wfn.org | Newsline: 'We Are Able' is among new Brethren workcamps for 2009

["COBNews Newsline" <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Nov. 6, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

'WE ARE ABLE' IS AMONG NEW CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
WORKCAMPS SCHEDULED FOR 2009

(Nov. 6, 2008) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren has announced
the 2009 schedule of summer workcamps, sponsored by the
denomination's Youth and Young Adult Office. The workcamp theme
for the year is "Bound Together, Finely Woven" (2 Corinthians 8:12-15).

In 2009, 29 workcamps will be offered in 25 diverse locations in the
United States and several international locations. Each workcamp offers
a week-long service opportunity for junior high youth, senior high youth,
young adults, or an intergenerational group. Held in the months of June,
July, and August, the workcamps provide experiences that unite service,
spiritual growth, and Brethren heritage.

Four of the 2009 workcamps are highlighted by staff as offering new or
unique opportunities:

-- A workcamp titled "We Are Able" for senior high youth and young
adults at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., on July 6-10
is a new concept in the workcamp ministry. Recognizing that all people
have gifts to share, the workcamp will enable youth and young adults
with intellectual disabilities to serve side-by-side with a service-partner
youth or young adult.

-- A workcamp for senior high youth on the issue of racism is held in
Germantown, Pa., on July 27-Aug. 2, co-sponsored by On Earth Peace.
Church of the Brethren leaders recently issued a letter calling for
continued study and self-examination on the issue of racism. This
workcamp will offer that opportunity as participants serve together in an
urban setting.

-- An intergenerational workcamp titled "Passing on the Peace Witness"
at the Brethren Service Center on Aug. 2-7 is co-sponsored by On Earth
Peace and is offered to people of all ages. Multiple generations will
serve together, exploring the legacy and importance of the peace witness
in the Church of the Brethren. Families are invited.

-- A young adult workcamp in Northern Ireland will be held June 6-14.
Participants will learn about conflict and reconciliation while working at
Kilcranny House in Coleraine.

Junior high workcamps will be held at 10 other sites, among them the
Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and the John Kline
Homestead in Broadway, Va., the original home of Civil War-era
Brethren leader and peace martyr John Kline (go to www.brethren.org
and click on "Photo Journal" to find a photographic tour of the
homestead). Many other senior high workcamps will be offered next
summer, at 15 sites including at Brethren Disaster Ministries projects on
the Gulf coast that are rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

"Just as each thread is important in a tapestry, each person is important
in a workcamp," said an announcement from the workcamp staff. "This
summer we will work side by side, giving and receiving; revealing a God
already present in the world. Come discover the importance of each
thread of the tapestry, bound together and finely woven as the
community of all God's children."

Workcamp registration begins online at 8 p.m. central time on Jan. 5,
2009. Go to www.brethrenworkcamps.org for more information. For a
brochure with a complete listing of the 2009 workcamp sites and dates
contact Jeanne Davies, Meghan Horne, Bekah Houff, or Emily LaPrade
in the workcamp office at cobworkcamps_gb@brethren.org or 800-323-
8039.

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 more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org

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