(May 30, 2007) — The Fellowship of Brethren Homes held its annual Forum at Brethren Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, Calif., from April 1921. The theme this year was “Dealing with External Forces.”
The CEO of the American Association of Health Services, Larry Minnix, was the keynote speaker for the conference. Minnix presented “Scenario Planning–The Long and Winding Road,” discussing leadership and scenario planning.
Also presenting were Lowell Flory, director of institutional advancement at Bethany Theological Seminary, and Larry Bowles, development director for the Hillcrest Community. Flory and Bowles gave a joint presentation titled, “It’s My Community–Development and Fundraising in the Local Community and the Broader Church of the Brethren Community.” Copies of these presentations are available upon request.
In other presentations, a session on continuing Church of the Brethren history was given by Marlin Heckman, a Church of the Brethren scholar. Myrna Wheeler, chaplain at Hillcrest, led a memorial service for Tim Hissong, CEO of the Brethren Retirement Community in Greenville, Ohio, who passed away on April 15.
A proposal for the Fellowship of Brethren Homes to consider the possibility of forming a health insurance captive unique to its organization was presented by Don Fecher, director of the fellowship, a ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers. The Mennonite Church USA has successfully utilized a health insurance program for members of Mennonite Health Services for more than 10 years, and Neal Holzman, CEO of Friends of the Services for the Aging, has recently implemented a similar program for Friends United Meeting. There appeared to be enough interest from forum participants to continue researching the project.
Next year’s forum will be held jointly with members of Mennonite Church USA and the American Baptist Church, in St. Louis, Mo., March 2730, 2008. The event will provide a time for the three denominations to collaborate and discuss similar issues. The format of the conference will include joint sessions, as well as separate sessions for each denomination.
For more information about the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, or about the Forum, contact Don Fecher at 847-636-1476.
(This report is provided by Don Fecher, director of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a ministry of the Association of Brethren Caregivers. It first appeared in the May 2007 issue of “Pettikoffer Papers,” a newsletter for the Brethren Homes.)