Newsline for April 16, 2021

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Quote of the week:

“The retreat left me feeling grateful. Grateful for a diverse community of healers, listeners, and advocates. Grateful for the hope that justice and God’s kingdom work is being carried out by the many in our everyday lives in big and small ways.”

— Pauline Liu, coordinator of volunteers for Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS), about her experience of attending a Healing Racism retreat offered by the Church of the Brethren Intercultural Ministries. “I attended the Healing Racial Trauma Virtual Retreat on Saturday March 27th,” she wrote. “The retreat was via Zoom. Sheila Wise Rowe and her team facilitated multiple small breakout rooms with conversations centering around racialized experiences and how healing starts by seeking the heart of Jesus. There were several opportunities to request prayer and affirm one another’s journey in healing from the trauma of white systemic oppression.”

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A new resource is available to help delegates prepare for Annual Conference: The Conference officers have posted this year’s delegate briefing video on the Annual Conference website at www.brethren.org/ac2021/business. This short video provides a look at the upcoming Annual Conference 2021 and how it will be carried out online. The video is valuable viewing for nondelegates too, but very important for each delegate to take time to watch.

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Landing page of Church of the Brethren COVID 19 related resources and information: www.brethren.org/covid19

Church of the Brethren congregations offering online worship in English and other languages: www.brethren.org/news/2020/church-of-the-brethren-congregations-worship-online.html
*Spanish/bilingual; **Haitian Kreyol/bilingual; ***Arabic/bilingual
*español/bilingüe, ** kreyol haitiano/bilingüe, ***عربي / ثنائي اللغة

Lifting up Brethren who are active in health care: www.brethren.org/news/2020/brethren-active-in-health-care.html

Send information about churches to be added to the listing of online worship offerings to cobnews@brethren.org.

Add a person to the list of Brethren active in health care by sending first name, county, and state to cobnews@brethren.org.

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1) Virtual blood drive #SleevesUpBrethren2021 campaign offers Brethren a chance to give

We need you to let us know that you gave blood so we can keep track of the donations and can give a final tally once the drive is over.

Here is how to participate:

— Pledge to give blood on behalf of the Church of the Brethren by going to www.brethren.org/virtualblooddrive2021 for a link to pledge through the American Red Cross SleevesUp website; OR contact Brethren Disaster Ministries to give a pledge by email to bdm@brethren.org or by phone to 800-451-4407 ext. 1.

— Find a blood drive near you offered by any blood service and make an appointment to donate, preferably between June 15 and July 15. Red Cross drives can be found at www.redcross.org/give-blood.html.

— Keep your appointment! Take a photo, if you can, to celebrate your gift and to encourage others to donate.

— Make sure to let Brethren Disaster Ministries know by email or phone that you followed through with your pledge. It is the only way we can confirm that you gave blood.

— Share your photos with us and share them on any social media, using #SleevesUpBrethren2021.

If you have any questions or want more information, contact Sharon Franzén at Brethren Disaster Ministries at bdm@brethren.org or 800-451-4407 ext. 1.

— Sharon Billings Franzén is office manager for Brethren Disaster Ministries, working out of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.

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2) Brethren Disaster Ministries among groups building new homes for Ohio tornado survivors

“Brethren Disaster Ministries is proud to be part of this program that has developed as an incredible collaboration with so many local and national partners in Montgomery County,” said director Jenn Dorsch-Messler. “It provides a way to build back better from the tornados to help renters return to the neighborhoods they call home, but also improving the quality of the community housing overall. We are excited to serve this group of disaster survivors in ways they are not often served in other recoveries.”

The Presbytery of the Miami Valley and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are partnering with Brethren Disaster Ministries for the rehab of the first house. Said Terry Kukuk, Executive Presbyter: “The objectives of the Presbytery of the Miami Valley include connecting congregations in mission, addressing how systemic poverty and structural racism contribute to housing needs, and alleviating stress on families and communities while helping to build resilience. The Presbytery is thankful that we can support the Pathways program with both financial resources and local volunteers.”

Jim Kirk, executive director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, expressed thanks for the partnerships. “At a time of limited resources and overwhelming need it is crucial to use resources in a way to address systemic issues such as providing a pathway for homeowners for those impacted by a disaster.”

“The Pathways Project leverages the talents of volunteer build teams and the expertise and resources of community organizations to transform vacant lots and structures into new homes that will enable qualified tornado survivors to become homeowners,” said Laura Mercer, Miami Valley Long Term Recovery executive director. “These two homes are the first of many that will be built in Trotwood and we are excited to continue to help the community recover and thrive.”

To support this effort financially, give to the Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/bdm.

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3) Bethany Seminary launches new Master of Arts in Spiritual and Social Transformation

A Bethany Seminary release

For students who hear a clear call and are following a specific path to practical ministry, Bethany Theological Seminary has launched a new master’s degree program that links spiritual formation with a focus on social change.

