Newsline, February 15, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

Feb. 15, 2014 "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew11:29). ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW 1) Annual Conference 2014 will celebrate courageous discipleship 2) Pre-Conference events include Ministers’ Association, Congregational Vitality Workshops 3) Bidding process brings Annual Conference back to Ohio and California 4) On Earth Peace seeks volunteers for Ministers of Reconciliation team at Annual Conference NEWS 5) Court decision on properties is celebrated by First District Church of the Brethren in India 6) WCC shares hopes for peace in Syria with members of Syrian opposition 7) National Christian leaders oppose mass incarceration 8) EYN ministers hold annual conference UPCOMING EVENTS 9) Young adults to study Jeremiah 29:11 at YAC 10) Webinars on ‘Generative Leadership’ offered by Congregational Life Ministries with partners in the UK 11) Brethren bits: New hire at Brethren Service Center, youth ministry director completes certificate, #NYC, last chance for youth speech and music contest entries, registration deadlines for events at Bethany, WCC condemns military use of drones, notes from congregations and districts, and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at  www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-feb-15-2014.html ******************************************** Quote of the week: “Anyone who seeks God with a contrite spirit and an open heart may draw near to God and receive grace and wisdom for the life of discipleship.” -- Duane Grady in his introduction to the new Lenten devotional from Brethren Press, “Real Rest: Devotions for Ash WednesdayThrough Easter.” Grady has authored this pocket-size paperback devotional book, suitable for individual use and for congregations to provide to their members. Cost is $2.75 per copy. For more information, go to www.brethrenpress.com or call the Brethren Press order line at 800-441-3712. ******************************************** ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW 1) Annual Conference 2014 will celebrate courageous discipleship General registration opens Feb. 26 at 12 noon (central time) for the 2014 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren in Columbus, Ohio, on July 2-6. The theme, “Live as Courageous Disciples,” is from the New Testament letter to the Philippians. Events take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Conference will be led by moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman assisted by moderator-elect David Steele and secretary James Beckwith. Here is a preview of the 2014 Conference. Find more detailed information and the registration link that will go live Feb. 26, at www.brethren.org/ac . Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/annual-conference-2014-preview.html 2) Pre-Conference events include Ministers’ Association, Congregational Vitality Workshops Two ministry training events head the meetings that precede the 2014 Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio: the Ministers’ Association, and Congregational Vitality Workshops. The Ministers’ Association pre-Conference event is July 1-2 on the theme “Preaching the Lively Word: Text and Context in Today's Pulpit,” with Thomas G. Long. The Congregational Life Ministries is offering two Congregational Vitality Workshops on Wednesday, July 2, on the topic “Restoring Hope: Transforming Lives and Congregations” and on “The Role of Congregations in Mental Health.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/pre-conference-events-in-columbus.html 3) Bidding process brings Annual Conference back to Ohio and California The Conference office has announced the locations for upcoming Annual Conferences. In 2018 the annual meeting of the Church of the Brethren will return to Cincinnati, Ohio, where it has been held in previous decades; and in 2019 the event returns to the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, Calif., where it was held in 2009. Other upcoming locations already have been announced: Tampa, Fla., in 2015; Greensboro, N.C., in 2016; and Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2017. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/upcoming-annual-conference-locations-announced.html 4) On Earth Peace seeks volunteers for Ministers of Reconciliation team at Annual Conference “Already planning to attend the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference? Are you hearing a call to a ministry of presence and reconciliation?” asks an invitation from On Earth Peace. The Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR) is seeking members for a team to serve at the Conference. “Please prayerfully consider whether you or someone you know might be gifted to this ministry.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/on-earth-peace-seeks-mor-volunteers.html NEWS 5) Court decision on properties is celebrated by First District Church of the Brethren in India The Supreme Court in India has made a decision in a decades-long bitter court battle over ownership and control of former Brethren mission properties, following an early 1970s merger with the Church of North India (CNI) that included the former mission of the Church of the Brethren. The court decision of Sept. 30, 2013--Civil Appeal Case #8801, Malavia Vs. Gameti--ruled that the First District Church of the Brethren in India continues as the legal successor of the Church of the Brethren mission and is vested with its properties. