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"Be patient,
bearing with one another in love." Eph. 4:2b
NEWS
1) Annual Conference announces theme for 2003.
2) National Older Adult Conference begins on Monday.
3) Indiana district takes action on congregational controversy.
4) General Board begins process to call new general secretary.
5) Church of the Brethren, others sound voice of peace for Iraq.
6) Reports from some recent district conferences.
7) Brethren travel to Honduras on Faith Expedition.
8) BBT urges use of open enrollment for new Brethren Medical
Plan.
9) Brethren bits: Northern Ireland, congregational milestones,
and
more.
PERSONNEL
10) Bethany Theological Seminary seeks an academic dean.
11) Ken and Elsie Holderread will give interim leadership in
Western Plains.
RESOURCES
12) California Brethren hopes "Chicken Soup" is cure
for violence.
13) Global Mission Partnerships sends out Middle East update.
14) "Second Mile" materials invite congregations on
peace journey.
FEATURES
15) District disaster coordinator provides vital link in response.
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1) Annual Conference
Program and Arrangements Committee has
selected "In Jesus' Name" as the theme for the 2003
Annual
Conference to be held in Boise, Idaho. Harriet Finney, district
co-executive for South/Central Indiana, will serve as moderator.
"The questions
arises:" says a statement on the theme, "as we
worship God with others whose language or ethnic origin, whose
style of music or worship, whose political or theological
understandings may differ from our own, how can we become one
Body?
What unites us when we sound and look and act so differently
from
one another?"
The answer, according
to the theme statement: "We are united in
Jesus' name." It notes, however, that this is not an "easy"
unity
accomplished by merely ignoring differences.
The theme text
comes from Colossians 3:17. Daily subthemes for
worship include "Together in Jesus' Name," "Jesus--The
Name Above
Every Name," "Ask and You Will Receive . . . In Jesus'
Name,"
"Healing in Jesus' Name," and "New Life in Jesus'
Name." The
committee--which met in Elgin, Ill., earlier this month--is now
working on securing preachers, worship leaders, speakers,
musicians, and Bible study leaders.
"Our challenge
throughout this next year," the theme statement
concludes, "is to experience and to know Jesus more deeply
through
study of the scriptures, through worship and the singing of hymns
and songs, through prayer, through fellowship with one another
in
Jesus' name, and through 'continuing the work of Jesus . . .
peacefully, simply, together.' "
Annual Conference
officers made other initial plans for the 2003
Conference during the meeting, and Program and Arrangements
Committee worked on details of fees, exhibitor guidelines, and
other tasks. The Annual Conference Council also met, developing
plans to address 2002 business items and to maintain and update
the
denomination's Manual of Polity and Organization.
2) The 2002
National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) kicks off
Monday in Lake Junaluska, N.C., and it could be the largest one
yet. Staff of the Association of Brethren Caregivers, which
sponsors the biennial event, say that about 1,100 people are
expected.
This will be
the sixth edition of NOAC, designed for Brethren age
50 and up; in 2000, about 1,050 attended. The Sept. 2-6 gathering
includes worship, workshops, recreation, crafts, music and other
entertainment, late-night activities, and abundant ice cream
socials.
This year's theme
is "While We Run This Race," based on Heb.
12:1-2. Featured speakers are Paul Mundey, Tony Campolo, Katie
Funk
Wiebe, Richard Morgan, Marty Richards, and Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm.
The
"Ministers of Music" group from Lancaster, Pa., and
the Brethren
duo of Joseph Helfrich and Shawn Kirchner will provide featured
musical presentations, while former Juniata College president
Robert Neff will again lead all-conference Bible study sessions
during the week.
Live coverage
of NOAC will be provided on www.brethren.org
beginning Sept. 2. For additional details on the event, visit
www.brethren.org/abc/special_events/NOAC2002/index.htm.
