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Date: Jan. 21, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL:  CoBNews@AOL.Com

Newsline       Jan.  21, 2005

"...`You give them something to eat.'..." Mark	6:37

NEWS
1) Church of the Brethren continues tsunami relief  efforts.
2) Congregations and districts contribute to tsunami relief.
3)  BBT Board takes steps to ensure future of Brethren Medical Plan.
4) Churches  begin planning for Consultation on Alternative Service.
5) Global Food Crisis  Fund aids reforestation in Guatemala.
6) Two Annual Conference agencies hold	joint retreat.
7) Brethren bits: Personnel, job opening, and  more.

PERSONNEL
8) Don Fecher resigns from Brethren Benefit  Trust.

UPCOMING EVENTS
9) Class is offered in connection with Mission	Alive  2005.

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ANNOUNCING:  The Newsline schedule will change with the next issue.
The schedule will  change from the first, third, and fifth Fridays
of the month, to every other  Wednesday beginning Feb. 2. This
change will help congregations that would  like to include
up-to-date information from Newsline in their Sunday  bulletins.
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1)  Church of the Brethren continues tsunami relief efforts.

As the estimates  of the numbers of people killed by the Dec. 26
tsunami topped 226,000, the  Church of the Brethren continued its
efforts for the survivors, supporting  Church World Service (CWS),
the global humanitarian arm of the National  Council of Churches. On
Jan. 19 Indonesia added tens of thousands of the  missing to the
estimates of the death toll.

Brethren relief efforts  since the last Newsline report included a
new grant from the General Board's  Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF),
more shipments of relief supplies from the  Brethren Service Center
in New Windsor, Md., and a call for Gift of the Heart  School Kits.
Many congregations and districts also have been collecting  relief
supplies and gathering donations.

Brethren staff took part in a  conference call with CWS
denominational partners on Jan. 13, in which CWS  director Rick
Augsberger called in from Thailand. He referred to the	destruction
as "indescribable," reported Jane Yount, disaster  response
coordinator for the General Board. Because this disaster was  so
intense and widespread, all phases of recovery will be
significantly  lengthened, she said.

Augsberger said that 500 family shelter kits have  been distributed
in Sri Lanka and another 1,000 have been requested. In	Indonesia,
CWS has two medical doctors working in Banda Aceh and  four
psychosocial care staff working as well. CWS Indonesia staff  are
participating in food distribution and identifying communities yet
in  need of aid. A second airlift of CWS material resources has been
made, and  another major shipment of relief supplies will be
airlifted to Singapore. An  additional 50,000 health kits have been
requested for the survivors, "and  thanks to the generous response
by the US churches, this order can be met,"  Yount said. "School
kits also will be in great demand in several months as	schools
begin to be rebuilt."

Donations to EDF are supporting the CWS  response as well as
shipments of material goods from the Brethren Service  Center.
Recent shipments include 50 cartons of medical supplies  to
Indonesia on behalf of Lutheran World Relief and 100 cartons  of
Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) Medicine Boxes and three skids
of  dry food to Indonesia on behalf of IMA, CWS, and the
Presbyterian Church. The  shipments were combined on one flight
along with 1,512 Relief Kits from  Mennonite Central Committee.
Staff of the General Board's Service Ministries  also began packing
another 50 IMA Medicine Boxes for Thailand. In other  shipments, the
center put together a container bound for Sudan with 40  cartons of
Gift of the Heart Layette Kits, 70 cartons of Gift of the  Heart
Health Kits, and 450 cases of canned chicken.

On Jan. 12 a  $10,000 EDF grant was approved to aid the Church of
North India's (CNI)  tsunami relief efforts in the Car Nicobar
islands. "We wish to express our  concern, support, and sympathies
directly with the Church of North India as  brothers and sister in
Christ," wrote Stan Noffsinger, the General Board's  general
secretary. The Church of the Brethren has had a relationship  with
CNI since Brethren churches in India joined with CNI in 1970.  The
area of India where most Brethren live was not affected by  the
tsunami.

CNI reported that the "Car Nicobar group of islands has  been so
completely devastated by tsunami that they would have to be  built
from scratch." The CNI Disaster Management Committee is  overseeing
rescue and relief work in Port Blair and Car Nicobar,  dispatching
relief workers and offering material aid such as food,	tarps,
medicine, clothing, and bleach powder. CNI is running two  relief
camps which are supporting 4,000 people. CNI itself  suffered
terrible losses. Out of 52 CNI pastors in the affected	diocese,
eight lost their lives. CNI's 33 buildings in the diocese also	have
been either damaged or destroyed.

