“Celebrating the Church of the Brethren’s 300th Anniversary in 2008”
“Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
PERSONNEL
1) Darryl Deardorff retires as chief financial officer for BBT.
2) Bethany Seminary calls new professors, interim academic dean.
3) Annie Clark resigns from On Earth Peace.
4) Andrew Murray retires as director of Baker Institute.
5) Ed Woolf begins in new staff position with the General Board.
6) BBT announces staff changes in finance, information services.
7) Patrice Nightingale begins as manager of publications for BBT.
8) More personnel notices, job openings.
300th ANNIVERSARY UPDATE
9) 300th Anniversary update: Churches celebrate Tercentennial with Love Feast.
10) 300th Anniversary update: Surrendered, transformed, empowered…to serve.
11) 300th Anniversary update: Bits and pieces.
FEATURE
12) Mohler Lecture considers ‘War, God, and Inevitability.’
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1) Darryl Deardorff retires as chief financial officer for BBT.
Darryl Deardorff has announced his retirement as chief financial officer/treasurer of the board for Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) as of Sept. 30.
Deardorff began as director of investments for BBT in Jan. 1997, and in June of that year took on additional assignments as interim director of information systems and services, and consultant to the treasurer and the Brethren Foundation director. In Jan. 1998, Deardorff was named chief financial officer. His work has included supervising financial operations and management, and investments, and supervising financial services planning and program development. In addition, he also maintains administrative oversight of the Church of the Brethren Credit Union.
Prior to coming to BBT, Darryl was the treasurer for the Church of the Brethren General Board, from 1987 to his hiring at Brethren Benefit Trust in 1997. While serving the General Board, he was instrumental in the Church of the Brethren being ranked number one in good financial management practices among denominations nationwide, according to a 1993 survey by Indiana State University. In other previous work, he directed his own business-consulting and accounting firm in Dayton, Ohio.
2) Bethany Seminary calls new professors, interim academic dean.
Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., has called H. Kendall Rogers as professor of historical studies, beginning in the 2008-09 academic year. Rogers has served as a professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., for 30 years. He is a Manchester College graduate and holds degrees from Oxford University in England and from Harvard University. Rogers also served as resident director for Brethren Colleges Abroad in Germany and China, as Fulbright Program Adviser for Manchester, and as coordinator for the Ministry Training Institute of Manchester College and the Church of the Brethren in Indiana. His publications and presentations include “The Church of the Brethren and Liberation Theology,” “The War in Iraq: Theological Reflections,” and “Engaging Students of Church History through Interviews of Retired Church Leaders.
“Malinda Berry will join the Bethany faculty in the 2009-10 academic year as an instructor in theological studies and director of the master of arts program. Berry is a doctoral candidate at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and is currently visiting scholar in religion and women’s studies at Goshen (Ind.) College. She is a graduate of Goshen and holds a master’s degree in peace studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. She also served as interim minister at Manhattan (N.Y.) Mennonite Fellowship, and as associate director of Mennonite Voluntary Service. Her publications and presentations include “Women and Missio Dei,” “A Theology of Wonder,” and “Reading with Daughters of Sarah and Hagar: Authority, Scripture, and the Christian Life.
“Richard B. Gardner will serve as interim academic dean during the 2008-09 school year. Gardner is emeritus professor of New Testament studies and served as Bethany Seminary’s academic dean from 1992-2003. He is a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., and holds degrees from Bethany and the University of Würzburg in Germany. Gardner also served as parish ministries staff for the Church of the Brethren General Board. His publications and presentations include “Matthew” in the Believers Church Bible Commentary Series, “Vocation and Story: Biblical Reflections on Vocation,” and “No Creed But the New Testament.”
3) Annie Clark resigns from On Earth Peace.
On Earth Peace has announced the resignation of Annie Clark, coordinator of the Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR), effective July 30. Clark has led the reconciliation program for four years, since April 2004, and plans to return to fulltime classroom teaching in August.
Clark has served previously as a consultant with Goshen (Ind.) College, and has worked as an educator in the public schools and as mediation services coordinator with Education for Conflict Resolution, a mediation center in northern Indiana. She developed and administered a truancy mediation program and a peer mediation program in public schools, and has been a practitioner and mediation case manager.
