wfn.org | Newsline - Church of the Brethren news update

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Date: July 2, 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       July 2, 2004

"I will consecrate the tent of meeting...." Exodus 29:44a

NEWS
1) National Young Adult Conference meets in Colorado.
2) Church of the Brethren joins the Foods Resource Bank.
3) Alerts call attention to President Bush's visit to Charleston,
Sudan, legislation.
4) Bethany Seminary chosen for 2004 Lexington Seminar.
5) Dixon congregation promotes Brethren water.
6) Anti-war sign vandalized at Skyridge Church of the Brethren.
7) Brethren bits: correction, Annual Conference, and much more.

PERSONNEL
8) Edward Leiter to direct Information Services for the General
Board.
9) Allen Kahler to lead South/Central Indiana District.

RESOURCES
10) ABC resource highlights issue of uncompensated care.

FEATURE
11) Mission coordinator learns from Dominican church leader's
disappointment and faith.

NOTE: Daily coverage of the Church of the Brethren Annual
Conference will begin tomorrow, Saturday, July 3, at
www.brethren.org. Reports from business sessions and other events
in Charleston, W.Va., will be posted July 3-7. A summary of
Conference activities will be included in the July 16 issue of
Newsline.

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1) National Young Adult Conference meets in Colorado.

More than 250 Brethren in the 18 to 35 age range converged on
Winter Park, Colo., June 14 to 18 for a powerful and energetic week
in the Rocky Mountains.

Worship formed the heart of this National Young Adult Conference
(NYAC), with daily morning and evening services. Tony Campolo, the
General Board's general secretary Stan Noffsinger, Belita Mitchell,
Angie Lahman Yoder, and Susan Boyer all spoke. Other services used
only video, drama, music, and other creative outlets to share the
message.

NYAC also included daily discussion-oriented workshop options
(called "padares," after an African term for a "marketplace of
ideas"), sharing in small community groups, late-night open mic
coffeehouse sessions, and abundant free time for recreation and
fellowship.

"NYAC was a great experience for meeting new people, reacquainting
with old friends, for spiritual growth and renewal, and wonderful
worship services," participant Sonja LeCount of Elgin, Ill., said.

Young adults generously participated in an offering of shoes, in
donations at the coffeehouse ($604), and in cash offerings for On
Earth Peace ($847) and the General Board ($3,468). Some also took
part in a service project to clear beetle-infested wood, helping to
protect healthy trees.

The General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministry Office has long
sponsored an annual Young Adult Conference, but previous events are
smaller and held only over a weekend, typically at a Brethren camp.
This was the first time for a young adult conference of this length
and scope. Another smaller event is planned for May 27-29, 2005, at
Woodland Altars in Ohio.

2) Church of the Brethren joins the Foods Resource Bank.

In June the Church of the Brethren, through the General Board's
Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF), joined the Foods Resource Bank
(FRB), a faith-based partnership that engages congregations, land
owners, farmers, and agribusiness in community Growing Projects.
The Church of the Brethren is the organization's 16th member
agency, joining others such as Church World Service, Lutheran World
Relief, and Mennonite Central Committee.

GFCF manager Howard Royer explained how Growing Projects work:
"Land is donated or rented for a year; farmers contribute time and
equipment to plant, tend, and harvest the crop; and the yield is
sold with the proceeds benefitting specific hunger programs
abroad." The FRB coalition multiplies the donations of the
projects, doubling the return through grants from sources
such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and US AID. This year FRB
members have 5,500 acres in 164 growing projects. In 2003, proceeds
for hunger totaled $976,000.

Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa, may be the
first Church of the Brethren congregation to participate in the
Foods Resource Bank, according to Royer. Ivester is partnering with
the local Presbyterian church in a Growing Project that this year,
with the Brethren co-sponsorship, is cultivating 154 acres. The
crop is corn, some of which already has been pre-sold at $3 a
bushel.

Royer is seeking other Church of the Brethren congregations and
individuals who may be interested in exploring a Growing Project
for their community. "My hope is for the Church of the Brethren to
gear up with a half dozen growing projects in 2005," he wrote in a
letter introducing the concept to district executives. A flier
about the Foods Resource Bank will be supplied to congregations
and districts this summer and a short video describing FRB is
available from the GFCF office.

