Church of the Brethren Newsline
May 22, 2009
On Earth Peace is calling on churches and organizations to join its annual campaign to participate in the World Council of Churches’ International Day of Prayer for Peace (IDOPP) on Sept. 21.
Three one-hour informational conference calls have been scheduled to share On Earth Peace’s vision, describe ways to be involved the campaign, and to answer questions. Calls will be held on Thursday, May 28, from 4-5 p.m.; Thursday, June 4, from 1-2 p.m.; and Tuesday, June 16, from 7-8 p.m. (all Eastern time). Go to http://idopp.onearthpeace.org/calls to register for a call.
This year, a special emphasis of the International Day of Prayer for Peace campaign is how the current deep recession is affecting local communities. Churches have three ways to participate in the campaign: through an observance, a vigil, or a listening initiative, depending on each group’s demographics, energy, and experience with peace and social justice issues. Visit http://idopp.onearthpeace.org/details to learn more about these different ways to be involved.
“If you want to hear some ideas for bringing a positive vision of God’s peace before your community, we hope you’ll call in,” said Michael Colvin, campaign coordinator for On Earth Peace. “We are providing these informational calls as an opportunity for potential participants to network with other congregations and to discover what they are thinking about the campaign. With three different ways to be involved, there are a lot of options–something for just about any church, no matter how large or small,”
Congregations that have decided to participate in the campaign may register online at http://idopp.onearthpeace.org/idopp-2009-registration with specific questions about the campaign directed to idopp@onearthpeace.org
The International Day of Prayer for Peace was first proposed in 2004 during a meeting between World Council of Churches general secretary Samuel Kobia and then-United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, as one of the initiatives of the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence. It is celebrated annually on Sept. 21, the UN International Day of Peace, or the closest Sunday. In 2008, over 160 congregations and organizations from all over the United States, Puerto Rico, and four other countries took part in the second year of the On Earth Peace campaign.
The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Contact cobnews@brethren.org to receive Newsline by e-mail or to submit news to the editor at cobnews@brethren.org . For more Church of the Brethren news and features, subscribe to “Messenger” magazine; call 800-323-8039 ext. 247.
Brethren in the News
“‘Here Is the Church, Here Is the Steeple’: Mill Creek Church of the Brethren Gets New Tower,” Daily News Record, Harrisonburg, Va. (May 19, 2009). A famous nursery rhyme came to life Monday morning as crane operators placed a 39-foot-tall steeple on top of Mill Creek Church of the Brethren in Port Republic, Va. “There was the church”–a building under a $2 million renovation, and “there was the steeple”–a $12,000 fiberglass structure. Church members said they plan to finish the renovation and dedicate the building this fall. http://www.rocktownweekly.com/news_details.php?AID=37923&CHID=1
“Donnels Creek church marks ‘200 years of living water,’” Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun (May 17, 2009). “Frontier conditions made the early settlers of Clark County into practical people,” begins an article about the history of Donnels Creek Church of the Brethren in Springfield, Ohio. “And in 1835, it was nothing if not practical for the members of the Donnels Creek German Baptist Brethren Church to use Jacob Frantz’s new bank barn as a place of worship.” http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/donnels-creek-
church-marks-200-years-of-living-water-123277.html
“Annual Auction Raising Money for Disaster Relief,” WHSV Channel 3, ABC, Harrisonburg, Va. (May 15, 2009). Money is currently being raised in the Valley to help communities around the nation and the world recover from disasters. The Shenandoah District of the Church of the Brethren is holding its 17th Auction and Sale for Disaster Relief at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds. Last year, the auction raised more than $200,000, and organizers are hoping for a better outcome this year. http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/45150327.html
“Ecumenical project rebuilds homes,” Disaster News Network (May 14, 2009). Church of the Brethren writer and Messenger magazine editor Walt Wiltschek provides this story on the ecumenical Blitz Build in New Orleans, a Hurricane Katrina rebuilding project sponsored by Church World Service and including the Church of the Brethren and Brethren Disaster Response among several denominations providing volunteers to rebuild homes. http://www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3897
Obituary: Mary Kidd, Salem (Ohio) News (May 13, 2009). Mary Kidd, 76, passed on May 11 at Salem (Ohio) Community Hospital. She was a homemaker and attended Zion Hill Church of the Brethren in Columbiana, Ohio, where she was a member of the Dorcas Circle and recorded and taped music for the church. http://www.salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/513711.html?nav=5008
