“…Love one another….” — John 13:34b
NEWS
1) Nigeria love offering yields $20,000 to rebuild and heal.
2) Emergency Disaster Fund issues more than $470,000 in grants.
3) Northern Plains holds first District Conference of the season.
4) Brethren bits: Job opening, honors, and much more.
PERSONNEL
5) Leiter resigns as director of Information Services for General Board.
6) Donna McKee Rhodes to direct Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center.
UPCOMING EVENTS
7) Missions class is offered at Bethany Seminary.
8) Nigeria workcamp planned for early 2007.
FEATURES
9) Caring for body and soul in the Dominican Republic.
10) Brethren minister among group pardoned for sedition convictions.
For daily news and photographs from National Youth Conference (NYC) beginning July 22 through July 27, go to www.brethren.org and click on the NYC link on the Feature Bar.
Spanish language reports of the major business items at the 2006 Annual Conference are available at http://www.brethren.org/AC2006/SpanishBusiness.html. Another new Spanish language resource is the study guide for Together: Conversations on Being the Church, posted at http://www.conversacionesjuntos.org/ in both pdf and rtf formats.
1) Nigeria love offering yields $20,000 to rebuild and heal.
The sum of $20,000 has been sent to Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) as a “love offering” from the Church of the Brethren in the US following the destruction of several EYN churches in interreligious violence.
On Feb. 18 five EYN churches were among many Christian churches in Maiduguri that were burned down or damaged during riots over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Several EYN members were seriously injured in the rioting.
EYN general secretary YY Balami sent a reply acknowledging the gift “with thanks your love for us,” the letter said. “This singular act has again reminded us that we are together, that what affects EYN also affects the Church of the Brethren. Kindly extend our appreciation and greetings to the churches and individuals who assisted financially and those who prayed for EYN.”
The $20,000 equals about 2.6 million Nigerian Naira. The money will aid the affected congregations and support continuing EYN efforts toward peace and reconciliation.
The love offering was initiated by the Church of the Brethren General Board at its March meeting. The church at large has been invited to join in the offering and the response has been significant. Donations toward the love offering continue to be received. Make checks payable to the Church of the Brethren General Board with “Nigeria Love Offering” in the memo line, mail to 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
2) Emergency Disaster Fund issues more than $470,000 in grants.
Recent grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) total $471,400 for disaster relief work around the world. The fund is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.
A grant of $350,000 for longterm recovery work in southern Asia following the Dec. 2004 tsunami was announced at the General Board meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 1. The grant is an additional allocation for relief work related to the tsunami, which is being coordinated by Church World Service (CWS) and ACT International. Previous allocations to this project total $320,000.
An additional allocation of $60,000 continues support of longterm relief work by CWS in Sudan. The funds will help provide assistance to more than 400,000 people still living in temporary camps. Two previous allocations to this project total $110,000.
An allocation of $50,000 responds to an appeal from CWS following an earthquake in Indonesia on the island of Java. The funds will help to immediately provide food, potable water, shelter, sanitation, and health and medical services, as well as disaster preparedness and advocacy. Additional grant requests for this project are expected in the future.
The sum of $5,000 has been given for a CWS appeal after summer storms caused flooding and damage in many states along the east coast. The money will help assist communities organize for recovery work, address unmet needs, and care for the most vulnerable impacted by the flooding.
A grant of $4,000 will provide emergency food to help prevent crisis and famine relief following drought and crop failures in Tanzania, in response to a CWS appeal.
An allocation of $2,400 continues support for emergency response work after landslides and floods affected a village in Guatemala. Previous grants totaling $20,800 have provided emergency food, helped rebuild a bridge, and aided in the transport coffee beans to market. The new grant will be used to purchase a three-month supply of corn. The distribution and work is being handled and directed in Guatemala by staff of the General Board’s Global Mission Partnerships: Brethren Volunteer Service worker Rebecca Allen and Latin America specialist Tom Benevento.
