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Date: July 30, 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       July 30, 2004

"He went to him and bandaged his wounds...."  Luke 10:34a

NEWS
1) Violence in Darfur, Sudan, gains Brethren, international
attention.
2) Brethren respond by the hundreds to tornado in Pennsylvania.
3) Standing Committee takes on extra business at Annual Conference
meetings.
4) BBT equity funds outperform industry benchmarks.
5) "Covering Kids and Families" promoted by ABC.
6) Brethren Academy issues call for pastor candidates for church
leadership program.
7) Brethren bits: Personnel, Brazil trip, and more.

PERSONNEL
8) Brethren young adults prepare for mission service.
9) Nominations are being accepted for the National Youth Cabinet.

FEATURE
10) Marble Furnace Church of the Brethren remembered.

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1) Violence in Darfur, Sudan, gains Brethren, international
attention.

The Church of the Brethren has responded to genocide in the Darfur
region of western Sudan with grants to aid victims of the violence.
A total of $75,000 has been given in two grants from the General
Board's Emergency Disaster Fund. The Brethren Witness/Washington
Office has issued an action alert on the tragedy.

The violence "is being carried out by nomadic tribes that were
armed by the Sudanese government," said Roy Winter, director of
Emergency Response, in the grant request. "More than one million
people have fled their homes to escape the looting, house burning,
destruction of crops and animals, killings, and rape." Another
175,000 refugees have fled to neighboring Chad. An estimated 30,000
to 148,000 people have been killed, according to the action alert,
which quoted the US AID prediction that 350,000 more face death
from disease and malnutrition. With roots as far back as the 1980s,
the violence pitted Arabic nomads against black African farmers and
villagers and was linked to Sudan's decades-long civil war between
the Arabic and Muslim government in the north and Christian and
animist rebels in the south.

Brethren funds will assist Church World Service in reaching a goal
of $1,750,000 for food, medicine, water, sanitation, agricultural
input and tools, and counseling for 500,000 of the most vulnerable
in Darfur. Winter warned that gaining access to those in need has
been difficult and some areas remain inaccessible. Only half of the
100 refugee camps in Sudan were receiving aid as of mid-July. Aid
workers reported continuing violence and atrocities despite visits
by United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan and US Secretary of
State Colin Powell.

Religious and humanitarian organizations have focused attention on
Darfur, hoping to persuade the Sudan government to halt the
violence. "The needs in Darfur and Chad are immense under any
circumstances, but with the recalcitrance of the Sudanese
government, the situation is of untenable and tragic proportions,"
said Dan Tyler, East Africa director for Church World Service.

The Brethren Witness/Washington Office has joined with
organizations advocating for the violence to be designated
"genocide" by the United Nations, a word that carries specific
meaning under international law and requires international
intervention. The US Congress already has designated the Darfur
violence genocide. For information on an upcoming UN resolution on
Darfur, and how to advocate for the victims of the violence with
the US ambassador to the UN, call the Brethren Witness/Washington
Office at 800-785-3246 or e-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

The Church of the Brethren has worked for decades in Sudan, with
the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) in the south and the Sudan
Council of Churches in the north. General Board staff have served
with both councils doing relief and development work, theological
education, and administration. The church also supported a project
translating the Bible into a Sudanese language. Haruun Ruun,
executive secretary of the NSCC, was a guest at Annual Conference
this year.

2) Brethren respond by the hundreds to tornado in Pennsylvania.

A tornado in central Pennsylvania prompted hundreds of Brethren
volunteers to help clean up debris in the week following the July
14 storm. The F3 twister that hit Campbelltown and South
Londonderry Township destroyed 32 homes and damaged dozens more,
according to staff of the General Board's Emergency Response
program.

The estimate of hundreds of volunteers came from Atlantic Northeast
District disaster coordinator Tom Cope, who kept a record of at
least 405 Brethren who did clean up. Southern Pennsylvania District
disaster coordinator Leonard Stoner and district volunteers also
lent support to the work, and Emergency Response director Roy
Winter and assistant Diane Gosnell were among those in Pennsylvania
following the tornado. In addition, a number of Brethren helped out
at the Campbelltown fire hall.

Cope "discovered that there were more volunteers who responded to
Campbelltown than we knew, literally unsung heroes when we don't
know their names," said Gosnell. Winter told the story of a family
in the Big Swatara, Hanoverdale Church of the Brethren who suffered
the total loss of their house, and whose congregation was there
within hours to give support. "We extend a thank you to everybody
who went to a neighbor's house to help," Winter said. He asked
anyone who is still in need of help following the July 14 tornado
to contact his office at 800-451-4407.

