“I treasure your word in my heart.” — <\/em>Psalm 119:11<\/p>\n NEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n 1) Bethany Theological Seminary president Eugene F. Roop announces retirement at Board of Trustees meeting. FEATURE<\/strong><\/p>\n 7) Jesus Jubilee program refreshes Nigerian congregations and pastors.<\/p>\n For more Church of the Brethren news, go to www.brethren.org, click on “News” to find a news feature, more “Brethren bits,” links to Brethren in the news, and links to the General Board’s photo albums and the Newsline archive. The page is updated as close to daily as possible.<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n Bethany Theological Seminary President Eugene F. Roop announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2007, at the March 24-26 meeting of the seminary\u2019s Board of Trustees. Roop has served as Bethany\u2019s president since 1992.<\/p>\n Board chair Anne Murray Reid of Roanoke, Va., shared the announcement with the Bethany community. \u201cThe board accepts Dr. Roop’s announcement with regret, and with deep appreciation for the 15 years of dedicated service he has given to this Brethren institution,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Roop led the seminary through several major transitions and accomplishments, including a move from Oak Brook, Ill., to Richmond, Ind., in 1994, and an affiliation with Earlham School of Religion. With the sale of Bethany\u2019s Illinois property and the establishment of prudent financial practices, the seminary retired all debt and built a significant endowment. The current $15.5 million financial campaign, \u201cInspired by the Spirit–Educating for Ministry,\u201d has added additional financial strength. Bethany met the initial goal of the campaign in Sept. 2005, and projections indicate that by the campaign\u2019s conclusion on June 30, the total may top $17 million.<\/p>\n All of the current fulltime teaching and administrative faculty members joined Bethany\u2019s staff during Roop\u2019s tenure. Among the programs developed during his years as president were an educational partnership with Earlham School of Religion; Connections, a distributed education program; the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a non-graduate level ministry training program administered in partnership with the Church of the Brethren General Board; Bethany\u2019s Institute for Ministry with Youth and Young Adults; Ministry Formation, a distinctive design to the Master of Divinity program in partnership with church congregations and agencies; Cross-Cultural Bank, a program to help finance a cross-cultural study for Bethany students; and off-site graduate courses hosted at the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Roop is a graduate of Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.; Bethany Theological Seminary; and Claremont (Calif.) Graduate University. In 2001 he was awarded a D.D. \u201chonora causa\u201d from Manchester College. Roop began his theological teaching at Earlham School of Religion in 1970. His career at Bethany began in 1977 as associate professor of Biblical Studies. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including \u201cLiving the Biblical Story\u201d and two commentaries in the Believer\u2019s Church Commentary series: \u201cGenesis\u201d and \u201cRuth, Jonah and Esther.\u201d He was a significant contributor to \u201cBethany Theological Seminary: A Centennial History,\u201d published in 2005.<\/p>\n Board of Trustees member Carol Scheppard of Bridgewater, Va., will chair the search committee for a new president. The committee will open a search in late spring, reviewing candidates until an appointment is made, with the hope of bringing a candidate for board approval in March 2007. The committee anticipates that the new president will take office July 1, 2007. Other search committee members are board members Jim Dodson, Connie Rutt, and Philip Stone, Jr.; Ed Poling, pastor of Hagerstown (Md.) Church of the Brethren; Elizabeth Keller, Bethany student; and Bethany faculty members Stephen Breck Reid and Russell Haitch.<\/p>\n For more information go to http:\/\/www.bethanyseminary.edu\/.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) Board has moved forward with plans to present a new resolution regarding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) to Annual Conference delegates. The decision took place during board meetings March 24-26 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The ABC Board approved a statement calling for congregations to recommit themselves to the goals of the ADA.<\/p>\n The resolution, titled \u201cCommitment to Accessibility and Inclusion Resolution,\u201d urges congregations, agencies, and gatherings of the Church of the Brethren to enable all activities to be accessible so that \u201call may worship, serve, be served, learn, and grow in the presence of God as valued members of the Christian community.\u201d<\/p>\n The resolution encourages these same groups to examine physical and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully; to make a commitment that all existing and future denominational offices be modified or designed to follow the guidelines of the ADA; and to request that ABC continue to make resources available to assist in fulfilling these commitments.