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/court-decision-on-india-properties.html 6) WCC shares hopes for peace in Syria with members of Syrian opposition “The immediate end of the suffering of the people in Syria must now be the focus for all parties in the Geneva 2 talks,” World Council of Churches general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit said in a meeting today, Feb. 14, in Geneva, Switzerland, with members of the Syrian opposition. And “this includes all parties in the conflict,” he added. Representatives of the Syrian opposition requested the meeting with Tveit after receiving a WCC message calling for an end to the conflict delivered to both sides of the Geneva 2 talks. Church of the Brethren general secretary Stanley J. Noffsinger was one of the American church leaders who took part in the ecumenical gathering that issued the message. Read the WCC release at www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/hopes-for-peace-in-syria-shared-with-members-of-syrian-opposition 7) National Christian leaders oppose mass incarceration Christian leaders sat transfixed as Darren Ferguson, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Far Rockaway, N.Y., told the story of his decline from adolescent years with promise, to incarceration, and God’s power to restore and redeem. On this night, the leaders were struck by one thing: Jesus loves the prisoner and he was one. Christian Churches Together (CCT) represents the broadest coalition of church leaders in the United States. They came together for the group’s annual meeting in Newark, N.J., Feb. 4-7. Annual Conference moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman preached for a worship service led by the Brethren participants. Also in attendance were moderator-elect David Steele; general secretary Stan Noffsinger; Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden, president of CCT’s Historic Protestant group; and Office of Public Witness coordinator Nathan Hosler. Read the full CCT release at http://christianchurchestogether.org/2014-mass-incarceration-press-release 8) EYN ministers hold annual conference By Zakariya Musa of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria The Minister’s Annual Conference of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) opened the evening of Feb. 10 with worship sessions led by Bulus Danladi Jau. In their song during the session, the EYN Headquarters Church ZME (women’s choir) sang, “Nigeria is in confusion, as killings and burnings are going on. Why? God help us.” A special prayer was offered for granting the participants yet another time to fellowship together despite the challenges of insecurity in the country. During the session, preacher Haruna Y. Yaduma based his sermon on texts from 1 Peter 5:1-5 and Matthew 21:18-20, titled “The Shepherd.” Samuel Dante Dali, EYN president and chairman of the Ministers’ Council, in his welcome address thanked God for sustaining us to see 2014. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/eyn-ministers-hold-annual-conference.html UPCOMING EVENTS 9) Young adults to study Jeremiah 29:11 at YAC The Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference (YAC) will be held May 23-25 at Camp Brethren Woods near Keezletown, Va. With the words from Jeremiah 29:11 as a focus, participants will address the theme “Coming Home: For I Know the Plans I Have for You.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/young-adults-to-study-jeremiah.html 10) Webinars on ‘Generative Leadership’ offered by Congregational Life Ministries with partners in the UK Two new webinars are being offered by Congregational Life Ministries and partners in the United Kingdom. The topic is “Generative Leadership.” Hosted by the Church of the Brethren, the webinars are organized together with Urban Expression, Bristol Baptist College, and BMS World Mission. The webinars feature presenters Kerry Coke and Fran Beckett, Christian leaders actively involved in missional communities in the UK. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/webinars-on-generative-leadership.html 11) Brethren bits In this issue: New hire at Brethren Service Center, youth ministry director completes certificate, #NYC, last chance for youth speech and music contest entries, registration deadlines for events at Bethany, WCC condemns military use of drones, notes from congregations and districts, and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-feb-15.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Chris Douglas, Duane Ediger, Kendra Flory, Leslie Frye, Tim Heishman, Jon Kobel, Zakariya Musa, Becky Ullom Naugle, Stan Noffsinger, Harold A. Penner, Rick Polhamus, Paul Roth, Les Shenefelt, Jenny Williams, Jay Wittmeyer, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. The next regularly scheduled issue of Newsline is planned for Feb. 21.