She is a graduate of Indiana University at South Bend, and a member of Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, Ind.
4) Andrew Murray retires as director of Baker Institute.
Andrew Murray is retiring as director of the Elizabeth Evans Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. He also serves at Juniata as Elizabeth Evans Baker Professor of peace and conflict studies.
Murray came to Juniata in 1971 as a faculty member in the religion department and campus minister after serving Church of the Brethren pastorates in Virginia and Oregon. He was named college chaplain in 1986, a post he held until 1991.
He has been a leader in the international development of the field of peace studies. He founded the Juniata Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in 1985, and has directed Juniata’s peace and conflict studies program since 1977. He has led the Baker Institute, named for the John C. and Elizabeth Evans Baker family in 1986, since its beginning. Murray has consulted on curriculum and administrative issues in peace studies at more than 20 colleges and universities across the country. In 1988, he helped found the Peace Studies Association, and has been elected twice as chair of its board of directors.
In 1990, he was appointed to the United Nations/International Association of University Presidents Commission on Arms Control Education. As a member of the Commission, he began the International Seminar on Arms Control and Disarmament, sponsored jointly by Juniata College and the UN Center for Disarmament Affairs. The seminar attracted more than 50 professors from universities in Mexico, Central America, western and southern Africa, the Middle East and south Asia to Juniata’s campus for arms control and disarmament curriculum training. He also served as a special consultant for a UN peace-building initiative in West Africa and worked with the government of Mali to develop a moratorium on small arms manufacture, import and export, and a national policy on civilian/military relations.
He holds degrees from Bridgewater (Va.) College and Bethany Theological Seminary. Juniata has honored him with the 1991 Beachley Award for Distinguished Academic Service. He also received honorary degrees from Manchester College and Bridgewater. Along with his wife, Terry, Murray also has maintained a music career and is well known in the Church of the Brethren for their albums including “Summertime Children” and “Goodbye, Still Night.” The couple have performed more than 300 concerts in 20 states and Canada.
5) Ed Woolf begins in new staff position with the General Board.
Ed Woolf has moved into a staff position with the Church of the Brethren General Board as manager of Office and Gift Operations in the office of the treasurer and the department of Centralized Resources. He works at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Woolf has worked for the General Board for 10 years, as a gift management/centralized resources assistant since May 1998. Previously he served as an intern in the General Board’s Human Resources Office.
6) BBT announces staff changes in finance, information services.
Laura Nedli, director of finance and information services for the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), has resigned her position as of July 31. She has ceased active duties at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., as of April 30.
Bob Mosley has been named director of financial operations for BBT, effective May 1. He was hired by BBT as staff accountant on Sept. 14, 1998, and was promoted to senior accountant on July 2, 2000. In October 2005, he was named manager of accounting and in his roles he has provided excellent service in financial operations.
Nevin Dulabaum will become director of information services while continuing to direct the communications department of BBT. This additional responsibility became effective May 1. Dulabaum’s new title is director of communications and information services.
7) Patrice Nightingale begins as manager of publications for BBT.
Patrice Nightingale has been hired to fill the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) manager of publications position. In this role, she will serve as senior writer and copy editor and will provide oversight of BBT publications including newsletters, press releases, the website, and other special projects. She began work for BBT on May 5.
Nightingale has worked in the publications field in various capacities since 1973. Most recently, she worked for Examiner Publications in Bartlet, Ill., where she was a production manager for eight weekly newspapers.
She is a graduate of Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., with a degree in psychology and sociology. She is a member of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill.
8) More personnel notices, job openings.
- Cindy Smith, building services coordinator/trainer at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., has ended her employment with the General Board effective April 24. She served in this capacity for almost 10 years, having begun work for the General Board in August 1998. Her responsibilities included serving as an assistant to the Buildings and Grounds Office in Elgin, orienting new employees to the building and telephone system, and helping out with logistics and hospitality for meetings held at the Elgin facility, among other duties.