"The unique feature of FRB's Growing Project model is that it
allows all participants to give a gift, many times a non-cash gift,
and often one that only they can give, to allow people they may
never meet to know the dignity and pride of feeding themselves and
their families with extra to share, barter, or sell," according to
FRB executive director Norm Braksik.

For more information contact Howard Royer at 800-323-8039 ext. 264
or see the FRB website www.foodsresourcebank.org.

3) Alerts call attention to President Bush's visit to Charleston,
Sudan, legislation.

In its most recent action alert, the General Board's Brethren
Witness/Washington Office is inviting Brethren attending Annual
Conference to join in a march against the war on terror as
President Bush plans to visit the city on July 4. In other alerts,
the office has called attention to Sudan, new nuclear weapons, and
selective service legislation in Pennsylvania.

President George W. Bush will speak at 4th of July celebrations in
downtown Charleston, W.Va., at the same time Brethren gather in the
city for Conference. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is
coordinating efforts with local peace groups to make possible an
opportunity for Brethren to express opposition to the "war on
terror," a release from the office said. Conference-goers may stop
by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office booth for details.

What may be a final round of peace talks between Sudan's government
and southern rebels began June 27, the office reported, with the
goal of a permanent ceasefire. An action alert encouraged Brethren
to "remain watchful and prayerful for a true presence of peace for
our friends of this central African nation.... Only the details of
a comprehensive cease fire and how to implement the agreements for
the south remain to be sorted out," the report said. Final
negotiations were to begin June 22. The civil war between the
mainly Arab and Muslim government in the north and the mainly black
African and Christian rebel groups in the south has claimed at
least 1.5 million lives. Violence continues in western Sudan, in
the Darfur region, where militias linked to the government are
carrying out what may be an attempt at genocide of the black
African population. New Sudan Council of Churches leader Haruun
Ruun will be at Annual Conference this week to speak on continuing
challenges to peace in Sudan.

The office also issued an alert calling for support of an amendment
to the defense authorization bill that would cut funds for new
nuclear weapons, popularly called "mini nukes" or "bunker busters."
The Kennedy-Feinstein Amendment would have eliminated funding for
the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), the first of a new
generation of nuclear weapons made possible by a new administration
policy to reinforce the importance of nuclear weapons and lower the
threshold for their use, the office reported. The defense
authorization bill has passed the House and Senate, providing full
funding for the RNEP, the office reported. "The energy and water
appropriations bill passed the House on Friday and provides no
money for the RNEP. The last step is the Senate energy and water
appropriations bill, which will be marked up sometime in July. We
hope to again cut the RNEP funds in the Senate subcommittee," said
director Phil Jones.

Pending legislation in Pennsylvania would link automatic selective
service, or draft, registration to driver's license applications.
In an Action Alert, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office
reported on an important development in the House version of the
bill, a check box on driver's license forms allowing applicants to
signify that they do not consent to register for selective service.
The Washington Office urges Pennsylvania Brethren to contact House
and committee leaders to keep the check box in the bill. "We have
definitely had an impact on this bill," Jones said.

To receive Action Alerts or the office newsletter, send contact
information including name and address or e-mail address to the
Brethren Witness/Washington Office, 337 N. Carolina Ave., SE,
Washington, DC 20003; 202-546-3202 or 800-785-3246; or e-mail
washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

4) Bethany Seminary chosen for 2004 Lexington Seminar.

Bethany Theological Seminary, the Church of the Brethren graduate
school for theological education in Richmond, Ind., has accepted an
invitation to participate in the 2004 Lexington Seminar, a project
that supports the faculty, president, and dean of the seminary
working together on an issue critical for the institution.
Participating seminaries also collaborate with the other four
schools chosen in that year.

The seminar is sponsored by Lexington Theological Seminary and
supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc. Criteria for selection include
demonstrated academic integrity and excellence, faculty and
administration committed to working together to improve teaching
and learning for the ministries of the church, and stability needed
to implement a project that will affect the way the institution
carries out its mission, according to a release from the seminary. 

"This comes at a particularly apt time for Bethany," noted
president Eugene F. Roop. "Together with the board, Bethany's
faculty and administration are at work identifying several specific
strategic initiatives that have priority in the next few years, and
preparing a self study for accreditation review in 2006. The
Lexington Seminar will provide an important venue in our efforts to
more effectively bring together the teachings of professors, the
learning of students, and the mission of the seminary."

