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[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Dec. 31, 2004
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:  CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       Dec. 31,  2004

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth...." Revelation  21:1a

NEWS
1) Church of the Brethren contributes to tsunami relief  effort.
2) Council endorses Selective Service conversations,  alternative
service consultation.
3) Church of the Brethren in Brazil  holds fourth Annual Conference.
4) Virlina District holds its 33rd district  conference.
5) West Marva holds two training events simultaneously.
6)  "Angels Everywhere" raises ministry education funds.
7) Historic Brethren  pipe organ receives citation.
8) Brethren bits: Correction, request for  stories, and more.

PERSONNEL
9) Jan King moves to half-time position  with General Board, takes
up chaplaincy.

RESOURCES
10) Alexander  Mack Jr. `Day Book' is published.

FEATURE
11) Creche travels from  Christmas fields to Christmas Eve  service.

***********************************************************
1)  Church of the Brethren contributes to tsunami relief effort.

"This year,  again in the season of hope, we have been challenged to
be the hands and feet  of Christ in the midst of the incredible loss
in southern Asia," wrote Roy  Winter, the General Board's director
of Emergency Response, in an  end-of-the-year e-mail to Church of
the Brethren district offices and staff.  He also called for
"unceasing prayer for our neighbors experiencing such  tragic loss.
May God surround them with comfort and be a light in their  worst
hour."

Winter recalled a tragic loss this time last year. "A  year ago we
were focused on the earthquake in Bam, Iran," which also  occurred
on Dec. 26. The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, "will likely be  the
largest relief effort in history as the destruction is spread  over
such a large geographic area," he reported. "As the numbers  of
victims of the earthquake and tidal wave continue to climb, the
Church	of the Brethren is actively making a substantial response."
As of Dec. 31,	news reports estimated the loss of life from the
tsunami at over  121,000.

"We are challenged to reach out to our neighbors and `bear  one
another's burdens,'" Winter said, encouraging districts to  pass
up-to-date news of the Church of the Brethren response	to
congregations. "With your help and the response by our churches,
the  Church of the Brethren will be touching the lives of many
disaster survivors  in their time of greatest need."

The Brethren response includes an  initial grant of $30,000 from the
Emergency Disaster Fund to aid emergency  shipments of material
supplies by Church World Service (CWS) to at least  three of the
hardest-hit areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India.  Additional
grants will be provided as needed, Winter said, and other  affected
countries may be added as the response expands.

The CWS  effort is also supported by many other Christian
denominations. It is focused  in Indonesia on areas of Aceh, North
Sumatra, Lokseumawe, and Nias. In India  the focus is on assisting
50,000 families in the states of Andrah Pradesh,  Kerala, and Tamil
Nadu with food, blankets, clothing, and supplies. A second  phase in
India is expected to include reconstruction of homes,  building
cyclone shelters, and assistance to agriculture and fishing. In  Sri
Lanka immediate assistance of cooked food, dry rations,  temporary
sheds, and kitchen utensils is going to 25,000 families that  have
lost homes, along with some medical assistance and 100	temporary
shelters.

Shipments from the Brethren Service Center in New  Windsor, Md.,
include light-weight blankets, IMA Medicine Boxes, Gift of  the
Heart Health Kits, and family shelters. "The total cost of
materials  and shipping will be about $50,000 per 40-foot
container," Winter said. "Each	of these containers has the
potential of providing $500,000 worth of supplies  which will help
thousands of survivors. This shows how we are able to  multiply the
value of these donations 10 times," he added. "Let us rejoice  that
the Church of the Brethren can facilitate these vital shipments  of
material aid for Church World Service and our other  partners."

Among the Brethren partners shipping from the center is  IMA
(Interchurch Medical Assistance), which is supplying CWS with  75
Medicine Boxes for Sri Lanka and 100 for Indonesia. On Dec. 29	IMA
stated that it expected to have shipments ready within a week.
IMA's  pharmaceutical donors have expressed interest in donating
additional  medicines and supplies, the release said.