- Kirk Carpenter will begin May 12 as customer service inventory specialist for Brethren Press, working at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. He recently completed a bachelor of arts degree in biblical and theological Studies from North Park University in Chicago. During his time at North Park, he has been involved in a variety of campus ministries. His five years of work experience include involvement with customer service and inventory efficiencies. Other experiences include two summer mission tours in Japan, advocacy and fundraising work for International Justice Mission, and extensive travel abroad. He is originally from Kent, Wash.
- Brethren Benefit Trust is thanking editorial assistant Jamie Denlinger for her term of service with BBT. She has assisted the communications department staff during an internship, followed by a temporary assignment as editorial assistant. She concluded her role with BBT on May 4.
- The Church of the Brethren’s Pacific Southwest District seeks a district executive minister. The position is fulltime and available immediately. The district is geographically, ethnically, and theologically diverse, with 28 congregations in California and Arizona as well as five church starts, three of which are Spanish speaking, and one fellowship. The district office is in La Verne, Calif. The district staff includes an intercultural director, intergenerational director, a director for the district’s Center for Brethren Studies, an administrative assistant, a secretary, and a financial and property manager. Responsibilities include serving as executive of the district, strengthening a diverse, collaborative team environment; collaborating with the district board in shaping the vision for the district, and articulating and promoting that vision; strengthening relationships with pastors and congregations; facilitating pastoral placement; administering the work of the District Board. Qualifications include being passionate about the potential of the Church of the Brethren and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit; pastoral and prophetic gifts; deep faith and prayer life; spiritual maturity and Christian integrity; being a student of the scriptures with a good grasp of theology and Brethren history; staff and team management skills; flexibility in working with staff, volunteer, pastoral, and lay leadership; experience in dealing with the dynamics of growth and change; being a good communicator with the ability to listen and build relationships across cultural, theological, and geographical diversity; buen comunicador y con habilidad para escuchar y crear puentes en medio de la diversidad cultural, teológica y geográfica. A master’s degree is preferred, with English/Spanish bilingual abilities advantageous. If relocation is required, the District Board is willing to negotiate moving or housing costs. Send a letter of interest and resume via e-mail to DistrictMinistries_gb@brethren.org. Applicants are requested to contact three or four people to provide a letter of reference. Upon receipt of a resume, a Candidate Profile must be completed and returned before the application is complete. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
- On Earth Peace seeks a Program Coordinator to oversee its Ministry of Reconciliation program. Responsibilities include planning and coordinating educational events and programs, coordinating reconciliation services, providing educational resources, developing leaders for reconciling ministries, and other responsibilities. Requires commitment to Christian peacemaking, experience with coordinating service or educational programs, strong communication skills and organizational ability, and self-motivation. More information, including complete position description and announcement, is available at http://www.onearthpeace.org/ under the “Opportunities” tab, or from Darlene Johnson, office manager, at djohnson_oepa@brethren.org or 410-635-8704. To apply, send letter and resume with 3-4 references to Bob Gross, executive director, at bgross@igc.org. Applications will be reviewed beginning June 25, continuing until position is filled. Position available July 21.
9) 300th Anniversary update: Churches celebrate Tercentennial with Love Feast.
“Do this in remembrance of me.” Robert Sell used these words to remind a group of Brethren celebrating the Tercentennial of the denomination that their Love Feast “is one of the most important acts identified with the Church of the Brethren.”
Sell, this year’s moderator of Middle Pennsylvania District, was welcoming members of Area 3 congregations, which constitutes those within and around Bedford County. The event was held on Sunday, April 20, at 6 p.m., at the Barn at Friendship Village in Bedford.
After the manner of the Old Brethren, four Brethren were seated at the front to share their understanding of scripture. Instead of choosing four elders, the planners chose four of the younger leaders of the churches.
The service opened with Morgan Knepp’s explanation of the preparation for Love Feast. Noting that things have changed over the years, she said, “Sometimes it’s hard to find an evening free to spend with the family. Imagine how hard it would be to find time for the Annual Deacon Visit.” Knepp, from the Everett congregation, described the practice of the 19th century, when teams of deacons would meet with every member prior to the Love Feast to see if they were still in accord with Brethren doctrine, and if there was harmony among all members. If there was not, they would attempt to achieve reconciliation. If there was no reconciliation, those individuals were excluded.