3) The South/Central
Indiana District board has taken several
steps in response to a fall 2001 decision by the Manchester Church
of the Brethren (North Manchester, Ind.) to permit same-sex
covenant services.
The district
had been wrestling with the decision over the winter
and spring, with many other congregations expressing concern
and
disagreement. In July the district board passed three items related
to the Manchester situation, two of which will require further
action.
A "Resolution
Regarding Restoration of the Relationship of the
Manchester Church of the Brethren and the South/Central Indiana
District" cites Annual Conference statements that speak
against
same-sex covenants and notes that Manchester's decision has
"increasingly strained" the "connectional bonds"
between Manchester
and other churches in the district.
The resolution
creates a District Advisory Board that will serve
from Oct. 1, 2002, to Sept. 30, 2004, including three people
from
Manchester and three from outside the congregation, along with
a
non-Brethren facilitator. The advisory board will work to reduce
the risk of "fractured relationships" and begin healing,
give
counsel to the district board and Manchester's executive board
for
improving communications, provide a "connectional presence"
with
Manchester, and help to identify the "issues which have
caused
division" and name possible solutions.
Two other items
passed by the district board will go on to the
South/Central Indiana District conference, to be held Sept. 13-14
in Anderson, Ind.
A "Query
on Congregational Disagreement with Annual Conference
Decisions" raises questions about the larger issue of conscience
and scriptural interpretation among Brethren. If passed at district
conference, it will ask the 2003 Annual Conference to appoint
a
study committee that would "offer guidance on how congregations
can
disagree with Annual Conference decisions yet remain, as much
as
possible, in unbroken fellowship with their sister congregations,
including how district boards should respond in these situations."
The other business
item, "Intra-District Consequences for
Congregations Performing Same-Sex Covenant Ceremonies,"
is for
district conference action only. It would require congregations
that knowingly conduct same-sex covenant services to forfeit
any
leadership within the district, barring all members of that
congregation from serving on the district board or in any of
its
appointed offices, or from representing the district on General
Board or Standing Committee. Positions named directly by district
conference, such as representatives to the camp board or Manchester
College, would not be affected.
The penalty would
begin 90 days after the district board verifies
the occurrence of a same-sex ceremony, during which time members
of
the congregation would be permitted to move their membership
to
another congregation and continue in leadership. If other
ceremonies are held after the first instance, additional three-year
leadership bans would be instituted, either concurrently or
consecutively. The policy would be reviewed by the district board
every five years. To date, Manchester has not yet conducted any
same-sex covenant services.
4) The Church
of the Brethren General Board executive committee,
with affirmation of the full General Board, has appointed a
nine-person search committee to call the next general secretary
of
the organization.
The search committee
will include the six members of the executive
committee--Warren Eshbach, chair; Donna Shumate, vice chair;
Merle
Crouse; Jan Thompson; Jill Bosler Best; and Glenn Mitchell--and
three others: current board members Angela Lahman Yoder and Jaime
Diaz, and former board member Stafford Frederick.
The group plans
to hold its first meeting Sept. 27-28 in New
Windsor, Md., at which time the committee will organize itself
and
call a chair. Further information on the process will be reported
in Newsline and other denominational publications as it becomes
available.
5) As talk of
a possible US military strike against Iraq continues
to heat up, the Church of the Brethren and other groups are taking
action of their own on several fronts to encourage peace and
restraint.
The Church of
the Brethren General Board's Brethren Witness office
this month sent out a letter to those who have been involved
with
the issue, urging them to sign a petition and send it to President
George W. Bush. The petition says, "We strongly urge that
our
nation not initiate a war with the nation of Iraq" and names
several areas of concern over such a war.
The mailing also
included a video from the General Board's December
2001 delegation to Iraq and a painting by an Iraqi artist. In
addition, a promotional video spot on the Church of the Brethren
prepared for airing on the Hallmark Channel highlights Brethren
involvement with Iraq. Additional information and resources are
being posted to the Brethren Witness and Church of the Brethren
Washington Office sites of www.brethren.org, and Global Mission
Partnerships sent out an update this week (see story #13).
