CCS2006

Christian Citizenship Seminar 2006

Plans have already begun for next spring’s Christian Citizenship Seminar which will use the theme “Peace is Patriotic.”

Starting in New York City, sessions will include workshops lead by On Earth Peace. Later events will include an aerial tour of the nation’s capital followed by “Homeland Security and the Brethren” led by Hayden “Jim” Sheaffer.

CheapLabor

No Experience Required

The estimated cost of a volunteer for a 12 month period is $5000 to $7000. This includes room, board, and a monthly allowance.

JesusPets

Disaster Response

In an effort to keep relief programs in operation in any type of condition, Church of the Brethren Emergency Response/Disaster Services is partnering with another organization in the creation of a new pilot project.

If you're a Christian, you've got a big problem on your hands. After you're swept away to walk the streets of gold with Jesus, red hot lava is going to pour from volcanoes, hurricanes and tsunamis will flood most of the world’s coastlines, and earthquakes will cause inestimatable damage to the housing of the countless survivors. Will you feel guilt for an eternity?

The Church has made a commitment to helping the world’s refugees and that commitment needs to be kept. And in doing so, Christians will be able to enjoy eternity with a clear conscience. To that end, the Church of the Brethren, through Jesus Pets, is seeking secular humanists and other liberal non-believers. Anyone who is committed to keeping up the good fight when the faithful have all been swept up is encouraged to apply.

SpiralingMerchandise

Another Way of Spiraling


Smaller. Ebbing. Waning. Another Way of Spiraling.

Embrace and celebrate the "death spiral." Shirts and more is the GM Store.

Travel Services

Travel Planning

As the peak travel season approaches, Arthur Dent, the Director of Brethren Travel Services (BTS), is asking everyone to consider their carpooling options. "Whether you are traveling the road to Emmaus, going to Noah's Ark, Annual Conference, or just to your neighborhood Subway, there may be others trying to figure out how to get to the same destination. While some may opt to walk, others may be unable to drive and could use a lift. Please keep your neighbors' good in mind as you make your travel plans. You never know what new friends you'll meet along your way."

Noahs_Ark

Roadside Religion

As Brethren across the country are making their plans for travel to Peoria this summer, they may want to check out a book by Timothy K. Beal. Beal, a religion scholar who took his family on a summer RV tour of some of America's oddest religious sites, explores the varieties of religious. Whether he's tackling the popularity of biblical mini-golf courses or Precious Moments figurines, Beal uncovers serious questions about religion and its sometimes highly singular practitioners. It's clear that the sites he finds most compelling are those whose creator has stepped out of the mainstream to carry out a quixotic personal vision, like the former Church of the Brethren pastor who is building a gigantic replica of Noah's Ark to the size specified in the Book of Genesis.

Kettering: 'I was ... running away from myself'

Merlyn Kettering, the so-called runaway inkman who went missing once the Anglo Leasing scandal hit the fans, issued a public apology through his family's pastor and said that he is getting professional help.

"Please may I assure you that my running away had nothing to do with cold feet nor was it ever about leaving Kenya," wrote Kettering, in a statement read by the Jennifer Wilbanks of Duluth, Ga.

"Those who know me know how excited I've been and how excited I was about the spectacular work we planned." his statement read.

Kettering said that he looked forward to the day when he would be strong enough to "speak for myself."

Kettering wrote, "At this time, I cannot fully explain what happened to me last week. I had a host of compelling issues which seemed out of control -- issues for which I was unable to address or confine."

"In my mind, it was never about timing," he said. "I was simply running away from myself and from certain fears controlling my life. Each day, I'm learning more about who I am and the issues that have influenced me to respond inappropriately.

"I am sorry for the troubles I caused and I offer my deep and sincere apology. I ask for forgiveness."

While he apologized to his family, friends, community and "others I may have offended unintentionally," he did not specifically address the Hispanic man and white woman he made up as kidnappers in the story he first told authorities.

