past Newslines 

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Ps. 100:1a

NEWS
1) Annual fest fills Idaho with stories and songs.
2) Council of District Executives expresses concern, proposes consultation.
3) Church World Service sends additional humanitarian aid to Iraq.
4) Many varieties of Brethren gather for Brethren World Assembly.
5) The church mourns the death of Robert Durnbaugh.
6) Brethren bits: District conferences, blood drive, and more.

PERSONNEL
7) The Cedars retirement center seeks CEO.

COMING EVENTS
8) Online course to explore rural youth ministry.
9) Southern Ohio, On Earth Peace offers conflict transformation workshop.

FEATURES
10) A hot idea saves cool cash for Manchester congregation.

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1) About 160 people--including 27 youth and 13 children--gathered at Idaho's Camp Wilbur Stover June 29 to July 5 for the seventh annual Song & Story Fest, titled "Weaving Peace Together."

This week-long family camp featured well known Brethren folk musicians and storytellers and asked, "How can we more effectively weave peace into our lives and in our communities?" Morning gatherings, workshops, and campfires focused on daily themes like "Learning: To Listen With a Open Heart," and "To Walk With Those Who Suffer."

On Earth Peace joined as a co-sponsor of the fest this year, and OEP staff members Bob Gross, Matt Guynn, Rachel Peterson, Barb Sayler, and Kim Stuckey led workshops on methods of peacemaking.

Musicians Bill and Jacob Jolliff, Shawn Kirchner, Peg Lehman, Jan and John Long, and Mike Stern led the group in singing and shared their songs in nightly concerts in the camp's worship center. Storytellers Debbie Eisenbise, Rocci Hildum, Jonathan Hunter, Jim Lehman, and Sue Overman brought their own and others' experiences to life around the campfire, in the morning gatherings, and in afternoon "story swaps."

Folk dances on the opening and closing evenings and a "potpourri" talent night rounded out the events of the week. Afternoons were free for recreation such as playing in the creek, swimming in the local hot springs, and hiking in the mountains.

Next year's Song & Story Fest is scheduled for June 27 to July 3, 2004, immediately prior to Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va. It will be hosted by Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministries Center near Sharpsburg, Md.

2) The Council of District Executives during its meeting at Annual Conference adopted a "statement of concern" over the increasing fragmentation seen in the denomination. It notes the "development of various divisive trends and issues."

The statement lists four signs of this fragmentation, including an increased sense of mistrust toward Brethren structures and institutions, a proliferation of special-interest groups, a tendency to view meetings of the church like Annual Conference as an "arena for the advancement of particular agendas," and the lack of a common vision and purpose.

It suggests that a common vision and shared identity need to be rebuilt. "We believe this is the call of God to our generation, to reaffirm our identity as members of the Church of the Brethren in particular and as Christians in general."

As a means toward reaching this goal, the council is proposing that a consultation on ecclesiology be held, to closely discuss and examine what it means to be the church. The statement expresses the hope that other agencies and groups will join the council in sponsoring the event and fostering an "extensive conversation" on the issues facing the church.

"This consultation is a first step toward a new and common understanding within the church concerning who, whose, and what we are." Planning for the consultation will be occurring over the coming year.

3) Church World Service continues its "All Our Children" campaign for Iraq, providing critical medical aid.

Following the shipment of $1.2 million in donated medical supplies, the campaign last week sent another $115,000 for three new projects to be implemented through local partners. The new funds will allow for the local purchase of 100 beds for pediatric hospitals in Mosul; a book project to sensitize children about landmines and other health and safety issues; and the purchase and distribution of fresh foods for 37 hospitals in Basra and Baghdad.

Copies of the book, being developed by an Iraqi artist and an Iraqi social worker in conjunction with children, will be distributed in Iraqi schools. The food project will provide enough for three meals a day for 5,000 people over a 10-day period.

"Don't forget Iraq," All Our Children coordinator Steve Weaver said. "Even though major media may not be giving the humanitarian situation much attention, there are still serious humanitarian needs in Iraq--and a lot of things we can do to help."

CWS earlier had sent $183,414 in in-kind aid--including an earlier round of food aid--and $264,000 in cash for the purchase of emergency supplies for hospitals and clinics. The General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has been among those supporting the massive effort.

4) Brethren from at least half a dozen denominations descended from the original "Schwarzenau eight" are meeting in Winona Lake, Ind., this week for a Brethren World Assembly looking at "Brethren Presence Around the World."

Planning team member Bill Eberly, a member of Manchester Church of the Brethren (North Manchester, Ind.), said there are at least 18 distinct groups in the United States alone that can trace their roots to the original Brethren in 1708. Added to that are congregations in 23 nations around the world, now exceeding the US membership.

"When you get depressed (about our numbers), think about the bigger overall Brethren movement around the world!" Eberly said. "We're a real force in the world."

Representatives from the Brethren Church (Ashland), the Church of the Brethren, and the Grace Brethren gave specific, detailed presentations about international mission activity, while others provided additional stories and updates.

Mornings and afternoons are being spent in educational sessions, followed by evening worship services featuring international Brethren. Church of the Brethren Brazil coordinator Marcos Inhauser spoke at Wednesday night's service. About 70 people are attending the daily sessions, with more joining for the worship gatherings.

This is the third time a Brethren World Assembly, sponsored by Brethren Encyclopedia Inc., has been held. The last one was in 1998. A full report on this year's event will be included in the Aug. 8 issue of Newsline.

5) The church is mourning the death of Robert Durnbaugh, who died July 17 in Elgin, Ill. He was 67.