Two particular ways to help  have been identified: donation to the
Emergency Disaster Fund (mail to Church  of the Brethren General
Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120); and	donation of Gift of
the Heart Health Kits (for instructions  see
www.churchworldservice.org/kits or call the Emergency Response
office	at 800-451-4407 beginning Jan. 3).

"The greatest need is for financial  contributions," Winter said,
giving examples: $10 will purchase and ship a  light-weight blanket;
$108 will provide a temporary shelter for a family in  Sri Lanka;
$400 will provide medicines and medical supplies for 1,000  people
for three months; $50,000 will provide materials and shipping  costs
for a 40-foot container. "Our supply of health kits is	already
depleted," he informed the districts. "We need a large number  of
health kits assembled and brought or shipped to the Brethren
Service  Center as soon as possible." Winter also reminded the
districts that	Emergency Response continues work in Florida,
Virginia, and Nebraska	following 2004's disastrous storms, and is
monitoring flooding in	California.

The National Council of Churches has made worship resources  related
to the tsunami available  at
www.ncccusa.org/resources/tsunami-worship-resources.html.

2)  Council endorses Selective Service conversations, alternative
service  consultation.

The Annual Conference Council has given its endorsement  to
continued conversations between the General Board and Selective
Service  in a telephone conference call Dec. 10. The endorsement was
given in response  to the invitation by Selective Service for the
Church of the Brethren, as a  historic peace church, to develop a
plan for alternative service  opportunities. The council also
endorsed Church of the Brethren participation  in an Anabaptist
meeting on alternative service opportunities.

Earl  K. Ziegler, chair of the council, called the group together to
discuss the  matter at the request of Stan Noffsinger, general
secretary of the General  Board. Noffsinger turned to the council in
its capacity as executive  committee of the Conference, reported
Conference secretary Fred Swartz.  Noffsinger told the council that
he considered the opportunity and call to be  larger than a General
Board program, and an invitation to the entire	denomination to be
involved in a positive witness to its heritage and  faith.

"The council understood from the background material given  that
Selective Service, or the Bush administration, have no plans in  the
offing to institute a new draft," Swartz reported. "There have	been
discussions during the past two presidential administrations of  the
eventual possibility of some kind of general national  service.
Selective Service officials explained to General Board staff  that
they want alternative service opportunities to be in place if  and
when such a program would be launched."

The council unanimously  agreed to "give the general secretary our
encouragement to maximize our  efforts to have alternative service
opportunities in place" and "to continue  to explore the
relationship with Selective Service." The council added a  strong
urging for all Annual Conference agencies "to renew the task  of
resourcing the church with tools to guide our youth in their choice
of  nonviolent service." Noffsinger reported that he will give On
Earth Peace a  full report of the conversations with Selective
Service and will make sure  that agency is a participant in the
discussion. "We don't want to miss the	part of providing resources
to our youth that will help them understand and  embrace the
Brethren peace witness," commented Chris Bowman, moderator of  the
2004 Conference.

Noffsinger and Jim Hardenbrook, 2005 Annual  Conference moderator,
also reported to the council their participation in a  recent
meeting of executives and moderators of Anabaptist  communions.
Although this fellowship has met annually, the Church of  the
Brethren has not been involved for six years. The meeting  also
included officers of the Mennonite Church US, the Brethren in
Christ,  the Conservative Mennonite Church, Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) US, and  the Mennonite Brethren USA.

At the Anabaptist meeting, the MCC's  executive director Rolando
Santiago brought a proposal urging Anabaptist  churches to intensify
their witness to service. After Church of the  Brethren
representatives disclosed the contacts with Selective Service,	the
group made plans for a consultation of representatives of
Anabaptist  communions to discuss the tradition's understanding of
service and how to  prepare for alternative service opportunities.
At Noffsinger's invitation the	consultation will be held at the
Church of the Brethren General Offices in  Elgin, Ill.