In other news from the Emergency Response office, another tornado
recovery project is planned in Hallam, Neb. The small town was
nearly obliterated by an F-4 tornado on May 22, and of the town's
170 homes only seven are repairable and the rest must be rebuilt.
The General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has allocated $15,000
for a long-term rebuilding project to begin in early September. "We
hope to get as many homes as we can framed up and dried in before
winter sets in," reported Jane Yount, the General Board's disaster
response coordinator. Emergency Response is looking for volunteers
skilled in framing to staff the project.

Three flood recovery projects continue as well, in Poquoson, Va.,
following Hurricane Isabel; in Greenbrier County, W.Va., scheduled
to be completed Aug. 28; and in Skagit and Snohomish Counties,
Wash. To volunteer for Emergency Response projects, contact a
district disaster coordinator or the Emergency Response office at
800-451-4407.

3) Standing Committee takes on extra business at Annual Conference
meetings.

At its meetings at Annual Conference, alongside the usual agenda
items such as reports from districts, sharing counsel with the
moderator, and making recommendations on new business coming to the
Conference delegates, the Standing Committee of district delegates
considered two items added from the floor: discussions of hurts in
the denomination, and how to receive concerns that come in ways
other than through established channels.

After hearing an explanation of the rules that Conference officers
follow in accepting new business for Standing Committee to
consider, the group adopted a motion made by James Myer of Atlantic
Northeast District to "encourage its officers to relax their rigid
rules of not sharing anything they have received." The motion
encouraged the use of meeting time to share concerns heard by the
officers and to allow the committee to decide if there are items of
business to consider.

A second action later in the Conference week created an Envisioning
Committee to coordinate and plan a time during Standing Committee
business specifically for envisioning, in consultation with
Conference officers. The content of the envisioning time will be
gathered with input from Standing Committee members, who will be
responsible to conduct a session at their district conference or
other venue to listen to concerns, ideas, and dreams for the
church. Elected to the new committee were Kathryn Ludwick, Nathan
Polzin, David Rittenhouse, and David Wysong.

4) BBT equity funds outperform industry benchmarks.

For the first half of 2004, equity (stock) funds managed by
Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) significantly outperformed their
comparable industry benchmarks, according to a release from the
agency. "During a challenging period for investment managers, BBT
achieved this performance relative to broad market indexes while
pursuing its socially responsible investment goals," the release
stated.

In the Brethren Pension Plan, the Common Stock Fund gained 6
percent while the Standard and Poor's 500 Index advanced 3.4
percent. The Balanced Fund returned 3.5 percent while a comparable
blended index returned 2 percent. The Bond Fund matched the
performance of the Lehman Brothers Government/Credit Index, with
both falling .2 percent.

In the Brethren Foundation, the Domestic Stock Fund picked up 5.8
percent compared with the Standard and Poor's 500 Index 3.4
percent. The Small Cap Fund gained 10.9 percent while the Russell
2000 Index managed a 6.8 percent return. The International Stock
Fund beat the Morgan Stanley Europe/Australia/Far East Index, 4.8
percent compared to 4.6. The Balanced Fund gained 3.5 percent. The
Bond Fund, with a .2 percent gain, outperformed the Lehman Brothers
Government/Credit Index, which lost .2 percent.

BBT reported that the Common Stock Fund and the Domestic Stock Fund
benefitted from strong performance in the "value sector"--stocks
that investors believe are trading for less than their true market
value. "The value portion of each fund gained almost 14 percent
over the six-month period, resulting in the overall strong
performance for each fund," the release said.

BBT investments exclude securities of companies generating more
than ten percent of their revenues from gambling, alcohol, tobacco,
or prime defense contracts. Pension Plan members and Foundation
investors can direct a portion of their accounts into the Community
Development Investment Fund, which supports loans to community
organizations. "These results for Brethren Benefit Trust
investments continue to prove that investors need not give up
market returns to invest in a manner consistent with their social
values," said Wil Nolen, BBT president.

5) "Covering Kids and Families" promoted by ABC.

The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is drawing Brethren
attention to a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation to increase the number of children and adults who
benefit from federal and state health care coverage programs. ABC
has added its name to the list of organizations working with the
initiative, called "Covering Kids and Families." Previously this
year, ABC joined the foundation's Cover the Uninsured Week.

