{"id":18011,"date":"2021-12-18T07:49:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T07:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=18011"},"modified":"2021-12-18T19:59:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T19:59:46","slug":"brethren-bits-for-dec-18-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2021\/brethren-bits-for-dec-18-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Brethren bits for Dec. 18, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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— Remembrance: Arden K. Ball,<\/strong> 87, of Goshen, Ind., who served for almost two decades as director of Camp Alexander Mack in Milford, Ind., died on Dec. 8. He was born Dec. 22, 1933, to Paul and Sarah Ball. On Sept. 2, 1951, he married Charmaine Sunderman; she died on Jan. 2, 2018. He graduated from Manchester College (now university) in North Manchester, Ind., in 1963 and was later honored as Alumni of the Year. As a pastor in the Church of the Brethren, he served in three congregations. He completed his career as director of Camp Mack from 1975-1994. He is survived by children David K. (Cara) Ball of Edwardsburg, Mich., Marie E. Freeman of Breeding, Ky., and Rebecca (Paris) Ball-Miller of Goshen; and grandchildren. He donated his body to Indiana University for medical purposes. A Celebration of Life service is planned at Camp Mack next summer. Memorial gifts are received to Camp Alexander Mack and the Arden and Charmaine Ball Scholarship Fund at Manchester University. Find a full obituary at www.yoderculpfuneralhome.com\/obituary\/arden-ball<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A new Messenger Radio episode on \u201cAdvent Waiting\u201d<\/strong> may be heard at www.brethren.org\/messenger\/uncategorized\/messenger-radio<\/a>. In this special Advent episode, Anna Lisa Gross reads an excerpt from this year\u2019s Advent devotional from Brethren Press, written by Angela Finet, and discusses it with Nancy Faus. Lucas Finet plays piano. Image by Aaron Burden, Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

— The Part-time Pastor; Full-time Church program is offering a book study<\/strong> on Flourishing in Ministry: How to Cultivate Clergy Wellbeing<\/em> by Matt Bloom. The online event is planned once a week from Jan. 4 to March 3, 2022, on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). Continuing education units are available. Find out more at www.brethren.org\/news\/2021\/book-study-on-flourishing-in-ministry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— The Church of the Brethren\u2019s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy is one of the 115 organizations<\/strong> that signed a letter supporting a TRIPS waiver which would increase international access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. During a virtual press conference on Monday, Dec. 13, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA also joined the global faith community to release the letter, alongside the World Council of Churches. The letter signed by the 115 organizations representing five world faith traditions calls on World Trade Organization member countries to act before year\u2019s end to waive the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights rules. The faith community spotlighted the moral necessity of increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Find the WCC release about the letter at www.oikoumene.org\/news\/wcc-joins-global-faith-based-organizations-calling-on-world-trade-organization-to-increase-global-access-to-vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Next year\u2019s Youth Roundtable at Bridgewater (Va.) College<\/strong> is planned for Feb. 25-27, 2022. The annual regional youth conference is for grades 9-12 and their adult advisors. Chris Michael, a former Interdistrict Youth Cabinet member, high school art teacher, Tik-Tok comedian, and artist, is the featured speaker. More information will be available in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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— The Global Women\u2019s Project Steering Committee<\/strong> reported this week one of their \u201cunexpected joys\u2026that we have had donations from all of you during this year that total over $30,000! And, for your generosity we are so humbled and grateful.\u201d Find out more about this Church of the Brethren-related project at www.globalwomensproject.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Christian leaders in Jerusalem<\/strong>, in Israel and Palestine, have released a statement on the current threat to the Christian presence in the Holy Land. \u201cSince 2012 there have been countless incidents of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, attacks on Christian churches, with holy sites regularly vandalized and desecrated, and ongoing intimidation of local Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives,\u201d the statement said, in part. \u201cThese tactics are being used by such radical groups in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land.\u201d Find the full statement at https:\/\/en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info\/blog\/2021\/12\/13\/statement-on-the-current-threat-to-the-christian-presence-in-the-holy-land-by-the-patriarchs-and-heads-of-local-churches-of-jerusalem<\/a>. Expressing solidarity with the Patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem, the World Council of Churches (WCC) also issued a statement about the violence against Christians there. Find it at www.oikoumene.org\/resources\/documents\/wcc-statement-in-solidarity-with-the-churches-and-christian-communities-in-the-holy-land<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Christian Aid Ministries has announced that their remaining 12 hostages have been freed in Haiti.<\/strong> In total, 17 volunteers with the ministry had been kidnapped by a gang and held for weeks. Find a statement from the ministry, which has connections with old order Brethren and Mennonite groups and has been a partner in disaster relief with Brethren Disaster Ministries, at https:\/\/christianaidministries.org\/updates\/haiti-staff-abduction<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., has installed a new sculpture on campus, the Juniata Peace Arch<\/strong>. \u201cA graceful sculpture designed to amalgamate the strength and flexibility of stainless steel, the reflective and prismatic qualities of dichroic glass, and the natural light and environs surrounding Kepple Hall was commissioned by Thomas R. Kepple, Juniata College president emeritus, and his wife, Pat, to honor John Dale and his wife, the late Irene (Miller) Dale,\u201d said a release. \u201cThe Juniata Peace Arch, created and installed by artist Nicole Beck following a nationwide call for artist submissions in 2019, was named both for Mrs. Dale, as the meaning of the name Irene is \u2018peace,\u2019 and as a nod to the Peace Chapel designed by architect Maya Lin in 1988.\u201d Working with Kathryn Blake, director of the Juniata College Museum of Art, a committee of faculty, staff, and students reviewed the 52 submissions received. An official dedication of the Juniata Peace Arch is planned for April 2022. Photo by Haldan Kirsch, courtesy of Juniata College<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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