After hearing the report, the Annual Conference Council took  action
to support "our denomination's participation in a consultation	on
alternative service March 4-6, 2005, to be held in Elgin, Ill.,  as
proposed by the council of moderators and secretaries of the
Anabaptist  churches, and in which the Annual Conference moderator
and General Board  general secretary will participate on behalf of
the Church of the Brethren."  Council members participating in the
meeting were Ziegler, Bowman,  Hardenbrook, Swartz, Ron Beachley,
Joan Daggett, and Lerry  Fogle.

3) Church of the Brethren in Brazil holds fourth Annual  Conference.

Igreja da Irmandade (Church of the Brethren in Brazil)	celebrated
its fourth Annual Conference Nov. 13-14, 2004, focusing on  Jesus'
words, "My peace I leave you" (John 14:27). More than 50  people
participated, with representation from every congregation  and
fellowship.

It was evident throughout the conference that business	was
secondary to worship and fellowship, reported Greg  Davidson
Laszakovits, a General Board representative in Brazil.	Worship,
jointly led by national directors Marcos and Suely Inhauser,  was
filled with meaningful sermons, joyous congregational singing,	and
testimonies from congregants, he said. Sermons were delivered  by
pastors who considered various aspects of peace in the holistic
sense  of "shalom," preaching on peace of and through Jesus the
Christ, social and  political peace and discipleship, and peace in
the congregation and  community.

Much like Annual Conferences in the US, the Brazilian  conference
gave members from different congregations a chance to reunite  with
brothers and sisters and meet new ones, as well as share stories  of
their lives and congregations. The sharing was highlighted  by
testimonies by congregants from all of the congregations, which
were  peppered throughout the conference. A member of the Indiatuba
congregation  shared that she "looked 40 years for a church like
this. It's been a blessing  in my life." A member of the Campinas
congregation explained how she came to	know the about her
congregation via Marcos Inhauser's weekly column in the  city
newspaper, tackling religious and cultural topics. Through  these
columns she learned about a congregation that was doing things in
a  different way, became interested, and eventually a member.

The highlight  of the conference was celebration of new life in
Christ in four baptisms.  After pastor Nelson Gervonni of the
Indiatuba congregation baptized and  welcomed the new members into
the church, he exclaimed, "Nothing gives me  greater joy in
pastoring!"

A light-hearted but intentional emphasis on  community was
punctuated in worship, communal meals, and afternoons to simply  be
together. Soccer games, swimming, playing with children, and a lot
of  conversation were shared. Marcos Inhauser underscored the
importance of times  to build community in the conference journal.
"We need to be together, to  talk, to open our hearts, to understand
the scriptures, in order to be a  body, a community," he wrote.

The motto of Igreja da Irmandade, "A  different kind of church doing
things differently," was reflected throughout  the conference as the
church shed the weight of business to celebrate new  life in Christ,
invigorating worship, and meaningful fellowship as nothing  less
than body of Christ.

4) Virlina District holds its 33rd  district conference.

The 33rd Virlina District Conference met at Green  Ridge Baptist
Church in Roanoke, Va., on Nov. 12-13. The theme was "We are  an
Offering" (Romans 12:1-2), reported Frank Davis of Laurel Branch
Church	of the Brethren near Floyd, Va. A total of 562 people
registered including  243 delegates representing 77 congregations.
Moderator David W. Minnich led	participants in the worship and
business life of the district.

Keynote  speakers were Walt Wiltschek, editor of the Church of the
Brethren magazine  "Messenger," and Donna L. Shumate, chair of the
General Board. More than 80  people attended a Ministers and Spouses
Banquet at Summerdean Church of the  Brethren in Roanoke, which was
addressed by the 2005 Annual Conference  moderator Jim Hardenbrook.