Several online
petitions are also circulating among Brethren,
including one from the group MoveOn at www.moveon.org/nowar.
Elsewhere, Christian
Peacemaker Teams---in cooperation with Voices
in the Wildnerness---has begun a "Generations of Peace"
effort to
place peacemakers in Iraq for two-week delegations. The multi-
generational teams (minimum age 21) will stay in Baghdad and
other
Iraqi cities, giving a presence willing "to stand in the
way of US
bombs." The groups will endeavor to connect with churches
in Iraq
while there.
The Middle East
Council of Churches (MECC), a longtime Church World
Service and Church of the Brethren partner, has also been
monitoring the situation closely and raising concerns.
"The churches
in the Middle East are truly alarmed," MECC general
secretary the Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour said this month in a statement.
"All that military offensive will leave behind is ruin and
a
shattered country."
6) Reports from
three recent Church of the Brethren district
conferences:
*Michigan: Held Aug. 15-17 at Wesleyan Conference Center in
Hastings. The conference elected people to district offices,
enjoyed a district board report given in a quiz show format,
celebrated the installation of interim district executive Marie
Willoughby as the permanent executive followed by a pie and ice
cream gathering, and took part in worship with guest speaker
Nancy
Faus preaching, a presentation on capital punishment and
forgiveness by SueZann Bosler, and an energetic youth-led Saturday
service highlighting National Youth Conference. The gathering
was
also held with some tension in the wake of the district board's
decision to ordain Matthew Smucker, who is openly gay, early
in the
summer, and subsequent Annual Conference action not to recognize
the licensing or ordination of homosexual persons. A concerned
group within the district brought a petition to the conference,
asking for affirmation of the Annual Conference statement and
directing the district board not to license or ordain anyone
who is
homosexual and to discontinue any such existing licenses or
ordinations. After lengthy discussion, delegates narrowly voted
(42-37-1) to suspend action on the item until the 2003 district
conference. Delegates then considered a "Query for Clarification
of
Confusion" brought by the district board. The query, which
was
passed on to Annual Conference, asks for clarification on several
points, including whether or not the 2002 action is polity or
just
a suggestion, consistency with the 1983 Human Sexuality paper,
implications for district boards and ministry commissions, and
other "ambiguous" language in the statement.
*Northern Ohio:
Held Aug. 9-11 at Ashland (Ohio) University.
Registered attendance was 436, with 94 delegates representing
46
churches. The conference was led by moderator Paul Bartholomew,
pastor of the Mohican congregation, with the theme "That
I May Know
Him" from Phil. 3:10. Friday evening, the senior high performing
arts camp presented the musical "Where Jesus Is" under
the
direction of Leslie Lake. In the business session, district
officers were elected, and a budget of $193,955 was adopted.
John
Ballinger, pastor at Maple Grove, was elected as the new district
board chair during the board's reorganization. Craig Smith,
district executive of Atlantic Northeast, spoke Saturday evening,
and on Sunday morning the junior performing arts camp did the
musical "Esther" under the direction of Amy Bory, followed
by
worship with Bartholomew preaching. At the close of worship,
Reid
Firestone and Bruce Jacobsen were installed as moderator and
moderator-elect for 2002-2003. The conference ended with a time
of
recognition and farewell for district executive Tom Zuercher.
*Northern Plains:
Held Aug. 2-4 at the University of Northern Iowa
in Cedar Falls, with business conducted under the leadership
of
moderator Max Gumm. The ministry of the district board was
celebrated through a new video made available to all district
congregations. General Board Congregational Life Team member
Jim
Kinsey led workshops on the small church and preached at two
worship services, and representatives from the various Church
of
the Brethren agencies gave reports. Songwriter/singer Mike Stern
provided an evening concert and also participated in worship
services. Highlighting the conference was the continuation of
the
district's annual auction, with proceeds going either to Camp
Pine
Lake, or to help Camp Mon-Dak rebuild facilities following a
summer
fire that destroyed its lodge.