The Master of Arts in Spiritual and Social Transformation (MASST) degree program launches this fall 2021 and will significantly broaden the seminary’s offerings to students who want to focus and specialize their ministries. The program is designed to serve individuals pursuing careers in nonprofit leadership, social services, or spiritual direction. This new program is uniquely positioned to link Bethany’s Brethren heritage to the interests and needs of current students.

According to academic dean Steve Schweitzer, MASST is a natural outgrowth of Bethany’s mission and draws on the strengths of the seminary’s stellar faculty. The program is also a thoughtful response to trends across theological education in the US, and it is only the second master’s program in the United States to focus on spiritual and social transformation in this combination and integrative way.

“In recent years, seminaries are conferring more master of arts than master of divinity degrees,” notes Schweitzer. “It makes sense for us to continue to expand our offerings, and we want to start with what we know we can do well.”

The Church of Brethren has, of course, always connected spiritual formation with a passion for social transformation. The new MASST degree provides students with options to deepen their faith and enrich their present and future ministries. Students will be able to take most of the required courses at a distance from campus and benefit from the same generous financial aid that is available to students in all Bethany programs. MASST will appeal to students who wish to pursue advanced degrees while continuing to work in their own communities.

This is the latest addition to Bethany’s robust offerings, which include the Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing, six certificate programs, as well as the updated Master of Divinity and Master of Arts programs. These expanded offerings will allow Bethany to build on its recent positive enrollment trends and appeal to new categories of students.

“This new MASST program allows students another educational option to pursue their vocational call through unique courses and practical experiences. We’ve designed the MASST to be flexible and focused in light of student interests and needs,” Schweitzer says.

Students in the MASST program can choose from five “Paths” or concentrations of courses, including Non-Profit Leadership (in partnership with Eastern Mennonite University) and two programs in Spiritual Practices and Direction (in association with Oasis Ministries). Other focus areas are History as Argument and Meditation and Public Theology and Witness. All concentrations will benefit from Bethany’s existing strengths, and students will learn alongside those who are seeking certificates, other master’s degrees, and the master of divinity degree.

“For anyone who is ready to say, ‘this is my call and this is my path,’ the MASST degree is a way to name and claim your ministry and your career,” says Schweitzer.

As is true for all Bethany degree programs, MASST students will have access to generous financial aid, including the Pillars and Pathways Residential Scholarship, which allows students to earn a graduate degree without taking on additional student or commercial debt.

Students interested in enrolling in the MASST program this fall may apply for admission until May 15.

Find out more at https://bethanyseminary.edu/academic-programs/master-of-arts-in-spiritual-and-social-transformation.

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PERSONNEL

4) Western Plains District announces transition team

The Church of the Brethren’s Western Plains District has named a transition team to serve during the period of securing interim leadership and pursuing the search process for hiring a new district executive minister.

In addition, the district’s Leadership Team has named Joanna Davidson Smith, Western Plains administrative assistant, as the district’s representative to the Council of District Executives while interim plans are being developed.

The transition team that will guide the process working in collaboration with the Office of Ministry includes:
— Gail Erisman Valeta, district moderator
— Sarah Mason, district moderator-elect
— John Hoffman, Outdoor Ministries Team co-chair
— Leslie Kendall, Communications Team chair
— Dave Smith, Stewards Team chair
— Ken Frantz, Leadership Team chair

Communications with Western Plains District may be directed to Ken Frantz at frantz@haxtuntel.net or 970-580-3565; or Joanna Davidson Smith at office@wpcob.org or 620-241-4240.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

5) Online conversation will listen and learn from Brethren leaders of Asian-American heritage

The event will feature three Brethren leaders of Asian-American heritage. Insights, experiences, and wisdom will be offered by Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press and Church of the Brethren communications; Madalyn Metzger, vice president of marketing at Everence Financial; and Lin Reish, associate research analyst at Healthline Media. Dave Shetler, district executive minister of Southern Ohio and Kentucky District, will serve as host.

Ministers may receive .1 continuing education units. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAoduutrz8uHt1zeyywWpfJfS2c4JlTWkj5.

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6) Virtual New and Renew event is accessible for bi-vocational ministers

Some of the workshop titles:
— Trusting God, Trusting Neighbors: Mobilizing Power and Assets in the Neighborhood
— Recapturing a Pioneering Heart
— Spirit-Filled: Embodying God’s Imagination for God’s Mission
— Restoring Congregational Vitality
— The Shalom-Making Church: Imaginative Practices for Public Witness

Register and find out more at www.brethren.org/discipleshipmin/newandrenew. Information continues to be added to the webpage on a regular basis.

— Erika Clary is working temporarily for the Church of the Brethren Discipleship Ministries until starting a Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) position as coordinator for National Youth Conference 2022.