A highlight of the conference was the report  that the indebtedness
for the Trailblazer II project at Camp Bethel had been	retired. New
business included approval of amendments to the Constitution  and
Bylaws changing the title of camp manager to camp director.
Delegates  granted authority to the Church Extension Committee to
receive the Living  Faith Church of the Brethren in Concord, N.C. as
a congregation, and approved  a District Board budget of $283,491.80
for 2005. The conference received  offerings of $1,102.10  for the
Church Extension Committee, $1,452.98  for District Conference, and
$652.92 for Disaster Response.

Reports  were received from district staff, District Board, Outdoor
Ministries  Committee, Camp Bethel, and other institutions of the
district and  denomination. Camp Bethel will have a budget of
$433,050.00 for 2005.  Delegates also heard that 19 congregations
and fellowships were involved in  pastoral placement processes
during the year and new pastors were introduced.  The conference
honored Frederick C. Driver for 50 years of ministerial  service.

Delegates called Shirley B. Jamison as moderator-elect; Kathie	S.
Robinson as clerk, Jimmy O. Cannaday to Standing Committee of
Annual	Conference; Sam Garst, Tanya M. Reece, and Earl F. Stovall
to the Nominating  and Personnel Committee; Betty B. Altic and Dan
Brogan to Program and  Arrangements Committee; Sarah Grim and Earl
Patrick Starkey to the Outdoor	Ministries Committee; Lenoria Naff,
Jill Bishop, Marie V. Thomas, Michael D.  Elmore, Michael Battle,
Debbie Humphrey, Sandy D. Foster, Robert Myers, Ed  McKimmy, and
Marianne Rhoades Pittman to the District Board. Glenn  McCrickard
will serve as District Board chair for 2004-05.

The 34th  Virlina District Conference will be in Beckley, W.Va.,
Nov. 11-12, 2005, with	moderator Russell L. Payne.

5) West Marva holds two training events  simultaneously.

Knowing that all licensed and ordained clergy would be	required to
attend a district-wide Ministerial Ethics Training Workshop,  the
West Marva District Nurture Commission decided to try  something
different, reported Julie M. Hostetter, Congregational Life  Team
coordinator for Area 3. "They chose to provide a Christian
education  event that would take place on the same day and at the
same location as the  ethics training," she said.

On Nov. 13, participants for both events met  together for opening
worship, lunch, and closing worship at Sunnyside Church  of the
Brethren in New Creek, W.Va. Seventy-two pastors from 49  churches
spent their morning and afternoon in sessions focusing	on
ministerial ethics with Mary Jo Flory-Steury, director of Ministry
for  the General Board. Forty-four church educators from 20
congregations attended	a plenary session, "Called to Teach!" led by
Hostetter.

Participants  had the option of choosing from workshops options
including "Learning Centers  for Children," "Ministry with
Youth/Young Adults," "Exciting Adult  Education," "Christian
Education with Special Needs Students," "Teacher  Calling,
Equipping, and Encouraging," "Storytelling for Children,"  "Media
and Christian Education," "Small Group Ministry for  Adults,"
"Christian Education for Students with ADD and ADHD," and  "Many
Ways of Teaching/Learning." Leadership for the workshops  included
Jennifer Sanders and Patsy Shenk from West Marva District and  Alice
Geiman, Jan Matteson, and Mary Alice Womble from  Shenandoah
District.

In a show-and-tell session, participants shared  what was going on
in the nurture and education programs of their	congregations as
well as what they learned in the workshops. Pastors and  educators
had the opportunity to peruse a display of curricula published	and
recommended by the denomination, and to purchase resources  from
Brethren Press.

6) "Angels Everywhere" raises ministry	education funds.

