Newsline, June 28, 2013

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

June 28, 2013 Quote of the week: Move in our midst, thou Spirit of God Go with us down from thy holy hill. Walk with us through the storm and the calm. Spirit of God, go thou with us still. Touch thou our hands to lead us aright. Guide us forever, show us thy way. Transform our darkness into thy light. Spirit of God, lead thou us today. Strike from our feet the fetters that bind. Lift from our lives the weight of our wrong. Teach us to love with heart, soul, and mind. Spirit of God, thy love makes us strong. Kindle our hearts to burn with thy flame. Raise up thy banners high in this hour. Stir us to build new worlds in thy name. Spirit of God, O send us thy pow’r! --This beloved Brethren hymn, nicknamed the “Brethren national anthem,” reportedly has appeared in every Church of the Brethren Annual Conference booklet since it was first published in The Brethren Hymnal in 1951. Lyrics by Kenneth I. Morse are set to the tune, “Pine Glen,” composed by Perry L. Huffaker. The hymn is the theme for the 2013 Annual Conference meeting in Charlotte, N.C., onJune 29-July 3. A new Brethren Press e-book “Kindling Our Hearts: The Prophetic Voice of Ken Morse,” is a collection of writings by and about Morse including Messenger articles, editorials, essays, poetry, and photos. The e-book download is for electronic devices and intended for personal use. Purchase one download per user for $3.99 atwww.brethrenpress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1938E . For news coverage of Annual Conference go to www.brethren.org/ac2013 . NEWS 1) Standing Committee holds special session about On Earth Peace statement of inclusion. 2) CDS volunteers in Oklahoma care for more than 1,000 children. 3) Moore overwhelmed by donations of unneeded goods. 4) Brethren Disaster Ministries directs disaster grants to Angola, Palestine. 5) Global Food Crisis Fund supports Shepherd Society, ECHO with grants. UPCOMING EVENTS 6) WCC plans 2013 Assembly on the theme ‘God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.’ 7) Intercultural Gathering scheduled for October on theme ‘The Great Multitude: A Symposium Bringing Us Together.’ FEATURE 8) Remembering Slim Whitman, the church’s ‘Mr. Songman.’ 9) Brethren bits: Personnel notes, job openings, Little Swatara consecrates crosses for Annual Conference, Annual Report goes digital, and more. ******************************************** NOAC registration deadline: On July 1 the registration fee increases for National Older Adult Conference, the Church of the Brethren conference for adults age 50 and older, on Sept. 2-6 in Lake Junaluska, N.C. Register before July 1 for $159, with a $25 discount for first-timers. After July 1 the fee increases by $30. Attendees make their own housing and meal arrangements at Lake Junaluska. Register online and find out more about NOAC at www.brethren.org/NOAC . For questions contact NOAC coordinator Kim Ebersole at 800-323-8039 ext. 305. ******************************************** 1) Standing Committee holds special session about On Earth Peace statement of inclusion. The Standing Committee of district delegates began meeting on June 26, prior to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Charlotte, N.C. During their first full day of meetings, July 27, the committee held a specially called session with On Earth Peace executive director Bill Scheurer to continue conversation about the agency’s Statement of Inclusion. The session concluded with a decision to send a second Standing Committee delegation to meet with the On Earth Peace board “to explore a way to attempt to find a resolution.” Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/ac2013news/standing-committee-special-session-with-oep.html . Go to www.brethren.org/ac2013 for daily news, photos, webcasts, and more from the 2013 Annual Conference, through July 3. Pre-Conference events include the Ministers’ Association, Standing Committee, Deacon Ministry workshops, Mission and Ministry Board meeting, and more. Annual Conference starts with Saturday evening worship. 2) CDS volunteers in Oklahoma care for more than 1,000 children. The number of children served by Children’s Disaster Services volunteers working in Moore, Okla., has now passed 1,000. The CDS volunteers are serving children and families affected by the tornado that devastated the town of Moore in May. As of June 20, CDS has worked in Moore for more than 4 weeks and has served more than 1,020 children. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/cds-volunteers-in-oklahoma.html 3) Moore overwhelmed by donations of unneeded goods. The Brethren Disaster Ministries office has issued an alert that the Moore, Okla., tornado area has been overwhelmed with unneeded donated goods. Disaster response agencies have requested help in stemming the tide. Instead of sending goods, several more helpful options are suggested including donations to the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/moore-overwhelmed-by-unneeded-donations.html 4) Brethren Disaster Ministries directs disaster grants to Angola, Palestine. Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed allocations from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to SHARE to support schoolchildren in Angola, and to the Shepherd Society of Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/brethren-disaster-ministries-directs-allocations.html 5) Global Food Crisis Fund supports Shepherd Society, ECHO with grants. Recent grants have been given from the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) to a partnership project with the Shepherd Society of Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine, and to an agriculture project of ECHO, Inc., in the Dominican Republic. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/global-food-crisis-fund-grants.html 6) WCC plans 2013 Assembly on the theme ‘God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.’ The World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly will be held Oct. 30-Nov. 8 in Busan, South Korea, on the theme, “God of Life, Lead Us to Justice and Peace.” The Church of the Brethren delegation has already begun preparing for the event. Delegates from each worldwide member communion of the WCC are expected to attend the assembly, which is held every seven years and is considered the largest international gathering of Christians. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/wcc-plans-2013-assembly-on.html 7) Intercultural Gathering scheduled for October on theme ‘The Great Multitude: A Symposium Bringing Us Together.’ The Intercultural Ministry office, advisory committee, and Virlina District have announced the 2013 Intercultural Gathering, titled “The Great Multitude: A Symposium Bringing Us Together.” The gathering will be held Oct. 25-27 at the Skelton 4-H Center, 775 Hermitage Rd., Wirtz, Va. The theme scripture comes from Revelation 7:9. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/intercultural-gathering-set-for-october.html 8) Remembering Slim Whitman, the church’s ‘Mr. Songman.’ Country singer Slim Whitman, 90, who was a longtime member and deacon emeritus at Jacksonville (Fla.) Church of the Brethren, passed away June 19 at Orange Park (Fla.) Medical Center. He was the subject of the book “Mr. Songman,” written by Kenneth L. Gibble and published by Brethren Press in 1982. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/remembering-slim-whitman-the.html 9) Brethren bits. This issue includes personnel notes, job openings, a note and photo of the consecration service at Little Swatara for crosses for Annual Conference, a link to the digital Annual Report from the Church of the Brethren, and more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2013/brethren-bits-for-june-28.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Doris Abdullah, Duane Bahn, Judy Bezon-Braune, Jeffrey S. Boshart, Deborah Brehm, John Elms, Jan Fischer Bachman, Jon Kobel, Wendy McFadden, Nancy Miner, Glenn Riegel, Paul Roth, Howard Royer, Tim Sheaffer, Roy Winter, David S. Young, Jane Yount, and editor Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren. Look for a wrap up of Annual Conference in the next issue of Newsline on July 3. Look for a report from the Fifth Brethren World Assembly on July 15. The next regularly scheduled issue is planned for July 25.

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.