5) Dixon congregation promotes Brethren water.

"Our thoughts were, we need to get out into the public and tell
people who we are," said Guy Ball, one of the people behind a
project to use "Brethren water" as a promotional tool for Church
of the Brethren congregations. The project was begun by the Witness
Commission of the Dixon (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, which has
invested seed funds to have bottled water produced with a Church of
the Brethren label.

The labels on the 16.9-fluid-ounce bottles of water that the Dixon
church has produced read, "Church of the Brethren, Continuing the
work of Jesus, Peacefully, Simply, Together," and feature the
denominational logo and the scripture text John 4:13-14.

Ball, a handyman and Dixon's deacon chair and custodian, got the
idea when he saw bottled water with a lumber company's name on the
label. He found out that his church could have bottles produced for
50 cents each, from a supplier who would personalize the label. It
seemed like a wonderful fund raiser and a unique opportunity to
promote the church, as well as the denomination.

Since then the Dixon congregation, which is hosting the
Illinois/Wisconsin District Conference this year, has presented the
idea to the conference planning committee and has approached other
congregations that may be interested in using the water for their
own fundraising and promotional projects, Ball said. Congregations
can have bottles personalized with their names and other
information. Ball also has thought of using the water for disaster
relief. "Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have had cases to give
away following tornados" that recently struck a town in Illinois,
he commented.

To make sure the water would be of good quality, Ball personally
visited the bottling plant and met with quality control staff. "The
water speaks for itself," he said of the purified deep-well
water that fills the Brethren bottles. "It's very good water." For
more information e-mail Guy Ball at ball602@myfam.com.

6) Anti-war sign vandalized at Skyridge Church of the Brethren.

An anti-war sign hosted by Skyridge Church of the Brethren in
Kalamazoo, Mich., during Holy Week was pulled down and damaged in
repeated acts of vandalism. The large 31- by 15-foot sign
was posted on the church lawn, along a busy four-lane road, at the
request of a local peace group. The sign read in huge letters,
"Iraq how many deaths?" and was framed with silhouettes
representing men, women, and children--military and civilian--who
have died in the Iraq war.

Outreach Committee co-chairperson Ineke Way, a member of the group
Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents to War (KNOW), was instrumental in
bringing the sign to the church. After worship on Palm Sunday,
pastor Debbie Eisenbise led the congregation and KNOW participants
in prayer dedicating the sign.

The posting of the sign was an eye opener for the community and
congregation, Eisenbise said. Many people stopped by to see it up
close and to place flowers on it in memory of those who have died.
One woman asked for a picture to send to her father, a Vietnam
veteran. Others wrote letters and made phone calls of appreciation
to the church. Some made crank calls the church received one from
a man self-identified as "Osama Bin Laden." Other people requested
a discussion of the church's peace position, which Eisenbise
explained as the Brethren understanding of Jesus Christ's message
that "all war is sin."

One night, vandals pulled the leg off of one of the plywood figures
on the sign. "This only helped the sign to be more representative
of the many amputees who are victims of war," Eisenbise said.
Another evening, someone drove a truck onto the lawn and used ropes
to pull down the whole sign, which resulted in increased media
attention. A radio station had a two-hour call-in program on "What
do you think of the sign at Skyridge Church of the Brethren?"

The sign was taken down from the church lawn before Easter sunrise.
Recently KNOW and Pax Christi posted it at a retreat center run by
the Sisters of St. Joseph in Kalamazoo.

"The whole experience for the Skyridge Church was a powerful
reminder of what it means to witness to our faith, and how Jesus,
the Prince of Peace, brings redemption and reconciliation for all,"
Eisenbise said. A letter of appreciation to the church from KNOW
echoed the sentiment, "We believe that we have scattered seeds in
places and in ways we can't even imagine."

7) Brethren bits: correction, Annual Conference, and much more.

*In a correction to Newsline June 18, Tex Sample is the featured
speaker at the Association of Brethren Caregivers' "A Seminar on
Effective Ministry for, by, and with Older Adults."