In other disaster relief news, Brethren Disaster Response is continuing two projects to repair and rebuild homes following hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
A project in Lucedale, Miss., opened in mid-January, repairing and rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005. Since the project opened, nearly 200 volunteers have built four new homes and repaired and cleaned up more than 30 others, according to coordinator Jane Yount. “The official death toll has climbed to 1,836, making Katrina the deadliest hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. Katrina is also the costliest hurricane in US history, with $75 billion in damages,” Yount reported. “An estimated 350,000 homes were destroyed and many thousands more damaged.”
Brethren Disaster Response also is continuing a rebuilding project in Pensacola, Fla., following damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in Sept. 2004, then by Hurricane Dennis in July 2005. Some 75,000 homes were affected. “Our presence is still very much needed there,” Yount said.
In addition to the two ongoing projects, the program is working to develop two new repair and rebuilding project sites, and is continuing to consider the feasibility of operating a modular home project in the area affected by Hurricane Katrina, with a modular home assembly site in southern Virginia still under consideration as well. “Our goal for Gulf Coast recovery is to build one new house a week and repair three,” Yount said.
To meet the need for additional leadership, the program is announcing three positions for longterm project directors who can work for five or more months over the period of a year. A monthly stipend of $1,000 per individual or $1,500 per couple is offered.
Two trainings will be offered this fall for 30 new disaster project directors and disaster project assistants. The trainings will be hands-on events at the Florida and Mississippi project sites: Oct 1-14 in Pensacola, Fla., and Oct. 22-Nov. 4 in Lucedale, Miss. Brethren Disaster Response also hopes to recruit Brethren Volunteer Service workers to serve for one year as disaster project assistants, site hosts, or household managers.
The additional projects will require more vehicles and heavy equipment as well, including heavy duty trucks, passenger vans, passenger cars, and a small front loader or backhoe. Donations of this equipment is being sought.
Yount added a call to prayer in her most recent update on Brethren Disaster Response. “Faced with dismal hurricane predictions for this season,” she said, “let us pray for God’s mercy and protection for vulnerable populations both within and outside our borders.”
3) Northern Plains holds first District Conference of the season.
Northern Plains District held its District Conference on July 1 in Des Moines, Iowa. Business, fellowship, and worship centered around the theme “Together: We’re Living Our Love for Jesus,” made up the three-hour meeting prior to the 2006 Annual Conference.
The meeting began with fellowship time, which continued through a luncheon while district commission reports were presented. After the meal, the 76 delegates were seated and moderator Diane Mason called the meeting to order.
Among the business was discussion and adoption of multiple revisions to the district’s Constitution and Bylaws. Another conversation concerned scheduling the 2008 District Conference amongst the other celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement that year. In balloting, delegates called Lois Grove as moderator-elect. A deficit budget was passed with delegates reminded to carry this news to their congregations.
A silent auction of the table centerpieces, candles embossed with the conference theme and logo, raised $906 for the district funds.
The conference closed with the installation of newly-elected leaders, followed by a communion service that served as a call to remember to “live love for Jesus” as participants departed.
Next year the Northern Plains District will meet Aug. 3-4 at South Waterloo (Iowa) Church of the Brethren under the leadership of moderator Jerry Waterman.
4) Brethren bits: Job opening, honors, and much more.
- The Church of the Brethren General Board seeks a director of Information Services to fill a fulltime position located in Elgin, Ill. Responsibilities include developing, maintaining, and implementing a technology system to support General Board programs; providing management responsibility for day-to-day operations; maintaining and developing appropriate hardware and software systems; budget development, monitoring, and reporting in information services arena; providing for accurate and efficient support of use of computers to meet user needs. Qualifications include knowledge and experience in planning and implementing an information system; knowledge and experience in budget development and management; strong technical skills in programming and systems analysis; progressive administrative and leadership skills. Education and experience required includes a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in information sciences or related field; a minimum of five years of significant information services experience, including systems analysis and design, and programming involving networks. A position description and application form are available on request. Application deadline is Aug. 12. Qualified candidates are invited to complete the application form, submit a resume and letter of application, and request three references to send letters of recommendation to the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120-1694; 800-323-8039 ext. 258; kkrog_gb@brethren.org.