Obituary: Bertha Lester, Palladium-Item, Richmond, Ind. (May 13, 2009). Bertha (Johnson) Lester, 88, passed away on May 11. She was a longtime member of Cedar Grove Church of the Brethren in New Paris, Ohio, where she also taught adult Sunday school class. She was a homemaker, teacher’s aide for Nettle Creek School Corp. in Hagerstown, Ind., and a Township Assessor for Jefferson Township in Wayne County. She is preceded in death by her husband, Herbert Lester, whom she married in 1948. http://www.pal-item.com/article/20090513/NEWS04/905130314
Obituary: Charlene H. Long, News Leader, Staunton, Va. (May 13, 2009). Charlene Howdyshell Long, 79, passed away on May 13 at her home. She was a member of Briery Branch Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Va. She worked for Jordan Brothers Hatchery and in the cafeteria for Augusta County schools, and farmed with her husband, Lenford Quinton Long, whom she married in 1945. http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090513/OBITUARIES/
905130354/1002/NEWS01
“Hope for homeless in New Orleans,” Disaster News Network (May 12, 2009). Church of the Brethren writer and Messenger magazine editor Walt Wiltschek provides this story on a center for the homeless in New Orleans. http://www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=3896
“Couple Heralds Brethren Center’s World ‘Embrace,’ “ Daily News Record, Harrisonburg, Va. (May 11, 2009). R. Jan and Roma Jo Thompson have written a book about what they call one of America’s best-kept secrets: the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The couple co-wrote the book, “Beyond Our Means: How the Brethren Service Center Dared to Embrace the World,” which is published by Brethren Press. The 286-page soft-cover text chronicles the birth and growth of the Brethren Service Center where, for 65 years, the Church of the Brethren and other denominations have collected and shipped donated goods to the world’s needy. http://www.dnronline.com/details.php?AID=37714&CHID=2
“Fundraising For Global Disaster Relief: Brethren Auction Returns For 17th Year,” Daily News Record, Harrisonburg, Va. (May 9, 2009). The 102 churches that compose the Shenandoah District of the Church of the Brethren are getting the opportunity to make a big difference next weekend. The district’s most productive fundraiser returns May 15-16, with the 17th annual Disaster Ministries Auction at Rockingham County Fairgrounds. The auction features an array of locally donated items that include handmade crafts, baked goods, and livestock. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=37691&CHID=14
“A glimpse of Enid’s history,” Enid (Okla.) News and Eagle (May 9, 2009). Waverley Historic District will celebrate Enid Historic Preservation Month May 17 by showcasing some historic structures during its annual parlor tour, including Family Faith Fellowship Church of the Brethren. The church in the Neoclassical-style was built circa 1947. Its historic owner was First Church of Christ, and it was purchased by Family Faith Fellowship Church of the Brethren in 1995. http://www.enidnews.com/business/local_story_129231205.html
“A ‘grand’ donation feeds hungry,” Sentinel-Tribune, Bowling Green, Ohio (May 8, 2009). Through a joint effort, the Toledo Northwest Ohio Food Bank recently received a total of $1,000 from members of Lakewood Church of the Brethren in Millbury, Ohio. The church donated the first $500; while the donation was matched by the Church of the Brethren’s Hunger Matching Grant program. http://www.sent-trib.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=12673&Itemid=89
“Homeless girl comes to grips with a hard life,” Associated Press (May 8, 2009). A homeless center at Peace Church of the Brethren in Portland, Ore., has helped house a young girl and her family, in a story told by Mary Hudetz of the Associated Press. “At first, 9-year-old Brehanna didn’t seem to understand. Her family was being evicted from their home…. Her father, Joe Ledesma, a homebuilder for 20 years, was without a job and couldn’t find another. He couldn’t pay the $800 rent on the three-bedroom house where he, his wife Heidi and daughter lived.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/
ALeqM5jG6XmAo5DFL4xxTT8LfY8iwOLdwgD98276300
Obituary: Earline S. Chapman, News Leader, Staunton, Va. (May 8, 2009). Earline Spitzer Chapman, 84, died on May 7 at Augusta Medical Center. She was a member of Middle River Church of the Brethren in Fort Defiance, Va., where she was organist and pianist for 60 years, and an associate member of Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren. She had studied organ at Bridgewater College. She was a secretary for the Virginia Employment Commission prior to her retirement in 1994. She also managed Augusta Expoland for five years, taught “The Art of Flower Arranging” at Blue Ridge Community College for 10 years, and taught piano lessons. She held a National Accredited Master Flower Show Judge certificate and a Master Landscape Design Consultant certificate. She is survived by her husband Kemper “Kelly” Chapman. http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090508/OBITUARIES/90508015