*The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference begins tomorrow
evening July 3 in Charleston, W.Va., with dinner programs and
opening worship. Gatherings preceding Annual Conference this year
include meetings of those planning and leading the
Conference--Annual Conference officers, Program and Arrangements
Committee, and Annual Conference coordinators--as well as
Standing Committee meetings of district delegates June 30-July 3,
the Ministers' Association Conference July 2-3, the Council of
District Executives July 1-3, General Board meetings July 2-
3, and the Fellowship of Brethren Genealogists the afternoon of
July 3.

*Middle Pennsylvania District seeks a district minister to fill a
full-time position beginning Jan. 1, 2005. The district is looking
for a visionary leader who has experience and training in the area
of congregational ministry. The preferred candidate will be an
innovative person who is knowledgeable and supportive of
denominational polity and skillful at adapting procedures to meet
the unique needs of the district. The candidate will have an
ability to work with diverse biblical and theological perspectives,
and a passion for evangelism and leadership development.
Qualifications include an M.Div. or related masters degree,
ordination, and a minimum of seven years of pastoral or related
experience. Apply by sending a letter of interest and resume via
email to DistrictMinistries_gb@Brethren.org. Applicants are
requested to contact three or four people to provide letters of
reference. Upon receipt of resume, the candidate will be sent a
Candidate Profile that must be completed and returned before the
application is considered complete. The application deadline is
Aug. 31.

*Join seasoned Sudan workers Phil and Louise Baldwin Rieman in a
Sudan Workcamp Jan. 9-22, 2005. The workcamp is a tangible effort
to rebuild in one community of this war-torn nation, and bring hope
to its people. The General Board's Global Mission Partnerships
office is sponsoring the event with longtime partner, the New Sudan
Council of Churches. Estimated cost is $2,200. For more information
contact the Riemans at plbrieman@mw.net, or call 317-546-9675.

*Disaster Child Care projects in Cortland, Neb., and Chapmansville,
Lenore, and Delbarton, W.Va., have closed. In Nebraska, six child
care volunteers made contact with 34 children after an F-4 tornado
with 207-260 mile-per-hour winds touched down in Hallam, in
Lancaster County near Lincoln, on May 22. The storms destroyed 158
homes and caused significant damage to more than 150 others in
several counties. In West Virginia, nine child care volunteers
served 42 children after four inches of rain in the southern
section of the state. Four counties--Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming, and
Logan--repeatedly have had major flood damage and mud slides due to
heavy rains. Emergency management officials estimate some 300 homes
sustained major damage.

*The FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) website has
featured an article about the General Board's Disaster Child Care
program, complete with photos from the recent child care project in
West Virginia. "Well-deserved recognition for our unsung heroes!"
commented Liz Monahan-Gibson of FEMA. "The Disaster Child Care
program is very fortunate to have such dedicated and supportive
child care volunteers and partner agencies in our network." The
article, written by FEMA public information officer Rose Marie
Armstrong, explained how the program offers activities that provide
emotional comfort to children affected by disasters, and makes it
possible for parents to complete the application process for
federal aid. The photos feature child care workers Pearl Cormany,
Esther Bittinger, and Patricia A. Black. Find the article and
photos at www.FEMA.gov.

*The General Board's Emergency Response program welcomed district
executives Joe Detrick of Southern Pennsylvania, Stephen Abe of
West Marva, and Marie Willoughby of Michigan as disaster response
volunteers the week of May 31 at the Poquoson, Va., project.
District executives combined skills with local Virginia volunteers,
a group from Bedford, Pa., and Roy Winter, executive director of
Emergency Response/Service Ministries. Maurice Curry and Ken
Imhoff provided leadership as work continued on two homes that had
been raised five to six feet to avoid future floods. "Thank you
district executives and all volunteers for making time to help,"
said Winter.

*Pacific Southwest District is sponsoring a disaster response
project near Julian, Calif., east of San Diego, Aug. 1-14. The
wildfire clean-up project is in cooperation with Mennonite Disaster
Service. The work includes clearing burned trees and cutting,
stacking, and chipping wood. Volunteers must be able-bodied. Hard
hats, masks to filter dust, earplugs, goggles, and chain saws are
provided. District disaster coordinator Milton H. Ewert is seeking
congregations and individuals who would be interested in
volunteering for the project. Contact him at 209-523-9490 or e-mail
mjemod@juno.com.

