Sunday, July 4, 2004
Page 2

Brethren Witness/Washington Office director Phil Jones looks on as Brethren rally in Charleston. photo by Jesse Reid

Brethren protest at the US courthouse

Marching behind a banner proclaiming, “Church of the Brethren: A Living Peace Church,” hundreds of Conference attendees participated in a 4th of July rally to protest the policies of President Bush, who spoke in Charleston earlier in the day.

The action also involved the West Virginia Patriots for Peace and the Sierra Club. The group assembled at the US Courthouse where a “wall” was stretched across the steps, bearing the names of the more than 800 US military personnel who have been killed in Iraq since the invasion.

Among the many protesters were 18-month-old Michael Bidgood Enders--with his dad, Greg--and Dale Brown, who has led and participated in many peace demonstrations over the decades. The action was coordinated by the General Board’s Washington Office.

Children visit Ronald McDonald House for service project

Aubrey Steele, of Martinsburg, Pa., got a hug from Ronald McDonald. photo by Jesse Reid

It was a warm Sunday afternoon for 61 children participating in the Ronald McDonald House service project. Through a recycling fundraising project, over 76,020 pull tabs from aluminum cans were collected--that is 60 pounds of tabs. Funds will support this “house that love built” providing temporary lodging for the families of children receiving treatment at Charleston area hospitals. Ronald McDonald House charities began with one Ronald House in Philadelphia in 1974 and today is a global organization reaching millions of children.

“We were looking for an experience for the children that would last a lifetime,” said Nancy McCrickard, coordinator of children’s activities for kindergarten through second grade. The children were transported by school bus to deliver the pull tabs and enjoy a happy meal lunch with Ronald McDonald. After the pull tabs were presented, Ronald talked with the children about how the house helps children and their families.

Nancy Jones, assistant house manager, said four full-time staff and over 60 volunteers provide housing, food, and emotional support to families staying in the 10-bedroom house. “We have seen a lot of miracles and we celebrate when children are able to return home,” continued Jones. A large kitchen and stocked pantry are available to the parents staying at the house, but several times a month local churches provide meals. The children returned to the Civic Center with a better understanding of service.

In the Ronald McDonald House kitchen was a wooden angel with the following prayer:

“Here sits your window sill angel.
She’s a gentle reminder to pray,
Have you stopped to give thanks for God’s love today?”

Annual Conference Council holds open conversation

Annual Conference Council members Fred Swartz and Earl Ziegler engage in an open conversation Sunday evening. photo by Jesse Reid

There was probably a little more confusion than clarity in the Annual Conference Council’s open conversation about the “clarification of confusion” decision of a year ago. Sunday night, the 4th of July, a conversation took place involving the council and nearly 200 Brethren.

Members of the council, including Earl Ziegler, Harriet Finney, Sandy Bosserman, and Fred Swartz, engaged in lively listening with a group of Brethren from a variety of theological perspectives. The dialogue was meant to center on “the process and processes we use in receiving persons in ministry and by whose authority such is done,” according to Ziegler. It did not take long, however, for the conversation to return to the issue of ordination and homosexuality, which was what most of those present wanted to speak about.

Shawn Kirchner, of La Verne, Calif., cited the story of Sarah Righter Major as an example of how congregations and districts might choose to call people unacceptable to others. Recalling that she only preached in those 19th century pulpits that welcomed her, he suggested the same situation might apply for “gay folks gifted for ministry by God. Who are we to stand in their way?”

Many had concerns about reporting or accountability. Dale Brown, of Elizabethtown, Pa., wanted a committee to be chosen and noted, “You cannot be helped theologically by limiting speeches to two minutes.”

James Myer, of Lititz, Pa., reminded Brethren that the purpose of the council was to insure that Annual Conference decisions were not lost among the various boards, but added, “the real issue is not confusion of structure. The real issue is that there is a difference of opinion about what the church should say about homosexuality.”

Although one person walking into the meeting was heard to say on his cell phone, “Well, I’m on my way to a fireworks show, too,” the conversation remained respectful, if impassioned.

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.