Newsline, March 21, 2013

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

Quote of the week: "We cannot cleanse ourselves. However, as we kneel to wash one another's feet, we extend God's cleansing grace to one another. In our giving and receiving, God's cleansing love is made manifest." -- From the Love Feast service in "For All Who Minister," a worship manual for the Church of the Brethren (1993, Brethren Press). The Church of the Brethren celebrates Love Feast each Maundy Thursday in remembrance of the last supper that Jesus ate with his disciples. The act of feetwashing is a traditional part of the service. Photo by Phil Grout. March 21, 2013 "Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet" (John 13:5a). NEWS 1) New Brethren Academy program receives funding from Wieand trust. 2) Estate gift funds new educational opportunities at Bethany Seminary. 3) More Brethren agencies express support for resolution on drones. 4) On Earth Peace board and staff participate in anti-racism training. 5) Brethren Disaster Ministries names advisory group, seeks input to survey. 6) BVS Unit 300 completes orientation. 7) ‘Something must change’: Harrisburg, Pa., pastor reports on efforts against gun violence. UPCOMING EVENTS 8) Bus trips from several states will help participants get to NOAC. FEATURE 9) Prayers for peacemakers: Ten year anniversary of war in Iraq. 10) Brethren bits: Remembering James Forbus and Herbert Michael, a music video from Bittersweet, Child Abuse Prevention Month, workcamp in South Sudan, fracking, and more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2013/newsline-for-march-21-2013.html ******************************************** 1) New Brethren Academy program receives funding from Wieand trust. A gift from the David J. and Mary Elizabeth Wieand Trust is helping to start a new “Sustaining Ministerial Excellence: Advanced Seminar” at the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. “It is a real joy to bring to you something that will undergird the life-long training of our ministers,” said associate general secretary Mary Jo Flory-Steury as she requested board approval for use of $150,000 from the total gift received by the Church of the Brethren. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/wieand-family-gift-funds-new-educational-programs.html 2) Estate gift funds new educational opportunities at Bethany Seminary. Bethany Theological Seminary announces that two new educational initiatives will be supported by a major gift from the estate of Mary Elizabeth Wertz Wieand. This gift comes through the David J. and Mary Elizabeth Wieand Trust, established by members of a family whose roots go back to the very founding of the seminary. “This generous gift came right at a time when we were evaluating how we would put some new curricular plans into effect,” said Ruthann Knechel Johansen, president. Read the Bethany release at www.brethren.org/news/2013/wieand-family-gift-funds-new-educational-programs.html 3) More Brethren agencies express support for resolution on drones. Brethren Benefit Trust and On Earth Peace, which are both Annual Conference agencies, have affirmed the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board’s “Resolution against Drone Warfare.” The resolution was adopted at the board’s spring meeting and will be on the Annual Conference agenda in early July. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/brethren-agencies-affirm-drones-resolution.html 4) On Earth Peace board and staff participate in anti-racism training. During their spring 2013 meeting, the On Earth Peace board of directors and staff participated in an anti-racism training--the agency’s next step in a commitment to address issues of racism within and outside of the organization.The training was conducted by Crossroads Antiracism Organization and Training. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/on-earth-peace-board-meets.html 5) Brethren Disaster Ministries names advisory group, seeks input to survey. More than 700 people already have responded to a new online survey about the work of Brethren Disaster Ministries. “We want your feedback!” said an announcement of the survey from Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services. Take the survey at www.brethren.org/BDMsurvey . Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/brethren-disaster-ministries-survey.html 6) BVS Unit 300 completes orientation. The 300th unit of Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) completed winter orientation from Jan. 27-Feb. 15 in Gotha, Fla. The new volunteers, their home towns or home congregations, and project placements are listed below. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/bvs-unit-300-begins-service.html 7) ‘Something must change’: Harrisburg, Pa., pastor reports on efforts against gun violence. The Harrisburg (Pa.) Chapter of Heeding God’s Call continues to operate on the premise that “Something Must Change.” Heeding God’s Call is a faith-based movement to prevent gun violence. The organization got its start at a meeting of the Historic Peace Churches in Philadelphia, Pa. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/something-must-change.html 8) Bus trips from several states will help participants get to NOAC. People in several states will have the opportunity to ride a bus to National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) this year. Round-trip bus transportation to NOAC from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, as well as Western Plains District, has been confirmed. In other NOAC news, lodging reservations open April 1 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. NOAC is planned for Sept. 2-6 at Lake Junaluska, N.C., on the theme “Healing Springs Forth” (Isaiah 58:14). Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/bus-trips-to-noac.html 9) Prayers for peacemakers: Ten year anniversary of war in Iraq. Ten years after the US invasion of Iraq, Christian Peacemaker Teams, together with uncounted Iraqi families, laments the carnage that continues to echo from that moment. Reports sent before, during, and after the invasion brought rare, non-embedded perspectives that helped earn CPT a reputation for reliable, independent reporting, broad partnering, and bold action. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/cpt-laments-10-years-of-war-in-iraq.html 10) Brethren bits. Remembering James Forbus and Herbert Michael, ecumenical organizations welcome the new pope, a music video from Bittersweet, Child Abuse Prevention Month, invitation to a workcamp in South Sudan, fracking, and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2013/brethren-bits-for-march-21.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Tim Button-Harrison, Scott Duffey, Anna Emrick, Mary Kay Heatwole, Kendra Johnson, Genna Welsh Kasun, Jeri S. Kornegay, David W. Miller, Amy Mountain, Adam Pracht, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. Look for the next regularly scheduled issue on April 3.

Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. Contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org. Newsline appears every other 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  Unsubscribe   Change your e-mail address Church of the Brethren, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120