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7) Next Moderator’s Town Hall to address ‘the new normal’

DeVries is founder and president of Ministry Architects, a church resourcing organization offering counsel in strategic initiatives for congregations as well as youth ministry, children’s ministry, young adult ministry, small church ministry, and executive coaching. Other organizations he has founded or co-founded include Ministry Incubators, the Center for Youth Ministry, and Justice Industries.

Register at https://tinyurl.com/ModTownHallMay2021. Send questions to cobmoderatorstownhall@gmail.com.

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RESOURCES

8) New Bethany Seminary website promotes environmental awareness in congregations

Rogers says that her interest in creating this website connects to the paper “Creation: Called to Care,” which Annual Conference passed in 1991, urging congregations and individuals to educate themselves about environmental issues and take steps to limit negative impacts on the environment and to work to protect and restore creation.

“Since this paper was adopted, the environmental situation of our planet has deteriorated exponentially,” notes Rogers. “More than ever, Christians need to respond. At Bethany, an environmental awareness group known as the Green Circle formed a few years ago in support of local initiatives. The group has now launched a new website pulling together resources for worship and education that can help pastors, congregations, and individuals who seek to address the call to creation care.”

With the support of the Green Circle (a committee with representatives from Bethany faculty, staff, and students) Rogers took the lead in creating the website. During her research phase, Rogers polled 11 Bethany students who currently serve as pastors of Church of the Brethren congregations and selected content based, in part, on those students’ responses. Rogers drew on existing materials available on Mennonite, Quaker, United Church of Christ, and Roman Catholic websites.

Dan Poole, assistant professor of ministry formation, believes that the Moodle site will be very helpful to pastors and congregations. “This site should serve handsomely for pastors and those desiring a more eco-friendly and eco-informed community.”

Launched ahead of this year’s Earth Day (celebrated on April 22), the Green Circle hopes that this new website will be a helpful resource for congregations for years to come.

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FEATURE

9) ‘If we want to find God, we need to be with the victims of this oppression and prejudice’

When I moved to Minnesota 26 years ago, I learned about “Minnesota Nice.” It’s the friendly but somewhat frosty greeting you get from locals, befitting the German and Scandinavian immigrants who initially settled the state. What I did not know about until I had lived here for several years was the long history of racial discrimination exemplified by the racial codes–red-lining–written into property deeds in many twin cities neighborhoods, which prohibited the properties from being sold to anyone of color. African Americans in particular were long segregated into a few less-desirable areas of the metro region.

But the twin cities has seen profound demographic changes in the last two decades. Waves of Hmong refugees from southeast Asia have settled in the metro area, followed by Somalis from the Horn of Africa, and Hispanics coming north from Mexico and Central America.

Open Circle Church of the Brethren is located in the suburb of Burnsville, just south of Minneapolis. The most recent statistics available show a student population of 8,000 in the Burnsville School District–32 percent are white, 29 percent are Black/African American, 21 percent are Hispanic, 8 percent are Asian. Visit a farmer’s market, walk into any grocery store, or patronize the wide variety of ethnic restaurants and stores and you will see this diversity in our surrounding communities.

It’s a welcome sight for members of Open Circle. Our tagline is “Thinking Encouraged, Diversity Welcomed.” From our beginning in 1994, we have welcomed all into our community, and have attracted congregants who are active in politics, community organizing, volunteering, and protest when necessary on behalf of individuals or communities facing discrimination. We rent our building to a Hispanic congregation made up of predominantly undocumented immigrants. Their presence in our midst, and the risk they faced from an unfriendly federal government, prompted us to become a sanctuary-supporting congregation.

We have done a lot of thinking and learning in the past year of COVID lockdown as we have welcomed LaDonna Sanders Nkosi, director of the Church of the Brethren Intercultural Ministries, to join us for virtual worship with members of her faith community. We have watched many videos together learning about white privilege, institutional racism, the history of discrimination against Asian Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans. We have read many books together on these subjects. We have used our time in isolation well.

The advent of police bodycams and the widespread use of cellphones to document instances of police and citizen mistreatment of people of color has exposed for all to see the ugly underbelly of prejudice and racism in Minnesota and around the country. It is painful to see, but it is necessary to see because it is part of the truth about us. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).

I firmly believe that if we want to find God, we need to be with the victims of this oppression and prejudice. I also firmly believe that God is calling us forward to a better future where diversity is seen as a strength and all God’s children have an equal opportunity to learn, work, and recreate without fear.

While we are on edge about what might transpire in the twin cities over the coming days, we at Open Circle are happy and grateful to be working on behalf of this better future.

— Jay H. Steele is pastor of Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn.