“Nowadays,” Knepp said, “everyone is welcome. Differences are set aside. We are all sinners.” Adding that whereas in previous times, Love Feast was a three-day event, now it takes place within a few hours, she said, “Times have changed, for better or for worse, but that is what we have now.”
Brady Plummer from the Bedford congregation introduced footwashing by reading a portion of John 13. “The symbols of the church are not clearly recognized. This act is overlooked or disregarded. It’s important. It has always been known in our church.” The Brethren instituted footwashing, he said, because in their reading of the Bible, “they connected the dots…. We look to footwashing to point to the purpose of the life of Jesus, a call to be servant. It is as important today as it was 2,000 years ago.”
Staci Manges of Snake Spring Valley Church of the Brethren introduced the Fellowship Meal. She reminded worshipers that the purpose of food is both to nurture and nourish. The early Christians “shared more than just food. They shared all things in common.” The Fellowship Meal, she said, is not just a reenactment of the past, but points towards the table of the Lamb as it will be experienced in heaven, its “perfect fulfillment. Even strangers will be welcome at that great banquet.”
Jerome Bollman, from the Cherry Lane congregation, closed the service by speaking about the bread and cup. “It is the high point,” he said, pointing to “the sacrifice that atoned for our sins. Brethren believe that Christ is present in the church body. The bread and cup as practiced in the Church of the Brethren is not a sacrament, but an ordinance or commandment,” and points to the fact that “God is with us in all of life.”
Bollman chronicled one of the great changes in the way communion is practiced among the Brethren, the 1910 decision that allowed women to break bread among themselves as did the men, without a church elder to break the bread for them. This break through was the result of a nearly half-century struggle by Julia Gilbert. He also spoke about the shift in the 19th century from wine to grape juice.
The three-part Love Feast, which included footwashing, the Fellowship Meal, along with the bread and cup, was organized by Eleanor Fix, pastor of Cherry Lane Church of the Brethren; Marilyn Lerch, pastor of Bedford Church of the Brethren; Janet Sell, pastor of Snake Spring Valley Church of the Brethren; and Beverly Swindell, assistant pastor of Everett Church of the Brethren.
The Fellowship Meal consisted of beef and broth poured over bread in special 300th Anniversary mugs, which were kept by worshipers.
The Barn at Friendship Village was made available to the Area 3 churches by Ken and Darla Rhodes. Leah Pepple led the singing, which was a cappella after the manner of the Old Brethren. Women and men sat at different sides of the aisle. A pounding rain only seemed to enhance the service.
–Frank Ramirez is pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. This article was originally written as a press release for local media in the Everett area.
10) 300th Anniversary update: Surrendered, transformed, empowered…to serve.
The 300th Anniversary Committee is sponsoring two unique opportunities to reach out to the community in Richmond, Va., during the 2008 Annual Conference July 12-16.
“Our roots may be sectarian, but we have always reached out to others, showing them Christ’ s love through word and deed. In Richmond we plan to carry on this strong tradition,” said a statement from the committee. “In honor of our anniversary and ‘for the glory of God and our neighbor’s good,’ we want to shower the community of Richmond with acts of service that they might ‘know we are Christians by our love.’”
A Service Blitz is planned for July 12 and 14 (for nondelegates only on July 14). There will be various shifts available each day: mornings from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., afternoons from 12:30-4:30 p.m., and all day from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. These times include transportation time to work projects. The blitz is in cooperation with an umbrella organization in Richmond called Together We Stand, in order to line up a wide range of service opportunities. The committee hopes thousands of Brethren will participate.
Advance registration is required so that adequate plans can be made. A nominal registration fee–$12 for a half day and $20 for a full day–will cover the cost of transportation and materials including drinking water. Lunch is also included in the fee for persons registering for an all-day shift. Those registering for a half day shift may purchase a box lunch in advance for an additional $8.50.
