Newsline
The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service | ||
May 30, 2013
"You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14a).
NEWS
1) Children’s Disaster Services works in Moore, Brethren grant supports CWS relief effort. 2) Bethany Seminary celebrates its 108th commencement. 3) Forum of church retirement communities is held in Pennsylvania. 4) New investment options, SRI screening lists approved by BBT board. 5) Brethren Disaster Ministries trains project leaders for 2013. 6) Spiritual directors gather for annual retreat.
PERSONNEL
7) Bethany Seminary fills new position in Reconciliation Studies. 8) Mueller to serve as executive of Atlantic Southeast District.
UPCOMING EVENTS
9) New features for Brethren Pension Plan explained in webinars for church workers. 10) BRF plans 40th annual Brethren Bible Institute for July. 11) Registration remains open for Fifth Brethren World Assembly in July.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS
12) Annual Conference worship and business sessions to be webcast. 13) Ministry of Reconciliation Team to serve again at 2013 Conference. 14) L. Gregory Jones to speak for Ministers’ Association event. 15) BVS announces its Partners in Service Award for 2013. 16) La Verne sanctuary choir tour culminates in Annual Conference concert. 17) Annual Conference bits and pieces: June 29-July 3 in Charlotte, N.C.
RESOURCES
18) Creation theme is the focus of Gather ’Round’s summer quarter. 19) ‘Brethren Life and Thought’ announces special issue on Alexander Mack Jr.
20) Brethren bits: Remembering Jim Renz and D. Eugene Lichty, reporting on SeBAH-CoB and MSS, apply for the Young Adult Steering Committee, preliminary results from Shenandoah District’s disaster auction, ecumenical call to prayer for Christians in the Middle East, and more.
Read the full text of this Newsline in one document at
www.brethren.org/news/2013/
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Tuesday, June 4, is the last date for online registration for the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. Go towww.brethren.org/ac . After June 4, registration fees go up for those who wait to register onsite in Charlotte, N.C. The Conference takes place June 29-July 3. June 4 also is the last day to register children for age-group activities at the advance rate, the last date to purchase meal tickets in advance, and to reserve hotel rooms in the Conference block. Register now at www.brethren.org/ac . For questions contact the Conference Office at 800-323-8039, ext. 364, 365, or 366. ******************************  1) Children’s Disaster Services works in Moore, Brethren grant supports CWS relief effort.
Volunteers from Children’s Disaster Services, a program within Brethren Disaster Ministries, are at work in Moore, Okla., helping care for children and families affected by the tornado that devastated the town on May 20. As of Wednesday morning, the volunteers have provided care for 95 children. In related news, Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed a $4,000 grant from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund to support the Church World Service relief effort in Oklahoma. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
 2) Bethany Seminary celebrates its 108th commencement.
On May 11, members of Bethany Theological Seminary’s class of 2013 graduated in front of family and friends in Nicarry Chapel on the seminary campus in Richmond, Ind. Ten graduates received their diplomas from Ruthann Knechel Johansen, president, and Lynn Myers, board chair; three were recognized in absentia. Nelson Kraybill, president emeritus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, gave the address. For more go to www.bethanyseminary.edu/news/
3) Forum of church retirement communities is held in Pennsylvania.  The annual Forum of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes was held April 10-12 at the Village at Morrisons Cove, Martinsburg, Pa. The forum is an opportunity for representatives from Church of the Brethren-related retirement communities and agencies to gather with others in long-term care services to learn about current trends, share best practices, and strengthen their connection with the church. For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/4) New investment options, SRI screening lists approved by BBT board.
Brethren Foundation clients will soon have access to three new investment options, one of several actions taken by the Board of Directors of Brethren Benefit Trust. The board also adopted two lists of companies that are prohibited from its actively managed funds--one containing publicly traded US companies that earn 10 percent or more from Department of Defense contracts, and another containing the top 25 publicly traded Department of Defense contractors. This year, oil and gas companies Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Valero Energy appear on the list. For more go to www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/
5) Brethren Disaster Ministries trains project leaders for 2013.
On April 23, I traveled to Prattsville, N.Y., to undergo training to become a Disaster Project Leader. Disaster Project Leaders are wonderful men and women called to lead and guide volunteers who come out to Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding sites for a week. I was very excited to learn all that happened behind the scenes to keep the project sites running. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
 6) Spiritual directors gather for annual retreat.
Twenty-two spiritual directors and leadership recently gathered at Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry Center in Sharpsburg, Md., for an annual retreat. From May 13-15 the spiritual directors spent time in keynote sessions with Roberta Bondi, professor emeritus for Church History at the Candler School of Theology. For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/
PERSONNEL
7) Bethany Seminary fills new position in Reconciliation Studies.
Deborah Roberts has been named half-time assistant professor of Reconciliation Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., to begin July 1. This new position was created to help implement intentional course work in conflict transformation within the seminary’s curriculum. Students will be able to take courses in conflict transformation to earn a ministry focus within the master of divinity degree or an emphasis within both the master of divinity and master of arts degrees. For more go towww.bethanyseminary.edu/news/  8) Mueller to serve as executive of Atlantic Southeast District.
John M. Mueller has accepted the call to serve as district executive minister of Atlantic Southeast District in a half-time position beginning July 1. Most recently he has served as co-pastor of Jacksonville (Fla.) Church of the Brethren with his wife Mary, and previously was a regional director for Brethren Disaster Ministries. For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/
UPCOMING EVENTS
9) New features for Brethren Pension Plan explained in webinars for church workers.
