<\/p>\n <\/p>\n — Protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge<\/strong> is the focus of today\u2019s Action Alert from the Office of Public Witness. Citing an 1991 statement of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference–\u201cOur task is nothing less than to join God in preserving, renewing and fulfilling the creation. It is to relate to nature in ways that sustain life on the planet, provide for the essential material and physical needs of all humankind, and increase justice and well-being for all life in a peaceful world\u201d–the alert urges Brethren to join in calling on the President and Congress to permanently protect the refuge. This follows on a recommendation by President Obama to designate more than 12 million acres within the refuge as wilderness, protecting it from future threats such as drilling for oil and natural gas. \u201cThe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1960 as a way to protect over 19 million acres of land and water in Alaska,\u201d the alert explains. \u201cThe refuge acts as home to countless species and is called \u2018the sacred place where life begins\u2019 by the Gwich\u2019in for its role in providing birthing grounds for caribou and polar bears as well as sustenance for their people. However, the refuge has also long been the target for oil drilling. Drilling in the refuge would lead to irreversible damage to its delicate ecosystems while also destroying the cultural heritage of Alaska Native groups.\u201d An online petition is available at www.faithforthearctic.org\/take-action.html<\/a> . Find the full Action Alert at http:\/\/support.brethren.org\/site\/MessageViewer?em_id=35838.0<\/a><\/p>\n — Brethren Disaster Ministries has shared information from the United Nations<\/strong> warning of a new widespread, multi-nation crisis of hunger and potential starvation in the Lake Chad area of West Africa. Brethren Disaster Ministries is one of the partners in the Nigeria Crisis Response of the Church of the Brethren and Ekklesiyar Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), which has been providing food and other aid for Nigerians displaced by the violence. Now UNICEF is warning that the crisis in Borno State in Nigeria, and in neighboring countries, may be deepening despite gains against Boko Haram. UNICEF reports that nearly half a million children around Lake Chad face severe acute malnutrition due to drought and the insurgent violence. Of the 475,000 children at risk, 49,000 in Nigeria\u2019s Borno State will die this year if they do not receive treatment, said the United Nations\u2019 children\u2019s agency. UNICEF is appealing for $308 million to address the crisis, but has received only $41 million–just 13 percent of what it needs to help those affected in the four countries that border Lake Chad: Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon. UNICEF also said that 2.2 million people remain trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram. Find the Reuters report about the UNICEF release at http:\/\/bit.ly\/2bSMVEY<\/a><\/p>\n — Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren is co-sponsoring<\/strong> \u201cA Death Penalty Symposium: Where Do We Go from Here?\u201d in memory of pastor Bill Bosler who was murdered almost 30 years ago. His daughter SueZann Bosler survived the attack and has spoken against the death penalty around the world. The Sept. 17 event will take place at the Barry University Campus in Miami, and will feature SueZann Bosler as well as Bill Pelke of Journey of Hope, Herman Lindsey who was the 23rd prisoner exonerated from Florida\u2019s Death Row, Hannah Gorman of the Florida Center for Capital Representation–FIU Law School, and Amnesty International. Bob Gross, a former director of On Earth Peace, will serve as moderator and speaker. Barry University\u2019s Department of Sociology and Criminology is co-sponsoring and hosting the event at the Miami campus at 11300 NE 2nd Ave., Andreas Building, Room 112. For more information call Wayne Sutton at 305-947-7992.<\/p>\n — Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind., is celebrating<\/strong> 25 years of a sister church relationship with Second Congregation Mision Cristiana in Managua, Nicaragua. On Sunday, Sept. 11, worship will highlight the special relationship the Brethren church\u2019s support for the Nicaraguan church\u2019s Milk and Rice Program that feeds and educates children in its Managua neighborhood. Beacon Heights members are invited to bring 25 saved pennies to support the Milk and Rice Program in honor of the anniversary–\u201cor quarters or dollars or $100,\u201d suggested the church newsletter.<\/p>\n — Shepherd\u2019s Spring Outdoor Ministry Center near Sharpsburg, Md., is offering<\/strong> a small-group experience in spiritual companionship specifically for pastors and others in set-apart Christian ministry. \u201cClergy Sacred Listening Circles\u201d is a monthly gathering for prayer, faith-sharing, and listening to the Spirit. The group starts in early October and concludes in early May, meeting in the Oasis Room in the Lodge at Shepherd\u2019s Spring. \u201cThis is an ecumenical experience, open to all denominations and faith backgrounds,\u201d said an announcement from Mid-Atlantic District. The group leader is Ed Poling, an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren who has served congregations in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and who has been trained as a spiritual director and retreat leader by the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C., and Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Formation in Camp Hill, Pa. Cost is $125. Participants will need to purchase a copy of the reading book \u201cImmortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Selves\u201d by Richard Rohr. An introductory meeting for orientation will be held on Monday, Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. Subsequent meetings will be held on Tuesday mornings, with occasional retreat formats that extend into the afternoon and include lunch. For more information contact Shepherd\u2019s Spring at 301-223-8193 or www.shepherdsspring.org<\/a><\/p>\n — Pleasant Hill Village is holding \u201cA Night with the Stars\u201d<\/strong> on Oct. 15, an auction and dinner fundraiser for the Church of the Brethren-related retirement community in Girard, Ill. \u201cPleasant Hill Village will celebrate the stars who comprise our galaxy as we honor residents, families, staff, volunteers, sponsors, and board members,\u201d said an announcement. \u201cThe financial troubles in the State of Illinois have impacted Pleasant Hill Village. Our calculations are that the state owes the facility about $1.5 million in reimbursements for care. PHV\u2019s annual revenue is about $5.3 million. This lack of funding has strangled cash flow, forcing us to delay payments to vendors and take out a line of credit with a financial institution. In spite of all this, we are proud to say that we have worked diligently and creatively to maintain the same excellent care our residents expect and deserve. The Auction and Dinner gives us a chance to raise money for projects that are not luxuries, but are forced to be because of our budget realities.