A Food Drive is also planned to benefit the Central Virginia Food Bank. Food banks experience a drastic increase in demand each summer. Founded in 1980, the Central Virginia Food Bank distributes almost 49,000 pounds of food each day to the most vulnerable people–children in need, the elderly, working poor families, disabled individuals, and others in crisis–through more than 500 organizations and agencies feeding the hungry in five cities and 31 counties in the region, representing 12.6 million pounds of food a year.
Conferencegoers are encouraged to bring a donation of healthy, nonperishable food with them to Richmond. Particular needs include canned fish and meats, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, hot and cold cereals, pasta, and rice. Donations will be collected in the registration lobby at the Convention Center. The committee’s goal is to collect three tons (6,000 pounds) of food to celebrate the three centuries of the Brethren movement. Congregations may wish to hold a food drive in advance of Annual Conference and send large donations with their delegates.
More information and a registration form for the Service Blitz are at www.brethren.org/ac in the Annual Conference Information Packet. A relevant query coming to the 2008 Annual Conference, about the Conference witnessing to its host city each year through efforts to care, give, nurture, and transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ, can also be found at the website.
–Rhonda Pittman Gingrich is a member of the 300th Anniversary Committee.
11) 300th Anniversary update: Bits and pieces.
- There is a new e-mail contact address for the 300th Anniversary Peace Fest in Marburg, Germany, in early August: myrnajef@heartofiowa.net.
- A third set of Tercentennial Minutes, covering June, July, and August 2008, is available from the Tercentennial Committee of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. The Tercentennial Minutes are available free to all congregations and may be read aloud in worship, posted on websites, or included in bulletins or newsletters. They are written by Frank Ramirez. In addition, a play written by Ramirez and requested by the Everett youth for use on youth Sunday, “Never Too Young,” about Julia Gilbert’s teen years, also is available. E-mail Connie Steele, administrative assistant at Everett Church of the Brethren, at ecob@yellowbananas.com.
- The John Kline Homestead Trust has received approval from the IRS as a nonprofit organization, reported Paul W. Roth, president of the John Kline Homestead Board of Directors, in a recent update. “This allows us to make application for several large grants to support the purchase and development of the John Kline Homestead.” Roth said that total gifts received by the trust are over $92,500, and in addition pledges for $12,500 bring the total for the project to over $105,000. Nine congregations have given $57,935 of the total. The trust is preparing to receive nearly 30 youth and advisors for a Church of the Brethren senior high workcamp at the John Kline Homestead on June 16-22. The workcampers will stay in the 1822 John Kline house while they paint, clear debris from the fields, prune and remove shrubbery, replace rail fence, plant herbs, and clean antiques. The John Kline Homestead Trust will have more information available at a heritage exhibit at Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., this July. Linville Creek Church of the Brethren will host tours of the John Kline homestead for those attending Annual Conference; call 540-896-5001 to plan a tour. Individuals and congregations may make contributions to the preservation effort through the John Kline Homestead, P.O. Box 274, Broadway, VA 22815.
- The 13 congregations of the Church of the Brethren in Floyd County, Va., are planning a 300th Anniversary Celebration sponsored by Red Oak Grove Church of the Brethren. The event will be held June 14, starting at 10 a.m. at Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren’s new social hall. Virlina District executive minister David Shumate will be the guest speaker. Others will share local Brethren history. Music will include the Archie Naff Family, the Floyd County Ministers Choir, and a congregational hymn sing. Participants are invited to bring food for a potluck meal. For more information contact 540-745-2401 or hdquesen@swva.net.
- The Historical Committee of Atlantic Northeast District is working on a Historical Marker project, and recently announced that the financial goal has been met. The group has submitted applications to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for two markers, one denoting the Germantown Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, and one for the Christopher Saur printing establishment. “We hope to…celebrate our 300th anniversary with some enduring markers which will inform many about our Brethren heritage,” the committee said.
- Bridgewater (Va.) College observed the 300th Anniversary the first week of April, with a panel discussion to share the values of Brethren heritage and how they relate to contemporary society, and a special commemorative worship service featuring the college’s chorale group.
12) Mohler Lecture considers ‘War, God, and Inevitability.’