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though our denomination has worked intentionally to allow people with disabilities to more readily worship within our buildings, this newest resolution points out that more work is still needed to ensure that people with disabilities are incorporated into the fabric of our church,\u201d said Kathy Reid, ABC executive director and staff for the Disabilities Ministry. The Disabilities Ministry drafted the resolution and brought it to the ABC Board for approval.<\/p>\n The ABC Board also heard from three representatives it appointed to the Governing Council of Advocate Bethany, a Chicago hospital that began in conjunction with Bethany Theological Seminary when it was located in Chicago. Advocate Bethany plans to become a specialty hospital providing longterm acute care, a move that has been scrutinized in Chicago-area newspapers since it was announced in January.<\/p>\n John Cassel and Janine Katonah, both of York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill., and Jan Lugibihl, executive director of Bethany Brethren Community Center based at First Church of the Brethren in Chicago, serve on the Governing Council since being appointed by ABC as representatives of the Church of the Brethren. Their presentation identified that Advocate Bethany has not been utilized fully by those in the neighborhood and that its move toward becoming a specialty hospital for longterm acute care is a needed by other area hospitals.<\/p>\n In other business, the board:<\/p>\n The March meetings were the first for new board members Tammy Kiser of Dayton, Va., Bill Cave of Palmyra, Pa., and Marilyn Bussey of Roanoke, Va. Another new board member, John Kinsel of Beavercreek, Ohio, was unable to attend.<\/p>\n For more information about the Association of Brethren Caregivers go to www.brethren.org\/abc.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was the best of being church,\u201d said Kathy Reid of the training event for \u201cTogether: Conversations on Being the Church.\u201d Reid is executive director of the Association of Brethren Caregivers, and has been on the planning committee for the Together conversations. \u201cThis experience was everything I hoped for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The training Feb. 24-26 at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., brought more than 140 people from across the denomination to talk about what it means to be the church, in preparation for facilitating and leading conversations in their own areas. Participants included representatives of all 23 Church of the Brethren districts, the district representatives to Standing Committee, district executives, and representatives of the five Annual Conference agencies.<\/p>\n The training was led by Lisa M. Hess and Brian D. Maguire. The married couple, who are ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), will serve as leaders for the Together conversations to take place at Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, July 1-5. Hess teaches practical theology (ecclesiology, ministry formation, leadership development, and Christian education) at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; Maguire is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Xenia, Ohio.<\/p>\n A new Together study guide and DVD published by Brethren Press was used to help spark conversation in small groups at the training. The guide is the primary Together tool, providing a flexible plan for groups to worship, learn, listen, pray, and reflect, and includes background reading, conversation questions, and worship suggestions. The training schedule included a practice or run-through of what a Together conversation might look like in a congregational, district, or regional setting, using the guide written by James L. Benedict, pastor of Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren.<\/p>\n The study guide is available from Brethren Press for $4.95 each, and the accompanying DVD for $4.95 each, plus shipping and handling (order one guide for each group participant and leader; the companion DVD contains supplemental images for two of the sessions–order one DVD for each congregation or group). Call 800-441-3712.<\/p>\n In addition, participants also worshiped together and met for Bible study and to plan Together conversations in their own areas. \u201cThe design and details for continuing the process will be determined by the people from the individual districts present,\u201d said Julie Hostetter in a communication with participants before the event. Hostetter, a former member of the General Board’s Congregational Life Teams, is on the planning team for Together and chaired the training event committee.<\/p>\n A “listening group” served as recorders of the conversations that took place. Three process observers from On Earth Peace offered feedback on the sessions.