Another_way_of_Spiraling

Church of the Brethren Membership Falls Again in 2004

Overall Church of the Brethren membership continued to decline in 2004, according to year-end figures collected by the "Church of the Brethren Yearbook," published by Brethren Press. The denomination reported a net loss of 1,280 members last year, down just under one percent from the previous year. It is, however, a smaller decline than in 2003, when the Church of the Brethren had a net loss of 1,363 members.

The declining membership has been described as a death spiral. A query will be coming to Annual Conference requesting that 70% of the couples in the Brethren denomination should be required to have three or more children in order to reverse this trend.

GOD-ZILLA

The Top 15 Signs You Are Worshipping GodZILLA, Not God

15> Less smiting, more biting!

14> Every single story in the Old Testament ends with God destroying a city.

13> You insist that every courthouse display a copy of 10 instructions for destroying Tokyo.

12> Your hymnal is copyrighted by Blue Oyster Cult.

11> You're expected to build a cross big enough for crucifying Godzuki.

10> You issue a fatwa for jihad on Mechagodzilla.

9> The whole "Bambi is Satan" thing should have been a big tip-off.

8> His sole commandment: Thou shalt run screaming through the streets.

7> Every time you kneel to pray, your Lord steps on you.

6> Golden calf? No response.
Sacrificial lamb? Not even a twitch.
Passenger train full of screaming Japanese passengers? Bingo!

5> The sermon is lovely, but Reverend Takoshi's words are out of sync with his lips.

4> Instead of a communion wafer, you're supposed to eat Tokyo.

3> Recently chosen Pope Megalon XVI crushes all attempts to alter church doctrine.

2> You just spent $20,000 on eBay for the Virgin Mothra stuffed calzone.

and Topfive.com's Number 1 Sign You Are Actually Worshipping GodZILLA...

1> That thing about keeping the temple's lamps lit for eight days with no oil? Not a problem.

DisasterCamp

Mystery Location Announced

The Youth/Young Adult Office has revealed the location of its mystery workcamp. The May 29-June 4 workcamp will be held with Disaster Response in Pennsecola, Florida. Once there, young adults will be able to help re-build homes damaged by last fall's hurricanes. Amazingly, five workcampers have already registered in spite of having no idea where they would be sent. For more information about this workcamp, check out www.brethren.org/yya/workcamps.

PopePhonesHome

Papal Reports

Perhaps having just been delivered by extraterrestrial transport, word has come out of Rome, reporting of confusion and disappointment upon learning that "the Celestial Kingdom of God to which the departed faithful ascend in the afterlife is significantly less luxurious than the Vatican's Papal Palace," in which the pope spent the past 26 years of his earthly life.

RYC

New Resources Created in Effort to Save Regional Youth Conference

The recent Regional Youth Conference (RYC) held at Manchester College continued a downward participation spiral, having only 85 youth attend. Of those, most were from Indiana with only 6 youth traveling from the adjacent Illinois/Wisconsin district.

Manchester College (Ind.) is making new resources available as part of its effort to save Regional Youth Conference (RYC). The plan is for Church of the Brethren pastors and church employees, district employees, and employees of Annual Conference agencies, and affiliated agencies and institutions, and their youth. A video addressing questions about the conference, a power point presentation on the history of the conference, information about scholarships, and information about all of the Brethren colleges, are being made available free of charge. Manchester College has also worked with the Midwest districts, agencies, and Ministers' Association to create an advisory panel for the conference and is training advocates to promote the conference in districts.

The Regional Youth Conference is in a "death spiral," a downward cyclical phenomenon caused by decreased attendance and the reduction of the length of the event to two days. In districts that have more than 75 percent participation among eligible youth, the scholarship ratio is such that the conference should be able to survive, RYC reported. In districts where there is less than 75 percent participation, the scholarship ratio is such that, left unchecked, the conference could cease to exist within several years.

