Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Oct. 25, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN GENERAL BOARD COMMITS TO BRETHREN SERVICE CENTER
(Oct. 25, 2007) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren General Board has acted to "strongly affirm" ministries based at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., and committed to continue to develop and enhance the center.
In a report from its Brethren Service Center Ministry Options Exploration Committee, the board approved a new mission statement for the center, commended seven items to staff for action, and approved a five-year review for the center. The action came on Oct. 20, during the board's fall meeting.
The recommendations resulted from an in-depth, year-long study of the Brethren Service Center which houses the Brethren Disaster Ministries and Material Resources programs, the New Windsor Conference Center, and partnerships with agencies that lease office or warehouse facilities including A Greater Gift/SERRV and Interchurch Medical Assistance.
The central recommendation states, "That the General Board strongly affirm its ministries based at the Brethren Service Center--Brethren Disaster Ministries, Lease Partnerships with Other Agencies, Material Resources, and the New Windsor Conference Center--and plan to support their continued development." The new mission statement reads: "The Brethren Service Center is a community that fosters ministry to human need around the world and nurtures commitment to service, peace, and justice in the name of Christ."
Staff were also encouraged to nourish and continue the relationship with A Greater Gift/SERRV; respond to needs of youth, young adults, and others for low-budget housing facilities at the center; develop new programming to support the mission of the center; develop a welcome center, interpretive exhibits, and a campus master plan; call an ad hoc advisory committee to support staff leaders at the center; and seek new relationships with potential partner organizations to join the community at the Brethren Service Center.
The action follows up on a meeting of the board in March last year, when it decided not to adopt a recommendation that the New Windsor property be sold or leased. Instead, at that time the board called for a new exploration of ministry options for the Brethren Service Center.
"The focus on human need is at the center of the mission," said committee chair Dale Minnich as he presented the recommendations. The center also functions to "turn on" people to that mission, he said, as for example volunteers experience the work of disaster relief or A Greater Gift/SERRV. Responding to a question about the shift of direction from this report to the one received from the Stewardship of Property Committee, Minnich said that it had been helpful "to look carefully at what's going on (at the Brethren Service Center) and to discover the layers of mission that are undergirding what's there." He said the recommendations set a general direction for the work of staff, who are anticipated to bring proposals for capital developments projects over the next few months and years.
Addressing financial concerns about the Conference Center and Material Resources, Minnich presented both in a positive light. "We believe the Conference Center can be financially viable," he said, reviewing feedback received from consultants who were unanimous that the Conference Center can expand its clientele through marketing. He addressed the Material Resources budget as cyclical, noting from study of the program's history that there is very positive cash flow in years with large needs for material aid for disaster response, and that in other years the program may break even or function at a loss. But over the long term, the Material Resources program can "make it" financially, he said.
Minnich pointed out that it will take several years for most of the recommendations to be enacted, and for the development envisioned for the center to take place.
As the board considered and adopted the new mission statement for the Brethren Service Center, board member Michael Benner told a personal story of a recent visit he made there. Thoughts of all the lives that have been touched by the work of the center crossed his mind, he said, along with a new awareness of "all the prayers God has answered through that little oasis."
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 almost 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
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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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