*"God, Democracy, and US Power: Believers Church Perspectives" is
the title of a Sept. 23-25 conference hosted by Bridgewater (Va.)
College and Eastern Mennonite University, with assistance from the
Brethren Witness/Washington Office of the General Board, Mennonite
Central Committee, and Baptist Joint Committee. This is the 15th in
a series of Believers Church Conferences. Presenters representing
Church of the Brethren perspectives include 2005 Annual Conference
moderator Jim Hardenbrook on "Second Order of Business: Prayer by
the Chaplain"; Bridgewater professor of Religion Carol Scheppard on
"Yahweh's People: Covenant and Exile"; Brethren historian Donald
Durnbaugh on "The Church of the Brethren Office in Washington,
D.C.: Advocacy or Listening Post?"; New Community Project director
David Radcliff on "There Goes the Neighborhood: Christian
Engagement with a Suddenly Near World"; and Bethany Theological
Seminary professor Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, who will preach. National
Council of Churches general secretary Robert W. Edgar will speak at
the conference banquet. For more information and to register go to
www.emu.edu/churchandpolitics.

*Bentley Peters has resigned as senior vice president of MII
Management Group and Mutual Aid eXchange (MAX) effective Dec. 31.
His work for the insurance and management organizations, which are
related to the Church of the Brethren, included envisioning,
development, and implementation of MAX since 1993. He plans to
return to consulting in the Chicago area.

*Church of the Brethren environmental and peace advocate David
Radcliff was a featured speaker at "H2oly Water," a training event
for clergy and lay leaders in the Baltimore-Washington area,
sponsored by the National Council of Churches. The June 25-28 event
was one in a series based on a theological framework for
understanding the importance of preserving water resources.
Radcliff also spoke for the March event in the series, held in
Arizona. He is director of the New Community Project, a
Brethren-related nonprofit organization.

8) Edward Leiter to direct Information Services for the General
Board.

Edward Leiter began June 28 in the position of director of
Information Services for the General Board. Current director Perry
Hudkins will conclude her service on July 16.

Leiter has worked at the board's New Windsor (Md.) Service Center
from 1984-87 as a programmer, and since 1988 as lead
programmer/analyst. He is a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.)
College with a degree in Business Administration and a
concentration in Computer Science. Following college he served in
Brethren Volunteer Service. He is a member of Union Bridge (Md.)
Church of the Brethren.

9) Allen Kahler to lead South/Central Indiana District.

Allen Kahler has been called as district minister of South/Central
Indiana District beginning Sept. 1. He and his family will move to
North Manchester, Ind., in early August.

Kahler has served as pastor of Marion (Ind.) Church of the Brethren
since 1995. Previously he pastored Muncie (Ind.) Church of the
Brethren 1993-95, and South Whitley (Ind.) Church of the Brethren
1990-93. He also has served in volunteer positions in the district
including on the Discipleship and Reconciliation Committee and as
district moderator in 2003. He holds degrees from Manchester
College, North Manchester, Ind., and Bethany Theological Seminary,
Richmond, Ind.

10) ABC resource highlights issue of uncompensated care.

"The Burden of Uncompensated Care in Brethren Retirement Centers
and the Church" is the title of a new report in booklet form, from
the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). The Fellowship of
Brethren Homes, a network of 23 Brethren-related retirement
centers, is a ministry of ABC.

Currently Brethren homes accrue a total of $14 million in
uncompensated care expenses annually, and the financial burden will
only increase as future care needs for older adults increase,
according to the report by ABC's Uncompensated Care Committee of
Brian Black, Connie Burk Davis, Don Fecher, Tim Hissong, and Wally
Landes. The report defines uncompensated care as "non-reimbursed
care provided to residents...whose daily living costs are not
covered by normal revenue" including residents' own assets, family
ability or willingness to pay, private-pay insurance, Medicaid, and
Medicare. 

