves
forward with plans to develop a new Anabaptist children's
curriculum for use in Sunday school classes and other Christian
education programs.

Mennonite Publishing Network (formerly Mennonite Publishing House),
which represents Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada,
has agreed to join the effort as a cooperative publisher. The first
joint development meeting was held last month.

Plans call for the new curriculum to be launched in fall 2006. It
will succeed the highly successful "Jubilee: God's Good News"
curriculum, which has been in use for more than a decade. Brethren
Press publisher Wendy McFadden says the new curriculum will "build
on the best of 'Jubilee' " while strengthening the church-home
connection and meeting the needs of teachers who often have minimal
training and little time to prepare.

With the new commitment from the Mennonites, Brethren Press has
been able to extend the contract of curriculum project editor Anna
Speicher through the end of 2004. Speicher initially agreed to a
two-month contract earlier this fall. Brethren Press continues to
work at securing additional funding for the project.

 6) Asset-based thinking and community exploration formed the focus
of this year's Ecumenical Stewardship Center winter leadership
seminar, which had as its theme "Enough! Toward the Uncluttered
Life." The conference was held Dec. 2-5 in San Antonio.

The winter event is one of several stewardship-related conferences
sponsored each year by the center, of which the Church of the
Brethren is a partner. General Board Congregational Life Team
member Beth Sollenberger Morphew serves on the organization's
board. 

Cincinnati Baptist pastor Damon Lynch III delivered an
opening-night address in which he outlined ways to build
communities by identifying the assets of those who are part of
them. "Use what you have," Lynch said. "Every child of God has a
gift in either head, hands, or heart. . . . The key to community
development and church development and human development is
uncovering the gifts that God has given us."

That approach was explored hands-on through a "River Trek"
experience that took participants to a variety of community
agencies living out asset-based thinking in San Antonio, one of the
nation's poorest cities. 

Other speakers at the event were Luther Snow of the Congregational
Asset Mapping Project; Presbyterian minister and social worker
Lyndon Whybrew; and Canada School of Theology professor Grace
Ji-Sun Kim. Denominational dinners were held one evening, and local
vocal arts ensemble SAVAE provided a concert on another night.

The center's next major event is the North American Conference on
Christian Philanthropy, to be held April 28-30 in St. Louis, Mo.
Details are at www.stewardshipresources.org.

 7) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
 *Howard Royer, recently retired as director of Interpretation for
the General Board, has agreed to serve as manager of the agency's
Global Food Crisis Fund on a part-time contract basis. Royer, who
lives in Elgin, Ill., has given five decades of services to the
General Board and has served on the Global Food Crisis Fund grants
committee.  

 *Linetta (Alley) Ballew was called as program director for
Brethren Woods, the Church of the Brethren camp in Shenandoah
District, effective Dec. 1. She is a graduate of Bridgewater (Va.)
College and a member of Bridgewater Church of the Brethren.

 *A shareholder resolution was filed with the Dow Chemical Company
late last month on behalf of Brethren Benefit Trust, which owns
$330,000 worth of stock in the company, according to a report from
OneWorld.net. BBT in the resolution asked for Dow to describe what
it has done to address lingering concerns of an estimated 120,000
to 150,000 people left chronically ill by a gas leak at the Union
Carbide pesticide factory in India in 1984.

 8) The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board has
announced that Kathy G. Reid will become the agency's next
executive director beginning Jan. 5. Reid assumes the role
following the completion of Steve Mason's service on Dec. 31.

Prior to joining ABC, Reid was executive director of Texas Homeless
Network, a statewide agency based in Austin. During her seven years
with the network, Reid helped the organization grow from a staff of
one and budget of $42,000 to a staff of 15 and budget of $300,000.
In addition to this work, Reid served as part-time pastor for
Austin Mennonite Church--a congregation she founded in 1990--and as
associate staff in a United Methodist congregation.

Reid has previous involvement with caring ministries of the Church
of the Brethren, with service on a Conditions of Childhood Task
Group that dealt with the welfare of children in the United States
and on the Brethren Health and Welfare Council of ABC. In 1989, she
co-wrote the curriculum "Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Ages 9-12"
with Marie M. Fortune. In 1994, she wrote a related curriculum,
"Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Ages 5-8."

"I'm very excited about Kathy coming to ABC as executive director,"
says Bentley Peters, ABC board chair. "I think she brings great
experience and energy to ABC and the denomination. She is the right
person to build on our history, augment our present, and help ABC
continue to provide caregiving ministries and services to the
Church of the Brethren."

Reid is an ordained minister in both the Church of the Brethren and
Mennonite Church USA. She earned a bachelor's degree from
Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind.; a master's of education
from Georgia State University; and a master's of divinity from The
Pacific School of Religion.

She and her husband, Steve Reid, recently moved to Richmond, Ind.,
where Steve serves as academic dean and professor of Old Testament
studies at Bethany Theological Seminary. The Reids' primary home
will remain in Richmond, but Kathy Reid's office and a residence
will be located in Elgin, Ill., where ABC's offices are located.

