Brethren bits for Oct. 7, 2017

Church of the Brethren Newsline
October 7, 2017

A Brethren Disaster Ministries photo shows generators that will be going on a container for shipment to Puerto Rico. This past week the staff of Material Resources had been putting together the container of relief supplies, which in addition to the generators also included chain saws and other tools, tarpaulins, gas cans, and canned meat. Brethren Disaster Ministries thanked Jack Myrick for picking up the generators and delivering them to the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., where the container has been loaded.— Melissa Fritz has been hired by the Church of the Brethren as a packer for Material Resources, working at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. She began her work on Oct. 2.

 

— Bethany Theological Seminary seeks a half-time program director of youth engagement, to work with the seminary admissions team. The program director of youth engagement is responsible for the planning and implementation of vibrant, educational programing for youth events. The program director will demonstrate excitement and enthusiasm in individual and group situations overseeing direct contact with prospective participants, working to ensure robust program enrollment while enacting agreed-to recruitment and marketing strategies. This position requires broad travel within the United States. The office location is in Richmond, Ind. Qualifications include admissions experience and an MDiv or an MA in a theological field preferred; a bachelor’s degree with admissions experience acceptable. Affinity with the values and mission of the seminary is required, and an understanding of the Church of the Brethren, in the Anabaptist-Pietist tradition, is preferred. Multicultural competency and the ability to communicate and interact with potential participants and with individuals at all levels of denominational and educational structures are required. Applicants should demonstrate strong interpersonal oral and written communication skills, a collaborative working style, self-motivation, and task management skills. The use of social media and electronic communication is expected. A link to a complete job description is at https://bethanyseminary.edu/new-position-opening-announced . Application review begins immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. To apply, send a letter of interest, resume, and contact information for three references to recruitment@bethanyseminary.edu or Attn: Lori Current, Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374. Bethany Theological Seminary’s policy prohibits discrimination in employment opportunities or practices with regard to race, gender, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or religion.

Living Peace Church members assemble Clean-Up Buckets. Photo courtesy of Becky and Gary Copenhaver.

— Kits, kits, and more kits! After several hurricanes have hit the United States, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands, many congregations and districts across the denomination have begun answering the call from Church World Service for more Clean-Up Buckets and other Gift of the Heart kits. Kits are donated and assembled by groups and individuals across the country, warehoused and processed at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., and distributed to disaster survivors.

Living Peace Church in Plymouth, Mich., is just one of the congregations that have been collecting Clean-Up Buckets. “Within four days after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, the 25 members of Living Peace Church collected donations and bought supplies to create 14 Clean-Up Buckets,” reported Becky and Gary Copenhaver. “Days later, a member delivered them to the Brethren Service Center.”

Mountville (Pa.) Church of the Brethren is another congregation that’s involved in the effort. The church assembles 15 Clean-Up Buckets every August, says an article published by Lancaster Online. After Hurricane Harvey hit, the church was asked to put more together. “The money just kept pouring in,” team leader Marian Bollinger told the reporter, and in the end the church donated another 75 of the buckets to hurricane relief. Find the article at http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/brethren-churches-fill-emergency-cleanup-kits-for-area-devastated-by/article_f968fbea-aacd-11e7-b09f-0fd9992a03d1.html .

— Green Hill Church of the Brethren in Salem, Va., will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 22. The worship service will begin at 10:45 a.m. with David K. Shumate, Virlina District executive, as guest speaker. Former pastors will participate. J.R. Cannaday will be guest organist. A potluck meal will follow the service, and an informal program in the afternoon will feature former members performing musical selections and sharing from their experiences at Green Hill.

— Western Pennsylvania District has a new office phone number: 866-279-2181.

— The Buckeye Brethren Institute in Northern Ohio District is offering a class on “Teaching and Learning in the Church,” taught by Tina Hunt, pastor of Ashland (Ohio) First Church of the Brethren and a district board member. “This course will provide an overview of the scriptural and historical backgrounds of Christian education, with special emphasis on the various specialized teaching ministries of the local church in operation today. The pastor’s role as leader of educational and meaningful church growth is also to be explored,” said an announcement. The course will be held on three Saturdays–Oct. 14, Oct. 28, and Nov. 18–from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. A syllabus and reading assignments are sent to students once registration is received. The course fee is $25, due by Oct. 10. Contact Paul Bozman at 330-354-7559 or pbozman@ashland.edu .

Images courtesy of Marty Barlow.