The initiative works with others such as health professionals,
social service organizations, and faith-based organizations to
inform families about low-cost or free health care coverage that
the foundation said is available in every state. Covering Kids and
Families also works to simplify enrollment procedures and to
coordinate coverage programs so that enrollees may move from one
type of insurance program to another without losing coverage.

The foundation reported that of the nearly 44 million Americans
without health care coverage, 8.5 million are children. "Many
parents whose children qualify for coverage through SCHIP or
Medicaid believe their children are not eligible," according to
information from the foundation. Every August, the foundation
launches a back-to-school campaign to encourage families whose
children are uninsured to enroll in SCHIP or Medicaid. Families may
call 877-KIDS-NOW to find out if they are eligible.

Congregations may order an action kit and other free materials
online at www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org/communications/bts/kit.
For more information contact ABC at 800-323-8039, or Covering Kids
and Families at 202-338-7227 or visit
www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org.

6) Brethren Academy issues call for pastor candidates for church
leadership program.

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence, the newest of the Brethren
Academy's offerings for continuing education for pastors, is now
receiving applications for the 2005 Advanced Foundations of Church
Leadership cohort group.

Six to fifteen participants will enter and progress through the
two-year program together. The group will meet quarterly for eight
four-day sessions. "Advanced Foundations is an excellent
opportunity to deepen one's spiritual grounding, to broaden the
understanding of leadership models and skills, and to reflect on
ministry issues in a safe learning environment," said coordinators
Glenn and Linda Timmons in a release about the openings.

The Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program is designed to encourage
and promote excellence in ministry. Two program tracks are
available: Advanced Foundations of Church Leadership, following a
structured format and curriculum; and Vital Pastor, exploring a
self-selected topic of shared interest and pastoral concern with a
peer group. Sustaining Pastoral Excellence is funded by a
five-year, $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Bethany
Theological Seminary through the Brethren Academy for Ministerial
Leadership, a joint ministry of Bethany and the General Board. For
application information contact the Brethren Academy at
800-287-8822 or e-mail pastoralexcellence@bethanyseminary.edu.

7) Brethren bits: Personnel, Brazil trip, and more.

*Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade have been selected as two of the
three National Youth Conference coordinators for 2006. A third
position is still available and applicants are being sought. Rhodes
is a graduate of Georgetown University and a member of Central
Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va. Laprade is a graduate of Mary
Washington College and a member of Antioch Church of the Brethren,
Rocky Mount, Va. For the past year, Rhodes and Laprade have served
as workcamp coordinators for the Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Office of the General Board, through Brethren Volunteer Service.

*Bill Bennett began July 19 as accounts payable and payroll
specialist for the General Board, working at the Church of the
Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. A native of Elgin, he
coincidentally lives in the J.H. Moore house, which was built by
the former "Messenger" editor in the late 1890s. Bennett, who has
worked in accounting for his entire professional career, attends
the Vineyard congregation in Elgin.

*Elizabeth Waas Smith started July 26 as assistant to the director
of Brethren Volunteer Service, a volunteer position at the General
Offices in Elgin. She is a member of Shalom Community Church of the
Brethren in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is in her second year of BVS.
Previously she served at Camp Myrtlewood, a Church of the Brethren
camp in Myrtle Point, Ore.

*The Youth and Young Adult Office of the General Board seeks
applicants for a coordinator position for National Youth Conference
in 2006. The position is a 15-month Brethren Volunteer Service
placement for a college graduate, beginning the end of May 2005
through August 2006. For an application form or more information,
please contact Chris Douglas, director of Youth and Young Adult
Ministry, by e-mail at cdouglas_gb@brethren.org. Applications are
due no later than Sept. 30.

*Hillcrest Homes seeks a vice president of Health Services.
Hillcrest is a 400-resident Church of the Brethren retirement
facility in La Verne, Calif. The position includes assisted living,
Alzheimers, skilled nursing, and residential living areas.
Hillcrest's master plan includes significant and positive changes
for Health Services. Candidates must have excellent communication
skills, leadership abilities, and collaborative abilities. NHA
required, RCFE preferred. Resumes will be accepted until Sept. 17.
Contact Ralph McFadden, e-mail rmcfadden_abc@brethren.org or fax
847-742-5160.

*A study trip to Brazil, "Worship in the Church's Life: A Cross
Cultural Learning Opportunity," will depart Sept. 12. Participants
will spend nine days in Brazil experiencing worship, studying
liturgy alongside Brazilian pastors, learning about Brazilian
history and culture, and visiting historical sites--and beaches,
the brochure for the event notes. The trip is sponsored by the
Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, the General Board's
Global Mission Partnerships office, and Igreja da Irmandade (the
Church of the Brethren in Brazil). Participants may take the course
for credit. Deadline for registrations is Aug. 9. Cost is $1,600
with a $1,000 deposit due Aug. 9. A passport is required. For a
registration form contact the Brethren Academy at 765-983-1824 or
e-mail academy@bethanyseminary.edu.