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Newsline appears every week, with special issues as needed. Stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Forward Newsline to a friend    Subscribe to Newsline

eBrethren, February 12, 2014

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February 12, 2014   Hungry for news from the Global Food Crisis Fund? Click here. CONTENTS Not alone Discover a vision Math of sharing Gathering together for the Clergy Women's Retreat in Malibu, Calif. Melissa Wiginton (right) guided conversations for the retreat. "Being together is reason enough to be together."Photos by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Not aloneBy Dana Cassell Being a pastor is a lonely gig. Just ask your own pastor, if you dare. It’s a big job to be present for so many people’s every spiritual and emotional need, and at the same time, be unable to share openly with them about your own. So it was refreshing to gather with 43 others at last month’s Church of the Brethren Clergy Women’s Retreat. We laughed, prayed, played in the Pacific, and thought intentionally about friendship, fellowship… and the lack thereof. But pastors aren’t alone in loneliness. Melissa Wiginton guided our conversation about togetherness, and she shared a study by UCLA that says 30 percent of Americans self-identify as lonely at any given moment. Even more striking? Three out of every five American adults over the age of 45 feel consistently lonely. What does this mean for ministry, for the church, for our own discipleship? A couple of things. First, as I watch my own congregation delight in simple fellowship—sharing a meal, or conversation after worship—I am convinced that the church’s mission is, at base, to provide space and invitation for people to enter into deep, Christ-centered relationship. And second, I’m struck by how restorative it was to spend time with other clergy women. The opportunity to simply be with others who are also out there, doing this lonely, beautiful work of ministry was a blessing. Part of the gift of our Brethren tradition is the assumption that being together is reason enough to be together. This is a gift that we can share, a ministry in itself. So next time you go to church, take a minute to thank your pastor or another leader in your congregation. And then take a step further and bring that blessing to the streets. Sometimes all it takes is eye contact and a smile for the cashier across the counter, or a classmate in the hall, to feel less alone. Imagine the blessing that a church on this kind of mission could be to a culture so filled with lonely people. Dana Cassell is minister for Youth Formation at Manassas Church of the Brethren in Virginia. She was one of several participants in the Clergy Women’s Retreat last month, which was sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Ministry. To support this and other uplifting denominational ministries, visit www.brethren.org/give . Forward to a friend Back to top www.brethren.org/basinandtowel Discover a vision for community at its best:rooted and growing in the Jesus way. In the latest series from Basin and Towel magazine, follow the rhythms of gathering, calling, forming, and sending disciples. Dig in to what it means to be part of a vital congregation. Check out sample articles from the January issue, "The Gathering Community", as well as resources and a video interview atwww.brethren.org/basinandtowel . To request the whole magazine (including articles like "Not Your Grandma’s Sunday School"), or to subscribe, e-mail dstroyeck@brethren.org . To support Congregational Life Ministries, visitwww.brethren.org/give . The suggested offering date for One Great Hour of Sharing is March 16. "When we love like Jesus did, helping everyone we can, people who are hurting will feel God’s love. We can change one life at a time through our shared Christian witness, and those ones can add up until they equal all of God’s family." —Frank Ramirez in "The Math of Sharing," a children’s sermon for the 2014 One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Visitwww.brethren.org/oghs to read it in full. Thanks for reading! Watch for our next issue on February 26, 2014. Do you have a story about how you and your congregation practice stewardship?  E-mail it to ebrethren@brethren.org ! eBrethren: Stories of Brethren Stewards, is produced every other week by the Church of the Brethren's donor communications team.