The musical "Angels Everywhere: A True Story of the  Brethren" by
Frank Ramirez and Steve Engle, raised $8,024.96 for  Middle
Pennsylvania District for use in ministry education. The  project
was developed in response to criticism that arose when the  district
raised money by selling sandwich tickets through fast food  outlets,
Ramirez reported. The effort was headed by Eleanor Fix, pastor	of
Cherry Lane Church of the Brethren in Clearville, Pa.

"Angels  Everywhere" is the story of Catharine Hummer, a Brethren
teenager who claimed  she saw angels in 1762. Ramirez, pastor of
Everett (Pa.) Church of the  Brethren and a prolific writer for
Brethren Press and "Messenger" magazine,  has been studying the
story since 1997. He wrote the first draft of the  script and lyrics
and asked Steve Engle, a Church of the Brethren author,  songwriter,
and ventriloquist, to join the project. Engle wrote the music  and
contributed to both the script and lyrics.

"Angels Everywhere" was  performed Oct. 9 at Roaring Spring Church
of the Brethren, Nov. 20 at Everett  Church of the Brethren, and
Dec. 4 at Hollidaysburg Church of the Brethren.  Each congregation
provided a meal as part of a dinner theater package. In  addition,
excerpts were presented at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren  as
part of an annual enrichment program. Over 600 came to see the
musical.  The intergenerational cast included 22 performers from
five congregations in  the district. The company hopes to arrange a
tour of several more  congregations in the spring of 2005 and 2006,
Ramirez said.

The Hummer  incident was the source of much controversy, Ramirez
said, and prompted  discussion at the Annual Meeting of 1763. "The
Annual Meeting decision was a  crucial one," he added, "speaking
more to the need for Brethren to speak	together in love than
actually settling the matter. As Alexander Mack Jr. put  it,
`Therefore, dear brethren, let us watch and be careful, and above
all  preserve love, for thus one preserves light.'"

A soundtrack CD of the	musical is planned and should be available
in early 2005. For performance and  CD information call Ramirez at
814-652-2634.

7) Historic Brethren  pipe organ receives citation.

The 1698 Johan Christoph Harttman pipe	organ located at the General
Offices in Elgin, Ill., has been awarded a  citation by the Historic
Organ Citations Committee of the Organ Historical  Society. The
small pipe organ is part of the collection of the  Brethren
Historical Library and Archives of the General Board.

The  Harttman organ is one of the two oldest organs in the US to
receive the  distinction, wrote Stephen Schnurr, chair of the
committee, in a letter to  the board's archivist Ken Shaffer. The
citations program is part of the  society's method of publicly
honoring the special historic qualities of a  pipe organ. Since the
awarding of the first citation in 1975, some 330 organs  in the US
and Canada have received the honor. The society hopes to  present
the citation in a ceremony in the autumn of 2005 that may  include
a brief recital on the organ.

8)  Brethren bits: Correction, request for stories, and more.

*In a  correction to the story "Bethany Seminary board participates
in  accreditation, strategic plan," in the Dec. 17 issue of
Newsline, the  seminary's financial campaign "Inspired by the
Spirit–Educating for Ministry"	has exceeded $13 million.

*The General Board's Communications Team  is collecting stories of
how the the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve  service on CBS
affected the lives of individuals and congregations. The team  also
seeks copies of any news stories about the service and	any
advertisements that were placed for the service. Send copies of
news  articles and advertisements to Communications Team, Attn:
Christmas Eve  Service, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451
Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL	60120. Submit stories by e-mail to
cobweb@brethren.org.

*A third  annual War Toy Public Witness was co-sponsored by Skyridge
Church of the  Brethren and Kalamazoo Friends Meeting in Kalamazoo,
Mich., Dec. 5. The  witness was held along South Westnedge Ave., the
region's main retail  corridor according to a story by Olga
Bonfiglie in the "Kalamazoo Gazette."  The 13 people participating
in the witness included seven Brethren. Ineke  Way, a social worker
and Skyridge's Outreach Committee co-chair, told the  paper that she
was concerned that war toys teach children to glorify war  and
settle their conflicts with violence. Stephanie Higdon, a  graduate
student, hoped that the witness would prompt shoppers to  think
twice about buying violent toys for children. Shaun Hittle, also  a
social worker, said he resents toy manufacturers who make money off
of  children through violence and appeals to patriotism. He also
linked the toys  to military recruitment of young people. "Some
shoppers appreciated the  presence of the demonstrators," the paper
reported.