"I am grateful to each one of  you for your prayers and your
expression of solidarity, which have been a  great source of
encouragement for us in the Church of North India as we have  a
gigantic task ahead of us to reconstruct a diocese which has  lost
everything," wrote Enos Das Pradhan, CNI's general secretary, in  a
Jan. 10 update. For more information see  www.cnitsunamirelief.org.

Emergency Response/Service Ministries also has	publicized an urgent
request from CWS for Gift of the Heart School Kits. The  request
follows a request for Gift of the Heart Health Kits. Needs  stemming
from the tsunami are prompting CWS to ask for help to replenish  the
supply of school kits, which will be used first in temporary
schools  likely to be housed in tents. Information about assembling
kits has been sent  to district offices and is available at
www.brethren.org.

For more  information about the Church of the Brethren relief effort
see  www.brethren.org. For more information about CWS work  see
www.churchworldservice.org. The National Council of Churches  (NCC)
also is posting audio, photos, and reflections from NCC envoys	to
Sri Lanka and Indonesia at www.ncccusa.org.

2) Congregations  and districts contribute to tsunami relief.

Brethren individuals,  congregations, districts, and colleges are
collecting funds and material  supplies to support the
denomination's response to the tsunami. Here is a  sampling:

Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren, where up to 85  percent of
the congregation are from India, have held three Sunday  collections
for tsunami relief. A total of $1,072 has been raised for  the
General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF).

In impromptu  offerings on Sunday Jan. 2, Ridge Church of the
Brethren in Shippensburg,  Pa., raised more than $2,500, and Mount
Morris (Ill.) Church of the Brethren  raised $983. "This is a
disaster of monumental proportions. If everybody does  something, it
will help," Ridge pastor Harold Yeager told the "Carlisle  Sentinel"
newspaper.

Skippack Church of the Brethren in Collegeville,  Pa.; Green Tree
Church of the Brethren in Oaks, Pa.; Providence Church of  the
Brethren in Royersford, Pa.; and Lower Skippack Mennonite Church
held  a joint service for tsunami relief Jan. 19. The Skippack
congregation hosted  the event. Pastors from the four churches
conducted the service, which  included special music, reflection,
and prayer. The message was delivered by  Skippack pastor Larry
O'Neill. An offering was taken for Church World Service  and Flood
Relief.

Fair-View Church of the Brethren in Masontown, Pa.,  hosted a
tsunami relief service on Sunday Jan. 23, which was sponsored  by
the Klondike Clergy Association.

Highland Avenue Church of the  Brethren in Elgin, Ill., is foregoing
dessert at its Wednesday Common Meals  during January--the money
saved is going to the EDF for tsunami  relief.

Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren brought a truckload of  1,400
Gift of the Heart Health Kits to the Brethren Service Center in  New
Windsor, Md., on Jan. 10. Among others collecting kits are  First
Church of the Brethren in Flint, Mich., which posted a note in	"The
Flint Journal" alerting the community that it will collect  Health
Kits through Jan. 24; Water Street Church of the Brethren in  Kent,
Ohio, which informed the "Beacon Journal" that it was  accepting
donations for Health Kits; and Northern Colorado Church of  the
Brethren in Windsor, Colo., where six Health Kits and six School
Kits  had been made up as of Jan. 13.

As of Jan. 14, Virlina District received  $18,893.60 from special
offerings, individuals, and groups associated with 24  different
congregations. The district has distributed $15,190.60 to  the
Emergency Response/Service Ministries of the General Board.

At  least two of the Brethren-related colleges are collecting
donations for the  EDF. Neighbors and friends of Manchester College
in North Manchester, Ind.,  have helped collect $5,400, according to
the school's website at  www.manchester.edu. The cash and check
collection in the Business Office will	continue until Feb. 1. On
Jan. 20, members of the Manchester community  gathered with 45
members of the African History class of Dr. Benson C. Onyeji  for a
brief reflection on the tragedy and a moment of silence.  The
Elizabethtown (Pa.) College Center for Global Citizenship is
working  with Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren to seek monetary
donations as well  as School, Health, and Medicine Kits, according
to the "Elizabethtown  Chronicle." The Business Office is collecting
donations, the Office of  Service-Learning is distributing kit
instructions, and the Student Center is  collecting kits.