A 2018 calendar of photographs by Marty Barlow and several other Brethren is being sold in a special fundraiser to support Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Monica Pence Barlow Endowment for Childhood Literacy. Photographs are by Marty Barlow of Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Shenandoah District, past Annual Conference moderator Carol Scheppard, former Mission and Ministry board chair Ben Barlow, Harold Furr and Elizabeth Stover–both from Bridgewater, Va., and Christy Waltersdorff, paster of York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill. Orders are being taken now for the calendar, which costs $20. Contact barlowmarty@newmanavenue.com or 540-280-5180.

— Several district conferences take place this weekend and next: Southern Ohio meets at Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren on Oct. 6-7. Atlantic Northeast meets at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College in Leffler Chapel on Oct. 7. Mid-Atlantic meets at Frederick (Md.) Church of the Brethren on Oct. 13-14. Middle Pennsylvania meets at Maitland Church of the Brethren in Lewistown, Pa., on Oct. 13-14.

— Shenandoah District Conference on Oct. 27-28 at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren in Port Republic, Va., will have a new focus, the district has announced. The district is “taking a break from queries and resolutions that tend to divide us and instead focusing on what unites us: Christ, our foundation, our solid rock,” the announcement said. Instead of a day full of business sessions, the Saturday of the conference weekend “will be a day of revival, featuring gifted preachers and inspiring music. Time devoted to business will be minimal. Insight sessions again will present us with ministries and opportunities for service. We will come together affirming ‘On Christ the Solid Rock We Stand.’”

— In scheduling its 2018 district conference, Northern Ohio District is taking the dates of National Youth Conference (NYC) into account. The district has set the date for August 3-4, said an announcement. “Our 2017 District Conference saw the first youth registrations and events in 5 years. And the youth performing from the Worship Arts Camp add such a richness to our experience together. The Central Committee is committed to including youth and youth activities as part of District Conference and believe that warrants holding conference one week later than usual.” NYC will take place July 21-26 in Fort Collins, Colo. Find out more about the Church of the Brethren’s nationwide youth conference, held only every four years, at www.brethren.org/yya/nyc .

— CROP Hunger events are scheduled at Bridgewater (Va.) College in October. “Last year, the Bridgewater College CROP meal and the Bridgewater/Dayton CROP Hunger Walk raised $6,292 for Church World Service’s hunger relief, education and development programs in 80 countries around the world,” said an announcement. This year, the CROP meal will be Thursday, Oct. 26, and the CROP Hunger Walk will be Sunday, Oct. 29. For more information contact coordinator Robbie Miller at rmiller@bridgewater.edu or 540-828-5383.

— Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, CrossRoads, is in need of volunteers for weekly field trips coming to the campus on Thursdays through Nov. 16. Volunteers may sign up for one or more weeks. No experience is necessary. Volunteers accompany small groups of young children, usually first or second graders, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Contact Martha Reish at 540-246-5685 or reish5m@gmail.com .

— The current episode of “Brethren Voices,” a made-for-community-television show from Peace Church of the Brethren in Portland, Ore., interviews Global Mission and Service executive director Jay Wittmeyer about the work of Heifer International, and the role of the Church of the Brethren in starting Heifer Project. Wittmeyer also talks about the church’s current mission and service ministries. This “Brethren Voices” program also features a special video, “Paradigm Shift: A Look at the Total Eclipse Through the Eyes of Seth Ring,” video producer of Metro East Community Media. For more information contact producer Ed Groff at grofprod1@msn.com .

— “The chances of finding an exact match with an unrelated organ donor are one in 100,000,” reports the Hutchinson (Kan.) News, “so when John Hoffman of McPherson needed a kidney, he was surprised to find a match in his church’s 40-person congregation.” Hoffman, who has served on the denomination’s Mission and Ministry Board, told the newspaper that several church members and family members volunteered to be tested in the search for a match. Wanting to help spread the word, Shana Leck was one of the church members who had her blood drawn for testing. Read the touching story of how the two bonded through kidney donation, at www.hutchnews.com/news/20170928/church-members-forever-bonded-through-kidney-transplant .

— Evelyn Jones, who attends the monthly senior club meetings at Manor Church of the Brethren in Boonsboro, Md., has been celebrated for her long life and “right living” in an article in the “Herald-Mail.” She is 99 years old. Find the article at www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/williamsport-woman-has-been-living-right-for-years/article_52165654-d1e0-5e32-8689-bbafb80f5722.html .

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