 9) Beth Sollenberger Morphew has announced her resignation as
coordinator of the Area 2 (Midwest) Congregational Life Team
effective at the end of January 2004. She had served in the
position since July 1997. She previously served as director of
stewardship education for the General Board beginning in 1994 and
before that as pastor and associate pastor for several
congregations. 

Sollenberger Morphew, who lives in Goshen, Ind., leaves to accept
a call to pastor the Elkhart (Ind.) Valley Church of the Brethren
beginning Feb. 1. Her husband, Tim, is pastor of the Bethany
congregation in New Paris, Ind.

 10) The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is seeking a
coordinator for its new "Sustaining Pastoral Excellence" program.
The full-time position will work out of the main offices of the
Brethren Academy on the Bethany Theological Seminary campus in
Richmond, Ind., and will begin Apr. 1.

The person in the position will be responsible for providing
programmatic oversight and administrative leadership for
initiatives of the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs of the
academy. These will include overseeing participation of pastoral
leaders in the Vital Pastor program, assisting with implementation
of the Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership program, actively
recruiting participants, and collaborating with the academy
director on reporting and compliance with Lilly Endowment Inc.
grant award guidelines.

Candidates should be well-grounded in Church of the Brethren
heritage, theology, and polity; have a desire to serve Christ
through educational ministries of the Church of the Brethren; be
able to interpret the programs to constituencies; and possess
skills in administration, interpersonal relationships, and critical
thinking, as well as basic computer and Internet skills and
experience working with adult learners.

The preferred candidate will have a minimum of five years of
effective leadership in pastoral ministry, hold a Master of
Divinity degree, and be an ordained minister. Current membership in
the Church of the Brethren is required. The candidate must have a
record of regular participation in continuing education
experiences.

The Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs are supported through
a five-year grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. More information is
available online, at www.pastoralexcellence.org. 

A complete job description and further information about the
Sustaining Pastoral Excellence programs are available at
www.bethanyseminary.edu/pastoralexcellencemain.htm. For further
details, call 765-983-1824 or e-mail
pastoralexcellence@bethanyseminary.edu.
							       
To apply, send resume', letter of interest, and contact information
for three current references to: Jonathan Shively, Director,
Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, 615 National Road
West, Richmond, IN 47374. Review of applications will begin Feb. 1
and will continue until the position is filled.

 11) On Earth Peace is seeking a development coordinator to plan
and coordinate the agency's overall development program, in
consultation with the executive directors. The position is
available April 1 and may be part-time or full-time. Location is
negotiable.

Responsibilities include maintaining and expanding a comprehensive
program including individual and congregational donors, planned
gifts, grants, and other income sources; coordinating donor
contacts and contributions through visits, direct mail, and other
means; coordinating contacts with congregations and other
supporting groups; and assisting with interpretation of On Earth
Peace program.

Candidates should have a personal commitment to Christian
peacemaking, significant experience in fund-raising for non-profit
or church groups, strong written and oral communication skills,
excellent organizational ability, computer skills, a willingness to
travel, and a familiarity with Church of the Brethren beliefs and
practices. A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is
required.

Review of applications will begin Feb. 13, continuing until
position is filled. To apply, send resume', letter of application,
and names of 3-4 references to On Earth Peace, PO Box 188, New
Windsor, MD 21776; or fax 410-635-8707; or e-mail
oepa_oepa@brethren.org. For more information, call or e-mail
co-director Bob Gross at 260-982-7751 or bgross_oepa@brethren.org.

 12) On Earth Peace is seeking a program coordinator for conflict
transformation to plan and coordinate the agency's Ministry of
Reconciliation program. The position is available April 1 and may
be part-time or full-time. Location is negotiable.

Responsibilities include coordination of planning, publicity, and
registration for workshops and a wide variety of other educational
activities with congregations, districts, and camps; coordinating
reconciliation services such as conflict intervention, mediation,
and meeting facilitation, drawing upon a network of reconcilers in
the church; assisting with interpretation of the conflict
transformation program; and coordinating development of the
Ministry of Reconciliation Practitioner Network.

Candidates should have a personal commitment to Christian
peacemaking, experience with faith-based educational or service
program planning, strong written and oral communication skills,
excellent organizational ability including budget management;
computer skills; a basic understanding of conflict resolution,
reconciliation, and scriptural basis of peacemaking; and
familiarity with Church of the Brethren beliefs and practices. A
bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is required.

Review of applications will begin Feb. 13, continuing until
position is filled. To apply, send resume', letter of application,
and names of 3-4 references to On Earth Peace, PO Box 188, New
Windsor, MD 21776; or fax 410-635-8707; or e-mail
oepa_oepa@brethren.org. For more information, call or e-mail
co-director Bob Gross at 260-982-7751 or bgross_oepa@brethren.org.

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 Newsline is cited as the
source. Jon Kobel, Nancy Miner, Mary Dulabaum, and Kathleen
Campanella, contributed to this report.

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