NEWSLINE, April 1, 2014

Newsline The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service

April 1, 2014 “New things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9b). NEWS 1) Conferees discuss bridge-building at Pacific Southwest District gathering 2) Youth have a month to register for National Youth Conference before price goes up 3) On Earth Peace begins 40th anniversary celebrations, board establishes team for elimination of racism work 4) Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 304 completes orientation PERSONNEL 5) Donna Kline retires as director of Deacon Ministries 6) Brian Solem resigns from communications post with BBT 7) Carol Berster retires as president of Peter Becker Community UPCOMING EVENTS 8) Bridgewater College scholar to speak on John Kline martyrdom 9) Brethren bits: Remembering Carl Myers and Millie Mundy, personnel news from Shenandoah District, 100th anniversary of Carlisle Church of the Brethren, Pastors for Peace celebrates seagoing cowboys, and more Find the full text of this Newsline in one document at www.brethren.org/news/2014/newsline-for-april-1-2014.html ****************************************************** Quote of the week: “What kind of redemptive community can we be?”  -- Joe Detrick, acting district executive for Pacific Southwest District, at a recent intercultural gathering intended to help put hands and feet on a unity statement the district adopted in 2007. See story below. ****************************************************** 1) Conferees discuss bridge-building at Pacific Southwest District gathering By Randy Miller Brethren from Pacific Southwest District congregations met recently to talk about how to put hands and feet on a unity statement they adopted in 2007. Some 30 Brethren gathered March 28-30 at Principe de Paz Church of the Brethren in Santa Ana, Calif., to talk about how they could be more intentional in their efforts to build bridges across racial, cultural, ethnic, and religious boundaries. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/conferees-discuss-how-to-build-bridges-at-intercultural-conference.html 2) Youth have a month to register for National Youth Conference before price goes up Youth and advisors only have one month left to register for this summer’s National Youth Conference (NYC) before the price goes up to $500 on May 1. All participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to avoid a late fee. For all information regarding the conference, visit www.brethren.org/NYC . www.brethren.org/news/2014/youth-have-a-month-to-register-for-nyc-discount.html 3) On Earth Peace begins 40th anniversary celebrations, board establishes team for elimination of racism work By Jordan Bles The On Earth Peace board and staff gathered at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., for their spring meeting March 13-16. One major business item was continuing the organization's elimination of racism training and audit--an initiative of the board and staff to continue addressing issues of institutional racism within the organization. Find the On Earth Peace board report in the “Peacebuilder” newsletter at http://onearthpeace.org/about/sign/peacebuilder 4) Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 304 completes orientation Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 304 has completed the Winter orientation, held Jan, 26-Feb. 14 at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Fla. Following are the names of the volunteers, their home congregation or home town, and placement sites: Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-volunteer-service-winter-unit.html PERSONNEL 5) Donna Kline retires as director of Deacon Ministries Donna Kline has announced her retirement as director of Deacon Ministries for the Church of the Brethren, as of July 11. She has held this position in Congregational Life Ministries for more than five years, since Oct. 20, 2008. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/donna-kline-resigns-from-deacon-ministry.html 6) Brian Solem resigns from communications post with BBT By Donna March Brian Solem tendered his resignation effective March 28 as manager of publications and joint director of communications for Brethren Benefit Trut (BBT). He was hired on Aug. 24, 2009, as publications coordinator and was promoted to his current position in June of last year.  Jim Lehman has accepted the position of interim director of communications for Brethren Benefit Trust, beginning on March 19. Read the full BBT release at http://brethrenbenefittrust.org/news/staff-changes-bbt 7) Carol Berster retires as president of Peter Becker Community By Colleen M. Algeo Carol Berster, president/CEO of Peter Becker Community since February 2006, will retire in March 2015. She plans to move to Delaware to be closer to her family. Peter Becker is a Church of the Brethren-related continuing care retirement community in Montgomery County, Pa. Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2014/carol-berster-retires-from-peter-becker.html UPCOMING EVENTS 8) Bridgewater College scholar to speak on John Kline martyrdom By Mary Kay Heatwole Carol A. Scheppard will deliver the 2014 John Kline Lecture at the John Kline Homestead in Broadway, Va., on April 6 at 3 p.m. This year marks the sesquicentennial of Kline’s assassination, and Scheppard will discuss Kline’s death and the concept of martyrdom. The title of Scheppard’s talk is “Perceptions of Martyrdom and John Kline.” Read the Bridgewater release at www.bridgewater.edu/news-and-media/releases/1547-noted-scholar-to-speak-on-john-kline-martydom-april-6 9) Brethren bits This issue remembers Carl Myers and Millie Mundy, shares personnel news from Shenandoah District, notes the 100th anniversary of Carlisle Church of the Brethren, celebrates seagoing cowboys with Pastors for Peace, and offers more news for and about Brethren.  Read the Brethren bits at www.brethren.org/news/2014/brethren-bits-for-april-1.html Contributors to this issue of Newsline include Jordan Bles, Jeff Boshart, Deborah Brehm, Christopher Fitz, Mary Jo Flory-Steury, Tim Heishman, Donna March, Jim Miller, Randy Miller, Howard Royer, Jonathan Shively, Callie Surber, 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, April 8.

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