Title: Church of the Brethren board discusses immigration, stem cell research Nov. 3, 2006 Church of the Brethren News Service Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION, STEM CELL RESEARCH, CHRISTIAN CHURCHES TOGETHER
Nov. 3, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- The Church of the Brethren General Board held its fall meetings Oct. 20-23 in Elgin, Ill. The board issued a pastoral letter responding to immigration issues, considered a study paper on stem cell research, and recommended that the Church of the Brethren join Christian Churches Together in the USA.
The board also received a report about the Sudan mission initiative and an interim report from a committee exploring options for the Brethren Service Center, among other business.
Daily worship services and frequent prayer and hymn-singing marked the meetings. A prayer by board chair Jeff Neuman-Lee gave a sense of the overall tone of the gathering: "O God, you put a lot on our plate, and we rejoice in it."
Pastoral letter on immigration issues
In the waning light of a congressional session that featured immigration as its top domestic issue, and a strict border enforcement bill authorizing funding for a 700-mile fence between the US and Mexico, the General Board issued a pastoral letter on welcoming the stranger.
"In the midst of debating economic and political issues, we who follow Jesus are called to speak out on behalf of those who live, work, worship, and reside among us without legal protections. More than that, we are to love them," the letter said.
The letter will be sent to congregations to help guide understanding and dialogue among church members and congregations. It also will be used by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office and shared with the National Council of Churches and Church World Service.
The letter encourages Church of the Brethren members to be in conversation about immigration issues and to love neighbors as all people are loved equally in the eyes of God, even if they are labeled as "aliens," "illegal," or "undocumented." Among scriptural passages, Leviticus 19 was referenced highlighting God's call to make sure that strangers in our midst have food to feed their families. A 1982 statement by the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference on undocumented persons and refugees also was lifted up as a helpful resource for addressing the immigration issue.
"I think it's an issue that's really relevant today," said general secretary Stan Noffsinger. "If it causes some unrest, then praise God for its success, because this is an issue for every one of us."
The pastoral letter is available online in both English and Spanish (go to www.brethren.org/genbd/clm/clt/index.html).
Christian Churches Together
The board approved a recommendation for Church of the Brethren participation in Christian Churches Together in the USA, agreeing to join with the denomination's Committee on Interchurch Relations in recommending to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference that the denomination become a full participant.
Stem Cell Research Study
A document on stem cell research was received by the board as a work in process. The document was called for by an action of the board last year, and is a joint document with the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC). The board recommended to ABC that the two agencies disseminate the document to the denomination as a study guide. The ABC board has approved the document pending further editing and formatting.
The study paper was prepared by a small committee of Church of the Brethren members including board staff Del Keeney, executive director of Congregational Life Ministries; former ABC staff member Scott Douglas; Joel Eikenberry, a physician; Charles Hite, an ethicist; John Katonah, a chaplain; and Marla Ullom Minnich, a physician.
The study paper provides scientific background, a discussion of the ethics surrounding the issue, scriptural and theological information, case studies, and study questions. General Board members expressed affirmation for the work done so far, but also asked for more attention to balance.
Brethren Service Center Committee
In an interim report from the Brethren Service Center Ministry Options Exploration Committee, chair Dale Minnich reviewed the group's first meeting at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., and the board action from March that initiated the committee.
(In March, the General Board turned away from a recommendation by its Stewardship of Property Committee to lease or sell the Brethren Service Center, and called instead for an exploration of options for ministry there. For the full report from the March 2006 meeting go to www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2006/mar1706.htm.)
"It's too early to give a preview of recommendations," Minnich said. He did, however, review the general thinking of the committee in some detail. He said the group is seeking to be transparent especially with the New Windsor community and staff in order to avoid a "pressure cooker" situation when it presents recommendations next October.
"It's clear that the big issues that we need to deal with relate to the (New Windsor) Conference Center," Minnich said. He outlined many options for the Conference Center, and also some possible ways to improve the financial bottom line for other Brethren ministries located at the service center. The committee will meet again in New Windsor in November.
Mission visit to Sudan
The board received a report of a visit to southern Sudan to explore opportunities for Brethren mission work. The plans for the mission have received a warm welcome from church leaders and others in Sudan, reported Bradley Bohrer, who began in September as director of the Sudan mission.
A Church of the Brethren delegation returned Oct. 4 from the four-day trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and Rumbek, southern Sudan, visiting with officials of the New Sudan Council of Churches, various churches, local government offices, and assistance organizations. The Brethren met with possible partners for the mission--an initiative approved by the General Board one year ago--and identified locations that may be options for placing mission workers.
Bohrer described the mission in southern Sudan as two-fold--seeking to help rebuild and heal the community after years of war, and also to form churches. He highlighted the great amount of work needed just to rebuild the infrastructure of southern Sudan, an area he described as almost as large as the area of the southern states in the US. It has been virtually destroyed by the country's civil war, he said. There are few schools, few wells, few paved roads, and no real health care for most people. The delegation saw signs of war everywhere, including shot-up churches, destroyed buildings, bomb shelters--now being used for other purposes since last year's peace accord--and areas that cannot be farmed because of land mines.
On the other hand, Bohrer said, "The people spoke of hope and of future, even in the midst of disrupted lives."
The southern Sudanese and their church leaders are welcoming the Church of the Brethren mission, Bohrer said. "It's important to remember that we've been in Sudan since 1980," he said. At least 16 Brethren mission workers have served in Sudan since 1980, and the board has also supported three staff of the New Sudan Council of Churches.
Bohrer acknowledged that the Brethren will be able to tackle only a small portion of the work needed in southern Sudan. "The work in Sudan is enormous," and is more than any one denomination can do, but recalling Jesus' parable of the effects of yeast on bread, he added, "we're potentially going to have a strong impact on part of it."
Budget
A 2007 budget of expenses of $9,741,900 was approved, representing all ministries of the General Board including self-funded ministries. Matched against budgeted income for 2007, the figure anticipates a net expense of $12,800 for the year.
Other business
Several documents related to the internal organization of the board and its programs were adopted, the board also worked on envisioning for future emphases in a process being called, "new wineskins," and several other reports were received. A report on a National Council of Churches trip to Lebanon was brought by Thomas Swain, clerk of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
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 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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