NEWSLINE, March 18, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

March 18, 2014 "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find" (Matthew 7:7a). NEWS 1) Good giving and investment report, Brethren Service Center discussion, board development work highlight Mission and Ministry Board meeting 2) Denomination receives insurance dividend, Brethren Mutual Aid named a top agency by Brotherhood Mutual 3) Fellowship of Brethren Homes members awarded 2014 Continuing Education Grants 4) Winners of NYC speech and music contests are named UPCOMING EVENTS 5) Jeff Carter to be inaugurated as president of Bethany Seminary 6) March 27 webinar focuses on ‘Leading Teams: Positives, Pressures and Potentials’ 7) Killbuck Creek Song and Story Fest to be hosted by Inspiration Hills 8) Bridgewater College inaugurates David W. Bushman as 9th president 9) Juniata College hosts 'Reconstructing Peace Studies' conference FEATURE 10) A prayer request from Maiduguri, Nigeria 11) Brethren bits: Corrections, camp resignation, BDM volunteer milestone, US-Africa Environmental Justice Tour stop at First Chicago, congregations in the news, installation of executive in Southern Pennsylvania, new Children’s Fund in West Marva, college events, more. Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-march-18-2014.html ****************************************************** Quote of the week: “It...matters what we seek and pursue, both in our relationships and faith. If we look for conflict and knock on its door, we will find it. Likewise, if we search for wisdom and pursue it with persistency, we will learn and grow beyond ourselves.” -- Duane Grady writing in the 2014 Lenten devotional from Brethren Press, “Real Rest: Devotions for Ash Wednesday Through Easter” ( www.brethrenpress.com ). ****************************************************** 1) Good giving and investment report, Brethren Service Center discussion, board development work highlight Mission and Ministry Board meeting A good giving and investment report for 2013, discussion of the Brethren Service Center, and several hours of board development work marked the spring meeting of the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board. The meeting March 14-17 at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill., was led by board chair Becky Ball-Miller. In other business the board approved the Church of the Brethren Annual Report for 2013, amended a minute on India that dates back to 2010, and received numerous reports on recent events and updates on programs, as well as presentations on the work of fellow Annual Conference agencies Bethany Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/mission-and-ministry-board-meets.html 2) Denomination receives insurance dividend, Brethren Mutual Aid named a top agency by Brotherhood Mutual The Church of the Brethren denomination has received a large insurance dividend of $174,984 from Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, through its Partnership Group Program. Brethren Mutual Aid is the sponsoring agency for the program, which rewards the claims experience of the congregations, camps, and districts that make up the group along with the denominational organization. In related news, the Brethren Mutual Aid Agency has been recognized by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company as one of the company’s top 15 agencies for 2013. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/denomination-receives-insurance-dividend.html 3) Fellowship of Brethren Homes members awarded 2014 Continuing Education Grants By Kim Ebersole Eight retirement communities that are members of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes have been awarded Continuing Education Grants for 2014. The grants, up to $1,000 per retirement community, are funded by the denomination’s Health Education and Research Fund, which supports nursing in the Church of the Brethren, and are administered by Congregational Life Ministries. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/fellowship-of-brethren-homes-facilities-receive-grants.html 4) Winners of NYC speech and music contests are named The winners of the National Youth Conference (NYC) Music Contest and Speech Contest have been announced by the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office. Speech Contest winners will share their speeches during the Sunday morning worship service at NYC, and the Music Contest winner will have the opportunity to perform his song on stage sometime during the week. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/winners-of-nyc-contests-are-named.html UPCOMING EVENTS 5) Jeff Carter to be inaugurated as president of Bethany Seminary By Jenny Williams The Bethany Seminary community in Richmond, Ind., is preparing for an event that seldom occurs in the life of an educational institution: the inauguration of a president. On Saturday, March 29, Jeff Carter will be inaugurated as the seminary’s tenth president in its 108-year history. Bethany invites all to join in the event via webcast at 9:45 a.m. (Eastern time). Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/jeff-carter-to-be-inaugurated.html 6) March 27 webinar focuses on ‘Leading Teams: Positives, Pressures and Potentials’ Congregational Life Ministries is offering a webinar on Thursday, March 27, 3:30-5 p.m. (Eastern time), on the topic of “Leading Teams: Positives, Pressures and Potentials” with presenter Fran Beckett. This is the second of two webinars exploring the theme of leadership hosted by the Church of the Brethren and organized together with Urban Expression, Bristol Baptist College, and BMS World Mission, partners based in the UK. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/march-27-webinar-on-leading-teams.html 7) Killbuck Creek Song and Story Fest to be hosted by Inspiration Hills The Killbuck Creek Song and Story Fest on the theme, “All God’s Critters Got a Place in This Choir!” is planned for July 6-12 at Inspiration Hills, an outdoor ministry center in Burbank, Ohio. This annual family camp features Church of the Brethren musicians and storytellers, and is co-sponsored by On Earth Peace. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/killbuck-creek-song-and-story-fest.html 8) Bridgewater College inaugurates David W. Bushman as 9th president By Mary Kay Heatwole Bridgewater (Va.) College will inaugurate David W. Bushman as its ninth president on April 11 at 10:30 a.m., on the campus mall. The inauguration of Bushman, who took office June 1, 2013, will celebrate ideals for which the college stands as reflected in the four Latin words appearing on the Bridgewater College seal: Bonitas, Veritas, Pulchritudo, and Concordia, which mean Goodness, Truth, Beauty, and Harmony. Read the Bridgewater College release at www.bridgewater.edu/news-and-media/releases/1544-bc-will-inaugurate-david-w-bushman-as-9th-president-april-11 9) Juniata College hosts 'Reconstructing Peace Studies' conference By John Wall The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., will bring in a team of nationally known scholars to determine how best to identify success in student learning and curriculum at the conference "Reconstructing Peace Studies: Assessing New Knowledge and Outcomes," held March 20-23. Read the Juniata College release at http://services.juniata.edu/news/index.html?action=SHOWARTICLE&id=5870 FEATURE 10) A prayer request from Maiduguri, Nigeria The following prayer request is from a member of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) living in the city of Maiduguri. It was received this weekend by an Annual Conference officer and shared with the Mission and Ministry Board on Sunday during worship. The city of Maiduguri was attacked this past weekend by the terrorist group Boko Haram: Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/a-prayer-request-from-maiduguri-nigeria.html 11) Brethren bits In this issue: Corrections, Camp Galilee manager resigns, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteer milestone, a US-Africa Environmental Justice Tour stop at First Chicago, congregations in the news, installation of new district executive in Southern Pennsylvania, a new Children’s Fund in West Marva, college events, and much much more. Read the full Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-march-18.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Jan Fischer Bachman, Jim Beckwith, Stan Dueck, Kim Ebersole, Duane Ediger, Bob Gross, LeAnn Harnist, Elizabeth Harvey, Mary Kay Heatwole, Tim Heishman, Elsie Holderread, Rebekah Houff, Jon Kobel, Stan Noffsinger, Abbie Parkhurst, Ken Kline Smeltzer, John Wall, Dan Watson, 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 Tuesday, March 25.

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