Schools in Carroll County, Md., in the area around the	Brethren
Service Center, are holding fundraisers for the tsunami relief	work
being done at the center and collecting Gift of the Heart kits to
be  shipped from the center. Freedom Elementary is doing a "Health
Kits Bring  Hope" project; pupils at East Middle are assembling
Health, School, and Baby  Kits; West Middle is selling candy to help
the center purchase and ship  supplies, and is collecting Health
Kits; Oklahoma Road Middle is collecting  Health Kits; South Carroll
High is collecting donations for the EDF; and the  Board of
Education offices has organized a Health Kit drive for	employees.

3) BBT Board takes steps to ensure future of Brethren  Medical Plan.

Meeting in Middlebury, Ind., Nov. 19-20, 2004, the Brethren  Benefit
Trust (BBT) Board took several steps in an effort to ensure  the
longterm health of the Brethren Medical Plan (see Newsline Dec.  3,
2004, "BBT makes new requirement in effort to save Brethren  Medical
Plan"). 

The board also supported a program to help church  agencies develop
planned giving and approved a 2005 budget, and its  Investment
Committee studied the use of "soft dollars" and reviewed  investment
strategy for the Retirement Benefits Fund and the possibility  of
creating a "stable-value" fund.

The board reaffirmed its support  for a new program being developed
in which BBT staff members work with other  church agencies to
develop longterm financial support through deferred  giving. The
program is intended to assist church agencies that do not  have
planned giving staff of their own. Under the plan, agencies  will
continue to be the prime contact with their own donors. BBT  will
support the agencies with calculations, explaining gift options  to
donors, and through the production of applicable resources.

The BBT  Investment Committee studied the use of "soft dollars" to
pay for certain  investment research costs. Soft dollars are
generated when an investor  directs that purchases and sales of
securities be handled by a specific  broker. The broker then rebates
a portion of his or her commission on the  sales to be used by the
investor to purchase research. Although widespread,  the practice
has received considerable negative attention recently,	primarily
because of the potential for conflicts of interest that it  creates.
The Investment Committee declined to accept soft dollars on  BBT
accounts and will request more complete reporting from	investment
managers on how they use soft dollars.

The Investment	Committee also reviewed its investment strategy for
the Retirement Benefits  Fund. Assets in the fund are the source of
payments for Brethren Pension Plan  retirees. With many experts
predicting several years of below-average  returns, the committee
decided to review current allocations.

In  response to requests from Brethren Pension Plan members and
asset management  clients, the Investment Committee also addressed
the possibility of creating  a "stable-value" fund. By investing in
a socially responsible mix of  short-term securities, such a fund
would be able to generate positive returns  under most market
conditions. Although returns would be small, they would be  unlikely
to be negative in any given month. A stable-value fund	would
benefit those nearing retirement who could use a  stable-value
investment to "park" pension contributions and earnings up to  six
months before retirement, thus locking in a minimum level for  their
monthly annuity. Asset management clients of the Brethren
Foundation  would use a stable-value fund primarily when they want
to protect funds they  know will be used in a relatively short
period.

In other business the  board approved a 2005 budget that calls for
expenditures of $2,790,000;  approved the recommended 100 percent
housing allowance limit for pastors  receiving pension annuities and
disability benefits; authorized grants from  the Supplemental Income
Fund for Equitable Annuitants assets to former	members of the
equitable plan; and elected to explore the actions required  for BBT
to fulfill the spirit of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act  placing
stringent requirements on financial activities of publicly  traded
companies. While BBT is not subject to the act's provisions,  the
board expressed its desire to hold BBT's activities to the  highest
possible standards.

The board also received reports from the  Brethren Foundation and
the Church of the Brethren Credit Union. The  foundation noted that
its asset management clients represent all 23 districts  in the
Church of the Brethren. The foundation currently  manages
approximately $117 million, most of which represents  asset
management funds on deposit from about 200 congregations and  other
church agencies. The foundation also is responsible for  numerous
charitable trusts and charitable gift annuities.

Dennis	Kingery, director of Credit Union Operations, reported that
the credit union  is engaged in an extended process of merging its
existing internal controls  with those already in place for BBT, and
is exploring the possibility of  offering members online access to
their accounts.

The BBT Board will  meet next in Elgin, Ill., April 16-17. For more
information see  www.brethrenbenefittrust.org.

4) Churches begin planning for	Consultation on Alternative Service.