Uncompensated care "appears to be an insurmountable challenge" for
the Brethren homes, the report says, in part because "the Church of
the Brethren homes see it as their mission to care for persons even
if they do not have the funds," the report said. A 2003 survey of
the Brethren homes found that uncompensated care cost one facility
nearly $4 million annually, or about 13 percent of its operating
budget, and that several homes make annual appeals and set up "Good
Samaritan" style funds to help pay for the expense. Even so, the 18
homes that responded to the survey raised only $740,342 against an
expense of $14,393,615 in 2002. "That means that church support for
uncompensated care amounts to 5.1 percent of the actual loss," the
report said.

The report challenges individuals to take responsibility for
planning for their own long-term care needs, giving several
suggestions in areas such as long-term care insurance and
stewardship of personal assets. The report also challenges the
denomination to educate church members about the problem and to
work with Brethren homes to provide care, giving suggestions for
action by congregations, districts, and the homes.

The booklet will be distributed widely in the denomination--with
copies to go to delegates at Annual Conference, to congregations in
the Source mailing, and to district ministers and may be used by
retirement centers as information for boards, prospective
residents, and major donors. ABC suggests that congregations use
the booklet as an educational and study piece.

For a copy of the booklet, contact Ralph McFadden at the ABC
office, 800-323-8039 ext. 305 or e-mail rmcfadden_abc@brethren.org.

11) Mission coordinator learns from Dominican church leader's
disappointment and faith.

(Author Irvin Heishman and his wife, Nancy, are Dominican Republic
mission coordinators for the General Board.)

Sister Anastasia Buena is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who
moved to the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar cane industry.
Earning less than a dollar a day cutting sugar cane was a vast
improvement over what her family ever could have hoped for in
Haiti. Still, a daily struggle to survive, hunger, and shortages
have been part and parcel of her life.

Somehow, within these profound limitations, she has flourished. As
a dedicated Christian woman, she has a dignity reflecting her inner
knowledge that she is a child of God. She has become a respected
leader of Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the
Dominican Republic, where she and her husband co-pastor of one of
the largest and fastest growing congregations. The theological
education program of the Church of the Brethren has allowed her to
sharpen her leadership skills. She leads with gentleness and grace,
but when she stands up to sing or pray, a sudden joyful power
breaks forth from her that leaves no doubt about the source of her
strength. This past year she was elected moderator of Iglesia de
Los Hermanos, becoming the first person of Haitian ancestry to hold
this position.

Moderators of the Dominican church are given the dream of a
lifetime, to travel to the United States to share with American
Brethren at Annual Conference. Sister Anastasia was thrilled
about this possibility. But she comes from a different world. The
US consulate was closed on the day she had an appointment for her
visa interview. This scheduling error meant that the next day,
employees at the consulate rushed through interviews for hundreds
of people who mistakenly had been scheduled the day before. As she
entered the consulate, I prayed that God would part the waters for
her, as he did for the ancient Hebrews, and that Annual Conference
would have the blessing of hearing from this great leader in its
Dominican mission.

Maybe it was her dark skin, clearly Haitian. Maybe it was that she
was obviously poor, and thus was considered likely to stay in the
US for economic reasons. Maybe it had something to do with
the war in Iraq. Possibly she was considered a security risk.
Filled with a host of suspicions and pressures, the consulate
employee barely looked at her, dashed through her interview, and
chose not to read any of her carefully prepared documents including
a letter of invitation from the General Board and documentation of
why she would return home following her visit. Without giving her
a fair chance, he denied her visa. A great opportunity for good
suddenly vanished.

In moments like this, Sister Anastasia has a great advantage over
me. She doesn't expect life to be fair. She has learned to flourish
in Christ within the strict limitations and blows of injustice.
Not that the disappointment doesn't hurt, of course. On the other
hand, I do expect life to be fair, so I could barely stomach the
way she was treated by my government. I fought in my mind against
the notion that life can be so unfair for some, while I have every
liberty and opportunity I could ever want. I have not figured out
the strange ways of God who does not part the waters for some and
yet enables them to flourish, "Hard pressed on every side, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not
abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

In the Dominican Republic, as I experience in this setting the
harsh injustices of the world, I yearn to tap more profoundly into
that fountain of sustaining faith that doesn't depend on justice
or opportunity or fairness to thrive.

*******************************************************
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, 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. Debbie Eisenbise, Howard Royer,
Helen Stonesifer, Walt Wiltschek, and Roy Winter contributed to
this report.

Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a
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For additional news and features, subscribe to the Church of the
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