DanceFever

A Delicate Balance

A reader was wondering if the Gospel Messenger site would be willing to add www.voicesforanopenspirit.org as sort of a bit of balance. While we don't find as much entertainment value in the VOS site as we do in some of the BRF postings, we are happy to oblige. And even though there's been no request, here's a BMC link too.

Chocofixes

Brethren Press Reports Candy Shortage

Brethren Press, the marketing arm of the Church of the Brethren, has reported that they are no longer selling easter candy. "We have no more chocolate crosses in our stockroom," reports a recording when a customer calls the toll free number.

Madness

Maundy Madness

As a service to our readers who were busy with Love Feast on Thursday evening, here are Thursday's NCAA results:

Albuquerque Region
	4 Louisville vs. 1 Washington		93 79
	7 W Virginia vs. 6 Texas Tech		65 60
Chicago Region
	12 WI Milwaukee vs  1 Illinois		63 77
	3 Arizona vs 2 Okla St		79 78

WWJoseD

Taking a Steroid to Heaven

At its March meetings, the General Board conducted a hearing to investigate the conduct of its staff. Concern has been voiced that, while members of Brethren congregations may or may not hold the General Board Staff as role models, the staff should be held accountable to the manner in which they conduct business for the Church. A large part of the hearing centered on the increased productivity of the staff and the questionable way that this is accomplished. Over the past several years the number of national staff has decreased while the workload has remained the same or, in some cases, increased. When asked about steroids or other performance enhancing substances one staff member responded, "I don't want to talk about the past, I want to stay positive. By that I mean, I want to stay cash-flow positive. Have I done some salty things in my time that would help sell a juicy tell-all book? Yes. Have I done things that would harm my endorsement deals? To that my answer is an unequivocal 'not sure.'"

The Board did not reach any conclusions at the end of their hearing but left matters such that an investigation could be continued at their next meeting.

It Makes Scents

The chemists in the Brethren labs are furiously working to come up with scents that embody various Brethren icons such as Alexander Mack, John Kline, Anna Mow, and others. Brethren Press is hoping to be ready in time for Annual Conference in order to ride the wave of success of other candles now on the market.

March 2005 Bingo

General Board Meetings

The Church of the Brethren General Board will be meeting on March 11-14, 2005.

[Meeting Information] | [Meal Reservations] | [Buzzword Bingo]

NigeriaConference

Early registration for Nigerian Direct Marketing Conference

With 150,000+ Brethren in Nigeria, that nation will be hosting a Direct Marketing Conference for congregations and individuals interested in various methods of fund raising, stewardship, outreach, and church growth. March 8 is the early registration deadline for the conference which runs April 8-10 in Abuja, Nigeria. A late registration fee of $30 will be added after March 8. The conference, which is an investment in your future, is part of Bethany Theological Seminary's centennial celebration and is funded by the Rosenberger Memorial Recital Series and the Stephen I. Katonah Endowment.

Keynote speakers are Sally Morgenthaler, founder of Sacramentis.com—Re-imagining Worship for a New Millennium; James Abbington, professor of Music at Morgan State University and executive editor of the African American Church Music Series from GIA Publications, Inc.; and Dr. Hamza Kalu. Each speaker, as well as a variety of other leaders, will give workshops. Workshops will be offered on a variety of topics including economics, statistics, accounting, commerce and open discussions.

Registration including three lunches and three nights' lodging is $229 for the first person from a congregation, $159 for others. Commuter registration (no lodging) is $99 for the first person from a congregation, $69 for others. Participants qualify for 1.5 continuing education units. Registration forms were mailed in the March Source packet to all Brethren congregations. Send your bank's name, account number, your name, address, telephone number, and fax numbers. Please note again that this transaction is strictly confidential and as such should be kept secret. Be rest assured that this transaction is 100% risk free.

ObiWanWalt

The Force is Strong In This One