Durnbaugh served as general manager and publisher of Brethren Press in the 1980s, beginning as manager of sales in 1979. He oversaw publication of the new hymnal and numerous other materials and curriculum.

Durnbaugh, a Michigan native, earlier had served in Germany with Brethren Volunteer Service and worked at Bethany Hospital in Chicago. He was a graduate of Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind.

A member of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Durnbaugh was actively involved in the music program there and in the Elgin community and greater Chicago area.

6) Brethren bits: Other brief news notes from around the denomination and elsewhere.
*District conference season officially begins this weekend as Southeastern District gathers for its meeting in Mars Hill, N.C. The three Plains-region districts follow with conferences next weekend. Nineteen others will follow before wrapping up in early November.

*Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 255 holds orientation in New Windsor, Md., beginning this weekend through Aug. 15. Other gatherings are occurring in Richmond, Ind., where Bethany Theological Seminary is hosting an "Exploring Your Call" seminar for youth interested in ministry options July 24 to Aug. 4, and in Elizabethtown, Pa., where Brethren Revival Fellowship is sponsoring its annual Brethren Bible Institute July 28 to Aug. 1. General Board-sponsored junior high and senior high workcamps are also continuing in locations around the country.

*Staff of Church of the Brethren Emergency Response/Service Ministries and American Red Cross Blood Services, Lewis and Clark Region, are calling the blood drive at this year's Annual Conference "a huge success." A total of 208 people registered to donate, exceeding the goal of 200; of these, 14 were first-time donors. The drive collected 176 pints of blood.

*This year's Midwest Peacemakers conference will be held Aug. 16 at Mill Ridge Village Community Center in Union, Ohio, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will emphasize the work of the United Nations and will include a report from Christian Peacemaker Teams worker Art Gish on nonviolent methods.

*The third group in the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme has begun serving in Palestine and Israel. The six-member team comes from several European countries and will serve through at least mid-August. . . . The US National Council of Churches this week issued a "Plea for Nonviolence in the Middle

East," calling on the people of the Middle East "to take this moment to make peace a reality for themselves." The NCC, in a separate statement, also called on the US to send peacekeepers to Liberia and urged Liberian President Charles Taylor to step down.

7) The Cedars, a Church of the Brethren retirement center in McPherson, Kan., is seeking a Chief Executive Officer. The Cedars, founded in 1891, has more than 300 residents. It is a CCRC facility providing independent living homes, assisted living units, total health care, and a special care Alzheimer's and dementia center. The Cedars is also affiliated with the Free Methodists.

The Board of Trustees is looking for a visionary person with home administration credentials and appreciation for Church of the Brethren heritage/faith. The person will have experience and skills in strategic planning, fund development, marketing, public relations, and innovative program development. An NHA is preferred. Resumes will be accepted until Sept. 15.

Send inquiries to Ralph McFadden, Fellowship of Brethren Homes, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Phone 847-742-5100, ext. 305; e-mail rmcfadden_abc@brethren.org; or fax 847-742-5160.

8) The General Board's Congregational Life Ministries office is promoting an online course in rural youth ministry being offered this fall.

Titled "Online, Not Sideline: Rural Youth Ministry," the six-week course is provided through The Center for Theology and Land of the University of Dubuque (Iowa) and Wartburg seminaries. It is designed for church teams who wish to explore ways to involve young people in the life and ministry of rural and smaller-membership congregations.

The aim is to engage the gifts and assets of youth and to learn how to revitalize a congregation's ministry in that context. Topics to be discussed include rural contexts, the emerging youth culture, faith practices and formation, peer ministry and youth "apprenticeships," and mission challenges.

Cost is $150 per church team (including pastors, lay leaders, and youth), plus materials. For more details or to register, go to www.ruralministry.com/Courses/OnlineRuralYouth.htm, or e-mail ruralmin@dbq.edu or call 563-589-3117. Ministry in rural and small-membership congregations has been a recent emphasis of the General Board's Congregational Life Teams.

9) Southern Ohio District and On Earth Peace will co-sponsor a conflict transformation workshop at Mill Ridge Village in Union, Ohio, on Aug. 23.

Jim Moore, Liz and Greg Bidgood-Enders, and Matt Guynn will address the theme "Conflict Transformation for Congregational Leaders." It is designed for anyone taking formal or informal leadership in congregational life.

Cost is $20, including lunch. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 0.6 CEUs are available for pastors. Contact Guynn at 765-962-6234 or mguynn@myvine.com to register or for more details.

10) Heating and cooling bills no longer make the members of Manchester Church of the Brethren hot under the collar, thanks to an innovative energy system.

When the congregation constructed a new building following a 1998 fire, it adopted a plan to use a Ground Source Heat Pump to heat and cool the church. Rather than burning a fuel, heat comes, instead, from the ground.

The church has 10 miles of pipe laid out horizontally, buried six feet deep, on its sizeable plot in front of the building. With the aid of pumps, water (sometimes mixed with a bit of antifreeze if necessary) is circulated between the pipes and the heat pumps in the building. Depending on the season, heat is carried either to the heat pumps, or away from them. Several small units throughout the church can be individually controlled.

Though the initial installation for such a system is costly, the dramatic cost reductions are estimated to pay for the system in four to seven years. Manchester's utility bills have been averaging about half that of an average building.

As an added bonus, members say it provides good stewardship of nature, embodies Brethren beliefs, and provides funds that can be redirected for other ministries.

A fuller report on the project can be found in the August issue of "Messenger."

Newsline is produced by Walt Wiltschek, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Ken Kline Smeltzer, Tasha Hornbacker, and Helen Stonesifer contributed to this report.

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