<\/p>\n Reid said that by the time the weekend was over, her small group representing widely different theological viewpoints and experiences of the church, had bonded. \u201cWe sang together, we laughed together, had way too much fun, and we cried together,\u201d she said. The group of seven people included two men and five women, all from different districts, and denominational and district staff. They connected so well that they took a group picture to help them remember the experience, exchanged e-mail addresses, and have kept in touch since the training, Reid said. The group plans to meet again at Annual Conference.<\/p>\n The Together conversation was initiated in 2003 by a statement from the district executives identifying fragmentation in the Church of the Brethren and calling for conversation \u201cconcerning who, whose, and what we are.\u201d Since then, a group of leaders and staff of Annual Conference agencies and representatives of the district executives have been planning a denomination-wide discussion. From its beginning, the broad intent of the work is to help bring about a renewal of the church.<\/p>\n The training event \u201cwas a good experience,\u201d said Lerry Fogle, executive director of Annual Conference, \u201cbut one that needs to go beyond discussion of what it means to be the church, to being the Church. Hopefully that will occur in greater measure in the months and years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n The February training is the jumping-off point for Together conversations later this year and next at Annual Conference and in congregations, districts, and regional events. At the 2006 Conference, \u201cthe Annual Conference officers have provided four 30-minute sessions on Together that hold the possibility to broaden the discussion and spur us on to our God-ordained ministry,\u201d Fogle said. Conference participants also are invited to a Saturday evening dinner meeting about Together, and a Tuesday evening insight session.<\/p>\n The Together process will culminate at Annual Conference 2007. For more information go to http:\/\/www.togetherconversations.org\/ or http:\/\/www.conversacionesjuntos.org\/.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shenandoah District and Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Dayton, Va., co-sponsored a Level I Disaster Child Care (DCC) Training Workshop on March 10-11. \u201cThis training event, organized by Patricia Black, was a huge success with 21 persons participating,\u201d said Helen Stonesifer, coordinator of the program. DCC is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.<\/p>\n Leadership for the workshop was provided by Patricia Ronk of Roanoke, Va., and Donna Uhlig of New Enterprise, Pa. Both currently \u201cwear several hats\u201d with the DCC program, Stonesifer said. On Saturday, pairs of the trainees took turns standing on chairs and scolding their partners, who knelt on the floor. “We do that so they know how (the children) feel,” said Ronk. “Always put yourself in the child’s position.”<\/p>\n Taking part in Disaster Child Care “is something I feel very personally and spiritually about,\u201d said Carol Yowell, a mother of three, who participated in the training. “I’ve been wanting to do this for some time now.” Once the participants successfully complete the DCC certification process, they will be equipped to serve children affected by disaster.<\/p>\n Another Level I Disaster Child Care Training Workshop scheduled to take place at Indian Creek Church of the Brethren in Harleysville, Pa., March 17-18, has been postponed and may be rescheduled for next year.<\/p>\n Stonesifer and DCC volunteers Jean Myers and Donald and Barbara Weaver also participated in a Camp Noah training in Minneapolis, Minn., last week. Camp Noah is a week long, faith-based day camp offered for elementary-age children and youth who have experienced disaster. The curriculum is based upon the Old Testament story of Noah’s Ark and the flood.<\/p>\n \u201cHearing this story and comparing themselves to it gives the children the platform to talk about the various phases and emotions of their own disaster experience,\u201d Stonesifer reported. \u201cCamp Noah and the Disaster Child Care program have the same interests at heart when it comes to helping children cope with disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since 1977, Education for a Shared Ministry (EFSM) has been equipping congregations and training pastors in the Church of the Brethren. The program is part of the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, a ministry training partnership of the Church of the Brethren General Board and Bethany Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the training and leadership needs of our pastors and congregations continue to change, it is important to evaluate our current work and adapt for the future,\u201d reported Brethren Academy director Jonathan Shively. \u201cTo that end the Brethren Academy is conducting an evaluation of the EFSM program.\u201d<\/p>\n All current and past EFSM students, LIT group members, supervisors, district executive ministers, current and past denominational EFSM staff, and others who have had direct connections with EFSM are invited to participate in a brief online survey to evaluate the structure and overall effectiveness of the ministry training program. The online survey will be available April 3-21 at http:\/\/scs.earlham.edu\/survey\/index.php?sid=4.