wfn.org | Association of Brethren Caregivers issues visioning statement for =20

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denomination
Date: Oct. 27,	2005
Contact: Cheryl  Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)

ASSOCIATION OF BRETHREN CAREGIVERS ISSUES VISIONING STATEMENT FOR
DENOMINATION

Oct. 27, 2005 (Elgin, IL) --  The Association of Brethren Caregivers  has
approved a visioning statement encouraging a new look at how the Church of
 the
Brethren structure enables the mission and ministry of the denomination. The
Association of Brethren Caregivers is a Church of the Brethren agency focusing
on church ministries of health, healing, and caregiving such as deacon
ministry  and care for the aging.

The document, "A New World Coming--A Renewed Church Emerging," was
approved 
during Association of Brethren Caregiver board meetings Sept. 23-25 in Elgin,
Ill. The statement describes how the agency sees the denomination and itself,
 and challenges the Church of the Brethren to intentionally organize and
position  itself for ministry and mission in the future.

The paper begins by stating why the agency is interested in bringing
attention to the organizational health of the denomination. "A key component of  the
vision of the Association of Brethren Caregivers--to seek and secure the
well-being of all people--causes the ABC Board to address growing concerns over
the way in which Brethren are currently organized for ministry and mission,"
the  statement says in part. "Out of love and care for our denomination, and in
pursuance of Christ's prayerful petition âthat they may all be one,' the ABC
Board is committed to working earnestly and collaboratively to address the
inadequacies of our current structure, as well as its inability to account for
widely differing expectations within our denomination."

"On the eve of our 300th anniversary as Brethren, and in anticipation of
discussions soon to be held concerning Brethren ecclesiology, we offer a
pro-active call for transformational change which will define the Church
of the
Brethren as it transitions into being the church for the present age," the
document continues.

The statement was written by a study committee that evaluated how the
Association of Brethren Caregivers relates to the denomination. The full paper  can
be downloaded in a PDF format from _www.brethren-caregivers.org_
(http://www.brethren-caregivers.org) .

In other business, the board approved a proposed budget of $534,960 for
2007; received reports about ABC ministries and initiatives such as the National
Older Adult Conference, Sept. 4-8, 2006, at Lake Junaluska (N.C.) Assembly;
and  the Caring Ministries Assembly that drew more than 200 participants
to 
Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren Aug. 11-13.

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.

# # #

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_
(mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org)

*****************************************************************
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 director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board.
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