Leaders from several Christian	denominations will hold a March 4-5
consultation at the Church of the  Brethren General Offices in
Elgin, Ill., to make contingency plans in case of  a US military
draft. The consultation of church leaders--mostly from	peace
churches in the Anabaptist tradition--will include education  on
Selective Service requirements, updates on military recruiting
efforts,  and conversation about alternatives to military service.
It also will address  how to respond to an increase in military
recruitment efforts and how to	promote a culture of volunteerism
among youth.

The Council of	Moderators and Secretaries (COMS), a group of
leaders from Anabaptist  denominations, is sponsoring the
by-invitation-only consultation of about 80  people. The planning
group includes representatives from the Church of the  Brethren, the
Mennonite Church USA, the Brethren in Christ Church of	North
America, the US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches,  and
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) US.

Invited participants will  include church leaders, church youth and
young adults, and representatives  from church agencies and
educational institutions. The Church of the Brethren  will have a
delegation of about 12 people including the Annual  Conference
moderator and moderator-elect, representatives of the General  Board
and On Earth Peace, and youth and young adults. Other  denominations
have asked to be included in the consultation and the  planning
group is considering inviting representatives of the  American
Friends Service Committee and the Bruderhof. In addition,  an
invitation is being extended to representatives of the American
Baptist  Churches USA.

The idea for the consultation was sparked in part by  face-to-face
conversations between Selective Service staff and General  Board
staff (see related stories in the Dec. 17 and Dec. 31, 2004,  issues
of Newsline). Planning for the consultation has been facilitated  by
staff of MCC US, which have spent ten months making  contingency
planning for such a meeting.

The consultation "is  important to all of us as Historic Peace
Churches," said Stan Noffsinger,  general secretary of the General
Board. "The outcome of this  gathering	is strengthened through the
participation of each of these denominations," he  said. The
prospect for a military draft "is a common denominator and we  are
proactive in considering our next steps."

"I think it's very  important that the Anabaptist churches and those
of us with concerns for  peace be working together," said McFadden,
who represents the Church of the  Brethren on the planning group.
"While the political parties and leaders  continue to say there will
be no draft, it's time for us to prepare," he  said.

5) Global Food Crisis Fund aids reforestation in  Guatemala.

A grant of $14,000 from the General Board's Global Food Crisis	Fund
has been allocated for trees, cisterns, and stoves in  Guatemala.

The fund's Grants Review Panel requested the allocation to  support
ongoing reforestation, wells, and stove programs in the  central
American country. The funds will be used for materials,  workers,
construction, transportation, and stipends for these three areas  of
ministry.

6) Two Annual Conference agencies hold joint  retreat.

Staff for On Earth Peace and the Association of Brethren  Caregivers
(ABC) participated a two-day retreat at Camp Harmony  in
Hooversville, Pa., to become more familiar with each other's
ministries  and to discuss collaboration between the agencies. ABC
joined part of the On  Earth Peace annual week-long staff retreat.
The agencies are similar in size  and deliver their programs through
workshops at congregations and at  district, regional, and
denominational conferences.

On Earth Peace and  ABC will collaborate at Annual Conference on two
insight sessions: "Listening  Skills for Deacons" and "Helping
Soldiers Heal from Post-Traumatic Stress  Disorder." They will share
a large exhibit space to provide opportunities to  talk with
Conference attendees about the two programs and how their  concerns
dovetail. During the retreat, staff discussed plans for the  exhibit
and a joint project to help soldiers returning from active  military
conflict find healing from the physical, mental, and  spiritual
trauma of war. Times of worship focused on peace and healing,  the
impact of social justice during the civil rights movement, and	the
teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.

"This was the first time that  our two agencies have intentionally
taken a retreat together," said Kathy  Reid, ABC executive director.
"It was a wonderful opportunity...to interact  with one another,
learn more about our programs, and plan for projects we are  already
collaborating on." Reid said she hopes the agencies will  repeat
this kind of retreat.

7) Brethren bits: Personnel, job  opening, and more.

*Stephanie Hartley, of Lewistown, Pa., left for  Nigeria Jan. 20 to
serve as a Brethren Volunteer Service/Global Mission  Partnerships
worker for the General Board. She will teach at the  Ekklesiyar
Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in  Nigeria)
Secondary School at the EYN headquarters near Mubi for two  years.

*The General Board seeks a fulltime receptionist at the  General
Offices in Elgin, Ill. The position is available  immediately.
Responsibilities include managing the switchboard, proficiency	with
the telephone system, general office duties, and basic computer
use.  The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability in customer
service, word  processing, general office skills, and the ability to
serve as a backup to  the Building Services coordinator. Experience
in a church or service	organization is beneficial. Deadline for
applications is Jan. 27. Mail  resumes to Mary Lou Garrison,
Director of Human Resources, Church of the  Brethren General Board,
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. For more  information call
800-323-8039 or e-mail	mgarrison_gb@brethren.org.