7) Thirteen
Brethren from 10 districts took part in an Aug. 4-14
Faith Expedition to Honduras sponsored by the General Board's
Brethren Witness office in cooperation with the Honduran Christian
Commission for Development.
The group spent
a week in the poor community of Tablones Arriba, on
the southern coast of Honduras, assisting residents as they
continue to rebuild after 1998's Hurricane Mitch. Among other
experiences were visits to two communities that have benefited
from
Global Food Crisis Fund grants; an evening with Brethren Volunteer
Service workers in the community of Santa Rosa de Copan; and
a tour
of the Mayan ruins along the Guatemalan border.
Another Faith
Expedition to Honduras is planned for summer 2003.
8) As a new design for the Brethren Medical Plan debuts on Jan.
1,
current and retired employees of Church of the Brethren
congregations and those on the pastoral placement list are being
encouraged by Brethren Benefit Trust to join during an upcoming
open enrollment period. No exclusions for pre-existing conditions
and no risk assessments will be done during that period.
The open enrollment
will take place from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15.
Retirees must have been eligible for the Brethren Medical Plan
during their employment by working at least 20 hours per week
for
a congregation or district to qualify.
For retirees,
this is a one-time open enrollment that will not be
offered in the future. Others who are actively employed by a
congregation, district, or other eligibile employer will have
an
open enrollment period each year.
The new plan
will use the Congregational Employee Plan--a national
plan administered by Mennonite Mutual Aid for Anabaptist
denominations--as its insurance carrier. It will feature three
benefit options for pre-retired members and one benefit plan
for
retirees. For more information or for enrollment packets, call
the
Brethren Medical Plan office at 800-746-1505.
9) Brethren
bits: Other brief news notes from around the
denomination and elsewhere.
*A reunion and "thank-you event" for all those who
have served in
Northern Ireland through Brethren Volunteer Service since projects
began there 30 years ago and for the projects and people who
have
hosted them is being held Sept. 6 in Belfast. A collection of
articles in the June issue of "Messenger" highlighted
the
anniversary, and a site with more stories and photos is at
www.brethren.org/genbd/bvs/NoIreland.htm.
*Church of the
Brethren disaster relief work in Siren, Wis., will
close tomorrow, Aug. 31, concluding a tornado recovery project
that
began last fall. A flood relief project in Buchanan County, Va.,
near the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines, continues.
Volunteers are tearing out and repairing damaged homes. Noble
and
Winnie Brown are currently serving as project directors, and
Earl
Traughber will take over that role in September.
*Brethren are
invited to participate in a Faith Expedition
delegation to Nicaragua, Dec. 5-19. Participants will study ongoing
efforts to overcome poverty, hunger, and violence while traveling
to Managua, Mulukuku, and Nueva Vida during the Advent season.
Cost
of the trip, sponsored by the General Board's Brethren Witness
office, is $600 plus airfare. For more details, contact trip
leader
Heather Nolen at 202-265-8866 or hnolen@churchworldservice.org.
*Mary Alice
Engel, a missionary nurse in Nigeria in the late 1930s
and 1940s, died in July at the age of 93. Engel was returning
to
Nigeria in 1941 when her ship, the Zam Zam, was sunk by a German
raider. All on board were rescued and detained by the Germans,
but
Engel and two other mission workers were freed after several
weeks
and returned to the US, which had not yet entered World War II.
Engel more recently lived in Taneytown, Md., and was a member
of
the Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.
*Mount Pleasant
Church of the Brethren in Northern Ohio District
will celebrate its 125th anniversary Sept. 28. It will feature
a 3
p.m. worship service, a light meal and birthday cake at 5 p.m.,
and
a 7 p.m. worship and praise service focusing on the history of
music at the congregation.