- Chris Douglas, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Church of the Brethren General Board, was among five alumni honored at Alumni Days at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind. Other were former college faculty Allen C. Deeter, William R. Eberly, and Arthur L. Gilbert, and college trustee Melvin L. Holmes. Deeter is professor emeritus of Religion and Philosophy and is known for his leadership in expanding Brethren Colleges Abroad; Eberly is professor emeritus of Biology and author of “The History of the Natural Sciences at Manchester College”; Gilbert is professor emeritus of accounting, who led expansion of the accounting department and the master’s of accountancy degree; Holmes is a retired senior buyer at AM General Corporation in South Bend, Ind., and a community leader in intercultural relations. For more go to http://www.manchester.edu/.
- Matt Guynn, coordinator of peace witness for On Earth Peace, had poems published in a new book, “Becoming Fire: Spiritual Writing from Rising Generations,” published by Andover Newton Theological School. The book is an anthology of spiritual writing from Generations X and Y and their mentors, and includes essays, fiction, poems, and sermons. It sells for $12.95, with proceeds benefitting the Faith Youth Institute. For more go to www.ants.edu/about/publications/index.htm.
- Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) holds its summer orientation July 30-Aug. 18 at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center. This will be the 270th BVS unit, and will be made up of 21 volunteers from across the US and Germany. Half of the group is Church of the Brethren, with the others coming from varied faith backgrounds. A weekend immersion trip to Baltimore is planned with volunteer opportunities at area soup kitchens and outreach centers, as well as at Jonah House. Volunteers also will have a chance to work at the Brethren Service Center for a day, and at several service sites in Carroll County. A BVS potluck is open to all those who are interested on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Union Bridge Church of the Brethren. “Please feel free to come and welcome the new BVS volunteers and share your own experiences,” said Becky Snavely of the BVS office. “Don Vermilyea will also be present to share experiences from his Walk Across America. As always your prayer support is welcome and needed,” she added. “Please pray for the unit, and the people they will touch during their year of service through BVS.” For more information call 800-323-8039 ext. 423.
- Disaster Child Care (DCC) volunteers have visited five FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in Pennsylvania to research the need for child care following the worst flooding to hit the Susquehanna River valley and its tributaries since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Over 200,000 residents were evacuated due to rising flood waters, reported DCC coordinator Helen Stonesifer. The widespread flooding affected numerous rivers, lakes, and communities from upstate New York to North Carolina. Also being researched is the need for child care services in California, where homes have been burned in a large wildfire east of Los Angeles.
- Community Church of Waterford, a Church of the Brethren congregation in Goshen, Ind., held its Grand Opening Celebration on May 7 with over 400 people in attendance.
- Jonathan Emmons will present a Benefit Organ Recital at Antioch Church of the Brethren in Rocky Mount, Va., on July 29 at 4 p.m. Emmons was organist for the 2004 Annual Conference in Charleston, W.Va. Donations will support the World Hunger Auction, a cooperative venture of 10 congregations in Virlina District. The auction itself is planned for Aug. 12, beginning at 9:30 a.m., at the Antioch church. For more go to http://www.worldhungerauction.org/.
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has a small team of peacemakers at Bear Butte, S.D., from July 3-Aug. 15 to nonviolently resist continued development and encroachment on land that Native American tribes consider sacred. An Intertribal Coalition of 30 tribes requested CPT’s assistance as they oppose a new development including a biker bar and concert venue called the “Sturgis County Line” on 600 acres at the base of Bear Butte. Every year, thousands of Native people travel to pray at the butte. The final week of the encampment will coincide with the 66th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally that brings 500,000 bikers to the area.
- A Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) women’s delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is planned for Oct. 18-Nov. 2. Rape has been a weapon of war among militias in the Congo. Delegates will meet with Congolese women and human rights organizations to witness the effects of the war and to learn about western countries’ roles in the conflict. Delegates raise $3,100 to cover costs; financial assistance may be available. Application deadline is July 31. For more information go to http://www.cpt.org/ and click on “Delegations.”