Newsline, February 1, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

Feb. 1, 2014 "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one" (John 17:22). NEWS 1) Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren 2) Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee 3) Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic 4) Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging 5) EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria PERSONNEL 6) Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary UPCOMING EVENTS 7) Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event RESOURCES 8) Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series 9) Brethren bits: Remembering Walt Bowman, young adults invited to apply to be WCC stewards, song about BDM volunteers and the polar vortex, ceasefire in S. Sudan, Souper Bowl of Caring, Mundey headlines Cultivating for a Great Harvest, Pacific Southwest District celebrates ‘Spirit of God Moving,’ and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-feb-1-2014.html . ******************************************** Quote of the week:“We can help the world to reconnect. By the grace of God and the model of Jesus our Christ, we can show another way: Instead of borders, we build bridges. Out of conflict, we create conduits. As the church, our counter-cultural stance is to create spaces where people can love and connect, where we remember whose we are and that we are truly already one in Christ. Imagine what the world would be like if we chose, consistently, to model this unity.” -- Amy Gopp Vigne in the theme interpretation for the 2014 One Great Hour of Sharing offering emphasis “We Are One” (John 17:22-24). For almost seven decades, the eight dominations that participate in One Great Hour of Sharing--including the Church of the Brethren--have made a difference in lives and communities around the world. This special offering empowers ministries like the Church of the Brethren’s Global Mission and Service, Brethren Disaster Ministries, Brethren Volunteer Service, workcamps, and many others. The suggested offering date is Sunday, March 16. Visitwww.brethren.org/oghs for worship resources, to order printed offering materials, or make a gift as part of the offering emphasis. ******************************************** 1) Puerto Rico churches to become 24th district in the Church of the Brethren The Church of the Brethren congregations in Puerto Rico acted Saturday, Jan. 25, to begin the process of becoming the denomination’s 24th district. Up to now, the Puerto Rico churches have been part of Atlantic Southeast District, grouped together with the congregations in Florida. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/puerto-rico-churches-to-become-new-district.html 2) Conference secretary attends meeting on legislative priorities with Senate committee The Church of the Brethren was represented at a meeting of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee by Annual Conference secretary James Beckwith. The Church of the Brethren was one of several faith groups invited to send representatives to the meeting on Jan. 29 at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to speak with senators about legislative priorities. Following is an excerpt from Beckwith’s summary of the meeting. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/conference-secretary-attends-senate-committee-meeting.html 3) Work and prayer on the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic By Carolyn Fitzkee A highlight from a recent mission trip to Haiti and the Dominican Republic was a time of prayer on the border between the two countries. Two groups of volunteers traveled to the DR in December and January to help build a church in La Descubierta, with funding from Global Mission and Service, Brethren World Mission, and both volunteer groups. Located near the border with Haiti, La Descubierta is a community primarily of Haitian immigrants. The group from the Chiques Church and Rockford Community also helped provide a one-day medical clinic at the largest Church of the Brethren congregation in Haiti on Jan. 9. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/work-and-prayer-on-the-border.html 4) Chinese healthcare professionals visit with Brethren during study tour on aging By Ruoxia Li Eric Miller and Ruoxia Li hosted a small group of Chinese healthcare professionals and business people who visited the United States from Jan 7-20. The mission of their trip was to learn about elder care and hospice in America. The group visited Bridgewater (Va.) Retirement Community, which is a Church of the Brethren related facility, as well as other facilities. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/chinese-healthcare-group-makes-us-tour.html 5) EYN staff report more deaths in another terrorist attack in Nigeria “It is always very difficult to report about a Boko Haram attack,” writes one of the staff of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), reporting yet more violence in northeastern Nigeria. The EYN staff member wrote in an e-mail to the Global Mission and Service office this week that the attack on Sunday in his village at Wagga Chakawa “came as a surprise to many people.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/eyn-staff-report-more-deaths.html PERSONNEL 6) Malinda Berry to conclude tenure at Bethany Seminary Malinda Berry, assistant professor of theological studies and director of the MA program at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., has announced that she is taking the position of assistant professor of theology and ethics at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., effective July 1. Read the full release from Bethany Seminary at www.bethanyseminary.edu/news/berryresigns UPCOMING EVENTS 7) Shine partners with Faith Forward for 2014 children’s ministry event Shine, the new curriculum from Brethren Press and MennoMedia, has joined Faith Forward as a presenting partner for their 2014 gathering. Faith Forward is an organization dedicated to bringing together children’s and youth ministry leaders for collaboration, resourcing, and inspiration toward innovative theology and practice. The 2014 Faith Forward gathering will be May 19-22 in Nashville, Tenn. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/shine-partners-with-faith-forward.html RESOURCES 8) Congregational Life Ministries announces new ‘Basin and Towel’ series By Donna Kline To celebrate its fifth year of publication “Basin and Towel” is beginning a new series on congregational vitality with the January 2014 issue. “Basin and Towel” is a magazine published by the Church of the Brethren Congregational Life Ministries. The four-issue series will follow the rhythms of the decades-long life of a congregation as well as an individual worship service: gathering, calling, forming, and sending disciples. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/basin-and-towel-congregational-vitality-series.html 9) Brethren bits In this issue: Remembering Walt Bowman, young adults invited to apply to be WCC stewards, song about BDM volunteers and the polar vortex, ceasefire in S. Sudan, Souper Bowl of Caring, Mundey headlines Cultivating for a Great Harvest, Pacific Southwest District celebrates ‘Spirit of God Moving,’ and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-feb-1.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include James Beckwith, Jeff Boshart, Carolyn Fitzkee, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Mandy Garcia, Kendra Johnson, Donna Kline, Ruoxia Li, John Mueller, Jenny Williams, Jay Wittmeyer, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. The next regularly scheduled issue of Newsline is planned for Feb. 7.