\u201d Organizers hope to raise $38,000 to pay for needed items such as new vital signs machines, an updated shower room for Pleasant Hill Healthcare, new room curtains, improvements of walking paths and other landscaping, and improvements to Girard Area Homes, a low-income housing unit owned and operated by Pleasant Hill Village. The event is presented by Designer Landscapes of Farmersville and Sav-Mor Pharmacy of Virden, with the following additional sponsors: Rovey Seed, Burgess and Son Plumbing, the Bettis Family, and Smoky-Jennings Chevrolet. Doors open at 5 p.m., a prime rib dinner begins at 6 p.m., and the auction begins at 7 p.m. The event is at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Virden, Ill. Tickets are $40 per person. Contact Darrin Burnett at dburnett@pleasanthillvillage.org<\/a> or 217-627-2181.<\/p>\n — \u201cRemembering 9\/11: Flight 93,\u201d a panel discussion<\/strong>, will be held at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. Panelists include Mal Fuller, air traffic controller at Pittsburgh Airport that day; Tim Lambert, director of multimedia news at WITF and owner of the land on which Flight 93 crashed; and Oya Ozkanca, associate professor of political science at Elizabethtown. Jeff Bach, director of the Young Center, and David Kenley, director of the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking, will moderate the discussion. For more information see www.etown.edu\/youngctr\/events<\/a><\/p>\n — The Brethren Revival Fellowship Facebook page is publicizing<\/strong> the 64th annual Church of the Brethren Camp Meeting that is scheduled for Aug. 27-Sept. 4 at Rhodes Grove Camp and Conference Center in Chambersburg, Pa. The theme for the meetings is \u201cThe Attributes of God\u201d (Isaiah 40:25). The nightly speaker is Ray Mummert, elder-in-charge of Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren in Southern Pennsylvania District. Find a flier posted at www.facebook.com\/Brethren-Revival-Fellowship-118102901552666<\/a><\/p>\n — The 40th anniversary of the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests<\/strong> (BMC) will be celebrated with \u201cWalls to Tables: A BMC Retrospective and Family Reunion\u201d on Oct. 7-9 at the Carleton of Oak Park, Ill., in the Chicago area. \u201cThe weekend will feature lots of storytelling…videos, singing, music, sharing, games, remembering, and celebrating. It is a time to meet new friends, relax among old friends, consider new possibilities for BMC, and remember what has already been accomplished,\u201d said an announcement. The schedule includes large group sessions, recreation and activities including a film fest and quilting, Sunday morning worship, and a banquet featuring the presentation of the Martin Rock Award on Saturday evening, Oct. 8. For more information go to www.bmclgbt.org<\/a><\/p>\n — Peggy Faw Gish, a Church of the Brethren member with Christian Peacemaker Teams<\/strong> (CPT), has reported from the Pikpa Refugee Camp near Mytilini, in Lesbos, Greece, where a CPT team is working. The camp is hosting some of the more vulnerable of the refugees who first were taken to the Moria detention center run by the Greek military. She reports that the atmosphere displays \u201ca relaxed and caring spirit among the residents and volunteers there. Unfortunately, they are the exception to most of the refugee camps that are becoming more like detention camps. The 89 refugees from a variety of countries, that are currently here, are the more vulnerable refugees: disabled, sick, pregnant, and families with many children…. They will stay at Pikpa for several months, in cabins from what had once been a children’s summer camp grounds, until their asylum papers are processed and they are transferred to another part of Greece.\u201d CPT members are volunteering to do tasks like meal preparation, activities with the children, helping with the camp garden projects, or taking people for legal appointments, Gish reported. \u201cI have enjoyed getting to know some of the residents through my times there helping to teach adults and children English.\u201d For more about CPT\u2019s work with refugees in Greece go to www.cpt.org\/category\/cptnet-categories\/europe<\/a><\/p>\n — Dave Good and Brad Yoder, two Church of the Brethren faculty at Manchester University<\/strong> in North Manchester, Ind., are being honored as \u201cinspirational leaders\u201d with online tributes on the university\u2019s website. Both are heading toward retirement. Good retired this fall as head soccer coach but remains as athletic grounds and maintenance coordinator. Yoder will wind up his career as an assistant cross country and track and field coach and professor of sociology, social work, and criminal justice in May. The two educators will be honored at a dinner this Saturday, Aug. 27. Find the tribute to Dave Good at www.muspartans.com\/general\/2016-17\/releases\/20160824g0liiw<\/a> . Find the tribute to Brad Yoder at www.muspartans.com\/general\/2016-17\/releases\/20160824fzacbu<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this issue: Nigerian lamps are still available, Action Alert to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, United Nations warning of a new multi-nation crisis of hunger related to Boko Haram, a Death Penalty Symposium in memory of Miami pastor Bill Bosler, Manchester University honors two inspirational faculty, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-11828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11829,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11828\/revisions\/11829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11828"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=11828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/10\/lamps-for-nigeria.jpg\")
Lamps for Nigeria, being made by Dale Ziegler as a fundraiser for the Nigeria Crisis Response.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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