- The National Council of Churches (NCC), Church World Service (CWS), and the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a joint statement July 14 urging nonviolent solutions to the violence in Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine. “Is there ever to be an end to violence in the land we call holy? What has violence solved these last 60 years? What has violence solved these past weeks?” the statement asked. The NCC, WCC, and CWS called for an immediate cessation of attacks on all sides and urged the US government and other nations to recognize the success of former peace initiatives, and with the assistance of the United Nations to seek nonviolent solutions for all parties involved. They also urged their member Christian denominations to “pray for all those who have suffered and died as a result of this violence, and their families and communities, and to engage in humanitarian and advocacy actions for peace.” For the full statement go to http://www.councilofchurches.org/.
- Brethren elder John Kline’s historic Civil War-era home and farmland will be for put up for sale within the next six months by its Mennonite owners, according to Paul Roth, pastor of Linville Creek Church of the Brethren in Broadway, Va. Roth seeks people within the Brethren bodies who can help plan for purchase of the property and a design for its use. The owners wish to give the Brethren first right of refusal on the property, Roth said. Local developers are eager to buy the 10-acre property and place townhouses on it, he added. “It is important that we act quickly.” Contact Roth at 540-896-5001.
5) Leiter resigns as director of Information Services for General Board.
Ed Leiter has submitted his resignation as director of Information Services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, working at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. His resignation will be effective no later than Dec. 31.
He has worked for the General Board for 25 years, since 1988. He worked at the service center from 1984-87 as a programmer, and then from 1988-2004 as lead programmer and analyst. He assumed his current role in June 2004.
Leiter is a graduate of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Computer Science. Following college he served in Brethren Volunteer Service. He is a member of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.
6) Donna McKee Rhodes to direct Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center.
The Susquehanna Valley Ministry has announced the appointment of Donna McKee Rhodes to the position of executive director beginning Aug. 1. She has served for the past five years as dean of Certificate and Continuing Education Programs at the center, which is a ministry education partnership of Bethany Theological Seminary and five districts in the northeast.
Rhodes is a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., with a bachelor’s degree in education. She received her Training in Ministry certificate through the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership in 1996 and is currently enrolled as an occasional student at Bethany Seminary. Rhodes also has completed a three-year training program in spiritual direction through Oasis Ministries. She is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren.
Rhodes and her family live in Huntingdon, Pa., and are members of Stone Church of the Brethren. She will work out of her home and from the center’s central office on the campus of Elizabethtown (Pa.) College.
7) Missions class is offered at Bethany Seminary.
A course titled, “Brethren Mission: With a Bible and a Shovel,” will be offered at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., on three weekends this fall: Sept. 8-9, Oct. 6-7, and Nov. 3-4. The course is available to students in the master of divinity track, or for Training in Ministry credit.
The course introduces the historical, biblical, and theological foundation of Brethren mission from its earliest roots, and will challenge participants to formulate a vision for the future of Brethren mission. Bradley Bohrer, newly named director for the Sudan mission initiative of the General Board, will teach the class assisted by Merv Keeney, executive director of the board’s Global Mission Partnerships.
To register contact Deb Gropp, Academic Services, at 800-287-8822 ext. 1821.
8) Nigeria workcamp planned for early 2007.
Projected dates for the 2007 workcamp in Nigeria are Jan. 13-Feb. 11. Since 1985 an annual workcamp has been held in Nigeria sponsored by Global Mission Partnerships of the Church of the Brethren General Board, in order to provide an opportunity for relationship building and mutual encouragement.
Work will again focus on building the Comprehensive Secondary School of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Plans include a visit to congregations in Maiduguri, where violence in February led to the destruction of five church buildings of EYN. Participants will be present with members of the affected congregations and see progress made with the support of a love offering given by the US church.