*Southern Pennsylvania
District's Chambersburg and Bunkertown
(McAlisterville, Pa.) congregations will both dedicate new
structures on Sept. 22. Chambersburg made a major $2 million
addition to its downtown facility, while Bunkertown built a new
church down the road from the current building.
*Brethren from
North Dakota and Montana discussed the future of
Camp Mon-Dak when they gathered for family camp in July. The
camp's
main lodge burned in June, forcing cancellation of the junior
and
youth summer camp schedule. A final decision about the future
of
the camp will be made at the October camp board meeting.
*Southeastern
District is seeking a district youth minister in
training to work with youth and young adults. The part-time
position is available Jan. 1. Those interested should apply with
letter of interest and resume' and references from three or four
people to: Southeastern District Office, 847 Cobblestone Place,
Kingsport, TN 37660. Application deadline is Oct. 1.
*The newly formed
Midwest Peacemakers organization--an outgrowth
of former Civilian Public Service, Alternate Service, and volunteer
service workers who had been meeting regularly for years--held
its
first major activity on Aug. 17, with 72 people attending. Using
the theme "Nonviolence in Times Like These," the group
spent five
hours in fellowship, devotions, and discussion at Trotwood (Ohio)
Church of the Brethren. Speakers Tommy Kerr, Rick Polhamus, and
Catherine Allison made the case for nonviolence in three specific
ways: transformation, interposition, and education. Brethren
youth
Meagan Harlow presented an essay on the importance of volunteer
projects to help others, and Trotwood youth advisor Becki Whittaker
led the group in a closing devotional, "Seeking to be Faithful."
10) Bethany
Theological Seminary, Richmond, Ind., is seeking
applications for the full-time position of academic dean. Starting
date is July 1, 2003.
For a full description
of responsibilities and qualifications,
visit the "Position Openings" page
at www.brethren.org/bethany/jobs.htm or call 765-983-1803
to
request a copy.
Applicants should
send letter of application and curriculum vitae,
and request three references to submit letters of recommendation,
to: President's Office, Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National
Road West, Richmond, IN 47374-4019. Deadline for applications
is
Dec. 1.
11) As announced
at the recent Western Plains District conference,
Ken and Elsie Holderread will serve as interim district executives
when current executive Richard Hanley's resignation takes effect
at
the end of the year.
The Holderreads
will serve about 30 hours a week in the district
office in McPherson, Kan., beginning Jan. 1. Ken is former district
executive of Illinois-Wisconsin District, and Elsie retired last
year as manager of human resources for the Church of the Brethren
General Board.
A group of local
volunteers will assist with congregational visits
and contacts in the far-flung district, which covers Kansas,
Nebraska, Colorado, and part of New Mexico.
12) A peace
activist in Pacific Southwest District is hard at work
on a new way to spread the gospel of peace. Linda Williams, a
member of the San Diego First Church of the Brethren, is heading
up
a team to produce another book in the "Chicken Soup for
the Soul"
series, this one titled "Chicken Soup for the Peace Lover's
Soul."
Williams, along
with the team of Dr. Candice Carter, Susanna
Palomares, and Dr. Bradley Winch, are gathering 101 true stories
of
peacemaking efforts from men, women, and children. The stories,
quotes, and cartoons that will be contained in the book are to
be
descriptive and moving portrayals of peace.
The group describes
the effort as "a book about those who have
chosen to work for peace, how they have done it in their own
lives
and in their relations with others, and how we each might be
able
to do it in the future." Williams--who became intensely
engaged in
peace efforts when her husband's grandmother was murdered in
1981--says she hopes people will pick it up and think,
"Non-violence! What a concept!"
The team has
signed a contract with Chicken Soup for the Soul
Enterprises and is now accepting writings from all denominations,
with hopes to spread the message of peace widely. In additions
to
writings from the general public, Nobel Peace Prize winners Dr.
Oscar Arias and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have both written pieces
for the book.