Enhancements are in store for Brethren Pension Plan users--and members are invited to attend webinars in June to learn about new tools and features they will be able to access starting July 1. Brethren Benefit Trust is providing the online tutorials on June 12, 18, and 20. To register for a webinar, contact Loyce Swartz Borgmann at 800-746-1505 ext. 364 or lborgmann@cobbt.org . For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/
10) BRF plans 40th annual Brethren Bible Institute for July.
The 40th annual Brethren Bible Institute sponsored by the Brethren Revival Fellowship (BRF) is planned forJuly 22-26 at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. At least 11 courses are scheduled, and continuing education units will be available for ordained ministers. BRF offers the annual Brethren Bible Institute as a one-week school intended to provide systematic instruction in the Bible for any person 16 years of age or older. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
11) Registration remains open for Fifth Brethren World Assembly in July.
The Fifth Brethren World Assembly for constituents and friends of the Brethren bodies descended from the movement established by Alexander Mack in Germany in the early 1700s will be July 11-14 at the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, near Dayton, Ohio. Online registration remains open through July 7. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS  12) Annual Conference worship and business sessions to be webcast.
“Join us in Charlotte...over the Web!” says an invitation from the Conference Office. For church members who cannot attend the 2013 Annual Conference in person, arrangements are being made for significant portions to be webcast again this year. The links to webcasts will be found at atwww.brethren.org/AC2013 during and after the Annual Conference takes place from June 29-July 3. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
 13) Ministry of Reconciliation Team to serve again at 2013 Conference.
The Annual Conference officers have invited the Ministry of Reconciliation (MoR) of On Earth Peace to resume its role of presence at the 2013 Annual Conference. The diverse group of trained volunteers will be present and attentive, ready to respond where confusion, conflict, or negative emotions are causing a problem in the gathered body. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
14) L. Gregory Jones to speak for Ministers’ Association event.
The Church of the Brethren Ministers’ Association Pre-Conference Continuing Education Event in Charlotte, N.C., on June 28-29 will feature L. Gregory Jones, a widely recognized scholar and church leader on such topics as forgiveness and reconciliation, Christian vocation, leadership, and strengthening the church and its ministry. He is senior strategist for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity and professor of theology at Divinity School of Duke University. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/l-
15) BVS announces its Partners in Service Award for 2013.
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is presenting its 2013 Partners in Service Award to its network of healing communities during the 2013 Annual Conference. The award typically recognizes an individual, project, or congregation that has demonstrated exceptional commitment in partnering with BVS to share God’s love through acts of service. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
 16) La Verne sanctuary choir tour culminates in Annual Conference concert.
The La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren Sanctuary Choir embarks on a “Crossin’ America Tour” this summer, culminating with a concert on the opening evening of Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Director Niké St. Clair will lead a collection of sacred choral compositions and arrangements by Shawn Kirchner, the church’s instrumental music coordinator and Swan Family Composer in Residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale. For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/la-
17) Annual Conference bits and pieces: June 29-July 3 in Charlotte, N.C.
Bits and pieces of news about the upcoming Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, including an invitation to a special Church of the Brethren reception, registering for the BBT Fitness Challenge as a 3,000 Miles for Peace event, Advanced Deacon Workshops held pre-Conference and webcast, a 35th anniversary celebration of Global Women’s Project, among others. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
RESOURCES  18) Creation theme is the focus of Gather ’Round’s summer quarter.
Creation is the theme of the summer 2013 quarter of the Gather ’Round curriculum. The biblical texts are drawn from passages in Genesis, Psalms, Ruth, and Matthew. Gather ’Round is a Bible-based curriculum co-published by Brethren Press and MennoMedia, committed to nurturing children, youth, and their families in becoming followers of Jesus: people who know and love God, interpret God's word, belong to God's gathered community, and share God's good news. For more go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
 19) ‘Brethren Life and Thought’ announces special issue on Alexander Mack Jr.
The Brethren Journal Association announces publication of “The Life and Influence of Alexander Mack Jr.: Pietist and Anabaptist Intersections in Pennsylvania” featuring most of the papers presented at the Young Center Conference on Alexander Mack Jr. in 2012. In related news, Bethany Seminary trustees approved revised Articles of Organization for the Brethren Journal Association. On July 1 at Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C., members will have opportunity to discuss the articles and add their affirmation. Read the revised articles in advance at www.bethanyseminary.edu/blt . For more go towww.brethren.org/news/2013/
 20) Brethren bits.
This edition of Brethren bits remembers Jim Renz and D. Eugene Lichty, reports on SeBAH-CoB and Ministry Summer Service, calls for applications for the Young Adult Steering Committee, shares preliminary results from Shenandoah District’s disaster auction, forwards an ecumenical call to prayer for Christians in the Middle East, and much more. Go to www.brethren.org/news/2013/
Contributors to this Newsline include Chris Douglas, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Leslie Frye, Julie Hostetter, Philip E. Jenks, Donna Kline, Jon Kobel, Jeri S. Kornegay, Dan McFadden, Becky Ullom Naugle, Debbie Noffsinger, Janet Ober, Bonita Rogers, Roy Winter, Zach Wolgemuth, Jane Yount, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. Look for the next regularly scheduled issue on June 12.  | ||
| 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 |
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Newsline, May 30, 2013
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