<\/p>\n Responses will be collected by an independent party and forwarded to the Brethren Academy for use in the evaluation process. Selected individuals may be contacted for further conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have experience at any level with EFSM, your input and responses will be greatly appreciated,\u201d said Shively. Direct questions to the Brethren Academy at efsm@bethanyseminary.edu or 765-983-1824.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ekklesiyar Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has developed a congregational renewal program with the help of Robert Krouse, Nigeria mission coordinator for the Church of the Brethren General Board.<\/p>\n The program called Jesus Jubilee is a three-day event hosted by congregations on Friday through Sunday with the aim of stimulating the church\u2019s growth and maturity of Christian discipleship. The program emphasizes identifying obstacles to spiritual growth, identifying stages of development a disciple must go through on the way to maturity in Christ, and developing a dynamic personal and corporate prayer life in the faith community.<\/p>\n Nearly 10,000 people have participate in Jesus Jubilee, and many congregations have requested a visit from the congregational renewal team. A similar program is being developed for EYN\u2019s pastors and evangelists. An outgrowth of the effort has been the development of the EYN Office of Pastoral Development with Anthony Ndamsai serving as coordinator.<\/p>\n Krouse said that 66 pastors attended a first pastoral development seminar in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Word spread and 258 pastors attended the second seminar held a month later. Since then, five seminars have been held in five different regions of EYN, giving every pastor an opportunity to attend. A second series of seminars is planned to run each month for five months, beginning in April and concluding in August.<\/p>\n Following is Krouse\u2019s report of the beginnings of Jesus Jubilee:<\/p>\n \u201cThis project began as a field work assignment for Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN) students. The students are required to do field work between the semester that ends in May and the next semester that begins in August. I had been meeting with EYN TCNN students every Tuesday for a time of prayer. Some EYN students who are concerned about EYN’s drift away from Brethren teachings and practice were part of the impetus that lead to this weekly prayer meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter several months of praying together, it seemed that God was calling us to go out to local congregations with a message of renewal. The idea of Jubilee came from Leviticus 25 where God calls the people of Israel to have a kind of spiritual house cleaning and renew their commitment to God and recommit themselves to the original covenant every 50 years. It seems that God understands our human tendency to forget who we are and how we are called to live.<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided that we could take the message of Jubilee to 10 congregations during the semester break, and we chose meeting places that were central in their districts and large enough so that members from other churches in the district could be invited to attend. A total of about 11,000 people attended the 10 weekends.<\/p>\n \u201cFilibus Gwama, EYN president, attended the Jesus Jubilee weekend that took place at Hildi No. 1 church. …He ended up coming to all of the services. He said to me, `Everyone in EYN needs to receive this message. Our pastors and people have become weary from the hard lives they live, and God will use this ministry to refresh them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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\n2) Association of Brethren Caregivers Board approves new ADA resolution.
\n3) Brethren from all districts trained to facilitate `Together\u2019 conversations.
\n4) Disaster Child Care celebrates training experience.
\n5) Survey will help Education for Shared Ministry evaluate its work.
\n6) Brethren bits: Job opening, Annual Conference, and more.<\/p>\n
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\n1) Bethany Theological Seminary president Eugene F. Roop announces retirement at Board of Trustees meeting.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
In other business:<\/h6>\n
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2) Association of Brethren Caregivers Board approves new ADA resolution.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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3) Brethren from all districts trained to facilitate `Together\u2019 conversations.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
4) Disaster Child Care celebrates training experience.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
5) Survey will help Education for Shared Ministry evaluate its work.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
6) Brethren bits: Job opening, Annual Conference, and more.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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7) Jesus Jubilee program refreshes Nigerian congregations and pastors.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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