The 33rd annual Mohler Lecture of McPherson (Kan.) College featured Andrew Murray, professor of peace and conflict studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., where he also founded and directs the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. The lecture this year was held as a celebration of the 300th Anniversary of the Church of the Brethren.
Most Brethren know Andrew Murray far better as “Andy,” since he and his wife, Terry, have given over 300 concerts and produced seven albums of their own songs of peacemaking and of Brethren faith. He readily admits that he has probably awakened more people to the issues of peace and conflict resolution through his “silly songs” than he has through “erudite” lectures. Nevertheless, he concluded a weekend of sharing his music with attendees at the annual Regional Youth Conference by pursuing the question of “War, God, and Inevitability” in an erudite manner in the Mohler Lecture series.
Murray proposed that the next big task for peace making is a theological one. Pessimism about peacemaking is widespread. This despairing view sees the possibility of an enduring peace for humankind as doomed to failure, either because there is something in our biological makeup or in our divinely created design which drives us to war making and violence, at least until God chooses to redeem reality.
Some 30 years ago, the Seville Statement, issued by 20 scientists from around the world, maintained that there is no scientific basis for the conclusion that war and violence is intrinsic to human nature. In other words, the inevitability of war cannot be demonstrated scientifically.
That leaves only a theological basis for pessimism: hence, the “next big task.”
Briefly, Murray’s argument was this: Augustine and Luther have bequeathed to the theological world of thought the division of the world into two cities (Augustine) or two kingdoms (Luther). The one is the world of the unredeemed, the other the world of the redeemed. Anabaptists pretty much accepted this division. They differed from, say, Lutherans, as to whether Christians (the redeemed) could participate in the world. In the kingdom of the world, the “sword” of worldly armies could have the divinely ordained role of protecting the good and destroying the evil.
Consequently, much discussion over the years has centered on the notion of a “just” war, which would permit the righteous to participate in wielding the sword with divine authority.
Anabaptists in general accepted the two kingdoms but maintained that the redeemed could not wield the sword, could not participate in war. Brethren mostly took the same position, though Murray thinks the Brethren have felt the tension between optimism and pessimism. On the one hand he has been accused of heresy because peace studies are involved with what only God in Christ can do. That sounds like pessimism to Andy. On the other hand, Brethren have had an almost genetic need to do something to make the world a better place. And that sounds like optimism.
Augustine, Murray maintains, linked the inevitability of war to original sin. Therefore, until God redeems all of reality, there will be wars and rumors of war–classic pessimism. If this theological pessimism is to be broken, then the link between sin and war must be challenged.
Does sin inevitably lead to war? Murray suggested, tongue in cheek, that Kansas and Nebraska seem to live together in an enduring peace, even though he has heard that there is sin in Omaha as there is in Wichita. Mindful of his audience, he did allow that sin surely diminishes as one approaches McPherson! Ergo, peace is possible even in the presence of sinfulness. At any rate, he considers the nature of human sin insufficient to prove the inevitability of war. If that be true, then there is neither scientific nor theological support for the inevitability of war. In other words, peace is a realistic possibility, even in a sinful world.
Murray hopes for an assembly of the theologians of all world religions to confront the theological task of separating the inevitability of war from the reality of evil and issue a statement similar to the Seville statement. Once such a statement is made, war and its violence could be neither biologically motivated nor “holy” or “just.” Such a conference is made more urgent by the emergence of a toxic mix of fanatical fundamentalism and chauvinistic nationalism. A statement from a mix of the world’s theologians might force these fundamentalist groups to reveal their chauvinism, Murray suggests.
In any case we should be free to dismiss pessimism and enthusiastically pursue the ways that make for peace.
–Robert Dell is a retired Church of the Brethren minister living in McPherson, Kan.
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Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Bob Gross, Karin Krog, Donna March, Marcia Shetler, John Wall contributed to this report. Newsline appears every other Wednesday, with other special issues sent as needed. The next regularly scheduled issue is set for May 7. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. For more Brethren news and features, subscribe to “Messenger” magazine, call 800-323-8039 ext. 247.