*Brethren Volunteer Service is holding its  Winter Orientation Unit
263 from Jan. 23-Feb. 11 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha,  Fla. The 17
trainees include six members of the Church of the Brethren and	five
Germans. The unit will spend a weekend at Eglise des Freres
Haitiens  in Miami, Fla., as part of the training. Leadership will
include Matt Guynn,  On Earth Peace program coordinator for Peace
Witness; Phil Jones, director of  the General Board's Brethren
Witness/Washington Office; and Chris Douglas,  director of the
General Board's Youth and Young Adult  Ministry.

*Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is having a potluck Jan. 29  at
6:30 p.m. for former BVS workers, Civilian Public Service  (CPS)
workers, and anyone with a connection to BVS or CPS. The  potluck
will be at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. "We see this potluck as  a
wonderful opportunity for the volunteers in training from Unit 263
to be  able to connect with people that have done similar service,"
said Sam Bowman  of the BVS office.

*The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) offices  have moved to
a new location within the Church of the Brethren General  Offices in
Elgin, Ill. ABC is now located near the General  Board's
Communications area. As part of the move, ABC has a new fax  number:
847-742-6103. The ABC address and telephone numbers remain  the
same: 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120; 800-323-8039  or
847-742-5100.

*An open letter to President Bush urging him to seize  the
opportunity to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been signed
by  57 Christian leaders. Signers included Phil Jones, director of
the General  Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office, along with
National Council of  Churches (NCC) general secretary Robert Edgar,
leaders of other NCC member  churches, and other prominent
Christians. The letter was published as a  full-page ad in today's
"New York Times." It expressed concern for the	security and freedom
of Israelis and Palestinians and the security and  reputation of the
US. "We believe that the promise of peace in Jerusalem is  the best
defense against terrorism," it said. See www.ncccusa.org for  more
information; for the text of the letter and a list of signers  see
www.cmep.org.

*Brethren are invited to sign a National Council of  Churches (NCC)
statement, "God's Mandate: Care for Creation." Stan  Noffsinger,
general secretary of the General Board, issued the  invitation
saying that the document expresses well the biblical mandate  of
care for God's creation and the environment. The document  was
formulated by the NCC's Eco-Justice ministry. The NCC said
signatures  will be accepted past the announced deadline of today,
Jan. 21. The statement	and an opportunity to sign may be found  at
www.nccecojustice.org.

*Bethany Theological Seminary's Mid-Winter  Open House for college
students will be held Feb. 26, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on the	campus in
Richmond, Ind. There will be opportunities for conversation  with
faculty, staff, and students, a class visit, and a campus tour.
"Come  join in a day of exploring theological education and its
possibilities in  your life," invited Kathy Royer, director of
Admissions. For more information  e-mail her at
enroll@bethanyseminary.edu.

*The registration deadline  is approaching for "Manna in the
Wilderness/Coming to God in Daily Life," a  spiritual retreat with
Glenn Mitchell and Jonathan Shively at Camp Ithiel in  Gotha, Fla.,
Feb. 24-27. Registration is due Feb. 1. Send name and address  and
a $25 deposit to: Retreat, 806 W. New Nolte Rd., St. Cloud, FL
34769;	or e-mail crousejm@net.net. The retreat is sponsored by New
Covenant Church  of the Brethren, Bethany Theological Seminary, and
Camp  Ithiel.

*Registration has opened for "Hebrews 12:28--Brimming  with
Worship," a conference celebrating music and the arts in worship  at
Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., April 8-10.  For
registration forms see www.bethanyseminary.edu.

*On Earth Peace  co-director Bob Gross will lead a workshop on
conscientious objection at York  Center Church of the Brethren in
Lombard, Ill., 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. tomorrow  Jan. 22. The free
workshop is open to junior and senior high youth. Topics  will
include the peace church tradition, scriptural roots of  these
beliefs, how Selective Service works, and what to do if there's  a
draft. For information call 630-627-7411.

*Chambersburg (Pa.) Church  of the Brethren hosted the Chambersburg
Community Annual Martin Luther King  Jr. Memorial Service on Monday
Jan. 17. Manuel Diaz, pastor of the  Chambersburg church, also was
on a pastoral panel at Shippensburg University	as part of the
university's celebration of King.