*The General Board's Emergency Response program seeks new disaster
project directors for a training that will take place at the New
Windsor (Md.) Conference Center Nov. 7-9. "Qualified candidates for
this important calling will first of all be committed servant
leaders, and also have excellent interpersonal skills and some
construction or handyman skills," said an announcement about the
event. Contact Jane Yount at 800-451-4407 or e-mail
jyount_gb@brethren.org.

*The next Church of the Brethren Cross Cultural Consultation and
Celebration will be held in Richmond, Ind., April 21-24, 2005.
Events will be held at Bethany Theological Seminary and Richmond
Church of the Brethren. Speakers and preachers will include
Bethany's academic dean Steve Reid, and Fumitaka Matsuoka, a former
dean at the school. For more information contact Duane Grady, the
General Board's Congregational Life Team coordinator for Areas 2
and 4, at 800-505-1596 or e-mail dgrady_gb@brethren.org.

*The "season" of the church year for district conferences has
begun, with Missouri-Arkansas and Oregon-Washington already having
held their annual meetings: Missouri-Arkansas met July 23-25 at
Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and Oregon-Washington
met July 23-25 at Camp Myrtlewood in Oregon, with Carol Mason Page
as moderator. This weekend, three districts hold conferences:
Southeastern on July 30-Aug. 1 at Mars Hill (N.C.) College, with
Tim Coulthard as moderator; Southern Plains on July 29-31 at
Nocona, Texas, with Joan Lowry as moderator; and Western Plains on
July 30-Aug. 1 at McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren, with
Irven Stern as moderator. The Western Plains conference on the
theme, "Called to Be and Make Disciples," includes a workshop on
"Basic Elements of Estate Planning."

*Western Regional Youth Conference takes place Aug. 4-8 at the
University of San Francisco on the theme, "Living in God's Hands
Together," John 8:12. Speakers include Annual Conference moderator
Jim Hardenbrook. The Jubilee Troupe, a Brethren-related performance
art group, will help lead worship. Brethren youth from five states
are expected to attend. For more information see the Pacific
Southwest District website www.pswdcob.org/youth.

*A one-day workshop Oct. 8 on "Authentic Preaching" featuring
renowned preaching authority Fred Craddock, Bandy Distinguished
Professor of Preaching and New Testament Emeritus at Candler School
of Theology, is sponsored by the Continuing Education Committee of
Mid-Atlantic District. The theme of the pre-district conference
event is "Overhearing the Gospel," with a theme verse of Matthew
7:29. The event will be held at Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren
and is open to all licensed and ordained clergy. Brethren clergy
may earn .4 continuing education units. Cost is $35, $50 after
Sept. 8. For more information or for a registration brochure,
contact Mid-Atlantic District at 410-635-8790.

*A 14-person learning tour recently completed a July 10-20 visit to
Honduras. The group lived and worked in the poor village of Los
Ranchos, assisting the community in the construction of a water
tank. While there, the group met with women from the community,
local teachers, subsistence farmers, and with Noemi de Espinoza,
director of the host organization the Christian Commission for
Development. Participants came from nine Church of the Brethren
districts. The delegation was sponsored by the New Community
Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization, and led by
director David Radcliff. For information about up-coming learning
tours go to www.newcommunityproject.org/learning_tours.htm.

*"Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts," to be broadcast
nationwide on ABC beginning Oct. 24 as part of the network's
"Vision and Values" series, features interviews with major figures
in the fight to end hunger including National Council of Churches
(NCC) general secretary Bob Edgar and Bread for the World CEO David
Beckman. The interviews were conducted by an NCC film crew at a
30th anniversary celebration of Bread for the World. The
documentary is one of eight prepared for ABC through the Interfaith
Broadcasting Commission. Also featured in the documentary are
George McGovern, Elizabeth Dole, ethicist Jeffrey Sachs, and John
McCullough, CEO of Church World Service. For more information
contact Pat Pattillo at 212-870-2048 or e-mail
wpattillo@ncccusa.org.

