Sunday, July 4, 2004
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photo by Jesse Reid

Clergywomen’s Breakfast, Spiritual Formation early morning prayer walk, organ recital, morning worship service, college luncheons, prayer and fasting session, age-group activities, Annual Conference agencies’ live report, opening business session, Messenger Dinner, early evening concert, open conversation with the Annual Conference Council on the 2003 Clarification of Confusion query, full slate of insight sessions, Bible studies, ice cream social.

Quotes of the Day:

“True hope for the church is not in finding the right structure or the right process or the right belief system or even the right leader. True hope for the church is in following the living God.” – Dena Pence Frantz, preaching for the Sunday morning worship service

“Act as though we believe God’s watching us.” – Annual Conference moderator Chris Bowman, in his instructions to delegates

“I am so grateful to God for everything he has done in my life. He is so awesome. I am a testimony to the healing power of anointing and prayers.” – Cara Atkins, whose recuperation from a car accident was aided by her deacons at Greenmount Church of the Brethren in Harrisonburg, Va., speaking during the report of the Association of Brethren Caregivers

“I don’t care how many Americans have been killed, I want to know how many human beings have been killed.” – Anabaptist scholar Donald Kraybill, commenting on the war in Iraq during his presentation on “Do Brethren Have Anything to Say to a Post Modern World?” at the Messenger Dinner

Scot Lynn of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren played the drums for worship. photo by Regina Bryan

The Canticle Bell Choir, Palmyra, Pa. photo by Regina Bryan

Worship celebrates the living God

Music wove through a worshipful Sunday morning. It began with a half-hour concert by Annual Conference organist and accomplished young artist Jonathan Emmons, a student at Bridgewater College. Several hundred rose in a standing ovation as he concluded.

The contemporary worship team then led a joyful hymn sing in four-part harmony. By the time gathering music officially began, thousands of Brethren were already warmed up, vocally and spiritually. The prelude time was shared between the Canticle Bell Choir of Palmyra, Pa., and another organ piece by Emmons. An oboe/piano pair, Greg Shook and Robin Risser Mundey, provided additional musical inspiration for the offertory.

Dena Pence Frantz, professor of Theological Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary, preached, asking her listeners a question from scripture, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5b) Frantz’s sermon, “God is a living God,” reminded hearers that God is alive and active in the world, past, present, and future. She said this means that “God cannot be fixed on a page of rules...pinned down like a bug to be studied.” The living, whether persons or God, cannot be controlled. Frantz noted that fact as frustrating when we yearn for answers and certainty, but rejoiced, saying, “A god that is dead or made of stone cannot comfort us...cannot give us living water for the present.”

Frantz spoke of the many ways Brethren live out their faith, and find the living God today, as in service to the community, worship, private prayer and devotion, and inviting and gathering others to God’s table. She said, “The living God is known among us as we live our everyday lives in fullness and delight in God’s presence and in active love for others.”

Conference agencies’ Ministries and Mission Report provides highlights for business

The Conference agencies presented a “Ministries and Mission Report” in Sunday afternoon’s opening business session, with reports from the five agencies tied together by the theme, “Who is my neighbor?” Segments of a mock game show, “Reveal That Word!” in which contestants tried to guess the names of the five agencies, inserted humor into a serious look at the denomination’s ministries.

Cara Atkins shared testimony of the healing power of anointing and prayer. photo by Regina Bryan

The Guys—Jonathan Keeney, Sean Bouwmeester, Leland Fecher & Joe Gibble-Keenan—sang for the General Board report. photo by Regina Bryan

The Association of Brethren Caregivers began the reporting with the videotaped story of Cara Atkins, a 19-year-old member of Greenmount Church of the Brethren, Harrisonburg, Va., whose road to recovery following a serious car accident began when her deacons held a symbolic anointing service for her while she lay unconscious in intensive care. The delegate body rose in a standing ovation when Atkins walked onto the stage in person, to give a testimony to the healing power of anointing and prayers.

The On Earth Peace report featured JOYA, the original team of young adults in a reunion meeting at this Conference to celebrate On Earth Peace’s 30th anniversary. Bethany Theological Seminary president Gene Roop outlined challenges facing the seminary as it begins its 100th year. The General Board’s report began with an evocative acapella rendition of the song “Can You Hear the Voice of the Children,” performed by The Guys, a high-school male quartet from Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill., which accompanied slides and video clips of children ministered to by the board’s programs. Brethren Benefit Trust lifted up its principles of mutuality and financial stewardship that guide its ministries.

Following each agency’s report, the delegate body voted to accept the report and for several of the agencies confirmed appointments of board members.

A new item of business was added to the agenda from the floor, to receive a report from the General Board regarding its resolution on Iraq. The motion was made by Lamar Gibble, of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, Ill.

A 3.1 percent cash salary increase for pastors was approved by the delegates, following a report by the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee. The delegate body also welcomed two new fellowships into the denomination–Koinonia Fellowship, Charlottesville, Va., and Sunrise Church, Harrisonburg, Va.–and closed the evening business session with a time of remembrance for those who have served the church who died in the past year.

Almost one hundred harmonicas give early evening concert

Players of all ages and skill levels answered the call of Jerry Lee Miller to become part of the “Hundred Harmonica Band” at an early evening concert Sunday. Polished musicians included the trio “Bearfruit” and “The Heavenly Harmonicas.” Best estimates were 70 players making a joyful noise to the Lord!

Dominican Brethren send a gift of thanks

A thank you gift of hand-made wooden cups from the Dominican Brethren has been brought to the Conference by Jeff and Peggy Boshart, the General Board’s staff for economic development in the Dominican Republic. The initiative for the gift came from the Tabara Abajo congregation. “The young men of this church have been taking classes to learn how to do this kind of wood work and dream about some day making a business of it,” reported DR mission coordinators Irvin and Nancy Heishman. “But first, they wanted to send a thank you gift to the American church on behalf of the Dominican Brethren churches.” The cups will be available at the General Board’s Global Mission Partnerships booth on Monday.

Tidbits

As of Sunday morning, 857 delegates were registered. Almost 2,600 conference-goers had preregistered before the meeting started, but a full count of total registration will not be available until later in the Conference.... Attendance at Saturday’s opening worship service was 3,134 and at Sunday morning’s service was 3,470. A total of $9,651.50 was collected in the Saturday offering and $18,397.04 in the Sunday offering.... Business sessions and worship services are being translated into Spanish and into American sign language for the hearing impaired.... The Bethany Theological Seminary class of 1979 held a 25th class reunion at the ice cream social Sunday evening, inviting anyone who attended Bethany from 1975-1980 to come....

Members of the 2004 Annual Conference news team, a ministry of the General Board, contributed to this report: Regina Bryan and Jesse Reid, photographers; Kathleen Campanella, Jill Kline, Frank Ramirez, Frances Townsend, and Sarah Leatherman Young, writers; Amy Heckert, technical support; Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, editor.