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Date: April 13, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN	NEWSLINE
April 13, 2005

MISSION ALIVE 2005 ENERGIZES BRETHREN FOR  MISSION

April 13, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- Mission Alive 2005, a  conference
"designed to energize and equip members of the Church of  the
Brethren to faithfully share Christ's love with the world," took
place  in Goshen, Ind., April 1-3. With over 320 participants, the
first-ever  national Church of the Brethren mission conference
gathered Brethren from 21  of the 23 districts. The General Board's
Global Mission Partnerships was the  lead sponsor, but planners
emphasized widespread participation in service or  funding from
individuals, congregations, and denominational groups that in  the
end helped make the conference successful, according to the  Global
Mission Partnerships Office.

The conference opened with a  worship message by Nathan Showalter
focused on "The Biblical Face of  Mission." Showalter, director of
Community Center Shanghai and country  strategist China with Eastern
Mennonite Mission, spoke of a paradigm shift  that has taken place
in the mission field in the last few years. "The  500-year-long
missionary era that began when Christopher Columbus  `discovered'
the New World is over," stated Showalter. He said that in the  past,
the focus has been "missions" (what the church is doing), but  the
focus has now shifted to joining "God's mission," which  transcends
individual programs by various organizations.

Showalter  joined Art McPhee to give another worship message on "New
Faces of Mission:  Emerging Models." McPhee is associate professor
of Mission and Intercultural  Studies at Associated Mennonite
Biblical Seminary. The session highlighted  stories from successful
missions programs around the world. Many new missions  programs are
being started at the grassroots level by individuals rather  than
institutions, the speakers said. Technology also is changing  the
mission field, making it possible to reach people  through
nontraditional methods. Without the ability to love one's  neighbor,
the desire to lead someone to Christ and the methods by  which
someone is led to Christ can be misguided, McPhee said. "The  Great
Commandment must always precede the Great Commission."

A  sweeping historical panorama of missions from the Roman era to
the present  was presented by Grace Holland, who with her husband,
Fred, spent 23 years  with Brethren in Christ World Missions in
Zimbabwe and Zambia. She currently  serves as chair of the same
group. She warned that "keeping the treasure of  Jesus Christ to
ourselves could cost us our civilization." Annual  Conference
moderator Jim Hardenbrook encouraged participants to "Go, see,	and
love," in a sermon entitled, "Setting Your Face...Toward  Mission:
Accepting the Challenge, and Going Forth to Serve!"

In a  panel discussion, Brethren speakers answered the question,
"What distinctive  gifts, or weaknesses, does the Church of the
Brethren bring to mission from	its Anabaptist-Pietist identity?"
Brethren emphasis on holistic mission was a  natural outcome of this
heritage, according to some presenters. Bradley  Bohrer, pastor of
Brook Park (Ind.) Church of the Brethren and former Nigeria  mission
staff, moderated the session. Other panel members were Jeff  Bach,
associate professor of Brethren and Historical Studies at  Bethany
Theological Seminary; Peggy Boshart, former mission staff in  the
Dominican Republic; Merv Keeney, executive director of Global
Mission  Partnerships; Suely Inhauser, national co-director for the
Church of the  Brethren Brazil mission; and J. Roger Schrock, pastor
of Cabool (Mo.) Church	of the Brethren and former denominational
mission executive.

An  offering for new mission ventures received $13,231.03 for the
General Board's  Emerging Global Mission Fund, including special
gifts from  congregations.

Members of the steering committee reported that  evaluations were
overwhelmingly positive. "I felt a strong sense of unity  and
positive energy," noted Larry Dentler. "Many participants
anticipated  this event to be the beginning of a series of mission
conferences," added  Carol Spicher Waggy. The steering committee
also included James F. Myer,  Carolyn Schrock, and Keeney. 

For more information about the General	Board's mission programs,
contact Janis Pyle, coordinator for Mission  Connections, at
jpyle_gb@brethren.org or call 800-323-8039 ext.  227.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed  to
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living
out  its faith in community. The denomination is based in the
Anabaptist and	Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three
Historic Peace Churches. It  celebrates its 300th anniversary in
2008. It counts about 130,000 members  across the United States and
Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister  churches in Brazil, the
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.

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For more information contact:

Cheryl	Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the Brethren General	Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100 ext.  260
cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org

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The  Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl
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