*The World Council of Churches' plenary commission on Faith and
Order is meeting in Malaysia July 28-Aug. 6, the commission's first
meeting in a Muslim-majority country. The commission promotes
Christian unity by studying questions that have given rise to
church division. Among issues to be considered at this meeting are
the nature of the human person from a Christian point of view and
consequences when it comes to issues like community identity, human
sexuality, disabilities, and bio-ethics; relations between ethnic
and national identities and the search for the unity of the church;
churches' mutual recognition of baptism; different understandings
of the nature and mission of the church; and the way texts,
symbols, and practices of different churches may be interpreted,
communicated, and received. Commissioners also will discuss the
Decade to Overcome Violence and interreligious dialogue. The theme
of the meeting is "Receive one another, as Christ has received you,
for the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7).

8) Brethren young adults prepare for mission service.

Three young adults--Matthew Haren, of Brook Park (Ohio) Community
Church of the Brethren; Paul Liepelt, recently ordained by Cedar
Grove Church of the Brethren, New Paris, Ohio; and Beth Gunzel, of
York Center Church of the Brethren, Lombard, Ill.--have been
preparing for mission service with the Global Mission Partnerships
office of the General Board, through an ecumenical cross-cultural
orientation in Chicago, July 11-23. The training focused on topics
such as missiology, globalization, intercultural dynamics,
security, and self-care.

Haren, a Manchester College graduate, left July 28 for a teaching
assignment in history and government at Hillcrest School in Jos,
Nigeria. Liepelt, a May graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary,
is heading to Nigeria in a few weeks to teach at Kulp Bible
College. Gunzel, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at
Chicago with a masters degree in international community
development, will leave in September for the Dominican Republic
where she will take up the role of consultant for the community
development work begun by Jeff and Peggy Boshart as they conclude
their service later this year.

"These capable young adults are exciting additions to the mission
team," said Merv Keeney, executive director for Global Mission
Partnerships. "It is a delight to see some of our finest young
adults responding to God's call to mission service."

9) Nominations are being accepted for the National Youth Cabinet.

National Youth Cabinet nominations are now being accepted for the
2005-2006 cabinet, which will plan National Youth Conference in
2006.

High school youth entering their junior and senior years are
eligible. Nominations must come from district youth advisors or
district executives by Sept. 30. Nominees must have involvement and
leadership at the district level as well as in their congregations.

"If you know of a youth you believe is exceptionally competent and
has very strong leadership skills, please contact your district
youth advisor or district executive to request they consider
nominating that person," said Chris Douglas, director of Youth and
Young Adult Ministry. Nomination forms are being sent to district
executives and youth advisors this week.

10) Marble Furnace Church of the Brethren remembered.

"Shall we gather at the river?" This familiar question was sung by
about 100 people gathered on the bank of Brush Creek in Adams
County, Ohio, Sunday afternoon July 25. Shaded from the summer sun
by an enormous blue and red tent, they had come to remember Marble
Furnace Church of the Brethren and to dedicate the granite monument
that would continue to mark its location and celebrate its 125
years of service and ministry.

The congregation had been closed by action of the Southern Ohio
District Conference in October 2003 after economic change had
ravaged the community and aging and death had taken their toll on
the congregation. Dean Bailey, lone surviving member of the church,
was determined to see that the congregation would be remembered in
a respectful and lasting way. He donated artifacts of historical
value from the church to the Brethren Heritage Center in
Brookville, Ohio. With the remaining funds of the congregation and
the income from the sale of articles of value from the church
house, he arranged for the demolition of the building. He then
ordered a granite monument, bearing a picture and brief history of
the church, to be installed on the site as a permanent memorial.

The service of dedication for the monument included good gospel
singing, remembrances by former members and friends of the church,
and words of inspiration by Mark Flory Steury, district minister of
Southern Ohio. It also included the transfer of the deed for the
church property to the township trustees who maintain the adjoining
cemetery.

The words on the monument invited those present--and future
generations--to reflect not only on the past, but on the present
and the future as well, for part of the message it bears is,
"...The Brethren have a strong fundamental belief in God as taught
by the Holy Bible.... It is hoped that as people pay their respects
to their departed friends and family members at the adjacent
cemetery, perhaps they will stop and reflect on their own salvation
and belief in God." Without a sound, that memorial monument answers
the question raised by the old hymn with a resounding "Yes." "We'll
gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of
God."

*****************************************************************
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. Chris Douglas, Merv Keeney, Ralph McFadden,
David Radcliff, Mary Sue Rosenberger, Fred Swartz, Will Thomas,
Glenn and Linda Timmons, and Jane Yount contributed to this report.

Newsline is a free service sent only to those requesting a
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