*McPherson (Kan.)  College has received a matching gift from the SBC
Foundation, the  philanthropic arm of SBC Communications. The $5,000
grant is a result of a	gift made to the college by McPherson
president Ron Hovis, an SBC retiree.  David Kerr, president of SBC
Kansas, was in McPherson on Jan. 17 to present	the grant.

*Nine Brethren took part in a New Community Project (NCP)  Learning
Tour to the Ecuadorian Amazon Jan. 3-13. NCP is a Church of  the
Brethren-related nonprofit. The group focused its trip on the
Cuyabeno  National Park at the headwaters of the Amazon. The
delegation stayed in a	rainforest encampment, met with members of
the Siona and Cofan tribes,  learned about medicinal plants,
observed bird and wildlife populations, and  saw the effect of oil
drilling. The trip was hosted by the SELVA Foundation,	an
Ecuadorian ecological and human rights organization. In 2005, NCP
is  planning Learning Tours to Guatemala, Honduras, "Cancer Alley"
in Louisiana,  and Denali National Park, Arctic Village, Alaska.
Tours are open to all ages.  Call NCP director David Radcliff at
888-800-2985 or e-mail	ncp@newcommunityproject.org.

*Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo will be the  featured speakers at
"Renewing the Church--Reclaiming the Gospel," a New Life  Ministries
(NLM) Leadership Training Event on April 26 at Franconia  Mennonite
Church in Telford, Pa., in the Philadelphia area. Attendees  will
earn .6 continuing education units and registration discounts  are
available for multiple attendees from the same congregation. For
more  information call Kristen Leverton Helbert, NLM director, at
800-774-3360 or  e-mail NLMServiceCenter@aol.com; or see
www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. NLM  provides resources, training
events, and research to Anabaptist congregations  in the areas of
evangelism, church vitality, and hospitality.

8)  Don Fecher resigns from Brethren Benefit Trust.

Don Fecher has resigned  from Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) as
director of the Brethren Pension Plan  and Employee Financial
Services, as of Feb. 18. The two ministries have been  guided by
Fecher since 1998, when he also joined BBT's executive	management
team. Fecher first joined BBT in October 1995 as manager  of
Accounting. His resignation was prompted by his dream of developing
an  independent financial consulting business, BBT reported.

During Fecher's  tenure, two investment funds were created and
pension plan retirees were  given opportunity to continue investing
in the plan even after their accounts  were annuitized. His tenure
also saw BBT remaining compliant with tax laws	allowing Brethren
employees to transfer accumulations from other retirement  plans. He
played a key role in addressing concern over longterm funding  of
the Retirement Benefits Fund and managed the Supplemental Income
Fund  for Equitable Annuitants. As director of Employee Financial
Services he  supervised restructuring of the Retired Church Workers
Fund into the Church  Workers Assistance Plan, provided financial
counseling, and presented  seminars on financial and retirement
planning, personal asset management, and  pastors' taxation rules
and compensation issues.

Pension plan members  with questions about the plan or their
accounts should call Marilyn Ziegler,  member services
representative, at 800-746-1505 or  e-mail
mziegler_bbt@brethren.org.

9) Class is offered in	connection with Mission Alive 2005.

A graduate-level intensive class on  missions is being framed around
the Mission Alive 2005 conference, to be held  April 1-3 in Goshen,
Ind. The class is a joint project of Bethany Theological  Seminary,
its Susquehanna Valley Satellite, and the General Board's  Global
Mission Partnerships.

Entitled, "With a Bible and a Shovel:  Brethren Mission to the
World," the class includes weekend intensives on Feb.  26 and April
16 in addition to the conference. Bradley Bohrer, a  former
missionary in Nigeria and pastor of Brook Park (Ohio)  Community
Church of the Brethren, will teach the class with Mervin  Keeney,
executive director of Global Mission Partnerships. For	information
call Bethany at 800-287-8822 or the satellite at  717-367-1195.
Continuing education units are available and can be  initiated
during registration for Mission Alive 2005 at  www.brethren.org.

*****************************************************************
Newsline  is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news
services for the  Church of the Brethren General Board, on every
other Wednesday with other  editions as needed. The next regular
edition of Newsline will appear Feb. 2.  Newsline stories may be
reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the  source. Kathleen
Campanella, Mary Dulabaum, Nevin Dulabaum, Mary Lou  Garrison,
Kristen Leverton Helbert, Merv Keeney, David Radcliff, and  Jane
Yount contributed to this report. Newsline is a free service  sent
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