Revitalization of RYC will come through increased attendance. Manchester College has reinstated a requirement of 75 percent participation among eligible youth in each of the Midwest districts, for districts to continue in the conference. If a district does not have commitments from its congregations by Aug. 31, 2006, to meet that goal, all youth in the district will be ineligible for the regional conference on Jan. 1, 2007. The college states that the 75 percent requirement was part of the RYC Plan when it began in the 1950s, but "fell by the wayside" in the early 1980s. "The conference must regain an appropriate attendance in order to continue."

Manchester College has begun training advocates to work in each district to promote the conference with congregations and church youth. The advocates will use the new video to help rebuild participation in the conference. A first group of seven advocates was trained on March 7-8. As of March 17, 12 of the Midwestern districts had named advocates. More advocate trainings will be held in late spring.

An April 18 follow-up meeting between Manchester College and the Council of District Executives will be held in Richmond, Ind. It was requested by the district executives and will include members of Manchester’s board and staff, executives of the Annual Conference agencies, representatives of Annual Conference, and members of COBCOA. This summer RYC will be a major topic of discussion at Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill.

To order the video in DVD or VHS format, or to receive any other resource mentioned above, call 800-555-1505 ext. 374 or e-mail cobyouth@brethren.org.

WomaensCaucus

Christian Womaen's Wrestling

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." - Ephesians 6:12

The Global Womaen's Causus Project is starting a new project in hopes of empowering women in the Church. Christian Womaen's Wrestling will help women to become aware of global poverty, oppression & injustice suffered by women around the world; to recognize how over-consumption & misuse of resources directly contribute to their suffering; to examine & change our way of living & learn about our sisters’ lives; to support self-help, community projects that are led by, empower & benefit women in the U.S. & developing areas; to impose on ourselves a tax on luxury items & use the money for grants given to help support projects that enrich, fulfill, liberate, educate & develop leadership of women globally.

Available resources can be ordered from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, click here for the form.

PeacefullyStylishlyTogether

Dress Reform Committee Reconvenes

Continuing the Work of Jesus; Peacefully, Stylishly, Together

The Dress Reform Committee which last met in 1924 has been reconvened by Ken Neher, Director of Funding and Donor Development.

Analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis suggests that good-looking people tend to make more money and get promoted more often than those with average looks. The analysis is published in the April edition of The Regional Economist, the Fed's quarterly magazine. The researchers cited one study that found a "plainness penalty" of 9 percent in wages — meaning a plain person tended to earn 9 percent less than those with average looks — and a "beauty premium" of 5 percent.

Neher stated, “We, as a denomination, face a financial penalty because of our heritage of dressing so plainly. Encouraging our young people to dress more sharply lays the foundation for a strong financial future for our Church.”

DayOfContrasts

Day of Balance


One of these sites promotes "freedom of religion". Their religion, that is.

Workcamps2005

Wherever 8% work together in His name...

Last year, the 15% vacancy mark for summer workcamps was reached in February. This year, the 15% mark is still holding strong with 9 workcamps accounting for 89 of the 581 positions still up for grabs. Where last year the northeastern destinations was the least popular, this year’s unpopularity is fairly widespread. However, Wisconsin and Oregon are definitely this year’s leaders in unpopularity.

Here are the 9 least popular sites, listed with their percentage of available openings:

92% Inspiration Center, WS
90% Camp Myrtlewood, OR
75% Disaster Response
60% Walk Across America
53% Brazil
50% Phoenix, AZ
24% Indianapolis, IN
20% Innisfree Village, VA
8% Mendenhall, MS

COBCU

Credit Union Announces New Rate Structure

The Church of the Brethren Credit Union has announced new savings rates (APR and APY).

Prior to the change, members were required to have at least $5,000 in savings to get the second tier savings rate and $20,000 for the third tier rate. The savings level for these rates has been dropped to $50 and $200 respectively. The saving level for the fourth tier savings rate remains at $50,000.


cobcu rates

BeThePope

Job Opening

The Papal throne once again lies vacant... Do you have what it takes to do the job? The position is open... Your destiny awaits!

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.