David Whitten, coordinator of Nigeria mission for the General Board, will lead the workcamp. Projected cost is $2,200. See www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/workcamp/index.html for more information. Applications are due Oct. 2 and are available from Mary Munson at 800-323-8039.
9) Caring for body and soul in the Dominican Republic.
By Irvin and Nancy Heishman
The germ of an idea began to grow when Paul Mundey heard pastor Anastacia Bueno Beltre preach at the 2005 Annual Conference. Beltre is pastor of San Luis Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic. Mundey heard in her sermon the excitement of her dynamic and resilient faith, and wondered how the church he pastors in Frederick, Md., could become involved in the mission in the DR.
Frederick Church of the Brethren had previously sent members on mission trips to Latin America but had not connected with Brethren mission projects. Through a series of communications, we considered plans together for how a group of Frederick members could visit the DR and become familiar with the Brethren mission.
In March 2006 a group of five people from Frederick, led by pastor Bill Van Buskirk and medical doctor Julian Choe, visited the DR for nine days. The experience was a rich blessing for the church in the DR and was personally transforming for the group from Frederick.
The group traveled first to Fondo Negro, a small congregation in the southwest DR. Church members gave them a tour of the community including the beautiful Yaque River, where many go to swim and bathe. The group also stayed overnight in the homes of congregation members, a “stretch” for Americans given that not all homes in the DR have indoor plumbing or other comforts. The Frederick group offered children’s activities, sharing simple crafts like a “salvation bracelet.” This activity facilitated a clear sharing of the gospel message and yielded delightful interaction with the children.
The group then headed back to the area of the DR’s capital to spend several days with the San Jose congregation. In contrast to Fondo Negro’s semi-arid rural location, the San Jose church is located in the middle of a desperately poor community surrounded by abandoned sugar cane fields. This type of community is called a “batey,” which means a community where Haitian immigrant workers are housed for the sugar cane industry. In San Jose the sugar industry has been abandoned, so residents eke out a living with limited, low-paying seasonal work in a near-by palm oil plantation.
Frederick members felt called to respond not only to physical needs but also spiritual needs. In planning their trip they designed a combination of activities to reach out to the whole person. As Van Buskirk put it, “The first day was physical saving. The next day was soul saving.” Although several group members had participated in mission trips before, they were shaken by the desperate poverty in San Jose. Under the direction of Dr. Choe, the group was prepared for medical outreach. They had brought 100 pounds of medicine, focusing mostly on treating dysentery and parasitic conditions and offering much-needed vitamins.
While this treatment was effective in the short-term, the group realized that these problems will continue to plague this community and others like it. Parasites can be treated, for example, but if people are drinking contaminated water, they will soon have parasites again. For this reason, the Frederick church is interested in forming a longer-term relationship with the mission in the DR, specifically in the area of health. “We don’t just want to do a hit and run,” said Van Buskirk in an article in the “Frederick (Md.) News Post.”
Dominican church leaders are considering the possibility of developing a preventative health ministry in cooperation with the General Board and congregations like Frederick. Let’s dare to pray boldly that God will open the way for this ministry to become a reality in 2007.
–Irvin and Nancy Heishman are mission coordinators for the Church of the Brethren General Board in the Dominican Republic.
10) Brethren minister among group pardoned for sedition convictions.
A Church of the Brethren minister is among 78 people granted pardons for sedition convictions in Montana during World War I, the fruit of a Sedition Pardons Project at the University of Montana. The project was directed by Clemens P. Work, professor of media law and director of Graduate Studies at the School of Journalism.
Sedition charges were filed against the late Church of the Brethren elder and minister John Silas (J.S.) Geiser on July 2, 1918, stemming from statements he made on Sunday, May 5, 1918, opposing the war. The statements were most probably made as part of a sermon.
The charges against Geiser were “extremely unusual,” said Work. Geiser was “the only one of these cases of a minister being convicted…for what he said during a sermon.”
At the time, Geiser served the Grandview congregation near Froid, Mont. He was charged under a law passed by the Montana legislature in 1918, that “criminalized all sorts of negative speech,” according to Work. In all, 79 people in Montana (one pardoned in 1921) were convicted for criticizing the government during wartime.