*The San Diego	(Calif.) Church of the Brethren is offering
hospitality to Brethren pastors  attending the National Pastors
Convention and Emergent Convention in San  Diego Feb. 1-5. "The San
Diego church can make it more affordable by offering  a bed and a
quick breakfast during the course of the conference," reported	Jeff
Glass, the General Board's Congregational Life Team Coordinator  for
Area 5. Call the church at 619-265-8183 or  e-mail
office@sdbrethrenchurch.org. Glass will arrange a meal for  Church
of the Brethren participants during the conventions.  Call
888-826-4951 or e-mail jglass_gb@brethren.org, if you are
interested  in meeting other Brethren who are attending or for more
information about the  conventions or about San Diego.

*Camp Bethel will host a Faith Quest  spiritual retreat for youth in
grades 10-12 on March 4-6, 2005. Themes for  the weekend are
"Discovering Self," "Discovering God," and "Discovering  Our
Relationship with Others." The retreat will include presentations
by  youth and adults, small groups, music and singing, and the
spiritual  disciplines of silence, worship, Bible study, prayer, and
fasting for one  meal. Money that would have been spent on the meal
will go to the General	Board's Global Food Crisis Fund. Contact
Virlina District, 540-362-1816 or  e-mail virlina@aol.com.

*Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.,	has received $1
million to enhance its "intellectual capital." The Lilly  Endowment
Inc. grant will enhance Manchester's faculty and  information
technology, purchase high-tech equipment for a new Science  Center,
and determine new use for aged buildings. The grant is part of	$100
million the endowment has awarded to 37 colleges and universities
for  its Initiative to Recruit and Retrain Intellectual Capital for
Indiana Higher	Education Institutions. The college will invest
$400,000 in faculty  development, teaching, learning, and research;
plans to use $250,000 to  purchase the latest science technology for
the $17 million Science Center	that will open this summer; and will
use another $250,000 for information  technology and $100,000 to
determine the maximum possible use of aged  buildings including the
current science hall, the 45-year old Holl-Kintner  Hall. For more
information see www.manchester.edu.

*Volume II of  "Unionists and the Civil War Experience in the
Shenandoah Valley" is now  available, reported the co-publisher of
the series, the Valley	Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center. Norman
Wenger, a Harrisonburg, Va.,  businessman, was a leading
researcher-compiler of the volume. The book tells  the stories of 32
families including Brethren and Mennonites as well as  Methodist
Episcopal and German Reformed, who lived in Rockingham	County
during the war. Editor Emmert Bittinger, professor emeritus  of
Bridgewater (Va.) College, prepared the documents for publication
and  wrote the introduction to the 735 pages. Wenger and Rockingham
County	businessman David S. Rodes scoured archival records of the
Southern Claims  Commission to tell how family members held to their
convictions regarding  slavery and war and maintained loyalty to the
Union, despite personal  struggles and loss of life and property.
Contact Valley Brethren-Mennonite  Heritage Center, P.O. Box 1563,
Harrisonburg, VA 22803; or mail order for  $58.50 from Valley
Research Associates, P.O. Box 526, Dayton, VA 22821.

9) Jan King moves to half-time position with General Board,  takes
up chaplaincy.

Jan King, the General Board's Congregational Life  Team (CLT)
coordinator for Area 1, has accepted a half-time position  as
chaplain at The Village at Morrison's Cove, a Church of the
Brethren  retirement center in Martinsburg, Pa. She will continue in
the CLT role  half-time. The move was made at King's choice to
pursue her interest and  education in the field of gerontology. The
change is effective Feb. 1.