Williams hopes
the Church of the Brethren can have a high profile
in the book, and is encouraging submissions from the denomination's
members. Submissions can be sent to submissions@PeaceLoversSoul.com
or to Linda K. Williams, 4967 Alfred Court, San Diego, CA 92120.
More details are available at http://chickensoup.peacestories.info.
13) The General
Board's Global Mission Partnerships office this
week has sent out a summary letter and information on the
increasingly tense situation in the Middle East and Iraq. The
mailing was sent to all congregations and others on the "Source"
mailing list.
In the cover
letter, Global Mission Partnerships director Merv
Keeney describes his recent trip to the region and his meetings
there in partnership conversations between Church World Service
and
the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). He visited Jerusalem
and other areas of Palestine and Israel during the trip, seeing
the
current suffering there firsthand.
"The churches
in the United States are called to be a voice for
peace in the world today as our nation moves increasingly toward
military interventions and war," Keeney writes.
He urges churches
to take action, and suggests several resources at
the Church of the Brethren Washington Office website. A one-page
"Statement on recent situation concerning Iraq" from
MECC is also
enclosed. It, too, expresses a commitment to peace and calls
on
churches of the West to speak to their governments.
"The churches
of the Middle East are committed to peace that comes
through the power of the Word to establish justice, and champions
the cause of the poor and downtrodden," MECC general secretary
the
Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour writes in a separate letter. "We believe
that
through peaceful intervention, the moral force of truth can break
the cycle of violence in Iraq, in Palestine, and throughout the
world."
14) "Second
Mile: A Peace Journey for Congregations" makes its
debut this month as the fruits of a partnership between the Church
of the Brethren, Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Church Canada,
and
Mennonite Central Committee.
The resource,
described as "not a curriculum" but a "change
process" by Doug Krehbiel, who led the steering committee
that
initially worked on the project, is an educational tool for
congregations.
It is broken
down into four "pathways" of 20 pamphlets, each
mapping out different peace journeys. The lessons encourage
participants to engage in study, action, reflection, and worship
in
various areas of peace and justice.
"It's not
just something to be used in a class, but it can be used
for congregational study and worship," On Earth Peace program
coordinator Kim Stuckey says. "And there are tools for action
so
that you can do peacemaking and not just talk about it."
About 20 Church
of the Brethren and Mennonite congregations have
given the materials a trial run. Bridgewater (Va.) Church of
the
Brethren associate pastor Wendell Eller said Second Mile "takes
a
hard look at many of the issues a Christian must investigate
in
order to follow a path of peace."
The first pathway,
"The Land that I Will Show You," is now
available. Second Mile resources can be ordered from Brethren
Press
at 800-441-3712 for $14.99. A 40-page leader's guide and more
details on the resource are available for no charge at
www.gosecondmile.org.
15) Amid hurricanes,
wars, earthquakes, and other tragedies, the
23 Church of the Brethren district disaster coordinators provide
a
vital link in the denomination's efforts to help ease the trauma.
Each district
has an appointed coordinator who works with Church of
the Brethren Emergency Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM), based
in New Windsor, Md. When volunteers are needed for specific
disaster response projects, ER/SM contacts the coordinator, who
issues a district-wide appeal.
Among those volunteers
is Shirley Norman, the coordinator for
Western Pennsylvania District, who has been with the program
for 18
years. It began in 1985, after flooding from Hurricane Juan
devastated large areas in West Virginia and Virginia. Norman
helped
with the relief efforts, and afterwards was named a disaster
response coordinator.
Her work in the
role includes assessing the damage done after a
natural disaster. After determining the amount of damage, she
consults with ER/SM and others to see what response may be needed.
In addition to
her assistance to ER/SM, Norman spent 13 years
working with Church World Service before retiring from that work
on
April 1 this year. Norman speaks highly of both Church World
Service and ER/SM, calling the latter a credible organization
with
"excellent leadership" that will be around for a long
time.
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