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10) Brethren bits

— Remembrance: Emiko Okada, 84, a leader at the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, Japan, died suddenly and unexpectedly on April 10. She collapsed during a time of remembrance for another longterm board member and volunteer at the center, Michiko Watanabe, who passed away in February. “Emiko, a long time World Friendship Center board member and Hibakusha who gave her testimony at WFC and many other places, was greatly loved and such a loving and caring person,” said Roger and Kathy Edmark in an email to the Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) office. The Edmarks are the current volunteer directors of the center, which for decades has had BVS volunteers as its directors. Okada was one of the two main characters in the documentary Atomic Mom. Her story is on the center’s website among other Hibakusha Stories at https://wfchiroshima.com/english.

— The Church of the Brethren seeks to fill a fulltime hourly position of Buildings and Grounds assistant. This position provides support for the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., and other properties in Elgin that are owned by the denomination. Responsibilities include building and equipment maintenance, warehouse operations, shipping, mail, and supplies, among others. Skills and knowledge required include ability to relate with integrity and respect within and beyond the organization, knowledge and experience of building operation and facilities management, knowledge of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and mechanical work is helpful but not required. Also required: ability to bend, stoop, climb, lift and carry 50 pounds, work in an extreme environment in or out of doors, handle hazardous materials and exposure to hazardous situations, skills in oral and written communication, and ability to access, input, and retrieve information from a computer. At least five years of Buildings and Grounds operations experience is helpful but not required. A high school diploma or equivalent is required. Applications are received beginning immediately and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Apply by sending a resume by email to the Office of Human Resources, Church of the Brethren, at COBApply@brethren.org. The Church of the Brethren is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

— Church World Service (CWS) is hiring for three positions to work with asylum seeker “Welcome Programs,” including asylum seeker case management, Call Center management, and border shelter support. The organization seeks qualified and diverse candidates to fill these remote positions, with a “plus” for candidates living in a border state. CWS Asylum Services, part of the Immigration and Refugee Program, provides comprehensive support to asylum seekers in the United States. This includes supporting reception at US southern border shelters, providing case management services across the US, offering remote support through the CWS Call Center, and providing legal services to asylum seekers.

CWS seeks a motivated, flexible, service- and advocacy-driven individual to serve as a Call Center program manager who will develop, manage, and expand the CWS Call Center. The Call Center is a national program that provides information and referrals to migrants across the United States. Technical, coordination, and interpersonal skill sets are required. This individual must have the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and navigate challenging systems. Multi-tasking, customer service, and ability to navigate online research in a fast-paced environment are required. Fluency in English and Spanish required.

CWS seeks a motivated, flexible, service- and advocacy-driven individual to serve as a Call Center specialist. Technical, coordination, and interpersonal skill sets are required. Fluency in English and Spanish required. This individual must have the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and navigate challenging systems. Multi-tasking, customer service, and ability to navigate online research in a fast-paced environment are required.

CWS seeks applicants for the Monitoring and Evaluation coordinator position, with the primary role to manage the implementation of monitoring, evaluation, and research for these services. Strong technical skills are required. This individual must have the ability to work independently while coordinating regularly with a broader team remotely. Experience designing and implementing M&E systems is required.

Find out more and apply at cwsglobal.org.

— Registration for FaithX (formerly the Workcamp Ministry) closed yesterday, April 15. Final calculations for group size discounts will be completed and a notice of the remaining balance will be sent to registrants by April 20. The total balance of the registration fee is due May 3 along with required registrant forms. If you still want to register for a FaithX experience, please reach out to the FaithX Office as soon as possible. Visit www.brethren.org/faithx for more information regarding 2021 FaithX this year. Contact the FaithX Office at faithx@brethren.org or 847-429-4386 for questions or for more information.

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Newsline is the email news service of the Church of the Brethren. Inclusion in Newsline does not necessarily convey endorsement by the Church of the Brethren. All submissions are subject to editing. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Contributors to this issue include Jeff Boshart, Erika Clary, Stan Dueck, Roger and Kathy Edmark, Jan Fischer Bachman, Sharon Billings Franzén, Jonathan Graham, Nancy Sollenberger Heishman, Alton Hipps, Rachel Kelley, Pauline Liu, Laura Mercer, Eric Miller, Jay H. Steele, Emily Tyler, Roy Winter, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. Please send news tips and submissions to cobnews@brethren.org . Find the Newsline archive at www.brethren.org/news . Sign up for Newsline and other Church of the Brethren email newsletters, make subscription changes, or unsubscribe at www.brethren.org/intouch .

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Find more Church of the Brethren news:

• Annual Conference 2024 invites Church of the Brethren to gather in Grand Rapids
• Annual Conference officers return query regarding congregational latitude on matters of human sexuality
• Silent Auction to benefit translation expenses and the general Annual Conference budget
• Mission and Ministry Board completes Kingian Nonviolence training, works at envisioning
• Leadership Team issues clarification on On Earth Peace membership with Supportive Communities Network