The board's Office of Human Resources reported that the  services
provided by Area One's team will be accomplished in a  different
manner but will not be reduced. The coordinator position's  change
to half-time was not prompted by budget constraints, reported  the
office, and consultants may be used to continue the current level
of  services.

King has worked for the board since 1997. She is the board's  staff
liaison to the Association of the Arts in the Church of the
Brethren  and has worked with Middle Pennsylvania District in
developing a new  resource, "Growing Faithful Disciples," which will
be shared  denomination-wide in January.

10) Alexander Mack Jr. `Day Book' is  published.

A historic Brethren document, "The Day Book/Account Book  of
Alexander Mack, Jr.," has been published by the Pennsylvania  German
Society. "Mack's day book/account book is a valuable source  of
information about the colonial Brethren," reported General  Board
archivist Ken Shaffer. "It includes information about the
Germantown  congregation and other colonial Brethren, information
about Mack's family,  details about his weaving business, and poems
he wrote on his  birthdays."

The original document is handwritten, some in English, but  much of
it in German, Shaffer said. The new publication contains  a
transcription of the contents of the book, a translation of the
German	by Edward E. Quinter, an index by Kate Mertes, and an
introduction and over  500 annotations by Brethren historian Donald
F. Durnbaugh.

Mack  (1712-1803) came with his father and brothers to America in
1729. After his  father's death in 1735, he joined the Ephrata
community for several years and  then spent a couple of years on the
Virginia frontier. In the late 1740s he  returned to Pennsylvania,
married, and became an elder in the Germantown	congregation. He
earned a living as a weaver and is considered a major leader  of the
Brethren in second half of the 1700s.

The original document of  the book was preserved by Abraham Harley
Cassel, a Mack descendant, Shaffer  reported. It was purchased from
Cassel by Martin Grove Brumbaugh, who later  donated it to Juniata
College. "At some point it was removed from the college  collection
and ended up in the hands of collectors," Shaffer said.  "Eventually
it was purchased by the General Board and is now housed at  the
Brethren Historical Library and Archives in Elgin, Ill. Now that
the  transcription and translation have been published, the contents
will be  easily available to those interested in the early Brethren,
the Mack family,  and the work of a colonial weaver." The book is
available for $20 plus	shipping and handling from Brethren Press,
800-441-3712.

11)  Creche travels from Christmas fields to Christmas Eve service.

The  olive-wood creche set that was filmed for the Church of the
Brethren  Christmas Eve telecast on CBS has a unique background,
reports Howard Royer,  who created the decor for the service along
with Brethren graphic artist  Rosanna Eller McFadden. Royer manages
the Global Food Crisis Fund for the  General Board and is a member
of the board of SERRV/A Greater  Gift.

The creche set was made this past year as a special order for  the
SERRV gift shop at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor,	Md.,
said Linda Kjeldgaard, a SERRV staff member. "The artisans are	from
Shepherds Field workshop and truly work in the fields that once
were  used by the shepherds during Christ's life," she told Royer.

"The olive  wood is from cuttings taken while pruning the olive
trees in Israel," she  added. "No trees are cut just for their wood.
Although many trees have  recently been destroyed in the ongoing
conflict and the fence-building around	the Palestinian compounds,
in peaceful times olive trees are kept alive as  long as possible
with many still surviving from the time of Christ. The	artisans are
Palestinian Christians and work in small shops or in rooms in  their
homes. Due to the smaller number of tourists (one of the  main
customers of their work) they have been especially hard hit by a
lack  of orders."

"A detail that is hard to figure from a TV screen is the size  of
the carvings," Royer said. "There were 11 pieces, the taller 20
inches	in height." The General Board has purchased the creche set,
adding it to the  board's art  acquisitions.

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