Geiser was reported to the authorities for making the following statement: “All war is wrong. It is all wrong to buy liberty bonds or thrift stamps. We should remain firm; and I urge you not to buy or purchase any liberty bonds or thrift stamps…. I believe it is wrong to kill one’s fellow man. One who buys Liberty Bonds and Thrift Stamps to furnish ammunition for the killing of people is as bad as it would be to kill one’s self. I believe that one who buys Liberty Bonds and Thrift Stamps to aid and support the war is as bad as those who hire gunmen in the city of New York to kill their fellow man.”
“It sounds like he was proclaiming the Brethren peace stance, doesn’t it?” commented Ralph Clark, a current member of the congregation who is interested in church history. Clark has carried out research about Geiser on behalf of the pardons project.
Geiser moved to Froid in 1915 from Maryland, where he had started a mission that later developed into Baltimore First Church of the Brethren, according to an obituary in the Church of the Brethren magazine “The Gospel Messenger” of April 27, 1935. Geiser also worked as a dentist to support his family while he served at Grandview. The congregation he served is now the Big Sky American Baptist/Brethren Church with joint Brethren and Baptist affiliation. In 1927, illness forced Geiser’s return to the lower altitudes of the east coast, where he died in 1934.
The obituary makes no mention of Geiser’s sedition conviction. But according to Clark’s research, church minutes reveal more. In a congregational meeting on May 14, 1918, Geiser retracted part of his statement saying he had misunderstood Annual Meeting rulings on the purchase of war bonds. Clark said Geiser may have been referring to an Annual Meeting minute from the Civil War era allowing the purchase of government bonds.
The congregation voted to continue Geiser in his office and to help him seek legal assistance for the sedition charge. Then, in June 1918, Geiser handed in his resignation to the church after having declared bankruptcy. The district elders made a ruling in July 1918 undoing Geiser’s ordination, Clark said. In Sept. 1920, however, he was reinstated to full ministry. Annual Meeting frowned on declaring bankruptcy and that was probably the factor that led to the ruling undoing Geiser’s ordination, Clark said.
Geiser did not do jail time for his conviction but was fined $200. “As far as I can determine they (the Geiser family) continued to live in their house and three church members signed for the $5,000 bail bond and one member paid the $200 fine,” Clark said.
Of the 79 people convicted of sedition in Montana, 41 went to prison and the others were fined, Work said. The range of prison sentence was 1 to 20 years, the range actually served was 7 months to 3 years. Fines ranged from $200 to $5,000. “My position is that they shouldn’t have served a day in prison,” Work added. The sedition law was passed in an atmosphere of hysteria, because of fear of disruption of the war effort by labor radicals. “People were just hysterical at the time about the war and apprehending spies and enemies of the war effort,” Work said.
Those convicted of sedition were for the most part “ordinary people who said critical or derogatory things about the government,” Work said. Most of the comments for which people were charged were made privately or were off-handed outbursts of anger or made under the influence of alcohol. In all cases, somebody listening took offense and turned the person in, Work said. Many times the person was not charged for what they said, but for who they were. For example, some of those convicted were German immigrants, Work said. “Or the person who reported them used the law as permission for revenge or payback, or exercising a grudge. We don’t know how many fell into that category.”
The pardons project grew out of research for Work’s 2005 book, “Darkest Before Dawn: Sedition and Free Speech in the American West.” The project obtained an executive pardon from Governor Schweitzer of Montana with the help of professor Jeffrey T. Renz, of the University of Montana’s School of Law, and a large group of others including law and journalism students, historians, and genealogists. On May 3, more than 40 relatives of those convicted of sedition were present when the governor issued the pardon.
As for Geiser, his obituary hints that he did not let the experience affect his love for ministry or the northwest. “He loved the great northwest, but above all he loved his church and the souls of men. He wanted to see our church established in this pioneer country,” the obituary said.
For more information about the Sedition Pardons Project go to http://www.seditionproject.net/.