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Newsline appears every week, with special issues as needed. Stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Forward Newsline to a friend    Subscribe to Newsline

eBrethren, January 29, 2014

eBrethren
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January 29, 2014   Register for YAC! Click here. CONTENTS Blessings We are one "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less."Photo by Kendra Johnson "You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for."Photo by Katie Cummings "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight."Photo by Ron Lubungo BlessingsAn excerpt from a sermon by Christy Waltersdorff, based on Matthew 5:1-12. "You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God." Somewhere along the way I started signing letters with the word, "Blessings." It is a meaningful word that wishes all good things to whomever I am writing. It has the fragrance of grace—that promise of a gift undeserved. In Matthew’s Gospel we find a list of blessings in the Sermon on the Mount. But more than that, we find a call for action, a teaching that is counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, radical, subversive—just like Jesus, himself. It is not concerned with what is practical or possible, but calls us to turn the values of the world upside down. "You’re blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." Matthew helps us to see that we can believe these impossible things because of what we know about Jesus and the God who sent him. God blesses us and asks us to bless others. "You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for." One of my Sunday school teachers used to say that the best way to think of the Beatitudes is as “be-attitudes.” They are ways of being—nine blessings that speak the language of grace, proclaiming truth that is the opposite of truth as the world knows it. "You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family" (The Message). In his hilltop sermon Jesus addressed those who were, right then, dealing with difficult and painful realities. "Blessed are you who are poor in spirit, at this very moment, for yours is the kingdom of heaven." Not after you die, not two hundred years from now, but right now. That promise remains true today. God is with you no matter what happens. You are blessed right now, and you are never alone. God is a God who cares about the meek, the mourners, the peacemakers, those who suffer. And even as they assure us, the Beatitudes call us to live as the people God created us to be, right here and right now. They encourage us to bless each other as we have been blessed by God, as an act of grace. A blessing is a prayer. It is a gift from God. Blessed are you... Amen. Christy Waltersdorff is pastor of the York Center Church of the Brethren in Lombard, Ill., and a worship coordinator for National Youth Conference. For suggestions of ways to bless others, visitwww.brethren.org/volunteer, www.brethren.org/pray , and www.brethren.org/give . Forward to a friend Back to top Visit www.brethren.org/oghs for worship resources, to order printed materials, or make a gift today. We are one "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me— so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:22-24). The suggested offering date for One Great Hour of Sharing is March 16. We are one in the body of Christ with brothers and sisters around the world. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we can uphold each other in ministry and help those in need. One Great Hour of Sharing is a special opportunity to support ministries of the Church of the Brethren. Learn more at www.brethren.org/oghs . www.brethren.org/messenger "Peter’s account of dining with Gentiles is a story of challenge and … in facing these challenges, the believers discovered just how prayer led them in new directions. But first they had to get out of God’s way." —Chris Keating in the most recent issue of Messenger magazine. Thanks for reading! Watch for our next issue on February 12, 2014. Do you have a story about how you and your congregation practice stewardship?  E-mail it to mgarcia@brethren.org ! eBrethren: Stories of Brethren Stewards, is produced every other week by the Church of the Brethren's donor communications team. Send feedback to mgarcia@brethren.org or call 800-323-8039 ext. 361.
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